apple juice

Tonight @ 9:15! I’ll be at the Cinemagic in Rochester.

I haven’t read any reviews, and know nothing other than the trailers.

This is an exciting 45 days for movies. (Return of the King soon!)

I’ve been really getting into my smart playlists lately, and I figured I’d share some of the joy.

Today’s smart playlist is: Morning of Quality

• Rating is between 3 and 5 stars
• Update!! Last Played is not in the last 1 Day (Gives you a new list all the time)
• Limted to 4 hours
• Selected at Random

This gives me a mix of good stuff to listen to all morning long.

Yesterday’s smart playlist: Four Hours of Stuff You’ve Never Heard Afternoon Discovery

• Play Count is 0
• Limted to 4 hours
• Selected at Random

Eventually Afternoon Discovery will be redefined as a “Least Recently Played” list, but for now, I have so much stuff to listen to!

I’m also going to bring these two playlists down to two hours each, and then add two more playlists to my daily listening.

This dude has some thoughts on smart playlists, as does this guy and here’s a whole site dedicated to Smart Playlists.

Needless to say, Smart Playlists are an incredibly powerful feature.

After I have my entire library rated, I’m going to move onto entering BPM info for at least all the dance/techno and hip/hop songs. There are some tools available to help you out. I’ll post about those when I get around to that project.

Happy Listening!

I just came across this really interesting article in Psychology Today entitled: A Brand New You

It isn’t specifically about Apple, but just about branding in general. I’m as much of a slave to the marketers as anyone. VW and Apple? Come on A.J.!

Apple Computer doesn’t create new family members so much as brothers- and sisters-in-arms. Presenting itself as the anti-IBM, Apple is the computer for those who shun the domineering image of “Big Blue.” This approach can be traced from the historic “1984” television ad that depicted Macintosh computers as a tool to fight Orwellian oppression caused by widespread PC use (aired just once, during the 1984 Superbowl, but still considered one of the most successful ads ever) to its recent showcasing of computer owners who have made the switch from PCs and the Windows operating system. Apple presents itself as unique. It invites users to think of themselves as revolutionary–even though, by buying and supporting Apple, they’re really just responding to another marketer’s push.

(emphasis mine)

The article also calls to mind a quote from one of my favorite movies, High Fidelity:

“A while back, Dick, Barry and I agreed that what really matters is WHAT you like, not what you ARE like. Books, records, films ñ these things matter! Call me shallow, itís the fucking truth.”
-Rob

Seriously though, when you get to know someone, what’s the first thing you talk about. What kind of music you like, what books you’ve read, what car you drive, what computer you use. It’s not a good thing to be caught up in products as a fulfillment of your life, but it almost seems that companies that do an effective job of marketing are actually helping people of like minds get together… Even if we’re all being duped into thinking that we’re different than everyone else.

I’m testing out the front page excepts.

This morning I woke up to some fresh new snow, officially (in my book) the first snow of the year! Yay! Yay! Happy Dance!

I’m hoping it melts again before the cold of the winter sets in, because I still have some yard work to do. (Remember last year?)