Is it true you can now stop those annoying videos that automatically play on some websites in the Safari browser?
As part of its MacOS High Sierra update for its computers, Apple has added new controls to Safari, the company’s Web browser, that stop loud videos from unexpectedly blaring.
For sites that play videos that you do not mind seeing right when you visit, you can also set your preferences individually by website.
You can manage autoplay videos in a couple of ways. If you land on a site that starts rolling a video clip, right-click (or hold down the Control key and click) in the Safari address bar and choose “Settings for This Website.” (The option is also available under the Safari menu.)
In the box that pops open, move the cursor over to auto-play and click the pop-up menu next to it. On the menu, you can choose to allow all videos coded to just play automatically, you can stop videos that start blasting audio or you can just block all autoplay videos on that particular site.
If you do not want to change the video settings on a site-by-site basis, you can take a more global approach. Under the Safari menu, select Preferences and then click the websites tab at the top of the box. Click Auto-Play on the left side of the box.
You can see the settings for sites you have previously visited — and change your initial choices on how to handle video. In the “When visiting other websites” menu at the bottom of the box, you can choose to allow or block all autoplay videos or just mute them.
While some other browsers have used extensions or add-ons to block automatic video playback, Google announced in September that it was building controls right into future versions of its Chrome browser. The company expects to have the new tools fully available for Chrome users by March.
Turning rich text into a PDF
How do you convert an RTF file to a PDF file? There seem to be a number of programs that claim to do this.
A rich text format (RTF) file is a popular format because it allows you to get basic font style and some images and yet is still compatible with many word-processing applications. Microsoft developed the format in the 1980s and has supported the format in its Word software for years.
If you are interested in converting your RTF file into a PDF, you have multiple options. You can find a number of utilities online (like CutePDF), and Microsoft Office programs also have their own PDF-creation tools. If you just want a simple conversion, you may not need to get any extra software for the job.
Recent versions of the Window and Mac operating systems allow you to save open files on your screen as PDF documents with a setting in the standard Print dialogue box.
On a Windows 10 machine, open the file you want to convert. Press the Control and P keys to open the system’s print dialogue box. In the box, under Printer, select Microsoft Print to PDF and click the Print button to save a copy of the RTF file as a PDF to your computer.
On a Mac, open the RTF file and press the Command and P keys to summon the MacOS print box. At the bottom of the box, click the PDF pop-up menu and choose “Save as PDF.” You can then put a name on the new PDF file and decide where you want to store it.
