Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

OK, so do you remember, dear readers, that I had a dead iPod problem? I thought I’d give it one last go before tossing it out for scrap, and I came across this suggestion on Ask Metafilter:

My iPod, about the same age as yours, did the same thing a few months ago. One piece of advice that I found online was to drop it on a hard surface from a few inches (once you’ve determined that its not going to get any more dead). I ended up whacking the hell out of it on my desk and restoring the software. I was mostly doing so out of frustration, but after several whacks, it worked. According to the comments on the page that suggesting this iPod abuse, this seemed to be a miracle cure for many.

Now, it’s started to go out sporadically again. I’m sick of all my music anyway.

I was trying to take pictures of the various images the poor little screen was showing. I saw a little frowny faced iPod once that I couldn’t recapture. I decided that since it was clearly a ueless little pile of metal, I’d try the old Fonzie trick the Metafilter guy had suggested. Well damned if that shit didn’t totally work! Now I’m left with a moral dilemma. Do I sell if on eBay while it works? Or do something else all together (something else I can’t exactly imagine).

—
Update:

To make sense of this picture, check the comment thread.

Kristin sent me this. I never thought I’d be so into a site for tissues, but it’s COOL! The new boxes are cool, the graphics on the site are cool. You have to go check out the videos (especially this one), the wallpapers, and the screensavers. I don’t usually use screensavers, but I think it’s time to reconsider after seeing these. The animation and design is exceptional!

Oh, for the record, Kristin is not buzzing this product. She just thought it was cool and shared it with me!

Hey look! My suggestion made it on to Lifehacker, funnest web site EVAR! Maybe someone will get inspired and do a googlemaps mashup. That would be excellent!

Well, I downloaded and ran the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, which, following a scan, reported that:

Your computer can run Windows Vista – Based on our scan of your system, Windows Vista Business appears to be the best edition for you. Windows Vista Business, a good choice for your PC, is designed specifically for small and mid-sized organizations with advanced backup, new security tools, comprehensive networking and dedicated resources to help keep you up and running. You can upgrade from your current version of Windows and keep your files, settings and programs. Consider Windows Vista Ultimate to combine the best business and entertainment experiences available.

But you know, even though there aren’t too many roadblocks (a few drivers and a few programs I’d need to uninstall before the upgrade then reinstall later), upgrading seems fraught with peril. I always see that latest thing, download it, then spend the next few days trying to get my computer working again after the inevitable disaster ensues. And this time, it’s a whole operating system. If you take the plunge, let me know. For now, I’ll still be here, clunking around with my old timey XP.

I know this only be of interest to about 2 of you (if that), but I use the Firefox extension gSpace regularly. It’s a way of using your GMail account as file storage in a pretty organized way. It works like FTP. With the latest update, you can actually play songs right from gSpace without downloading them to the computer you’re using. There’s a new photo mode, too. Very groovy!