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Monday, August 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Dude, where's my audiobook?
I love my iPhone, but I find I often hate iTunes, at least iTunes for Windows.
I started out today feeling very cranky towards iTunes. You see I've been listening to an audiobook during my drive to work. It happens that this book is Daemon, by Daniel Suarez, which is an amazing tech-thriller that I've been pretty hooked on for the past couple of weeks. So, as usual I was looking forward to the drive into work to find out what was going to happen next in Daemon. I got in my car, went to start up the audiobook only to find that the audiobook file on my iPhone was in fact completely missing. Panic...Cursed iTunes! Forget the fact that I also happened to forget my cup of coffee at home, this was going to make my next 30 minutes on the road...well, boring. Oh yeah, and the ride home in the afternoon was going to blow as well.
Moving on, I flipped to some new music I had and I made it through, thinking to myself, "How the heck does this happen?" I had synced my iPhone the night before, I usually do this every couple of days so I really didn't understand why this would have caused such a problem. I had other new music on there, new apps too. It's not like the sync didn't work at all.
In iTunes, I use the option where I only sync those items that I explicitly check. So, I knew I had the 2 audiobook files (part 1 and part 2) checked to sync to my iPhone; that's how I had been listening to them for the past 2 weeks. Besides, anything purchased from iTunes is automatically "checked" for syncing. It turns out, the the "Part 1" file was on my iPhone. I was simply missing the "Part 2" file which happened to be the part I was on. I had finished part 1 a couple of days before. I just couldn't figure it out; neither could anyone else I griped about it to. Maybe the Daemon had actually taken over my iPhone.
Well, as it turns out, I actually figured it out. As soon as I got home, I immediately opened iTunes on my PC and I looked to see if the audiobook file was indeed checked. It was. Hmmmm. It had to be something else. So, I checked my "sync" preferences for my iPhone: iPhone > Books (tab) > Sync Audiobooks. It turns out that iTunes had recently upgraded itself. By default, under the Sync Audiobooks setting, the "Selected Audiobooks" option was automatically selected, meaning that by default, only the audiobooks I had explicitly selected under this option (there is a list of all of my audiobooks there) would be synced. Daemon was not one of the audiobooks selected; in fact there were no audiobooks selected. However, under the "Include Audiobooks from Playlists" option the "Recently Played" playlist was checked, which explains why the Part 1 file was available: it was recently played, and the part 2 file was not, I was still in the middle of playing it. I'm guessing these Sync Audiobooks settings are new, or for some reason these settings were maliciously changed as a part of the upgrade....frustrating.
So, the mystery is solved. I still blame iTunes....it kinda seems like a bug and I'm betting I'm not the only one in the world that has experienced this. It's crazy how Apple puts so much perfection into the hardware and the device itself, but the supporting software is really stinky.
I have now properly checked my audiobook and I look forward to the ride into work tomorrow.
I started out today feeling very cranky towards iTunes. You see I've been listening to an audiobook during my drive to work. It happens that this book is Daemon, by Daniel Suarez, which is an amazing tech-thriller that I've been pretty hooked on for the past couple of weeks. So, as usual I was looking forward to the drive into work to find out what was going to happen next in Daemon. I got in my car, went to start up the audiobook only to find that the audiobook file on my iPhone was in fact completely missing. Panic...Cursed iTunes! Forget the fact that I also happened to forget my cup of coffee at home, this was going to make my next 30 minutes on the road...well, boring. Oh yeah, and the ride home in the afternoon was going to blow as well.
Moving on, I flipped to some new music I had and I made it through, thinking to myself, "How the heck does this happen?" I had synced my iPhone the night before, I usually do this every couple of days so I really didn't understand why this would have caused such a problem. I had other new music on there, new apps too. It's not like the sync didn't work at all.
In iTunes, I use the option where I only sync those items that I explicitly check. So, I knew I had the 2 audiobook files (part 1 and part 2) checked to sync to my iPhone; that's how I had been listening to them for the past 2 weeks. Besides, anything purchased from iTunes is automatically "checked" for syncing. It turns out, the the "Part 1" file was on my iPhone. I was simply missing the "Part 2" file which happened to be the part I was on. I had finished part 1 a couple of days before. I just couldn't figure it out; neither could anyone else I griped about it to. Maybe the Daemon had actually taken over my iPhone.
Well, as it turns out, I actually figured it out. As soon as I got home, I immediately opened iTunes on my PC and I looked to see if the audiobook file was indeed checked. It was. Hmmmm. It had to be something else. So, I checked my "sync" preferences for my iPhone: iPhone > Books (tab) > Sync Audiobooks. It turns out that iTunes had recently upgraded itself. By default, under the Sync Audiobooks setting, the "Selected Audiobooks" option was automatically selected, meaning that by default, only the audiobooks I had explicitly selected under this option (there is a list of all of my audiobooks there) would be synced. Daemon was not one of the audiobooks selected; in fact there were no audiobooks selected. However, under the "Include Audiobooks from Playlists" option the "Recently Played" playlist was checked, which explains why the Part 1 file was available: it was recently played, and the part 2 file was not, I was still in the middle of playing it. I'm guessing these Sync Audiobooks settings are new, or for some reason these settings were maliciously changed as a part of the upgrade....frustrating.
So, the mystery is solved. I still blame iTunes....it kinda seems like a bug and I'm betting I'm not the only one in the world that has experienced this. It's crazy how Apple puts so much perfection into the hardware and the device itself, but the supporting software is really stinky.
I have now properly checked my audiobook and I look forward to the ride into work tomorrow.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone
I was recently asked about the Bluetooth speakerphone/FM transmitter I use in my car for my iPhone. This is what I have to say about it...
I got mine at Best Buy for about $100, maybe a little more. I really love the thing; I didn’t really use the iPhone as an iPod until I got this. Also, this is great for hands free talking...never been an issue and the battery charge seems to last a long time. Overall, I think this is a great product, but there are a few issues you should be aware of:
* You cannot tune it to broadcast over a particular FM station. It scans the FM frequencies and picks one it thinks is the best. You can set a “favorite” so it generally will pick it first if it is available.
* So for traveling through metro areas, you will be changing the station a few times for sure.
* Every once in a while, Bluetooth does not automatically connect. I have to turn off the iPhone’s bluetooth settings and then reconnect it, then all is well again.
I got mine at Best Buy for about $100, maybe a little more. I really love the thing; I didn’t really use the iPhone as an iPod until I got this. Also, this is great for hands free talking...never been an issue and the battery charge seems to last a long time. Overall, I think this is a great product, but there are a few issues you should be aware of:
* You cannot tune it to broadcast over a particular FM station. It scans the FM frequencies and picks one it thinks is the best. You can set a “favorite” so it generally will pick it first if it is available.
* So for traveling through metro areas, you will be changing the station a few times for sure.
* Every once in a while, Bluetooth does not automatically connect. I have to turn off the iPhone’s bluetooth settings and then reconnect it, then all is well again.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wendy's Medium
What's up with Wendy's lately? I used love Wendy's. They often had better fast food than the others and were usually consistent with their quality and service.
However, it seems that maybe things have gone downhill for Wendy's since Dave Thomas died...
The other day I was in the drive-thru and I ordered one of their "value" meals or whatever they are called. I was promptly asked if I wanted "medium or large" meal option, as if these were the only choices. Not interested in a lot of food, I chose medium, even though the 2 options presented seemed a little suspicious. Since I had heard of places eliminating "small" options for things, I did not think too much of it, paid for the meal and all was well.
A couple of days later, I spoke to someone at work who had the same "medium or large" experience while inside a Wendy's. He had approached the manager about the deceptive practice and did not get so much as an apology for it. As it turns out, there is a small (regular) option even though it was never presented as such. It appears to be a corporate-wide deceptive practice to force unassuming Wendy's patrons to spend more on food they may not really need or want.
IMO, this is not the way to do good business nowadays. While Wendy's may see some sort of short-term profits/gains as a result of this and probably other less than ideal practices, I believe that in the long-run, this type of approach to their own customers will be their downfall. I know that I will think more than twice before going to a Wendy's again.
Boycott Wendy's. Be healthy. Eat and buy local.
-Harry
However, it seems that maybe things have gone downhill for Wendy's since Dave Thomas died...
The other day I was in the drive-thru and I ordered one of their "value" meals or whatever they are called. I was promptly asked if I wanted "medium or large" meal option, as if these were the only choices. Not interested in a lot of food, I chose medium, even though the 2 options presented seemed a little suspicious. Since I had heard of places eliminating "small" options for things, I did not think too much of it, paid for the meal and all was well.
A couple of days later, I spoke to someone at work who had the same "medium or large" experience while inside a Wendy's. He had approached the manager about the deceptive practice and did not get so much as an apology for it. As it turns out, there is a small (regular) option even though it was never presented as such. It appears to be a corporate-wide deceptive practice to force unassuming Wendy's patrons to spend more on food they may not really need or want.
IMO, this is not the way to do good business nowadays. While Wendy's may see some sort of short-term profits/gains as a result of this and probably other less than ideal practices, I believe that in the long-run, this type of approach to their own customers will be their downfall. I know that I will think more than twice before going to a Wendy's again.
Boycott Wendy's. Be healthy. Eat and buy local.
-Harry
Sunday, December 14, 2008
A letter to the Financial Speculators
Dear Thieves,
I have come to warn you as Jacob Marley's ghost came to warn Scrooge (loosely quoting Dickens): "You will wear the chain you forge in life. You make it link by link, and yard by yard... For it is truly required of everyone, that one's spirit should walk among his fellow men, and travel far and wide. If that spirit does not, it is doomed to wander the world and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared."
How do you feel now? Are you happy in your cold, big house? Are you beloved by all you have touched? Does your money comfort you in the loneliness of your thoughts? What if you lost all your money? What would you have then? Do you have friends who come through for you in the hard times?
You sure did have what Scrooge would admire as "a good head for business." You sold out yourself, your fellow brothers and sisters, our children, your country, and mankind, but you did do a lot of business. You took the easy way. You took the greedy way. It didn't feel right, but your values are "greed is good." As Dr. Seuss' character, the Once-ler, says, "If I didn't do it then someone else would." You justified your lies.
"Would you know," pursued the Ghost, "the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? ...It is a ponderous chain!" Every time your ego clouded your judgment, every moment you were silent when you should have spoken, every dream you have shattered, is a link on your chain.
The hubris you wear as a shield now prevents you from knowing, "This means YOU." But someday, your chain will keep you awake. Someday, your chain will wear you down. Someday, your chain will chill you with its loneliness.
There is no way out. The only way is sacrificing short-term payoffs for long-term benefits: "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings were a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" Your business distracts you from your real business.
The rest of us wish you "a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. You'll be very merry and very happy, we have no doubt!"
I have come to warn you as Jacob Marley's ghost came to warn Scrooge (loosely quoting Dickens): "You will wear the chain you forge in life. You make it link by link, and yard by yard... For it is truly required of everyone, that one's spirit should walk among his fellow men, and travel far and wide. If that spirit does not, it is doomed to wander the world and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared."
How do you feel now? Are you happy in your cold, big house? Are you beloved by all you have touched? Does your money comfort you in the loneliness of your thoughts? What if you lost all your money? What would you have then? Do you have friends who come through for you in the hard times?
You sure did have what Scrooge would admire as "a good head for business." You sold out yourself, your fellow brothers and sisters, our children, your country, and mankind, but you did do a lot of business. You took the easy way. You took the greedy way. It didn't feel right, but your values are "greed is good." As Dr. Seuss' character, the Once-ler, says, "If I didn't do it then someone else would." You justified your lies.
"Would you know," pursued the Ghost, "the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? ...It is a ponderous chain!" Every time your ego clouded your judgment, every moment you were silent when you should have spoken, every dream you have shattered, is a link on your chain.
The hubris you wear as a shield now prevents you from knowing, "This means YOU." But someday, your chain will keep you awake. Someday, your chain will wear you down. Someday, your chain will chill you with its loneliness.
There is no way out. The only way is sacrificing short-term payoffs for long-term benefits: "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings were a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" Your business distracts you from your real business.
The rest of us wish you "a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. You'll be very merry and very happy, we have no doubt!"
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