ThunderPunch

Read a mildly irritating article this morning from digg.com.

So not only has Apple decided it’s a good idea to remove all the buttons from the IPod Shuffle and incorporate them into the inline headphone remote, surprise surprise the chip set to do so is proprietary. Meaning anybody else who wants to make headphones that control the new IPod Shuffle will have to pay Apple licensing fees for the privilege of doing so. From what the article said it sounds like the chip set isn’t encrypted or locked down in anyway but without the fancy Designed for IPod logo you pretty much lose all credibility with Apple customers.

RayzrShrp Blog Apple, IPod, Shuffle

THANK YOU Megan for totally getting this song stuck in my head all morning!

RayzrShrp Blog Commercial, Humor, McDonalds, Video, Youtube

The second-generation iPod shuffle’s controls are pretty familiar to anyone who’s used any sort of playback device, whether it be an iPod, other music player, or even a DVD player. The buttons are clearly marked with the nearly-universal symbols for Play/Pause, forward, previous, and “more” and “less.” This is an iPod that my mom or dad could pick up and grasp without too much trouble.

Now the new IPod Shuffle:

The fact that Apple has to put up this diagram tells you how much more complicated it is: how would you figure out the controls without this chart? The only markings on the controls are the “+” and “-” that mark volume controls. There is no indication of how to play or pause music. There’s also no way to know where the previous or next track buttons are; you wouldn’t be out of line thinking that it might involve the use of the volume up and down buttons—not so. In order to go to the next track, you double-click the center of the controller; to go the previous track, you triple-click the controller. You can also hold down the center button to hear the name of the currently playing track, then release it after a beep to hear the name of all your playlists.

Look, even buttons have their place: having discrete controls for discrete functions is not necessarily a design failure. Sometimes it’s just the best way to get the job done. There’s no inherent, intuitive cognitive connection between double-clicking to go forward or triple-clicking to go back; it requires the forging of a new link in our minds. Where does it end? Will future versions require you to quadruple- or quintuple-click? Will there be a system where you can spell out the name of the song, artist, or album you want in Morse code?

I realize that it seems elegant to Apple—look, ma, no moving parts—but anybody who’s going to spend some time helping a less-than-tech-savvy individual deal with their new iPod is quickly going to encounter frustration: “No, dad, click three times to go back to that last song. No, don’t hold it down! Okay, let’s start again.” It’s enough to make you wish for a feature that lets you click your heels together to go home again.

Then, there’s the lock-in aspect. I suffer from a not uncommon genetic condition called “the stupid iPod earbuds don’t stay in my ears.” I simply can’t use the iPod earbuds for anything that doesn’t require me staying absolutely still; if I walk around, the earbuds fall out—never mind jogging. Up until now, no problem: just swap in any pair of headphones, from the cheapest pair of over-the-head models to a $300 pair of noise-cancelling cans. Headphones are headphones are headphones, right?

Alas, no more. The decision to put the controls on the headphones means that unless Apple opens up the controls to third parties, you can’t even play music on the iPod without using Apple’s own earbuds. What happens if, as is also not unheard of, Apple’s stock earbuds break? Your iPod is completely useless until you get another pair of approved headphones.

I know there will be plenty who say: well, the iPod shuffle isn’t for you, then. True, it’s not; I’ll stick to my fifth-generation iPod or a nano. But it also means the new shuffle won’t be the iPod I’d recommend to others, as the previous shuffle often was.

I understand the desire for the Apple design team to push themselves and try to accomplish something new and perhaps even revolutionary, but in the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm, perhaps they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

RayzrShrp Blog Apple, IPod, Shuffle

I was reading an article on Channel3000 about recession proof jobs and found this excerpt interesting:

While no job is totally secure, there are some that are still in high demand, experts said.

At Madison Area Technical College, many students are coming back to supplement their education after a layoff. Some switch fields altogether, and many are flocking to information technology and health care careers, which offer a wide array of options.

“Now, our programs are really getting pushed,” said Alfonso Studesville, a career counselor at MATC. “With the number of applicants for health career jobs, there’s a huge need.”

When it comes to recession-proof jobs, health care has been heralded as a savior.

“The health care professions are well-built,” said Terry Webb, vice president of MATC. “People can start at a basic level and work their way up to our nursing degrees and the university level.”

Careers in information technology are also high in demand, and mixing a technical career path with a health care education could create the most in-demand job of all, WISC-TV reported.

With Lydia being a Registered Nurse and me being a Cisco Certified Network Specialist we count our lucky stars every day with the way things are right now in the economy.

RayzrShrp Blog Economy, MATC

OK got everything reinstalled and working for the most part. Obviously there is lots of tweeking to be done. Nextgen-gallery was giving me some grief last night but after removing it and manually installing it instead of adding it through the plugins menu it appears to be working properly now.

Now I just need to find stuff to blog about and get everything working exactly how I want it.

RayzrShrp Blog ThunderPunch

Insert cheesy 80’s movie montage of rebuilding website

RayzrShrp Blog ThunderPunch