Google Music - My Take On It!

Okay, let's say you went out and bought a Joshua Radin album and you put it on your iPod.  That's great, you listen to it, enjoy it, then you lose your iPod.  What do you do then?

TO THE CLOUD!!!


Google has done something that Amazon, Apple, and a few others have already done.  Why should anyone be surprised that Google isn't in the thick of things that the people want right now?

So what makes Google Music better/worse than other services?  Well, I don't know much about the iCloud, but I got a beta invite to Google Music and I like it so far.  Amazon limits the total size of free music to 5GB.  You can upgrade for a fee to 20GB, but I'm all about the free stuff.

Google Music limits it's current users to 20,000 songs.  YEP! That's right... 20k!!!  And to get things started, they give you a good bit of music to get your feet wet.

Now, About The Interface


For starters, you have to download the "Music Manager" software to upload your tunes.  I didn't particularly like that, but some things are necessary to keep things under control.  The manager registers your computer and you have up to like 8, I think.  It basically runs the same way Netflix does on their streaming service.

Basically you have a Play/Pause, FWD, BACK, SHUFFLE, REPEAT, THUMBS UP/DOWN, and VOLUME button to play with.  You can see the album cover (if available) and the progress of the song as it goes.  You can also create and even import your playlists.

For testing purposes, I just had it import my iTunes database.  As you can see from the picture, some of the songs have been skipped due to size (it's trying to pull audiobooks too for some reason), corruption, or empty files. After a full 24 hours, I think my whole database should be about uploaded.  Then I can delete all the audiobooks and listen away.  The manager will also load with your computer (if you allow it) and it will look for new music to upload automagically in your watch folders or iTunes database.


OVERALL TAKE ON IT?


I'll keep working with it.  I have one of the pilot CR-48 laptops and I am waiting for a Chrome Store App for it that will make things easier, but for now I can remember music.google.com when I need to go to it.  I also have every intention of getting an Android phone before too long, so then I'll be able to take my music with me in the cloud and save my storage on my phone and memory card for movies, pictures, video, games, apps, etc.

If you can get an invite, try to get one... At least use it for now until they decide on a price.  I understand they plan on charging for this, but we'll see what happens once Apple goes live.  Maybe they'll just interrupt every few songs with a short commercial like Pandora does to keep things free.

Anyway, that's my take.  If you click the Amazon link above, listen to some of the Joshua Radin music.  It's soft, mellow, relaxing, and overall good in that folky sort of way.

Enjoy!

End of the World: Why it Didn't Happen... AGAIN!

WE'RE STILL HERE... 


Imagine that... The world didn't end and you're probably nursing a pretty bad hangover right now.  I guess this makes it another end of the world averted.  So why is there a pretty good chance that this never was meant to happen?  Perhaps it has to do with the long running track record of failed predictions.

Between the Y2K doomsayers (Jan 1, 2000) and now,  there have been around 70 dates or approximations for the end of the world.  Think about that for a second... 12 years and 70 predictions...and the best part... ZERO accuracy.  There's still even one more prediction we have to get through this year before we can worry about next year.

If you go to THIS INTERESTING SITE by Chris Nelson you will be educated to past, present, and even future "End of the World" predictions.  Some are vague, some are comical, and some are so tightly wrapped to mathematical equations that they MUST be true, for how would we know any difference without an advanced degree in math and science.

So What's the Point of Predictions?


People inherently like to feel like they know what's coming.  I get that.  Nobody likes to be taken by surprise with something as epic as the end of the world.  There are several reasons why people might predict the end of the world and I'll give some of my theories.

    FEAR:
Some people are just fear mongers and love to stir the pot.  Most fear comes from the fact that you don't know what is going to happen.  Fear of the dark, fear of the unknown, fear of dying, etc... When you say the world is coming to an end, you provide the pseudo-proof and nobody can provide anything to the contrary.  Because there isn't anything to disprove the prediction, it makes it a plausible scenario.  The fact that it is now plausible is a scary thought, because what if it does come true?

     MONEY:
Money rules the world.  More people will try to prove it's going to happen than not because a strange thing happens when people are scared... They get prepared JUST IN CASE.  They prepare by stockpiling, partying, upgrading, and topping off supplies.  If I am selling supplies that you will stockpile, I will do my best to convince you that you need more so that I can bring my profitability up and make a better life for myself and my family.  "Spend it all, tomorrow it will be worthless...If you're even here at all.  Can't take it with you." So by that thought... Just give it all to me.  Then when the world doesn't end, I'll be in a better position.

     RELIGION:
What's the quickest way to pack out a church?  Natural disasters, wars, and the end of the world.  We had a guest preacher in church a little while back and he was talking about how he preaches in the jungles of South America (I think), and he spoke about how he's converting many people and they want to get right before the Rapture and the end of the world.  It made me sick to think that he might actually have a ministry based on the "Get Right or Get Left" premise.  I really hope I misunderstood him, but some preachers will use the FEAR to get MONEY to grow the RELIGION.  Good, bad, or indifferent, I think people should come to God on their own and not because they think the world is ending soon.

     SPICE OF LIFE:
Lastly, how many of you when to a "Last Night on Earth" party on New Years Eve '99?  Better yet, how many of you were partying over this last weekend for the same reason?  New Years Eve always plays host to parties, but who celebrated May 21st?  How many of you did something (or someone) you now regret because the world didn't end?  Who bought something they couldn't afford?  Many people like the fact that the "I thought the world was ending..." excuse is now on the table.  You don't have to always blame it on the alcohol if you have that in your pocket.  "I always wanted to... ...and did it since the world was ending."  Now you regret it, or now you're glad you did it, but either way - You did it!  Why did you have to have an excuse?  Because you are human.  Make everyday a life without excuses and listen to the Nike motto... JUST DO IT!

Will They EVER Get it Right?


Who knows... The most important thing is just this.  If you're worried about the world ending soon, remember that there are many more predictions already struck in stone and if you want to use them as an excuse to have a party, then that's your prerogative.  Go for it.  If you want to try something new, Go for it!  If you want to make sure you're right with the lord, Get it done!  Basically, just don't do something so stupid that you'll have to pay for it tomorrow, because chances are that the world isn't ending.

So What Did You Do?

Same thing I do every night... TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!  HAHA...

Thanks for reading.  Don't forget to go to A Brief History of the Apocalypse and educate yourself on the Apocalypse and how it get's been promised time and time again.  If you liked this post, please consider donating.  Every little bit helps and encourages me to continue this work.

Have a great day... It may be the last one!