Tuesday, November 11, 2008

iTunes, iPod, Mediamonkey and Music Library

We have ordered an iPod and I am trying to understand HOW recordings are indexed to put on the iPod. I am talking the Holy Bible (55 CDs), Christian Worship, Classical singing and orchestral and some plain old performances by artists.
It seems to me that iTunes is designed for Pop music fans. It calls tracks songs and the main groups are Album and Artist. The Audiobooks and Podcast seem to refer to downloads from iTunes. Even then speech is called songs.

Even with its focus on Popular iTunes does not handle compiliations well - see this
and one post is a detailed discussion on what to do
Apple - Support - Discussions - iTunes sorting issue. ...
BTW Compiliations can only be found in Help with a Search and then it was not clear where it was - it is last tab when you click right on a group selection and select Getinfo

So I am now using Mediamonkey MM (sorry Mac users it is Windows)
It is like having a spreadsheet of the music list and you can quickly change tags.

I found from others that for iPod to keep a wanted sequnce you do need Disc numbers and track numbers. MM has a Tool that autofills track number when you have recordings in wanted sequence.

I will be adding more to this as I go - mostly I need the iPod to load and see perhaps end of week it arrives

Monday, November 10, 2008

Flinders Ranges creature had eight arms

Flinders Ranges creature had eight arms - Science - Specials - smh.com.au

WHEN Jim Gehling first came across fossils of a strange, eight-armed creature in ancient rocks in the Flinders Ranges he was astonished.

Researchers had been combing these famous hills for 50 years, cataloguing evidence of the earliest known animals on Earth - soft-bodied sea creatures called the Ediacara biota that lived about 550 million years ago.

"We thought that by now we had found most of the different kinds of Ediacara fossils that existed," said Dr Gehling, of the South Australian Museum.

But not only was the extinct eight-armed creature, with its dome-shaped body, new to science, it was also unusual among all lifeforms: "Creatures with eight-fold symmetry are rare."

need a house on NSW Central Coast

Right on Brisbane Waters a good friend is selling his house. Looks tremendous value

KOOLEWONG

Pope speaks of Kristallnacht pain

Pope speaks of Kristallnacht pain | The Daily Telegraph

POPE Benedict XVI marked today's 70th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, a prelude to the Holocaust, by recalling the agony he felt as a boy growing up in Nazi Germany.

An unwilling member of the Hitler Youth who deserted the German army towards the end of World War II, the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, who turned 81 in April, urged younger generations to shun all forms of discrimination.

Recalling the "sad events of the night of 9-10 November 1938, when the Nazi fury was unleashed against the Jews", the pope said "even today, I feel pain for what happened in these tragic circumstances, of which the memory must serve to ensure that such horrors never occur again".

It is good that the Pope recalls this disgusting event. It was a milestone in Nazi steps to their other horrors.

This is better than a previous post I had to make

Ron's "reviews": Poll shows only 70% of Germans are sane

The pogrom, also known as the Night of Broken Glass, saw Nazi thugs plunder Jewish businesses throughout Germany, torch some 300 synagogues and round up some 30,000 Jewish men for deportation to concentration camps.

Some 90 Jews were murdered in the orgy of violence.

The pope last month backed the beatification of his controversial World War II predecessor Pius XII defending the wartime pontiff's actions during a "complex historical moment".

His stance has sparked bitter debate and tension between Catholics and Jews.

I do not understand beatification - but it is what Popes do. However what did Pius XII do to warrant this. Presumably kept the Church intact through a time of conflict.



Friday, November 07, 2008

Thoughts and Links on Barack Obama

I like many Australians had never heard of Barack until this year.
At one primary I heard his victory speech and was concerned it seemed all about change whatever that was .
I was sort of hoping that Hillary would win as the first woman BUT then the first person of colour was perhaps even more needed.
Now it has happened I see clearly that it was needed - I rejoiced with the Civil Rights Marchers joy on election day.
But since that earlier speech I have heard nothing but a clear and profound message from Barack. People tell me all these bad things about him but if he is any of those then he is the biggest liar around and I am sure he is not.

I sort of like this prayer
I’m praying for you, Barack Obama « Hands Frozen to the Sword

Just prior to election OSO posted
One Salient Oversight: What's driving American Evangelicalism?
and Scyldings commented and I like his blog

Classics like - you'll laugh when you find out what it is
What Austen & Napolean had in common...

and on the 106 year old Ann Nixon Cooper whom you may have seen on the news
Further post-election thoughts
and how Jesse Jackson cried when Barack mentioned her.

Today Scyldings posted The Great Delusion
which linked to Byron who has some very sound thoughts from Australia on
nothing new under the sun...: The Change We Need: Reflections upon Obama
Byron says he has Heros: Karl Barth, Bart Simpson, Jed Bartlet.
My son often quotes Bart and his father although it is all too quick for me.
Now Jed I truly think was and always will be a great POTUS.
Karl well I have not read much but he is at least real......