Twitter

So I'm on Twitter now. I wasn't expecting to "get it", just like when I joined FaceBook, but this one grew on me faster.

I like the fact that Twitter integrates very easily with FaceBook and some other sites, so that I can send a "Tweet" and my FaceBook status is updated at the same time.

But I think the coolest part of Twitter is that I have a Rockstar following me.

No, really! I have a Rockstar who is following me.

Not that I expect that he reads anything that I post, or would "nudge" me if I haven't sent a Tweet for a while, but still, it's pretty cool. What's even better is that he is the lead singer for one of my all-time favorite bands, Simple Minds: Jim Kerr.

And, no, I'm not ashamed to admit that I love Simple Minds. In fact, I just ordered their latest CD from Amazon.co.uk. It's called "Grafitti Soul". I've heard some snippets from it, and I can't wait to get it. Should be here in another couple of days.

So if you're wondering why I haven't updated this blog for a while, that's why. Blogging takes more time that I have these days, but Tweets are quick, and that's where I focus my "Social Networking Energy" right now.

Flashback...

Listening to a cassette tape of INXS in the truck while driving around town instantly transports me back to my highschool days. Something about the nuances of the cassette tape sound, not digitally perfect, satisfies me.

Digital Music Library

I have almost completed my first phase of going totally digital in my home.  I spent a few days last week ripping all of my CDs to MP3 format.  Well, like I said, I ripped almost all of my CDs.  I haven't gone through the Christmas CDs or my classical collection.

I used Windows Media Player to rip them at 320K, which is the highest setting it supports.

Why not use iTunes, you ask?  Well, I do have iTunes installed on the same computer, but I'm only using it to get music on and off of my iPod.  I like how WMP organizes the files, especially when it comes to album art.  With iTunes I see a file that claims to have the album art, but I don't know what format it's in.  With WMP there are actual JPEG files that get set as the folder image when browsing in Windows Explorer in "Thumbnails" view (like you see in the background of the picture above).

Plus, my ultimate goal is to get a Windows Media Center PC and extenders so that I'll have access to my media everywhere in the house, so I want to keep this as an all-Microsoft solution.  For the moment, though, I'll wait: the current CableCARD technology doesn't support "On Demand", yet.  Someday it will and my home media system will come to fruition.

In the meantime, my entire cabinet of CDs has been compressed down to one 500GB external USB hard drive.  It's a funny thing: now that I have my entire collection readily accessible I can't find anything to listen to!

Aerial

I've been a Kate Bush fan for years, though "The Red Shoes" wasn't one of my favorites, I'll admit. Recently, though, she released a new CD called "Aerial". I bought it from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and it just showed up on my doorstep yesterday. It is a two CD release, and it's awesome! It has a little bit of jazz in it, but it is distinctively Kate Bush at its core. This one will get a lot of play time in the near and distant future!