Silk Road forums
Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: Nellion on October 27, 2012, 10:17 pm
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Hi, I've recently purchased a blocknews account from SR and wondering what that best newsreader is for Mac? I'm really not too interested in the text aspect of the newsgroups, mainly just for files (don't think that's a huge surprise).
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1.) SABnzbd. Super, esp if you're only looking for binarys (binaries?). It runs on all platforms (xbmc, anyone), uses a web interface (manage downloads remotely!) and is free and open-source. Doesn't have native search function, but you can use public search engines and/or set up an RSS feed for automagic downloading pleasure..
(Side Note: IME few things make one feel more badass than spending time figuring out how to automate [computer] tasks. It takes some figuring-out [brains need exercise, too!] and some time, but once you've attached your first 'Sort' folder action to your 'Downloads' folder, you'll wonder why you ever wasted time doing it manually [If this makes no sense, start by opening Automator, and proceed from there.]. Your computer is only a tool. You can be a fucking katana-weilding ninja with that tool [program launchers, custom scripts, keyboard shortcut mastery, f.lux], or you can be a drooling baby bopping himself on the head with a foam cutlass [using AOL for your ISP, letting Quicktime stay as your default video player, etc]. It's never too late to be a ninja. Everyone wants to be a ninja.)
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2.) Binreader. Some useful search features (using binsearch.info), as well as a portable version. Not quite as feature-ful as SABnzbd, and the standalone clients might cause problems if you're trying to manage your shit remotely. Not as complicated to set up as SAVnzbd. Binreader is also cross-platform and free.
Sorry about the ridiculous post. I hope it was entertaining, at the very least.
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Haha. I would love to be a ninja.
And since you were bashing Quicktime, what do you recommend in replacement of it? I am just now getting into programming, hacking, cracking, and the works- so feel free to inbox me with any info you feel might set me on the humble path of ninja mastery.
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Ok, so I got SABZ downloaded. You know any good newsgroups since you can't search for them? Idk if I like that all to much b/c I'm used to using the Usenet reader and you could search for anything and everything right there in the reader. Made it so much easier. Why wouldn't they incorporate that feature into their app?
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I'm going to be useless when it comes to having any idea whatsoever about Usenet content. Sorry, friend. My expertise stops at the water's edge.
As for a QT replacement: VLC. Recently upgraded to 2.0, with a 2.0.4 patch within the last month or so. No need to download codecs, and there are so many different preference panes that even I get a little intimidated. I use it exclusively for video. It can also play audio, and I'm pretty sure it has library management capabilities as well.
If you're loathe to kick QuickTime to the curb, there's a program called 'Perian' that helps QuickTime play a wider variety of file formats. They've basically stopped development, but the product is quality, and they've an active support community. Downloading Perian also allows you to use QuickLook on just about any kind of movie file. On a personal note, the QuickLook feature is probably what cause me to ditch Windows for good. I know that design is, at it's core, just problem-solving, but I didn't 'get' it until I experienced first hand what it feels like to have someone solve a problem that you didn't even know you had. And it looks so purdy, too!
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If you're looking for a news grabber for your browser, check out NextStories.com. It will show you news stories similar to the page you are on. For instance, in Safari, my default homepage is Apple.com If I click the NextStories bookmark tab, it pulls up several recent news stories related to Apple. I've been using it a lot over the last month or two.
Also, VLC is a great alternative to Quicktime. It can open almost every video format you could imagine (MKV, AVI, ect.). I've been using it for a while now. Good suggestion, thesearstower.
sdesu
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It looks like I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and pay for a grabber. I really don't like having to do separate google searches for different newsgroups of different "genres", so to speak.
Usenet is great and has a badass grabber that will give you anything you want with a simple search query, but the blocknews accounts sold on SR are hard to beat. $10 for a lifetime of 1.024 TB? To quote Rex from Rex-Kwan-Do- "Forget about it!"