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Editor's Blog: Susie Says, "Come Waste Your Time With Me"

Susie Ochs — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:40:59 -0500

Everyone wants to be more productive. Get more done, faster! I guess the aim of this push is to have more free time. But...then what, you're gonna watch paint dry? Or what if you're stuck at a desk with not much to do, but you don't want to actually call attention to that fact? Or what if your term paper is due soon and you need to get your procrastination on, so that your last surge of deadline-induced panic will result in the stellar work you always seem to squeeze out when you're truly under pressure?

Why, you turn to your Mac. And, more accurately, to the glorious World Wide Web, helping people find porn and waste time since 1991. Yes, you know of some basic ways to kill an hour or three while navigating its digital vastness: there's YouTube, and MySpace, and my current obsession I Can Has Cheezburger. But more and better sites are cropping up all the time. Here are a few of my favorites. (Which I just found just now, this second, exclusively for purposes of my job! Not because I'm slacking off! I am no lazypants! Ahem.)

emol.org

This site's design is straight out of the '90s. Among its charmingly retro-looking links, though, are totally free movie downloads. Full-length films in the public domain (so ones from the 1910s to the 1960s) can be downloaded to your hard drive, and the site also has copyrighted videos you can watch in your browser, like this clip of "Jimi Henrix" (sic and ha ha ha ha ha) playing at Woodstock. Videos play via QuickTime, and different file sizes are offered for viewing on different connection speeds—if you want to download a movie, just right-click (or Control-click) the link from the movie's page and choose Download Linked File (in Safari) or Save Target As (in Firefox). For example, I got a cool old Betty Boop cartoon by right-clicking the link for the MPEG version and saving the file to my hard drive (and it totally plays in iTunes, too!). If you can handle the site's janky navigation, you'll find a lot of gems to wile away the hours.

Addictinggames.com

This is just what it sounds like, a clearinghouse for addicting browser-based games. It links to games on all kinds of sites, so you're sure to find something you haven't tried before. You can browse by category, what's new, or what's popular, or use the search to find specific titles. (One tip: If a game doesn't load in the main frame of your browser window, try clicking the "Remove this frame" link in the top frame. I did that from the page for South Park Poo Blast, and the game loaded right up.)

Gettin' wiki with it

OK, everyone knows Wikipedia, the wiki about everything. But you can have a wiki about anything, not just everything. Topic-specific wikis are a great way to really get to know a certain subject, through the eyes of its most dedicated followers, and clicking your way around a good wiki can eat up tons of time. Example: Do you happen to watch Lost? Kind of a confusing show sometimes, with the mysteries and the connections between characters and the (not so) random weirdness that takes place on the island every week. Lots to keep track of. So every Thursday I hunker down on Lostpedia, the exhaustingly thorough Lost wiki, to check out the new info revealed in the previous night's episode and how it might relate to what we already know. Since it's a wiki, any similarly obsessed fans can add his own theories, screencaps, clues, links, and so on. It's quite addicting. Some more topical wikis are listed on the Wikipedia mothership; take a gander to see if there's anything you're interested in. (Want to create your own wiki? Stay tuned for our how-to in the June issue of Mac|Life!)

More

And of course you can waste lots of time on social linking sites like digg.com, fark.com, del.icio.us, and others, you could test your brainpower on a trivia site like trivia.com, and you can always turn to the backbone of the Internet: naughty pictures. A coworker—not a MacLife staffer, in case you were wondering—just suggested I check xtube.com. (Me: What is that, like YouTube for porn? Coworker: Yes. And it's free. Not that I would know, but my friends told me. Me: Suuuuuuure...) If you're more of an analog time-waster, you can search for books on your favorite topics at Google Book Search. Books out of copyright can be read in their entirety or downloaded, and for other books, the site can tell you where to buy them or from which local library you can borrow them.

Got a favorite time waster that I haven't mentioned? Share it with the class by hitting up the comments. As for me...I've got work to do.

Editor's Blog: Eye-Yi-Yi, iPod (Susie Tires of the Letter I)

Susie Ochs — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:18:10 -0500

OK, so like all of you I'm sure, I read the MacLife.com News Roundup pretty much every day. But I didn't finish it today. Why is that, the curious among you may be wondering. Well, I'll tell you. The first item was so forehead-smackingly hilarious that I nearly knocked myself out.

Because I'm an astute reader of the comments on other articles, I know that some of you object to extemporaneous clicking. So here, just 'cause I care, is the paragraph of which I'm speaking:

Keep the music on: The popularity of iPods (and other MP3 players) is projected to more than double between 2005 and 2011 - news that will no doubt bring cheer and smugness to the halls of Apple's Cupertino HQ. Market research firm iSuppli estimates that worldwide unit sales will reach 268.6 million in 2011, compared to 128.7 million units sold in 2005. (Apple has a 26 percent share of the market, having sold 46.4 million iPods in 2006.)

Can you guess what the problem is there? Look at the name of the research firm. It's friggin' iSuppli. If you're keeping score at home, that's not one, but TWO, totally unncessary, and very, very likely influenced by the popularity of the iPod and the proliferation of iEverywords, lowercase letter i's.

Dude. This is so uncalled for. It's a market research firm, not a cute wittle iPod speaker that looks like some sort of extraterrestrial bug (iWoofer), not an iTunes plug-in (iWow), not any of that. It's an actual company that has nothing to do with the development, manufacture, or direct sale of audio accessories, computers, or integrated lifestyle apps, although I do grant that they cover the electronics industry. (Pssht. To me, that's not a tight enough link, but maybe I'm just a stickler like that.) Why? Why the i?

Yes, I realize the iPod wasn't the first iProduct, or even the first one from Apple. But were we mired in so much (non-Apple) iJunk before the iPod really took off and shined the bright spotlight of mainstream pop culture on Cupertino and its many iWonders? iThinkNot. Bonus question: Which is worse, all the iNames, or the names that spell out the i as eye (EyeTV) just to be different, or, you know, maybe to get a name that pronounces Appley (Applei?) even if it's not spelled like it? Not that I'm accusing the EyeTV of anything like that. I mean, at least it's not iTVHybridiii.

iThunder, iLuv, iMage, iPlayaz, inMotion iM7, these make sense to me. Sure the i is getting clichéd by now, at least a little—as are the cute Apple-esque capitalization schemes, atLeast aLot. I submit that today it's gone too far. iMean, Is this going to be a trend with whatever gadget takes over the iMaginations of the world next? If the Nintendo Wii blows up as much as iKnow it's going to, will wii bii spelliing likee thiis?

So in honor of the good folks at iSuppli (omg, iAlmost couldn't bring myself to type that second i, you guys, seriously), here are a few suggestions for other completely nonsensical, yet oh so iAwesome, potential comapny eyeNames. iNjoy.

iDoc, for all your opthamology needs

iPoop, your septic tank specialists

iCaramba, come taste the best Mexican food in the city

eyeHop, you know...that other pancake place

iRon, shirts washed, starched and pressed

iSpy iPi, private investigator (with the extra i's, you know he's good!)

(As someone shamelessly aping the California Milk Processor Board might say... got more? Hit up the comments!)

Editor's Blog: Susie Muses on Viral Video and Guerrilla Marketing

Susie Ochs — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:55:14 -0500

Whether you're the type who spends an hour every day chuckling at lolcats, or you were the last person in your office to know what the heck "Lazy Sunday" was, by this point in time I'd wager that most of us are at least familiar with the concept of viral videos and Internet memes. But what happens when these Internet in-jokes are let loose on the real world as a guerrilla marketing scheme, like we saw in Boston? Or when viral videos are used to sling mud from behind a curtain of anonymity during a presidential election?

You may have heard about the American Red Cross's Bay Area chapter's new "Prepare Bay Area" ad campaign. So far it's included a mobile billboard in Justin Herman Plaza showing scenes of destruction and the tagline "What do we have to do to get your attention?", fake "Earthquake Early Warning System" bells (no such system exists for earthquakes, of course), and other tactics designed to startle Bay Area residents into taking steps to prepare for a natural disaster. There was even a fake Craigslist ad (which is down now, but click the link for a screenshot) describing an apartment for rent ("Beautiful rubble floors ... drywall and roof particle counter tops") and showing pictures of a building demolished by an earthquake.

You may have also heard about the "Big Sister" video over on YouTube, which combines footage from the "conversations" pieces on Sen. Hillary Clinton's website with footage from the famous "1984" Mac commerical (although it uses the newer version where the Hammer Lady wears an iPod). It ends with the Apple logo morphed into a O (for Sen. Barack Obama), and the tagline: "On Jan. 14, the Democratic primary will begin. And you'll see why 2008 won't be like 1984."

What do these have in common? In the first case, you have an established, respected organization, the Red Cross, adopting more in-your-face tactics than we may be used to. I'm used to seeing Red Cross ads and PSAs on the bus, on TV, in magazines...the usual. Are those usual channels enough to really grab my attention and shake me into action? Probably not. (In full disclosure, yeah, I do have a "disaster kit" in a closet at home in case I'm displaced by The Big One, so I guess I'm one of the 6 percent of Bay Area residents the Red Cross says are prepared, although I could always be more prepared.) Even if you find these methods too "fearmongery," or even if you agree with me that the Craigslist post is just...confusing, I'd argue that the ads are still effective. They get people thinking, talking, blogging, et cetera -- and they always include the Red Cross's name and website. So even if your initial reaction is "Huh?" you have a place to go for more information.

In the second case, you have viral video with a political bent, advocating one candidate over another. The problem is, no one knows who made it. Obama's side isn't taking credit, of course, even though the URL shown at the end is BarackObama.com. So even though it doesn't actually attack Hillary on any actual issues or positions, it couldn't be fairly discredited or rebutted even if it did. Since we're so early in the primary process, you know that this won't be the last. Candidates and PACs trying to Swift-Boat each other is one thing, but when those dubious claims start floating around the Web and filling up our inboxes, it'd be nice to at least know who's on the other end. There's a reason why political ads on TV must disclose who paid for them -- because they stretch the truth. So knowing whose agenda the ad is supporting is often more illuminating than the ad's content. As the Internet gets more involved with each election (this election is even getting a channel on MySpace), it'd be nice if the same rules applied. But they won't.

Public service announcements about natural disasters, presidential elections: These are serious things. And while guerrilla marketing can be effective, we've also seen it backfire. As it grows more common, do you think there's any line that shouldn't be crossed? Should anonymous videos like the "Big Sister" mashup simply be ignored, and is that even possible in today's "everything everywhere is being blogged about at all times" society? What do you think?

UPDATE 3/22: The "Big Sister" guy has outed himself. A commenter said that he'd been fired by his company, but according to Phil de Vellis's post, he resigned from Blue State Digital because the Internet company does work for several presidential campaigns and he didn't want to harm the company's reputation. I hope his pride of accomplishment is worth more to him than his job, but kudos to him for coming forward.

Editor's Blog: Susie's Wish List for Next-Gen iPods

Susie Ochs — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:54:02 -0500

I love my iPod. Always have, and I'm sure I always will. I acquired my fourth-gen buddy nearly three years ago via FreeiPods.com. Yes, it was free. Yes, I had to harass the heck out of my friends to get the five referrals the site requires. Yes, they forgave me (eventually). No, to my knowledge none of them went on to receive free iPods. Guess they're just not as tenacious (annoying?) as ol' Susie.

I won't say that the iPod changed my life. I can't even say definitively that it's the best digital music player ever invented. Although I've played around with some Creative players, and I've even futzed with the Zune, and I still think the iPod is better -- but that's just one person's opinion. And I can't say that the iPod is as good as it could be, because there are a few things I would change. And while I wouldn't send this list to Apple, maybe some of these suggestions will worm their way into future iterations of the pretty little players.

1. Support more lossless formats. Currently, iPods can play Apple Lossless files, but that's the only form of lossless compression supported. And Apple Lossless is proprietary, meaning it will only play on an iPod or in iTunes. If iTunes supported FLAC, for instance, my collection of live shows wouldn't need any conversion. OK, so converting the files isn't exactly difficult. But hey, I'm lazy.

2. Sell higher-quality songs in the iTunes Store. The iTunes Store is great for getting that one song you totally love but can't justify an entire album purchase just to own. "Emotional Rescue" by the Rolling Stones, for example. But you get them in 128kbps M4P (protected AAC) format. I rip my CDs to 320kbps AAC or Apple Lossless, depending on how much I like the music and whether or not I remembered to check the importing preferences first. Does the bit rate really matter so much for "Emotional Rescue"? Probably not. But would I buy more from the iTunes Store if I had the option of downloading a better-quality file? Definitely.

3. Aluminum casing. My second-gen, 4GB nano is so tough that I don't bother carrying it in a case. My regular iPod is so prone to scratches that it's never without a case -- I even have different cases to allow me to use it with different accessories. What if the big iPods came in the aluminum housing, like the current nanos and the minis of yore? Well, the iPod Economy would sell fewer cases, for one. But we'd have more colorful 'Pods and more money for the good stuff, like high-end earbuds. Which reminds me...

4. Better earbuds! I was at the event last fall where Steve announced the "5.5-gen" iPod. And I can't tell you how stoked I was to hear that the earbuds had been redesigned. And how bummed I was when I tried them out a couple weeks later. I'm sure it's very tough, as Steve explained, to design earbuds to fit such a wide range of ear sizes and shapes. But they could always try shipping the earbuds with different-size earpads, like some companies do, or even allow you to decline the standard pack-in 'buds for a small discount if you already know that you hate 'em and won't use 'em. I'm sure there's a creative solution somewhere, but these earbuds still stink.

5. Better playlist management on the iPod itself. The other day the fiancé and I were in the car, he had his iPod on Shuffle All Songs, and it turned out one of the best mixes I've ever heard a random shuffle play. Eight or nine songs in, I actually rewound it to the beginning so I could write down the track names in order, 'cause this would seriously make a stellar playlist. Has your iPod ever gotten on a roll like that, and you wished you could just "save" a shuffle for posterity or a future mix CD? Well, you can't, unless you're a big nerd like me who actually writes the songs down. (With a pen! So nondigital!) I also wish there was a way to add tracks to an On-the-Go playlist while the tracks were actually playing. As of now, you can hold down the center button to add a track, an album, or even a whole genre, artist, or playlist to an On-the-Go playlist, but you have to do it from a list. You can't do it from the Now Playing screen. It'd be cool if you could hold down the center button while a song is playing and get a menu that would offer to add the currently playing song to an On-the-Go playlist, or to another playlist. That would rule. Maybe when we get our multi-touch widescreen iPhone-without-the-phone iPod, it'll have contextual menus.

So that's five things I wish would improve about the iPod + iTunes experience, but like any truly talented complainer, I've got more where those came from. But what about you? What do you wish Apple would change about the iPod or iTunes? Hit up the comments!

And while I'm asking questions, is your iPod psychic? Mine definitely has Magic-8-Ball properties from time to time. Oh, and get this: The fiancé's been having a hard time at work lately, and yesterday when he fired up his iPod in the office for a little musical distraction, shuffle played, in this actual order, mind you, "Work" by Bob Marley, "Stop Complaining" by Lyrics Born, and a cover of "Take This Job and Shove It" by Golden Smog. Yes.

So maybe crappy earbuds just don't matter so much when we're talking about a device that can occasionally see into our innermost souls. (Still, better earbuds would be nice...)

Editor's Blog: Susie's "Comcast Is the Devil" Rant

Susie Ochs — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:40:02 -0600

Comcast, you're killing me.

Let me set the scene. My Internet isn't working, and at first I'm not sure why. Already ranting in my own brain, I turn to my Belkin N1 router. But after checking the connections, fiddling with the setup options, and of course rebooting, that wasn't it. The router wasn't getting a signal from the cable modem, a Motorola model I bought for about $80 when I subscribed to Comcast High-Speed Internet three years ago.

So I check the connections to that, reboot, and give it a little pep talk. Nothing. The lights come on briefly as the modem powers up, but then all go out but the standby light. Yep, this modem's toast. Which sets of internal rant #2. How come things don't last anymore? Like Roman's cell phone, or the VCR my parents have had for the last 20 years? By this time I'd been without Internet at home (except for my neighbor's unsecured Wi-Fi) for about three days, so I was as cranky as a toddler who'd missed her nap as I went to Best Buy for a new cable modem. Virtually every trip I made to Best Buy results in about six internal rants, but this was mercifully uneventful. Sure, they only had ONE model of cable modem, but luckily it was on Comcast's list of approved devices. Oh, joy. I drop another 80 bucks and shuffle out, muttering darkly. Oh, and the 24-inch iMacs on display looked gorgeous. But that's neither here nor there.

OK, so back at home, I set up the cable modem, connect to my iMac via Ethernet, and call Comcast to inform them of the new MAC address. Which I only knew to do because Roman told me I had to...the "Welcome to Comcast High-Speed Internet" page that my browsers would display no matter what URL I typed in were no help at all, nor were the Comcast support pages. After being on hold for 30 minutes, I was hung up on. WTF?!?! So I hop on my neighbor's Wi-Fi network (good thing I had brought an extra computer home from the office that I could use to look things up while I was troubleshooting the iMac's connection...although I wonder what I'd done if I didn't work for the awesomest Mac magazine around) and start a chat session with a Comcast support tech named Jimi. I explained the problem, gave him the MAC address, and 10 minutes later, my Internet just started to work. This actually seemed to surprise the heck out of Jimi, which should have been a red flag, but he said I was all set. I put on Band of Gypsies to celebrate his competence.

'Cept the next day...it's not working again. Same Welcome Page of Complete Crap, same problem reaching a human on the phone. So I fire up the borrowed MacBook Pro and start another chat. This time I get Mark. Told him, yeah, do you need my MAC address again? He says that the server had picked up the MAC address, so "something else is going on here." We start to perform an elaborate ballet of IP checking, restarting, and downloading some installation software -- which, of course, was an HQX file, not a SIT... Mark: "You're using a Mac?" Yeah, dude, I told you that three times by now. Anyway, so this software installs INTERNET EXPLORER 5 on my beautiful iMac, but the registration page he's trying to get me to? Still won't load. IE5. I swear. (Literally.)

Then Mark The Comcast Tech asks, "For your security, what is the exact amount of your last payment?" Interesting development. Too bad I can't tell you that immediately since I pay my bills on the Internet. I lamely offer "133...something?" and open a new Firefox window to look up the cents part on my bank's website. Big mistake, because when I come back, my chat window with Mark has closed abruptly. Time elapsed during this first chat: 45 minutes. Progress: None.

I immediately start a new chat, hoping for Mark again. Nope, this time I get John. John is, I must say, a jerk. He starts by totally contradicting everything Mark has said. The server doesn't have my MAC address, it never did, the installation software is worthless (finally, we agree), and he can't/won't do anything about it. He tells me to call. I explain that I already have 45 minutes invested in this chat, and I've been disconnected from TWO phone calls in TWO days. John doesn't care. Now I know by this time I was frustrated, but he was a jerk! I'm asking about the MAC address some more, since both Jimi and Mark said that the server was getting it, but he's already ditched me with an infuriating "Thanks for contacting Comcast, goodbye." Time elapsed (nay, wasted) on both useless chat sessions: 1 hour.

Back to the phone. I get someone at a call center (never caught his name) after being on hold 20 minutes. Start over with the explanations. Back on hold. I wish I had a satisfying answer for what the big to-do was, but the phone tech spared me the gory details. Actually, he spared me EVERY detail, choosing instead to take me on and off of hold for another 85 MINUTES, broken up by some feeble "Ma'am? Sorry it's taking so long. Please hold," every once in a while. Finally, he tells me to restart the modem and the computer. Since one of Comcast's support pages I'd looked at gave very detailed instructions for the order in which everything must be restarted (i.e., shut down the Mac, unplug the modem, wait 1 minute, plug in the modem, turn on the Mac, turn yourself about, and so on), I ask him politely "Do I have to restart the modem before restarting the Mac?" and he totally snaps at me, "I SAID TO RESTART THEM BOTH, DIDN'T I?" Sheesh. (His snippiness wasn't in my head, either. I had the dude on speakerphone the whole time, my finace heard everything, and I think I saw smoke coming out of his ears by this point.) After a couple rounds of The Restart Dance, it was fixed.

Now I'm afraid to hook the router back up, but I do have the Internet again. Thanks, Comcast. San Francisco cannot get its citywide Wi-Fi network up and running fast enough. Then I'll ditch the cable, rely on a dish or just downloads for my TV content, and never pay Comcast another penny. Actually, on further examination, I may be able to take part in Meraki Networks' free wireless service, as I live right in the middle of their target area. Watch this space for updates on whether I can get it to work and finally kick Comcast to the curb.

Wow, I feel so much better now.

Editor's Blog: Susie's Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down

Susie Ochs — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:54:15 -0600

Today's blog post is going to be a bit on the freeform side, because we're hard at work on our spectacular May issue. (And between us, let me admit that sometimes I get confused momentarily between what month it is at work and what month it is in the real world.) It's gonna be a doozie, but only if I get the cover story, which covers a whopping 50 ways to integrate your beloved Mac into your daily life, edited on time.

So today I give you Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down.

Thumbs Up: The Mac|Life forums!
Are you on the forums? You should be. I know Internet message boards aren't for everyone, since even the best ones seem to still have flaming, jerky behavior, and immaturity -- at least sometimes. But in my time on our forums I've been highly impressed with the knowledge, helpfulness, and goodwill of the community; the dedication of the moderating team; and the handy organization. Click on over for a wealth of information on Macs, and hearty discussion on practically anything else. My favorite topics of the last week or so:

Your favorite free applications

Mac Pro: now or later?

Can you build a Mac?

Another "What can Apple build for you?" thread

Today it hit me: I'm not excited about Leopard

Mac-to-PC ratio in your household

Real life vs online life

A funny thing happens when you use a Mac

The future of cellular network providers: Could Skype change the game?

Thumbs Down: The RIAA!
Saw this on Wired's Listening Post blog today: The RIAA has set up a site at p2plawsuits.com for people accused of illegally sharing music online to settle their cases outside the court system. In other words, you can pay them so they don't sue you. Coincidence that this is coming out after a judge ordered the RIAA to pay the legal fees of a defendant who was found not guilty? Yeah, probably not. Boo, RIAA, and boo, anyone who gives up your right to due process when you don't have to.

Thumbs Up: Ease of Use!
Kind of an abstract thing to rave over, but I gotta tell you, lately I've had more and more occasions to recognize just how great truly easy-to-use technology is. I love my Mac, but I hadn't had a reason to fire up iWeb until last week, when I got a website up and running in no time. And it was the little things that struck me the most: I'd Alt-Tab to Firefox and copy a URL of a page I wanted to link. Then I'd Alt-Tab back to iWeb, select the Link Inspector, and poof, the link would be pasted into the correct box automatically. Saved me two or three clicks each time, and that adds up. My fiance got me an AirPort Express with AirTunes for my birthday; the hardest part of getting it set up was dragging our heavy stereo receiver to the edge of the shelf so we could plug an optical cable into the back. Five minutes, no exaggeration, and we were done. And it's not just Apple products that are rocking my world with their elegant simplicity. Some of the staff gamers had a Nintendo Wii in the break room the other day, and I got totally into a game of Wii Sports Tennis despite never having picked up a Wii controller before. (And now I want one.) Yes, gadgets are getting more complimacated all the time, so cheers to the people who can make 'em so simple to use that you practically forget how advanced they are under the hood.

Thumbs Down: The Apple TV delay!
Like the song may be altered to say, "I want my Apple TV." Yes, I realize that delays happen all the time and for various valid reasons, but that doesn't mean that my bratty inner child isn't stomping her metaphysical feet and whining, "But I want it NAH-AAH-OWW!" (I'm sure you realize how only the champion whiners can add extra syllables like that.) I'd give another thumbs down to Apple's infernal secrecy (we didn't find out about the delay until Monday, and we were hoping to have our review of the Apple TV done by then, so now it will run in June, although we'll have updates here at MacLife.com between now and then...and when the heck is Leopard coming out anyway?), but then again, the mystery kind of makes it fun. Kind of.

Honorable mention shout-outs: Big ups to the nice people at M-Audio, the guys who make my vegetarian burritos, the Gulf of Alaska, and the wonderful Ami Gandhi and Dan Krop. Got your own thumbs up and thumbs down? Hit up the comments!

Editor's Blog: Susie Tells You How to Get Your DRM-Free Groove On - for Free

Susie Ochs — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:35:28 -0600

Steve Jobs caused a stir two weeks ago with his "I know Europe's ticked that we won't license FairPlay, but we'd ditch DRM tomorrow if those darn record companies would let us" manifesto. And now you're saying, "Susie, late to the party much? This has been discussed to death!" And I agree with you. But you know who else is late to the party? Anyone who thinks that music on the Internet A) must cost money to be legal and not pirated, B) comes with all kinds of copy restrictions, and/or C) is encoded in such a lossy, low-quality format that you may as well buy it on CD and rip it yourself.

As mentioned in our "The Best Things in Life Are...Free!" cover story in the January 2007 issue of MacAddict (p21), you can get music for free on the Internet, whether you're streaming tunes from Pandora or CNET, searching GoingWare or FreeMacMusic, or even just grabbing an MP3 or three from your favorite band's MySpace page. Again, you probably knew that. What you might not know is just how much unreleased, unrestricted live music can be downloaded from the Live Music Archive, or grabbed via BitTorrent from etree.

Live music...you mean bootlegs? BitTorrent...isn't that for pirates? No, no, no. See, since the heyday of the Grateful Dead, a huge number of bands have allowed their fans to record and trade copies of their live shows. Free! No strings, except that they can't be bought or sold. And as much as I love albums (they're kind of taking over my house, actually), live shows are where it's at. You get covers, different versions of the same old songs, the energy of the crowd, longer playing time...and seriously, any band that can't turn it out at a live show just isn't as impressive to me anyway. And it's not just hippie bands that populate the Archive and etree. Yes, you have your jamband staples like the Dead, Umphrey's McGee, String Cheese Incident, and so on, but you'll also find 311, Death Cab for Cutie, Jack Johnson, Matisyahu, The Decemberists, Ryan Adams, Elliott Smith, The Walkmen, Ween (with shows dating back to 1989!), and much, much more. In fact, printing out the Archive's current list of bands took 14 pages. Yes.

Better yet, most of the live shows on offer aren't in MP3 format. Instead they're compressed as SHN (or "shorten") or FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Compression) files. Yes, that means that iTunes won't play them until you convert them to WAV or another supported format, so it's a little more work for you. But the advantage is that no data is lost in the compression, so you don't get any degradation in sound quality. And since the wonderfully geeky types who actually tape these shows spend a lot of time, effort, and money getting their "rigs" together to make these recordings (check out the source info on any show; it often breaks down to the tiniest detail: what brand of mics were used, how tall the mic stand was, where it was placed, what cables were used, the bit rate, the software used in the conversion, even the name and email of the taper in many cases), it'd be a shame to compress the tracks to MP3 with its tinny cymbals and muddy low end. Plus, once an MP3 is uncompressed, when it's burned to an audio CD for example, and then recompressed back to MP3, the quality degrades even further.

So if the shows you have your eye on are in SHN format, you need to get Shorten for Macintosh or xACT (which I use) and use them to convert the files to WAV. If you downloaded a show in FLAC format, you'll need xACT again (see why I like it?) or pretty much any app from this page to convert the FLAC files to WAV. From there, you can burn the WAV files onto audio CDs with your burning app of choice, and/or add them to iTunes, from where you can further convert them to Apple Lossless, AAC, or whatever format you prefer for listening through iTunes or adding to your iPod.

Anyway, if what I've said here doesn't make sense, and you get stuck with files that you're having trouble playing, post a comment and I can help you out in a future blog post. Otherwise, to get you started, here are the last 10 shows I've downloaded from the Live Archive.

1. Keller Williams 1999-04-03 SBD (soundboard) in FLAC. Keller plays acoustic guitar, looping over on himself with a JamMan, at this private party in the Oakland hills. Chill and sublime. Deadheads will love the gorgeous cover of "Eyes of the World."

2. Del McCoury Band 2005-10-1 in FLAC. Del McCoury was one of Bill Monroe's famous Bluegrass Boys, and his band, featuring his sons Ronnie and Robbie on mandolin and banjo, respectively, is THE best traditional bluegrass outfit playing today. (The Archive has Del recordings as far back as 1969! Flashback!) I saw this free show at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival held each October in Golden Gate Park. Free show, free download...what a country.

3. My Morning Jacket 2006-07-01 in FLAC. This was the Saturday-night headlining set at last summer's High Sierra Music Festival, a tradition for me. I watched it with my buddies in Future Rock (see #4) and we were all pretty blown away. There's a ton of MMJ on the Archive, so enjoy.

4. Future Rock 2006-08-25 SBD in FLAC. Future Rock are my pals from college, and they turn out the rock of the future: bass, synth, and the sickest drummer I've seen in a long time. This set, from this year's Camp Bisco festival, is seriously hot.

5. Phil Lesh and Friends 2004-12-17 SBD in FLAC. Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh puts together bands of "friends" for a tour, a three-night run, or even just a show, so audiences never know what to expect. I saw this monster show at the Warfield here in San Francisco, and the band featured Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Jimmy Herring, members of Railroad Earth, and more. Get it for the soulful "Althea" and the hands-down best version of "Sugaree" I've ever heard. (Sorry, Jerry.)

6. Meltone 2004-03-06. Another band I saw at High Sierra, Meltone is a wacky Japanese outfit that blends rock, funk, silliness, and the occasional keytar. Dig on the Michael Jackson and "2001" covers. Bonus: You can get it in MP3, Ogg Vorbis, or SHN.

7. Tea Leaf Green 2006-09-30 in FLAC. I saw this at San Francisco's Fillmore with a couple awesome friends, and it's the best Tea Leaf Green show I've ever seen. And since they're my favorite band, that's quite the thing for me to say. It rips, all the way through.

8. Yonder Mountain String Band 2002-03-16 in FLAC. Colorado-based YMSB doesn't just play bluegrass. They play the HECK out of some bluegrass, and they mix it up with rock covers, long jams, and the occasional onstage shot of Jagermeister. I caught this show in Madison WI and it's still my favorite for the lonely gem "Mother's Only Son," the beatiful take on the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations," and fiddle wizard Darol Anger's blazing runs on the Misfits' "20 Eyes." Yes, the Misfits.

9. Blue Turtle Seduction 2006-06-29 in FLAC. Tahoe-area favorites Blue Turtle Seduction stole the show at High Sierra last year. This set will do much to explain why.

10. Bonnaroo Superjam. Tennessee's annual Bonnaroo festival brings the biggest names in music together for a weekend of nonstop fun, culminating in the annual Superjam. The Archive has three of 'em, all different, each spectacular in its own way. Give it a spin -- after all, the jam is the essence of live music.

Enjoy!

Editor's Blog: What Susie Learned From Having Her MacBook Pro Stolen

Susie Ochs — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:31:22 -0600

To the person who smashed the rear passenger-side window of my faithful Impreza, Joey JoJo Junior Subaru, and grabbed my backpack from the backseat: You suck. Yeah, you got my 15-inch MacBook Pro, which I hadn't yet named but only because it was too new, not because my affections for it were any less than for my dear Joey JoJo. You got the headphones I'm reviewing for our May issue. You got the rest of the random detritus floating around inside a worn-out pack I've been carrying nearly every day for years. (Enjoy the sunscreen, ponytail holders, and Planters Heat Peanuts!) But you'll never claim my unbreakable spirit.

To the rest of you law-abiding citizens reading this right now: Heed the following lessons, and when These Things Happen to you, it won't wreck your day, either.

1. Get insurance. I have comprehensive on the car, as well as renter's insurance for the apartment. So this will be fully covered. In fact, since I chose "full replacement value" (as opposed to "actual cash value," click the link above for more) on the renter's policy, I shouldn't be out any cash besides the deductible. Don't have renter's? GET IT. Today. It's extremely affordable. Yes, your landlord has his own insurance on the building, but that policy only covers the actual building, not your stuff. And your car insurance may not cover personal items stolen from the car—mine doesn't. If I didn't have renter's, I'd be high and dry, with no option for replacing my MacBook Pro except to suck it up and pay for a new one. Twenty-five hundred bones (or clams, or whatever you call them) can buy a lot of burritos. You can never have too many burritos, or too much insurance. Trust me.

2. File away receipts and photos of your valuables. This seems like common sense, but you'd be surprised. If you paid enough for something that you could see yourself filing an insurance claim if it was ever cruelly taken from you, save the receipt. Take a picture. If you live in an area where you're more concerned about natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, etc.), you might want to keep copies of all of this in two places. But in any case, being organized will speed up the reimbursement process later, and help you get the full amount you're entitled to for your stuff. I've got the original receipt for the MacBook Pro in front of me right now, serial number and all. Which bring us to...

3. Write down the serial numbers! Yep, it's helpfully stored in Mac OS X's System Profiler. Doesn't help much when the computer is stolen, does it? If you have the serial number when you file the police report, the officers can notify local pawn shops and there's a chance (a slim one, but still) that your stuff can be recovered.

4. Don't tempt fate in the first place. When I came into the office this morning and shared the news with my coworkers, of course they were highly sympathetic and kind. BUT they couldn't help pointing out (bless them) that had I taken more care, the incident might not have happened in the first place. True, it does no good to sit here and "what if" all day. But honestly? I know better than to leave a backpack sitting in the back seat of my car, even if it was only parked on the street for an hour, in the daylight no less. Be smart. Take an extra second to consider your surroundings and don't dismiss rational fears as "I'm just being paranoid."

5. Back it up. Computers can always be replaced. The data they contain? Not so much. Unless you back up, of course. Most of the stuff on my hard drive had been backed up to my iDisk automatically, so I only lost about a day's worth of work. (And if you knew how little work I actually do in a day—HA HA, JUST KIDDING, LESLIE!) Could you survive a complete loss of everything on your hard drive? Back that puppy up!

6. Keep it in perspective. The first time I had a laptop stolen, when my college apartment was robbed, I was borderline devastated. I felt violated, angry, terrified, a virtual rainbow of crappy emotions. After the insurance wound up getting me a better laptop anyway, I felt dumb for getting so worked up. (Who gets that attached to an entry-level Compaq Presario anyhow?! That thing was a hunk of JUNK!) Yeah, it's a hassle to have to file an insurance claim, wait for a settlement, replace the computer, blah blah blah. But no one was hurt. The car wasn't stolen. The stereo was untouched, as was the iPod attached to it by a cable but mostly hidden from view, tucked under the driver's seat. It could have been worse. And while we Mac-lovin' types can get pretty attached to our gorgeous machines, in the end, it's still just a machine. Plus, what well-insured, well-backed-up, well-organized Mac user wouldn't relish the chance to upgrade to the newest and fastest version of his Mac Of Choice? Maybe it's better that I didn't name the laptop after all. So long, buddy, and thanks for all the clicks.

I'll keep you posted on how long it takes for me to get a new 'puter. Meanwhile, if you're in the Lower Haight and someone offers to sell you a MacBook Pro out of the back of his van or something, kick him in the jewels for your old pal Susie.