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sound check - your ultimate guide to audio File formats

Here's a list of commonly used audio file formats: .3gp Multimedia container format can contain proprietary formats as AMR, AMR-WB or AMR-WB+, but also some open formats .aa Audible (Amazon) A low-bitrate audiobook container format with DRM, containing audio encoded as either MP3 or the ACELP speech codec. .aac The Advanced Audio Coding format is based on the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards. AAC files are usually ADTS or ADIF containers. .aiff A standard uncompressed CD-quality, audio file format used by Apple. Established 3 years prior to Microsoft's uncompressed version wav. .amr AMR-NB audio, used primarily for speech. .au The standard audio file format used by Sun, Unix and Java. The audio in au files can be PCM or compressed with the μ-law, a-law or G.729 codecs. .cda Format for cda files for Radio. .dss DSS files are an Olympus proprietary format. DSS files use a high compression rate, which reduces the file size and allows files to be copied and transferred quickly. It allow...

this generation thinks they were great

  A young man asked his grandfather,   "Grandpa, how did you live in the past without technology... ...  without computers,  without drones,  without bitcoins,  without Internet connection,  without TVs,  without air conditioners,  without cars,  without mobile phones?" Grandpa answered:  "Just as your generation lives today... no prayers, no compassion, no respect, no GMRC (good manners and right conduct), no real education, poor personality, there is no human kindness, there is no shame, there is no modesty, there is no honesty." "We, the people born between the years 1930 and 1980, were the blessed ones. Our lives are a living proof." while playing and riding a bike, we have never worn a helmet after school we did our homework ourselves and we always played in meadows until sunset we played with real friends, not virtual friends. if we were thirsty, we would drink from the fountain, from the waterfalls, or faucet water, not miner...

green glossary, the language of the environment

Biodiversity This refers to 'the variability of living organisms, between and within species, and the changeability of the ecosystems to which they belong' (The Convention on Biological Diversity) Carbon Footprint The carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions of a person, operation or business, typically measured in tonnes. CO 2 e, or carbon dioxide equivalent, is the standard unit for measuring carbon footprints across industries. While there are more greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, emissions are currently and typically measured in terms of CO 2 . Carbon Neutral The balance between emitting, and the voluntary reduction and compensation (offsetting) of emissions, to achieve a neutral emission equilibrium. Circular Economy A circular economy is regenerative and aims to reduce the consumption of finite virgin resources. It encourages the evolving or adaptation of mostly lifestyle products so that they can be reused for longer, and when no longer usable, can be recovere...

glossary of cloud terms

There are a number of confusing and bewildering terms used in technology and since the cloud became a real thing, those terms have expanded to encompass everything we do online and in a cloud service. Here's a quick list of some of the terms you're likely to come across as you explore cloud technologies further. Needless to say, the industry loves its terminology, so expect many more as you delve deeper. AGILITY Refers to the faster implementation of IT within a company, AIRFRAME An open source cloud platform that's targeted at businesses in the thinking stages of adopting a private cloud service model. BACKUP AS A SERVICE Another form of online mass storage, where a company can effectively backup its entire systems data to the cloud. This service is of interest to audits, as off-site backups are secure and safe from accidental damage CLOUD The Cloud, an online set of services that's globally connected and allows individuals and businesses to interact with CLOUD BACKUP ...

racing along nepal's mountainous tracks – asphalt xtreme

This video shows Buggy Solo Challenge in The Himalayan Mountain, Nepal played in Asphalt Xtreme. This screen recording was later rendered in 60fps during editing. Enjoy the terrain.

great jokes from colin quinn's "long story short"

Here are some memorable jokes shared by Colin Quinn in his show Long Story Short : On History: You ever notice how history is just a series of guys who say, ‘I’ll take care of it,’ and then make it worse? History is just a bunch of stuff that happens, and then we look back and say, ‘Yeah, that was totally predictable, except we had no idea. On Civilization: The Egyptians built the pyramids. Then, 2,000 years later, we come along and go, ‘Hey, nice work, fellas. We’re gonna do a bunch of stuff, then just leave it here to rot.' We started out in caves and then we built cities, and now we’re back to living in apartments where we don’t even know our neighbors. On the World’s Empires: Every empire falls because the people at the top start getting crazy. And you know who’s always the first to notice? The people at the bottom. That’s why every empire falls to peasants and slaves. They’re the ones going, ‘This guy’s a lunatic! Who made him emperor?' On the Fall of Empires: Empires alwa...

the longest rivers

This is a top 10 list of the world's longest rivers, considering the length from its source to mouth. Source: Various. 01. Nile – 6,695 km — East and North Africa 02. Amazon – 6,516 km — South America 03. Yangtze – 6,380 km — China 04. Mississippi-Missouri – 5,969 km — USA 05. Yenisei – 5,539 km — Siberia 06. Yellow River – 5,464 km — China 07. Ob – 5,410 km — Siberia 08. Paraná-Rio – 4,880 km — South America 09. Congo – 4,700 km — Central Africa 10. Amur-Argun – 4,440 km — North Asia 11. Lena – 4,400 km — Russia

age of empires - II: the conquerors expansion

This video featuring Age of Empires 2 - The Conquerors is a work of inspiration. It is also a kind of fond remembrance for those all-nighters I did on this amazing game around 2000, 2001 and once again later in 2006 (basically my teenage and post-teenage years). The screenshot grabs in this video are from 2006 summer, when I played and enjoyed the campaigns night after night in Cairo. During the day I used to volunteer at WFP. One morning in a train to Maadi (in barely-slept mood after one such all-nighter with the game), I thought of creating a video using in-game cinematic. Instead of using the saved screen grabs, I had planned to use actual gameplay footage. The original idea was to capture the screen recording of the gameplay, interpolate the frames to around 30fps (I still had to figure out how), and upscale the video resolution to 720p, the go-to resolution of the time. :) It simply seemed too ambitious with the machine I had with me. At that time, I had a desktop computer with N...

does megapixel really matter?

With nearly all mobile makers now boasting at least 48 MP, does it actually make sense to have 48MP, 64MP, 108MP, or even 200MP main cameras with 3 or 4 extra cameras? The true one-line answer to this eternal question is: MegaPixel count does not really matter. If you go just by that then many old players and newcomers have the biggest MP count in their range, and top of the line specs, but are still a trash phone. Many smartphones camera makers use sensors by either Samsung or Sony. Apart from the top of the line sensors, the specifications are similar and even interchangeable, so some entry level phone models may have some sensors from Sony, and others by Samsung. Now, how can these manufacturers offer increasing MP size in smaller sensors? It is because each individual imaging element (pixel) on the sensor is getting smaller. This does not translate to better picture quality. Think of the shower of photons that leads to getting an image as a rainfall.

two million minutes: a look into chinese, indian, and american students

2 Million Minutes is a compelling documentary that delves into the educational systems of three countries: the United States, India, and China. The title refers to the approximate amount of time a student spends in school from kindergarten to graduation—about 2 million minutes. Through the lens of students in each country, the film offers a critical analysis of how different approaches to education shape both academic achievement and personal development. The documentary highlights the contrasting educational environments. In the United States, students appear to have a more relaxed approach to education, with a strong emphasis on extracurricular activities and personal development. However, the film suggests that this often comes at the expense of academic rigor, leaving U.S. students less prepared for the competitive global job market. In contrast, students in China and India face intense pressure to excel academically. Their education is highly focused on rigorous standards, memori...