Any close friend of mine will tell you that I am a techno-whore. This indulgent side of me is in frequent opposition to my frugal nature, but I do my best to leverage modern technology on a shoestring budget.
I'd rather not bore you with the details of what makes me a closet geek (i.e. I was using the internet back in 1993, my phone does more than yours) but I'll take some time to elaborate on what I consider a cornerstone of my gadgetry repertoire.
I wasn't one of those who bought an iPod as soon as it was released. $500 (especially for only 20 gigs of music) was way out of my price range. At that point of my life, I had already woven mp3 technology into the very fabric of my life - I would only burn mp3 CDs for my car stereo (nothing beats having 12 full albums on a disposable CD), as all my CDs were "archived" onto my hard drive - and anyone else's who wanted them. For my rant on music, see my next post.
I bought my first iPod in late 2004 about 2 weeks before a $120 price drop. That $500 wasn't without buyers remorse, especially when the iPod crapped out after 18 months or so. I had a nightmare in getting it repaired, inadvertently paid $275 for a replacement from Apple (of the same OLD model that I could've bought online for $99.) That one crapped out within a few months also which begs the question, why would I buy another one? I did say techno-whore.
My aversion to spending kept me off the iPod Video train for almost a year, but I definitely had the envy - you know, for the iPod that was slimmer, the battery lasted more than 4 hours, could play video, and could accept music from any computer. I guess that's why I was kinda happy when the old replacement had given up the ghost.
The iPod Video has significantly contributed to my overall quality of life. The fact that I bought it at Costco specifically for their return policy is a little bit of a letdown since they've become less accommodating... but I still stick to my original statement.
Now before you go knocking the tiny screen, have you actually watched anything (a TV episode, a movie) on this little godsend? It's pretty awesome... especially when you need to kill time. And no - I've never taken it with me to Church. I bring the Treo.
I credit the iPod for getting me through 3 Seasons of LOST, 2 seasons of Entourage, 2 Seasons of Nip/Tuck, 2 Seasons of Life on Mars, 2 seasons of Arrested Development, and... well you get the idea. The only reason I've watched these shows on a 2 1/2 inch screen was because it was the only possible way for me to last more than 20 minutes of any type of cardio exercise at the Gym.
So as you have probably gathered, I've put in a lot of time lost in whatever was unfolding on the miniature screen in front of me. Who has time to focus on the pain of maintaining a heart rate over 160 when you're watching this?
I'd rather not bore you with the details of what makes me a closet geek (i.e. I was using the internet back in 1993, my phone does more than yours) but I'll take some time to elaborate on what I consider a cornerstone of my gadgetry repertoire.
I wasn't one of those who bought an iPod as soon as it was released. $500 (especially for only 20 gigs of music) was way out of my price range. At that point of my life, I had already woven mp3 technology into the very fabric of my life - I would only burn mp3 CDs for my car stereo (nothing beats having 12 full albums on a disposable CD), as all my CDs were "archived" onto my hard drive - and anyone else's who wanted them. For my rant on music, see my next post.
I bought my first iPod in late 2004 about 2 weeks before a $120 price drop. That $500 wasn't without buyers remorse, especially when the iPod crapped out after 18 months or so. I had a nightmare in getting it repaired, inadvertently paid $275 for a replacement from Apple (of the same OLD model that I could've bought online for $99.) That one crapped out within a few months also which begs the question, why would I buy another one? I did say techno-whore.
My aversion to spending kept me off the iPod Video train for almost a year, but I definitely had the envy - you know, for the iPod that was slimmer, the battery lasted more than 4 hours, could play video, and could accept music from any computer. I guess that's why I was kinda happy when the old replacement had given up the ghost.
The iPod Video has significantly contributed to my overall quality of life. The fact that I bought it at Costco specifically for their return policy is a little bit of a letdown since they've become less accommodating... but I still stick to my original statement.
Now before you go knocking the tiny screen, have you actually watched anything (a TV episode, a movie) on this little godsend? It's pretty awesome... especially when you need to kill time. And no - I've never taken it with me to Church. I bring the Treo.
I credit the iPod for getting me through 3 Seasons of LOST, 2 seasons of Entourage, 2 Seasons of Nip/Tuck, 2 Seasons of Life on Mars, 2 seasons of Arrested Development, and... well you get the idea. The only reason I've watched these shows on a 2 1/2 inch screen was because it was the only possible way for me to last more than 20 minutes of any type of cardio exercise at the Gym.
So as you have probably gathered, I've put in a lot of time lost in whatever was unfolding on the miniature screen in front of me. Who has time to focus on the pain of maintaining a heart rate over 160 when you're watching this?
Needless to say, this is the secret to my success in finally getting rid of the spare tire that I'd been lugging around with me since I graduated college. I've been able to keep with an almost daily routine for the past 6 months or so, and I've been able to finally watch those shows I'd always heard so much about but never had the time to watch.
Now I have something to contribute when a conversation comes up regarding the allegorical significance of the last cast member of Lost to get killed off. Or even better, I can quote the latest and greatest thing said by Ari Gold and admire the growing list of TV appearances by Johnny Drama.
Anyone can do this of course, but if you're not into spending $3 an episode (is that how much they charge? I dunno) on iTunes, there are alternatives to acquiring countless hours of video for free.
It takes a little bit of savoir-faire, but once you know what you're doing, you could spend days, if not weeks on end in the sweet oblivion of a cardio workout with just the right amount of distraction from a tiny little screen.
Free TV Episodes on your iPod for Dummies
First, to download the episodes, you need a BitTorrent client. It's kind of the same concept of using a browser to view web pages, or an e-mail client (like Lotus Notes, or Outlook) for e-mail. Which client you use is a matter of preference, but this page at least points you in the right direction of what you can expect from the different clients out there.
Next, you need to find the files online by consulting a torrent search engine. I probably do about 90% of my searches on these two sites. BTJunkie, and IsoHunt. Learning how to do do a proper download is a pain, but well worth the effort.
Some files will download in less than an hour, some files (i.e. a whole season of episodes) can take several days. You obviously don't want to do this over a dial-up connection.
Next, you need to convert the videos to iPod format once the videos have downloaded. I use this program, only because it's free, it does the job, and it doesn't mismatch the Audio and Video.
So, this is what I use to bring the world I don't have time for (TV) into the world I should make time for (exercise). I just can't wait until the I get a bigger screen on my iPhone - it comes out in June, but I'm waiting for the second generation - cheaper price / better technology. That's the way it always goes right?
1 comment:
iPod is the solution for the dad that can't get his favorite programming on the tivo. With the kids shows and cooking shows taking up all of the drive space, the iPod is my last little bastion of entertainment I try to hold onto.
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