fixed : download an (embedded) online presentation from Google Docs

Question :
I was given a link to an online presentation, and when I opend it it turned out to be a presentation that was hosted in Google Docs that I could view and scroll through, which is great. But I would like to keep it for future reference, and even though I could just bookmark the URL, I would prefer to download the presentation to make sure I can still access it when I’m offline.

Is there any way to download this presentation ?


Answer :
Yes, there is.
And it is even quite simple. Just do this :
– open the link to the online presentation in your (Safari) webbrowser
– click on the generic “docs.google.com” URL to reveal the entire URL
– the entire URL will look like this :
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/yyyyyyyyyyy
where the part represented by xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx is the File ID code
and the part represented by yyyyyyyyyyy is the code needed to correctly display the file
in your browser
– copy entire URL ( by using the [CMD] + [C] key combo )
– open a new tab page in your browser ( by using the [CMD] + [T] key combo )
– paste the entire URL in that new tab page (by using the [CMD] + [V] key combo )
– now edit the entire URL by deleting the yyyyyyyyyyy part
– if you want to download the presentation as a PDF, alter the URL to :
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/export/pdf
– or, if you want to download the presentation as a PowerPoint file, alter the URL to :
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/export/pptx
– then press the [ENTER] key on your keyboard
– when a popup window appears asking you if you a re sure you want to download the presentation, click OK
– now, the presentation will be downloaded into your Download folder

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : Finder does not list files and folders by name in alphabetical order

Question :
I must have messed something up, but I can’t figure out how to get the original setting back… whenever I open a new finder window, the files are listed in the order of the date added, but I generally I don’t want that, as it’s usually easier to find files and folders when they’re alphabetically ordered by name… I have tried the switching the file arrangement setting (the Line-3squares-Line-3squares icon) to ‘Name’ but that doesn’t do the trick, and neither does setting it to something else and then setting it back to ‘Name’…

What can I do to fix this ?


Answer :
The soloution is simple, but it’s not in the place where you are looking.
What you are setting with the ‘file arrangement’ setting (the Line-3quuares-Line-3squares icon) is just the ‘chapterization’ of the files, so the ‘grouping’ or whatever you want to call it…

The solution to your porblems is in the ‘More’ setting (the ‘3 dots in a circle’ icon) :
– open a new finder window
– in the top bar of that Finder window, click on the ‘More’ button (the ‘3 dots in a circle’ icon)
– in the pulldown menu that appears, click on ‘Group By’
– in the second pulldown menu that appears, click on ‘Name’
…now the files wil be listed in alphabetical order

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : get a transcription of a YouTube video

I have been watching a YouTube video that was so interesting that I would like to have the text transcribed for reviewing later on.

Is there a FREE and easy way to get a text transcript of a YouTube video ?


Answer :
Yes, there is.
It all depends on the quality of the transcription that you want ot get which type of transcription will suit you best. Previously, the three (‘other’) options listed at the bottom of this post were some of the best around, but things are developing fast in the world of AI, and there now is one FREE option that will probably suit everyone that has an M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 Mac :

Whisper AI – Speech to Text
– get it in the Mac AppStore (make sure you get the app that is by Rocket Techology Inc.) :
https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/whisper-ai-speech-to-text/id6738070552?l=en-GB&mt=12
– type : macOS native app for video/audio transcription ( for self-recorded, live or downloaded video )
– output : options to export to .txt, .docx or .html file
– accuracy : the ‘tiny’ Whisper-model that is preloaded is quite fast and rather accurate (and for more accuracy and or speaker recognition you can download more advanced Whisper-models using the ‘Manage Models’ option)
– privacy : high, as it runs entirely offline ( according to the developer )
– speed : made for Apple Silicon Macs, so extremely fast on M1/M2/M3/M4-Macs


Here are three other options :

Tactiq.io
– use it online at : https://tactiq.io
– type : online video/audio transcription ( for Youtube video ) – the FREE plan can now only be used through the Tactiq Chrome browser extension ( so no longer an option for Safari… )
– output : an auto-generated ( not very accurate ) subtitling .srt document converted into a plain text document
– privacy : low, as it runs online
– speed : extremely fast, but the output is just the subtitles-file converted into plain text ( so including all the time stamps – if you want to get rid of those, you can do that in ChatGPT or something )

Transcribe.mov
– use it online at : https://www.transcribe.mov
– type : online video/audio transcription ( for YouTube video )
– output : a rather accurate plain text document
– privacy : low, as it runs online
– speed : slightly faster that playing the original video : takes 7 minutes to transcribe 15 minutes of video

Aiko
– get it in the Mac AppStore : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aiko/id1672085276&ved=2ahUKEwikv-LT85uLAxUpSf4FHZEZEisQFnoECAwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1s9T7EI1AzX63HnIjAhNuZ
– type : macOS native app for video/audio transcription ( for self-recorded, live or downloaded video )
– output : a rather accurate plain text document
– privacy : high, as it runs entirely offline ( according to the developer )
– speed : made for Apple Silicon Macs, so extremely fast on M1/M2/M3/M4-Macs : takes just 1 to 5 minutes to transcribe 15 minutes of video – but very slow on Intel-Macs : takes about 5 hours ( ! ) to transcribe 15 minutes of video ( because Intel-Macs don’t have the neural engine )

So it all depends on your needs what the best solution is… so take your pick !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : get a local ( offline ) version of a YouTube video super fast

Question :
There are some videos on YouTube that I would like to view offline on my MacBook also, since I will be travelling and I will not be having internet access al the time.

Is there a FREE and easy way to view YouTube-videos offline ? or download them ?


Answer :
Yes, there is.
If you can do with a lowres 360p video with sound ( which is easy to store and high enough quality for general use, not for in-depth studying or full-screen presentation ), just do this :
– open the YouTube website
– copy the URL of the page that the video you want to download is on
– go to the EaseUS website : https://multimedia.easeus.com/online-video-downloader/
– paste the URL
– when the video opens in a separate window, you can save it as a .webarchive-video that you can play locally in Safari, even if you don’t have an internet connection

that’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

NOTE : if you need to have an MP4 version, you can paste the .webarchive-file name into a video downloading app like Downie.app ( however, some video downloading apps like 4KVideoDownloader+.app aren’t able to convert the .webarchive file )

fixed : can I send iPhone text messages to Android users from my Mac ?

Question :
If I want to send text messages to my friends that have Android phones, I can do that from my iPhone using Whatsapp.app or iMessage/Messages.app, but when I’m working on my Mac, it would be far more convenient to do send and receive messages on my Mac.

Is there a way to use Whatsapp and/or iMessage/Messages on my Mac as if I was using my iPhone ?

Answer :
Yes, There is.

Whatsapp to Android from Mac
To send and receive Whatsapp messages, from both Apple and Android users, on your Mac, you only need to install Whatsapp for Mac.
You can get Whatsapp for Mac from the Whatsapp website or from the Mac AppStore.
( the Appstore version is slightly different, but the big plus is that it is automatically updated )
After installing you just need to link it to you iPhone using the iPhone’s Whatsapp.app

Note : even though the iOS version of Whatsapp is listed as Phone/Tablet on the Whatsapp website, it will NOT run on iPad !!! ( as all current iPads run iPadOS, not iOS – an iPadOS version has been in the works for years, but it had still not been released to the general public )

Messages ( iMessage including SMS ) to Android from Mac
To send and receive iMessages on your Mac, you can just use the pre-installed Messages.app from macOS. But if you use it the standard way, you can only send iMessages to Apple users with it… if you want to include sending SMS text messages with it, so you can also send and receive text messages from Android users, you need to switch on some extras :
– open your iPhone
– open Settings.app
– on the page taht opens, scroll down to ‘Apps’ and open it
– on the new page that opens, in the search field, typ ‘Mes…’ and Messages will appear
– click on Messages to open it
– on the next page, scroll down to ‘Text Message Forwarding’ and open it
– on the next page that opens, select you other Apple devices ( switch them ON / green )
– then exit
– now, on your Mac, you will be able to use the SMS functionality in the Messages.app

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰