JasonN.com - media

Polish Ska Stylin

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:08:04 -0500

Eastern Europe is getting interesting (media).

Skangur - Hej Kochanie HD from Przemek P. on Vimeo.

iTunes sync pain

Thu, 29 May 2008 11:33:07 -0500

I spent a night trying to sync, clean, and organize my daughter's iTunes list so she could take her iPod Nano with her. Fortunately, it did yield some new approaches to using iTunes to manage my music for my players.

Today's Essential Work and Play Tools

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:22:11 -0500

Well, it's that time :)

I'm tired of my sluggish PC and it's time to kill it. Often, folks will give me a litany of complaints with no real obvious problems meaning that their PC is cruddy. I've reloaded this one several times, run memory tests, checked the HD, and without really invasive time-consuming investigation I'm just abandoning it.

Before I blow it away, I've got to have an essential software list. This is different than my Essential Free Windows Software list.

Good Magazine

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:20:20 -0500

I found Good Magazine while waiting on my daughter's lightening delayed plane to dock and let her off at the Birmingham (AL) Airport. Airport reading material usually reflects an odd coupling of mindless pop-culture dribble and cutting edge, thought provoking periodicals. I picked up this periodical because the cover caught my attention - an AK-47 sketch in black on an orange background with "GOOD" in big bold block letters at the top. I thought "yeah, that's a good design."

Corkd and TV.WineLibrary.com, 3rd Wave of Internet Profit

Wed, 16 May 2007 16:27:48 -0500

People who know me have heard my commentary on the first internet market wave (of which I was a part), the second wave (which is happening right now), and the third market wave which is the profit wave. Dotcom businesses were launched in the 90s to gain users, and the valuation was based on the innate value of users and not revenues. This is why so many internet businesses were valued well in the stock market and failed to generate real profits.

Starting Audible Weekly Again

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:41:46 -0500

I'm going to start my weekly again very shortly, and look for other more business-centric "podcasts" here shortly. I'll go with the podcast formula one of the most successful, cleanest shows online uses: checkout TWIT's podcast solution.

UPDATE: Hot Recorder, PowerGramo (which appears to do nothing), and a hand full of other recording options just don't work at all with a USB headset. It seems that I have to bring another computer (yes, and entire separate computer) into the game in oder to have any hope of recording the sessions. The USB headset (the Logitech headset suggested by Leo from TWIT) sounds great, but uses the outcast USB port, which apparently circumvents the soundcard, therefor escapes possible recording by anything looking to the soundcard. I'm not quite sure the headset can't be a source from which the on-PC software can record. I'm still sourcing that one out right now.

100mbps Home Cable Internet

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:12:33 -0500

They've got it in Hong Kong, and it's available for the American market as well. It's just not likely going to be installed any time soon at any rural cable service provider. But, here's the skinny on a company dedicated to pushing an aged industry forward, at a cost as low as $300 per home.

Do Only Fascists Dislike the Dixie Chicks?

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:32:52 -0500

Since The Dixie Chicks are a hick band from Texas, I find it somewhat amusing that their supporters flaunt their bigotry against rural and southern people. Rural folk produce the majority of America's food, a good bit of its manufacturing, and serve the lion's share of military enlistments. But, true anti-rural lefties never skip out on a good old fashioned redneck bashing. 'The Chicks' just offer another opportunity to jump in.

Free Online Language Courses

Sat, 20 May 2006 18:26:45 -0500

Learning a new language is very difficult, and often requires linguistic and cultural submersion. An Annenberg learning project offers free online access to their submersion style language training program. Or, you can buy the DVDs for $700. No, you read that properly. You can a) buy the DVDs for $700 or b) watch the videos free.

BBC Languages offers "a bit at a time, in your own time."

Tired of Being Told What to Do

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 18:52:55 -0500

I like the idea of iTunes, that I can buy whatever I want and just get it. Today I had to "allow" my computer to use my iTunes account in order to access a song I purchase. It told me I had enabled 3 of 5 computers that would be allowed to access my music. My music? Obviously not! Apparently two of the times I installed iTunes on one of my computers counts as two of my allowed accesses. I just paid for this music, and I have to use a limited number of PC installations to access it? That's highly annoying. I could have paid them, downloaded the song, and then been refused access to it if the software determined that I'd already used my iTunes account too many times.

I've Gone Podcast Crazy

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:12:25 -0600

Most Podcasts are like most independent films: bad and boring. Not all podcasts are low-fi mindless blatherings. Some, like This Week in Tech (TWIT), are recorded by veteran media professionals. I like TWIT, mostly because I like Leo Leport. He's just kind of an entertaining and likeable tech nerd. It doesn't hurt that the show has guests that contribute serious Silicon Valley info and discussion to the show. Other interesting Podcasts, like LegalJive and BOAG, have caught my attention this week. Check them out.

News Porn

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 15:39:28 -0600

I tire of the news channel tabloid types sticking their microphones in people's faces when tragedy strikes. It's voyeuristic and wreaks of the most base human behavior. I know an Alabama girl went missing in Aruba, and it is sad. I realize that there's a reporter captured in Iraq, and I feel sorry for her family and pray she'll be returned. But, the hourly reminder of the worst in human experience does not profit society. Obviously, it is very profitable for a few.

Some of the public's interest is driven by honest concern for fellow man. Recently, when the West Virginian miners were trapped underground, most of us hoped they would survive. But, it was the titillating nature of the modern news industry that drove the reporters to declare the miners miraculously saved before any real confirmation.

The Inane Goes Audible

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:16:09 -0600

The point at which I realized that the Internet was beyond salvation, passed on to irrevocable uselessness, was the day I found the blog. The daily dispensing of the most inane, trite, banal musings of the mass unwashed! - An Un-named Friend

And, now I intend to introduce a weekly audio for download and distribution. I would assume that this is silly and wasteful. But, as many broadcasts, writings, publicaions, and the megaload of blatherings people consume on a daily basis, the fact remains that most of them aren't all that entertaining. Maybe mine will meet your niche interest and scratch that itch just right. Maybe, like most bloggers, I'll just entertain myself.

Year in Review by Google

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:22:15 -0600

Google has an interesting overview/Zeitgeist 2005

Notable is that Janet Jackson was the #1 subject of search for the year. Other neat data bits are worthy of reading.

Hat tip: digg

XBox Linux

Sat, 26 Nov 2005 13:57:54 -0600

You knew someone would put Linux on it. Let's see how well they do.

There's an XBox360 Hacks site as well. I'm sure there's lots. I've already seen the XBox hard drives on sale at eBay.