iTunes, the bad & the good

As some know I have an iPod, as I've travelled around it has been indespensible.. Great for being able to get to sleep in a noisy dorm room in any country (like when the guy in the next dorm is watching to porn on his portable dvd player without headphones - eeww!)

But when it comes to putting music on the iPod and managing what's there for my listening pleasure, there really is only iTunes, I've tried playing with other music software (Winamp does a good job, XPlay allows you to 'mostly' use Windows Media Player).. But for completeness there really isn't anything except iTunes (and it pains me a little to say that)...

Apple has locked me, I can't really chose my software, the user interface is clunkier than Winamp, it uses more system resources, it installs other software (Quicktime) without your choice, and it always runs in the background (you need to know the registry keys or how to use the Services area to kill it properly, and it'll still be back on the next upgrade. There are a bunch of annoying issues with it....

But there's also a lot of stuff that 'just works', for example podcasts. I subscribe through iTunes for podcasts, I can then listen to them on way to and from work. When I get to my pc and plug in the iPod, all by itself it removes the ones I've already listened to and grabs the new shows I haven't heard yet... it. just. works. Winamp has a reasonably good podcast subscription option, but for me it didn't just work, I found I had to find extra plugins, and then manually handle the add/remove of shows (it wouldn't automatically remove podcasts I'd already listened to, either on my pc or on the iPod)....

Like I've said, there's plenty of reasons I don't like iTunes & Apple, but at the end of the day I can 'get around' those issues, for the podcasts and the fact that they just work, makes up a hell of a lot for those issues. Of course as soon as Winamp shows me it just works, I'm switching though. :-)

B

The Sways and Spam

Got an email from a really cool band (The Sways) this morning, that brought a smile to my face... Unfortunately won't be able to make it to any of their upcoming gigs... But in a few months, maybe.... ;-)

Dear Sirs,

I am contacting you on behalf of band The Sways with a proposition that I hope you will find of financial business interest. Please excuse impersonal fashion of this contact but I know it will be of interest to you. A few years ago when band The Sways were riding high on successful merchandising sales in Japan, they deposit a large quantity of cash, 24 USD, in a bank account of which I am the manager and of which only I know the existence. I hear nothing of them now for many years and presume dead. However, I see that some copy band also called The Sways will play a gig at the Green Note on Parkway in Camden on Friday 30th March. Only £5, beginning 9pm. I am in need of reliable partners to come and buy me pints of organic lager all evening, while making most of intimate setting, fine vegetable food and weirdy folk of the Zetland Players. They play again in duo form on April 4 at Rhino Club in Southampton with Kat Vipers and Caroline's Capuchin! So more lager! I know I can trust you to keep this email in confidence, and not forward to anyone.

Looking in greatest expectation to our partnership!

All above-board, please see:
www.thesways.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thesways
www.greennote.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thezetlandplayers
www.myspace.om/subsonicpromotions

If you're in the area highly recommend going and seeing them!

B