Reader Response: College Note-taking

Hi all. I have a new type of entry here…basically i was hoping for some feedback from readers on the following topic:

Does anyone have any recommended methods of note-taking in college courses?

I would like to start taking some notes digitally, and I was just wondering what others were doing to simplify this. I mean when I look at a physics course, for example, I have no idea where to start in drawing diagrams quickly and neatly. Anyone have ideas? Of course, you don’t have to be in college to answer. Thanks!

PS: One more thing…I do prefer apps that run on OSX if you would like to recommend specific programs. I don’t mind running Windows, but I like to do most everything on OSX…for consistency.

The Pirate Bay Won’t Bow Down to “Weak” US Government

Just an article I found on digg. I never really thought about the fact that the US government is losing popularity in Europe.

read more | digg story

Warning: iTunes 7.4.1

Just a heads up to anyone with an iPhone…if you download the iTunes 7.4.1 update that was just posted to Apple’s website, you will no longer be able to make your own ringtones by renaming files to ones with an .m4r extension! Beware in updating!

Another suite of web software…

Now that Google Desktop has been out for ages, Microsoft finally feels confident enough in its ability to release a non-beta version of all of its Windows Live services. While I do think it’s nice to see that Microsoft has had to create some new services, I do have some mixed feelings about this Windows Live Suite. For example, while the new Hotmail looks pretty nice, the Windows Live Mail (Desktop) client is nothing more than an enhanced version of Outlook Express Windows Mail.

Also, it would be nice if Microsoft realized that it’s time to become even more innovative. Microsoft Surface was a great idea, and I hope it pans out. But copying Google with all of their web services doesn’t have too much of an advantage.

I have used all of the apps at one point, and must say that they are pretty good…I still don’t like the idea of them copying Google so much. We all know that BillG has the ideas, I just wonder why they aren’t panning out. Windows 3.1 and subsequently Windows 95 were revolutionary and brought people to buy computers.

Hopefully their new IPTV initiative will work out. I just love that idea. But that, my friends, will be left for another day.

Check out the Windows Live Suite here:

http://get.live.com/wl/all

New iPods are nice but…

Fortunately today, I had a break in classes while Steve Jobs announced the new iPod lineup for this year. While it’s definite that the new iPods are awesome…I come away from the Engadget live feed a little confused. Here’s why:

Ringtones: Nice feature, but kind of a shame that Apple couldn’t negotiate better prices.
iPod Shuffle: Still just 1GB? The colors are unique (not as bright as previously), but I think maybe a 2GB model would be nice.
iPod nano: I’m not sure how people are going to squint to see the 2 inch screen…my 2.5 inch seems usable if not a little small. The new UI is nice, too.
iPod Classic: I thought this was the last announcement. It was great…160GB!?!? It may be silver instead of white, but that’s something I would be interesting in replacing my 60GB 5G with.
iPod touch: Glad to see that it’s out…but wish it wasn’t the high-end iPod model. To me, it has seemed that Apple always pushed ahead when it came to storage…why go backward to 8/16GB to get premium functionality?
iPhone pricing: I am thrilled to see the price decrease, but why on earth would the iPod Touch and the iPhone cost the same? I feel like I have to make a choice now…phone functionality or extra 8GB of storage.

Just think about that last point for a second…8GB vs. Phone capabilities? Well I can only hope that these two devices share quite a bit in the future in the way of apps and whatever cool utilities that are out there. that would at least give the iPod Touch a little more appeal in my mind. Still though, I would rather have a thicker iPod Touch (w/ hard drive) than the one that was released today. Even if it was a single platter 30GB disk. It may cause trouble when it comes to caching, but at least it would seem more like a high-end product.

Once last thing…I also feel like the iPod is getting out of hand. Apple prides itself on sleekness. Now we have a mess of iPods on the market. The shuffle, nano, classic, touch, and iPhone. I am for customer choice, but I also feel a little confused now. It’s not like, oh, I want a small device so I will pick up the new iPod mini instead of the 3G iPod anymore. Now the consumer is going to have to decide between a ton of capacities, screen sizes, and UIs.

I still love my 60GB 5G iPod and have no issues with it (if I do, then I just use alternative firmware) and think it’s a wonderful device that takes care of all my media. I would be lost without all of the informative podcasts and the availability of music just about anywhere.

All complaining aside, these new devices are pretty cool…I am just a little annoyed to see that the iPod line is flying out of control. Just my 2 cents.

Dis/agreements?

The future of digital media…

You know, the business models of the MPAA and RIAA are just too antiquated for today’s world. Considering that Apple will be updating its iPod line in just hours, I thought I would take some time to comment on what should be, and tie it to my current situation at Stony Brook University.

Microsoft did a good thing with the Zune…they decided that it would be a good idea to go and add Wi-Fi to the device. This way people could share music. Of course there was one caveat: the limitations on the songs. They would only let you listen to a song three times after downloading. Afterward, you would have to buy it. Period.

What if, however, one company could stream all of this music…for free, or maybe a small fee. Just take a look at what projects such as Pandora radio are all about…they give you choice of music (even if the choice is not great). there have been some rumors about the iPod having Wi-Fi capabilities. What if these new iPods could stream music from whatever iTunes computer it is in range of. Imagine that…now you allow people access to so much content, they would not have to worry about pirating.

Since I’ve moved in at Stony Brook University, I have seen that many students have their copy of iTunes configured to share their libraries. What a wonderful idea! I can go into a library of like 8000 songs and listen to the music I want. I don’t possess a copy of it, I can just listening, just as I would be on the radio. Now what if my iPod could pick up on those shared libraries?

I know that iTunes gives warnings that the sharing is for personal use only, but that is because of pressure from record labels. There is no doubt. If it was up to Steve Jobs, there would be no DRM anyway. Just imagine a connected campus in which I have access to hundreds of thousands of songs…all from my iPod. If that isn’t innovation, I don’t know what is.

Comments from anyone? My library is currently password protected, but if you do happen to find it (under Stephen Stakey’s Library), let me know. I wonder how many others at SBU have discovered this cool thing.

And more importantly, why not open up your library? Keep iTunes in the background and share your music…but of course it couldn’t be illegal, as you don’t actually retain the music. Really I don’t see how it is different than lending a friend a CD many years ago…just for a listen. Or what, was that illegal, too?

So here’s to Apple in hoping that the new iPod will be the most revolutionary personal media player out there. The creative genius is there…along with the innovative drive. And of course, I will be back tomorrow to share my thoughts about the new announcements.

What do you guys think?