I have an idea. This can only end badly. Let me tell you, it shall end badly.
So, here's the thing.
I have a lot of music.
Here's the music I have, just on the current setup for this computer alone (I have others, which I haven't added to this one yet. It shall take time. And a whole heap of music in CD form).
I also have quite a few audiobooks.
Showing above, understatement.
So I've decided I'm going to listen to all of it. And find out if it's possible to listen to all of it, within a year, without interrupting my usual schedule, or inflicting my taste in music or books on others while driving (or being rude and jamming to my iPod while others are driving). And that includes while adding my collections together from the various computers I have scattered about the place.
I also have a group which I've gone so far as to label 'Mystery Musics'. It's basically this, plus another 147 tracks which may or may not be doubles of other songs somewhere in the library. These are tracks for which, for various reasons, the metadata has become missing, corrupt, or in the case of at least one album, was never there in the first place.
So this shall be an adventure in sorting out the library - if it's a double, delete it. If it's for real, keep it and find out what it is.
I'm going to do this with a 4GB iPod nano 3rd generation, and a 2GB iPod shuffle 4th generation, as well as my iTunes system. The 120GB iPod, which was a graduation present in Canada, may be attending, but is unlikely to make it through the whole process, as he's dying (something which upsets me greatly - not for the loss of tech, but for the sentiment involved). I'll not be involving my eReader or phone in this, for the simple reason that they don't keep track of playcounts. iPods do, with every sync.
I've got all of these tunes, but I never listen to them. Have I ever listened to them? Why do I have Glee in my iTunes (and other questions)?
And I figure that if I don't listen to them soon, I might never try.
Some ground rules, naturally:
If it's a total-album double, delete it. If it's just a song double, check if it's got an album or fanmix that it goes with, or that any other information is available for it. If not, delete it.
Books may be deleted for subject matter, file corruption, or being a crappy reader. Subject matter is 'this book is crap/disturbing', file corruption is missing files (at least one Ian Rankin) or skippy tracks (At least one Terry Pratchett, I know my iTunes enough for that). Crappy reader is 'doesn't even attempt to do the voices. And I don't have to listen to Harry Potter beyond book 5, as I've not read beyond that, and nor do I have to listen to Jim Dale reading them. I've listened to those already, and I have Stephen Fry reading them now.
Taylor Swift gets deleted immediately, as does anything from the Twilight soundtracks (unless it shows up in a fanmix or album elsewhere - this exception applies only to the Twilight, and never to Taylor Swift).
Tracks added after I begin this adventure will count towards the overall totals.
And the initial challenge of the 'year' will only count towards the music. The books shall be an extra.
Only rewind if I have to stop mid-song, or if something happens to interrupt my listening (like Sybil having a fit).
Clearly, I'm not starting tonight. But let's have a see at just what this does to my musical tastes. And to my iTunes.
I have a lot of music.
Here's the music I have, just on the current setup for this computer alone (I have others, which I haven't added to this one yet. It shall take time. And a whole heap of music in CD form).
I also have quite a few audiobooks.
Showing above, understatement.
So I've decided I'm going to listen to all of it. And find out if it's possible to listen to all of it, within a year, without interrupting my usual schedule, or inflicting my taste in music or books on others while driving (or being rude and jamming to my iPod while others are driving). And that includes while adding my collections together from the various computers I have scattered about the place.
I also have a group which I've gone so far as to label 'Mystery Musics'. It's basically this, plus another 147 tracks which may or may not be doubles of other songs somewhere in the library. These are tracks for which, for various reasons, the metadata has become missing, corrupt, or in the case of at least one album, was never there in the first place.
So this shall be an adventure in sorting out the library - if it's a double, delete it. If it's for real, keep it and find out what it is.
I'm going to do this with a 4GB iPod nano 3rd generation, and a 2GB iPod shuffle 4th generation, as well as my iTunes system. The 120GB iPod, which was a graduation present in Canada, may be attending, but is unlikely to make it through the whole process, as he's dying (something which upsets me greatly - not for the loss of tech, but for the sentiment involved). I'll not be involving my eReader or phone in this, for the simple reason that they don't keep track of playcounts. iPods do, with every sync.
I've got all of these tunes, but I never listen to them. Have I ever listened to them? Why do I have Glee in my iTunes (and other questions)?
And I figure that if I don't listen to them soon, I might never try.
Some ground rules, naturally:
If it's a total-album double, delete it. If it's just a song double, check if it's got an album or fanmix that it goes with, or that any other information is available for it. If not, delete it.
Books may be deleted for subject matter, file corruption, or being a crappy reader. Subject matter is 'this book is crap/disturbing', file corruption is missing files (at least one Ian Rankin) or skippy tracks (At least one Terry Pratchett, I know my iTunes enough for that). Crappy reader is 'doesn't even attempt to do the voices. And I don't have to listen to Harry Potter beyond book 5, as I've not read beyond that, and nor do I have to listen to Jim Dale reading them. I've listened to those already, and I have Stephen Fry reading them now.
Taylor Swift gets deleted immediately, as does anything from the Twilight soundtracks (unless it shows up in a fanmix or album elsewhere - this exception applies only to the Twilight, and never to Taylor Swift).
Tracks added after I begin this adventure will count towards the overall totals.
And the initial challenge of the 'year' will only count towards the music. The books shall be an extra.
Only rewind if I have to stop mid-song, or if something happens to interrupt my listening (like Sybil having a fit).
Clearly, I'm not starting tonight. But let's have a see at just what this does to my musical tastes. And to my iTunes.