I have had two great bags, a Tumi and a Timbuk2. In terms of style, the Timbuk2 is more "hip" and they let you design the colors, etc. The Tumi was black leather and worked amazingly well for two years (it's fine, but I upgraded to a 17" and it won't fit).
What I will say is that the Timbuk2 laptop sleeve is amazingly well-built. simple, with a latch to keep the computer in and handles, and with around 1/2" of foam padding.
I agree that keeping the laptop in pristine condition is a priority, and I really feel that the Timbuk2 is a worthy option for most folks.
Go type it in on ITMS and see how many two-track albums are $1.98, or each 20+ minute song is $.99.
Or, go to classical, where many, but by no means all, of the longer movements are available as individual downloads.
There are certainly restrictions, many of which seem idiosyncratic to the lables/artists (can only buy David Bowie's "Let's Dance" song when you buy the album, f'r instince). My counter-example is but one that shows that Apple doesn't have some kind of rule or law about longer songs not being bought outside of an album.
I do have certain beefs with the ITMS, but this isn't one of them. It seems like most of the strange rules originate with the record labels, and I expect many of them will dissapate over time after the growing pains of this mode of distribution are over.
Well, when Steve Jobs demoed Jaguar back in summer of 2002, he demoed sharing "Phil's" library.
Apple has said that they think it is OK to share your music library on your local network, particularly because the person you're sharing with can only stream the music, not download a copy for later listening (hacks aside).
Still, I think that this kind of sharing exists in territory that may end up being legally tested (and, a small example would be Apple's own disabling of the original sharing, which let you share over the net and resulted in sites that let you hook up to all kinds of strangers' music libraries).
This service is right in line with my interests and desires. I am happy to download a few tunes a month for 3 bucks or so, which is exactly what I do. I like browsing, and the "featured artist" music videos are great (Just watched Missey Elliott's "Work it").
I think that this model is perfect for the vast majority of people.
There's one hitch that's not often talked about, though. It is that the "share music locally" doesn't work with purchased music. So, the CDs I've bought can be shared on my LAN, but my legally "purchased" music can't (unless I authorize those computers to play my stuff).
I don't think that this makes any sense from any angle, except a bit of buckling to RIAA et. al. If I can share what I bought on physical media, why can't I share what I bought digitally. Of course, one of the things I most want to share is new tunes I've grabbed, and I don't want to go around authorizing/deauthorizing my colleauges' machines. Hopefully, they'll find a way to enable sharing of ITMS purchases in the future.
We need technology in classrooms, we know it is not a magic bullet, and we also know it is often poorly implemented. How is that much different than the rest of the aspects of schools? They do the best they can, and they often do a great job with the many challenges they face and the honestly bare-bones limitations they have.
I've mentioned this before, but Larry Cuban's book, "Oversold and Underused" is a discussion of computers in the classroom (and you can guess the slant. He's an education professor at Stanford, and the book is wonderful (as is his more general book "Teaching Machines" that looks at how the promises of filmstrips, TV, etc. never deliver in terms of shaping schools).
In my own experience, the deployment of technology is a large hurdle, and teacher understanding is also a problem. My school had iMacs, but they had some governing program so that only they could modify the machines, making it impossible to fix any problems, even small ones. The program also made the macs behave differently, very un-mac (this was OS 9). I had to lobby to get a machine "off the grid." (I was a music teacher and needed to really be able to add and subtract programs).
In terms of the cost, it really is small overall. Salary costs are over 80% of school budgets, and tech funds often come from and live in another part of the budget, so cutting the computer purchase doesn't free up more money for x by default. Hopefully, schools won't knee-jerk upgrade, as many of these machines can last 10 years or more (I had a teacher with a classroom of Mac Classic machines which the students used solely for word processing and editing of their stories).
I only have one computer in my life. For years, it was a desktop machine. 2 1/2 years ago I got a 15" TiBook.
It replaced my desktop. Not that it can do more faster, but it can do all that I want, and the ability to work wherever I want (like in bed right now, with my sleeping cutie snuggled up beside me) outweighs performance power I rarely need.
When I have a really heavy video project, I go to a friend's place for a night (this is a few times a year). The rest of the time, I'm much more than fine with what I have.
I can't think of a need for a desktop and doubt I will for some time to come.
As a music teacher, I have two points: 1. "a bit of the song" would match up with millions of songs, as so many melodic fragments exist all over the place, and only the gestalt of qualities (timbre, lyrics, instrumentation, tempo, etc.) result in something that is actually somewhat unique. 2. The confusion between most people's less-than-perfect singing and the (of course) messy prospect of "tune recognition" (think Newton's handwriting recognition), on top of the fact that what someone sings may be the melody, backup vocals, bassline, or drum break (intro to "Hot for Teacher"), and I don't think this will be ready for prime time for centuries.
This is a great concept that will probably take a while to mature. Probably all of you have heard Beethoven's 9th, but how many of you know that the surprising F major cadence in the Scherzo was the first time that harmonic change was presented in a major work? My point is, if you have that in a printed program, you'll never be able to locate it during the hour+ performance, but if you have a text message that states it will be heard in the next 30 seconds or so, you give the listener a possible scaffolding for creating a richer listening experience.
You can put down museum audio guides, and I personally find many people spend more time reading the description than looking at the painting it refers to, but 30 years ago paintings often didn't even have title/artist placards. It was not art presented for popular consumption but for the proles.
The museum education movement is wonderful-at SFMOMA, there are kiosks to sit at beside exhibits, they often have a few copies of the catalogue, along with several computers to allow interested patrons to learn more. Some may find it distracting, for them I say go early on a weekday when you're more likely to have the place to yourself.
At it's root, this movement holds that perception must be educated, that you don't just soak in great art like a hot tub. Although you may enjoy works you see and hear, part of what makes them great is the ability to enjoy them many times, on many levels.
As for music, I think that, particularly with new works, there are many things that could be presented to subtly and tastefully enhance the experience of the listener. One could follow the form, or receive information about subtle harmonies or aspects that were then unconventional.
As a teacher who used a mac in teaching music, I think that they are amazing tools when used in moderation.
I do support the use of computers in classrooms, but it is also true that the only technology that really revolutionized education is the blackboard. In the past 100 years, grandiose claims were made for record albums, film strips, movies, TV in classes, etc. Often, the claim has been that teachers will become obsolete.
Larry Cuban, a professor of education at Stanford, has written a book on the subject, "Computers in the classroom: oversold and underused," which is available in.pdf form here:
Slashdot Mirror
I have had two great bags, a Tumi and a Timbuk2. In terms of style, the Timbuk2 is more "hip" and they let you design the colors, etc. The Tumi was black leather and worked amazingly well for two years (it's fine, but I upgraded to a 17" and it won't fit). What I will say is that the Timbuk2 laptop sleeve is amazingly well-built. simple, with a latch to keep the computer in and handles, and with around 1/2" of foam padding. I agree that keeping the laptop in pristine condition is a priority, and I really feel that the Timbuk2 is a worthy option for most folks.
This statement is just wrong.
Two Words:
Fela Kuti
Go type it in on ITMS and see how many two-track albums are $1.98, or each 20+ minute song is $.99.
Or, go to classical, where many, but by no means all, of the longer movements are available as individual downloads.
There are certainly restrictions, many of which seem idiosyncratic to the lables/artists (can only buy David Bowie's "Let's Dance" song when you buy the album, f'r instince). My counter-example is but one that shows that Apple doesn't have some kind of rule or law about longer songs not being bought outside of an album.
I do have certain beefs with the ITMS, but this isn't one of them. It seems like most of the strange rules originate with the record labels, and I expect many of them will dissapate over time after the growing pains of this mode of distribution are over.
Well, when Steve Jobs demoed Jaguar back in summer of 2002, he demoed sharing "Phil's" library.
Apple has said that they think it is OK to share your music library on your local network, particularly because the person you're sharing with can only stream the music, not download a copy for later listening (hacks aside).
Still, I think that this kind of sharing exists in territory that may end up being legally tested (and, a small example would be Apple's own disabling of the original sharing, which let you share over the net and resulted in sites that let you hook up to all kinds of strangers' music libraries).
This service is right in line with my interests and desires. I am happy to download a few tunes a month for 3 bucks or so, which is exactly what I do. I like browsing, and the "featured artist" music videos are great (Just watched Missey Elliott's "Work it").
I think that this model is perfect for the vast majority of people.
There's one hitch that's not often talked about, though. It is that the "share music locally" doesn't work with purchased music. So, the CDs I've bought can be shared on my LAN, but my legally "purchased" music can't (unless I authorize those computers to play my stuff).
I don't think that this makes any sense from any angle, except a bit of buckling to RIAA et. al. If I can share what I bought on physical media, why can't I share what I bought digitally. Of course, one of the things I most want to share is new tunes I've grabbed, and I don't want to go around authorizing/deauthorizing my colleauges' machines. Hopefully, they'll find a way to enable sharing of ITMS purchases in the future.
We need technology in classrooms, we know it is not a magic bullet, and we also know it is often poorly implemented. How is that much different than the rest of the aspects of schools? They do the best they can, and they often do a great job with the many challenges they face and the honestly bare-bones limitations they have.
I've mentioned this before, but Larry Cuban's book, "Oversold and Underused" is a discussion of computers in the classroom (and you can guess the slant. He's an education professor at Stanford, and the book is wonderful (as is his more general book "Teaching Machines" that looks at how the promises of filmstrips, TV, etc. never deliver in terms of shaping schools).
In my own experience, the deployment of technology is a large hurdle, and teacher understanding is also a problem. My school had iMacs, but they had some governing program so that only they could modify the machines, making it impossible to fix any problems, even small ones. The program also made the macs behave differently, very un-mac (this was OS 9). I had to lobby to get a machine "off the grid." (I was a music teacher and needed to really be able to add and subtract programs).
In terms of the cost, it really is small overall. Salary costs are over 80% of school budgets, and tech funds often come from and live in another part of the budget, so cutting the computer purchase doesn't free up more money for x by default. Hopefully, schools won't knee-jerk upgrade, as many of these machines can last 10 years or more (I had a teacher with a classroom of Mac Classic machines which the students used solely for word processing and editing of their stories).
I only have one computer in my life. For years, it was a desktop machine. 2 1/2 years ago I got a 15" TiBook.
It replaced my desktop. Not that it can do more faster, but it can do all that I want, and the ability to work wherever I want (like in bed right now, with my sleeping cutie snuggled up beside me) outweighs performance power I rarely need.
When I have a really heavy video project, I go to a friend's place for a night (this is a few times a year). The rest of the time, I'm much more than fine with what I have.
I can't think of a need for a desktop and doubt I will for some time to come.
As a music teacher, I have two points:
1. "a bit of the song" would match up with millions of songs, as so many melodic fragments exist all over the place, and only the gestalt of qualities (timbre, lyrics, instrumentation, tempo, etc.) result in something that is actually somewhat unique.
2. The confusion between most people's less-than-perfect singing and the (of course) messy prospect of "tune recognition" (think Newton's handwriting recognition), on top of the fact that what someone sings may be the melody, backup vocals, bassline, or drum break (intro to "Hot for Teacher"), and I don't think this will be ready for prime time for centuries.
This is a great concept that will probably take a while to mature. Probably all of you have heard Beethoven's 9th, but how many of you know that the surprising F major cadence in the Scherzo was the first time that harmonic change was presented in a major work? My point is, if you have that in a printed program, you'll never be able to locate it during the hour+ performance, but if you have a text message that states it will be heard in the next 30 seconds or so, you give the listener a possible scaffolding for creating a richer listening experience.
You can put down museum audio guides, and I personally find many people spend more time reading the description than looking at the painting it refers to, but 30 years ago paintings often didn't even have title/artist placards. It was not art presented for popular consumption but for the proles.
The museum education movement is wonderful-at SFMOMA, there are kiosks to sit at beside exhibits, they often have a few copies of the catalogue, along with several computers to allow interested patrons to learn more. Some may find it distracting, for them I say go early on a weekday when you're more likely to have the place to yourself.
At it's root, this movement holds that perception must be educated, that you don't just soak in great art like a hot tub. Although you may enjoy works you see and hear, part of what makes them great is the ability to enjoy them many times, on many levels.
As for music, I think that, particularly with new works, there are many things that could be presented to subtly and tastefully enhance the experience of the listener. One could follow the form, or receive information about subtle harmonies or aspects that were then unconventional.
Larry Cuban, a professor of education at Stanford, has written a book on the subject, "Computers in the classroom: oversold and underused," which is available in .pdf form here:
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/pdf/CUBOVE.pdf