Archive for February, 2010

iTunes in itself isn’t a bad media player or organizer, but the lack of FAST folder scanning and auto-updating really makes it unusable for a large collection of music.   MediaMonkey fixes ALL the short-comings of iTunes and then some. 

Since MediaMonkey bases it’s entire library on ID3 tags FIRST, changing filenames/folders/etc doesn’t affect the library at all.  Once you set the software to monitor a folder, it will scan/update itself upon startup.  This is VERY helpful as I have folders setup as sorted and unsorted.  My unsorted folder is for discs that I have not had time to create all the tags yet, but sometimes I want to listen to the song right away.  If I later change the folder in which it belongs to (to sorted) I don’t have to worry about breaking/not finding the songs on my player or even playlists!

Synching with the iPhone is quite simple as well.  You’ll still need to install iTunes on your computer for the drivers, but that’s it! Like in iTunes, all I do is synch my MediaMonkey playlists to my iPhone and it’ll always synch/update itself.  This is great as my playlists are always updated and updated.  Unlike iTunes, if the filename of the song changes/etc I don’t have to worry about iTunes removing the music off my iPhone.

Lastly, the speed of MediaMonkey is simply amazing.  It searches, organizes, caches searches so much quicker than iTunes that I’m not sure how I lived without it previously.  It seriously is the ultimate music media player for Windows!

Is the internet really a good way to express emotions/feelings/comradery?  I understand the importance of finding an outlet, but isn’t it easier to just talk to people instead?  Sometimes I feel that in this information-era we lose the touch of human interaction.  Think about it, online dating, online chatting, online SOCIAL networking, etc.  Some of this stuff is great for interacting with people that are all over the country, but when someone lives down the block from you isn’t it just another layer for us to have to break through?

Often I find it really funny how people like to text, chat, twitter, etc instead of just giving someone a call to talk.  Maybe it’s because I’m a people person, but I feel our generation started something that is so bad that our future generations will suffer in the end.

I believe this problem stems from parental guidance.  I really can’t remember much of my parents talking to me about anything in regards to relationships, friendship, etc when I was younger.  I’ve received excellent moral standards from my parents as well as the pursuit of excellence, but never the emotional support.  As much as parents succeeded in bringing me up, I’m fairly certain they failed in that part.  Sadly, I know for sure I am not the only one to have been raised like this as none of my friends that I’m aware of has gotten the proper support or even had less support than myself.  Sadly this seems like the norm after having talked to many people.  You can tell already by how often you have family dinners where you and your family sit together in a room without the TV on.

So now, that we are a generation of emotionally detached individuals we need to find a way to express ourselves without feeling embarrassed.  What better place than the internet where you can hide behind your computer and post anonymously about how emo your life is.  Sad really..

Luckily, I broke this invisible emotional barrier with my parents in my late teens.  This really strengthened my relationship with my family and in life.  At that point I realized that I’m finally not embarrassed to talk about how i feel, I’m not embarrassed to make an ass out of myself, I’m just not embarrassed period.  I’m above all of this because you do NOT get what you want by NOT talking about it.  Best quote I heard in a long time, “a closed mouth doesn’t get fed” which seems very suitable. 

So man up people, the internet is a good outlet…if you are a coward.  Talk to someone!

My brother and I reviewed his Jensen head unit after he installed it back in August of 2009.  Due to the move and everything I put this on the backburner, but now it’s finally uploaded!  The head unit is a pretty good buy if all you want is music, dvd, ipod integration, and bluetooth for phone!

Sometimes, you run across a website in which you could not fathom how you lived your entire life without.  The FAIL Blog is one of those websites.  It contains so much WIN that I had to dedicate a post to it…that is all.

A picture is worth a thousand words….

What can go wrong?

Back in 2004, it was the start of the blogging craze.  Since I figured it would be a shame to lose the posts that I created 6 years ago (no matter how retarded they were), I decided to import the data into my Wordpress more for archival purposes.

I used the rebol scripts from http://www.timwylie.com/xword.html to export the data from Xanga into Wordpress importable xml.  The process was simple and I didn’t need to install anything to do this.  Just follow the steps listed on the site and have viola!

I made these videos back when I first bought the M Roadster in May of 2009.  Here’s the videos that show how to install the Valentine 1 in the optimal spot along with the hidden display unit.

Part 1

Part 2

These are the videos that I made a few months ago showing how to install a in-dash player into a 06-08 M Roadster.  An in-dash unit is generally not that hard to install, but BMW decided to use DSP which requires an external amp install AND to cut factory wiring in order for this to work.

Removing stock unit

Harness connection/install/fishing

Removal of the Glove Box to get to the fuse to tap into the constants

Fishing RCA cables and KCA-BT200 module to optimal spots

Pulling RCA cables to the rear of the hatch

Looks like BMW does everything it can to ensure that their cars are not prone to costly warranty and maintenance repairs.  When I picked up the M Roadster I noticed that my 1-2 shifts were really crappy.  I thought it was just due to the fact that I was unfamiliar with BMW’s clutch engagement point.  After doing some research and noticing I didn’t have the same issues when test driving a 370z and a MazdaSpeed 3, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t me… it was the car! (I know everyone says this when it comes to driving manual lol).

Long behold a quick search on the internet showed that BMW uses a Clutch Delay Valve (CDV).  I found that a company called Zeckhausen sells a modified CDV to replace the stock one so that you do not look silly driving your own car any more!

From their site:

“After the stock CDV is replaced with one of our modified units, you will be able to shift gears in your BMW just like a "normal" car.  No more vague, inconsistent clutch engagement.  No more jerky 1-2 shifts.  You can actually chirp the tires when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear!  Parallel parking becomes a breeze and your clutch will love you for it and last much longer.  Best of all, your passengers will stop making fun of your driving skills.”

Will report back after I install the CDV, but everyone who has replaced it seems to highly recommend either removing the CDV completely or using a Zeckhausen’s to keep the "stock” look for warranty’s sake.

Spent the last few days going back and forth with my provider as it seems that someone restored my old site, and removed my newer site that had more updated posts. It’ll take a few days to get everything back in order../sigh