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Posts tagged iPod
Superfluous Face
1829 days
So yeah, we haven’t recorded a podcast in about a month. Bad news is, this isn’t a new podcast. Good news is, thanks to James, Episode 9 was resurrected almost literally from the dead. This is kinda a rough cut, the info and news we cover is pretty old, but as always with us, it’s still funny.
Intro: Humiliation – Killer Instinct Soundtrack
Outro: Tubular Boobular – MST3K Clowns In The Sky
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I’m a Mac, and I’m a money pit…
0966 days
Also known as “Why all my money has gone to Apple recently.”
A couple months ago I got a free laptop from work. It was a little old, run down and bulky, but hey it was free, and I was in need. I already had a desktop at the house that I really didn’t use all that much b/c it was crippled by Windows Vistas. When they offered me the free one I jumped at the chance to have a mobile PC again, and better yet one with XP loaded.
However here we are months down the road, and the once great laptop, is now a 7lb paperweight sitting on my hearth at the house. As some of you may have read, mid edit of 3SMOV Radio Episode 9… it died. Got the ol’ “Blue Screen of Death” and shut down. Now I have been dealing with PCs most of my life and am pretty used to getting such an error. I didn’t think much of it really and restarted the computer. Much to my dismay, it still didn’t come back on. Several more attempts and nothing. Much like trying to give CPR to an already dead pet, I was just making myself more upset each time it failed to come back to life. Though this is more like a pet that you didn’t really raise all it’s life, kinda like one a neighbor let you have after they moved, and it always chewed on your shoes, and shit in the bed. I was kinda pissed that it died the way it did, but I honestly can’t say it will be missed all that much.
My first thought was to replace the HDD and just make it work. Then I started to do research, for a couple hundred dollars I could get it up and running again, but really, for how long. Why should I pump money into a piece of machinery that I never really cared about or paid for in the first place. It will just turn around and crap on the floor again no matter how many times I rub it’s face in it. So that was when I came to the realization that, I’m Done! No more PCs for me, and yes I will site examples of why.
My wife has been working in the school system for about seven years. The past four she has worked in a particular section of the state that gives each teacher a MacBook to use. She has had the same MacBook that entire time. She has never had an issue with it. Never a virus, never had anything crap out on her with it. The only problem that she has had recently is that the battery doesn’t hold a charge anymore. The only reason she hasn’t replaced it, is because the school won’t do it. They are too cheap, and we ARE in a recession.
Meanwhile since she got that computer I have gone through two different PCs. CONSTANTLY updating it with random dumbass updates from Windows. Not to mention the ridiculous hassle that is Vistas. Nothing says forward thinking like releasing an OS only to totally leave it behind and abandon it two years later.
Also I don’t need 200+ programs preloaded on my PC that I will NEVER USE. Most of which are memory hogs and drag my PC into the dirt every time I turn it on. I don’t consider myself an Apple fanatic, but I have definitely been converted to the Apple way of thinking and business ethics.
I am not under the delusion that Apple is the greatest company on the planet and has a “People First” mantra. Anyone that does think that, needs only to look at the fact that they release a new version of the iPod and iPhone about twice a year. . . Speaking of which . . .
Sweet New Toy
I just put in my pre-order for the new version of the iPhone 3GS. I have been using my iPod Touch over the past nine months religiously. Twitter, Facebook, 50+ apps, Safari, you name it, I use it. I love that little thing. Being that my Verizon Wireless account is up for renewal shortly, I took another leap. I hate to leave VZW because their coverage really is second to none. However their customer service and their phones, UI, pricing, and pretty much everything else is just simply the pits.
I have also been a LONG TIME user of Verizon. Put it this way, I was with them before they were even Verizon. Back in the days when they were still GTEmobile. They have always been a thorn in my side that I have just ignored for years. I am not really sure what pushed me over the edge with them to make me finally switch. Maybe it’s the fact that for the wife and I, we pay around $115 for just our two cellphones and the service to go along with them. We have a 700 min contract and NEVER get close to it, but will they let us take it down, or give us a price break, hell no. Switching to AT&T, I will be on a 550 min plan (with roll over) the data plan for my iPhone ($30, something i never had with VZW for $40) and the extra line for my wife with 200 txt mgs for her. Grand total with the extra line, data plan, and all the extras we still end up saving $5 over Verizon.
Lame!
A prime example of how Verizon’s customer service sucks: I talked to a CSR for about 20 mins on Wednesday about TERMINATING my contract with them. I asked about the termination fee, when I could actually do it without penalty, all that. Then at the end of the conversation, she has the balls to ask me “What can I help you purchase today?” Lady, are you fucking kidding me? Why after the conversation we just had would you EVER think that I would like to buy something from you? Seriously?!??! Had she actually tried to save me as a customer I might have thought about it. The issue is that Verizon has gotten so big that it has “forgotten where they came from” so to speak. They don’t care about the people that helped them get to where they are now. Make money and screw over those that you trampled under foot to get to the top.
Sweet New Toy 2!
So now that I have placed my order for my new MacBook Pro, I will sit back and wait for the sweet, sweet goodness to roll in. If I played my cards right I should be getting my lappy and my iPhone around the same day. If that is true listen close the rest of the week and you might hear me scream out in a childishly, girlie squeal at their un-boxing. Granted there will be an adjustment phase that I will have to go through coming from an almost strictly PC only basis. However given the track record of Apple computers lasting as long as they do and rarely giving people the hassle that a PC does, I think it will be worth it. Can’t wait to start posting and editing and everything else from my new Mac!
Whatcha been listening to?
0991 days
Over the past several months I have been doing my best to try and find new music to listen to. With the help of friends in real life and my new found Twitter friends, I have been able to find several new bands that are note worthy. Also there are several bands that I have been listening to for a while now that should be mentioned as well just so that I can spread the “New Music” love around.
Hayes Carll
First of all thanks to Bill (@DangerTom on Twitter) I was introduced to a man by the name of Hayes Carll. The interesting thing about him is, he is a country singer. Now for those of you that don’t know me very well, I would rather wipe my ass with a country cd than listen to it. That is to say, most country music that comes out now is complete and utter CRAP. Yes I am from “The South” but this is not the country music I was raised on, no sir. I was raised on the musical stylings of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Wayland Jennings, and of course Hank Williams. I guess they would fall into the category of “Outlaw Country” if you had to label them. Not this shitty “Alt-Country” or what ever you want to call about 80% of the new artists today.
That being said, Hayes Carll falls more to the old style of country music than the current crop. He has a very mellow sound to most of his songs. I also like the fact that his material is the things that you always hear the jokes on country music are about. Losing the love of his life, losing his job, trying to make money, or hitchin’ across the country, and yes… jail time. One of my favorite songs that he does is called “Live Free or Die”, in which he talks about being in jail and having to press licence plates for New Hampshire corrections. The irony of course being that he is in JAIL pressing plates that have the motto live FREE or die on them. His songs are very well written and performed, and I can’t figure out if it’s a shame he isn’t more widely known or if that is the blessing here.
Metric Fantasies
Next up on the new music scene is a band that I heard about from Patrick Klepek (@exxy on Twitter) called Metric. Now after finding out more about them, I realize that they aren’t really a new band sure, but they are new to me. They are labeled as “Post-Punk” which honestly makes no sense to me. I hear the word punk and think of the sex pistols or black label or minor threat… they don’t sound anything at all like that. I don’t know what I would label them as, but the lead singer and sound of their songs is more akin to The Breeders or Luscious Jackson. Female singer with a great set of pipes backed up by a great band. Oddly enough Bill also randomly recommended them to me after I just heard about them, so I guess great minds do think alike.
Now on to the music that I have been listening to for a while now and either got back into it, or just got a new album. Starting first with cKy and their new release Carver City. One of the very few perks for living on the East Coast is that sometimes (not often) you get to hear about bands BEFORE the west coast does. I found out about cKy years ago back when they just started to get their stuff out there with Jackass (via Bam Margera). At that point they were still kind of the up and coming underground local kinda band that not a lot of people knew about. I loved the first cd I got of theirs (Vol. 1) and played it to death. They had the sound that fell somewhere between Metal and I guess what you would just call Rock (i dunno). If they wanted to they could get pretty loud and in your face but also had a more mellow melodic sound too.
cKy - Carver City
Over the years they have released several albums for several different labels. Most recently with their release of Carver City, they “hit the big time” I guess you could say. Carver City was released under RoadRunner Records. Any big metal fan should automatically recognize that name immediately. Probably one of the larger American record labels in the Metal genre. The extra money from the label is very apparent in this album. Given the fact that Chad is kind of a perfectionist and likes to mix all their own stuff, it’s little wonder that the album took a while to come out. That extra time in the oven was also well spent. Each track was worked on and finished separately from the rest, the true definition of slow and steady wins the race.
The Eagles of Death Metal
Another band that I kind of stumbled upon through another band (Queens of the Stone Age) is The Eagles of Deathmetal. This band headed up by Josh Homme and Jesse Hughes is definitely an acquired taste. Be that the eclectic sound of the music itself, or the falsetto signing style of vocals takes a while to get used to. But how could you not like a band that was formed as a mix of, according to Homme, “The Eagles and Death Metal.” Listening to the latest album “Heart-On” is just fun. You can just tell that the guys playing in the band currently (like QotSA they rotate supporting band mates around a lot) are just really into what they are doing and love to make music together.
Deadsy
Finally there is a band that I consider to be a bit of a guilty pleasure, Deadsy. They only have two albums out now “The Commencement” and “Phantasmagore”. With a sound that is straight out of the 80′s synth phase mixed with a heaping helping of DOT (Dark Ominous Tones) they create a sound that is pretty much all their own. It really isn’t for everyone, I am sure of that one, but it really does appeal to me. When ever I am just in a mood to relax and just kind of zone out, they are one of the first bands that I will put on. Check em out if you want, but it may not be your particular cup of tea.
So that is what I have been playing through my iPod recently. I don’t expect you all to go out there and purchase/download all these groups, however you could give them a listen, just to see if maybe it might be something you like as well. I am sure there will be more artists that I will list here as time goes on, in fact I already have a few in mind. Check back probably about once a week and I will throw out some more suggestions.
