Blog

In this podcast, Todd Ogasawara and Jon Westfall discuss:

• Todd finally created a Mastodon account: @mobileviews
• Google VPN now part of Google One lowest tier package ($20/year). Took it for a spin. It works on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. But, oddly, it does NOT appear to work with a Chromebook.
• Bard now helps you code
  Catching up with Bing/GitHub Copilot. It can also help write function for Google Sheets

  I can help you write functions for Google Sheets in a few ways. First, I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions. Second, I can help you debug your functions. Third, I can help you improve the performance of your functions.

  Here are some specific examples of how I can help you with each of these tasks:

  Understanding the syntax of Google Sheets functions: I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions by providing you with examples and explanations. For example, I can show you how to use the SUM() function to add up the values in a range of cells.
  Debugging your functions: I can help you debug your functions by identifying and fixing errors in your code. For example, I can help you identify errors in your function arguments or in your logic.
  Improving the performance of your functions: I can help you improve the performance of your functions by optimizing your code. For example, I can help you avoid unnecessary loops or calculations.

• Thinking aloud: Can Bing/Bard help keep mainframes running?
  Harking back to my misspent youth thinking about how to emulate/preserve domain-based knowledge.I wonder if LLM + old-school rule-based expert systems might be useful in domains with few human experts.
• Discussion Topic: What do you want to see at WWDC (6 weeks away) Rumors starting to heat upMacRumors Roundup
• Jon’s Mini Rant: Why is duration calculations such a stupid thing in MS Excel (e.g., See this)

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• Make Something Wonderful
  Free book. Collections of Steve Jobs’ speeches interviews, and correspondence
• Microsoft Designer preview access
• Todd’s outdoor ABSGEEGA wireless lavalier microphone tests
• Raspberry Pi Org’s web code editor (free)
• The End of Computer Magazines in America
• WiFi routers, WiFi 6 / 6E
• Apple Fitness challenges/goals

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

In this podcast, I speak with Kieran Garcia, Microsoft Senior Modern Work Specialist. We discuss Microsoft Copilot, Loop, and Designer. All are in preview releases. And, interestingly, Loop and Designer previews are currently only available for consumer subscriptions (vs. enterprise/government).

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

The main problem using this wireless lav is its low volume audio. In this test, I held the lav mic about two inches from my face instead of clipping it to my collar. And yet, the volume levels were still very low. You can see the differences in audio recoding volume in the first figure here showing the lav and iPad mini 6 mic (held about 6 to 8 inches from my face) recordings.

The second issue with this lav mic is its muddy audio recording quality. This might be a combination of its low cost components (which, of course, keeps its price low and affordable) and the foam wind shield. I might try removing the wind shield and see if the trade-off of more volume with more ambient sound is preferable.

You can see in the second figure here that extreme adjustments I made to bass, treble, and volume using Audacity to try to improve the audio quality.

The first segment of this mini-podcast was recorded using the wireless lav. And, the last 30 seconds were recorded using the iPad mini 6’s built-in mic for comparison. Note that there is a short 5 second segment at about the 10 second mark of the podcast that let’s you hear unprocessed recording. The volume is so low that it might seem like silence. I should also note that I needed to amplify the lav mic recording’s volume a second time using a separate Audacity tool.

Despite these shortcomings, I think the post-processed audio is “listenable” and suitable for infrequent outdoor podcast recordings of conversations. However, if I would recommend purchasing a higher-end product for “serious” recordings.

As a sidenote, I recorded this mini-podcast on an iPad mini 6 using the Just Press Record app to test its speech-to-text transcription feature. You can see a transcription of the segment recorded using the iPad’s mic below.

Alrighty still if 11th move these mini podcast 36 I’ve switched to the iPad mini six is built-in microphone and I’ll just see a few words. It should be nice and loud although the you should be able to hear a lot of ambient sound, which is what you would expect I don’t think you’ll hear much ambient sound when you listen to the first part of this mini podcast recorded using the inexpensive some $30 wireless laugh Mike that’s it. Thank you.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

Correction 1: In the podcast, I said this is mini-podcast 34. However, it is really mini-podcast 35.
Correction 2: In the podcast, I said it does not use Bluetooth because that it what the product description said. However, the dongle itself appears to use Bluetooth 4.0.

I have been thinking about recording interview/discussion type podcasts outdoors for a while. I found a low cost (US$27) lav mic that has a wireless dongle with Lightning, USB-A, and USB-C adapters — allowing it be used with nearly any device. ABSGEEGA Wireless USB Lavalier Lapel Microphone for iPhone& iPad& Android Phones
The lav’s product info on Amazon states that no Bluetooth is necessary. However, the dongle it ships with appears to be a Bluetooth 4.0 receiver. The receiver has a USB-C plug for Android and other devices with a USB-C port, a lightning adapter for Apple devices that still use lightning (e.g., iPhone), and a USB-A plug for other devices. The kit includes two wireless lav mics which is perfect for the outdoors-with-a-guest podcast concept. The receiver is powered by the recording device. The lav mics are charged using a USB-C cable.

The receiver is plug-and-play. There was not any special configuration or pairing needed to get it to work with the lav mics. I used Apple’s Voice Memos app to record this mini-podcast. The first three minutes were recorded using one of the two wireless lav mics. The last minute was recorded using the iPhone 14 Pro’s built-in mic. The audio recorded using the lav mic sounded a little muddy to me with what sounded like a little vibrato in my speech. However, the muddiness and vibrato may have been an artifact of my sloppy mic placement for this initial test.

The segment using the iPhone’s built-in mic sounded much more natural to me: No muddiness or vibrato. However, there was a lot of ambient sound because of the lack of a wind shield. This might be preferable in some cases if the idea is to highlight the fact that the recording is being done outdoors.

Overall, it is hard to complain about a sub-$30 product that performs as advertised.

I plan to test the wireless lav mic using Just Press Record app for the iPhone (US$4.99) with transcription next.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com