Time to delete your holiday music audio files

Yeah, the December holidays are over! Time to delete all those songs you ripped to your hard drive and reclaim some drive space. I was suprised to find nearly a GB of Christmas music on my computer. (That was about 12 albums ripped at 192 kbps.)

Easy steps:

• Organize your tracks by artist or whatever your preference is.
• Delete songs you don’t like — Seriously, get rid of those tracks. If you rate your tracks from 1-5 stars, delete all the 1-2 star tracks.
• If you have different versions of “Little Drummer Boy,” keep only the one you like the most and delete the rest.

Once your organized and culled the herd, simply burn the remaining files to a DVD/CD and file it away until next year.

Then you can import it all again next December.

Be brutal and get rid of that unnecessary clutter!

Review: Running Windows XP/2000 on my Mac with Parallels

It’s time to buy a Mac. There are no more excuses. This year, two great solutions emerged to run Windows on Mac hardware for those who hesitate to switch to a Mac.

Bootcamp vs. Parallels

Apple’s Bootcamp and Nova Development’s Parallels Desktop for Mac are specifically for Intel-based Macs. During 2006, Apple switched its entire line of desktop and notebook computers to the Intel chips. You cannot use Bootcamp or Parallels on an Apple PowerPC iBook, iMac or Mac-mini.

	Bootcamp	Parallels
OS Support?	“A bona fide installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home or Professional (No multi-disc, upgrade or Media Center versions.)”	Supports Windows Vista/XP/2000/NT/95, various flavors of Linux and other operating systems
Boot:	Dual boot. You can only run Windows XP or Mac OS X at one time.	Run Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously!
Create a drive partition?	Yes	No
Cost:	Free	$79

The investment is well worth it to me. To me, the benefits of running Parallels instead of Bootcamp are:

• I’m not locked into running only Windows XP SP2
• It’s easy to make a backup copy of the virtual OS file to roll back to if something becomes corrupt.
• I can switch easily between using my Windows and Mac applications.
• Data can be copied to the clip board in Windows then pasted in OS X and vice versa.

Run Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously!

My Situation (work-at-home scenario):

I typically run on the Mac desktop: Photoshop, Thunderbird (personal email), iChat (Instant Messaging), iTunes (music/podcasts), Transmit (FTP) and Skype (VoIP), Toast, iMovie, iPhoto and Garage Band.

I launch Parallels and run my “business applications” in Windows XP: Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio and Project. I use VPN to access critical files at work.

In the Windows environment I run both Windows Media Player and Quicktime Basic so I don’t have to jump back to Mac if I encounter media files. Rather than use the default Web browsers, I exclusively use Firefox 2.0 on both Windows and Mac OS. It allows me to manage my bookmarks in a central file. A Firefox plug-in also allows for integrating del.icio.us bookmarks in the same manner.

I don’t bother installing Photoshop in the Windows environment or the Office suite in the OS X environments. They’d just be redundant and take up unnecessary file space.

Parallels isn’t perfect, but it’s extremely close and hasn’t let me down.

The most annoying things I experience using Parallels are:

• Getting used to using Shift-Ctrl to simulate a right-click functions.
• Switching out of Parallels full screen desktop to access Mac OS desktop — the Ctrl-Option shortcut sometimes doesn’t work the first time. There is also a delay before it does.
• Sometimes I can trigger an open Mac application to appear over the full screen Windows Parallels desktop. Usually by using Command-Tab.
• To copy text from Windows and paste to the Mac, must use Ctrl-x in Windows then Command-v in Mac.
• Even after near daily use for two months, my fingers haven’t instinctively gotten used to which keyboard shortcuts to use when jumping back and forth between OS. That might be a legitimate benefit of working exclusively via Bootcamp.
• For convenience, I was able to easily set up a Shared folder so all the files you touch whether from within Windows or Mac OS are saved in same Mac Documents folder.
• Using the CD player is sometimes frustrating. If I want to install software from CD to the Windows environment, I’ll usually reboot my Mac (without any CD in the drive bay), run Parallels, log into Windows and then insert the application CD.

Productivity-wise:

Waiting to reboot between OS X and Windows is time waster when using Bootcamp. When using Parallels, all apps are accessible at the same time–a huge time saver!

Toggling between the operating systems can get a bit confusing, especially when recalling keyboard shortcuts. For example, in OS X you use Command-Tab to cycle through open Mac applications, while in Parallels, you use Option-Tab to cycle through open Windows applications.

Regardless of whether you use Bootcamp or Parallels, installing any Windows OS is a huge time waster. Be ready to spend 1-2 hours of installing, rebooting, downloading security updates and patches, and rebooting over and over and over again. Then you can start installing your anti-virus (Norton or free AVG), anti-spyware (Windows Defender, SpyBot, AdAware), then finally your daily use software (Office, Firefox, etc).

By the way, Apple warns:

“Word to the Wise — Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it’ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.”

I’ve had flawless installations of Windows XP Pro, Windows 2000 Pro and Ubuntu Linux.

Ultimately, I think Parallels is the better solution over Bootcamp.

So switch to Mac and run Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously!

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and NewMediaSandbox.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

How to buy a new notebook computer

For a personal productivity boost, perhaps it’s time you invest in a new computer. Notebooks are now very affordable, powerful and extremely convenient to use.

FYI… “Laptops” are now marketed as “notebooks” because they run so hot now that users often find them uncomfortable to keep on a lap for very long.

Ready? First you need to ask yourself some questions:

• What do I need a notebook computer for? (Portability?)
• Is this for my personal or professional use?
• What operating system am I comfortable using?
• What software do I have already or need to buy?
• How much am I willing to spend?

Only then can you narrow the field to a manufacturer or operating system. If your looking for gaming, you may be better off with a desktop computer that you can install premium video and sound cards.

I switched to Apple a year ago after more than a decade of using Windows and I am very happy. I’ve used the Apple iBook G4 and now the Apple Macbook.

My two year old Toshiba Satellite was a piece of garbage right out of the box. But I’ll admit that HP business-grade notebooks aren’t bad.

Good luck!
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

How to listen to your iPod/Zune/MP3 player in your car

Got an iPod, Zune or other MP3 player? Want to listen to music and podcasts in your car? Obviously you shouldn’t drive around with earbuds in your ears that might prevent you from hearing the sounds of drivers and environment around you.

Here’s some simple steps to get you hooked up to play your digital media through your car’s built-in speaker system.

1. Late model cars have started to ship with an auxillary input plug on the stereo or dashboard. All you need is a Mini-Stereo Audio Cable with two male ends to connect your MP3 player to the stereo’s Aux input. I recommend a short 3ft length rather than standard 6ft.
Audio quality: High
Cost: $6-10 USD

2. If car has a cassette deck, simply buy an old-style Cassette Adapter. The cassette has a wire to plug into your MP3 player. I’m using a 15 year old one that came with a Sony Car Discman I once owned.
Audio quality: Medium/High
Cost: $10-15 USD

3. A wireless FM transmitter, such as iTrip, can send output your songs/podcasts wirelessly. Simply select a lowband frequency on both the transmitter and the car’s stereo.
Audio quality: Low/Medium
Cost: $35-50

Note: Signal interference can occur while passing stronger radio signals or traveling in cities. Some transmitters exclusively use the MP3 player’s battery as sole power source, which will drain the battery quicker.

If you don’t like any of the above options, you can always burn your music to audio CDs, but your limited to roughly 70 minutes of playback.

Another option is get a car stereo that can play back MP3 and WMA files. That way you can burn a larger number of audio files on a data CD to listen to in the car.

Personally, I used the Griffin Technology iTrip Nano LCD/FM Transmitter for iPod Nano, Black for awhile. But I’ve switched back to using a simple Cassette Adapter or Mini-Stereo Audio Cable. It just works!

I hope you found this useful. Good luck and enjoy the ride!
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and NewMediaSandbox.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Holiday tradition: Re-gifting

It’s that time again. Your opportunity to re-gift. You know you want to.

Wikipedia cites the following rules of re-gifting etiquette:

• The primary rule is not to give a gift back to the person who gave it to you.
• Similarly, re-gifting to someone who knows the original giver carries the risk of exposing both your lack of attachment to the gift, and your failure to select and purchase a new gift for the recipient. (Made popular on the ’90s sitcom, Seinfeld.)
• One should remove any cards and other indicators that the gift was originally given to you.
• Finally, using the gift before re-gifting it — so that it is no longer “new” — is generally considered inappropriate.

Etiquette guru Emily Post suggests that re-gifting should be done only rarely, and under specific criteria:

• You are certain the gift is something the recipient would enjoy.
• The gift is brand new (no cast-offs allowed) and comes with its original box and instructions.
• The gift isn’t handmade, or one that the original giver took great care to select.

According to results of the November 2005 Re-gifting and Holiday Credit Card Use Survey posted at Regiftable.com:

• More than half of surveyed consumers do not find re-gifting rude
• Nearly 4 in 10 people have practiced re-gifting
• Women 35-54 years old are more likely to regift than men
• Re-gifting is more practiced among those who are college educated
• One third of re-gifters do so to save money

In general, don’t regift the following:

• Used or opened items
• Expired items, such as last year’s Dilbert desk calendar.
• Champagne/alcohol
• Eclectic items the receiver might not be interested in

If your feeling tacky about the whole idea, give your stuff to a charity or resell on CraigsList, Amazon or eBay.

Related links:
(You’ll enjoy this song) Regifting for the Holidays by The Alice Project

Regiftable.com

Emily Post

GiftMe.com

MSN 12 rules for regifting without fear

US News & World Reports

That’s all folks. Let the re-gifting begin!
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional who doesn’t regift. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

Tips to fight comment spam on your WordPress blog

Do you publish a WordPress blog? Then please check out my article: “Tips to stop blog comment spam on WordPress blogs“.

I think I’ve provided a good list of comment spam prevention tips, especially for new WordPress blog publishers who are getting frustrated by ridiculous comment spam posted by spambots and spammers.

Enjoy.
-Roland

Manage your news feeds

Here’s a tip you may find useful.

Like most of you, I tend to quickly check specific Web sites first thing daily to find out the latest industry and client news.

I’ve tried out a variety of methods and sites and customized start pages, and settled on a specific one you might want to check out: www.bloglines.com

Simply create a free account, then subscribe to the feed for the site you want.

You can organize the links in categories that make sense to you. For example, I separate mine into Business, Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Technology

When you go to Bloglines.com in your Web browser, any new articles you subscribed to appear in bold. Simply skim thru the list of article titles and summaries. I find this method to be a huge timesaver. I can skim all the news sources I like in a matter of minutes, instead of clicking through bookmarks.

Another benefit is more and more sites start to include feed buttons on the page that make subscribing easy.

In summary:

• It’s free
• Accessible via Web browser
• Simple to use
• Easy to subscribe to feeds
• A huge time saver

I hope you find this tip useful.
-Roland

Roland Reinhart is an interactive marketing professional. His observations can be found at Chaos365.com and AdMadMan.com.

©2006 Roland Reinhart. All Rights Reserved.

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