Do you remember the commercial with that socks trick? I didn't recall the company but it was a language learning course of some sort.


It's funny how computers become less and less what we want (you and I both want more inputs, I require a CD drive) and more and more about what the makers think we want. I just got an upgrade one my work laptop and the new OS thinks AI is important enough to throw it my way several times a day. My computer world in general does not need AI, despite it's pervasiveness.

Yeah. Basically I hate technology...lol...it's just that in our lives at the moment it's the ONLY way to do anything, just about. Can't pay bills or look anything up...I heard the grants to fund interlibrary loan and library internets are being cut too...so...I mean, I worked in a library for over 20 years and that sounds pretty awful. But I'm off topic here...I hate technology but have to face the fact that our lives are all about technology now...it's the only way I can do much of anything.

I saw a thing on FB the other day that said something like they wish AI would do the dishes, the laundry, clean the house so the person could work on paintings, artwork, writings, music, etc. But it seems to be the other way around...lol...AI wants to do the creative fun stuff and leave us the lousy jobs to do...lol.

Anyway, I often think back to how bad I always wished we could have a phone, but we couldn't afford to pay the phone company to blast and put the poles and wires in and all that. I really wanted a phone for so many years. Fast forward...I absolutely hate my phone now that goes everywhere with me and drives me completely out of my mind. Lol...I must be gettin' old finally, I guess, because I do long for the good ol' days, when playing music was friends around a fire while the dogs and kids ran around and the nonmusic grownups laughed and talked...and paying bills was walking through town with a 20 dollar bill to cover electric and have some left over. Going to the library was a lot of interlibrary loans and waiting it out for a couple of weeks to see if what you ordered is gonna have the info you wanted...and having a phone meant going to the nearest store and asking them if you could use their phone for some reason or other...lol. Technology is a dreaded and unwelcome necessity in our lives today.

By the way, my opinions are absolutely free today only...hurry and get one now...lol. Tomorrow they go back up to two cents.

Peggy, I would think there would be some kind of music player that you could plug a flash drive into and it would play the contents, but I looked around a little and I don't see anything like that. Do you still have your old computer? Maybe you could use that.
IMHO, part of the problem is that you have a MacBook. Apple always seems to want to have the latest, greatest, types of ports and things, especially if they're not compatible with other machines and systems. With a little adapter I think can plug a USB drive into either my tablets or phone (plus they can use micro SD cards for removeable storage) and even our latest laptop, which lacks a CD drive, still has plenty of inputs. My problem is that my audio interfaces use Firewire, which was the best at the time, and is now scarce as hen's teeth.
I think you can probably buy old, but still working, computers for not much money.
Hope you figure something out.

Thanks, Doug. I can listen in the car...our car has a USB drive...not that I want to listen as much as just feel like music can stay alive after someone makes it. That's a pretty unnatural feeling, I suppose. Music should just be an experience among people, community, etc. It just ain't that way no more...lol.

So I guess my relationship with technology isn't all hate...it's that love/hate combo thang goin' on, ya know? I couldn't live without it at this point, but I do hate that...lol.

I recon late model apple and non-apple stuff have a universal charge/usb port.
This might work. I use it for transferring files from my phone to my tablet. (I do put a thumbdrive on this gadget to do it) The Amazon description says ipad/ipod, usb, etc.

farmerjones - That looks like a very handy little device, and not very expensive either. I guess it depends on what model MacBook Peggy has.
Peggy, I don't blame you for not wanting to unplug your Presonus - if systems are working its best to leave them alone. But if you have an available USB-C port Steve's suggestion should solve your problem. Its fine to be able to listen in your car, but you can't organize or copy your files that way.

You plug ANYTHING into a MAC and it'll work. That's the amazing thing about MACS. Yep. Get a Dongle and the world is yours!

Yup…if your Mac can play them, it sees/understands the data.

That means you should be able to save the MP3 files to your hard drive … or save in the cloud ( I.e. Google drive, Dropbox, YouTube, etc). Someday when you want to make time, maybe! :-)

I went an exhibit on book publishing, and they had Zip disks sitting in an exhibit case! Now I really feel like a dinosaur, because I remember being excited about how much data they could hold LOL!

I found a 512mb SD card yesterday and wondered what I could possible have on it? lol

That's the kinda stuff technology so relentlessly teases us with...lol...hope it's something good...and hope you can find out what it is!

One sad thing for me is that we have videos of our kids when they were babies…learning to walk…waddling around in diapers and overalls…first birthday, etc…but they’re all on these little cassette tapes that came with the video camera (remember those!)

So now we have nothing to watch them on, and I hope they’re not gone for good, and somebody can convert them to digital, someday…Sigh!

NCnotes - There are places that will convert old video tapes to modern digital formats (for a fee of course, and assuming they are playable). I'm sure there must be some in your area.

Thanks Doug!
That is reassuring…I will look into it!

My grandson and his pals buy old equipment that plays old stuff...for some reason, he and his friends are big into the technology that was around when their parents were little kids. I betcha there's others into that sort of thing...if you could find them, they'd probably at least have the stuff to play old movies on...don't know if they'd also have the stuff to convert them to digital. I'll have to ask my grandson about that...lol. Don't know where they find all of that old stuff.  Maybe find some teenagers...they are the problem solvers of this day and age...lol.

NCnotes - Just Google "video conversion (near me)" and I think you'll find several options. Not too expensive either. Or you could just pass them along and let them worry about it, although I'll bet you might be more interested in seeing them in diapers than they are!

BTW, Walgreen's, CVS, and Walmart all offer video conversions services through their photo departments. You don't have to find a teenager. They send them off to a specialist though, and I think you're better off using someone local, which includes video production houses and shops that sell video and camera equipment. They're definitely out there. One here even advertises on TV during the holidays.

Who knew?! This is apparently a common issue that people have, and there are solutions!

And haha yes, they probably don't think they look good as bald small beings in diapers...
but of course they are the cutest in the world to MOM :-D