I spent much of my time since Xmas attempting to explain how iTunes, iPod, DRM, and freedom all work. Together and against each other…

I used Senuti and CopyPod to move files from different iPods into different iTunes libraries. I did my best to explain DRM and “Protected AAC” files to family members, and I didn’t even get into the doomspeak of “if something goes wrong, you can lose all your music!” I kept it pretty high-level, and just talked about how to manage multiple iPods on multiple computers with one iTunes Music Store account.

I did find it a little sad that things are still more complex than they need to be. I still have vinyl records and cassettes that are over 25 years old which I can play on any compatible device. Now that’s my definition of “Plays For Sure!”

I also bought a bunch of blank CD’s which will be used to strip the DRM, I mean, make backups, of any songs I’ve gotten from the iTunes Music Store. It’s always good to have a backup.

If you tuned in last week, you may have noticed that my Xmas Spirit was Not Found, but it’s ok, all went well, and it was a good holiday…

Someone asked me if I got everything I wanted, and I had to think about it. Since I didn’t really want anything, I said “Yes, I got everything I wanted.” Actually, I suppose what I really wanted was to have a good holiday, and enjoy time with the family, and I did that, so it all turned out just fine.

Anyway, I hope your holiday went well. Right now I’m just wrapping up all the loose ends of 2006 and planning for 2007. (Projects on deck are the Web414 group and BarCampMadison…)

Ok folks, you know I don’t ask for much, but I need help. See, I’ve not got the Xmas Spirit like I should. Xmas is almost here, and I’m in a bummed out mood. There is no snow, it’s been raining for two days, and besides paying $1200+ to get the vehicle fixed last month the state of Wisconsin decided they paid me too much money during the summer and now wants $410 back before December 31st. (Thanks Wisconsin!) Bummer for me…

Anyway, things are more or less positive (except for the financial situation) so I really shouldn’t be bummed out. I’ve got the love of a great woman, 2 amazing kids, and 3 jobs which usually manage to pay the bills.

So either email me, or leave a comment and attempt to cheer me up. Thanks everyone!

(If I don’t see any comments by later today, I may start drinking heavily…)

Update: In an effort to raise my Xmas Spirit I started eating Xmas cookies, but now my stomach hurts. Damn you Xmas cookies!

I finally decided on a session for BarCampMadison… How Social Can You Get?

I’m hoping to look at the typical “social networks” like Myspace and Facebook, but also look at how sites like Digg, del.icio.us, last.fm, Flickr, and others leverage social networking to enhance what they are already offering.

Just got an email from Ken Rheingans, letting us know that BarCampMadison is all set, and will happen March 3rd & 4th, 2007 in Madison Wisconsin at the Inn on the Park Hotel.

Also, a big thanks to Stratagem for being the location sponsor and covering half of the net connection fees.

Expect a planning meeting in the beginning of January, and after that promotion and planning will go into full swing. Let’s make this as awesome (if not more awesome) than BarCampMilwaukee.

I picked up an old overhead projector from WCTC during one of their auctions of old equipment.

For those of you who attended elementary school 20 or more years ago, you may remember these things. They were used by teachers in classrooms before PowerPoint existed.

It’s old-tech, but still cool. This one is a pre-1988 model, but since it says “WCTI” I’m guessing it’s even older, and it still works fine. When you did a presentation on one of these you didn’t have to worry about VGA adapters, resolution, or file formats. Of course, you did have to worry about the bulb burning out.

I’m not 100% sure what I’ll do with this, but I can come up with a few interesting ideas. (One involves projecting words/images onto the building across the street.)

The first official Web414 meeting was last night, and it went well. It was the first time at the IT Fusion Business Center. (One thing we learned was that you can probably park on the street right out front, the meters are free after 6PM.) Justin said we can probably meet in this location until June. Jeramey said we could also use the MSOE Kern Center if needed.

Justin borrowed a projector, but long-term it would be nice to have a projector for the group, or at least a list of folks we could borrow one from. Chad was able to plug in his Airport Base Station and give us all a wifi connection.

We discussed the new group, and talked about how it would work (no specific leader, group effort, ad-hoc and BarCamp-like.) The site is running Drupal, and we would like to modify it (through modules) to match the features Meetup.com provided.

For the January 2007 meeting (and all future meetings) we’re hoping to have a presentation on a specific topic. John mentioned talking about how he makes a living publishing information on his web site. It would also be nice to see guest speakers in the future as well.

(This is cross-posted from my Web414 blog…)

Back in May I attended a Milwaukee Web Design Meetup, and found out there was a small but dedicated group of people in the Milwaukee area interested in getting together and discussing the building of the web.

Then in October we had BarCampMilwaukee and came to realize that maybe there are more people out there interested in web design & development. I think a lot of us wanted to see the BarCamp spirit carry on to other things, and I think that’s one of the basic ideas behind Web414.

Web414 will be replacing the Milwaukee Web Design Meetup group in 2007. We’re hoping all members make the move with us, but we are also hoping to expand and welcome new people. Freelancers, designers, developers, usability folks, anyone interested in the future of the web and making it happen.

The site at Web414.com is still in it’s early stages, but you can sign up now to follow what we are doing. (And if you’re more of a traditional designer, there’s always Design414.)

So if you’re interested, join us December 14th, 2006 to discuss the future of the group.

Yeah, I guess Jon Udell is going to Microsoft.

I’ve always respected the work Jon has done, he’s an insightful guy with a lot of interesting ideas. Microsoft on the other hand, I’ve never been a fan of.

I wish Jon the best in the future, and hope he gets to the do work he wants to do… but I still think it’s weird. I mean, I guess it’s a “whole new” Microsoft, but the names Ward Cunningham and Niall Kennedy come to mind. Two people who, upon hearing they were going to Microsoft, my response was “Huh? Are you sure?” (They both left Microsoft.) Jon just doesn’t seem like a Microsoft guy. Of course, Ray Ozzie is there… who knows?

My pespective on Microsoft is this: As person who uses Mac OS X on the desktop, and Linux on the server, and believes in the power of the web, what has Microsoft ever done for me? I mean, I can’t think of any technology I use that came directly from Microsoft that I somehow would be worse off for it if never existed. The only real thing Microsoft does for me, from my perspective, is create competition for Apple, which is (sometimes) a good thing.

I’m not saying Microsoft is useless, I just have no use for them. Plenty of people do, and that’s fine, even if it was monopolistic actions that got them where they are now.

I’ve always been a strong believer in providing people the tools they need to get their job done, but then again, I’ve always managed to somehow get the tools I needed to get the job done, even if that meant providing them myself in order to make sure the job gets done right.

So I’m not sure which I’m more disappointed in, an employer that doesn’t provide the tools that the employees need, or employees that don’t request or somehow try their darndest to get the tools they need.

Of course I also often find myself amazed that people don’t want to do the best possible work they can. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this anymore…

I think I’m split on my opinion of people who buy things just to put them on ebay and make a hefty profit.

I mean, that’s what ebay is for, right? Is it all just “supply and demand” at work? Are they providing a valuable service? Should they be making as much as they do on some items?

I’ve been thinking about this due to the fact that it’s nearly Xmas, and an item I’d really like to get has been backordered in stores for months now, and seems only available via ebay if I’m willing to pay more than twice the original store price. Which I really can’t afford to do.

Damn vultures…

I needed a simple gallery application for a client, and the PHP-based PhotoStack fit the bill.

Sure, the last time I looked at PhotoStack, I was concerned about the license, but it’s now GPL‘d.

I had to hack it just a bit to do what I needed, but it was fairly simple, involving minor changes to the photostack.class.php file, and then creating a custom theme. Kudos to Noel Jackson for making this nifty little open-source app available.

I hoped, and wished, and waited… and it looks like the snow is finally here…

Of course I still need some bindings…

But we’re getting closer…