My Music Universe 2009
Last.fm's Most Unwanted, AKA Guilty Pleasures
Here is a little something from the ol' data warehouse. Last.fm's list of most REMOVED tracks from its user's scrobbles. These are clearly songs that people love, but are embarrassed to have their friends see.
http://playground.last.fm/unwanted#
Biggest Threat to the iPad
The biggest threat to the TamPad (thank you Stephen Colbert) could be a similar device running ChromeOS at half the price. But the problem for Google there is that today 1) there is no ChromeOS and 2) there is no Google tablet.
Apple is adept at re-inventing a category and then staying one (or more) steps ahead of the "mee too" followers. As an example Google's Nexus one is probably the best Android phone you can get, but few seem to think its a real threat to the iphone. Maybe the Nexus Two, but by then there will already be a 4th gen iPhone. Notice I didn't mention the HP Slate.Gruber on eBooks for iPad
As for Amazon, they might wind up delighted with this thing. Apple’s in the business of selling devices first, content second. I think Amazon is in the content business first, the device business second. A world where Kindle hardware sales pale in comparison to the iPad but where there’s a very popular Kindle app for iPad that competes against iBooks is not a bad situation for Amazon. Apple is only selling e-books for use on their own devices; Amazon is willing to sell e-books anywhere they can.
If Amazon ups their already pretty good iPhone app for iPad (annotation, dictionary, etc) I'll be a very happy customer with a Kindle and an iPad.
Cruft: A message to the Internets regarding the iPad
Remember way back to January 2007, when the iPhone was announced? Oh Internets, you wailed and gnashed your teeth endlessly. No 3G network? No MMS? No apps on the iPhone? No replaceable battery? Oh, your complaints were endless. You were sure that the iPhone was doomed because it didn’t meet all your requirements.
via cruftbox.com
I waited in line in 2007.
My First of Many Impressions of the Apple iPad
My very first impression while listening to Apple's presenation yesterday was "Version 2 will definitely be better". In terms of the V1 release, the approach of this int the market is at best, like the release of the original iPhone. Meaning: there is room for improvement. Problem is, in 2007 there was nothing like the iPhone and it was clearly something different. Now comes the iPad and it is essentially a big iPod Touch and many people own an iPhone and could say, "Ok: this is a big iPod".
Lots of people I know (techies) are complaining about things like multi-tasking but most techies can't help but think like techies and Apple thinks about physical and software design and along with the techie stuff. When I think about a device I want, or I speculate on the future of a certain piece of technology, I try and think of how I would explain it to my mom (or yours, maybe over dinner... maybe a nice bottle of wine). If I don't think she'd understand the problem, or the feature, or the point, then I multiply that by 80% (Apple's market) and think, "Ok, maybe thats why they did this, and maybe it makes sense".
I'm staunchly anti-drm and very much pro open standards, but when it comes to consumer devices and bringing technology understanding to the masses, I appreciate Apple's design aesthetic and approach.
There is definitely room for improvement and I'm sure next year they'll carefully select a few more features to sell in a new version. That is my first impression and I've had many more since then but instead of trying to write them all now I'll be posting snippets too big for twitter over the next few days. People love to argue with me even though they know I'm right: What do you think is the biggest miss (or hit) with the new iPad (besides the damn name)?
And, yes, I'll buy one, probably non 3G with 32g storage.
Remember When: Microsoft Invests 150MM in Apple (1997)
Hearing the news that Apple posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion got me thinking back when Steve first returned to an Apple that was in dire straights, and the big news was that that Microsoft (embroiled in anti-trust lawsuits) was investing 150MM in Apple. Apple was also about 3% of the PC market share. And now apple posts PROFIT in one quarter at 22 times that amount.
STEVE JOBS, Co-Founder, Apple Computer: The era of setting this up as a competition between Apple and Microsoft is over, as far as I'm concerned. This is about getting Apple healthy, and this is about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry to get healthy and prosper again. (applause)
MARGARET WARNER: There were gasps and some boos from the crowd at Jobs' announcement. Then Microsoft chairman Bill Gates appeared on a huge screen via satellite.
BILL GATES, CEO, Microsoft Corp.: Some of the most exciting work that I've done in my career--and it's been the work that I've done with Steve on the Macintosh. We're very excited about the new release we're building. This is called Mac Office 98.
*VIA way back http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/july-dec97/apple_8-6a.html#
Sunday CD to MP3 Rip-a-thon
So today I'm preparing to put my entire CD collection in storage. I have somewhere close to 1,000 physical disks though and since I decided to go all-digital for my music collection in 1999, I have most of them converted over. For some time since that processes started I would purchase new music on CD, rip them at high quality, and put them up on a shelf. I never used to buy music from iTunes because i refused (and still do) to buy and own media with DRM (copy protection) which, everyone knows does not prevent piracy. it is only serving to lock me into a particular device or software and that is a NO-go.
Its worth mentioning that I've always owned iPods, but because I want to, not because i have to. It is nice to know that if Sony came out with something cool (HAHAHAHA) I could switch.
As soon as Amazon started selling high quality DRM free MP3 files I was more or less done buying plastic discs. Since then iTunes has dropped DRM, so I do sometimes buy music from them, but I have not really moved away from Amazon since when i do bother to compare the prices are the same or cheaper.
Anyhow... I have too many CD's- 6 boxes like this:
*notice the treasured Jesus Jones: Doubt in the top right corner, nicely juxtaposed with Sparklehorse just to the left
Of course since I think I've ripped most of my CD's over the years, I'm mostly finding that there was a reason I never ripped them. No offense to "The Cassandra Complex" fans
*The Cassandra Complex: Satan, Bugs Bunny and Me
So the process goes like this, I open up a box of CD's and unless I'm sure its been ripped, I search in iTunes to see if i have it. If I don't, then I pop it into one of 3 available MacBooks.
The problem is that I'm starting to realize that even with 3 machines, this is going to take a century. I've been at it for an hour and I'm losing steam. But eventually, my CD's will be up in the loft of my garage and I can be free of plastic music distribution.
PBS Frontline Digital Nation
via youtube.com
I think this will be fascinating. I don't expected to be surprised of course, but I always appreciate the depth and balance to which Frontline examines all of its topics.
Post Avatar Depression - CNN
via youtube.com
"I just watched avatar a few weeks ago and I'm feeling depressed and sad. It's like I want to reach out and be in Pandora. I'd do anything to be in Pandora. I've tried so hard to dream about me being on Pandora but it hasn't worked."
I felt the exact same way after watching Titanic. I would have done anything to have been the iceberg that sank that ship.
John Haro
I am a software designer turned suit, occasional low-rent photographer, and as a friend once said a "sarcastic mother @#$@r". I can sleep soundly through any team sporting event but I'm passionate and politely opinionated about music, technology, and many other less valuable topics.
