PROOF THAT I STAND ALONE
As I suspected, according to Macworld,* I am the only person on earth who doesn't own an I-Pod.
Well, actually, that's not exactly what they reported. Instead, they claim that Apple has sold 100 million units, making the fastest-growing music player in . . . blah, blah, blah. Read the piece if you get off on these sorts ofmade-up numbers stats.
Anyhow, I was all set to buy a "refurbished" I-Pod (read: Used I-Pod) last winter, but in my zealousness to get the very best price, I missed the actually available "pretty damn good" bargains. Then, I entered into the job-interviewing stretch I've alluded to, and decided in a stoic moment to wait until after the newest gainful employment kicked back in.
Well that time is coming soon, y'all. Meaning that the I-Pod purchase is coming soon. Meaning, in addition, that I too will join the egomaniacal masses who make posts out of their random I-Pod selections. And then you will know what my friends and family know already:
I Have The Best Musical Taste On Earth.
Stay tuned.
(You get it, "Tuned"? Not only the best musical taste, but the worst sense of humor. I'm multifaceted, baby.)
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*Anyone know if this is a trustworthy "source" for Mac-related news?
Well, actually, that's not exactly what they reported. Instead, they claim that Apple has sold 100 million units, making the fastest-growing music player in . . . blah, blah, blah. Read the piece if you get off on these sorts of
Anyhow, I was all set to buy a "refurbished" I-Pod (read: Used I-Pod) last winter, but in my zealousness to get the very best price, I missed the actually available "pretty damn good" bargains. Then, I entered into the job-interviewing stretch I've alluded to, and decided in a stoic moment to wait until after the newest gainful employment kicked back in.
Well that time is coming soon, y'all. Meaning that the I-Pod purchase is coming soon. Meaning, in addition, that I too will join the egomaniacal masses who make posts out of their random I-Pod selections. And then you will know what my friends and family know already:
I Have The Best Musical Taste On Earth.
Stay tuned.
(You get it, "Tuned"? Not only the best musical taste, but the worst sense of humor. I'm multifaceted, baby.)
---------------------------------------
*Anyone know if this is a trustworthy "source" for Mac-related news?
Labels: Bow Before My CD Collection, Do I Have To Actually Upload All That Freakin' Music?
posted by Mike at 12:00 PM
34 Comments:
I don't know, Mike, we might have to have a battle for best musical taste/worst sense of humor. I'm sure I'll beat you in most obscure musical taste, at least.
Oh, and I don't have an iPod, my wife does--a technicality, but still....
I do not own an iPod. I will keep an ear open re: your taste in music. I have generally very good taste in music, and I have justifications for those musicians I like who are not necessarily objectively awesome.
Yeah. I'm very impressed with your music to the degree that I know any of the songs.
As to sense of humor, if I'm down for the count, you're down there with me. (Or vice versa among kindred spirits & fellow travelers.)
Lookie here! Two other who are I-Podless.
George acknowledges that Amy has one. Does Loki have one, Maurinsky, or are you guys legitimately in the stone ages along with me?
I held off for a while. Bought a Dell DJ a couple of years back, since it was cheaper and had more capacity. But it was heavy as hell, which sucked for running.
Of course, Dell no longer makes the DJ, since it sold like crap. They make a "ditty" which is like the matchbook sized iPod. Don't get it.
So, this past October, I bought a 20 GB iPod as a birthday gift to myself. I like it mucho. Light, and easy to use. I had issues moving music I bought on musicmatch over to iTunes (you can't move it unless tou burn it then re-rip it. PITA.)
I have not come close to filling up the space. That time will come someday.
If you are going to get one, get at least the 30 GB. Don't get the nano, not a lot of space, and I'm guessing you have a lot of music on CD.
Good luck at the new job.
issues moving music I bought on musicmatch over to iTunes (you can't move it unless tou burn it then re-rip it. PITA.) . . . get at least the 30 GB. Don't get the nano
This portion of your comment is in English?
Damn, I may have to actually read the instructions, huh?
Neither of us has an iPod. My reason for being iPod free is that I like to sing along to whatever I'm listening to - I like the music to be loud enough that I can hear both myself and whoever is on the recording. In my experience back in the days of the Walkman, people look at you funny when you sing at the office, or the grocery store, or walking down the sidewalk. I'm too self-conscious to just let that slide.
I don't own an iPod either. Don't need it. And with the way DRM is these days, I'm not sure I want that headache.
The apple site (which my browser lauches to) was also trumpeting the 100 millionth iPod.
I have a 4GB iPod mini. It was a gift, and at the time I thought I would have preferred a "full-size" iPod. In retrospect, I am happier with the Mini. I love the more compact size and shape and the cast aluminum case. I have NEVER had a problem with it either and it is coming up on two years old this May with plenty of use and even a few drops to the pavement.
The Mini is no longer, it has been replaced by the Nano. Go for the Nano, it is even smaller than my Mini, and far smaller than the bigger iPod, and even though the capacity is less (2, 4 or 8GB), I still fit nearly a thousand songs on mine, and it makes me change the playlist occasionally (I have 60+ GB on my computer).
When I see somebody bust out one of the white iPods, it just looks huge to me. Unless you plan to watch stuff on the bigger screen, I don't see a reason to get the "big" iPod.
Buying refurbished from apple only saves you 16%.
I like the music to be loud enough that I can hear both myself and whoever is on the recording. In my experience back in the days of the Walkman, people look at you funny when you sing at the office, or the grocery store, or walking down the sidewalk.
I've never been a huge fam of the personal music device when in public. But I like them for the gym and on flights. Plus, the IPod gives the opportunity to load so much music in, make "mixes" use the randon feature, etc. Too much temptation in the final tally.
DED -- I'm surprised. I had you for a techie sort of guy. Someone who likes his "toys."
What's DRM?
Unless you plan to watch stuff on the bigger screen, I don't see a reason to get the "big" iPod.
Buying refurbished from apple only saves you 16%.
Yeah, I don't need the vid screen. At least not for the extra dough, and the extra size.
16% is worth saving IMHO. Call me frugal, call me cheap. I look out for that sort of thing as I get older!
DED -- I'm surprised. I had you for a techie sort of guy. Someone who likes his "toys."
I do like the tech toys. The problem is I don't have a wallet big enough to splurge on all those cool tech toys out there. All my money goes towards practical stuff and taxes. I have to justify all of my expenses. And there's nothing iPods and their ilk do that warrants their purchase. So, I sit on the cool gadget sidelines and just say, "That's cool."
What's DRM?
Digital Rights Management.
I have to justify all of my expenses. And there's nothing iPods and their ilk do that warrants their purchase.
Yeah, that's where I've been. This purchase is still of the "putative" variety.
Digital Rights Management.
Ahhhh, gotcha.
It took me a while, too, but I got an Ipod (the 60 gig video one, because I figured with my eclectic taste and HUGE CD/MP3 library, I wouldn't want to bother with it getting full. And I absolutely ADORE it. Love it, love it, love it. Especially when coupled with the softsounds pillow at night. It's my favorite posession in the world. (I'm not counting my wife, because she's more favorite, and in a different category altogether, and would most likely bristle at being called a "posession.") I am also eager to see your music list, because I think I have the best musical taste in the world.
I think I have the best musical taste in the world
We all do.
I love my iPod. I was a late convert, too, having just recently gotten it.
The coolest thing is having a little doohickey to carry around that is all your music. I use it in the car with an FM transmitter to play thru the car radio. I am probably going to ditch the old 5-Disc CD player I've had for ever and get the dock to hook it to my stereo system. No more fumbling with CDs and jewelboxes. I hate those things. Put all your music on your PC and then put the CDs in the attic.
ditch the old 5-Disc CD player I've had for ever and get the dock to hook it to my stereo system
I'm with you in every other respect, but I worry about MP3 sound quality vs. that of CD (or LP for those who still have them). I'm not sure I'll put the CDs away on the home stereo.
"I-Pod purchase is coming soon"
Ah, yes...this little Greek Tragedy is unfolding EXACTLY as it was fortold...as it was handed down to me by my elders and as it was handed down to them by the Yehudi oracle from 300's sequel -- "Oy, 300 Hamentashin."
Now, to avoid an even more gruesome result then the already-gruesome result that awaits you: please, if you get a shot at buying one of the older generation 20GB iPods (the clickwheel or the lighted display), FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, DO IT MAN!!
You'll pay $5-6/GB (just dealing with refurbished iPods, of course).
The savings was ~60% for me on the refurbished 20GB iPod with lighted display (not 16%).
Unless of course you think of a mobile music device as an accessory (as one might think of a purse, for instance); then you can buy an 8GB Nano and pay ~$26/GB. It should go nicely with your Prada handbag.
As we've discussed, the number of songs/GB varies: officially, you should be able to fit 250 songs/GB; however, my wife could only fit ~350 songs on her 2GB Nano (so that's 175 songs/GB).
Look at your CD collection, think about how much you'll buy in the future and do the math. I'd suggest you think about the max you'd fit in over a 3-or-4-year period from purchase. I say 3-or-4-year and not a lifetime entirely because of the fact that these devices tend to go belly up in 2-to-4 years, but you can (and should) purchase the protection plan within a year of your intial purchase.
No matter when you purchase the plan within that year, it will give you protection until the third anniversery of your purchase. You automatically get the first year at no extra cost.
I fear that you might have to bite the bullett and go for the refurbished 30GB iPod (older generation). That'll run you ~$179 -- or ~$6/GB. For some reason, they don't give you a $/GB break on the 30GB vs. the 20GB. But in the end it's for more economical than the 8GB Nano.
Applesaucer
Mike, if you hold out long enough, you won't need an iPod; you'll be able to get anybody's MP3 player instead. Apple and EMI just announced an agreement that may be the beginning of the end for DRM, after which you shouldn't (in theory) either be locked in or out of iTunes by your choice. I love the idea of the iPod, but I end up cursing iTunes and my Shuffle about half the time (I had asked for a Shuffle one Christmas, and then changed my mind, but too late).
Apple's adopted the Microsoft model of corporate arrogance when it comes to releasing buggy code and ignoring complaints, not to mention the planned obsolescence that plagues iPod owners.
One more thing: You never realize how loud it is inside a commercial airliner until you try to listen to your iPod on a flight. By the time you turn it up loud enough to hear the details, you'll be risking ear damage, unless you have a pair of the old-style fully-enclosed (not earbuds or open-air) headphones.
Ah, yes...this little Greek Tragedy is unfolding EXACTLY as it was fortold...as it was handed down to me by my elders and as it was handed down to them by the Yehudi oracle from 300's sequel -- "Oy, 300 Hamentashin."
Even though you're going full-out "Cheapshot" mode, in that you, and you alone, know the underlying circumstances, I still have to give you a hearty LOL for that one. Well done.
Dickhead.
As for the rest of what you wrote, it may as well been handed down by the Yehudi Oracle himself, since I don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
(Does this Yehudi Oracle have nice nipples like the one in the flick? Or was that Leonidas' queen with the nice nips?)
if you hold out long enough, you won't need an iPod; you'll be able to get anybody's MP3 player instead.
I can't hold out any longer. See Apple's comment above for some clue how long I've been talking up this purchase.
And I've played my Discman in a plane: 11 isn't loud enough to hear without the jet engine's roar.
DRM.
Unless I'm missing something, DRM only hinders your use of songs purchased from iTunes. It does not hinder your use of songs that you uploaded from CDs (though I think Sony was caught a year or so ago pulling some sort of rootkit chicanery).
But let's get real: what you are looking to do is copy some portion of your CD collection into a mobile listening device. I probably feel like others here do about DRM and the RIAA (I hate them), but I don't think it'll affect you here, considering what you're trying to do.
Plus, after you get iTunes and have uploaded your CD collection, you can access your music much more conveniently then you can now. If you don't like the system speakers you have now (the hp speakers I got with my system purchase work fine for me, but I suspect that you're more demanding), you can purchase better ones (probably get quality, refurbished computer-compatible speakers for cheap).
Finally, you can also get a refurbished portable speaker system, remote control-equipped, for ~$30. Then you can stick in your iPod and access all of your tunes in a separate room or on vacation.
But let's get real: what you are looking to do is copy some portion of your CD collection into a mobile listening device. I probably feel like others here do about DRM and the RIAA (I hate them), but I don't think it'll affect you here, considering what you're trying to do.
You are correct.
"I am the only person on earth who doesn't own an I-Pod."
What's an I-Pod?
J/K. But I don't have one either, even though the car we just bought has an 'I-Pod dock' (woohoo).
Hell I don't even want one.
Trivia point I picked up on this a while back. Did you know that the compression software (IE MP3) they use actually deletes parts of the music they've figured out is undetectable to the human ear (or that people don't notice is missing, can't remember exactly)?
I don't have a link and don't remember the details, but I'm pretty sure I have that right. Anyway, that's one of the methods they use to get the file size down so they can pile more music into the things. I thought that very interesting and actually turned my nose up at them a bit.
I didn't know that precise point. But the MP3 sound is definitely a bit more "compressed" than CD or analog.
Not terrible sounding by any means, but not as full as other formats.
More amazingly, about 87% of the world's non-IPoders seem to be regulars here.
drjPrepare to become temporarily obsessed. The Honey purchased a refurbished iPod a week ago. I haven't been asked to show any of my private parts since.
Not that I'm complaining....it's giving me more time to read things on the internets that make me laugh, cry, scream, curse....and thanks to those earbuds, he doesn't have to hear me.
Another benefit? There is a stack as high as my desk next to me of CDs I checked out of the library and just finished ripping into my Mac. This has been an invaluable musical resource for me. I'm sure I've copied at least 150-200 CDs courtesy of the Ann Arbor Public Library...
Great for classics like the complete Springsteen and Elvis Costello catalogs, and they are really up on the contemporary music too. Death Cab, Shins, Killers, Tv on the Radio, Clap Your Hands? I got em all for free. Hell, one of the Cds I ripped last night was Boz Scaggs so I could get the "Lido Shuffle." Like I would ever pay for that? But it's a good tune, and now it's mine.
Mike, when you begin ripping your Cds you can choose how much loss/compression you are willing to live with. As a recovering audiophile who invested thousands in hifi over my adult life, I won't lie...there is a difference when listening on a good system, but chances are most of your iPod listening time will be in non-critical environments and you'll never care.
The biggest loss occurs when using the FM transmitter mentioned upthread. In my old car, I thought it sounded fine. In my new(ish) Volvo with a much better stereo, I am not satisfied with my iTrip transmitter. Not enough high-end.
Mike wrote: I'm with you in every other respect, but I worry about MP3 sound quality vs. that of CD (or LP for those who still have them). I'm not sure I'll put the CDs away on the home stereo.
dwilkers wrote: Did you know that the compression software (IE MP3) they use actually deletes parts of the music they've figured out is undetectable to the human ear (or that people don't notice is missing, can't remember exactly)?
Maybe not hear, but possibly feel?
Anyway, thank you both. I thought I was the only person who felt that way. I hate mp3's. Furious may be a recovering audiophile, but I'm not. I'm stuck with it (genetics I think). I had to compromise because I couldn't justify the expense (my Dad did. Oh man, the equipment he bought, the money he pissed away) but mp3's sound like crap to me. I've got Yamaha pc speakers (since I used to own a pair with Beryllium dome tweeters that were sweet) but they don't cut it.
Steve H wrote: Apple's adopted the Microsoft model of corporate arrogance when it comes to releasing buggy code and ignoring complaints, not to mention the planned obsolescence that plagues iPod owners.
Yes, Yes, Yes! That's the #1 reason why I won't switch. Computers suck ass. They crash! Stereos don't crash! There's no way I'm going to let these fuckers ruin my music listening or TV watching.
Microsoft, Apple, Sony and all of them are assholes trying to make people spend more and more money on "upgrades" and licenses. CD's are tangible. MP3's aren't! Fuck them.
Sorry, drinking and blogging don't mix.
I haven't been asked to show any of my private parts since. Not that I'm complaining
Not "complaining"? Sounds like Mrs. Mike's dream scenerio.
Furious - That's a great idea about the library. Damn good thinking. And thanks (hmmmm) for getting "Lido Shuffle" in my brain, where it'll surely remain all day.
"Whoa-oh-oh-OHOHOH . . ."
Good idea about where & when to sacrifice sound. Listen threw the headphones when you're running on a treadmill or flying in a plain ain;t exactly the same as sitting in front of your speakers in the "sweet spot." Less sound staging, I'd think!
Ded - I hear you. But as i said to Furious, I'll have to sacrifice something for the convenience.
(What were you drinking? Any good new beer?)
Actually, I was drinking a "Jack & Ginger", JD and Ginger Ale, at the time.
As for beer, I'm mostly drinking homebrew batch #14 these days.
homebrew batch #14
Ded, that leaves you in a group of one who know what that means. Fill us in (there are actually those here who care, me included).
Ack. I'm off by one on the batch numbers. Homebrew batch #15 was my attempt at a porter, but I came up short on the malt so it's a light porter (a new category I just invented ;).
www.dedzone.net/beer.html
I haven't updated the page in a couple of months, sorry.
Hmmm. I don't have an i-pod either. But if I decide to get one, I know where to come back on the web (here) to learn all about it....
Wow. Yet another for the no-IPod brigade.
And I thought I was so unique.
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