Technology Trip-Ups

I am no Luddite, but I also feel that it is possible, especially in today's world, to be "too connected." Seriously--I don't really care when and where Kim Kardashian takes a dump. Until a few short weeks ago, my cell phone did three things: made calls, took calls, and allowed me to take an occasional picture. Recently, though, I changed phone companies, upgraded my plan, and now have a phone that actually texts (send and receives, by golly) and connects to the internet so I can blog, tweet, and update my Facebook status from, like, anywhere (you may now un-friend me if you like).

One thing I have always tried to stay current on, technologically, is music. Although I never got into 8-tracks (I was always a cassette guy--hated it when songs stopped, albeit temporarily, when tracks changed), I shed no tears when vinyl gave way to CDs and likewise as CDs give way to digital music players. First of all, I like the fact that I can have more music in less space (now I just need more time to listen to more music); secondly, my ear and playback equipment is not so finely attuned that I notice any drop-off in sound quality among digital formats.

(Note: Momentum lost in blogging due to FB conversation with friend from high school. Technology does have its merits most days.)

OK, where was I? Technology and music. Awhile back, I decided I really needed to have a portable music player--you know, one of those newfangled little pocket-size gizmos that can carry the entire music collection of the campus radio station I worked at in college. So I got a Zune--yes, the evil empire Microsoft version. Not a nano or shuffle or anything like that--even though we use Macs at work, I am still a PC guy, and, really, I don't listen to it enough to justify the cost of the Apple versions. One of the reasons is I don't like sticking those buds in my ears; I prefer the outside-the-ears headphones. I never wear one when I am running (indoors or out) or working out, although it is handy when mowing the lawn.

So another thing I did was upgrade the music player in the car. The former one was 10 years old (the car itself is 12--hey, it's a Honda) and was skipping on CDs, so I got a good deal (of course) on a new Pioneer. And this one has, of all things, an input for an mp3 player. So last night I decided to load all of my Christmas music on the Zune for my drive down to the Indianapolis area for the holidays. Wouldn't you know it--no matter how much I tried, I could not get the Zune to sync up with the computer. I plugged the cable into every USB port available, went online to troubleshoot--you name it. I was confounded. Then I remembered I had another USB cable somewhere. I found it, changed it, and, lo and behold! (I love that saying), the damn thing synched perfectly. (OK, Apple lovers--you may stop laughing anytime.)

So if there is a moral anywhere to be found, I guess it would be--when technology fails, start with the little things first. In our world of nanotechnology, the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in our microcircuitry.

Whatever Happened to the Original Version?

Haven't blogged in awhile, for a couple of reasons. 1. Been under the weather. 2. Nothing has pissed me off lately, politically speaking. 3. Been busy. What I have been doing this evening, however, is listening to, repeatedly, something that a friend of mine found somewhere out there on the internet: the orginal version of "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" by Chris Rea. I've read that Rea wasn't happy with the original version of this and other songs on his debut album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, and he subsequently re-recorded this song on his first greatest hits album, giving it a much blusier feel. But to people like me, who did much of their growing up in the 1970s and hearing this song on stations like WLS-AM in Chicago, this is the ultimate version, and finding it is like discovering Eldorado. I did find on YouTube a video clip of Rea doing this version from what looks like a late '70s British TV show, but they don't have the full version. Think I'll listen to it a couple of more times this evening.