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iPod Users: Reclaim Your 'Tunes
January 29, 2009, 8:48 PM by ROB
Posted in MEDIA, HOW-TO | 14 views
I bought my iPhone thinking, "what a great place to store my music!" I typically re-format my hard drive every few months, just to keep my computer running smoothly (just like changing the oil in your car) and I don't always want to backup gigs and gigs of music.
After my last re-install, I wanted my music back—no dice. Turns out, without special software, the average user would have trouble reclaiming the music that is rightfully theirs.
Apple, I'm sure, did this intentionally—if you could just plug in and download music, they'd be supporting music piracy in a big way. There are tools, however, that will help you get the job done.
Free tools:
SharePod is a free program for Windows that lets you rip music from your Windows-formatted iPod or iPhone/iTouch.
Yamipod (Yet Another iPod Manager) is also free and runs under Windows, Mac OS, and Linux iPod only).
iDump is another free utility that runs under Windows 2000 and higher (iPod only). iDump can be installed directly on your iPod so you can use the files on any computer that supports the software.
Paid tools:
If you're looking for a iTunes replacement (so you can easily add, manage, rip, and play your music without Apple's software), there are a couple of tools that do the job. They aren't free, though, so you'll have to open up your wallet for these.
iDump Pro lets you manage and share your music without a client installed on the computer you're working on, but like it's little brother, iDump. iDump Pro offers a 30-day free trial and then it is $9.95 to buy.
Xilisoft iPod Rip is a little more expensive, but it also lets you use your iPhone as a hard disk (without this feature, the iPhone is only recognized as a digital camera). It offers a 100-song-per-use trial (meaning you can only rip 100 songs before you have to close and re-open the program) with a 250-song total limit until you purchase the software for $29.95.
My advice? Start with one of the free programs. If they don't quite work as well as you'd like them to, then upgrade to one of the paid programs.
Thanks to Ross from the Resident Technology Adviser program for some of the links.
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Going Paperless in 2009
January 28, 2009, 3:25 AM by ROB
Posted in PAPERLESS, HOW-TO, ACADEMICS | 185 views
In an effort to reduce the amount of clutter I have around my "home office" (read: the bed in my dorm room), boost my productivity, and perhaps in some small way help the environment, I've decided to go entirely paperless for the entire semester. Shoddy Photoshop job above not related.
By "paperless," of course, I mean to the extent that a college student can do so. For instance, if I were to have to submit a hard copy of an assignment, paper would be involved—as big a tragedy as that is. In the same vein, if I were to receive printed material from a professor, the ideal course of action would be to immediately head to my dorm room, scan the object into OneNote, and promptly recycle the document.
In an effort to make this process easier, several organizations are jumping on board. First, I'm using a Lenovo X60 Tablet PC on loan from the Information Systems department of Wake Forest University—that's really what kicked off this whole revolution. Next, the kind folks at PlanOn System Solutions are sending me one of their handy DocuPen hand-held scanners to test drive. Stay tuned for a full review.
I'll keep updating as things progress. It'll be interesting to see if I can last the entire semester by keeping up with this system.
I just hope Wake Forest doesn't decide to go paperless with my diploma...
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