Apps

Cog - Free and Open-Source Local Only Music Player

https://ift.tt/xitMZNE

  Cog Music Player

Cog is a free and open-source music player that can read and display metadata from dozens of formats, including AAC, MP3, ALAC, FLAC, Ogg, and WMA. It features playlists, ratings and a mini player. No data from the app is sent to the Internet. Your listening habits don't become data for some privacy sucking mega-corporation.

In the spirit of detaching from big tech as much as possible, I looked for a full-featured music player for my collection of songs and albums in various formats. I needed something robust enough to handle over 30K files without choking. Since the songs in my music folder all have the correct metadata already, I didn't need the ability to edit it. The initial import took some time, but it is a process that doesn't have to be repeated.

Cog reads files where they exist on your disk. It's perfectly able to use music files already in your iTunes library, if you have one, or it can read from other locations, including external drives.

Cog is a versatile audio player with global hotkeys, and desktop notifications. You can shuffle both albums and tracks, repeat single songs, albums, or even whole playlists. It can play music from the internet, including livestreams and hosted files. It even supports Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) using FFmpeg. It can also get live metadata updates from continuous streaming servers, like Shoutcast, Icecast, Ogg Vorbis comments, and timed ID3v2 packets, if the streamer uses them. Furthermore, it can even show you a cue sheet, which is like a list of songs in the order they’ll play. It can also show you album artwork for each song, both inside the cue sheet and outside. It can store album artwork in different formats, like JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, or AVIF. It also has a graphic equalizer and a spectrum visualization in the toolbar or a separate window. And if you have a sound device that supports spatial audio, it can use that too. It also has multiple MIDI synthesizers, including the system synthesizer (which works with SoundFonts or the system GS bank) or BASSMIDI (which needs SoundFonts). It supports a number of audio formats, including some that you might not have heard of before, including obscure game and console formats

Cog is available on the developer's websiteand in the Mac App Store. If you are running an older version of macOS, you can download versions that work with them too.

Thanks to @dhry@mastodon.social for the tip on this app.

✉️ Reply by email

via Master List https://ift.tt/rdKYbMn

March 05, 2025 at 01:38PM

  Cog Music Player

Cog is a free and open-source music player that can read and display metadata from dozens of formats, including AAC, MP3, ALAC, FLAC, Ogg, and WMA. It features playlists, ratings and a mini player. No data from the app is sent to the Internet. Your listening habits don't become data for some privacy sucking mega-corporation.

In the spirit of detaching from big tech as much as possible, I looked for a full-featured music player for my collection of songs and albums in various formats. I needed something robust enough to handle over 30K files without choking. Since the songs in my music folder all have the correct metadata already, I didn't need the ability to edit it. The initial import took some time, but it is a process that doesn't have to be repeated.

Cog reads files where they exist on your disk. It's perfectly able to use music files already in your iTunes library, if you have one, or it can read from other locations, including external drives.

Cog is a versatile audio player with global hotkeys, and desktop notifications. You can shuffle both albums and tracks, repeat single songs, albums, or even whole playlists. It can play music from the internet, including livestreams and hosted files. It even supports Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) using FFmpeg. It can also get live metadata updates from continuous streaming servers, like Shoutcast, Icecast, Ogg Vorbis comments, and timed ID3v2 packets, if the streamer uses them. Furthermore, it can even show you a cue sheet, which is like a list of songs in the order they’ll play. It can also show you album artwork for each song, both inside the cue sheet and outside. It can store album artwork in different formats, like JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, or AVIF. It also has a graphic equalizer and a spectrum visualization in the toolbar or a separate window. And if you have a sound device that supports spatial audio, it can use that too. It also has multiple MIDI synthesizers, including the system synthesizer (which works with SoundFonts or the system GS bank) or BASSMIDI (which needs SoundFonts). It supports a number of audio formats, including some that you might not have heard of before, including obscure game and console formats

Cog is available on the developer's websiteand in the Mac App Store. If you are running an older version of macOS, you can download versions that work with them too.

Thanks to @dhry@mastodon.social for the tip on this app.

✉️ Reply by email

Photo Sharing Websites

https://ift.tt/8dJCPQo

I enjoy looking at my photos. I take some time every day to look back at this day in history on one of the websites where I am still storing my archive. I also have an Aura Frame and an Amazon Echo Show that display photos all day long. I never got into Instagram as a means of sharing photos socially, but I've experimented with a few other sites, some that put the emphasis on the social aspect and others that are more for "serious photographers" Whatever that means. These days, I am primarily posting a couple of photos a day on Micro.blog and Mastodon, I even have a gallery for my 100 Strangers Project.

Here are a few other places where I and others I know post photos.

Refrakt - A more meaningful home for photography

Glass — Photography Community - Glass is a paid, global community platform for photographers. With no ads or manipulative algorithms,Glass is your home for photography.

Flashes for Bluesky on the App Store - A Bluesky client just for photography. The devs suggest opening a second, photos only account. I'm trying it out

pxlmo - The Pixelfed server I use

Flickr | The best place to be a photographer online.

Best Photo Sharing Platform for Photographers | 500px

SmugMug: Protect, Share, Store, and Sell Your Photos

The World's Largest Free Photo Contest | Pixoto

Enjoyed it? Please upvote

via Master List http://feed.informer.com/digests/LIBOVEMM2M/feeder

March 04, 2025 at 05:26PM

I enjoy looking at my photos. I take some time every day to look back at this day in history on one of the websites where I am still storing my archive. I also have an Aura Frame and an Amazon Echo Show that display photos all day long. I never got into Instagram as a means of sharing photos socially, but I've experimented with a few other sites, some that put the emphasis on the social aspect and others that are more for "serious photographers" Whatever that means. These days, I am primarily posting a couple of photos a day on Micro.blog and Mastodon, I even have a gallery for my 100 Strangers Project.

Here are a few other places where I and others I know post photos.

Refrakt - A more meaningful home for photography

Glass — Photography Community - Glass is a paid, global community platform for photographers. With no ads or manipulative algorithms,Glass is your home for photography.

Flashes for Bluesky on the App Store - A Bluesky client just for photography. The devs suggest opening a second, photos only account. I'm trying it out

pxlmo - The Pixelfed server I use

Flickr | The best place to be a photographer online.

Best Photo Sharing Platform for Photographers | 500px

SmugMug: Protect, Share, Store, and Sell Your Photos

The World's Largest Free Photo Contest | Pixoto

Enjoyed it? Please upvote

Big Notion Updates + Want to Earn Money?

https://ift.tt/caNBSJR

Hey Notion friends,

I’m back from a short break, and Notion has released some major updates you need to know about. This week, I’ll walk you through the biggest changes, plus an exciting opportunity to earn money by sharing Notion templates!

In this week's edition, you'll find:

Notion’s new database tabs

Create databases with Notion AI

New Insert Block options for Buttons

Embed Notion pages on websites

Become an affiliate & earn money

Let’s dive in!

If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed, join 7000+ Notion lovers and don’t miss the next issues 👇

Notion’s New Database Tabs

Notion has introduced database tabs, making it easier to organize and navigate database views inside full-page entries. Instead of stacking multiple linked databases inside a page, you can now separate them into individual tabs, giving your workspace a cleaner, more structured layout.

How to Activate Tabs

Open any database entry

Hover over the title and click “Customize Layout.”

Click into the Page settings

Switch from “Simple” to “Tabbed.”

How Tabs Work

Once activated, your database entry will have a main “Content” tab—this is the original page layout, containing:

Unstructured page body (text, images, embeds, etc.)

Properties (unless pinned to the top or moved to the sidebar)

Now, you can add additional tabs to display linked databases. Each tab contains one linked database view related to that entry. For example:

If you manage projects, you can create a Tasks tab showing only tasks linked to that project.

If you’re tracking goals, you can create a Key Results tab displaying linked outcomes.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

❌ Tabs can only contain linked database views (no text, images…) ❌ You must have a relation set up—you can’t pull in just any database. ❌ By default, the new tab only shows items related to the current entry

This essentially allows you to move linked database views out of the page body and into tabs, making navigation much smoother.

So…

Tabs are great for simple setups like tasks in a project, key results in an objective, or team members in a team database. They provide a cleaner, more intuitive UI and help teams—especially larger ones—navigate Notion more easily without breaking layouts.

However, if you’re working with complex workflows, highly relational systems, or dashboards requiring extra context, traditional linked database views in the page body might still be the better choice.

Create Databases with Notion AI

Notion AI is now capable of building entire databases for you, making it easier than ever to set up structured workspaces. Instead of manually adding properties, views, and layouts, you can simply describe what you need, and AI will generate a database with relevant fields and configurations.

This feature is especially useful for users who want to quickly spin up a project tracker, CRM, or any structured system without starting from scratch. While AI-generated databases may not be perfect, they provide a strong starting point that you can refine and adjust as needed.

How It Works

Type /table or /database.

Select “Build with AI.”

Enter a prompt like: “Create a project tracker with tasks, deadlines, and priorities.”

AI generates a fully structured database with properties and views.

You can edit manually or refine with AI.

What AI Can Do

Suggest useful properties (dates, categories, priorities).

Create multiple database views (Table, Board, Calendar).

Use new layout features to improve organization.

Right now, AI-generated databases are best suited for basic structures. The feature does not yet support complex setups involving relations, roll-ups, or formulas, and results may not always be perfectly aligned with your prompt.

However, as Notion continues refining its AI capabilities, this tool could evolve into a more advanced database-building assistant, making it easier to structure information across workspaces.

New Insert Block options for Buttons

Notion’s button blocks just got a small but useful upgrade—you can now choose whether new content appears at the top or bottom of a page.

No need to manually move new content after clicking a button.

A simple but effective improvement!

Embed Notion Pages on Websites

I came across this feature by accident and don’t remember Notion announcing it, but it’s a handy little improvement. You can now embed full Notion pages into websites without using third-party tools—making it easier to share dashboards, project pages, or documentation.

Notion’s New Database Tabs

Notion has introduced database tabs, making it easier to organize and navigate database views inside full-page entries. Instead of stacking multiple linked databases inside a page, you can now separate them into individual tabs, giving your workspace a cleaner, more structured layout.

How to Activate Tabs

Open any database entry

Hover over the title and click “Customize Layout.”

Click into the Page settings

Switch from “Simple” to “Tabbed.”

How Tabs Work

Once activated, your database entry will have a main “Content” tab—this is the original page layout, containing:

Unstructured page body (text, images, embeds, etc.)

Properties (unless pinned to the top or moved to the sidebar)

Now, you can add additional tabs to display linked databases. Each tab contains one linked database view related to that entry. For example:

If you manage projects, you can create a Tasks tab showing only tasks linked to that project.

If you’re tracking goals, you can create a Key Results tab displaying linked outcomes.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

❌ Tabs can only contain linked database views (no text, images…) ❌ You must have a relation set up—you can’t pull in just any database. ❌ By default, the new tab only shows items related to the current entry

This essentially allows you to move linked database views out of the page body and into tabs, making navigation much smoother.

So…

Tabs are great for simple setups like tasks in a project, key results in an objective, or team members in a team database. They provide a cleaner, more intuitive UI and help teams—especially larger ones—navigate Notion more easily without breaking layouts.

However, if you’re working with complex workflows, highly relational systems, or dashboards requiring extra context, traditional linked database views in the page body might still be the better choice.

Create Databases with Notion AI

Notion AI is now capable of building entire databases for you, making it easier than ever to set up structured workspaces. Instead of manually adding properties, views, and layouts, you can simply describe what you need, and AI will generate a database with relevant fields and configurations.

This feature is especially useful for users who want to quickly spin up a project tracker, CRM, or any structured system without starting from scratch. While AI-generated databases may not be perfect, they provide a strong starting point that you can refine and adjust as needed.

How It Works

Type /table or /database.

Select “Build with AI.”

Enter a prompt like: “Create a project tracker with tasks, deadlines, and priorities.”

AI generates a fully structured database with properties and views.

You can edit manually or refine with AI.

What AI Can Do

Suggest useful properties (dates, categories, priorities).

Create multiple database views (Table, Board, Calendar).

Use new layout features to improve organization.

Right now, AI-generated databases are best suited for basic structures. The feature does not yet support complex setups involving relations, roll-ups, or formulas, and results may not always be perfectly aligned with your prompt.

However, as Notion continues refining its AI capabilities, this tool could evolve into a more advanced database-building assistant, making it easier to structure information across workspaces.

New Insert Block options for Buttons

Notion’s button blocks just got a small but useful upgrade—you can now choose whether new content appears at the top or bottom of a page.

No need to manually move new content after clicking a button.

A simple but effective improvement!

Embed Notion Pages on Websites

I came across this feature by accident and don’t remember Notion announcing it, but it’s a handy little improvement. You can now embed full Notion pages into websites without using third-party tools—making it easier to share dashboards, project pages, or documentation.

The Process of Leaving Gmail

https://ift.tt/maNpV9x

As I have been writing about lately, we are in the process of detangling ourselves from big tech. Both of us have used Gmail for many years, and now we want to stop. It's going to be a long process. I studied this a bit and knew what I was getting myself into. There are some things I can share that will make this process easier for anyone who undertakes it.

I have my own domain. Anyone can buy one. They are just a few dollars a year. Most email services that you have to pay for, even iCloud from Apple, allow you to use your own domain when you set them up. The benefit to doing this is that if you ever want to move to another email service, you can take your domain with you, and you'll never have to change your address again.

The service I chose was Fastmail. Because I am a member of OMG.LOL, I got a 10% discount off the price of a two-person account. Still, it's going to run us about $90 a year for full-service accounts that include email, contacts, calendars and document storage. Fastmail was able to import all the mail from my Gmail account, all 156,000 messages as well as my hundreds of contacts in less than two hours. It will also continue to import messages as long as the account is open, so I am not under the gun to get the transition done rushing. I will probably never close my Gmail account. I will just stop using it over time as I transition.

Most of us use our email addresses for two primary purposes. One is to get email, of course. The other use is as our username at the many, many websites that require one. I have 276 accounts where my Gmail address is also my account name, ranging from the American Automobile Association to Zoom. Many of these are critical, like my bank, my insurance company, my pension plan and others. Some are inconsequential — like Airbnb, where it doesn't really matter if I just start a new account. There isn't a shortcut to changing these accounts, according to the Internet. I know because I asked. I'm just going to have to slog through a few each day until I get it finished.

I got a free app from the Apple Store for iOS called Unroll.me that allowed me to unsubscribe from a lot of the newsletters I receive without having to find an email from every one of them, find the link, click on it and go through the process manually. Instead of resubscribing to them using my new email address, I am going to use a feature of my RSS service, Inoreader that generates special email addresses that result in the newsletter being sent to them on my behalf. I can then read the newsletters using their app instead of receiving them in my email inbox. I can cut down on the email I get, while still keeping up with the newsletters I like.

I will also have to notify all of my contacts of my new email address. I'm already suffering a bit because I recently stopped using Facebook. I used Messenger quite a bit and there was no way to migrate or export those conversations. Now I am putting another potential stumbling block into staying in touch with some people. That's one of the unfortunate side effects of the process of getting away from the big tech companies. It is by design.

I am sure as this process moves along, I will learn more about how to better handle it. When I do, I will pass those tips along.

Enjoyed it? Please upvote

via Master List http://feed.informer.com/digests/LIBOVEMM2M/feeder

March 02, 2025 at 05:15PM

As I have been writing about lately, we are in the process of detangling ourselves from big tech. Both of us have used Gmail for many years, and now we want to stop. It's going to be a long process. I studied this a bit and knew what I was getting myself into. There are some things I can share that will make this process easier for anyone who undertakes it.

I have my own domain. Anyone can buy one. They are just a few dollars a year. Most email services that you have to pay for, even iCloud from Apple, allow you to use your own domain when you set them up. The benefit to doing this is that if you ever want to move to another email service, you can take your domain with you, and you'll never have to change your address again.

The service I chose was Fastmail. Because I am a member of OMG.LOL, I got a 10% discount off the price of a two-person account. Still, it's going to run us about $90 a year for full-service accounts that include email, contacts, calendars and document storage. Fastmail was able to import all the mail from my Gmail account, all 156,000 messages as well as my hundreds of contacts in less than two hours. It will also continue to import messages as long as the account is open, so I am not under the gun to get the transition done rushing. I will probably never close my Gmail account. I will just stop using it over time as I transition.

Most of us use our email addresses for two primary purposes. One is to get email, of course. The other use is as our username at the many, many websites that require one. I have 276 accounts where my Gmail address is also my account name, ranging from the American Automobile Association to Zoom. Many of these are critical, like my bank, my insurance company, my pension plan and others. Some are inconsequential — like Airbnb, where it doesn't really matter if I just start a new account. There isn't a shortcut to changing these accounts, according to the Internet. I know because I asked. I'm just going to have to slog through a few each day until I get it finished.

I got a free app from the Apple Store for iOS called Unroll.me that allowed me to unsubscribe from a lot of the newsletters I receive without having to find an email from every one of them, find the link, click on it and go through the process manually. Instead of resubscribing to them using my new email address, I am going to use a feature of my RSS service, Inoreader that generates special email addresses that result in the newsletter being sent to them on my behalf. I can then read the newsletters using their app instead of receiving them in my email inbox. I can cut down on the email I get, while still keeping up with the newsletters I like.

I will also have to notify all of my contacts of my new email address. I'm already suffering a bit because I recently stopped using Facebook. I used Messenger quite a bit and there was no way to migrate or export those conversations. Now I am putting another potential stumbling block into staying in touch with some people. That's one of the unfortunate side effects of the process of getting away from the big tech companies. It is by design.

I am sure as this process moves along, I will learn more about how to better handle it. When I do, I will pass those tips along.

Enjoyed it? Please upvote