SchneeWorld

Digital Lifestyle

While saving the world, I find it nice to have access to music. Digital music. I have a rather large amount, and once my wife's favorites are integrated, I'll have even more.

I used to have a problem - the music is stored on a computer harddrive and the stereo doesn't talk to it. I know the answer - get some box that interfaces between the two and stream. I'd use a remote which would display info on the TV screen and stream to the TV. There would be the computer, the TV, the stereo and the "box". I knew that the boxes existed - the Playstation 3 is an example (and it can also show images, like nice photographic images, if I had any of those).

Alas, the Playstation 3 doesn't exactly fit into my family's lifestyle - we haven't cracked the video game seal yet.

And then I spoke to a buddy of mine who told me about the
, the iPhone and the Remote application. I already had the iPod Touch (which is just like an iPhone without the telephony and GPS). Remote was easy to install. I just needed the Airport Express. Off to the Apple Store.

Wow. I can control my iTunes server (the computer) using my iPod Touch. Stream music, change music, volume control. Very nice. I used it during a little wine party we had on Friday. So very nice.

Apple iPhone

I did not get one this past weekend. I don't know that I will.

Apple iPod Touch

I purchased an Apple iPod Touch at the beginning of May. I enjoy music and have a nice little collection of songs from 1970 onward, but that is not why I purchased it.

I wanted the Internet in my pocket, as it were. The Touch is a little larger than my cell phone and it has one really nice feature set: WiFi connectivity and associated applications (such as a browser) that lets me make the most of the connection. I took the Touch to the eBay Live! 2008 conference that I recently attended and left the laptop at home. I knew that I didn't want to lug the laptop but wanted to still be in contact with the 'Net. I can check my Gmail account, I can use the web API to check my work email, and I can browse the web. It was really nice and fit in my pocket.

Privacy is a bit of a concern - I'd like to establish an SSH tunnel to some endpoint (or use TOR) and harden my data a bit. I could probably jailbreak the Touch and get something going, but, meh. It would also be nice to get VPN setup to my corporate LAN and/or get the Touch recognized by the corporate wireless network.

I didn't want to pop for the iPhone - a few people at work have them and they seem pretty cool, but the fees seem steep.

It is a pretty nice music player as well.

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