Quick Time March

 

P is for productivity...

As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to write something about how to use a second instance of Quicktime to do multicam recording easily with the new Continuity Cam setup.  Here's some brief instructions on how to achieve that.  Typed commands are in italics.  

1. Open Terminal.   Press return at the end of each line:

    cd ~/Desktop

    nano SecondQuicktime  

    This will open up the Nano editor with a file named SecondQuicktime.  

2. At the top type the following: #!/bin/bash

    Press enter twice.  

    Then, type the following:  -n -a /System/Applications/QuickTime\ Player.app

    Press ctrl+X and then Y and then return to exit.  

3. Back at the terminal type: chmod u+x SecondQuicktime

4. Exit Terminal

You will now have a black square with the word “EXEC” in it that says SecondQuicktime below it.  To use it, launch Quicktime as you normally do, then click the shortcut for SecondQuicktime to launch a second instance.  This is very handy for multicam recording.  

Sources:https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254453078, https://siytek.com/macos-terminal-command-as-a-shortcut/

I, Phone

 

Raffi does not approve

We all remember the days of the pandemic where no one could find a webcam to buy, or really buy much of anything.  With that in mind, Apple set up something special in the latest versions of its device operating systems to make use of the robust rear facing cameras on an iPhone as a very good external camera setup.  Even better, you can use it in conjunction with the web cam on your Macbook to have an easy multi-camera rig that will make all the Twitch streamers jealous (Ok, maybe not).  

1. First things first, ensure you have a good USB to Lightning cable.  It is possible to use Wi-Fi for this, but you may wonder why you even bothered if your Wi-Fi is shoddy.  A good cable will allow you to have the best connection possible to your phone’s camera as well as charge the device at the same time.  And as the screen will be active, you will be counting down to the dreaded 0% battery point if you aren’t charging simultaneously.  The contacts for the phone end of the cable (the metal bits), should be shiny.  If they are not, use a vinyl eraser to clean them.  Or, if your cable is worn, consider a new cable.  Anker makes a nice long cable that seems to be reasonably priced and well made.  Avoid using an adapter (USB A to C) if possible and go right into the computer.  It just adds another layer of complexity/failure and point of troubleshooting. 

2. Make sure you’re updated to the latest versions of IOS (currently 16.4) on your iPhone and MacOS Ventura (or at least Monterey).  You’ll need an iPhone XR or newer.  If your phone has a dial, it won't work for this.  

3. Make sure both Airplay and Handoff are on with both your Mac and your phone.  You can find both in Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff.  On your phone, in that same menu, make sure the slider for “Continuity Camera” is turned on.   

3. You’ll be prompted on your phone to “Trust this computer”.  You’ll want to do that.  Otherwise, there’s no point and you need to evaluate your life for trust issues.  Note: you will be prompted for this every time you connect your phone to your Macbook.

4. Open an application on your Mac that will use the camera, like Facetime or Photo Booth.  Check your mic settings at this time; it is possible your Mac may also try to use your phone’s mic. If you have a fancy external microphone, you’ll need to ensure it’s not switched over.  Your phone should full screen to “Connected to xxxxx” and give you the option to “Pause” or “Disconnect”.  Don't press those (unless you're a thrill seeker) or you'll lose your picture from your phone. 

And that's really all there is to it.  Apple has a good list of steps for both setting this up or troubleshooting issues should they arise.  You can find that here (the link awfulness is on Apple, not me): https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-iphone-as-a-webcam-mchl77879b8a/mac#:~:text=On%20your%20Mac%2C%20open%20any,video%20from%20the%20rear%20camera.

As a bonus, if you’re doing multi-camera work on Zoom, there is a built in shortcut to switch between cameras.  Command+Shift+N will change your active camera if you have camera turned on in Zoom.  But, be warned, there are three camera modes if you’re using a Macbook and an iPhone continuity camera: Laptop Webcam, phone camera, and Desk View Camera.  Desk View uses a computation engine to try to approximate what your desk looks like if the camera is looking straight on.  It can be a bit weird to look at if you’re using your phone as a document cam.  Best toggle past it as quickly as possible.  

If you find that nothing has worked after following these steps and looking at Apple's article, unplug everything and start over. Switch out your cable and try it again; it is possible that you have a cable that an only be used for charging and not data.    Happy streaming!

Napoleons

 ...gosh!

For a while when the Food Network show "Chopped" was in its infancy, it seemed like whenever the contestants were confronted with the dessert round they would make either French toast (while delicious, I would argue it is not a dessert) or a Napoleon (with things like matzo, pate, and ice cream).  

Today, I'm going to make a Napoleon with tasty things, including that lemon curd I posted earlier.  I'm still tweaking this, so don't be surprised if this gets revised in the future.  

Ingredients

Blueberries. About a pound.  Frozen is fine.  I use wild blueberries as they tend to be sweeter.  

Sugar. I used 1 1/4 cup of sugar.  Probably could use less. Don't judge me. 

Lemon. The lemon adds a nice dimension to the blueberry reduction.  

Puff Pastry. From everything I have heard, there's no point in making your own unless you've got Paul Hollywood breathing down your neck.  

Lemon curd.  Does anyone have a good recipe for it?

Whipped cream. Fresh is better, though the can is fine here.  

Corn starch. If needed to thicken your mixture.  About 1Tbsp.  Mix with approximately 4Tbsp of hot water.  I neglected to get pics of this step, so you'll just have to imagine.  

Directions

1. Put your blueberries in a high wall pot.  Add sugar and the juice of one lemon.  Stir to combine and set to medium heat.  The blueberries will release a lot of liquid.  Bring to a simmer and reduce temperature if needed.  This is going to take a bit, perhaps 30-40 minutes.  

2. Once the blueberries have cooled somewhat, run them through a fine mesh strainer.  This is so that the reduction is smooth when we add to the Napoleon.  

3. Place back in the saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and add your corn starch to bring to a desired thickness.  I wanted it thick enough to leave a distinct trail if a spoon was run through it.  Sadly, I thought I had pictures of this step, but I failed.  Feel free to ask for a refund.  Let the finished sauce sit on the counter until room temperature, and then place in the fridge until chilled.  

4. While you wait for the sauces to chill, thaw your puff pastry.  You can either have done this by placing in the fridge overnight or thawing on your counter for 40 minutes.  Unfold the sheets and then cut into 12 equal rectangles.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and run a fork over it.  You want it to puff, but not uncontrollably so.  Bake following your package directions for temperature and time. 

5. Once lightly browned, remove and place on a cooling rack. I inverted mine.  You want these to be completely cool before filling, otherwise you will have a sloppy mess.  If that's your thing, get down with your bad self.  

6. Take two pieces of pastry that are the same size and split them open.  You will want to use the three flattest pieces for this step.  You can eat the fourth.  Spread blueberry reduction on one piece and lemon curd on the other.  Stack them up.  

7. Top with whipped cream. I went for a traditional star pattern, but you can go nuts.  

8.  And, as Napoleon Dynamite would say, "eat the food, Tina!"

Gimme Steam

 ...and how you feel to make it real

Image by Valve Corporation

One of the most anticipated tech related releases is Valve's Steam Deck .  It is essentially a battery powered small form factor PC with controls, a touch screen, and a combination GPU/CPU that allows you to run a great deal of PC related content.  This is not a Microsoft Windows device; rather, it is powered by Valve's Linux variant called SteamOS that uses a translation layer called Proton to allow compatibility with Windows games.  This is not a new concept; other organizations have developed similar devices for some time.  The Nintendo Switch was a big hit with a similar form factor.  The Steam Deck gives you the form factor of a gaming handheld, the performance of a PC, and yet does it for less than $700.  My personal build was the 64GB model at $400.  I'm extremely satisfied with it.  Pair it up with a mouse, keyboard, and portable display, and you have a mobile workstation.  

In the coming days, I'll show what I've done with it and why I feel that this technology is only the beginning of a very exciting journey.  

Capturing Mini DV Tapes on a Mac

 It just works...until it doesn't

I found myself recently in need to convert Mini DV tapes to MP4 files with a 2021 Macbook Air.  There were several steps to overcome. 

1. We are in the middle of trying to sell our house and could not find our Mini DV camcorder. 

2. The easy way to convert Mini DV to MP4 is through the use of a firewire cable.  I have no computer with that interface nor a cable to do so. 

3. Once 1 and 2 are solved, errors abound and made simple capture impossible.  

Solving for 1, I found a cheap Mini DV camcorder on shopgoodwill.com for $20.  It did not work.  Every tape that I put in errored.  It took removing the front housing and prying the board up away from the retention clip and it worked as it appeared to be grounding.  I'll add a link here if I can recall the site that guided me as well as recall the specific error.  So, #1 is resolved.  

Solving for 2, my daughter had an ancient Macbook Pro from 2011 she was not taking to college. Finding an appropriate firewire cable off Amazon was easy.  So, #2 (heh) is resolved.

3 was a problem.  I would fire up Quicktime, start the camcorder playback, and eventually (sometimes within seconds) the capture would fail.  I had no way of updating the MacOS and didn't want to purchase old software just for this project.  After considerable googling and bashing my head against the table, I found this blog: https://leolabs.org/blog/capture-minidv-on-macos  Léo has a very easy to follow section regarding the packages and steps needed to run capture through a script rather than rely on a very flaky Quicktime import process.  Even though the tapes were riddled with errors, my captures worked.  I suggest giving it a read if you happen to be doing something as ancient as I am.