I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of our backyard fire pit. I like the zen of it, and the minute adjustments that make up tending a fire. As I listen to my Empty Nest playlist and watch the fire consume logs and make them vanish into smoke and embers, I am struck by the beauty and violence and mystery of it.
I feel like I could sit out here and watch it for hours.
After months of painful work, my careful reconstruction of my failed iPod is coming to an end. I started with a-Ha, worked my way through the Beach Boys and Beatles, through Elton John and Veruca Salt and Yo-yo Ma, compiling dozens of different playlists along the way, and have finally hit Zuilli Bailey and ZZ Top. After that end-of-the-alphabet omega point, there are some random Japanese characters and numbers — .38 Special and the 5h Dimension figure prominently, for example — but we’re basically done with the project.
What does it all mean? I’m not sure, except for this: there are a ridiculous number of talented musicians out there, and an even more ridiculous number of great songs,, and I desperately want to have them all. What surprises me in my effort is that there is so much great music that I want to have on my iPod, just in case — and also how much fun it can be trying to organize it into playlists. My musical tastes are broad, and if someone tells me I’m going to need to choose among the Beatles, the Temptations, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, George Jones, John Coltrane, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, and countless other artists, I’m not going to be a happy camper.
Fortunately, the old iPod has sufficient storage capacity that I don’t have to make such choices. I can winnow things down without cutting crucial things out — and that is a great luxury of the modern world. We are lucky we live in times of such technological advances.
Earlier this month I went to the Apple store at Easton Town Center and bought a second iPod — now called an iPod classic — because I wanted a spare I could use in my car and at the office on weekends. Little did I know that I was buying one of the last iPods to be sold in an Apple store.
This week, after Apple announced its rollout of two new iPhones and the Apple Watch, the iPod classic was removed from the Apple on-line store. Popular Mechanics reports that the iPod classic has been removed from Apple stores, too.
The iPod was introduced in October 2001, which means it’s ridiculously ancient by modern technology standards. Technostuds view it as a kind of quaint antique, with its buttons rather than a touch screen and its single-purpose design and its internal spinning hard drive storage unit. Sales of iPods of all kinds have dropped off, from a high of more than 54 million in 2009 to less than 12 million in 2012. Obviously, consumers are focused more on multi-purpose functionality and would rather have an iPod app on their smartphone than carry around multiple devices.
All of that’s true, of course, but I love my iPod anyway. It may be outdated, but the iPod has a certain timeless quality to it. iPod classic is a good name for it, too, because it is a classic, like a gleaming 1930s sedan or a gorgeous art deco building. With its crisp lines and sleek appearance, the iPod is simply a beautiful device — in my view, much more attractive than an iPhone or other substitutes. And I like tinkering with it, creating playlists and shifting songs from here to there. I like the raw storage capacity that allows me to store 40,000 songs — 40,000 songs! — and listen to any one of them when I’m taking my morning walk. I don’t care that it only performs that one function when it performs it so well, and in such a cool package. I’ll use it, proudly and happily, until the spinning hard drive finally gives up the ghost.
I’m glad I bought one of the last iPods to be sold at an Apple store. I’ll almost hate to take it out of the box.
I am of the generation that views every electronic device with wary trepidation. Raised during a time when computers crashed even more frequently than the healthcare.gov website, I firmly believe — despite the bland assurances of sons and IT nerds alike — that I can bring any system down with one false keystroke.
Saturday morning, it happened. I had my iPod attached to the computer and was listening to music when I decided to remove the iPod. It’s something I’ve done hundreds of times, but this time the outcome was different. Suddenly a wavy line appeared on the screen, the mouse became unresponsive, and before I knew it the computer was telling me that did not recognize its old pal, my iPod. When I removed the iPod, with sinking feeling, I found that all of my music and my carefully constructed playlists had been removed. And, because I’ve been lazy about it, I don’t have any remotely current back-up on the computer itself.
So I went through the seven stages of reaction to technology disaster. First, shock that my faithful iPod had deserted me, then denial that I could wreak such havoc with one inadvertent mouse click. Next, I raged at the capricious electronic device gods for punishing me so grievously for one little mistake. Then, false hope and bargaining. Surely, the music still had to be on my iPod somewhere! I’ll do a google search and find out how to retrieve it! But google gave no answer, and when google gives no answer you are truly screwed. My hope gone, I accepted responsibility for the disaster, then wrestled with the devastating realization that, although every other American under the age of 80 happily uses their iPod without incident, I am an idiot who can somehow evade all of the safety protections Apple has built into one of its signature products.
Those stages are behind me now, and I’ve moved, finally, to acceptance and hope. I now welcome the chance to change things around, to shift the order of songs and maybe be a bit more selective in what goes on the iPod in the first place. (The Telemann piece with the hunting horns probably will hit the cutting room floor this time.) I’ll rebuild my iPod, with new and better playlists! This time, I’ll back things up! This time, I’ll do things the way Apple wants them done!
Oh, and I’ll be a bit more careful when removing my iPod from the computer.
On this morning’s walk I was listening to my iPod when The Steve Miller Band’s Abracadabra came up on the playlist. Without conscious thought, a big smile broke across my face as I listened to the silly lyrics — which are not exactly like poetry. (“Abra, Abracadabra . . . I want to reach out and grab ya.“)
A stranger happened to be walking by in the opposite direction, and when he saw my grin he smiled right back. His reaction, in turn, made my smile a bit wider.
Genuine smiles are contagious. We all know that from personal experience, and scientific studies of the phenomenon prove its existence. Whether it is due to the existence of “mirror neurons” in our brains, or social conditioning, or a combination of factors, humans are programmed to meet a smile with a smile. And when we provoke that expression of delight, and see the face of a loved one turn sunny as a result of our comment or conduct, it is a wonderful thing.
I don’t know if Steve Miller anticipated all of this when he wrote Abracadabra — but he worked a little bit of magic on a New Albany walking path this morning.
More than a year ago, my iPod unexpectedly died on me. I didn’t have any of my iPod songs or playlists on iCloud, nor did I have my iPod playlists on iTunes.
This was a disaster of the first order, because I love to listen to music. I crave music, and I had created playlists to suit my every mood. Suddenly, all of my carefully crafted playlists were . . . gone.
After a solemn ceremony and reassurance from the Genius Bar that I truly was screwed, I bought a new iPod and decided to start all over — going through every song on my iTunes library, from A to Z. I’ve been doing it for more than a year now. Along the way I deleted songs that were duplicative, or songs that I didn’t like. Those that remained were placed into new playlists. My progress was delayed when our old iMac also quit on me, but I kept at it.
Tonight, after more than a year of work, I finished culling the iTunes library and rebuilding the iPod. I went through an original library of more than 15,000 songs and chopped it down to a mere 7716, starting with Take on Me by a-Ha and ending with Love Song by 311. I’ve got baroque, and Motown, and holiday music, and Ashokan Farewell, and Sharp Dressed Man, and Jeff Beck’s Freeway Jam. I’ve got it all in my little bit of metal magic that’s smaller than a pack of cigarettes, and I’m ready to face the world again.
I’ve still got work to do, adding new songs from time to time, tinkering with the playlists, and perhaps creating a few more that I might discuss in the future. But tonight I’m done with my year-long project, and I feel like celebrating. Time to unhook the iPod and listen to Derek and the Dominos’ Key to the Highway.
During an otherwise immensely enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday, the hang-over-the-ear earphones that I normally use with my iPod were borrowed and now are nowhere to be found. So, I am relegated to using the “earbuds” that come as standard equipment with the iPod — and thus I feel both frustration and shame.
I experience frustration, because the Apple ear buds simply will not stay in my ears. They may look cool and sleek, but with the slightest head movement or gentlest jostling, the earbuds will plop softly out of my ears. The only way I can keep them in on the morning walk is to put on a ski cap that tightly binds them to my ears and then walk with head held stiffly, like I’m wearing an invisible neck brace. It’s not a comfortable start to the day.
I feel shame, too, because I know that Apple makes only excellent, well-engineered devices. Steve Jobs himself must have given these earbuds a thumbs-up. Therefore, my inability to keep them in my ears must mean there is something defective about either the structure of my ears or my understanding of how to use the earbuds. Perhaps the little flap on the forward part of my exterior ear — called the tragus, for those who haven’t memorized Gray’s anatomy — is embarrassingly undersized. Maybe Steve Jobs’ ears had tragi the size of catcher’s mitts, ready to hold the earbuds snugly inside. Or perhaps I’m using the devices improperly. Maybe they go in upside down, or backwards — or maybe they aren’t intended for the ears at all, but were designed by Apple to be inserted into the nostrils and reach the inner ear through a more indirect route?
It’s time to help our retailers have a good holiday season and buy some new earphones.
Steve Jobs has died at age 56. Jobs, who co-founded Apple and then returned after a decade-long absence to turn the struggling Apple into the world’s most profitable company, had long battled pancreatic cancer.
Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple rolled out personal computers, laptops, iPods, iPhones, and iPads — all products that helped to create and define the booming consumer electronics industry. He was reputed to be relentless in pushing his employees to meet impossible deadlines, surmount daunting technological hurdles, create new features, and constantly push, push, push the envelope. As a result, he spurred Apple’s development as the world’s strongest brand — characterized by high-quality ground-breaking products with ultra-cool designs that came in sleek packaging and were advertised by iconic campaigns. In the process, he created legions of dedicated and loyal Apple consumers like me. But Jobs did more than that. Apple’s enormous success encouraged competitors and other entrepreneurs to develop ever-improving products at ever-low prices. It’s one reason why the consumer electronics industry remains one of the strongest sectors of the global economy.
When a person is as driven as Steve Jobs was supposed to be, you wonder if they ever paused to reflect on what they have accomplished. When Henry Ford saw roads where horses had once trotted filled with Model Ts, and formerly empty lots give rise to automobile, steel, and rubber factories employing hundreds of thousands of workers, what did he think? When Steve Jobs walked through an airport and saw countless travelers listening to iPods, playing games on iPhones, or watching movies on iPads, did he feel a sense of immense satisfaction at his achievements — or was he thinking solely about the next great product?
Whether he fully appreciated it or not, Jobs had a profound impact and improved the lives of millions of people — whether they were consumers who revel in their Apple products or people employed by the companies who make, package, or market the products that Jobs helped create.
Thank you, Steve Jobs! May you rest in peace.
I have a history of making incredibly ill-advised technology purchases. For example, at some point during the early 1980s I went to a technology store to buy a VCR. I listened to the sales person, assessed the quality of the respective options, and decided to buy a Betamax. Approximately 10 seconds after I made the purchase, it was announced that no more videotapes would be made using Beta technology.
Sometimes, however, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn. In my case, I lucked out when I bought the Logitech iPod player. It is, without question, the best technology purchase I have ever made.
The Logitech device is a simple construct. It consists of a docking station where you can place your iPod, speakers that pump out the sound, and an electrical cord. But it is durable, and well-made, and so easy to use that even a technological illiterate like me can’t mess it up. Plug it in and use it to play your iPod songs or to charge your iPod. Or unplug it and take it to the tailgate with you, or bring it out on the patio, or on a picnic. It will play for hours on its batteries and you can recharge the batteries merely by plugging it into any outlet.
This device is small and easy to pack in a suitcase. I’ve taken it on trips around the globe and it has performed flawlessly. I like having music around, and the Logitech really delivers.
My iPod seems to have given up the ghost. One day the music stopped and when I looked at the screen, I saw strange and terrifying symbols. I tried restarting it and heard unwanted clicking sounds, and then saw even more strange and terrifying symbols. When I got home and plugged it into the computer, I realized that all of my music and playlists had been wiped out. I think it is safe to say that the iPod has gone toes-up.
The iPod was a 2005 model, with 30 GB storage capacity. On most days it was used for several hours. It provided music on my morning walks and music when I got home at night. It supplied essential airplane tunes on long, boring trips and welcome musical accompaniment on sun-splashed decks in the Bahamas and during beer-soaked cards games on Hen Island. It has served long, nobly, and well.
But now my carefully constructed playlists appear to be gone forever. I need to replace the trusty iPod. I’m inclined to stick with Apple, because I think they are like the Honda of the technology world — you can count on them to make durable and reliable products. My request for advice is: is there any reason not to get another iPod classic? If you are not a gamer — and I’m not — is there any reason to get an iPod touch? If you just use your iPod for music, music, and more music, is there any reason to get any of the other iPod products?
It’s been a long, long, long time, but the music of the Beatles is finally available on iTunes. Apple and EMI, the Beatles record label, have worked out an arrangement.
Getting the Beatles on iTunes apparently was a big deal for Apple’s Steve Jobs, who is a Beatles fan. Others, however, have questioned whether having the Beatles on iTunes will make much of a difference. They reason that people who like the Beatles (like me) already have their songs on their iPods and won’t need iTunes to get them, and that younger people want new music, not music that was first recorded in their grandparents’ day.
I don’t agree with either point. In the modern world, iTunes is a basic method for getting music. Putting the Beatles’ music on iTunes will make it easier for people to get to the Beatles’ music. And I disagree with anyone who says that young people of today — and boy, does using that phrase make me feel like an old fogey! — won’t care much for the Beatles. Richard and I heard a few snippets of songs on the NPR report on the Beatles-Apple deal, and the songs still sound incredibly fresh. The Beatles catalog is just excellent, interesting music. If kids haven’t heard it because it is not played on their favorite radio stations, they will now have an opportunity to discover the music on iTunes. I’m betting they enjoy that discovery as much as their parents, and their grandparents, did.
When you first get an Ipod, you have the tremendous luxury of seemingly infinite space. You can put enormous amounts of music on the virgin Ipod, and therefore there really is no need to make careful choices. The default answer to the download question for every song is “yes.” Basically, unless you despise the song — say, the way I feel about Kansas’ Carry On, My Wayward Son and Dust In The Wind — you decide to include it.
After a while, you notice that you’ve got a lot of songs on the Ipod, and the remaining space is getting limited. You decide that you need to get rid of some of the stuff on the Ipod, and think that perhaps you were a bit too accepting of mediocrity in loading songs in the first place. At that point, you face the interesting challenge of culling the Ipod.
There are countless ways to cull the Ipod. You could start from a top down perspective by looking at your playlists or categories and thinking about whether, for example, you have too much classical music. Or consider instances where you loaded an entire CD onto the Ipod and think about whether it is worth having Revolution No. 9 on the Ipod just so you have the complete Beatles’ White Album. (I voted no on that one.) Or you can go bottom up, by looking at all of your songs and eliminating duplicates. Do you really need both the studio and the live version of a song? Is it worth it to have both The Guess Who and the Lenny Kravitz version of American Woman? (I voted yes on that one.) Or you can get down to the micro level and listen to each of your playlists and then decide which songs reasonably can be eliminated to free up some space.
The latter is my preferred approach. I like the song-by-song approach because you feel you are giving all of the songs a fair shot. After you give a final listen, you make a decision. In reality, songs that were interesting at the beginning can get old, or can just seem . . . average. Who wants meh songs on their Ipod? If you want to listen to average stuff, you listen to the radio. On my Ipod culling expeditions, stuff that seems average to me hits the cutting room floor.
I liked UJ’s post about New Year’s resolutions. I think almost everyone — except for supermodels, movie stars, and the exceptionally rare individual like UJ who has stayed at his same weight since high school — vows to lose weight in the new year. Health club memberships get sold, treadmills get bought, and two months later the health club is a forgotten option and the tread mill has become an expensive clothes hanger.
I think more people would be in better shape if they just did the basic chores around the house the old-fashioned way. Rake the leaves with a rake, instead of using a leaf blower. Mow the lawn and weed the flowerbeds, rather than hiring a service. And, when it snows, shovel your driveway and walkways instead of hiring a guy with a snowblower.
As I’ve mentioned, we’ve gotten a lot of snow recently. Today I set out to shovel our driveway, and I think it was a pretty good workout. To begin with, it was overcast and cold outside, maybe 20 degrees. There were about six inches of snow on the driveway. We’d been driving over it to get to the garage, so most of the snow had been pulverized into a hard layer of compressed snow and ice. The only effective way to remove it was to use a flat-edged regular shovel and try to jimmy under the edge of the snow/ice layer and then flip it up, uncovering the asphalt beneath. It was slow going, and with all of the chipping and carrying of ice chunks to the side of the driveway it didn’t take long to get warm and then break a sweat. At the base of the driveway, where some salt from the road had mixed with the snow, there was a thick, heavy, churned mass of slush that adhered to the shovel when you scooped it up and then tried to dump it on the side. Repeatedly scooping, shaking, and tapping shovels full of damp slush will definitely get your heartbeat going. The calorie count website says that shoveling snow for an hour burns 408 calories, about equivalent to one and a half Snickers bars.
When you do something like shoveling, it is of course important to have some good music on the Ipod to help you through your chore. Today I used my “Empty Nest” playlist, which consists solely of songs I’ve heard since Russell went off to college. It was an inspired selection. I’m A Ram by Gov’t Mule and Reptilia by the Strokes, for example, are songs well suited to hacking away at ice and snow on a frigid day.
Russell left one his Ipods here when he left for school. I found it today and plugged it in, just to see what’s on there. It’s interesting to see what other people have on their Ipods — it tells you something about them, like what they have on their bookshelves or in their refrigerator. Unfortunately, I can’t make much out of Russell’s Ipod, because I’m not familiar with most of the artists. That makes it even more compelling, because I’ll get a chance to listen to some new music.
Here are the 20 top-rated songs on Russell’s Ipod:
Stuck on Repeat — Little Boots
Jai Ho — A.R. Rahman
Glass — Bat For Lashes
Diva — Beyonce
Iron Lemonade — Black Moth Super Rainbow
She Loves Everybody — Chester French
Scream (Doctor Rosen Rosen Remix) — Chris Cornell
Momma’s Boy — Chromeo
+81 — Deerhoof
Whats The Difference — Dr. Dre
Fixin to Thrill — Dragonette
Fixin to Thrill (Don Diablo Remix) — Dragonette
Heaven Only Knows — Emmylou Harris
Walking on a Dream — Empire of the Sun
better off as two – kissy sell out mix — Frankmusik
Shut The Club Down — Girl Talk
Set It Off — Girl Talk
Once Again — Girl Talk
Kansei (promo) — Greg Kozo
Hercules Theme — Hercules and Love Affair
Webner House 