Which One Will I Choose?

May 30, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

Over the past several weeks, I’ve spent time and money on assessing a variety of streaming audio solutions. My assessment has considered many factors. But chief among those factors was the mobile experience. When I was at home, I used iTunes. It’s not that iTunes is necessarily the best. Indeed, I’ve used dozens of tools at home. As a general rule, I have always favored things that also provide for metadata management (e.g., MediaMonkey). But iTunes has always been the “gold standard” for both “look and feel” as well as for application compatibility. Everyone is “compatible” with iTunes because it IS the de facto market leader.
But that market may be shifting – at least for me. Over the past few weeks, I’ve assessed two different audio streaming tools: Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music. Both have their pros and cons. Google has much more storage available that is (currently) free of charge. Amazon has a pre-exisiting (and built-in) retail channel that allows for easy (and impulsive) music purchasing. Both have good web clients. And both have good Android clients.
But both suffer from one key problem: I can’t capture and record my listening data on Last.fm. Yes, I can scrobble data from the web client (if I use third-party scripts to do the job). But neither product has any native capability to scrobble from an Android device. There are music players that do scrobble from Android. If you use the Android Music player, you can use tools like ScrobbleDroid. And if you are a fan of Winamp, you can scrobble through the Last.fm Android app. But neither of these players can stream audio from my library. So I was stuck in a quandary. Should I store music on my phone and utilize a player that scrobbles? Or should I use a cloud-based music player and forego the ability to scrobble my music?
The only solution was to either code up my own solution – or use something that already does both. Since I still have another wedding in five weeks,I chose the latter approach. Based upon some searches in Google and Twitter, I decided that I would try out the Audiogalaxy product. Based upon its marketing, the product provides streaming audio (from your home and through their servers) and the product scrobbles via the Last.fm Android app. So I began yet another quest in search of a mythical chalice.
Audiogalaxy is relatively simple to install. The site provides the step-by-step instructions that will get you going. But the basic process is as follows:

Create a free account on the Audiogalaxy site.
Download and install the Audiogalaxy “helper” application.
Point the “helper” application at your music files.
Wait for the helper application to collect metadata and send it to the Audiogalaxy service.
Install the Android app on your phone.
Start listening to your music.

The process is relatively straightforward. And I had no technical issues with the setup. I can now listen to my music library from my phone. And as I listen, my listening habits are recorded at Last.fm.

Unfortunately, Audiogalaxy has the same privacy issues that are present in Amazon’s service and also present in Google’s service: all of your music is streamed through a third-party service. So the architecture of all of these products is an architecture of control, not anonymity.
As I’ve said before, this doesn’t pose a problem for me at this time. After all, my music is positively pedestrian. But what would happen if my musical tastes were more scandalous? Or what would happen if the government decided that rock music was not to be tolerated at all? Then where would I be? I would need to rethink my listening habits. Of course, if something that draconian ever happened, then I would rethink my need to scrobble at all! And for those kinds of over-the-top situations, I might need to assemble a BOB (bug out bag)! 😉
After this exercise, I now have a streaming solution that I can utilize. And I think I know what to look for when it comes to government snooping into my private life. And there is one more option that has to be noted: Apple has not put its offering on the table yet. Maybe that offering will be announced this week. If so, I suspect that my options will grow even broader.
Finally, I really ought to point you to a vey fine comparison of all of these options. David Ruddock (and the folks at AndroidPolice) put together a great comparison of music apps on the Android platform. Check it out for a comprehensive view of all of the Android options.
-Roo

Get Motivated, At His Feet!

May 29, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

I am so very excited. Our program manager (who works for the United States Marine Corps) has asked us to attend the Get Motivated seminar that will be in Kansas City on May 31. The list of attendees is truly remarkable. I am amazed that so many important and inspirational people will be in the same place at one time. This will be totally AWESOME!
But there will come a day when I will be among the most inspirational people of all time.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

On that day, I will be at the very feet of Jesus. I can only imagine what that day will be like. Last weekend, we were all told that the end was near. In fact, the end was supposed to happen on Meredith’s wedding day. But the end did not occur as predicted. We were told that we would need to wait to be in the presence of Jesus.
However, God doesn’t make us wait until that day. We can be at Jesus’ feet every day. Yes, the day of His return will come “soon and very soon.” But the day that we kneel at His feet can be this very day and this very moment.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Psalms 95:2

God, teach me to come into your presence with each and every breath that I take. May I kneel before Your awesome majesty. And may I trust in Your will for my life. So let it be written! So let it be done
-Roo

ScrobbleDroid – Closer, But Not Quite There Yet

May 28, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

For many music fans, a key to their listening experience is scrobbling to Last.fm. For those not familiar with the term, it refers to recording the songs that you play. Last.fm has built its unique offering based on the ability to record when and how you listen to music. The process of recording is called scrobbling. For years, whenever you listened to things on iTunes, they could be recorded on Last.fm’s site. Even the Songbird team built scrobling into their basic product offering.
Why is this data important? That’s a great question. People care about this kind of data for a variety of reasons. Some people just want their friends and followers to know more about themselves. Some people like to be considered experts in something (e.g., a band, an album or a community of mutual interests). And some people like to meet and interact with other people that share their interests. Scrobbling collects data that makes all of these things possible. [Note: Scrobbling also lets record companies and bands target their music and their marketing to serious fans.]
Because a large and active community chooses to publicly record their music preferences via scrobbling, most music products have open interfaces and/or direct interfaces to the Last.fm service. Consequently, you can scrobble with almost any PC or Mac-based music player. But this is not the case with mobile phone-based music players.
Because most music players on Android do not provide native support for scrobbling, creative people have built their own scrobbling engines for use on the Android platform. ScrobbleDroid is one such engine. This product was originally a Google Code project. It is now a product that can be obtained from the Android Market. And it is an excellent (and free) tool for scrobbling your listening habits to Last.fm.
Unfortunately, it only works if you use the Android Music application. So it currently supports only music that is stored on your Android phone. But I have high hopes that someday, it will be extended to support both the Google Music platform as well as the Amazon Cloud Drive platform.
In the meantime, if any of you know of a different scrobbling tool that works with streaming music, drop me a note (via comment, email or Twitter).
-Roo

Google Music Is A Real Beta

May 28, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

I have spent a great deal of time this week working with the new Google Music Beta. And I am finally at a point where I can speak with a degree of confidence. What do I think of the new Google service? I think it is a real beta. It has some very rough edges. But it is chock full of promise. It has some unique and innovative features. And there are some things that are simply undone or they are incomplete.
The Good
There are a lot of outstanding features in the Google offering.

The current Google offering provides for storage of up to 20,000 songs. This is outstanding. If this model is carried forward, Google Music will destroy the competition by starving the market. My song base alone is over 12GB. So if I stay with Amazon, I will need to pay for a 20GB allotment. That will mean ~$20 per year. That’s not much. But when it’s compared to a free product, I will always take free – unless free doesn’t meet my minimum feature requirements. [Note: Google may get themselves into some trouble with such a generous storage limit. The government might choose to bring a case against Google for anti-competitive practices. I don’t think that I’d agree with such a claim. But I can see where Amazon and Apple might support someone else bringing such a claim to the federal courts.]
The service itself is stable and the music streams reliably. While I have had some challenges with streaming to my phone, most of my experience has been outstanding.
The user interface on the phone is beautiful. It is a joy to work with the mobile tool. While the “look and feel” of the Amazon tool is eminently functional, it is positively clunky. Google has obviously spent some time making the mobile experience very appealing.

The Bad
Despite all the good features, there are some serious shortcomings in the initial offering.

The tool that loads music onto the service is positively anemic. As noted in my previous post, loading music is an all-or-nothing proposition. To load individual songs (or new sub-folders in a nested hierarchy), you have to reconfigure the music loading tool to point to specific folders. Then you have to find the option in Settings that allows you to manually load music. Then you have to push the Start Now button. Google really needs to spend some time working on this process. You can “stretch” the tool to do your bidding. But ease of use in music loading is a definite weakness.
The view options are really limited. Yes, you can navigate around in the web client. But it is not a beautiful and robust client: it is a functional client. That said, the Android client is beautiful. And it has some of the view options that I like. But it would be nice to have similar options between dissimilar clients. Whether for good or ill, the Amazon client has a common appearance across every platform – including the Apple platform.
There is no music store interface. When I went through the process of loading files, I noted that some of the songs (that I had on my hard drive) came from questionable sources. In my case, I had gotten a copy of “Riders on the Storm” (by the Doors) from the web. I had used the song for a video that I had made for my son a few years ago. But I had never gotten around to buying a copy of the song. So I used Amazon’s service to buy the “Best of…” album from The Doors. Having an integrated service (from any vendor) would be most welcome. I have found that since using the Amazon client, I’ve probably purchased a half dozen albums that I would have otherwise not purchased. This is especially true of impulse purchases. Having an electronic wallet and an “always on” connection has allowed me to experience impulse buying in a whole new light.
There are no tag searching or tag editing options at all. For some folks, ID3 tags are vitally important. And there is no attention to this subject at all.
There is no support for scrobbling music to Last.fm. Yes, there are ways of scrobbling when using the web client. Dan Slaughter has put together some excellent scripts that work with both Google Music and Amazon Cloud Drive. You can find information about these tools here. But it must be noted that there is no support currently available for the mobile (i.e., Android) client.

The Ugly
Finally, there are some ugly issues that really need to be resolved before this product can become a traditional Google beta (i.e., a complete product).
It took me almost a week to get the product to work on my phone. The product would install successfully. And I could see all of the local music, but I couldn’t see anything that was on my cloud drive. At first, I thought that this was a problem with my custom ROM. I use Liberty 2.0. And some apps have trouble with some of the things that jrummy does with the ROM. But that was not the case.
I was about ready to give up on it when I had an unforeseen (and problematic) product upgrade for LauncherPro. My entire LauncherPro config was wiped out and needed to be rebuilt. Once I solved that problem, I went back to the Google Music service. And what to my wondering eyes did appear, but my music collection (but no tiny reindeer). I have to assume that the cleanup of LauncherPro solved my issues – though I have no way of proving it. Either way, the Google Music product now works superbly – though I wish I really knew what caused the trouble in the first place.
But to me, the most troubling aspect of this service (as well as the Amazon service) is the issue of privacy. It is one thing to believe in the safety and security of your own home. But when you store your media on an external service that is not within your home, do you have any degree of privacy? Perhaps you do. Then again, perhaps you don’t.
Part of me is very troubled that I have my musical tastes (and my reading tastes) exposed to any corporation. But it would be even more troubling if that same corporation made my content tastes accessible to the government. Do I have anything to fear currently? No, I really don’t. I try to ensure that all of my content is licensed. And I am pretty darned pedestrian in my reading and musical tastes. In fact, most people call me a prude. But I don’t want the government to know what I think. It’s none of their business. Finally, I broadcast (via blog, tweet and scrobble) all of my media-related activities. So am I concerned that anyone will use this information against me? No, I’m not. At least, I’m not concerned currently.
But what happens if corporations (or the government) change and become more insidious? Or what happens when they try to use my data for their own selfish marketing needs? For me, this possibility is real. And it gives me reason to pause. I don’t want to see the firemen break down my front door and seize my copy of the Bible (or the sonnets of Shakespeare, or the music of The Doors).
Bottom Line
I am impressed with the Google service. I really like their Android client. I hope that they will create a common client interface across all platforms (including Apple’s iOS). And I really hope that they take time and care in developing their EULA. There are some real challenges that must be solved. Nevertheless, the “all you can drink” service is far more compelling than a “pay per gigabyte” service.
But for now, I’m leaning towards the Amazon platform. It is a little more polished and a lot more ubiquitous. Moreover, the Amazon case for privacy is a little more comforting (given Google’s historic willingness to work with the repressive Chinese government). Finally, Amazon’s integration with a working retail channel is far more compelling. But if Google can overcome some (or all) of these hurdles, they do have a chance to win my business.
-Roo

Quick Takes on Music Beta (by Google)

May 22, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

After spending quite a bit of time (and devoting a little coin of the realm) to the Amazon Cloud Drive, I received an email informing me that Google has requested me to participate in the private beta of their new music service. I am more than a little surprised that I was included. But who am I to complain. It’s that much more tech to play with.
But don’t expect this post to be a complete review. This is just a few quick takes from what I’ve seen so far.
Here are my first thoughts (in order of relative importance to me):

Google is offering this service for free. And that means free. I can store up to 20,000 songs free of charge. Period. This simple truth is more than worth the price of admission. And it surely beats the pricing that Amazon is offering. [Note: I do wonder how Google will monetize this. I suspect that it will be context-driven ads. But without a retail engine, where will they drive the traffic to?]
The music selection and loading tools are blunt instruments, at best. You can select everything from iTunes or everything from Windows Media Player. You can also select everything in a directory. This is hardly a precise instrument. You can take a big swing at everything or take no swing at all. The crudity of this method is heart-wrenching. With the Amazon Cloud Drive, you have far more options to selecting and loading your music. But both tools really need to take advantage of metadata that you may already have in your music. I want to do complex Boolean searches on tags and have the selected files loaded.
I really want to control the loading of all files onto the service. I still have a bunch of files that came from unclear origins. Don’t get me wrong, I own all the music that I have on my hard drive. But sometimes I have downloaded songs rather than record them from LP. And after spending years of using tools like MusicBrainz and MP3tagger, I have files with some really oddball ID3 tags.
I would really like more social media tools. Thee is no Last.fm integration. There is no way to comment and tweet those comments to my followers. And there is absolutely no interaction with Facebook. I really want my cloud music service to be more social. After all, music is a community affair. Sharing occurs within fan groups. Even the folks at Myspace knew that. I really think that Google should link this offering to Buzz, Wave, Facebook and Twitter.
Finally, where is the integration with a music retailer. Apple (and iTunes) integrate with the Apple iTunes Music store. And Amazon integrates with their well-established MP3 sales channel. Without a retail engine or agreements with the labels, I am skeptical of the overall success of this offering. I am sure that these things will be added. But their absence in the initial product is rather troubling.

I will write a much more comprehensive review when all of my songs are loaded. Right now, I am +4,000 files of my +6,500 song iTunes library. Let’s see how this car drives when I have all of my clutter on board. But for now, the truck is a good one. It will haul my stuff. I just need to drive it around for a while to see how it handles.
-Roo

The Liberman’s: We’re Going to Disney World

May 22, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

When you win the Super Bowl, the MVP always seems to say, “I’m going to Disney World!” Now that the Libermans are married, they too are headed to Disney World. This is so very appropriate for the both of them. The night before they were married, the whole wedding party went to see the latest installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Now, the two of them are winging their way to the Magic Kingdom. Have fun! May the magic be life-long!

-Roo

The Liberman's: We're Going to Disney World

May 22, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

T+1: You Can Only Imagine

May 22, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

I don’t know where to start. So I’ll start with the only phrase that makes sense: praise God! I have a new son-in-law, I hope. [More about the hope below.]
Yesterday is a complete and total blur. I think I’ll be blogging about it for a while. But here are the highlights:

Meredith was more beautiful than I have ever seen her. She smiled all day long. If you knew my eldest daughter, then you might be surprised by the fact that she was calm, poised and almost regal. While she can be a full-on (though un-certified) PMP, she set aside her ‘directorial duties’ and choose to be the leading lady. And she was wonderful. She trusted her plan. She trusted her team. More importantly, she took the time to speak with everyone at the reception.
My new son-in-law is amazing. Meredith is (normally) a compulsively talkative fuss-budget. Josh is her absolute antithesis. He is a rock. I don’t think anything can disturb his zen-like calm. More importantly, he is truly devoted to my daughter. He cares about her so very much. What is so very special is that he doesn’t have to shout it aloud because he wears his heart on his sleeve. His devotion is inspiring. I can’t wait to see the shared mission that the two of them will have.
Cindy was amazing. She radiated joy for our daughter. She helped to coordinate everything – and she was there whenever Meredith needed her Mom. The interplay between them was positively overwhelming for me. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude to God for the gift He gave me when I married Cindy.
Meredith’s siblings were phenomenal. They helped to set up the ceremony site. They helped to break down the ceremony site. They helped to set up the reception site and they helped to break down the reception site. They were there throughout the day and night. Bailey spent several hours making sure that the chuppah looked positively perfect. Bailey was also moved to pay special tribute to her older sister during an unexpected toast to the bride and groom.
My granddaughter (and her fabulous Mom) were a treat. Yes, Jayden was the precocious two-year old during he ceremony. But she was also the hit of the party. She got out on the dance floor and she had a blast. She danced with anyone and everyone. And she actually has a great sense of rhythm for a two-year old. And Dana deserves special recognition: she saw her older sibling get married. Yet she is the one who already has a child. I am sure that there was some very bittersweet feelings rolling around through her mind. But throughout the day, Dana was poised – and positively ebullient. And she made sure that Jayden was allowed a little running room – but still knew when she needed to restrain her daughter. This was especially true when Jayden would run from the dance floor and try to get into the kitchen.
Bailey’s fiance (Daniel) gets all sorts of special kudos. First, he is a caring and dear young man. He danced all night with Bailey (though he seemed a little uncomfortable with dancing last night). But he was also a fine dance partner for Jayden. OK, everyone was a fine dance partner with Jayden – including Adam. Daniel took special care to engage Jayden. When he and Bailey are married in July, I pray that they will some day be blessed with children. God has certainly blessed this young man with an amazing heart for kids.
I would really like to thank all of the “vendors” that Meredith pulled together. The photographers were fantastic. Yes, they took lots of pictures. But that is what the bride wanted. Despite being everywhere, they were very good at being less “visible” than they actually were. The DJ was terrific at setting a great mood during dining. Also, he was able to get everyone onto the dance floor. The wedding planner was nothing like the JLo version. However, she helped keep Meredith focused – and that was a blessing.
My daughter has some awesome friends. The entire wedding party was bright, excited, thrilled (for Meredith) and willing to help out wherever they could. When we were at the site, they were all there, eager to put a shoulder to the wheel in order to make the day so very special for Meredith. While I would like to name everyone, I’ll control that inclination. But I will give a shout out to one specific man: Sam Sharp was amazing. He was not in the wedding party – though his brother was. Many years ago, he and Meredith had dated. Meredith had the good sense to keep Sam (and Kyle and Wes) as friends – despite the fact that they were no longer dating. Sam epitomized what the term ‘friend’ truly means.
Finally, I want to wholeheartedly proclaim God’s awesomeness. Every prayer we lifted to Him, He honored. He allowed peace to reign in everyone’s heart. He withheld the rain until after the outdoor ceremony. All of the equipment worked. All of the decorations were special. And everyone had a heart for the bride, the groom, the solemnity of the occasion, and a desire to share the joy that Josh and Meredith share in being married. As for me, I am so glad that God honored my prayers concerning the homily. Not only did I remember enough of my thoughts to have a coherent message. But God also gave me the grace to see how uncomfortable my new son-in-law was becoming. So God helped me find a path to modify (i.e., shorten) my message without missing the content that He placed upon my heart. In truth, He prepared me and then He re-directed me to where He really wanted me to be. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you for your Spirit. Thank you that I was in a place where I would listen to your words.

I could go on and on. But God was so gracious and beneficent in everything that happened yesterday. Now I must ask for His continued assistance. One of the bridesmaids was supposed to bring the wedding license to the reception. Unfortunately, no one can find it. Lord, can you help us find the license so we can get it signed, sealed and delivered?

-Lorin Olsen (a.k.a., Father of the Bride)

[Note: The photo above is v1 of Meredith’s chuppah decoration. I’ll post the final version (with tulle that reached the ground) when I can find it. That little chuppah represents the construction capabilities of a bunch of men who had to use lashings rather than modern screws and glue. BTW, Bamboo is a lot harder to work with than you may think! Also, the original and final versions of the tulle were Bailey’s inspiration. She wanted the chuppah to be an expression of her love for Meredith. So she worked it until it was perfect. Folks, I love the spirit that my family showed to one another. Stress be darned. This entire day was magnificent.]

T-1: Focus, Grasshopper

May 20, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

It’s early Friday morning. The house is quiet – except for when Grizzly (Adam’s dog) jostles Jayden’s cheerleader doll. Then there is a moment of apprehension as I fear that everyone will awaken. Fortunately, things settle back down.
So in this moment of calm, I find myself surfing the web and looking at Twitter trending topics. And what do I see in this list? Apparently, Lance Armstrong has been accused of doping – again. This time, it’s Tyler Hamilton that levels the charges. Last time, it was Floyd Landis. And the time before that it was Frankie Andreu.
I don’t think I ought to comment on this one. But everyone who knows me knows that I am compelled to comment. Lance Armstrong is a hero of mine. His story represents the triumph of the human spirit over insurmountable odds. Is the news story true? Who knows? Is the news story anything new? Obviously not. And whether Tyler’s story is true or not, one simple fact remains: the larger story arc will never fail – even if the storytellers fade. The human spirit is capable of overcoming any and all adversities that are set before it. With God’s help, we can even overcome death itself.
Just below the ‘Lance Armstrong’ topic was a ‘Thanking God’ topic. Boy, that one really struck me. I have so much to be thankful for. And God is the one that I must be thankful to. But even as the Twitterverse is, well, atwitter with the ‘Thanking God’ topic, another topic is emerging: the rapture. Way too many people are chatting it up about the much heralded and impending apocalypse that will happen on Saturday.
For me, I have two thoughts regarding a Saturday apocalypse:

No one will know the day and time of Christ’s return. (“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32)
Despite the predictions to the contrary, I have my own apocalypse to worry about. Nothing will deter my daughter in her appointed quest: she WILL be married on Saturday. And I still need everyone’s prayers for the marriage – and the ceremony.

Today, I must focus on the task that is before me. And my task is not to prepare this household for a wedding. Rather, it is to use the circumstances of this wedding to help prepare this household for its lifelong encounter with eternity. May God’s presence be felt throughout the entire household. And may the Spirit of God be tangible during the ceremony. Finally, may the joy of God’s presence be effervescent throughout the marriage festivities – even when I stumble during the father-daughter dance!
-Roo

He Is the God of All Comfort

May 19, 2011August 22, 2018 Lorin Olsen

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Amidst all of the commotion and tumult that our house is in as we prepare for Meredith’s marriage, our son just received word that a friend of his was killed in a car wreck. It is never easy to hear such news. And it is doubly difficult when the person is young and the death is unexpected.
I had very few words to give to my son. I feebly reminded him that we must all be prepared for the end of our life as the duration of our lives is truly unknown. But the reality is that you are never fully prepared for the death of friends or for your own death. Yes, you may be prepared for eternity. But that is not all that we have to live for. Indeed, God designed us so that we would never know death. Our nature is to be transcendent, not entropic.
The best message I can give to my son is simple:

Live your life fully. Don’t postpone the things you need to do until the end. Don’t be defined by a ‘bucket list’ that is read over your ashes.
Let your life be a testament to intentionality, not caprice and chance.
Live your life as if you must use every ounce of your essence in the service of others.
Live so that your life will be a blazing testament to the ideals that define you. [In my case, I want my life to bring glory and honor to my Savior and Lord.]

Son, we are with you. And Jesus is with you. God will be your comfort, if you choose to place your head on His shoulder.
-Roo

The intersection of vision and action

Month: May 2011

Which One Will I Choose?

Get Motivated, At His Feet!

Google Music Is A Real Beta

The Liberman’s: We’re Going to Disney World

The Liberman's: We're Going to Disney World

T+1: You Can Only Imagine

T-1: Focus, Grasshopper

He Is the God of All Comfort