bellingham public library audiobooks block ipod users April 20, 2008
Posted by Al Castle in : Puter Stuff, gnash-teeth, Must Listen, OSX, Travel, Web Design & Dev, iPhone , 1 comment so farThis evening I finished reading a book and was investigating whether the next book I’d like to read is available from the Whatcom County Library. I notice on their horrifically designed and sluggish website a blurb about audio books, now available. It is with some joy that I follow the link to Northwest Anytime and read more. Then the let down comes crashing down like a Bengal tiger to the groin.
At this time, OverDrive Media files cannot be used on iPods or Mac computers.
Our media titles, provided by OverDrive, Inc., use DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection technology from Microsoft Corporation. Unfortunately the iPod (and Mac) currently support neither DRM-protected Windows Media Audio (.wma) files nor Windows Media Video (.wmv) files.
OverDrive, along with hundreds of online media providers, is hopeful that Apple and Microsoft can reach an agreement that would enable support for Microsoft-based DRM-protected materials on the iPod/Mac.
To review a list of devices that are compatible with OverDrive Media, click here.
You may also want to check device documentation to determine if a device supports DRM-protected Windows Media content.
Reading through their FAQ…dear god. This wonderful software that you are required to use supports everything from Windows 98 on up. Oh, and in case you didn’t catch it, the company/product name for this wonderfully backward media software is called OverDrive. Is this a joke? Someone has to be playing an elaborate joke on me.
OverDrive has this tidbit on its website.
The OverDrive Team is a group of innovative, passionate masterminds who build and distribute technology solutions for the real world.
What twisted dimension did these guys crawl out of? Ok, I’m straying a little here. Back to the Library and its suckiness.
Ah here we go, apparently iPods are far too modern. Lets support the Palm!
Can I use OverDrive Audio Book titles with my Palm device? OverDrive Audio Book titles may be transferred to certain Palm devices with the help of a third party application called Pocket Tunes….
The iPod (& iTouch, iPhone, Shuffle) is decidedly the most prevalent portable music listening device on the market. Why then is the Bellingham Public Library, choosing to use a Windows Media Audio format and DRM solution that locks out the most widely used device for Mac and Windows users?
Yes, I would agree that Windows is what is running on the majority of desktops, but who really listens to audio books at their desktop? In your car and on your mp3 player are the more likely of places. Why the sites main blurb contains this statement.
Transfer audiobooks to your MP3 player or burn selected titles to a CD for listening on the go.
The press release for this service has this mention.
“This service is great for travelers, commuters, and for those who like to listen to books while they exercise,” said Joan Airoldi, Director of Whatcom County Library System. “With so many best-selling titles available, there’s sure to be something for every listener.”
Again, the majority of people are using iPod family products. The release goes onto say,
Beth Farley, Head of Information and Reader’s Services at the Bellingham Public Library, listens to audiobooks when she goes on vacation. “No more piles of CDs to keep track of on the airplane,” she enthuses, “I’ll be able to fit several entire novels on one tiny MP3 player.”
Alright, what the hell? I fly a lot and I’ve never seen anyone with a stack of CDs on a plane. And please tell me Ms Farley what sort of MP3 player do you have? Sounds to me like most bureaucratic organizations and companies, someone out of touch with the market and technology is making the decisions.
I really wish I wasn’t so agitated and it wasn’t so late. Otherwise I’d write a more coherent piece on why not only this is a very poor implementation of great idea, but also on the correct course of action the library, publishers, and most importantly authors should have taken.
They Work Harder Than You Do February 1, 2008
Posted by Al Castle in : gnash-teeth, Must Listen, TimeWaster, Marketing, Castle, Religion , 1 comment so farLoren Feldman from 1938 Media, has a video up from earlier last year, but I just now found it. It’s sort of a motivational, tough-love, speech about the American Dream. He also takes a moment to mention he hates Oprah - and I can’t argue with that.
Take a break and give it a listen - it’s pretty short.
Spiderman - Paolo Style December 8, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : Squirrels, Must Listen, TimeWaster, Castle , 2commentsThis is the coolest thing I’ve seen - ever. And by ever I mean this week. Well at least since the last time I stood in front of the mirror naked, so yeah a good solid 20 minutes. Muy fantastico!
So Thankful It Hurts November 23, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : Squirrels, Must Listen, Insider, Family, TimeWaster, TimeKillers, Castle, Friends , 5commentsI’m immobile. Perhaps permanently confined to my lazy-boy and a soon to be 60 Minutes or Oprah special on obesity. A gluttonous mountain of hot Latino, stuffed with such tastiness I fear the police may come knocking to question the legality.
My mom really outdid herself this year, every dish was superb. The turkey wasn’t dry, the mashed potatoes weren’t lumpy and the gravy… oh the gravy! Such delectable roasted flightless fowl juice! It challenges my refreshing Sprite for the tile of ‘Sweet Nectar of the Gods’. I find myself drooling at the memory of it. Too many trips back for more, I lose count and just keep calling them “seconds”, I might have blacked out from the pain and joy. The bottles of wine might have played a part as well.
Slowly I recover from the feeding frenzy as the gravy lust subsides. My body finally forces me to stop, the laws of physics call. The new jeans I wear, which were too big, are now much too tight. I fear the lining of my stomach may tear apart if I move too suddenly. Internal organs bathed in masticated flesh and vegetables…no I must not think that. The horror of all that wasted gravy….
Sitting here, unable to reach the remote - I think of what I’m thankful for. My old co-worker Sue would call them blessings, my dear friend Jason would call it luck - the good fortune I’ve been allotted has taken many forms and shapes, sometimes not so obvious and other times so delightful I feel wrapped in joyx.
The engineers who designed this chair to hold my massive girth come to mind. As do the engineers from Nissan who designed the crumple zone of that Nissan Sentra which kept me alive many years ago. Of the emergency room witchdoctors which may have saved my life when I had chest pains. Pam the nurse who assisted when my daughter was born.
I think of the true friends I have in my life - old and new. David McInnis who’s taught me many things about business, management and generosity. Willybob for always being true and understanding. The Bonz for mentoring and forgiving me. Travis for being the poster child for a life-long boyhood friend and McGerr for not making me listen to his music. Carl I can’t imagine my life without you in it. My dear talented Penguins whom I judge all others against. Cari & Terry who let me vent, make me laugh and think my “quirks” are adorable.
And of course shout outs: Paolo you’ve shown me there’s hope yet for mankind. Jiyan, Robin, and Ryan - for showing me that creative and intelligent people do exist on the East coast. Bob & Mark of Vocus, I learned a few things about surviving in a large, public company. Mike & Joe who claim that not every gay man wants me. Chris for entertaining me by being a closet Mexican and Matt for not being a Latino.
My family, well most of them - you guys aren’t all that bad. I’m thankful for my animals - as Izzy and WeeWee play fight at my feet. The only thing that would make that scene better is if the Star Trek fight music was playing as they circle one another… Izzy becomes distracted and attacks a wall outlet. I love that damn cat.
It’s been a long time since I’ve reflected on what I’m thankful for. I also skimmed over a few people, but my greasy sausage like fingers are tired of typing. The gravy is taking its final hold on me, time to sleep.
I Think We’re Dead May 20, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : Squirrels, Must Listen , add a commentTenDerHeartbear says, “And this kids, is why you shouldn’t do drugs or trust officers who do them either.”
Jimmy Is Full February 9, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : gnash-teeth, Must Listen , 2comments
Cari posts about a band I’ve never heard of, Jimmy Eat World (alt link). I decided to follow her link over to YouTube to view a live concert recording of the song 23. I dig it, but in a sad way. The lyrics remind me of love long gone and happy times of my youth that can’t be recaptured.
Thanks for dredging up painful memories Cari and bumming me out, I’m shipping you’re frozen raccoon now.
So Beautiful February 5, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : Squirrels, Must Listen, OSX , 4commentsI love my Mac, and this song really brings a tear to my eye. Enjoy.
I Found It January 13, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : gnash-teeth, Must Listen, TimeWaster , add a comment
I’ve been searching for a missing power adapter for months. Back when we were showing our house, I had to do a quick cleanup job before people got here to look at it. Well I basically just threw all sorts of stuff in closets, under the bed, et al. One of the items was the power adapter for my brand new portable ipod speaker system - the IM7 which I had only used once.
Our house isn’t that big, but I tore it apart about every other weekend. Tonight I finally found the cables. There were in a plastic sack in the extended cab of my truck. I have no idea how or why I put them there, but it’s so sweet having this thing.
I’ve currently got my ipod nano in there charging and a cable to my laptop so I can listen to music while I watch Salma Hyek. Schweet.
After Dark January 12, 2007
Posted by Al Castle in : Must Listen , add a comment
I hate it when I can’t find the music I like, it’s so rare for me to actually remember a song title or band name. I just want the notes. Awhile back I finally got around to searching for some music I’ve been meaning to get. You may recall a moving dance number which occurred on a table top in a Mexican bar. The music playing in this scene is an acoustic number from Tito and Tarantula entitled After Dark.
iTunes doesn’t carry any of their albums or the soundtrack to the movie Dusk Till Dawn. Amazon does, and I’ve come close to buying it, but who wants to wait two days for a CD to come. I want to hear it now.
I’m loath to link to a MySpace page, but I’ve done it once for Lady Gaga and I find this music worthy enough for another bending of the rules. Listen to After Dark here.
Audio Hijack September 16, 2006
Posted by Al Castle in : Puter Stuff, Must Listen, OSX , add a comment
I recall using the Pro version, briefly during my early days of trying to Podcast with Skype. At the time I was focused on Podcasting and quickly forgot about this software. Having rediscovered it I felt a post was in order.
Rogue Amoeba has a Universal Binary for OSX called Audio Hijack. This snazzy piece of software allows you to record any audio coming through your Mac, including streaming music from Flash applications, DVDs, Real Player, snagging sound bites from Podcasts and so forth, into an AIFF file on your disk.
(Note: Such usage may be illegal depending upon the licensing of the audio in question. I defer to your own judgement.)
This program also has quite a few extra features including unattended scheduling and some simple yet handy scripting to automatically convert the recorded file to MP3 (using iTunes) and perform other similar tasks. The software which includes a fully functional demo mode only costs $16 for the license. Additional products including a PRO version are available from the Rogue Amoeba website.
My first trial usage of the software leaves me reaching for my credit card. Great work guys.
