October 22nd, 2006 loser
i bought a 30gb video ipod yesterday. i suck. my wallet hurts.
“now you can stop using your old minidisc” is what my brother said to me. i feel regretful giving up that technology, though i might still try to use it for field recording. a model i bought in 2001 with the savings from my first real job, it grudgingly transferred mp3s from my computer to the fancy coloured minidiscs, but there’d be times i was late for work because i insisted on waiting for it to finish the slow process. then the software started crashing in windows, and multiple reinstalls, xp service packs, couldn’t make it better again. i was reduced to burning cd-rws (in itunes, because it organised my music so much better) so it could then copy those to md. oh so slow…
there’s a part review on salon of steven levy’s the perfect thing, his ode to ipods in life, which also partly looks at how ipods make certain tendencies easier (the flitting through songs, collecting albums without actually listening to them). it’s not necessarily the technology that’s evil, but falling into lazy ways:
It arises from the modern condition, and it’s the modern condition, more than the iPod itself, that I’m really complaining about. And there is, of course, no going back.
the technology works - it’s just a means of consumption. and besides, i have a huge backlog of tv shows that i want to get through on the train (like freaks and geeks), which is why i wanted to get a video ipod as opposed to its cheaper siblings. as i listened to the new zarahn album i downloaded this morning on my ipod (which took about ten seconds to transfer), i couldn’t help but think, is this it? no shiny new technology feeling, but instead feeling, i spent three hundred and eighty dollars on this?
October 22nd, 2006 at 10:28 pm
I did the MD->iPod switch a few years back, after many years using MD (I’ve even owned a 4x CD to MD copying deck, and a NetMD drive). I really don’t regret switching.
It’s right however that sometimes you’ve just got so much music in your iPod that it doesn’t help deciding what to listen to. If I’d have 3 MDs in my bag instead, the choice would be easier, but..!
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:55 am
RACHAEL!!!
October 23rd, 2006 at 6:07 am
stina - what man.
patrick - i can totally see how the ipod is more practical, with the volume of music you have at your disposal. it could really do with a proper remote though :p
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:45 am
you were whinging about not having the money at all for it - I’m probably just jealous. I just got the most gigantic bill ever.
October 23rd, 2006 at 8:59 am
i used my freakin savings to buy it. money supposed to be for malaysia and my general spinster fund.
there is a huge cockroach in my bedroom, and there is no insect spray in the house. i can’t sleep until i kill the bastard.
October 23rd, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Good for you, R! Worth every penny–I don’t like to remember what a drag it was to carry around 5 or 6 CDs, then realize I’d left what I’d really wanted to hear at home. Now it’s not an issue. Too much choice? Wait until you have to start checking and unchecking boxes next to tracks in iTunes because it can’t all fit on your iPod. I’ve filled an 80GB drive, and I have a good start on the 160GB I added–especially now with video. BTW, my first iPod is now a dedicated Frank Zappa iPod, and that’s chock full.
As for MD, I have a deck and a little Sharp 702 which I use for field recording only. getting music to and fro was always a hassle, and the format never caught on here so finding blanks was a nuisance. A decent stereo condenser mic was only about $40 off eBay…
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:40 pm
since when is my name “r”. apart from here, hahaha.
i still feel that resistant pull that mds give me. just like i’d get a zen creative if the damn thing would work on mac, and if apple would let other players accept files bought from itunes. as if buying certain technology gives you a sense of individuation. you and all the others.
i started watching the colbert report on the train, and i came to the conclusion that i might play it on my mac at home instead, so at least i can laugh as bloody loud as i want there.
October 24th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Miss Kuan -
emusic has a great selection of artists for download, and their files are unprotected mp3s. Don’t like iTunes’ policy? Don’t bu from them. I rarely do.
It’s not as if they’re alone in this DRM thing–every new music store is selling some kind of protected file, and the new store Microsoft is opening for Zune won’t work with Creative or any other players–it’s Zune specific. In iTunes’ case, if I buy an album from them, I immediately burn an audio CD of the album. That way I have a backup (smart), and a CD (cheap) I can re-import into mp3 format anytime (flexible). Blank CDs cost about $.02 apiece, less if you have a coupon or rebate, the burning process takes about a minute. Easy peasy, no more DRM. Usually I just buy an artist’s CD, though, as the prices are close to the same and I prefer to have the art. Sometimes, as was the case with Cliff Martinez’s gorgeous score to Soderbergh’s Solaris, the CD is long out of print, fetching $50 on eBay, and the iTunes download is $9.99. Sweeeeet.
October 27th, 2006 at 5:23 am
I just got the Belkin TuneTalk Stereo for my iPod. It’s basically a mic attachment and although I’ve only used it once, I think it’s great for recording. A MD is probably better though. Enjoy the iPod.
October 29th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I have one of the older 20g iPods - the video iPods and the Nanos make me feel like I should “update” my iPod or something, but then the old beast works fine, so why bother?
And I mustn’t have much music at all - it’s been years and so far I have never had to pull any songs off the iPod to make room for more…