On the Blink

Wouldn't you know that one of the few gadgets I've ever bought, and the one that brings me the most joy, is on the blink.

---

Up, Down but not Left, Right or Backwards in Time

As I climbed into the Lesbaru last night, I fired up the 4-banger and plugged in my iPod. The song playing was a good one and I wanted to start it over, so I pressed back on the wheel doohickey. It paused.

"Damn these gloves" I shouted, then I unpaused it and pressed the left button again.

It paused again. "Damn it" I again shouted at the piece of modern gadgetry, and I angrily removed my gloves, pressing the left button with that attitude you usually reserve for the Enter button on your keyboard. "There!"

It paused. "What the fuck!" I yelled, realizing that it wasn't the glove that was the problem, but the left button. The damn thing is screwed up. It doesn't have the same feel as the other buttons, and it certainly doesn't work. Being a hardware guy by trade, I'm normally quick to blame the software when anything goes wrong. This time it was clear that the hardware, AKA the iPod itself, was to blame.

Sensing that I might need to replace my beloved toy in the very near future, I checked out iPods online and decided I was going to need a game plan and a good exit strategy.

---

The Plan AKA Phase I

Here's my plan. I'm going to marinate on this plan for a few days before I start moving on it, as it's going to run me a couple of dollars. The first step will be to buy an 80Gb real iPod, color to be determined (but leaning toward black). With that, I'll be able to store all of my current music and have plenty of room for new music and/or videos. In fact, it'll have more storage than my laptop so for the time it will be impossible to fill it up.



Note that Dani California by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (Stadium Arcadium) is playing. I love that song.

---

The Exit Strategy AKA Phase II

The second phase of my grand strategery (thank you, Mr. Bush) is to be ready and waiting for my current iPod to fail completely, then run out and buy one of those little square Shuffles (color also to be determined, but leaning toward green). This would be used solely for running and other excercisical activities, sparing the good one of any unnecessary abuse. This plan seems pretty foolproof, and it lets me get the full life out of my current iPod before setting it in a box for posterity.



Note: I don't know what song is playing.

---

Over and Out,
Old Coot