TechnoLogic

I've been busy tech nerding it up and since I don't write about that stuff as much, I was nowhere to be found.

But the neglect is over because I decided to force my tech interests upon the world.
Maybe even as a semi-regular posting...

1) Use iTunes. It's the best program for managing your music. Period.
No other program incorporates movie trailers, music videos, podcasts (Onion Radio News, KCRW and Elvis Mitchell are some good ones) and music playlists into a simple layout like iTunes. Plus the surrounding iTunes Music Store works because I always feel like I'm shopping.
And what more do Americans want other than to feel they are always shopping, even if they never buy a damn thing?

Granted iTunes has some faults.
It should pull up album art for CD's, work better with video and offer a subscription service.
Why pay $2 for a video you can watch for free or download on Yahoo! Launchcast?
Why download a 20 song playlist for $20 when a Yahoo! subscription could get you all the 20 song playlists you want for $7 a month?

Also you should not convert your music to Apple's AAC format.

In a test, a 60 minute album was,

59.0 MB in MP3
59.5 MB in WMA
and
59.6 MB in AAC.

Not only is it the biggest of the three formats, but it doesn't play on non-iPods.
Be nice, use MP3. After all these years it is still the best.

Also, Apple updates iTunes almost every damn month so most complaints become invalid. Whereas Windows Media Player 10 hasn't been updated since September 2004, when it dropped.

I try to hate on Apple but they're doing their thing, hence the monopoly lawsuit they just got hit with. (Valid or not? iTunes songs only play on iPods. If your iPod breaks where do you go with your iTunes songs? Back to the Apple Store...)

iTunes. Get on it.

While we're at it, look at what the next iPod is rumored to look like.



No physical buttons, touchscreen, much larger display, the ability to use Wi-Fi for cordless headphones and wireless music/video transfers.
Hot. I am willing to wait until the next big iPod announcement on April 1st to see if this shit really comes out. If it does I may join the iCult.

Sony! Where you at doggy? You get killed on the streets... I heard you rocking sandals with white tees?
Get ya mind right.


2) Speaking of paying for music videos when you can download them for free and legally (sort of...)
I found this tutorial, which shows you how to download decent resolution music videos from Yahoo's big ass video catalog.
I have Yahoo!/Verizon so I get the high-resolution video. Dunno about you.

The shit ain't simple, at all, but it works quite well.
Shhh...

3) My next phone?


This phone almost has too many features, if that's at all possible.
It's currently battling this phone for my love.
Of course, I may forget about both of those phones with my fickle ass.
It'll have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS (which post NSA wiretapping, is rather scary) and a bunch of other shit that would make me like you if this showed up in the Start Snitching fund.

4) Sometimes you think you know a lot about shit and then you realize you don't.
After a bad experience with DVD burning in my computing youth I decided you needed a DVD burner on your computer in order to rip DVD's to your hard drive.
My boy recently destroyed my reality when he told me that he ripped a DVD to his burnerless computer.
After regaining consciousness I wasted waaay too much time searching for software programs that will snatch off
You put in a CD and press Rip CD and the music is yours.
You put in a DVD and you have CSS protection, Region Codes, weird .VOB files that make the whole process scary.
There are a few good free programs that help you get through the nonsense but mostly you have to pay if you want quality software that turns your files into one normal video file.

I use 1 Click DVD and ImToo DVD Ripper to "archive my movies for later."
And if you look hard, you will find ways to "extend" the free trials these products offer.

Now I just need a big ass hard drive.