Tag: technology
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Further adventures in music management
For a while now, I’ve been using a re-purposed Dell PowerEdge server as a home media server. I had all my music ripped to it, and linked it to my Sonos system so I could stream to anywhere in the house. It worked pretty well for almost 10 years, but it was running Windows Home Server 2003 and was slowly dying. I couldn’t install the latest version of the Sonos controller, periodically lost internet connectivity, and everything was just getting slower and slower. So I decided to upgrade. I settled for another Dell (after a temporary defection to HP before… Read more
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So long iTunes. I always hated you.
A music obsessive’s journey from iTunes to a full-function home media server. (tl;dr: MusicBee) Read more
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Connect The Dots
So the market for voice-controlled ‘smart speakers’ for your home has picked up in the past year or so, with Amazon’s Echo devices, Google Home, and no doubt some Siri-enabled thing from Apple in the near future. Although I’m usually quick to jump on any technological bandwagon, I’ve been keeping away from this one thus far. This is partly just to give the technology time to mature, but mainly because I already have a Sonos speaker set-up, and I really don’t see the point of playing music on a $99 multi-function speaker when I have a couple of grand’s worth… Read more
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Watch Out. Band On The Run
Well, I’ve only had it about 18 months, but my Fitbit Surge has effectively died on me. Well, died is probably a bit harsh as technically it still works for its primary intended purpose (tracking exercise), but first the bit between the notches on the band broke giving me the option of one big notch that was too loose or using the next tightest one which cut of my circulation, and then the touchscreen stopped working, which meant that although it would track my steps I couldn’t actually see my step count (or anything else useful) without going to the… Read more
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Netflix and…freak out
I’ve never really bought into the whole Netflix thing. Partly because I refuse to pay to stream stuff that is already available on demand (which most of Netflix’s (non-original) content is), and partly because I just don’t watch enough TV to justify it. But my two eldest have become avid users – my daughter mooching off a friend’s account, and my son paying for his own subscription – although as I am his only source of income I guess I was really paying for that, anyway… But in a moment of weakness, I decided to get a Netflix account myself,… Read more