Foo Frustration
Published June 22, 2005 @ 12:11 in My MP3 Collection

I've been looking forward to hearing the new double album from the Foo Fighters for a while now. Yesterday, I got the CD and excitedly put it in my CD ROM drive on my personal computer and heard absolutely nothing. Even if I explored the CD ROM drive it wouldn't recognize the disc. This was the case for both "In Your Honor" CDs.

I managed to read the disc on my work PC and decided to rip it to MP3. First of all, this copy protected CD tried to install some piece of crap software on my system that would play the tunes. When I cancelled this installation, the CD ejected. If I wanted to play the disc, I had to install the piece of crap software. I managed to rip the discs to MP3 without installing the software, but when I played the files back the songs stuttered as if they were skipping. Not one MP3 was salvagable. Whatever that piece of crap copy protection software they've got on "In Your Honor" is, it prevents me creating a decent MP3 from it. What a frustrating turn of events. There has got to be a better way. If you shell out $20 for a CD, you should be able to rip it to MP3 to play on your MP3 player.

I've ripped 718 discs successfully, and I'm not about to be beat by Sony and the Foo Fighters. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve and I'll share the results here. I want my Foo and I want my Foo in MP3.

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My MP3s Updated
Published June 11, 2005 @ 21:32 in My MP3 Collection

I've added 9 new CDs to my MP3 collection. A couple of new ones, a bunch of Bob Marley for the summer and a couple of Michael Jackson. I hear it's going to be a big week for him.

• Audioslave - Out Of Exile
• Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Talkin' Blues
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Confrontation
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Live!
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Survival
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Kaya
• Michael Jackson - Thriller
• Michael Jackson - Bad

That's 718 complete albums, 10663 songs and 678 hours, 53 minutes and 55 seconds of tunage. Check it out.

If you want to peak behind the curtain and see how I do it, read this detailed account as to how you can rip your CD collection to MP3 like me.

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My Back Up Strategy
Published June 5, 2005 @ 19:36 in My MP3 Collection

I have two digital collections I don't ever want to lose. One is my collection of digital photographs I've taken of my children since I got my digital camera last June. These are irreplaceable and I cherish each one. The second is my MP3 collection which has taken about eighteen months to get to this point. It's not just the files but the meta data embedded within that is now exactly to my liking. I employ a very strict back up strategy when it comes to these two collections.

For starters, both collections reside on two physical hard drives on my home PC. There's a copy on my primary drive and secondary drive. Hard drive failures happen and I'm ready. Next, I periodically back everything up on DVD and store the DVDs at an undisclosed location. If my home PC is stolen or destroyed, I can restore my new drive with the DVD back ups. In fact, I backed everything up earlier today. Finally, and this is a newly added component of my back up strategy, I'm going to keep a copy of these files on another PC that won't reside in the same building as my home computer. This is as insurance against the unliklihood that my home PC would disappear and the back up DVDs fail. Ya never know.

So, with a copy of every file on three different physical hard drives and two different PCs at two separate locations and another copy of every file on DVDs kept at yet another location, I sleep well at night.

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My MP3s Updated
Published June 5, 2005 @ 10:50 in My MP3 Collection

I've added 16 new CDs to my MP3 collection. Most are greatest hits compilations with a few jazzy gems thrown in the mix for those times I'm in a jazzy mood.

• Leonard Cohen - More Best of Leonard Cohen
• Aretha Franklin - 30 Greatest Hits (Disc 1)
• Aretha Franklin - 30 Greatest Hits (Disc 2)
• John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
• Eric Clapton - The Cream of Clapton
• The Doors - The Doors
• Prince - The Hits (Disc 1)
• Prince - The Hits (Disc 2)
• George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Thorogood Live
• Curtis Mayfield - The Very Best Of Curtis Mayfield
• Bill Withers - Lean On Me: The Best of Bill Withers
• Sly And The Family Stone - Anthology
• Cassandra Wilson - New Moon Daughter
• Madeleine Peyroux - Dreamland
• Various Artists - Divas of Jazz - Studio
• Various Artists - Divas of Jazz

That's 709 complete albums, 10561 songs and 672 hours, 10 minutes and 31 seconds of tunage. Check it out.

If you want to peak behind the curtain and see how I do it, read this detailed account as to how you can rip your CD collection to MP3 like me.

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My MP3s Updated
Published May 29, 2005 @ 17:01 in My MP3 Collection

I've added a whole bunch of new CDs to my MP3 collection. Some brand new, some a little older. The first three listed rank amongst the best albums I've ever heard.

• System of a Down - Mezmerize
• Arcade Fire - Funeral
• The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
• Beck - Guero
• Weezer - Make Believe
• Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis
• Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs
• Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
• Leonard Cohen - Songs From a Room
• Robert Johnson - King Of The Delta Blues
• Bruce Springsteen - Live In New York City (Discs 1 and 2)
• Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
• Tom Cochrane - Mad Mad World
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins - Black Music For White People
• Paul Simon - Graceland
• Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
• Woody Guthrie - Pastures Of Plenty
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome
• Enigma - Love Sensuality Devotion - Greatest Hits
• Various Artists - Progression - A Progressive Rock Anthology
• Various Artists - The Number 1 70's Rock Album (Discs 1 and 2)
• Various Artists - Driving Rock (Discs 1 and 2)
• Various Artists - The Best Rock Album In The World...Ever! (Discs 1 and 2)
• Simple Minds - Street Fighting Years
• 10CC - Greatest Hits 1972-1978
• Sting - Fields of Gold - The Best of Sting 1984-1994

That's 693 complete albums, 10325 songs and 655 hours, 35 minutes and 53 seconds of tunage. Check it out.

If you want to peak behind the curtain and see how I do it, read this detailed account as to how you can rip your CD collection to MP3 like me.

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My MP3s Updated
Published May 13, 2005 @ 22:38 in My MP3 Collection

I've added a whole bunch of new CDs to my MP3 collection. There's some stuff I actually wanted, but a whole lot more I added for the benefit of others.

Stuff For Me:

• AC~DC - The Razors Edge
• The Beatles - 1
• The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
• The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
• The Flaming Lips - Transmissions From The Satellite Heart
• The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
• Deep Purple - Machine Head
• George Thorogood And The Destroyers - The Baddest Of George Thorogood And The Destroyers
• Jann Arden - Greatest Hurts
• Aerosmith - Greatest Hits
• Sarah Mclachlan - Mirrorball
• Sarah Mclachlan - Afterglow
• Sarah Mclachlan - Rarities, B-sides and Other Stuff
• Fiona Apple - Tidal
• Various Artists - Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture
• Dido - No Angel
• Travis - The Man Who
• Buffalo Springfield - Retrospective: The Best Of Buffalo Springfield
• Cat Stevens - The Very Best Of Cat Stevens
• Steppenwolf - The Best Of Steppenwolf
• Simon and Garfunkel - The Definitive Collection
• Sex Pistols - Kiss This
• Rush - Chronicles (Discs 1 & 2)
• Led Zeppelin - Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin
• Bran Van 3000 - Glee
• Foghat - The Best Of Foghat
• Three Dog Night - The 20 Original Hits

For The Benefit Of Others:

• Tina Turner - Simply The Best
• Burton Cummings - The Burton Cummings Collection
• Blue Oyster Cult - Super Hits
• Harry Chapin - Greatest Stories Live
• Chiliwack - Greatest Hits
• The Bee Gees - The Very Best Of The Bee Gees
• Black Sabbath - The Best Of Black Sabbath
• Robert Palmer - Very Best Of Robert Palmer
• Bread - Anthology Of Bread
• Seals and Crofts - Greatest Hits
• Nazareth - Greatest Hits
• Gary Numan - Selection
• Diana Ross - One Woman: The Ultimate Collection
• Lionel Richie - The Definitive Collection
• The Police - Greatest Hits
• The Mama And The Papas - The Best Of The Mama And The Papas
• The Monkees - Greatest Hits
• Go Go's - Go Go's Greatest

That's 662 complete albums and 9870 songs. Check it out.

If you want to peak behind the curtain and see how I do it, read this detailed account as to how you can rip your CD collection to MP3 like me.

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My MP3s Updated
Published April 22, 2005 @ 21:21 in My MP3 Collection

I've added a whole bunch of new CDs to my MP3 collection. It's probably best I break down these new additions into three groups: stuff I really wanted, stuff I thought I should have around and for Taryn.

Stuff I Really Wanted:

• Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
• Custom - Fast
• Neil Young - Greatest Hits
• Leonard Cohen - The Best Of Leonard Cohen
• Ozzy Osbourne - The Ozzman Cometh (Discs 1 and 2)
• Crowded House - The Very Best of Crowded House

Stuff I Thought I Should Have Around:

• Tommy James and the Shondells - Anthology
• Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music - The Ultimate Collection
• Enya - Best Of Enya (Paint The Sky With Stars)
• John Denver - Greatest Hits
• Kraftwerk - The Mix
• Emerson, Lake and Palmer - The Very Best Of Emerson, Lake and Palmer

For Taryn:

• Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
• Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
• Eurythmics - Greatest Hits
• Elton John - The Very Best of Elton John (Discs 1 and 2)

That's 617 complete albums and 9191 songs. Check it out.

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My MP3s Updated
Published March 26, 2005 @ 11:11 in My MP3 Collection

I've added eight new CDs to my MP3 collection. The new additions are Broken Social Scene's "You Forgot It In People", Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "The Best Of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds", Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's two CDs from "Amadeus", Stevie Wonder's two volumes of "Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection", The Door's "The Best of The Doors" and Smokin Suckaz Wit Logic's "Playin' foolz".

That's 599 complete albums and 8922 songs. Check it out.

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Just The Facts
Published February 12, 2005 @ 15:25 in My MP3 Collection

Last weekend, I started using iTunes to organize and play my MP3s. iTunes makes sorting really easy and gives you access to some interesting facts. Here's what I learned by glancing at my iTunes player.

First song when sorted alphabetically: #9 Dream - John Lennon
Last song when sorted alphabetically: Zooropa - U2
First artist when sorted alphabetically: 10CC
Last artist when sorted alphabetically: ZZ Top
Shortest song, excluding songs of silence: Jim Backus - 3rd Bass @ 0:04
Longest song, excluding songs with large periods of silence within: Echoes - Pink Floyd @ 23:27
First album when sorted alphabetically: (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis
Last album when sorted alphabetically: Zooropa - U2
Total number of songs in my collection: 8840
Time required to play entire collection without repeating a song: 23 days

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My MP3s Updated
Published January 17, 2005 @ 21:36 in My MP3 Collection

I've added nine new CDs to my MP3 collection. The new additions are Pink Floyd's "The Wall Part 1" and "The Wall Part 2", Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "No More Shall We Part" and "The Boatman's Call", The Pretenders' "Learning To Crawl", Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player", INXS' "Kick" and R.E.M.'s "Automatic For The People".

That's 588 complete albums and 8857 songs. Check it out.

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