I updated to iTunes 8.0 last night. One of the most touted features was the Genius thing. The premise is awesome. If you are familiar with Pandora then you already know of it.
Basically iTunes analyzes your music collection and allows you to create on the fly playlists based on specific songs. The program is supposed to select other songs that are similar to the one you selected in various ways.
Awesome right?
Well, it would be, if the program were intelligent enough to manage. Unfortunately, however, I find the lack of intelligence in anything called GENIUS disturbing.
I can expect that it is going to be unaware of some of the stuff in my collection, such as Xampha, Sefiros, etc... but when it doesn't manage to recognize any of the Stravinski in there, I get worried. I suppose my biggest complaint is when it says that it doesn't recognize (about 75% of my 11,000-ish songs) but has no problem prompting me to purchase the tracks I am missing from that artist.
Seriously, wtf? It apparently knows enough about Infected mushroom to try to sell me more music, but doesn't know enough about it to pick 24 other songs that are similar?
Ahh, when it DOES recognize a song though, this should be a wonderous journey through my eclectic collection of tracks from hundreds of artists right? I wouldn't know, it seemed to match toad the wet sproket and guns n' roses with everything I selected. With the exception of Jars of Clay, no Toad the Wet Sprocket... huh? If you know anything about these two bands you know that they are very similar. In fact, Toad was a HUGE inspiration for Jars of Clay musically.
I just don't get it.
Apple has said that the Genius system will get a lot better with age, as people use it. I suppose that this makes a good level of sense. I am, however, wondering if Apple seriously expects us to just sit through horrible reccomendation while they figure it out.
I don't think I am going to give it that much space. I've started using floola to manage my iPod, so iTunes barely gets loaded anymore. In fact, I only even loaded it in order to get the update.
I suppose I could have saved that bandwidth for something useful.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
So I was off work today and decided to drop by the Hyundai dealership to take a look at the Genesis Sedan, in anticipation of the Genesis Coupe next year.
They weren't letting people drive them unless they are seriously interested in buying one in order to keep the mileage down. Apparently they have had a slew of people coming in asking to drive them, so it makes sense. It was easier for me to get a test drive of the only SRT-4 that existed in Lancaster, PA when I lived there
I know that this is long, but I had a lot to write about, and felt like writing it for you all to ignore
Exterior:
The car is attractive. It is, like reviewers have said, pretty understated. Nothing too flashy or outlandish. Pretty unassuming, really. One thing I was worried about prior to seeing one in person was the grill. In pictures it looked very large and "bling-ey", but happy to say, in person it was not large at all, and looked very tasteful.
The model I looked at was equipped with the auto-turning HID headlamps. They all come standard with LED tails. It had a sunroof, and the optional 18 inch wheels.
While this is a full sized sedan, the proportions do well to keep it from seeming boaty. At a glance, one could be forgiven for assuming it was the same size as an Accord (assuming the Accord was not sitting right next to it of course.)
Interior:
My personal experience with Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs is pretty limited. I've never been inside a lexus, I've only looked at a low end Merc (230 compressor, or whatever...) that my aunt owned, and never sat in it. I've not been inside a Beemer newer than an e36 3 series.
I have, however experienced the kind of luxury that 5+ million will get you from Cessna, Raytheon, Hawker, and BeechCraft.
That being said, the Genesis is definitely sub-par for interior luxury compared to a business jet, but compared to the only beemer interior I have ever experienced, it was superior.
First impression sliding into the seat was that this leather was amazing. Supple, smooth, soft. This is what leather should feel like. I didn't care for the shape of the seat, preferring something more like my Tiburon's seats, or the Preludes seats, with larger bolsters and a more "sporty" feel. This is a subjective thing, and the type of person I see buying or looking at the Genesis will enjoy these seats. The car I looked at had the heated seats, and apparently they have an air conditioned seat option as well.
The woven headliner was a very nice touch, adding an incredible amount of class to the car surprisingly.
The interior was cavernous and roomy compared to impressions from the outside. I could imagine 5 large adults fitting comfortable in this car very easily.
The dash was trimmed in leather and wood. I know that I have heard that Hyundai is using real wood, but I don't know if it is an option or standard, and whether this car had real or imitation wood, so if it was imitation, they did a fine job on it.
The guage cluster was beautiful. Black with white lettering. I enjoyed it very much, and I hope that the same guage cluster, or similar, makes it into the Coupe.
All of the buttons had a solid, positive feel to them, none of the typical cheapie plastic feel you get in most cars today. The trim all matted very well together with do large gaps, or tight squishes.
The steering wheel felt very nice, finished in a very soft, slightly padded leather. Apparently there is an option to have this air conditioned also.
Climate control had all of the standard amenities, dual zones, digital read out, etc. Everything is controlled via the LCD panel in the dash. I did not get to play with their "iDrive" rip off, as they did not have any on the lot with this feature.
I had my iPod with me, and all of the models they have currently have the 14 speaker lexicon sound system. Since the car comes standard with iPod integration ($24 cable as an option, but it is just a USB sync cable essentially, so I suspect that your standard iPod cable would work just fine) we decided to try it out.
First impression of the iPod integration? Could be better, but not horrible. It could have been that the guy just didn't know how to use it as well. My iPod has 12 thousand songs on it and several hundred Artists, and scrolling through the artist list was a bit painful to get all the way down to Pink Floyd.
We popped on One of These Days from the Meddle album and the sales guy cranked the system, literally, to MAX. We were pleasantly rewarded with what I can only describe as the single best sounding stock audio system I have ever heard in my life!
This system sounded better than a lot of modified systems I have listened to. There are separate tweeters and mid woofers in each door (including the rear doors), a pair of Mids in the dash and rear deck, a center channel inthe dash and a 10 inch sub woofer in the rear deck.
We were surrounded by Roger Waters amazing guitar work (once that part of the song came around) and when the bass lines really took off I was amazed to see a stock sound system cause the rear view mirror to vibrate, and not just a little bit either.
I noticed not a bit of distortion from the system, even with it turned all the way up, which was surprising to me. Overall I was VERY impressed by the audio this car has.
Two things that I had issue with about the audio.
Overall:
Prior to anyone outside of Hyundai having even SEEN one of these, Hyundai was claiming that their target for this car from a fit and finish standpoint was the Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs, while their target for sales were cars such as the G8, 300c, etc...
Price wise, they have matched the target for their sales group. The car I looked at was 36 thousand dollars. This was a V6 model nicely equipped. Models can reportedly go as high as 42 or so for a fully loaded V8.
Many reports have placed the Genesis on par with it's upscale inspiration in the Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs, and even surpassing them in some areas. While I cannot speak to that, I can definitely say that overall this car is amazing, and even more so coming from Hyundai, a company that not long ago was held in the same regards as Yugo.
Until I have a chance to drive it, I cannot say anything about performance, but if Hyundai has managed to uphold every single promise on this car so far, I am confident that the driving experience will not let me down. Hopefully, as they begin selling more and the initial interest wanes, I will have the chance to drive one, rather than having to wait for the Coupe to hit early next year.
The fact that Hyundai has made this car live up to every expectation gives me great hope that the Coupe will as well, it only heightens my anticipation.
It has been noted that the Genesis Sedan is on par with the Mercedes S550, but for the price of the S550 you can pick up two Genesis, and have enough left over for a couple of Vespas. In my opinion, that should be re-worded to "For the cost of an S550 you can have a Genesis Sedan and Coupe and have enough left over for some upgrades. Talk about having your cake, AND eating it too."
They weren't letting people drive them unless they are seriously interested in buying one in order to keep the mileage down. Apparently they have had a slew of people coming in asking to drive them, so it makes sense. It was easier for me to get a test drive of the only SRT-4 that existed in Lancaster, PA when I lived there
I know that this is long, but I had a lot to write about, and felt like writing it for you all to ignore
Exterior:
The car is attractive. It is, like reviewers have said, pretty understated. Nothing too flashy or outlandish. Pretty unassuming, really. One thing I was worried about prior to seeing one in person was the grill. In pictures it looked very large and "bling-ey", but happy to say, in person it was not large at all, and looked very tasteful.
The model I looked at was equipped with the auto-turning HID headlamps. They all come standard with LED tails. It had a sunroof, and the optional 18 inch wheels.
While this is a full sized sedan, the proportions do well to keep it from seeming boaty. At a glance, one could be forgiven for assuming it was the same size as an Accord (assuming the Accord was not sitting right next to it of course.)
Interior:
My personal experience with Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs is pretty limited. I've never been inside a lexus, I've only looked at a low end Merc (230 compressor, or whatever...) that my aunt owned, and never sat in it. I've not been inside a Beemer newer than an e36 3 series.
I have, however experienced the kind of luxury that 5+ million will get you from Cessna, Raytheon, Hawker, and BeechCraft.
That being said, the Genesis is definitely sub-par for interior luxury compared to a business jet, but compared to the only beemer interior I have ever experienced, it was superior.
First impression sliding into the seat was that this leather was amazing. Supple, smooth, soft. This is what leather should feel like. I didn't care for the shape of the seat, preferring something more like my Tiburon's seats, or the Preludes seats, with larger bolsters and a more "sporty" feel. This is a subjective thing, and the type of person I see buying or looking at the Genesis will enjoy these seats. The car I looked at had the heated seats, and apparently they have an air conditioned seat option as well.
The woven headliner was a very nice touch, adding an incredible amount of class to the car surprisingly.
The interior was cavernous and roomy compared to impressions from the outside. I could imagine 5 large adults fitting comfortable in this car very easily.
The dash was trimmed in leather and wood. I know that I have heard that Hyundai is using real wood, but I don't know if it is an option or standard, and whether this car had real or imitation wood, so if it was imitation, they did a fine job on it.
The guage cluster was beautiful. Black with white lettering. I enjoyed it very much, and I hope that the same guage cluster, or similar, makes it into the Coupe.
All of the buttons had a solid, positive feel to them, none of the typical cheapie plastic feel you get in most cars today. The trim all matted very well together with do large gaps, or tight squishes.
The steering wheel felt very nice, finished in a very soft, slightly padded leather. Apparently there is an option to have this air conditioned also.
Climate control had all of the standard amenities, dual zones, digital read out, etc. Everything is controlled via the LCD panel in the dash. I did not get to play with their "iDrive" rip off, as they did not have any on the lot with this feature.
I had my iPod with me, and all of the models they have currently have the 14 speaker lexicon sound system. Since the car comes standard with iPod integration ($24 cable as an option, but it is just a USB sync cable essentially, so I suspect that your standard iPod cable would work just fine) we decided to try it out.
First impression of the iPod integration? Could be better, but not horrible. It could have been that the guy just didn't know how to use it as well. My iPod has 12 thousand songs on it and several hundred Artists, and scrolling through the artist list was a bit painful to get all the way down to Pink Floyd.
We popped on One of These Days from the Meddle album and the sales guy cranked the system, literally, to MAX. We were pleasantly rewarded with what I can only describe as the single best sounding stock audio system I have ever heard in my life!
This system sounded better than a lot of modified systems I have listened to. There are separate tweeters and mid woofers in each door (including the rear doors), a pair of Mids in the dash and rear deck, a center channel inthe dash and a 10 inch sub woofer in the rear deck.
We were surrounded by Roger Waters amazing guitar work (once that part of the song came around) and when the bass lines really took off I was amazed to see a stock sound system cause the rear view mirror to vibrate, and not just a little bit either.
I noticed not a bit of distortion from the system, even with it turned all the way up, which was surprising to me. Overall I was VERY impressed by the audio this car has.
Two things that I had issue with about the audio.
- The sub woofer, while amazing, was not the greatest, and the overall sound felt like it was lacking a bit down low. An aftermarket Sub woofer would be a definite upgrade in my mind, however I don't think I would touch anything else at all.
- About 5 minutes into listening we started hearing a very nasty buzz coming fromthe speakers. It sounded like electrical noise, so I doubt that it was any deficiency with the audio system itself. We were parked under an overhang with those metal halide lamps that pour out the EMI. I would have to reserve judgment on this point until I had a chance to drive it around.
Overall:
Prior to anyone outside of Hyundai having even SEEN one of these, Hyundai was claiming that their target for this car from a fit and finish standpoint was the Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs, while their target for sales were cars such as the G8, 300c, etc...
Price wise, they have matched the target for their sales group. The car I looked at was 36 thousand dollars. This was a V6 model nicely equipped. Models can reportedly go as high as 42 or so for a fully loaded V8.
Many reports have placed the Genesis on par with it's upscale inspiration in the Beemers, Lexi, and Mercs, and even surpassing them in some areas. While I cannot speak to that, I can definitely say that overall this car is amazing, and even more so coming from Hyundai, a company that not long ago was held in the same regards as Yugo.
Until I have a chance to drive it, I cannot say anything about performance, but if Hyundai has managed to uphold every single promise on this car so far, I am confident that the driving experience will not let me down. Hopefully, as they begin selling more and the initial interest wanes, I will have the chance to drive one, rather than having to wait for the Coupe to hit early next year.
The fact that Hyundai has made this car live up to every expectation gives me great hope that the Coupe will as well, it only heightens my anticipation.
It has been noted that the Genesis Sedan is on par with the Mercedes S550, but for the price of the S550 you can pick up two Genesis, and have enough left over for a couple of Vespas. In my opinion, that should be re-worded to "For the cost of an S550 you can have a Genesis Sedan and Coupe and have enough left over for some upgrades. Talk about having your cake, AND eating it too."
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
missing you
I drove Vicki out to Agusta yesterday after work because she had a dentist appontment and Kevin was not able to take her. I sat in the car listening to music while she was inside and I listened to David Oistrakh and Vladmir Yampolsky playing various violin and piano pieces (the album was 'The Devil's Trill') and I thought of you. One piece was Tchaikovsky's Valse-scherzo, Op 34. I know that you have played it in the past and it reminded me of you, except that I think you played it better.
I wish that I had spent more time just listening to you play like I did when I was little. My childhood memories are filled with the music you played. I realized that my taste in music came almost 100% from you. I wish i had the ability to play like you did, to match this passion for music that you gave to me.
Thank you, and I miss you so very much.
I wish that I had spent more time just listening to you play like I did when I was little. My childhood memories are filled with the music you played. I realized that my taste in music came almost 100% from you. I wish i had the ability to play like you did, to match this passion for music that you gave to me.
Thank you, and I miss you so very much.
Monday, April 7, 2008
C:\>ping localhost
Pinging JESSE [127.0.0.1] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
Just checking to see if I am still alive. Have to check, because sometimes it doesn't feel like it.
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
Just checking to see if I am still alive. Have to check, because sometimes it doesn't feel like it.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Copied from my other place
Saturday my grandmother died. She went peacefully doing something she loved, eating.
At this point I am okay with it. She was suffering from osteoporosis and the early stages of dementia. I can honestly say that she is in a better place, and a better way now.
I know that tomorrow I will probably break down and it will hit me. I spent a lot of my earliest years with my grandparents. My grandfather taught me how to ride a bike, bought me my first bike. Losing him earlier this year was hard because I really respected him a lot and looked up to him, unfortunately my own rears of seeing him with Alzheimer's and the other health issues he was suffering caused me to neglect going to visit him in his last days. I really regretted that and went through a lot of pain because of it.
I dealt with it though, that's what I do.
My grandmother is where I got my passion for music. My earliest memories are filled with her playing the piano or violin. Even the memories where she is not in them, running through my grandparents house. She was always playing music, beautiful music. She was quite honestly one of the most talented pianists and violinists in this city, and I am proud to say that she was my grandmother.
It broke my heart when she could no longer play the violin. That was truly her passion. I think that the violin was capable of carrying her away into another realm where nothing else in the world mattered in the slightest.
A tear wells.
I went and visited her on her birthday last week. You could tell that this really touched her. I think she knew that she wasn't long for this world and my visit touched her deeply. That helps a lot I think.
Grandma, I will miss you. I hope you know how special you are to me, how much of my soul came from you. tell grandpa hi for me please.
At this point I am okay with it. She was suffering from osteoporosis and the early stages of dementia. I can honestly say that she is in a better place, and a better way now.
I know that tomorrow I will probably break down and it will hit me. I spent a lot of my earliest years with my grandparents. My grandfather taught me how to ride a bike, bought me my first bike. Losing him earlier this year was hard because I really respected him a lot and looked up to him, unfortunately my own rears of seeing him with Alzheimer's and the other health issues he was suffering caused me to neglect going to visit him in his last days. I really regretted that and went through a lot of pain because of it.
I dealt with it though, that's what I do.
My grandmother is where I got my passion for music. My earliest memories are filled with her playing the piano or violin. Even the memories where she is not in them, running through my grandparents house. She was always playing music, beautiful music. She was quite honestly one of the most talented pianists and violinists in this city, and I am proud to say that she was my grandmother.
It broke my heart when she could no longer play the violin. That was truly her passion. I think that the violin was capable of carrying her away into another realm where nothing else in the world mattered in the slightest.
A tear wells.
I went and visited her on her birthday last week. You could tell that this really touched her. I think she knew that she wasn't long for this world and my visit touched her deeply. That helps a lot I think.
Grandma, I will miss you. I hope you know how special you are to me, how much of my soul came from you. tell grandpa hi for me please.
Monday, November 19, 2007
An Excellent Segue...
So I think my iPod has aspirations to become a DJ...
I'm listening to The Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone and the next track is Modest Mouse - Sucker Bet and the segue was almost perfect! I mean I think they were even beat matched! I thought to myself "Gee, they went an odd direction with this song, but okay." The basic rhythm/melody of the tracks is even similar. It wasn't until I decided to see how much longer it was going when I looked and realized this was a separate track...
For joy!
I'm listening to The Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone and the next track is Modest Mouse - Sucker Bet and the segue was almost perfect! I mean I think they were even beat matched! I thought to myself "Gee, they went an odd direction with this song, but okay." The basic rhythm/melody of the tracks is even similar. It wasn't until I decided to see how much longer it was going when I looked and realized this was a separate track...
For joy!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Please don't go
I Call Out From Above
Am Falling From The Sky
In The Deepness Of My Soul
Love Falls From The Height
With Never Ending Self
You See Inside My Heart
But Light Is Hard To See Past
I Fail My Grand Design
Don't Think Of Me As Human
Think Of Me As Incomplete
I Long To See Within
Could I Call Inside Your Heart
Handle All Of The Hurt And Pain
Not Leaving You Behind
Trusting You With My Everything
You Are There But I Don't See It
Any Time We Are Around
More Of Me Dies And Thrives
Am Falling From The Sky
In The Deepness Of My Soul
Love Falls From The Height
With Never Ending Self
You See Inside My Heart
But Light Is Hard To See Past
I Fail My Grand Design
Don't Think Of Me As Human
Think Of Me As Incomplete
I Long To See Within
Could I Call Inside Your Heart
Handle All Of The Hurt And Pain
Not Leaving You Behind
Trusting You With My Everything
You Are There But I Don't See It
Any Time We Are Around
More Of Me Dies And Thrives
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