Saturday, January 10, 2004

When the iPod first came out we got one at work to test for compatibility with Norton Utilities. I tried it out, but wasn't impressed--the sound quality was significantly worse than the same MP3s played on my Pismo. After that I forgot about the iPod, and didn't pay any attention when iPods and iTunes became compatible with Windows (I have a Windows system at home, but I don't like OS X). Recently a friend wrote something on a web page which prompted me to take a look at the current generation of iPod. I then bought one of the 40GB models, and I've been pretty happy with it. The sound quality is much improved in the current generation, both in MP3 playback and by adding support for AAC. There are still some lingering problems with playback of high notes at high volume in certain files, where a sort of staticy distortion occurs, but this seems to be pretty rare. I found that I could eliminate the problem by taking care to reencode an affected track using a higher bitrate with error correction turned on. The user interface of the iPod works quite well. It does depend on the tags in the MP3 and AAC files, though, so it's important to make sure the tags are correct and complete. The CDDB (used to find information for CD tracks) and iTunes Music Store both are full of errors, so some effort by the user is required. For example, a recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony might list Wilhelm Furtwängler (the conducter) in the artist field, and leave the composer field empty. This would keep the recording from showing up on the iPod when browsing by composer. Integration between the iPod and iTunes on my PC works very well. I don't have to do anything, just stick the iPod in its dock and syncing is automatic. Playlists can be created easily in iTunes by drag-and-drop, and dynamic searching makes it easy to find any track in a library that can easily have hundreds. The iTunes Music Store makes it easy to find and buy new music--it's even easier than Napster was. The only flaw in the iPod hardware is the earbuds that come with it. They don't fit at all in my ears, and even if I hold them in place the sound quality is not too good. I purchased a pair of Etymotic ER-6 earphones to replace them, and am very satisfied. The ER-6 actually goes inside your ear, and blocks most outside sound--this makes them perfect for noisy bus rides. I think it would be a good idea for Apple's online store to offer better earphones with iPods as an option, similar to the "build to order" options for computers. The battery life is about eight hours, which is enough for my commute to and from work, as well as listening more or less continuously in my cubicle. It takes about four hours to fully recharge the battery, and if using the dock the iPod will only recharge while the computer it's docked to is on (this might not be true of all computers). Overall I'm quite satisfied with the 40GB iPod. It's definitely worth the money. 9:57:40 PM    comment () Royal Court Press. Lawrence Wright investigates the Saudi press, and society, in a long piece for the New Yorker. [Hit & Run] The article gives an idea of just how grim Saudi life is, and helps to explain how it got that way. 7:41:17 PM    comment () # Angel Shamaya at KeepAndBearArms.com - OH: Newspaper commits to publishing identities of permit holders; KABA will return fire - The Cleveland Plain Dealer has promised to publish the identities of Ohio CCW holders. Mr. Shamaya promises to publish the names, phone numbers, and home addresses of every person on the staff of any newspaper that does this. [kaba] [End the War on Freedom] This is a great response to the anti-freedom media--and I'm certain that if it actually happens that the newspaper will be shrieking with outrage over the "invasion of their privacy." 6:43:10 PM    comment () # George Paine at Warblogging - Secretary Ridge on Civil Liberties - John Ashcroft wanted a list of everyone staying in a Las Vegas hotel over New Year's Eve. All but one hotel gave it to him. That one was slapped with a "National Security Letter" under the new law declaring that hotels are "financial institutions". Decorating a lamppost with Mr. Ashcroft would be much too nice. [warblogging] In a recent interview with the BBC, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was asked "whether the US-led war on terror was undermining Western freedoms." Mr. Ridge responded by saying "I think that is explicitly a danger and we can't afford to let [it] happen. If we undermind the basic liberties and freedoms we've enjoyed for centuries, the terrorists achieve victory." Indeed Mr. Ridge. But we have already undermined these basic liberties and freedoms. The government already holds American citizens in prison without charges, without access to attorneys, without redress to courts. The government already can get your financial records, your travel records, your telephone records, your Internet records and more without ever asking a judge. The government already can break into your home and search it without your knowledge and without a traditional court's permission. The government is already sifting through detailed profiles of thousands upon thousands of American citizens, trying to fit us into slots: "Terrorist," "Non-Terrorist", "Dissident"... American liberals are already running awry of the system. Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign director isn't allowed to fly because the TSA says he isn't safe to let on an airplane. The government is already compiling lists of those it considers immoral. That danger has already come to pass, Mr. Ridge. Now is the time to stand up, to admit it, to demand change of your government. Prove that you are a man of character, Mr. Ridge. Tell Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Bush what you told the BBC. Tell them that things must change. [End the War on Freedom] I find this post particularly interesting because KGB Director Ridge is himself known to spend time in Las Vegas. 6:37:19 PM    comment () IMAGINE IT, MR. O'NEILL. In reading Drudge's latest Paul O'Neill "breaking scandal" report, I was most struck by the final line: "I can't imagine that I am going to be attacked for telling the truth."I find it hard to believe that a grown man -- and especially one who has spent as much time in politics as O'Neill has -- could actually believe this. I suspect he doesn't, in fact -- and that he only hopes he won't "be attacked for telling the truth." Well, good luck to him.... [The Light of Reason] More evidence that the government wanted to conquer Iraq all along, and was just looking for an excuse. Not that any more is needed at this point. There's also another example of what incredibly bad liars Bush's people are: In fact, a senior administration official tells CBS News it would have been irresponsible not to plan for Saddam's eventual removal. As for the charge that there were early plans to invade Iraq, Knoller says the official calls that "laughable." That "senior official" is in desperate need of lessons on how to make plausible denials--he just said that it was laughable to accuse the administration of being responsible. While I agree, I suspect that if the official had a few more functioning brain cells he (or she) would have said something a bit less foolish. O'Neill also quotes Bush on tax cuts, referring to them as "giving" money to people. Yet more proof that Bush is just as much a socialist as the man he replaced. 6:23:25 PM    comment () Turning the bolivar into Monopoly money.   Central Bank Director Armando Leon gives a very simple explanation for how absurd (or is it stupid?) Chavez' request to have the Central Bank give him US$ 1 billion  from the country's international reserves for agriculture is:   "The difference between Venezuela and a game of Monopoly is that currencies have backing, thus using the reserves would imply that the bills in circulation would be similar to the bills in Monopoly"   At last someone explains it simply! [Miguel Octavio: Venezuela] Of course even if the Venezuelan Central Bank keeps all of its dollar reserves, that means the bolivar is only backed by dollars--which themselves have no backing. So either way the bolivar is Monopoly money. 3:48:50 PM    comment ()

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