GeekSugar

Are Music Subscriptions a Good Idea?

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:44:57 -0700

I had a good guffaw this morning with my co-workers over the old Columbia House deal from back in the day when you'd get 10 CDs for a penny, and agreed to buy a certain amount of CDs for a certain amount of time. At 14, the deal seemed like I was getting away with something crazy, but I realized later that I was in my first music subscription. It was also my last music subscription.

One of the cool things about the Zune is its subscription service - but for me, I like to own my music, not rent it, and sometimes I just don't keep up enough to make sure I'm getting my money's worth. That's how I feel about a subscription service in general, and not just the Zune's, which I have been thinking about since Microsoft tried to make it seem like having an iPod was a financial drain.

Not only that, Napster is offering a $5 a month deal for access to their entire music collection, and rumors of an iTunes subscription plan still persist.

Personally, the only thing I like to subscribe to are my Netflix discs and my magazines - other than that, I prefer to just pay once for what I'm getting and be done with it. What about you?

Were You a Napster User?

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:01:44 -0700

When I heard that Best Buy was buying the flailing Napster for $121 Million, I had to remind myself that yes, Napster has been around in a completely legal incarnation for the past few years. But let's be real - Napster's glory days were 1999-2000, when it popped up as the first really mainstream file-sharing network, only to be slammed down, of course, by angry artists like Dr. Dre and Metallica.

At that time I was just a naive college student with a T1 connection, and in those first few months, I honestly had no idea there would be consequences for all that "free" music. As quickly as everyone started downloading with abandon, everyone stopped once it became a matter of legislation. But still, salad days.

Anyway, tell me: Were you a Napster user? I don't think Lars is listening.

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The Webby Awards Name Top Internet Moments of the Decade

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:28 -0800

The 2000s were an important decade for the Internet. It was a platform for endless amounts of innovation, a ton of new ideas and content, and it brought lots of change. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to whittle down all of the important things that have happened into a list of only 10. Thankfully popular awards organization the Webby Awards took the initiative to do it themselves and released a list of the Top 10 Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade.

Among them: Craigslist's nationwide expansion in 2000, music-sharing site Napster's shutdown in 2001, Facebook opening to non-college students in 2006, and the Iranian election protests (a.k.a. "The Twitter Revolution") earlier this year. The list is pretty comprehensive, though I think they should add "the launch of GeekSugar" in 2006! The full list includes some major high-profile announcements as well as some that set the stage for further development and change.

David-Michel Davies, the executive director of the Webby Awards told CNN:

"Maybe in twenty years we'll look back and some of these might change. Something might become more important. I think history and time always gives you more insight into what moments or sites or companies shaped the landscape."

Indeed! It's fun to look back at the moments that shaped Internet history over the past decade, and exciting to think of what's to come in the next 10 years.

Have You Forgiven Metallica For Their File-Sharing Attack?

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:00:39 -0700

It seems as though Metallica has logged on to the Internet and finally witnessed what it can do for business - perhaps they saw Radiohead's success with its pretty-much-free In Rainbows and the exposure bands receive via streaming on sites like MySpace and Pandora? Or maybe they just wised up and realized that file sharing is not the death of the music business, as was so direly predicted in 2000. When Lars Ulrich mounted an attack on thousands of Napster users, he had no idea on what the future would bring.

Could he have known that this year, Metallica would release a program called "Mission: Metallica" utilizing the same kind of techniques they went to court against? The band is reaching out to fans with DRM-free downloads and unreleased material, but fans have not forgotten their Napster massacre.

Can you forgive and forget, or is it too little, too late?

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Listen to Michael Jackson Tunes For Free From These Sites

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:47:13 -0700

It has already been five days since the sad news about Michael Jackson broke, and although many of us are still in disbelief, millions are remembering the king of pop through his music.

Since Friday, many of Michael's songs have been in the top songs list on iTunes, with "The Essential Michael Jackson" album claiming the number one album spot.

If you want to listen to Michael's music, but don't want to pay any money to do so, there are many sites that stream his music for free. To see what they are, just read more.

Michael Jackson MySpace Page: Here you'll find an entire tribute page honoring Michael, with some of his most famous songs playing in a handy pop-out player.
last.fm: If you have your own account, add songs directly to your library. Or you can scroll down on this page to instantly play some of Michael's top tracks. The sound quality is very impressive.
Napster: Just click on the play symbol by any of MJ's songs to start rocking out. Quality isn't as great as other sites, but all the classics are there for your enjoyment.
Grooveshark: To get started, search for Michael's name in the search bar and then once the results are shown, scroll over the song title and click the play symbol. Song quality is exceptional.

Recapture Your Lost Youth With This Winamp Tee

GeekSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:00:49 -0800

You never forget your first . . . music player! Seeing this Winamp t-Shirt ($18) really brings back my Napster-abusing memories.

I changed my Winamp skins monthly and relied on it as heavily as any app I love now. How young I was then - no glimmer of iTunes or iPhones yet to distract me. I'd rock this with glee - and couldn't wait for the knowing glances of passersby that will definitely be picking up what I'm putting down.

Geeking Out with Samantha Ronson at TechCrunch50/ MySpace Party

GeekSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:30:51 -0700

The big TechCrunch50 Conference kicked off yesterday at the San Francisco Design Center Concourse, with the best new tech startups launching their companies in front of the public - yes Ashton and Demi were there! And to celebrate the day one festivities was the big MySpace party last night at Mezzanine. I not only got to chat with Sean Parker, the cofounder of Napster, and TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington - who said this year's turnout was much better than last year's - but I was able to catch up with the famous Samantha Ronson, who was DJing at the event, and ask her some geeky questions!

BlackBerry or iPhone Owner? "I actually have both."
Are you a Mac or PC Fan? "Mac all the way. PCs are just hard to figure out and not user friendly whatsoever."
What software do use on your laptop for spinning tunes? "Sonar by Cakewalk."

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Is Airport Security Getting the "Go Ahead" to Search Devices For Illegal Content?

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

What is seriously up with airport security anyways?! First they get permission to seize and search your laptop or any other electronic device when crossing the border; then they make the only "TSA approved" laptop bag the ugliest laptop tote on planet earth; and now they're going to be able to search your gadgets (iPod, cell phone, laptop) for illegally downloaded media content?!

According to the Telegraph, leaders of the G8 are meeting this week to decide whether or not to ratify the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) which is aimed at preventing piracy. And if it gets the go ahead, customs agents would be able to search media players for illegally obtained content - ouch! This reminds me of Napster days where people would be downloading songs and all of a sudden a lawsuit would arrive on their doorstep, and sometimes handcuffs - double ouch! What do you guys think about all of this? I'm starting to think airports are becoming the "privacy free zones" - as soon as you step into them, anything is fair game!

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Geek Tip: Turn Old CDs Into Your Own Disco Ball

GeekSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:31 -0700

These days, there's really no reason to have CDs lying around since we get our music fix on Napster and Pandora, and download our music over at iTunes. And now even with Amazon's music service.

Thankfully for Mother Earth, this reduces our need for less than eco friendly packaging and waste to pile up in landfills. So what do we do with all the old CDs whose music we now have stored in our digital libraries but are still taking up precious storage space? If you don't want to lug them down to Rasputin to trade in, make them into a killer disco ball! Although you could officially recycle them, this DIY project I caught on wikiHow is pretty simple and totally cool if you have a party pad and want to add that little extra oomph to your next soiree. All you need is a glue gun, a Styrofoam ball, (size depending on how many CDs you have), some craft scissors, a bamboo stick or skewer, some string and a little patience. To see how to construct your CD Disco Ball, just read more

Gather up all your old or unwanted CDs. Using a pair of craft or kitchen shears, cut up the CDs into little squares. Careful! This can get a little tricky and you may end up with some cuts. Wear some protective gloves just to be safe. Make sure all the squares are about the same size. This will ensure your disco ball is evenly covered. There will be some odd shaped pieces left, but it's cool, we can use some of those too, so don't toss anything yet!
Once all the CDs are cut up, grab your Styrofoam ball and run your bamboo stick or skewer through the center of the ball to accommodate a string (or fishing wire) to hang the ball from. Knot up one end of the string to anchor, or you can tie the string onto a small paperclip to keep the string anchored at one end. Since we'll be gluing the CDs on next, the paperclip will end up being covered anyway.
Start gluing the squares onto the Styrofoam ball working from the center out. This is to make sure all your squares fit nice and snug. Plus, the top and bottom will be a good place to use the irregular pieces from the edges of the CDs. Make sure you are gluing the shiny side out!
Obviously, you gotta let it dry! Take this time to wipe off any excess glue before it dries.
Once dry, hang your new disco ball in a corner, or above your entertainment center. You can even pick up an inexpensive accent light from Ikea to angle at the ball when you're ready to party!

Not only can you infuse some fun into your apartment, but help save the planet from some trash, too!

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