techmoan

Patreon Update Video - March 2024

It’s tat time again.

I’ve assembled another Patreon exclusive video. Just a video this time as an audio version wouldn’t make much sense. I’m thinking specifically about an overlong behind the scenes section.

https://youtu.be/QU7YnNkuyDE

This one is on the longer side so you might prefer to skip any bits that overstay their welcome. For anyone unaware, the YouTube keyboard shortcuts for skipping forward or back a chapter are Ctrl+→ and ← on Windows, ⌥ opt+→ and ← on Mac.

This might end up being my only video this week, but we’ll see. Hopefully not.

I hope you’re doing well. Take care and have a good one.

UPDATE: The company behind the crap restoration show have content matched their inaccurate garbage nonsense in this video - so I’ve asked YouTube to snip it all out. It'll end up making even less sense than their over scripted, badly performed drivel  - but that's the way things go. 

My Dashcams in 2024

It’s been years since I last looked at Dashcams, but that doesn’t mean I stopped using them. I just stopped making videos about them. I must have tried out another ten or so different models since my last proper video review, but I seem to have at last settled on a couple I’m happy with, so I thought it’s time to spill the beans on the Dash cams I’m using now.

https://youtu.be/QVc0n0_WrXw

By the way should it be dash cam, dash-cam or dashcam? Answers on a post-card (or postcard) to:  This doesn’t matter, 4A Pedant Street, London.

This was one of those videos that required an insane amount of editing time and it’s all made me a bit cross eyed. So for the next couple off days I plan on staying away from the computer screen and focus on things further than a couple of feet away.  I hope therefore that no one spots any issues with this one as I’d like to draw a line under it. I suspect though that given the subject, there won’t be the usual level of scrutiny applied, dashcam videos had their brief heyday a long time ago.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the week.

UPDATE: Re-edit reuploaded with a couple of tiny nips and tucks.

My NW UK EV experience

This video started off as a few short clips I’d recorded for the next Patron Update where I planned to briefly talk about the difference between my electric Honda E’s range capabilities on regular roads vs motorways.

However when I started to edit these clips together I kept adding in extra sections and before I knew it, the video had expanded beyond being just a segment.

As I’d started out with the intention of this being a Patreon video, I think the end result is still only suitable for Patrons. 

The YouTube arguments between the ‘EVs can do no wrong’ evangelists, the Tesla fanboys and the rabid anti-ev hater click bait squad on YouTube are not something I want this video to get dragged into. 

This video doesn’t have an agenda and that’s a difficult concept for some to grasp.

I therefore think the only home for a video where I talk about my personal experiences with Electric Vehicles is here on Patreon. So here it is, a Patreon Exclusive. 

https://youtu.be/uvjxD3xm6JQ

Mission Impossible’s Tape Recorders #3

It’s been quite the wait, but finally, here’s Part 3 of my series looking at the tape recorders used to provide the briefings at the start of the original Mission Impossible TV series.

https://youtu.be/Uejdf_XTBT0

If anyone wants to see the earlier instalments…

Part 1 is here: https://youtu.be/6DNAmDYiu6k

Part 2 is here: https://youtu.be/8VQfhyDP6vw

While I’m here, my merchandise chap tells me that he is running a discount during the traditionally quiet sales months of February and March. If you enter the code TECHMOAN15 at checkout you get 15% off. Here’s the merch store link https://nerdkeyz.etsy.com/

That’s enough high pressure sales stuff from me, I hope you’re all doing fine. I’ve just found out that there are posts in the community chat room thingy here on Patreon. I didn’t have the notifications enabled as it would swamp my email inbox…however the flip-side of this is that I forgot the chat room was there. When I get the chance I’ll go back and read through what I’ve missed. Apologies if anyone was expecting a quick response.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your week.

UPDATE - Swapped the video out:

Added an overlay regarding the speed control capabilities, altered the pitch of my tape VO (something I’d always intended to do, but forgotten), trimmed the section of the child’s recording on the tape because I felt it was running a bit long. After uploading the second edit I found that a MI clip oddly content-matched on this re-up (but didn’t on the original upload). As a result I’ve trimmed this clip and re-upped the video again. Fingers crossed this one stays unmatched but I’ll have to keep my eye on it and if there are any other matches further re-edits will be needed before this video goes live.

UPDATE 2

Snipped out five seconds and added another overlay to eliminate confusion.
Re-upped the video. 

Yet more mini records

As promised (threatened?) at the end of the last video here’s another video about a mini record format.

https://youtu.be/vm6FnjL3STw

Originally my idea was to feature all the devices I’ve shown across these two videos in the one video. However after the repairs section in the first video took longer than expected, it became obvious I’d have to make two videos as a one hour video on this would really be outstaying it's welcome.

Unfortunately the single video I planned to make was going to be anchored on the more familiar Action Man style records and these others were going to be ‘also featuring’. So what we’ve ended up with here is a feature made with the supporting actors only. It’s Smokey and the Bandit 3 meets Jaws: The Revenge.

It's been a weird week here - one of those ones where I'm struggling to get anything meaningful done. Hopefully I'll have a video for you next week - but the clock is ticking and my brain isn't. Take care. 

Remember these Mini Records?

A quick hop on the nostalgia train to look at some mini records that gave a voice to many toys in the 1970s.

https://youtu.be/l1L4tCiY4aI

Just like the tech featured, this video isn’t overly elaborate, but they both just about work, in their own way.

Hope your week is going well - it’s scheduled to snow a significant amount here tomorrow and I have to drive to a routine medical appointment in town. I think I should be fine, from my experience snow only turns up unannounced.
Take care.

Contents of the Post Office Carts

I’ve uploaded a video showing the contents of the captured carts here:

https://youtu.be/VSrPrLpS_0o

A few notes.

1. The novelty of watching this will most likely wear off well before the video finishes. Spare a thought for the chap who had to view this many, many times.
2. The original slide quality and hence the video recording of these is not exactly at IMAX level.
3. The audio is not amazing either - but it’s been normalised, equalised and noise reduction(ed)…this is as good as it gets with my tools - and it’s plenty good enough to be listenable.
4. The end of the video features the contents of some silent carts - these were made as silent slideshows.
5. If you think something about this upload should have been done better, consider that unlike 75% of Silent Era movies that are totally lost forever, everyone can now ‘enjoy’ the contents of these carts, but nevertheless if messing around with this kind of thing, is your bag, I’ve provided a link here to download the full video file. - It’s around 13GB. But also read point 6…
6. I’m totally done with these and never want to see anything to do with them ever again…and no I don’t want to buy any stamps.

Enjoy your weekend.

MQA-CD - Affordable playback, but it's too late.

After spotting a £80 MQA-CD decoder I thought I’d have to give this Hi-res audio format one more spin. I managed to locate some of the discs I’d bought to make a relatively popular, yet unsatisfactory video about this format in 2018 and tried it out again.

https://youtu.be/5QS9Sc8J91Y

The original video proved to be rather frustrating as it generated enough confused venom-filled audiophile diatribes to fill a good size septic tank. I suspect though by this point nobody, not even them, will care a jot about MQA as it’s a company and format that appears destined to become another minor footnote in audio history.

MQA-CD releases dried up with impeccable timing - just as affordable decoder hardware appeared on the market.

This video is a bit late as there’s been a winter illness affecting the household since the day the last Patreon video was posted on here. This is why my voice sounds off in the video. But I hope you’re all doing well, take care.

Patreon VIDEO update January 2024

In place of a proper video this week here’s a consolation prize of an extra long Oddcast.

As usual I’ve much to say about nothing. Due to the length of the video I’ve included chapters so you can easily jump forward to the next topic.

https://youtu.be/5WiZjIpa4RE

I’ll put out an audio version (that can be heard as a podcast via Patreon) - but I think for quite a few sections you’d be better off with the video.

Patreon AUDIO update January 2024

This is the stripped off audio only version of the January Oddcast.
The full video version is available as a separate post.

Back to the Commpak

I’ve been taking another look at the multimedia Commpak format with what I hoped would be a more reliable system than the projector acquired last year.

https://youtu.be/kD22DwNkPMc

I’ve been fighting against low energy levels this week so this video may be a bit rough around the edges. I suspect I’ll need to take another editing pass at this before anything goes out - I’m sure the volume levels are all over the shop but I wanted to get this early version out to you today so that I can take a day off tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of your week. Take care.

EDIT - Swapped out the video due to a speed issue. 

EDIT 2 - After (finally) receiving a new audio line level converter I've updated the video and replaced the audio at the end. 

21st Century BGM - UPDATED

Just a quick and rather uninspiring video today. I’m probably not supposed to say that, but it’s true.

https://youtu.be/SNG8Qy782Iw

A bit of background…

You may recall in the past how I’ve mentioned that January is guaranteed to be a flop on YouTube. It’s the same with many other lines of work, you wouldn’t want to be running a restaurant in January either.

The annual drop-off in revenue has in the past come as a shock to some YouTubers who decided to quit their real job based on their YouTube income over the last few months of a year only to be slapped in the face by the cold reality of January's revenue.

The reason I mention this is because seasoned YouTubers may sometimes reduce their output in January or perhaps just take the whole month off as a holiday. However I think it’s a good time to try out some video ideas that have a high probability of being unsuccessful. There’s little to lose in January, since you’ve already lost. It’s like the Kobayashi Maru.

So with all that in mind, when you’ve got something languishing in a box that might only make a mediocre video, January is the best month to open that box and find out. I opened the box.

Anyway that’s it for now, I hope you’re doing well. Take care.

UPDATE

I’ve now managed to re-jig the video into a state that should be releasable.

Two things helped to save it. The first was the input from Chris with information about how these systems worked. The second thing was I discovered my VGA to HDMI adaptor wasn’t working. Trying the Ebox on a VGA monitor revealed its video output. This then enabled me to add some more blather regarding the small PC. There are no bombshells, the headline is that it is running linux, which I think everyone assumed. I also opened up the case to show that it contains a circuit board with stuff on it.

The new version is now the one embedded and linked above.

The Stereo* Tefifon

My first video of 2024 welcomes the return of an old friend, the Tefifon - however this time it’s stereo*.

https://youtu.be/yqfVS6ahArs

If you want to hear more Tefi music, as mentioned in the new year’s eve year video, I uploaded a whole cart to YouTube to check for content matches and that test video can be accessed HERE 

Well it’s almost the whole cart - the last track matched, so I muted it. There’s no video to accompany this (other than a garish orange screen) as it was just a content match test. Also there’s a phase issue with the audio which makes it either sound 1) A bit stereo or 2) A bit weird - depending on your point of view. When I used part of this audio in the main video, I mixed one of the channels down to dual mono instead. But please bear in mind this extra is something I would normally delete - it's not a proper video.

Anyway I hope you’re doing well - if so keep it up and thanks for all those new year well wishes.

*It’s not stereo.

UPDATE :

Swapped out the video because I decided to add a few seconds back in during the end monologue as this covered off a couple of things raised so far.

My Final Video (of 2023)

Just one more thing…

I’ve found the time today to record this short Patreon exclusive video before the year was over.

https://youtu.be/yWec-2_oxZo

I wish everyone here all the best for 2024 and beyond. Take care.

Karaoke 8-Track Christmas

Things came together just in time to for me to get this video out to you before Christmas.

Ever since learning about the link between 8-Track and Karaoke in Japan and discovering the unique Karaoke eight track, 8-tracks - I just had to get a suitable machine and carts to try for myself. Here’s how I got on.

https://youtu.be/6P0s4dkpOTI

Since this video is Christmas themed, I’m going to put this one out on Saturday (Christmas Eve eve) - and bump the train sims video to the week after.

So that’s it - probably the last new video for 2023 and I have to say a special thank you to everyone reading this for indulging this lunacy for another year. Your generosity continues to amaze and humble me. Have an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas and New Year. Take care.

A 2nd Class Return to train games…and a bit more.

I think it’s fair to assume that most people aren’t here for video game reviews but I fancied a bit of a change this week. Hence this review of the latest plug and play train simulator imported from Japan - followed by a comparison with a two year old console variant.

https://youtu.be/4VzT2e8rvY0

I’m amazed that I managed to salvage this video in the edit. While it’s still by no means the greatest production ever, what you see now is positively Emmy-winning compared against how I felt this one was going to end up. Initially there seemed a very good chance it would have to be shelved.

I’ve also made a second video this week, one I’ll most likely release unannounced on a non-monitised channel.

It’s just a few tips about my car. The video is so far removed from my typical output, it would only cause problems if it went out on the channel. It was a brief diversion to the days of being able to make videos about whatever was occupying my thoughts.

Here’s a link if you’re intrigued, https://youtu.be/4RQWLfA-bg0 but I’m sure you’ll understand why I say that I’d prefer to avoid car chat. Discussions regarding religion, politics or cars never end well.

Anyway that's it for this week, take care and I plan to get right on with the next project tomorrow.

The great equaliser

A short video featuring a quick fix to a very nice but forgetful old graphic equaliser.

https://youtu.be/0Aq-6QsXehc

I won’t keep you here any longer than necessary - Given the time of year I’m sure you’ve got more important stuff going on. Have a great week.

UPDATE - A few small adjustments - most notably to the closing words

Sony’s self-destructing MD Recorder from 2070

If you watched the last Patreon update, the subject of this video will already be familiar to you. After I’d mentioned I had one of these machines, I thought that now would be a good time to take a look at it.

I was wrong - it might have been better if I’d made this video a few years ago when I first bought this. Then again it’s likely back then the Minidisc Wiki wouldn’t have been around and after making a video I’d have packed this away, none the wiser that it was in the process of silently self destructing from the inside.

https://youtu.be/eZHYoBWjEdg

Hope your December is off to a good start. I’ve fallen a little bit behind where I’d like to be, so if there is a gap between new video uploads it’s nothing to worry about.

Take care and (if it’s appropriate), stay warm.

UPDATE 1 : Seamlessly removed any utterances of the word ‘Acid’. 

Patreon Video Odd-cast November 2023

A Patreon exclusive update video containing a heady mixture of things you don’t need to know, things you don’t want to know and added ephemera.

Here it is. https://youtu.be/tB9ifywSTz0

I feel this one needs the visuals intact for quite a few sections, so I haven’t posted an audio only version this time.

P.S. Here’s a link to that final Miikshi episode https://youtu.be/RlqydFW-rvs

Walkman II : The Do-over

The Walkman was a nice surprise - the Walkman II was planned.

In recent years, the original blue and silver Sony Walkman has become an icon. Images of it can be found adorning countless items of retro themed apparel. But the hard truth is that it was always a bit of a half-arsed bodge job of a device (IMHO).

The Walkman II was Sony’s first proper attempt at making a personal stereo from scratch. The original may have introduced the idea but the WMII was the one that formed the blueprint for what followed.

It’s extremely unlikely though that you’ll find an image of the Walkman II on a teeshirt, so that’s why I’ve made this video about it.

https://youtu.be/1yxwBNn0gT4

If this description makes it sound like this is a serious video - it’s really not and it intentionally gets sillier as it progresses. I did anticipate this would be an easy, quick video to make. It ended up being neither due to the large number of elements that had to be assembled together. I think it all worked out in the end though.

After this rather intense, edit-heavy week, I could do with taking a day or two away from the computer screen to give my eyes time to rest - especially the dodgy right one which is giving me some gyp. So this would seem like a good opportunity to record something for a Patreon update. Perhaps we’ll see how that works out later in the week.

Take care.

UPDATE

There’s a re-edit below which removes one second of audio that was difficult to understand.

https://youtu.be/8hMtcq_agWY

Yoto oh no? The Beatles & Queen arrive on a child's toy

After I made the video about the Tonies children’s audio player quite a few people suggested that I should take a look at the similarly targeted Yoto system as well. I thought I should put a bit of time between the two due to the similarity. It turns out it’s a year and a half since I uploaded the Tonies review. I’m glad I waited so long as the Yoto ‘format’ has just had seen ‘new’ album releases from The Beatles and Queen - and this makes the whole thing way more interesting. This and the fact that there are new Yoto players means that now is a good time to take a good look at Yoto.

https://youtu.be/Rt1zHQgUC6A

I haven’t had time to give this video the usual amount of play throughs, so hopefully there aren’t any technical problems. I was hoping on finishing this video by mid week - but since the weather has been so rotten I’ve just stayed in, done nothing else and worked on it. That just about made it possible to get it posted on Patreon before the weekend was over - but I’ve had to skip the final checks.

Now while I've put some Amazon affiliated links in the YouTube video description, if you're interested in buying any Yoto stuff for a child (or possibly yourself), you might be best off waiting until Black Friday and shopping via the official Yoto website.  I suspect these Beatles cards might become collectable in time...but then again they might not. If I were you I wouldn't take financial advice from me. I've got a storage locker full of bad ideas.

Anyway, I hope you’re all OK - I’m going to take a break from all this screen work by watching TV instead. Plus ça change. Have a good week.

Updates

Re-edit 1 is linked here: https://youtu.be/2mQECKOkkqk

I) All incorrect mentions of RFID replaced with NFC.

II) Removed the mention of the Queen album being complete as it transpired the track ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ is absent from the yoto version.

Beosound 3200: Good Bang (and Olufsen) for the buck?

Someone once asked, so here’s a video featuring a now classic B&O HiFi - the Beosound 3200. Given the vagaries of YouTube - this will inevitably prove to have been a very costly fools errand, but at least I gave it a go.

https://youtu.be/xRWFH3tnWaY

Once a video has been uploaded to and processed by YouTube I always watch it back again one final time just to check that something hasn’t gone wrong during the process. On this one I experienced an issue with the video playback intermittently freezing. Since all other YouTube videos seemed to stream without issue I re-rendered and re-uploaded the video yet again. The version you are seeing should play normally - but if there’s an issue, please let me know.

I’ve little of note to add this week other than that I’ve got quite a few medical appointments lined up over the next few days (routine annual reviews etc), which might result in the next video being pushed back due to lost work time.

Nothing else to add, so I’ll wish everyone here all the best and we’ll catch up again soon.

The Little Jammer meets Kenwood

Over the years quite a few people asked if I’d ever feature the Little Jammer. Quite a few more will have absolutely no idea what a Little Jammer is. This video should be an answer to both.

https://youtu.be/T_snMOaCIy4

The Little Jammer is something I’ve always been in two minds about - it’s a product that intrigued me since I first learned about it, circa 2004/2005, but the prices have always put me off. Well it’s almost twenty years later and good examples are getting increasingly rare and more expensive. I finally decided that if I was ever going to get a chance to take a look at it, now was the time.

I’ve only just managed to get this first draft edit of the video out on Patreon before the weekend was over. There’s a fair chance this video could, given more time, generate a composition match for some of the audio snippets. I’ll therefore be keeping a very close eye on things before it goes live. The editing could likely do with another pass to tighten things up anyway.

In other news this video has been delayed a day or two while I waited for the delivery of a replacement computer monitor after my ultra-wide failed. I don’t think it enjoyed being repeatedly rotated and folded away on its arm. I did manage to do quite a bit of the editing with a screen that had intermittent missing lines and was totally dead across the last few inches on the right. Needs must. 

Hope you’re all doing well. Take care and have a good week.

The in-flight audio player (updated)

Did you ever wonder what device was responsible for playing the music heard through headphones plugged into the armrest of an aeroplane?

Probably not - but nevertheless here’s a look at one of the possibilities.

https://youtu.be/9qBQ7vQtOo0

EXTRA: Is your name unexpectedly missing from the credits?

If you were expecting to see your name in the credits at the end of this video but it’s vanished - please watch this extra video where I talk about some Patreon changes that might be responsible. https://youtu.be/zFYY8CVeboY If after watching this you think there’s been an error - let me know and if necessary I’ll raise the issue with Patreon.

It’s good to be back and I hope you’re all well. Have a great weekend.

UPDATED VIDEO

From the feedback received on the pre-release version of this video it appears it was lacking clarity in places. In addition there were a few new nuggets of information worth adding in that had come from suggestions in the comments. As a result I’ve gone through and re-edited the video. There are quite a few tiny snips - but the main changes are a replacement section which occurs at around six minutes in and a new recap at approximately thirteen minutes. Hopefully these changes improve the whole video. Thanks for all the feedback, corrections and suggestions.

UPDATE RE NAMES IN CREDITS

I've found a number of names that weren't showing in any Patreon category, but clearly should be on the list - so I've done a quick re-edit and added them in. The video embedded and linked above includes these additional credits. If you are still missing, please let me know and I'll investigate further.

Audio Oddcast Oct 2023 - Reluctant cruiser re-cap

I haven’t done anything over the last month other than going on holiday - so that’s what I’m talking about in this episode.

If you want the video version - there’s a separate post containing this.

I’m really just putting this out as a ‘proof of life’ and so that I can now get on with making tech focused videos. Hopefully I’ll have something new to show you within the next week.

Take care.

Video Oddcast Oct 2023 - Reluctant cruiser re-cap

I haven’t done anything over the last month other than going on holiday - so that’s what I’m talking about in this episode.

https://youtu.be/Q2vKaYr4brw

If you only want the audio - there’s a separate post containing that.

I’m really just putting this out as a ‘proof of life’ and so that I can now get on with making tech focused videos. Hopefully I’ll have something new to show you within the next week.

Take care.

Noodling around (this was a scheduled post).

A short(ish) extra video this time for that one person who enjoys watching my tasteless lunchtime convenience food reviews.

This time it’s a compilation featuring three different noodle pots.

'You won’t believe what’s at number three. Top chefs hate this simple meal'.

https://youtu.be/oMWdGLJG06I

Oh and a quick addendum, it transpires that a Pro version of the Curry cup does indeed exist.

All being well I’m somewhere on the sea at the moment - all being not well, I’m somewhere under the sea at the moment.

Take care.

A day in Liverpool (This was a scheduled post).

I recently went to Liverpool to get my car serviced. I took the opportunity while I was there to test out a couple of video cameras that I was thinking of taking on holiday.The cameras I took out with me were a DJI Pocket II and a Sony X3000. I’m glad I did this, as both cameras proved unsuitable for the upcoming trip, so instead I bought a new one that will do the job of both. More on this perhaps when I return but in the meantime though here’s the footage I short whilst killing time in Liverpool.

https://youtu.be/bHLeppm6ARI

Be warned - the video is quite rough in parts - but that was also really the point. I was testing out their 'run and gun' capabilities. While I’m here I’ll mention that I’ve only been to Liverpool perhaps ten or so times in my life, all of those were brief trips too, so I’m definitely not a suitable tour guide.

Oh and the thing in the video I was attempting to eat for lunch was a ‘world famous salt & pepper box’ - something I’d seen online https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/tried-liverpools-famous-salt-pepper-17454220 (warning - this page has more spam than Hawaii). The audio where I explained this was unfortunately lost to the wind …and rain.

Have a good one. 

Sony NS7 - ‘Wearable personal theater’

I liked the idea but this execution leaves a lot to be desired.

https://youtu.be/3j_QUdBcqsI

This was the last video I made before I went off on my travels. It’s not a great one. This time though I don’t think it’s entirely all my fault. It’s hard to get enthusiastic about something that so woefully misses the mark. If Sony can locate that long-retired employee who knew how to design cool audio equipment, things might be different next time.

____

There are two as yet unseen extra Patreon only videos that I’ve scheduled to appear here on the next two Thursdays. Nothing amazing, just the kind of thing that might normally appear in my odd-cast videos.

I’m not too sure how soon after I return I’ll have anything new to show and what it’s going to be about…but that’s for future-me to bother about.

While there will be some degree of internet access available to me while I’m away - If at all possible I don’t plan on using it, I’d rather stay offline and just enjoy the holiday.

All being well I should be back here towards the latter part of October. I’ll try to bring you something back…hopefully interesting video clips rather than covid.

Take care.

This is a wind-up

A wind-up cassette player. I thought this was a nice little thing to make a simple video about. I looked for one of these on and off for a few years but I’d forgotten all about it though until an ebay seller in the UK contacted me after they’d acquired one and thought it would be my kind of thing. They were right. Here’s the video about it.

https://youtu.be/0OY7CgeH1u8

This video and the other two (Sony FH7 & Bandai cart) that haven’t yet gone live on YouTube are scheduled to be released on Saturdays while I’m away.

There is one more regular video scheduled for a Patreon early release in a week.

Take care.

P.S. There's a new episode of Miikshi out https://youtu.be/ZIImx86i8V4
Justin (who is also a patron) invited me back to do a guest voice again and always, the model work is a joy to watch.