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Filed under: Utilities, Video, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware

DVD to iPod minus the aggravation

In the intervening months since we last took a look at the fabulous DVD-ripping tool Handbrake (for Mac, Windows, and Linux), the studios have gotten wise to the "lawful use" of the little silver platters they sell at Wal-Mart and upped the ante on rippers. It seems there's a newer protection scheme that does indeed stop Handbrake from ripping the video content on certain DVDs so you can package it for your iPod.

Granted, Handbrake's developers state that the best way to use their program is by supplying it with unprotected video files to begin with. And that's the trick.

The answer is the new beta of MacTheRipper (3.0), which offers a workaround for this new technique. Once you've nabbed a rip using MacTheRipper, Handbrake will grab the ripped video files from your hard disk and package them into a MPEG-4 or AAC format that's perfect for your video iPod, iPhone, or for on-the-go viewing on your laptop. Now MacTheRipper is freeware, but you'll need to contribute to the developers' coffers if you want to get the 3.0 beta at this point. When you do, let 'em know Download Squad sent you.

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Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

CiviballsI have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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