Macs, iPods, and Programs

There are a few different things I've been enjoying recently (some of these started years ago but have endured).

• Macs and OS X - not too long ago I needed a new laptop to replace my poor Dell one that died. We decided that we wanted to get a Mac (I was raised using Macs - they were decent surrogate parents - and always wanted to go back) so we got a nice little MacBook. It's already being well-used. I've been enjoying OS X; it's a great change from Vista. I started out liking Microsoft Vista and there are still some things about it that I like but the more I used it, the less I liked it. I'm not a typical computer user so I'm sure it's fine for most people but I kept running into too many annoyances to continue to enjoy it. It's on our desktop computer (we received a copy of Vista - actually we've received 3 different copies of Vista for free, which should tell you something about it) but I really want to upgrade back to XP. I would but it's such an effort (and I don't use that computer very much any more so I'm not annoyed with it) that I don't know if I'll get around to it. OS X has its faults but it's actually enjoyable to use. It's also much more functional than Vista because it's built on a UNIX kernel and I have access to a fully-functional bash shell (command line stuff that you use a lot in Linux). Many brain imaging programs also run natively in OS X (and Linux - not many are native in Windows).
• iPod Touch - Apple has been running a promotion (for students) where you can get a free iPod Touch when you buy a Mac. They also had a promo where you could get a printer for free. We purchased all three things, received a rebate for the Touch and the printer, sold the printer, sold my old non-working laptop (to subsidize the computer cost; I wouldn't have purchased the computer without working the price down with some sort of "deal"), and kept the Touch and MacBook. I love the iPod Touch! It looks nice, plays music and movies well, has internet access, allows me access to email, and now has access to thousands of applications. So far I've only "purchased" free applications but there are some pretty good free ones. The most useful one (for me) was recently released - a scriptures app. It's pretty basic but the developer will add more features over time. It's also free. I'm quite impressed with the developer, who even is not accepting donations from people (he says that anyone wanting to donate should instead donate to the Perpetual Education Fund). Here's his website. Now I don't have to carry heavy scriptures to church any more (not that I mind, it's just nice to have something so compact). There is a different scriptures application available on the iTunes Store but it costs $15 and I'm in the free stage. Here are a couple screenshots from my iPod Touch.

• Pandora - an online streaming music site where you can type in an artist or song and it will play that artist and similar artists or songs. I've discovered quite a few new groups/musicians this way. There is also a Pandora iPhone/iPod Touch app available for free.
• Just today I discovered a program called SimplifyMedia that lets you access your music remotely through iTunes or WinAmp. You can share your library with up to 30 other people and they will be able to access your library of music remotely. This means my hypothetical sibling in Madagascar could listen to my iTunes library, which is here in Florida. There is also a program for the iPhone/iPod Touch that allows you to access the music on your laptop or desktop computer remotely if you have an internet connection. If anyone (that I know) wants access to our music, let me know and I'll submit your request to our Committee for the Protection of Sundry Germs from Senseless Eradication (who happen to also review music sharing requests); they meet monthly but only in months with 31 days or bats (that's bats in general, not 31 bats because that wouldn't make a lot of sense now, would it?), whichever happens less often.
• I've also been loving Facebook for keeping up with friends and family. It's a nice way to keep in touch with some people I might not otherwise remain in contact with. It's also a great place to reconnect with old friends you haven't seen for ages. Most people using the site were born in the 80s or later although I think there is a growing contingency from the 70s.

I guess that's it for now. I'll post some more things I've enjoyed or found useful later.