What's that iTunes? There's a new version of iOS available for my phone? How exciting! 5.1 you say? Well of course you can download it and update my mobile, what could possibly go wrong there?
This is the general conversation that went through my head as the usual new software popped up after I plugged my phone into the old netbook and iTunes kicked in. I of course allowed it to continue, but what followed turned out to be a pain in the arse!
Software downloads fail all the time, especially from apple, so it wasn't a massive surprise when after 30 or so minutes of downloading and a brief installation attempt it informed me all had indeed gone tits up and it would now be kind enough to restore the phone to what it was, only there was a problem there too. Things not going well, but then the phone starts to come on anyway and everything's fine...or not, I not have a lovely iPhone 4 on factory settings. No apps no nothing.
Swiftly and with the poise of an IT professional (which I'm not) I restore a backup of my phone made not 1 hour earlier, and after several... dozen minutes of waiting, the phone restores the data and to my surprise everything seemingly goes ok, even the in app data is fully restored to it's previous glory. Even my Temple Run high score (2.3m) remains in tact.
But also, the strangest thing, according to iTunes, I now have 5 gig of memory free, when before it was stacked to the rafters. Funny as well as the new found free space was almost exactly the same as the memory taken up by my... cock biscuits.
I quick trip to 'Music' app confirms it, every trace of an mp3 (or equivalent iTunes compatible format) is gone. So while writing this I've also started slowly adding songs to thee phone from my iTunes library. Which itself has presented brand new issues, I'm skipping past most of it thinking... meh, never listened to it anyway.
So far I've managed to add about 9 songs to the phone, but I am still on C for the artist name, so there's some distance to go yet. But nothing in inspiring me, bad times. I think I need some new music, any suggestions feel free, ooh and to anyone who would suggest Beady Eye or High Flying birds, save yourself the keyboard wear and don't.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Friday, 9 March 2012
Friday, 2 March 2012
Amazon reviews
From time to time, and on a massive total of 32 occasions, I have written reviews for a website some of you may have heard of... amazon.co.uk. I do it for the same reason I write this, none in particular, but it's a nice diversion every now and again and with a bit of luck, the stuff I write does occasionally help somebody decide whether something is worth buying. The whole process is quite basic, but the weird part of it is their rating system.
Well not so much the system itself, but maybe some of the users.
Amazon works on a 'Was this helpful? yes/no' type scenario. But I get the impression a minority, but a vocal minority, of users read this is 'Do you agree? Yes/No', and as a result I do sometimes feel reviews are marked as unhelpful for not giving a popular item 5 stars. Also there's also some cases where people review an item, then mark the other reviews of the same item down, to hopefully push theirs up to the featured review. The Internet is a reasonably twisted place for self promotion.
However most reviews don't get any votes at all, I've only ever received 52 votes over my 32 reviews (40-12, 77% helpful, which is quite shit).
I honestly think this isn't the best way of running a rating system, especially if you're going to run some kind of league table off it to introduce competition. Why have a no button at all? Yes or ignore would be fine and remove the possibility of bitching. Or maybe require some kind of reason or feedback to go along with a negative vote? If people have to back it up...
But hey I'm sure the amazon dudes know what they're doing.
Well this morning I went up 100 or so places to crack the top 10,000 reviewers for the 2nd time (someone marked a review down straight away last time, so I dropped again) at 9,955th. This means nothing of course and I'll probably drop straight back out tomorrow, but for now I have a picture visible and everything. If anyone's interested here's a link to my 'public profile' but I'd imagine after making it this far, you're sick of my attempted wit and typos already:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3SIES8A01NZAN?ie=UTF8&ref_=ya__56
Off topic, well kind of... kindle is amazon, there was just a guy getting off the train, reading his kindle intensely, but the screen saver was on, I could see it from here. It was the picture of John Steinbeck. Some people are weird.
Well not so much the system itself, but maybe some of the users.
Amazon works on a 'Was this helpful? yes/no' type scenario. But I get the impression a minority, but a vocal minority, of users read this is 'Do you agree? Yes/No', and as a result I do sometimes feel reviews are marked as unhelpful for not giving a popular item 5 stars. Also there's also some cases where people review an item, then mark the other reviews of the same item down, to hopefully push theirs up to the featured review. The Internet is a reasonably twisted place for self promotion.
However most reviews don't get any votes at all, I've only ever received 52 votes over my 32 reviews (40-12, 77% helpful, which is quite shit).
I honestly think this isn't the best way of running a rating system, especially if you're going to run some kind of league table off it to introduce competition. Why have a no button at all? Yes or ignore would be fine and remove the possibility of bitching. Or maybe require some kind of reason or feedback to go along with a negative vote? If people have to back it up...
But hey I'm sure the amazon dudes know what they're doing.
Well this morning I went up 100 or so places to crack the top 10,000 reviewers for the 2nd time (someone marked a review down straight away last time, so I dropped again) at 9,955th. This means nothing of course and I'll probably drop straight back out tomorrow, but for now I have a picture visible and everything. If anyone's interested here's a link to my 'public profile' but I'd imagine after making it this far, you're sick of my attempted wit and typos already:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3SIES8A01NZAN?ie=UTF8&ref_=ya__56
Off topic, well kind of... kindle is amazon, there was just a guy getting off the train, reading his kindle intensely, but the screen saver was on, I could see it from here. It was the picture of John Steinbeck. Some people are weird.
Friday, 23 September 2011
R.E.M.
The first album I ever bought myself (that I can remember), out of my own cash, under my own steam at the age of 10 was the amazing Automatic for the People. One of REM finest pieces of work, in fact I'd go as far as one of the finest albums ever to grace us with its presence.
Yesterday, R.E.M. of course announced they are to split, there now will be no new R.E.M. material (except the obligatory 'few new tracks on the best of' which apparently they have already). To be fair their last album wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but the one before was, so there may well have been some life in the old dog yet, but they've chosen to walk away before they fade in to some kind of tribute act to how they used to be, and that's probably the correct decision. I would have liked maybe a farewell tour, only having seen them live twice, but alas was not to be. Plus doubtless they'd have charged through the nose for the tickets.
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage will apparently appear on 15th November and will cover their whole career 82-11. I will pick that up, as doubtless it will be a triumph. However I will say in advance, without even knowing the track listing or having any indication of it, that's not songs I'd have picked. Shiny Happy Fucking People better not be on therte.
I always thought of them as quite a versatile band, even in their advancing years they could make one hell of a noise, in quite a melodic way. They were equally adapt at acoustics and rock and swayed from style to style pretty randomly.
They lost a very strong songwriter in Bill Berry before the Up album and documentaries show how it almost finished them off, against their will, then. That would have been a shame as I don't think the others were ready to quit yet (Berry had been ill, collapsing on stage in Switzerland once as a result of a brain aneurysm I believe). They powered on though and Up is aa triumph in doing something different, it's a very different sound, contains some of Stipes strongest lyrics, particularly Falls to Climb clearly detailing the bands infighting following Berrys departure.
It's not all good of course, there have been songs which are poor, Imitation of Life was quite a poor single as was Daysleeper, especially when you think there were far stronger tracks on both albums that deserved the attention more.
I fully recommend anyone who's interest has been peaked by them splitting up, pick up an album! Why not, most of them are dirt cheap now, I'd recommend Accelerate or Monster for a mostly heavy sound, Out of Time for the more acoustic sound or Murmur or Automatic for the People or the sublime New Adventures in Hi-Fi for all round greatness.
The existing best of isn't the 'best of' but it's pretty damn good too.
Ever since then, and my subsequent purchase of every album and many many of the singles REM released (including an original vinyl Chronic Town EP... I have no record player), they have sat comfortably at the head of my favourite bands/artists list. For the record that currently reads:
1. R.E.M. (now defunct)
2. Ben Folds (inclusive of Ben Folds 5)
3. Foo Fighters
4. Jonathan Coulton
5. Green Day
But is very changeable, but what is a constant is R.E.M.
Yesterday, R.E.M. of course announced they are to split, there now will be no new R.E.M. material (except the obligatory 'few new tracks on the best of' which apparently they have already). To be fair their last album wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but the one before was, so there may well have been some life in the old dog yet, but they've chosen to walk away before they fade in to some kind of tribute act to how they used to be, and that's probably the correct decision. I would have liked maybe a farewell tour, only having seen them live twice, but alas was not to be. Plus doubtless they'd have charged through the nose for the tickets.
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage will apparently appear on 15th November and will cover their whole career 82-11. I will pick that up, as doubtless it will be a triumph. However I will say in advance, without even knowing the track listing or having any indication of it, that's not songs I'd have picked. Shiny Happy Fucking People better not be on therte.
I always thought of them as quite a versatile band, even in their advancing years they could make one hell of a noise, in quite a melodic way. They were equally adapt at acoustics and rock and swayed from style to style pretty randomly.
They lost a very strong songwriter in Bill Berry before the Up album and documentaries show how it almost finished them off, against their will, then. That would have been a shame as I don't think the others were ready to quit yet (Berry had been ill, collapsing on stage in Switzerland once as a result of a brain aneurysm I believe). They powered on though and Up is aa triumph in doing something different, it's a very different sound, contains some of Stipes strongest lyrics, particularly Falls to Climb clearly detailing the bands infighting following Berrys departure.
It's not all good of course, there have been songs which are poor, Imitation of Life was quite a poor single as was Daysleeper, especially when you think there were far stronger tracks on both albums that deserved the attention more.
I fully recommend anyone who's interest has been peaked by them splitting up, pick up an album! Why not, most of them are dirt cheap now, I'd recommend Accelerate or Monster for a mostly heavy sound, Out of Time for the more acoustic sound or Murmur or Automatic for the People or the sublime New Adventures in Hi-Fi for all round greatness.
The existing best of isn't the 'best of' but it's pretty damn good too.
Friday, 24 September 2010
Am I getting old or is music getting crap?
Or possibly both...
One thing is for certain, I am getting older. By no means am I old and I don't think I'm majorly close minded about new music, films etc, infact some of my favourite films have been of the last few years, but of late I can't help but think music is shite.
As I'm typing this I'm also nosing through the top 40 UK singles chart, yes I know that's a gauge of popularity not quality, but people must believe in the quality to buy is surely. All I seem to be seeing contained within said charts is a combination of reality TV stars, rappers talking about 'da club' some rude things they'd like to do to a possibly uninterested female, and celebrities with questionable musical/vocal talents that 12 year olds seem to like/want to be.
It's not all hell, the script are bearable and the manics make an appearance in the top 30,, but even they seem to be trying too hard to sound like what they think people want. Lads, I have Everything Must Go (and what an album!), if I want to listen to that I will, do something else!
I heard recently about what will be, for all intents, the death of Red Dragon FM in Cardiff, can't say I was even vaguely disappointed. The dull radio station with its 5 track playlist will not be a loss to me. I seem to these days not even be able to listen to radio 1, as they play the same repetitive style of music, then the ego fuelled DJs rave on about how great they/it is. Don't even get me started on Moyles rant (newsarse didn't use my story, but a slightly better one, I'll post my effortlater) ! Thank god for little stations such Nation Wales for keeping the rock alive, and I even find myself listening to Radio 2 to seek out decent songs.
Fair enough the 'bangin tunez' is a legitimate genre, people obviously like it, so it deserves a place on the airwaves, but why does it dominate so? It makes me think of request shows where people ring in and request songs off the playlist the station has played 12 times already that day. Do they like it cos it's good, or do they like it cos it's all they know?
Next week sees the release of Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds, an unusual collaboration between him (one of my favourite musicians) and one of my favourite authors Nick Hornby. It should be an absolute treat, but I can tell you now there will be 0 airplay for him and not many more sales. I encourage everyone to check him out, he's on iTunes, spotify etc no doubt.
At least I know I'll be able to get the album without risk of it selling out.. (yes that means an actual CD)
Later!
One thing is for certain, I am getting older. By no means am I old and I don't think I'm majorly close minded about new music, films etc, infact some of my favourite films have been of the last few years, but of late I can't help but think music is shite.
As I'm typing this I'm also nosing through the top 40 UK singles chart, yes I know that's a gauge of popularity not quality, but people must believe in the quality to buy is surely. All I seem to be seeing contained within said charts is a combination of reality TV stars, rappers talking about 'da club' some rude things they'd like to do to a possibly uninterested female, and celebrities with questionable musical/vocal talents that 12 year olds seem to like/want to be.
It's not all hell, the script are bearable and the manics make an appearance in the top 30,, but even they seem to be trying too hard to sound like what they think people want. Lads, I have Everything Must Go (and what an album!), if I want to listen to that I will, do something else!
I heard recently about what will be, for all intents, the death of Red Dragon FM in Cardiff, can't say I was even vaguely disappointed. The dull radio station with its 5 track playlist will not be a loss to me. I seem to these days not even be able to listen to radio 1, as they play the same repetitive style of music, then the ego fuelled DJs rave on about how great they/it is. Don't even get me started on Moyles rant (newsarse didn't use my story, but a slightly better one, I'll post my effortlater) ! Thank god for little stations such Nation Wales for keeping the rock alive, and I even find myself listening to Radio 2 to seek out decent songs.
Fair enough the 'bangin tunez' is a legitimate genre, people obviously like it, so it deserves a place on the airwaves, but why does it dominate so? It makes me think of request shows where people ring in and request songs off the playlist the station has played 12 times already that day. Do they like it cos it's good, or do they like it cos it's all they know?
Next week sees the release of Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds, an unusual collaboration between him (one of my favourite musicians) and one of my favourite authors Nick Hornby. It should be an absolute treat, but I can tell you now there will be 0 airplay for him and not many more sales. I encourage everyone to check him out, he's on iTunes, spotify etc no doubt.
At least I know I'll be able to get the album without risk of it selling out.. (yes that means an actual CD)
Later!
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