I took the title of this blog from the band, Camera Obscura, and flipped it around (instead of using underachievers like they do for the title of their album). So, this week has been pretty interesting in terms of technological feats. Yesterday, I deleted my whole webpage and decided to start anew. Of course I decided to do this after I spent the whole morning cracked out on coffee and in my pajamas, putting up images. I always tend to do things like this; do more work than necessary (oh, the life of an overachiever).
I remember when it happened: I was unlocking my apartment door yesterday evening, and all of a sudden it clicked. Yes, this was the moment when I decided that the topic for my website assignment was too broad and would require more work than it needed. It is amazing how these epiphanies hit me all of a sudden, and then, I have to start all over again.
This, too, can be applied to technology. My iPod will no longer download playlists, podcasts, or anything else I have put on it recently. Therefore, I am thinking of erasing the entire contents of my iPod, and starting over. Of course, I will not erase my entire music collection, but something is missing from it. Perhaps, my technological and mental philosophy this week is to “throw it out and start all over.” Is that ever a good philosophy to have when it comes to technology, though?
I guess what frustrates me is that if something does not work; I just want to erase it all and start again. Now, though, I am finding it hard to believe that I erased my whole website; I put many hours into it already! To think that all of those late nights after getting home from work, staring at a computer screen for a bit longer, has been entirely deleted from my computer! Maybe I will get over my neurosis later…
This weekend I went to Michigan for an evening, and brought along my iTrip for my iPod. The iTrip is an interesting contraption, because you have to tune it to your radio, and it picks up its frequency. I usually turn my radio up louder when my iPod is connected to the iTrip, but when it picks up the frequency of another station it blares piercingly. Other than that, I would strongly suggest purchasing an iTrip if you have an iPod!
3 comments:
Have you tried your iPod in the car with a cassette adapter? That is what I use, but maybe I am the only one with a car from the dark ages that still has a cassette player. The cassette adapter works perfectly with the iPod.
I admire your ability to "throw it all out and start over." I am so afraid of doing that, especially when it comes to my laptop, however, my husband informed me that that's the only way we will get it to run faster. To erase everything off of it and reformat it. Ugh!
One of the great things with technology is that you can in many regards "throw it all out and start over." I have found that a effective method a time or two with projects that were definitely not going in the right direction. In our profession, I think its important to be honest with ourselves when something is not working, and to seriously ask if it is better just to scrap it and start fresh. In some ways it could be truly detrimental, but other ways refreshing.
Rachael, I'm glad you took time off to go to Michigan but next time maybe it should be for more than one day. Okay, now for Mabbie's advice:
1) Relax more and don't feel like you have to throw everything out;
2) Don't erase everything on your iPod or you will regret says one with firsthand experience of trying to reconstruct hers (lucky for me I had a nephew with time on his hands over Xmas break who wanted to earn some extra money - by that point all I wanted to do was pay someone else to fix it - $100 later it's fixed);
3) The iTrip is okay but mine died not too long after I got it. I had already gone through the cassette adapter Kathy mentioned. I now have the Belkin TuneCast (an earlier anc cheaper version than what is now advertised) and love it. It works wonderfully and I don't have to fiddle with it like I did with the iTrip.
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