Used DaVinci Resolve to Create My First Video from Hero 10 Black Footage

I was able to successfully record some good footage using my new Hero 10 Black.  

As well, instead of taking the footage to one of my Mac so that I could edit it using iMovie, I tried DaVinci Resolve (free version).

I thought that I'd have problems using DaVinci since I've heard that it was somewhat more technical than iMovie, but it was easier than I thought, because it was very similar in usage th iMovie and Cyberlink PowerDirector.

It is posted here:

First GoPro Hero 10 Black Gotcha - Preview Not Available

I've run into an very irritating issue that a shitload of folks appear to be complaining about with the later version of GoPros.  It's not really an issue with the action camers, but an issue with the Quik software.

Folks expect to be able to use the GoPro Quik app as a camera viewfinder while recording video footage.  That's how I've been using my Hero 4.  That's also how I'd been using the Akaso Brave.  That's also how I'd been using the Polaroid Cube+.

The issue is that, for latter GoPros (Heroes 10, 11, and 12), the app will not preview while recording.  It only allows you to preview before recording.  If you try to preview while recording, the following message shows:  "Preview Not Available".

At first I was super angry about this, but then I realized that the newer cameras are super capable and the preview feature has limitations in showing the footage as it is being recorded.  Now, if the GoPro folks admitted that, I'd be OK with it, but in almost all cases, when customers complain about it in the Support forums, they never give a straight answer to their customers.

Now, this is the only bad thing I've found thus far, and it's not so bad that it overshadows the good things about the camera.  Previewing is important to most folks, though, and it goes beyond previewing - being able to look at the footage as you're recording means that if you see mistakes, you can immediately stop and correct the issue(s).  You can't do that if you can't see how the camera is recording or framing the footage.  

This issue is why I hate GoPro.  They've always acted like they're the only action camera company in existence.  Luckily, I didn't pay all that much for this camera.

If I keep finding out bad things about GoPro, I'm going to pivot to DJI and never look back.

UPDATE (12/27/2023) - Here's more info, for clarity-sake (and GoPro, for once, being direct and clear on the issue):  GoPro 9 - 'Preview not available' when recording

Spigen ArcHybrid Magsafe Portable Charger

We celebrated Christmas one day early this year, since my daughter flies back to Michigan on Christmas Day.

I received the Spigen ArcHybrid Magsafe portable charger (5000 mAh / 7.5 watts) for Christmas.  Little did I know that Spigen's product page for this item states that it will not work with the iPhone 13 Pro!  It appears to work without issue, though.  I've a JETech gel case with Magsafe and it works well.

I had the ArcHybrid listed on my Elfster wish list last year and decided to "let it ride" this year.  I do sometimes sometimes find myself with a somewhat low battery on days where I'm traveling and out walking/hiking.  This will come in handy.  As well, it can charge other items, I believe.

I'll give a summary of my usage once I've used it a while.

GoPro Hero 10 Black - Received!

I posted that I bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black from Amazon and that I was awaiting the package to arrive.

The package arrived yesterday.

I was surprised when I opened it.  Why was I surprised?  Well, the product description stated that I'd be receiving only the GoPro itself and no accessories.  I was expecting nothing other than the camera (I also expected that no battery would be included).

This (<=== link is here) is the one that I bought.

I received the camera, two batteries, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, two mounts and a case.  I was shocked.  I basically got everything that I'd get if I bought a new product.

The camera doesn't appear to be refurbished at all.

About the only thing that was off-putting was that I had to charge the the batteries sequentually with the battery compartment door left open.  The charging process was long in duration, as well.  This was so much of a pain that I immediately began searching for a dedicated battery charging caddy, which I didn't initially anticipate needing to purchase.  I bought the GoPro Enduro 2-battery & charger combo pack from Best Buy (local purchase) for $59, just so I wouldn't be having to charge each battery sequentially.

I haven't really used the camera yet, as I'm actually afraid to go out and about - around here, there's a lot of chaotic last-minute Christmas shopping going on and traffic has been horrendous.

I've got the camera set up to use with the Quik app - was easy to set up.  It can be used with my other GoPro fittings and attachments (many of them were designed by 3rd party attachment makers).

I've also developed a To-Buy accessory list:

I can't wait to use this camera while at my next shooting activity!

Out with Akaso Brave 7 LE - In with GoPro Hero 10 Black!

I bought an Akaso Brave 7 LE in December of 2021.  I was trying to buy an action camera to replace my aging GoPro Hero 4 Silver.  It came with a huge accessory pack with many clips and fittings.  I bought an extra battery for it.  It had some features that my Hero 4 didn't have.  It's smartphone app was actually pretty nice.  I could also use it as an web cam.  It also had a tripod mount on the bottom of it.  It's UI was nice.  Also, it had two displays, one in front and one in back.

I ended up being somewhat disappointed with it because the video footage wasn't as crisp as my old ass Hero 4!  Audio wasn't all that great, either.  I stopped using it for a while.

Maybe a month ago, I began to use it again.  I sorted out the video footage issue.  The main issue was that when indoors, the captured video footage was grainy.  When in somewhat dark settings, the grainy footage was even worse, but I found out that I the Brave has light settings that I can control manually.  I tried the varios settings and found that the footage was actually pretty decent!

Not long after, I was changing the battery and the battery door on the camera cracked.  A day later, the cracked portion detached completely.  This was devastating since the door couldn't close properly - the battery would move around in it's compartment.

Luckily, I'd bought a 3-year warranty with Asurion (I bought both through Amazon).  I submitted a claim and they approved it.  They wanted me to send the camera back to them.  I sent them the camera (and the detached piece of battery compartment door).  As soon as I sent it, they reimbursed me.

I've never had anything fail that I'd bought Asurion insurance for, until now.  I'm very glad I bought it.

So, I took the funds they returned to me and, after some researching, bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black that comes with an extra battery.  I bought it through Amazon.  I bought 2 years of Asurion insurance for it.  What's cool is that I can buy additional insurance on a refurbished product.

I'd looked at the Hero 11 and 12, but those were beyond my budget.  I looked at the Mini but it has a non-removable battery (that's something I don't want).  I also looked at the DJI Osmo Action 4 but that was even more expensive than the Hero 12 (it's competition).

I really just want a camera to replace my aged Hero 4.  I can still use the Hero 4 but I can retire it from being my primary camera.

The Hero 10 won't be delivered until Dec 21, though, but I don't mind.

In the next year or two, I can get the either the Hero 12, the Action 4, or even the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (a great gimbal camera).

Apple Watch - 2nd Charger Died

 This will be a quick post about:

My 2nd Apple Watch charger died.  I bought it mid-March (March 12, I think).

WTF.  It was an Apple product.  I ordered it from the Apple Amazon store.  It wasn't cheap, either ($27).

So, two Apple-branded charging cables died.  The first one came with the Watch and died 5 months later.  The second one died after 1.5 months.  The charging cables are used at my bedside, so they're not being abused.  They're not being pulled.

They worked fine but just stop working after a time.  That cable and a USB-C to Lightning cable for my iPad were using a 20W charging adapter.  The other cables I've used with that adapter have been working fine.

I bought a new charging cable and it is non-Apple (and cheaper).  I figure, if Apple can't get their shit together, I'm not going to lock myself into spending $27 for repeated failures that shouldn't be occurring.  We'll see how long that cable lasts.

Free Apple Music!

My carrier offered my family free use of Apple Music.  I usualy don't check the monthly perks that Verizon throws my way, as much of it is junk that is free for a month of use.  Not in this case.

I used a free trial of Apple Music when I first bought the phone last year.  I liked it a lot but wasn't willing to pay monthly for it.

My wife was checking our account's perks back in November and saw that Verizon was offering Apple Music for all phones on the account.  I immediately wenth through the process of committing to enrolling.  Luckily, my wife saw the notice maybe a week before the offer expired.  I enrolled my phone, her phone, and one of my kid's phones (can't remember which of the three kids' phones I enrolled, but two of them didn't want it when I asked them).

I also recently canceled my Sirius XM subscription, too.  I've been working remotely since Covid hit the US, so I no longer commute to work, and Sirius XM is not cheap ($29 a month?).  The past two trips back and forth to my parents' home, I used Apple Music in place of Sirius XM and Apple Music was great.  There are enough radio stations so that I'm not bored during the 6 hour drive.  There are podcasts.  I can listen to my personal music through the Apple Music app.  

I travel up/down the I-95 corridor, and cellular broadband works without gaps in service.  With Sirius XM, there would be micro interruptions of service whenever I would go under bridges and over-passes.  If it were cloudy, I'd have service gaps.  If I were riding parallel to rocky hillsides or cliffs, I'd experience service gaps.  I had none of that when using my phoned as an entertainment conduit via cellular broadband.

Solved - Macbook Would Connect to Wifi but Has No Internet Connection

I'm currently visiting my parents in another state.  I last visited them two weeks ago.  The last visit, I was able to connect all of my Apple devices to their wireless access point (WAP) without issue and have been doing that for years, without issue.

I attempted to connect my Macbook Air to their WAP and it connects but I couldn't browse the web.  The browser client was saying that there was no internet connection, yet my mother's MBP could connect.  My Dell G17 could connect.  My iPhone Pro Max could connect.

My parents' router was working with all electronic appliances, with the exception of my MBA.

I used Google to search for "macbook connected to wifi but no internet".  The search results are here.

I focused on this web page - Solved: Macbook Connects to Wi-Fi but Has no Internet Connection - AppleToolBox.

I tried the steps that were recommended and all failed until I reached Step 4, "Change your Mac's Domain Name System (DNS)".

When I changed the MBA's DNS settings to use the Google DNS IPs, I was immediately able to reach Google.com when testing for connectivity.

I'm still not sure what was causing this issue.  When I checked the MBA's DNS settings (before I changed them), the MBA was pulling the DNS settings from my parents' router without issue.  The DNS IPs weren't resolving names, though, and the issue was only affecting the Macbook Air.  It was a very odd issue.

I thought I'd share this issue and fix so that when folks had this issue, they'd have a potential fix.

Solved - Apple Watch Stopped Charging

My Apple Watch stopped charging three weeks ago (first week of March).

I couldn't determine why.  I only had the one charging cable that came with the watch (there was no need to have more than the one that it came with).

Keep in mind that this watch is relatively new.

It just ran out of juice, which made it difficult to troubleshoot.

I ordered a new (Apple brand) charging cable on 13 March, and it arrived 14 March.  It immediately started charging.

So, the cable went bad.  I've no idea why.  I didn't abuse the cable.

It was very frustrating because the reason I'd bought this watch was because the Fitbit Sense had a similar issue, and then died (due to a battery issue).

This watch was NOT cheap.  This post is a reminder that the "you get what you pay for" mantra doesn't always apply.

iPad 2019 (Gen 9) 10.2" 64 GB - Bought!

I've just purchased my 3rd iPad.

The first was the 1st generation iPad (32 GB).

A few years later, my wife bought me a 64 GB 1st generation iPad Mini.  I was still using that, up until today.  I got 10 years of use out of that Mini!

Today, I bought a 9th generation iPad with 64 GB of storage space.  It will replace the iPad Mini.

I'd use the iPad Mini but it hasn't been supported in quite a while (the last updates were at iOS 9.x).  I can only use it as a music player or a reader/browser.  I won't get much by selling it.  I suppose I can use it in the garage when I'm working on my car or motorcycle (as a music player or display for online service manuals).

With the new iPad, I'll be able to use the Apple Pencil.  I plan to use the tablet as a drawing device as well as a reader.  I can also use it to edit video footage.

I've quite a few options in the usage of the new iPad, since it can be used as a webcam or additional display (when using my Mac Mini M1, for example).

What I do NOT like so far about the tablet is that there's built in swipe texting but it can only be accessed on the tablet by pinching the virtual keyboard.  I've installed Microsoft Swype but hate it because you have to give it full control in order for it to work.

I'll (try to) document my usage of the new iPad.

I've Retired My 2009 27" iMac

The iMac that I bought in 2009 has been retired.

A few months ago, we had a power outage and it didn't recover itself when the we regained power.  I could not determine why it was having issues, but it would never fully boot up.  It would take forever trying to get to the login screen and IF it would reach that point, would show the desktop but never fully log into the user account (beach ball was spinning and never stopped).

I was even having difficulty getting it into recovery mode.  When it finally reached recovery mode, I found that a file was corrupted and wouldn't repair itself.  I performed a drive check and it stated that there were errors and the errors were hindering the drive check.  I opted to reinstall the disk using the recovery drive and it worked.  There are no longer drive issues, but the drive has nothing on it.  

I couldn't use it as it was and had an extremely difficult time even getting a copy of Mac OS.  High Sierra was the highest supported version for that particular hardware, and since the system wasn't working properly, I couldn't use recovery mode to pull and reinstall any OS versions.  It wouldn't see my older disks (I had two optical disks of Snow Leopard), either.  I was not successful with creating a USB install disk using High Sierra, either.  I tried creating a USB recovery disk using the App Store, but needed an Intel version of Mac OS, which I wasn't allowed to download using my Apple siliconed Macs (I tried with both the Mac Mini M1 and my Macbook Air M1 - it wouldn't work).

Since I was at my wit's end and since the system was 14 years old, I retired it.  I've removed it's hard drive (a 1-TB Western Digital HDD) and will be putting it on the curb for rubbish removal this coming Monday.  I'll put it within it's box in case anyone that wants to try to get it working can just take it home.