Toehold

Why I'm a pirate

2012-01-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

To be honest, the biggest reason I pirate movies and music is that the media companies have worked so hard (and successfully) to make honest copying difficult. If I have a DVD, I should be able to make a copy of it to some other medium. However, due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that's illegal. Technically, it's not very hard, but it's harder than it should be, and it shouldn't be illegal.

Music companies have tried to get the same level of control but failed. As a result, I'm much more likely to purchase music legitimately than a movie. I still have no love of the music companies that worked against their customers, but it's finally true that I can go to Amazon and buy an mp3 just as easily as I can go find an illegal copy.

As far as I can tell, legal online services for movies offer nowhere near the level of service as the average pirate site, and I'm not talking about price. Illegally, I can go get practically any movie at any time, at any level of quality and in any language. I can take that file and put it on my phone or my TiVo and watch it anywhere. I can keep it and watch it over and over.

I have a Netflix subscription too, but I hardly use it. The selection is lousy. I can stream it to my phone, except that I'm usually watching on a train, and the coverage is spotty. That's to say nothing of Netflix swallowing my data plan whole.

It's important to me that I'm able to have the file and move it to any device with a screen.

When the studios offer the same service that the pirates do, people will buy it, and they'll make money. Until then, they'll spend money on lawyers and leave honest money on the table because they don't think they have to do what it takes to earn it.

Dumbing down iTunes smart playlists

2011-12-21T21:27:00.002-06:00

I wanted to make "dumb" copies of a few Smart Playlists in iTunes and have the copies updated periodically. Why I want that is part of a scheme not fully baked, so I won't go into it, but I thought this part was worth documenting.

I've had some experience in the past with AppleScript, and it seemed like it would tear this up. It took some time and research, but I eventually came up with this.

tell application "iTunes"

tell source "Library"

repeat with srcPlaylist in {"5 Best", "Played most", "Abbreviated list", "Good sample"}

set cpyPlaylist to "A copy of '" & srcPlaylist & "'"

delete (every track) of playlist cpyPlaylist

duplicate (every track) of playlist srcPlaylist to playlist cpyPlaylist

end repeat

end tell

That copies a playlist named "Played most" to another playlist named "A copy of 'Played most'". The copy playlist has to exist already (the script won't create it), and whatever is in it will be deleted every time the script is run. You can run it from the command line by putting it in a file and using "osascript" to execute it.

One hangup I had is that having a quotation mark in an AppleScript string is not supported in a way that I'd like as a programmer of more user-hostile languages. I also tried to use Automator for this, and that went nowhere.

A more advanced script might check whether iTunes is running before blithely tossing commands at it. It might also create playlists that aren't there or take some kind of safety precautions. I doubt that I'll expand my AppleScript knowledge for the sake of those "advanced" features, but I'd be happy to hear from someone else who's done it.

Magic dog noses.

2011-09-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

When I was a boy, I thought dogs could smell a person and know their character. If a dog sniffed a stranger and approved, that was a positive sign that the stranger was trustworthy and honest. If dogs really had this super power, it would solve a lot of societal problems, I expect, but I didn't think about it that hard back then.

I think that an adult told me that a dog likes to smell your hand when he meets you because that's how he knows who his friends are. I took this to mean that dogs know who has good intentions by smell. Now I know that the lesson was that dogs recognize people they know by smell (rather than by sight, like we do). I now know that most dogs have no special insight into a man's soul, and they like everyone they meet. Dogs are faithful that way.

Still today, I hold my hand out to any new dog I meet, and I feel some validation from the fact that dogs approve of me.

Transformers 3

2011-07-03T19:16:00.002-05:00

I liked it more than I thought I would, but one thing really bothered me. A lot of the movie is set in Chicago, so I was excited to see it on that account. It triggers some home town pride, even though Chicago isn't really my home town. Then they go and defile the Lincoln Memorial. It didn't bother me when the whole city was turned into a wasteland, but for the bad guys to disrespect Abraham Lincoln, I thought that was offensive.

Music collecting now and later.

2011-06-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

I've had a little experience with different ways of handling my music collection, and this is a brief comparison.

First, and mostly, I've used iTunes and an iPod (really an iPhone). This, I think, is still the best, but that may be because I'm so used to it. I've put some effort into setting it up to work for me, so it does what I want. I nearly always listen through the mobile device, and I like that information about that listening is synced back to iTunes. I use that metadata to control the contents of a smart playlist that I listen to a lot.

Then I got an Android, which doesn't come with a fat 32G memory like the iPhone, so I gave the Amazon Cloud player a try. It works, but in general my network connectivity isn't good enough to use it consistently. I'm most commonly listening on a moving train, so spotty coverage hurts bad. It also doesn't support ratings and smart playlists. On the plus side, the uploader works well, and I got to live beyond my 8G limit when the network was around.

Then I got a 32G memory chip for the Android, and I started using iSyncr to sync to iTunes. This works well! It updates iTunes with changes to ratings and play data, so it gets updates to my smart playlist just like the iPod. My main complaint is that podcasts are disorganized (or rather, organized into one big playlist). I liked the way the iPod gave me a list of subscriptions with an episode count for each, and I could drill down to listen to what I was in the mood for.

I tried DoubleTwist briefly, but changes to ratings on the phone never made it back to iTunes.

I recently got an invitation to the Google Music beta, and I've given it a brief try. The uploader just shoved up everything from iTunes, so I have podcasts mixed in with my music. Ratings are thumbs up/thumbs down, which I could maybe work around, but I wonder why 3/5 stars became a thumbs down. It's also missing a smart playlist feature, but it's not as bad as the cloud player when the network is bad. The Music player on the Android maintains some local cache, so it can keep playing offline. I haven't played with this feature a lot, but it looks as if I could be as happy with it as with local storage most of the time.

Ultimately, I think the Google Music service is going to be my next home. It makes sense to put music there, access it from anywhere, and stop carrying gigabytes of music around everywhere. If I could have the kind of smart playlist I use every day in iTunes, I'd move to it now and shop for another way to do podcasts.

Kyle's world famous trail mix

2011-03-20T09:07:00.002-05:00

I call it trail mix, but it's really mostly candy. The basic idea is, “everything I can think of that’s peanut and/or chocolate.”

peanuts
peanut m&m’s
milk chocolate m&m’s
reese’s pieces
chocolate chips
double dipped chocolate peanuts
mini peanut butter cups

Those last two are the only ones that are remotely hard to find. Dipped peanuts can be found at any bulk candy store. The mini peanut butter cups, I get from Trader Joe’s. At my local Jewel, there are bags of mixed peanut butter and chocolate chips, and I’ve used those sometimes. It’s still good if you leave stuff out.

There are also peanut butter m&m’s. I’ve tossed in butterscotch chocolate chips in the past, just because they look right.

Proportions are highly negotiable. I shoot for about the same amount of everything. I get the big bags of m&m’s, etc., and then a gallon ziplock bag will hold about half a bag of each. Mix by rolling the gallon bag around.

I hope this inspires some of you to provide for the expansion of our work force (and I don’t mean with new hires).

I left my heart in San Francisco.

2011-03-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

This homeless guy came up to me on the street, and he said he was hungry, but I didn't have any cash. I didn't want to give him anything I'd need later, so I gave him my heart. He looked at me with pity on his face, but he didn't give the organ back.

I am not my body.

2010-08-03T06:32:00.002-05:00

I'm 36. I've never considered myself attractive, but I think it's safe to say that I'm physically less attractive now than I was in days past. This doesn't bother me as much as it used to because I think I've finally come to believe that I'm not my body. It's just something I wear under my clothes. It's true that this is the only body I have to wear, so it's important for me to take care of it, but I don't have to let my self image rise and fall with what I actually look like.

I used to think I was not my body, and I thought it was a real inconvenience to have to feed it, rest it, and otherwise maintain it. Back then, I was living in my head a lot, and I didn't see the value my body brought me. Today I'm a little more awake to things my body tries to tell me and more appreciative of its point of view. It's worth the trouble to keep it.

I think it's important to stay healthy enough to comfortably lead the life I want, but not much more than that. I'm not an athlete or a model, so keeping my body in tip top shape would be like having the hottest car on the block. I could take it as a point of pride, but it doesn't gain me anything in practical terms.

The difference between my body and a car, though, is that my body is bound to go downhill regardless of which way I go. I can take pride in my body today, but that will fade in time. Making peace with my body lets me have the peace I make.

Memory fault.

2010-05-18T06:50:00.003-05:00

Human memory is not an immutable record. It's not something you wrote on a piece of paper. It's more like a meal that's been digested, and now we're trying to figure out what it was originally.

Some things go through the digestive tract relatively unscathed, and so it is with memory. A few kernels get through exactly as they started, but mostly it's a mushy mass hardly anything like how it started.

We're better at looking at the digested contents of our minds and figuring out what produced them in the first place than we are at looking at the digested results of our meals and figuring out what we ate. We're so good at it that most of the time, we really do deduce something pretty close to the original. I bet a few people can figure out what the food was by looking at what came out the other end too. That doesn't change the fact that what we're looking at is not the original, and what we make of it is a result of our own experience and perceptions at least as much as it is a result of what's actually there.

More than once I've reviewed what I remember in light of what I've learned in the meantime, and I've come to a different conclusion about what the original was. I don't think I was "wrong" before. I think that my memories are mine, they mean what I decide they mean, and I can change my mind.

One problem with locking the office restroom

2010-03-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

I'm glad this guy stopped to wash his hands, but I have to wonder if
they have other keys in their office.

Who has the food?

2009-04-12T19:36:00.001-05:00

Savoring the finest parts of the nugget

2009-04-12T16:28:00.001-05:00

Busy day at the store.

2009-04-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

Won't wake up!

2009-04-04T15:16:00.001-05:00

Logan post sundae

2009-03-29T20:01:00.001-05:00

Both dogs are in attendance.

Small talk

2009-03-29T09:36:00.001-05:00

In three days it will be April.

Mother of all donuts

2009-03-25T09:25:00.001-05:00

I don't know where my coworker gets these, but I'm glad he got one for
me!

Holy underwear, Batman!

2009-03-21T10:23:00.001-05:00

I hope Logan wasn't wearing those when the dog got them.

Logan tells me,

2009-03-15T11:06:00.001-05:00

"I have two balls!"

Abby and Brenna

2009-03-14T21:17:00.001-05:00

Did someone put away the frosted flakes upside down?

2009-03-09T08:04:00.001-05:00

Sleepy heads

2009-03-09T07:56:00.001-05:00

Eat up, chow down

2009-03-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

I hardly recognize myself.

2009-03-04T09:38:00.000-06:00

Why I'm offline tonight

2009-02-25T21:52:00.001-06:00

Abby sets a good example

2009-02-23T23:23:00.001-06:00

Save the planet!

2009-02-20T13:00:00.001-06:00

If I had a donkey to recycle, I doubt it would fit in the bin.

Giving 104%

2009-02-19T21:26:00.001-06:00

Maybe that's why the clock didn't update for eight minutes.

Dog comfort

2009-02-15T17:14:00.001-06:00

Open door policy

2009-02-14T10:24:00.000-06:00

Upon exiting the vehicle, my daughter was born in a barn.

Logan in Dad's hat

2009-02-14T10:08:00.001-06:00

Valentines

2009-02-12T23:56:00.001-06:00

...for Brenna's second grade class.

Waiting for my ride

2009-02-10T10:02:00.000-06:00

Train

2009-02-10T08:40:00.000-06:00

I hope this passes before my passenger train gets here.

What happened here?

2009-02-09T09:28:00.001-06:00

Determined attacker

2009-02-08T21:46:00.001-06:00

Supposedly this iPhone had a security code, but Logan really wanted to
play a game...

Brenna tries her hand at Fox in Socks

2009-02-07T19:41:00.001-06:00

Logan and shrimp tempura

2009-02-06T19:53:00.001-06:00

Thumbs up

2009-02-06T17:55:00.000-06:00

Too salty

2009-02-06T08:23:00.001-06:00

After shaving off most of the gray, I think it's still too gray.

Positive grafitti

2009-02-05T15:10:00.000-06:00

One criminal encourages us to behave ourselves.

Careful!

2009-02-05T10:45:00.000-06:00

Don't trip over the hazard!

Bread crumbs

2009-02-05T09:02:00.000-06:00

Nice of the bandits to leave some for the birds.

Igloo conversion project

2009-02-04T12:51:00.001-06:00

Once the ice covers the building, they can recycle the bricks.

Britney stands alone among girls

2009-02-02T09:22:00.000-06:00

Interesting bug! Another symptom is that I can't get above this entry
with the index on the right.

Lap dog

2009-01-30T09:54:00.000-06:00

Tough doggie life

2009-01-29T21:44:00.001-06:00

Been there

2009-01-24T16:47:00.001-06:00

I too had a wheel fall off my car once.

Leap second

2009-01-12T11:51:00.000-06:00

I've never seen that message before!

Move

2009-01-12T09:54:00.000-06:00

This is written on the back of a car that's been in the same spot for
over a year. It's had a flat tire since spring.

Baloney at the sushi bar

2009-01-10T18:31:00.000-06:00

Chew toy Barbie

2008-12-31T16:21:00.001-06:00

Even after the crippling dog attack, she never stopped caring how she
looked.

Playing

2008-12-24T19:45:00.001-06:00

And yet not exactly playing

By the pool

2008-12-24T07:58:00.000-06:00

Three years old

2008-12-15T18:08:00.001-06:00

Chistmas trio

2008-12-10T11:11:00.001-06:00

Test driver

2008-12-06T21:06:00.001-06:00

Licking off the pizza sauce

2008-12-05T18:53:00.001-06:00

Note the pile of cheese on the plate.
I guess he likes his pizza inside out.

Photo op

2008-12-05T15:08:00.001-06:00

Player 1

2008-11-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

Player 2

2008-11-26T14:16:00.000-06:00

Thankfully not my iPhone.

2008-11-24T22:52:00.001-06:00

Hey, whatever works...

Fixture

2008-11-10T14:54:00.001-06:00

I don't see why this needed to be replaced.

Punch line

2008-10-30T08:26:00.001-05:00

Mispronounced this morning as "drop-a-poop punch".

Dust bunnies ate the computer

2008-10-24T18:11:00.001-05:00

I heart early voting.

2008-10-19T14:12:00.000-05:00

Logan's buzz

2008-10-15T15:58:00.001-05:00

Dana snapped this one.

Beetle owner from Illinois supports Obama

2008-10-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

What are the chances?

Trust but verify

2008-09-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's better not to look at the label.

About to pack it up

2008-09-28T17:00:00.001-05:00

Bandit dance floor

2008-09-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

Logan, what did you do with my socks?

2008-09-24T16:28:00.001-05:00

I really should not leave them near where they play.

No nap today?

2008-09-14T15:38:00.001-05:00

Not so much

Proud what?

2008-09-07T10:55:00.001-05:00

This used to say "grandma" underneath "proud" (I think), but it's faded.

Freeze frame

2008-09-03T20:45:00.001-05:00

I've had it paused this way for a while now. I think it's better than
the speech will be.

A real toy story

2008-09-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

Logan is watching the movie, "Toy Story," and he remarked to me that
his toys "are not playing." I had to explain that real toys don't play
by themselves; you have to play with them.

iPhoned it in

Assisted loafing

2008-09-01T16:40:00.001-05:00

Bigfoot's cousin

2008-08-31T16:42:00.001-05:00

Bighand!

Smile!

2008-08-30T16:30:00.001-05:00

Dude, chill!

2008-08-26T08:05:00.000-05:00

Car under plastic

2008-08-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Not pictured: the painters working above who covered it just to be
safe.

Kids on a train

2008-08-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

Not exactly snakes on a plane.

Hat

2008-08-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

I want a hat like that to wear when I'm infringing copyrights on the
RIAA. Arrr!

Mushroom report

2008-08-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

They really grow fast

2008-08-22T17:53:00.001-05:00

What a difference less than twelve hours makes.

They sure grow up fast.

2008-08-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

These were not there at all five days ago.

Hot dog

2008-08-21T18:29:00.001-05:00

Why are the dog's paws pink?

2008-08-20T08:33:00.000-05:00

Where did I park?

2008-08-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Long before my iPhone, I was taking pictures to remember things.

Hey, that was MY blood!

2008-08-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, I'll get my chlorestorol checked.

Earplugs

2008-08-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

Maybe that's why I couldn't hear.

New nephew

2008-08-11T09:59:00.001-05:00

Here he is, about five days old.

Zombie escape route

2008-08-09T14:41:00.001-05:00

What's going in or out of the graveyard?

Washer trouble

2008-08-05T20:24:00.001-05:00

These sheets were cleaner before they went in. I guess the storm must
have dislodged something.

Farewell Dakota

2008-08-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

Today Dakota goes to his new family.

Found in our yard

2008-07-28T20:59:00.001-05:00

Hope they're not poisonous.

Breakfast

2008-07-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Logan served this to me, and I asked, "is that a meatball?". "No," he
said, "it's a ball."

Watching a concert on 3D

2008-07-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

"Whoa, there's lots of hands in front of me."

Logan

2008-07-26T17:52:00.001-05:00

Body builder

2008-07-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

Can you lift an airplane?