Amazon just did something awesome.  It would have been cool if this had happened before I spent large chunks of my life ripping all of my CDs twice (once at a too low bitrate when hard drives cost money).  But it is still way cool.  Here’s the first part of the email from Amazon announcing AutoRip.

I’m guessing this isn’t going to happen.  If it does, they should all immediately watch Team America: World Police.

Here’s the background on ACME Corporation.  And here’s a catalog of products.

“The answer to this systemic problem is not more gorillas,” Simmons continued, her eyes welling with tears. “The answer is fewer gorillas.”

I tend to agree with this.  I offered to trade my Surface RT to Paul for just about anything.  Then I took it to my office and offered to sell or trade it to anyone for just about anything.  No takers.  Even the one hardcore Windows lover said he was waiting for the Surface Pro.  I don’t think it’s going to work out for Windows 8, thanks largely to hardware maker disinterest.  My guess is that Windows 9 will be pushed out the door sooner, rather than later.

If I took the Barnabas Collins route back to the mid-60s, one of the first things I’d do is go hear (and see) The Pretty Kittens.

Here’s their story.

Here’s a little music to brighten your day.  NRPS from 12/31/71.

This article pretty much sums up my Facebook news feed.  I’ve addressed confirmation bias before in the context of global warming.

Speaking of global warming, at this point, denial of climate change is on the same level of absurdity as those kids who said we really weren’t on the moon back in 3rd grade.  Is an extra buck or two in some billionaire’s pocket really worth jacking our planet up at our kids’ expense?  It’s not like kids aren’t screwed enough already.

This guy is right, but for the wrong reason.  Yes, it would matter greatly if Microsoft Office came to iOS.  Because the entire corporate world uses Word and Excel, and nothing else.  But much of that same corporate world fears- and often blocks- the cloud.  So if Microsoft is using Office on iOS as a way to get folks to sign up for its Office on the web service, it will not work.  So if the only meaningful way we will get Office on our iPads is to subscribe to some web service, then Office on the iOS won’t matter.  The question is who does this hurt more- Apple or Microsoft.

Superpod awesomeness (via io9).

Mo Dern Ruins:  inside a Chernobyl hospital.  Some great shots.

Will Truman on guns, death and permanence.  Recall that he wrote the best blog post ever.  I want an update on the middle sister.  My take on guns is here.

This is funny.

If you enjoy television, you surely enjoy Homeland.  If you enjoy Homeland, you’ll dig these jazz record covers.  Really cool art.  This one is my favorite.

I’m completely serious when I tell you that the first season of The Joe Schmo Show was some of the most entertaining TV ever.  They’re launching a new season tonight.  Definitely worth a look.

I’ve asked myself this question many times.  What surprises me even more is that MTV is still alive.

Windows history makes an awesome 3 minute video.  This one is almost 8 minutes.  Still worth a watch.

AllThingsD has a primer on photo sharing, including with those who aren’t on your preferred network.  I will never, ever use Facebook as my photo repository.  Never. Ever.  Google+ is a ghost town if you’re middle-aged and not techno-centrally located, but the platform is pretty robust.  It might make a good photo sharing place.  If you’re a ghost.  I use Flickr and the very elegant WordPress gallery function.  I think I’d like Photo Stream better if I even half way understood it.  Apple needs to have whoever makes those iMovie and iPhoto video tutorials to do a series on Photo Stream.

People boggle my mind sometimes.  So there’s this cat, named Pasta Batman.  Someone bails on Pasta Batman, and some nitwit decides to change his name to Whisper.  Whisper, really?  Some relative of some friends of mine did something almost as lame.  They had a cat named after one of the greatest space travelers of all time, and changed it.  I didn’t even ask to what.  I just decided to change our friends’ daughter’s name to Rygel.  I’ve called her that for years.  She answers to it, unlike the renamed cat.

Fitbit is coming out with a flexible wristband.  I’m not sure if I’ll trade in my beloved Fitbit One, but I’m going to watch closely.  I am curious how the armband works, given that Fitbit One instructions say not to wear it on your arm when awake.  What if I am in a heated conversation about which of my two favorite shows (Walking Dead and Downton Abbey) are more reflective of my true nature and start waving my arms around like an aristocratic zombie?  I’m also interested in what “water-resistant” means in this context.

I’m not the only Downton Abbey fan.

I do love me some Reddit.  As such, this looks promising.  Why do I love Reddit?  Well, here’s one reason.

Kodak is the new Westinghouse.

When bad PR goes bad.  I am amazed at what gets approved as acceptable PR these days.

Consumer Reports is back on the hate side of its relationship with the iPhone.  Burglars, on the other hand, still prefer Apple.

Belkin added a light switch to its WeMo line.  What they need to add more is working remote access if you have a roaming wireless network.  We have three Extremes creating a single wireless network and remote access does not work.  This is a known issue, at least to those with the problem.  Otherwise (and this is a big otherwise), WeMo is pretty cool.

TUAW has the best Mac apps for 2012.  I’m flabbergasted (flabbergasted I tell you) that they picked iTunes as the best of anything.  If you want “moar apps!” Addictive Tips has the 100 best Mac apps of 2012.

Here’s an update on my 2013 initiative to spend less money on things I don’t really need, that might save you some money too.  I called DirecTV and said I wanted to downgrade my deluxe package to the lowest one.  I got $40 a month off my monthly cost, plus some HD channels for free.  The discount lasts 6 months, but they said I could probably call back then and get another discount.  Then I called Sirius XM and tried to cancel the subscription in my truck (in favor of Spotify and an old iPod I confiscated from Delaney).  They gave me half off for a 1-year subscription, for that one and the one my kids use by the pool.

Paul Thurrott is a smart guy, who I enjoy reading.  But he needs to step away from the crack pipe if he thinks there is anything about the Surface RT that is even close to as usable and enjoyable as an iPad.  Now, the Surface Pro may be another matter.  Paul, what will you trade me for a lightly used Surface RT?  Almost anything of roughly equal value will do.

Slow weekend day, but a few things worth a read.

See anyone you recognize?

How-To Geek (great site) has tutorials on how to do a lot of stuff computer stores overcharge you for doing.  A must read for all geezers.

If your kid is too obsessed with video games, here’s a novel approach.

I was too kind in my pretty harsh criticism of the Surface RT.  It sucks completely.  Now I can’t even get it to update apps the first or fifth try.  Before long, it will go in the secret drawer of horrible purchases.  With this.  And this (I still can’t believe I bought that).  If anyone wants to buy a lightly used surface RT, make me an offer.  I’ll trade it for just about anything of roughly equal value.

Speaking of Microsoft, Paul has a theory on why Windows 8 is stumbling out the gate.

 

 

As part of my new cost-savings initiative, I would really, really like to cut the cord and get rid of my rising satellite TV subscriptions.  About the only things holding me back are some HBO and one Showtime shows that I don’t think I can get without subscribing.  If and when I do take the plunge, Guidebox may become indispensable.  Really nice interface.

Apple’s iRadio service may be launched this year.  I would be a little interested except for this: “We expect iRadio to be incorporated into the iTunes iOS app with personalized radio functionality akin to Pandora, integrated with iTunes to purchase music an other music related content such as concert information/tickets/merchandise via Live Nation and Ticketmaster.”  There are few lengths I wouldn’t go to to avoid iTunes.  There are none I wouldn’t go to to avoid LiveNation and Ticketmaster.

I actually liked the ability to buy music via Spotify.  I was hoping it would come to the US.  Guess not.

I am amazed at the stupid things people put on Facebook.

Sometimes you have to chill just to survive.  I get the above expression every time I tell my kids anything.  There is a lesson here somewhere.

Here’s some info on the forthcoming version of Microsoft Office.  Two things.  One, I’m never, ever going to pay for Office on the web.  I want an app, not a service.  Two, I hope Microsoft doesn’t completely forget about the Mac version.

I updated our News Page last night.  It automatically pulls top stories from several news sources.  It now has weather, for Bellaire, TX at least.

As another part of my new cost savings initiative, I have moved some of my web hosting and all of my online backup to Amazon S3 and Glacier.  It is a little harder to get set up, but a lot cheaper.  A lot.  Look for a tutorial soon.

Happy birthday Luke!  Seven years ago today.

Just when you (and I) thought it would never happen, another Evening Reading post.  I hope it’s a trend.  We’ll see.  Last time I resolved to start doing them again, it went sort of like this.

I care very little about watches.  Apple could change that.  The best thing about an Apple watch?  I would never, ever have to figure out how to set the time (I gave up on the date years ago) on my Citizen Eco-Drive.  If Apple makes a watch, I hope it’s prettier than this.

I am still looking for the killer Mac scanning and document management solution.  Here’s another possibility.

Mo Dern Ruins:  Great photos of abandoned structures in Iceland.

Actually there were eight.  This guy got left off the list.

Teens of people still think they own the knewsome@gmail.com email address. Here’s the latest of the many emails I get that are to someone else using that email address.  How in the world does Google let this happen?

Hey Tonya,

You recently registered for Facebook.  To complete your Facebook registration, follow this link….

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

I kid you not, while I was typing the paragraph above, I got another email addressed to another person who thinks their email address is knewsome@gmail.com.  This one is from good ol’ Brother Bailey.  He needs some volunteers for some sort of convention.  Crazy.

I’ve lived around Bobcats much of my life and have seen maybe three.  That might be a good thing.  This is one bad boy (or girl).

Sometimes the internet facilitates wonderful things.

Here’s today’s evening reading. The most interesting things I read today, a cool picture and the overheard quote of the day.

Now I know why so many of my cool videos are blocked in Germany: YouTube faces massive music royalty bill in German copyright case.  More from the always read-worthy, TechDirt: Totally Clueless German Court Says ContentID Isn’t Good Enough, YouTube Must Block Infringement By Keywords

I actually use my Chumby, unlike 90% of the other ridiculous gadgets I have bought on impulse: Chumby halts hardware sales, long-term support looking mighty unlikely

So I guess this means I can eat whatever I want, since I’m a goner anyway: He Who Sits the Most Dies the Soonest

Great walk-through by the creator of one of the best shows on TV: Graham Yost walks us through Justified’s third season

Who cares?  Seriously, dogs, cats, ferrets and whatnot do not need to ride next to me on a dadgum plane : Be Ready For A Hassle When Flying With Your Snub-Nosed Dog

Google+ is a ghost town for the average user not named Scoble, but a mention of Yahoo Pipes (the best thing Yahoo ever did) makes me love this post: 4 Ways To Get Your Google Plus RSS Feeds

OQOTD: “How appropriate! Willie Nelson’s statue unveiled at 4:20 on 4/20.”

Bonus video:  The awesome Bill Nye dancing to his theme song AND performing She Blinded Me with Science.

Enjoy!

Here’s today’s evening reading.  The most interesting things I read today, a cool picture and the overheard quote of the day.

Age, the Vampire Slayer: R.I.P. Jonathan Frid, Dark Shadows’ Barnabas Collins (I loved that show)

But I already have 20 photo apps I never use: Mattebox Might Be The Best iPhone Camera App Around [Review]

Please don’t suck: Google Drive Interface Leaked in Employee Presentation

Ya think?: Unlike iCloud, Google’s Rumored Cloud Storage Could Be a Privacy Nightmare

I would’ve named my son Levon, but for that horrible Elton John song: Levon Helm, Drummer And Singer In The Band, Dies (I did name my next to last dog Virgil Caine)

Bonus Levon, from my pal Dan: Levon Is Across the Great Divide

OQOTD: “Don’t worry though, hologram Dick Clark should be good to go this December.”

Enjoy!