Geek Force Utterz #040 - Thriller

Veterans Day offers me a day off from my primary gig, but it does not absolve me from the paper-grading responsibilities I have for my secondary gig. So, I’m frustrated that I can’t just spend the day in bed, but I’m also aggravated with life in general. And that has me listening to some pretty weird stuff in iTunes. Listen in to today’s episode of Geek Force Utterz to see what I’m talking about. You can hear the call via the embed above, or by visiting Utterli.com.

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DVD or Digital Download?

I celebrated my thirty-first birthday yesterday and the most pressing question to come out of that blessed event was this: DVD or M4V?

In the Clark household, movie-watching happens exclusively through an Apple TV. It started with the massive DVD conversion project I undertook earlier this year, and it’s continued with occasional purchases from the iTunes store (Juno and Gross Pointe Blank most recently). But those movie purchases have been few and far between, and the true test of my willingness to go entirely digital has arrived in the form of a much-beloved Marvel Comics movie which I, personally, have yet to see. You see, Iron Man is out now, kiddos. And I can’t decide if I want the DVD or not.

Now, I know what the easy answer is: Buy the DVD and rip it and you’ll have the best of both worlds. And sure, converting a DVD to an iTunes/Apple TV compatible file is a breeze with HandBrake, but that doesn’t address the core issue. And the core issue is this: Do I need the DVD, or do I just need the movie?

I used to be a glutton for special features. I ate all that shit up. But times change, and I don’t have as much time as I used to. I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve watched a DVD’s special features over the last three or four years. All I really need is the movie. And the truth is that I watch movies more often, now that I’m able to get to any movie in my collection with just a couple of clicks.

Aside from that, there’s the fact that, while HandBraking a DVD is simple enough, HandBraking a DVD to a file that’s compatible (and looks good) on both my Apple TV and my iPhone is next to impossible. The files purchased directly from the iTunes store work on both devices, and look good on both devices, but I’ve never been able to create that kind of file myself. And, really, part of why I want digital copies of everything is so that I can take movies on the road with me, on my iPhone. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is that all of the movies I spent my spring converting are incompatible with the iPhone.

Then, there’s the issue of space. We had way too many DVDs taking up way too much space in our living room, and the Apple TV helped solve that issue. I don’t want to contribute to its resurgence by buying more physical products when their digital equivalents work just as well.

But that DVD, that physical package, it’s still alluring, to a certain extent.

How about you, Geek Forcers? Are you ready to make the move to digital movies in the way that many of us have made the leap to digital music? Let us know in the comments.

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iTunes Genius - Mix Tapes for the Lazy and Overworked

In the week since its release, I’ve read a lot about the new Genius feature in iTunes. The reviews I’ve read have been uniformly positive, but hidden within at least one of them was a jab about how smart playlist creation is killing the art of the mix tape. The criticism went something like this: “People who love this feature don’t (or can’t) remember the simple joys of creating a mix tape.” But see, that’s not true. I remember all too well the pleasure of creating a mix tape (even if I was never all that good at it). And I miss that pleasure immensely. The truth is, I just don’t have time to create mix tapes anymore. And I don’t think I’m the only one with that problem.

That’s why Genius appeals so much to me. It brings the pleasure of listening to mix tapes back into my increasingly busy life. Select a “root” song, click the Genius button, and voila: instant mix tape. The program does everything I used to spend hours trying to do, and, because I’ve got a much more extensive library than I did when I was sixteen or seventeen, it actually does a much better job. It even manages to throw in a few curveballs here and there, just like I used to do. Some may call these bugs, but I call them features.

So far, I’ve built Genius mixes out of “One of the Three” by James, “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths, and “Crushcrushcrush” by Paramore. Each has delivered up for me exactly the sort of mix that I was looking for at that particular moment. The James mix was mellow and soothing. The Smiths mix was sad and nostalgic. And the Paramore mix was energetic enough to get me through my three mile walk to work this morning. In each case, I’ve stumbled across songs I’d long since forgotten were in my library. In some cases, I’m even discovering songs that I’m pretty sure I’ve never even heard before. And that’s been a truly cool experience, because too often in recent years I’ve stuck to my “Most Played” playlist and ventured outside of the box only infrequently.

I’m not sure if any of these mixes will ever become as regular a staple in my life as, say, The Rausch Mix, but I have a feeling that some (the James mix, in particular) will be sticking around for a while.

How about you? Have you had any good (or bad) experiences with Genius yet? How does it compare to the classic mix tapes of your youth?

And if you’re not an iTunes user, and you’ve actually made it this far through the article, please feel free to chime in with some favorite mix tape memories of your own. What’s the best mix tape you ever gave someone? The best you ever received? Let us know.

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Geek Force Utterz #005 - Genius Again

Geek Force Five is starting a somewhat new schedule today. Each day of the work week will be primarily dedicated to one of the five manifestations of awesomeness that are the subjects of this site’s adoration (listen to yesterday’s Geek Force Utterz for more). And today, my friends, is Apple Day.

What does this Monday have in store for the Apple Geek out there? Well, today it’s all about Genius, the new playlist creation feature that’s made its way onto my iPhone. Listen in to today’s episode of Geek Force Utterz to hear how that’s going, and stayed tuned to Geek Force Five throughout the day for more.

And remember: if you can’t see/hear the embed above, you can always listen to the call on Utterz.

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Geek Force Utterz #003 - Genius on iPhone

I think the new Genius playlist building feature in iTunes 8 is pretty badass. There’s one problem, though: I’m hardly ever in front of my iMac to take advantage of it. For a guy who spends so much time in so many different places (commuting on the bus, teaching in Cambridge, working in Boston, and walking all over the city), the main way I intake music nowadays is through my iPhone. So, in today’s Geek Force Utterz, I’m geeking out about the possibility of Genius coming to the iPhone with today’s 2.1 software update.

Remember: if you can’t see/hear the embed above, you can always listen to the call on Utterz.

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