You have an option in iTunes to rip CDs as m4a or mp3. It defaults to m4a. My guess is that's what happened here.

Thanks, bmarkey! I will try to change the default.

Right! Well, there's that sorted out.

Anyone else have any questions I can tackle? If I don't know the actual answer, I'll try to make up something that sounds believable.

What should I have for dinner, b?

I hear the halibut is excellent tonight. We've served 13 portions and no one has choked yet! You have to like those odds.

It worked! You're a genius, bmarkey! Thanks!

I concur, have the halibut, box. It was delicious.

I had tilapia at lunch but, you know what, I can eat two kinds of fish in the same day. Halibut it is.

Oooh, hold on there. The tilapia and the halibut are deadly enemies. You don't want them fighting all night, do you? Better stick with the soy loaf.

I've got a lot of work due tomorrow; should I work on some of it tonight, or goof off and go to bed early?

This is the classic conundrum. Great minds have been wrestling with this dilemma for as long as there's been wrestling.

In our search for an answer, we now have technology on our side. Thanks to the diligent work of the Discovery channel, we now know that there are countless ways in which all life on earth could be wiped out before I finish typing this, much less before morning: supervolcanoes, gamma ray bursts, asteroids the size of France plummeting onto our heads, and on and on. Given that, do you really want to waste what might well be your last few hours?

Fuck yeah, goof off and go to bed early. If the world explodes while you're asleep, you won't even know it. If it doesn't, there's always the chance that it will before your work is due.

If the world explodes while you're asleep, you won't even know it. If it doesn't, there's always the chance that it will before your work is due.

Thanks, bmarkey! Your pessimism has taught me that procrastination really IS the key to happiness!

I'm here to help.

To get back to the original question, m4a is NOT a protected format. Anyone with a modern media player should be able to play those files. The protected files from the iTunes music store have the filetype m4p.

m4a is supposed to have slightly better sound quality than mp3 at the same bit rate. In any case, I'd recommend raising the import bit-rate from the default of 128 kbps to at least 192 kbps.

Thanks, D.C.!

I will raise the import bit-rate if I want to use mp3. And I will send the files as m4a if they play nicer. Thanks!

I'm so glad I asked this question. The more you know!

How do I search for a work or a phrase on a webpage or document on a MAC? I used to love Control-F, but this doesn't work on the new machine.

For most commands in Windows where you used the CTRL key you now simply use the command (apple) key. So, CTRL+F is now Command+F. Copy is Command+C, Print is Command+P, etc, etc.