Finding a Replacement for Pandora

Pandora rules! Tim Westergren's Music Genome Project was developed into the service that looks at the music you like and recommends other tracks based on their genes. It works wonderfully. It has opened my eyes (and ears) to musicians and groups I had never heard of (I love ending sentences with prepositions).

It was run as a legal business paying millions each year in royalties to the RIAA. But dealing with the RIAA is like dealing with drug pushers. They always seem to want more for less. The recent Copyright Royalty Board ruling has dictated that Internet radio stations must pay significantly more than traditional radio stations for the same access to music, as the RIAA had requested.

Make it easier to be legal and don't be too greedy and people will use that option. Make it too expensive, too hard or just be a bully and people are going to look for other options. And when they do, the RIAA (and the musicians they supposedly represent) get nothing.

It's like these guys have never even heard of Limewire or remember the dozen or so other questionable services that they've spent musicians' money taking down.

But there's still another legal service out there that offers similar functionality to Pandora. That service is Last.fm. Last.fm is based in England so doesn't have to play by all the same rules that are putting Pandora out of business.

I downloaded their player which ties in to iTunes and I've been using their service for about a week. Unlike Pandora, Last.fm does not characterize the music itself to determine what type of sounds a user enjoys, instead it is a social network relying on the recommendations of others. It works pretty well and I've been listening to a lot of music that I like. However, it's all music produced by bands or musicians I already know about. I might listen to a track I haven't heard before but not a new band (yes, I listen to a lot of music so it might work a little better for you). Pandora was much better in that respect.

If Pandora disappears, Last.fm is a VERY GOOD alternative. If Pandora can survive, I think I'll stick with their service.

Keeping Mac Software Up-to-Date

There are two schools of thought when it comes to updating software:

1. If it's not bust, don't fix it! and
2. Gotta have the latest-greatest

Now having the most up-to-date software is important when you're talking about system software as vulnerabilities are fixed (yes, they even exist for the mac). The easiest way to ensure this is to use the built in Software Update function (Apple -> Software Update). This route just updates Apple software but I think that every mac user should at least perform this update.

If you're like me, you'll like to keep all your software up-to-date. To update non-Apple software, there are two routes:

1. Manually. There are a number of web sites that list updates to Mac software. The one I use is MacUpdate but others prefer VersionTracker. The main problem using this route is that you update each program, one at a time.
   
2. Semi-Automatically. I call this semi-automatic rather than automatic as you still need to do something to make the update happen. VersionTracker has a pro version that allows you to set-up a listing of just the software you own. However, I'm cheap and prefer an easier option. So I use Metaquark's AppFresh. My guess is that this is software that they'll eventually charge for but right now, it's free. With Appfresh, you run the program, it looks at what software you have, compares it to known latest versions, and lets you know which programs have upgrades. You can also automatically download and install the updates from within the program. The only downside I see is that it relies on it's database (although it ties in to the iusethis database also) which is occasionally a day or so behind. However, it also ties into the Apple software updates so using this eliminates the need to also check what Apple is offering.
   

Finally, most programs have the ability to check for updates built into them. These functions are typically in the preferences or under the help pull-down. The main problem here is, again, you are forced to update program-by-program.

As an added bonus for any PC user that stumbled into this Mac Blog, do yourself a favor and look at the free software that FileHippo created. It does much the same thing as AppFresh does but a little better in my opinion. Instead of having to launch the software, it sits in the system tray and notifies the user automatically if there is an update available.

And a final piece of advice, PC or mac user, remember to always back-up first.

Apple Offers Free Magsafe Replacements

In a follow-up to an earlier Blog rant (see The Worst Made Hardware Apple Currently Sells), the Cult of Mac is reporting that Apple are now offering free replacements for broken Magsafes.

Finally!!

Now, who do I see about a refund for the two I've already thrown away?

Diggnation 163: A Podcast Worth Listening To

Diggnation is a weekly podcast put out by Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose. They drink beer, occasionally tea, discuss popular internet news (see the Digg symbol to the right?) and swear a lot. That earns the show an explicit tag. It's the sort of thing people love or hate. I happen to love it but that's not the point of this post.

Episode 163 was filmed and, more importantly, recorded at the Dolby Labs. The technology used was something called Dolby Headphones. The sound was truly amazing. Okay, it's not the first podcast to use the technology, MacBreak Weekly 23 and 24 were both recorded using the technology. I heard those shows and the one released this week. It sounds like Dolby have perfected the technology.

I was listening to the show whilst sitting watching my son's karate class. I think I've gotten used to how flat most podcasts sound, even when played back with SRS iWow running (on my MacBook). The sound was so clear and alive that I took off my headphones to ensure I was the only one able to hear my iPod's playback (before I realized that it was recorded in a special way, easy to do as it starts with an ad).

Evidently there is hardware available that allows you to hear anything on a headphone with this enhancement. I guess I'm going to be looking for new audio equipment.

Avatars for Anyone

Back from our family holidays and back to blogging.

I've seen a lot of people changing their avatars with the availability of the service from faceyourmanga.com. That' where the image associated with this post came from. I know, you didn't realize I was that good looking did you ?

But Manga might not be your thing so here are a few other sites you can use to make a personalized avatar.

• My Avatar Editor - looks like the Wii's Miis. (mine)
• Avatars from Flash. (mine)
  
• Avatar Wizard. (mine)
• Animated avatars from Gizmoz. (mine)
• Avatars for use on yahoo.
• Userpic Avatars.
  

Now, avatars are just images. So, if you're comfortable with any graphics program, you can of course make your own. If not, perhaps a video generated 3D avatar is in your future.

Good luck with what you make. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Of course, I could cheat. It's always easier when a world famous sculptor uses his imagination of what you look like for his work.

Chubby Bunny: An Old Virtual Machine

We all know about the continual argument about which virtual machine can best run PC software on a mac. Well, there's another kind of virtual machine that some of us need.

Apple is quick to dump old hardware and old software. The newer OSs will not run classic software. That's a real shame as I have a few CD-ROMSs I'd still like to be able to access. Not too many, but enough that it was worth my effort to figure out how to run old software on a new computer. Okay, in reality, I just wanted to hear Douglas Adams read through Last Chance to See one more time whilst being able to look at the wonderful photos he and Mark Carwadine took.

Sheepshaver is a program that it enables you to run PowerPC Classic MacOS software on your computer, even if you are using a different operating system. It is readily available but requires some effort in setting up the environment.

But, don't worry.

There is an alternative for those that either don't have the confidence/capability to install the software, don't have old OS disks lying around or else don't want to reinvent the wheel. Chubby Bunny is a version of Sheepshaver pre-configured and pre-installed with the highest version of os9 that it will run. Its main advantage is that it is a move-anywhere, zero-install, no-configure, “works out-of-the-box” version for people who have been using Macs because of their ease of use but may not have the patience or ability to do a fairly complex install and configure procedure (I copied that quote from the release notes and they said everything I wanted to say already).

How to use? Download, open the zipped file, copy the program where you want to, double click and run it. It's akin to the Mac-On-A-Stick software I wrote about earlier but with quite a few more bells and whistles.

Now you should be aware that the use of this configuration may be illegal. The use of the ROM, though long-since abandoned by Apple, has been questioned. There are many sites listing the availability of old Apple ROMs so I don't know for sure either way. Use at your own risk.

After all that, did it work.?

Can I listen to Douglas Adams reading?

Not yet.

The version of Quicktime included does not play well with the CD-ROM. The version of Quicktime on the CD-ROM also did not play well with others so I have some trouble shooting ahead of me. But it's a nice walk down memory lane playing in OS9 again so I don't mind too much.

Growl

Growl is a notification system for Mac OsX that enables applications that support its protocol to display notifications on your screen. Notifications are a way for an applications to provide information without you having to switch from the application you're already in.

For example, if you are downloading a large file in your web browser and switch to another task, say working in Photoshop, Growl will display an on screen message when the download is complete without you needing to switch away from Photoshop to see it.

In some cases the messaging seems a little redundant. Twitterific for example, supports Growl but I'm not sure why. The app itself jumps to the forefront when a Twitter notification is received so why do I need Growl integration?

You can customize Growl's appearance to reflect your personal sense of style. My personal favorite is Music Video which some find a little obtrusive, but I like.

Growl runs in the background continuously waiting for an event to occur but I haven't notice any system slow down. A nice little addition that makes using a computer with a monitor of limited real estate (my MacBook for instance) easier.