Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

back in the day it was from a Mac w/windows media player...later after becoming a patron its from G4 or G5 via itunes...i like my monitors speakers, and will use headphones to jack in when i feel the need.

at home ...G4(one of them)...kitchen w/good speakers

gee peter i'm green w/envy

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

The ipod is NOT revolutionary. My 1st mp3 player was an Archos, at a time when there WASN'T an ipod. It was primitive, sure, but it was innovative. When I showed it to people, their jaws dropped (this is, I don't know, maybe 10 years ago). It survived a drop on concrete at 20+ mph, for a few weeks before it died. The hardware was pretty solid.

My 2nd mp3 player was a Creative Nomad. At that time, the 40GB Nomad was $100 cheaper than the 20GB ipod. Now that I've used both, I have to say that the Creative software is WAY better than itunes, and the user interface is WAY better than the ipod. The ipod is a decent product, and has two major advantages: the size factor (nice and small) and the capacity (160GB). The only reason I bought the ipod is that my 40GB Creative was full and I didn't want to delete anything.

As I said, the ipod is a decent product, but I'm tired of people worshiping Apple without holding them accountable.

I wasn't joking when I complained about itunes. It doesn't even understand filing solo artists under their last name. David Bowie is filed under "D"??! LAME!! Try loading album artwork if you have Bowie, David. itunes can't find it.

Oh yeah, and the ipod, when you're scrolling (with that stupid touch wheel), and you get to "Z", what happens? Duh, you have to go backwards all the way to "A" instead of wrapping around to "A" like the Creative. Yuk.

I was editing this post, adding info about the weak connector on the bottom of the ipod (PM me if you want details), and Firefox crashed. Hmmm. Sounds like $teve Job'$ version of e$tabli$hing a monopoly.

While I'm ranting, anytime you're in itune$, they're trying to $ell you mu$ic.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

When you open .m3u files and .pls files in a normal text editor, you see that they are just ASCII files, and you wonder even more, why WMP does not understand them...

For listening to radio streams I use XMPlay, a really tiny tool with some nice features. WinAmp always brings chaos to my registry, so that mp3directcut and mp3tag no longer work correctly. My MP3 collection is administered with WMP, but to listen MP3 I use VLC media player.

When I am away from home, I use WMP11 on my office laptop or my Archos Gmini (30GB)...

Ciao,
Andreas

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I never said it was. I was referring to the Zune. A late comer to the market and it offers nothing new; in fact, it's more limited than many of its competitors.

The difference has always been the size. The 2.5" form factor drives are cheap because they are also used in laptops. The 1.8" ff drives cost more and thus, the devices using them cost more.

Neither do the sites we link with for bands. THe CDDB doesn't either. I wonder what your other software does with Jethro Tull or Timothy Pure or Pink Floyd... Floyd, Pink? What do you file 5UUs under?


That doesn't bother me as much as not being able to scroll through an alphabetical heading (A-Z) and then drill down. With hundreds of artists, it is difficult to scroll to one quickly.

[quote=progdirjim;29987
I was editing this post, adding info about the weak connector on the bottom of the ipod (PM me if you want details), and Firefox crashed. Hmmm. Sounds like $teve Job'$ version of e$tabli$hing a monopoly.
[/quote]
Apple now owns Firefox?


I'm in iTunes all day long. I've never ONCE gotten an add for music purchases. In fact, I don't even have a link to the iTunes Store in my iTunes! You can turn it off you know... don't you?

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Thanks for the pointer, Andreas. I'm listening to AM using XMPlay now. Talk about tiny! The entire download is 305kb (yes, kilobytes) and some of the modules are optional. Reminds me of the old DOS days when people took pride in building small useful applications.

(BTW, it doesn't appear to support AACplus.)

It uses about 6.7MB of memory when running, and the display contains the available song information (artist and track title). Net is this is fine solution, albeit not mainstream, way to listen to AM. If anyone has a player that can beat this, I'd like to know about it.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Somebody posted this for me on the Marillion on-line forum and I thought I'd share it here.

Redmond, Seattle. A screen saver of a roaring log fire flickers on a huge LCD monitor perched on a wide expanse of mahogany desk. Bathed in its glow, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his PA, Atkins, are drinking eggnog - whatever eggnog is, Americans always seem to drink it at Christmas.

"Hell of a year!"
"Hell of a year, sir!"
"And all the big news happened in January, didn't it?"
"Er, yes sir."
"Windows Vista launches, The 'big wow'."
"Oh... I see sir, yes sir."
"You say 'yes, sir' as if you mean 'no sir'?"
"No sir,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir."
"Goddamit. Why don't people like Vista? What was wrong with the big wow?"
"Nothing sir, it's just not quite the wow effect we were after."
"And what are we doing about that? Was there a problem with the marketing? I spent a fortune on it."
"No sir, it was more a problem with the product. It didn't quite live up to the 'wow' expectations."
"But it looks like Mac OS X, comes in six versions and it's about to get a service pack. What more do people want? Are we planning a new ad campaign?"
"No sir. The old one was fine. We didn't have time to make any significant improvements to the software so we've just decided to redefine the industry standard of 'wow'."
"Good thinking."
"Yes, sir. Our lawyers have been busy since February. I'm happy to say it's been successfully redefined, sir."
"Excellent, what does 'wow' mean now?"
"More like 'Hmm'."
"The big 'Hmm'. I like it. Has it had any effect on sales?"
"No."
"Hmm."
"That's the spirit, sir."

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I was (tongue in cheek) implying that Apple was monitoring my post and crashed my browser to prevent a negative post.

Well no, I don't. :shootmeno I wouldn't have bitched about it if I knew that. It's certainly possible that I'll like itunes better as I become more familiar with it. The Creative software was so damn intuitive (at least for me, and I know that can be subjective) though.

I like the ipod OK, and it does have some advantages, but I get really weary of the "Apple good, everything else bad" preaching that goes on pretty much every day. I'm no particular fan of Microsoft, but can we just stipulate that you (and quite a few others) hate them a lot, their software is bloated, and their management are boneheads to a man, and not talk about it every day? (8-D Please?:deadhorse

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I use itunes..i also used winamp as well a while ago.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

What would there be to talk about then? (Seriously, thank you for articulating that Jim)

This verbal masturbation about how one sound system is better/worse than the other is the highlight of my day!

I have friends who hate Microsoft too. I just smile and turn the other cheek.

I only use itunes to convert music to mp3. As Dale says, you can use Real Player instead for the ipod. You can use anything for most things really. And you know what? It's all free. So I can't complain.

WMP works just fine to hear AM. So does itunes or Winamp.

As for the ipod, I have no need or want for one. I'm too busy, and I have all the music I need. If there were no more recordings I would be set for life. I just buy because I care. Shit, I can't even file my music in a decent amount of time anymore. It's hard enough just to get back to the kind artists who send or turn me on to music. My one kid has his ipod implanted in his ear. My head would explode if I had to put my music on the computer to put it on something else.

It's just not that important to me to have a portable music device like an ipod. Great idea if you like it though, it's a cool thing. But I'm never in one place long enough to enjoy it.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Well, it's all commodity market crap. I just weighed the pile of malodorous sweat socks against the buckets of fetid noxious shit and I choose the former as the least olfactory offensive.

As a VMS bigot, we used to have a saying: unix isn't all that bad once you get used to its smell. I'll take the unix based OS X over that montage of hacked-up shite known as Weendoze any day.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

You have smart friends then.

I've asked how now twice and still no answer. If REAL does this then please explain how.


I have one and seldom use it. I houses my iTunes library for when I am on the road but I've found I usually just tune into AM.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I've seen yours in action...you do spend more time on the road than I do and the plug in feature to the car is handy...

I used to make cassette mixed tapes long ago. I realized that I ended up with full CD's anyway...dopey me. I'll just pull out CD's for the car for trips now.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Well, then. I do believe you've made your opinion on the matter ABUNDANTLY CLEAR. :deadhorse

I hearby call this matter completely, utterly, ultimately and finally CLOSED.

WE NEVER, EVER, NOT IN A MILLION, GAZILLION YEARS, NEED to hear about it again unless it is specifically solicited.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Opinion? Not. Fact! Yes.


Not so fast...

We? I.

I'm still waiting for the RealPlayer/iPod instructions alluded to herein so that I may assess it for myself. I have tried to figure it out but its less than intuitive interface eludes me.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

The Help Content talks about this. On my server, I do see my iPod listed as a device that it can sync to but haven't been motivated to try it. I only use RP for listening to streams.

My master library is setup using iTunes only because that's what I've gotten used to. If you recall, the original iPod was sold with and was only supported by MusicMatch via firewire interface until Apple released iTunes software. I still use MM to rip MP3s because I like their tagging function which is still not available on the new Yahoo replacement software.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Was this note a thread on listening to the Moon? I don't care about which OS someone is using, I whatever works for my needs at the time. In the spirit of the current postings I offer this ... http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse....gi?u=macs_cant

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I'd be curious if anyone else has had experience with this player. If nothing else it's fun to play around with.

I followed the directions provided and removed the extra plug-ins provided by the original zip file and the entire player is as follows.

12/21/2007 09:06 AM 269,892 xmplay.exe
12/23/2007 10:29 AM 3,353 xmplay.ini
2 File(s) 273,245 bytes

Maybe we should all write in and get them to either change the name to AMPlay or get a branded version for the station!

P.S. I suspect there is a plug-in to make AACplus work, but the fact that this works for MP3 as-is is quite qonderful.

P.P.S. There is no installer supplied but it doesn't really need one. You just need some basic skills to unpak the zip to someplace you can find and then run the app.

Cheers,
Carl

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

The XMPlay homepage gives some plugins. And to choose one skin is also nice.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

:-]

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Okay, I give up. Is there one from you? I thought you might be hinting there is an AM skin there?

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

iTunes

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I listen to Aural Moon into my bedroom with a PC Windows Vista + I Tunes + connection via a M-Audio Card to a Hi- Fi Toshiba MC 663DW with 2 speakers, shortly I'll buy others 2 speakers!! Sometimes I use phones!!
Unfortunelly I can't to listen Aural Moon into my office , my pacients don't like it, I have a PC there but I use just to guard the folders, files and cases of the pacients by an specific program, without Internet.
When I arrive at home I am crazy to listening prog. music then I turn on Aural Moon!! :hot: :aua: :yougo :D

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Maybe you should play some Thinking Plague....it's as pleasant as dental work!:rolleyes:

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Yes Rick!! With synths and theremins amplificated, the turbine sound disappears, could be a good audio therapy, the bacteries are killed by the high audio frequences!!:aua: :D :rofl:ha,ha,ha....
By friend!!
Toc.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Well My iPod finally died.So the wife for some reason picked me up a zune.I was like im going to hate it.Well its alright.But it gets me to something you guys should check out(was looking for a player to replace itunes.Well i found one and You can stream with it to its called Foobar2000 http://www.foobar2000.org/.It uses almost 1/8 of the Memory of iTunes and at lest to me sounds 10X better.Its a bit tricky getting use to it but Im loving it.If you want to try it and want to steam the moon go to File/Add location and put in the url.But anyway i thought you guys may want to try it out and see for yourself s im glade i did.

Also a edit in it can do aacplus streaming :)

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I wouid try it out but it's platform specific.

As for memory, FooBar doesn't do video (not that I care about video in iTunes) so that may be some of the size that iTunes consumes. I checked an iTunes on a PeeCee and it's 16MB. How big a footprint does FooBar have?

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Right now Im streaming the moon and its using 4,500k memory.Thats to 60,000k iTunes uses when its running the moon.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I'm running a program and it's using 100% of the CPU. I suppose I need a faster CPU too. :horsepoop [1]


iTunes, on my Powerbook, is using 240+MB of virtual address space. The statistics monitor says that it's resident in 40+MB of physical memory -- That's only 2% of my total physical memory. Personally, albeit I'll have to trust the OS X/unix memory management subsystem's decisions, I'd rather see MORE physical memory used and less paging/swapping for virtual I/O. However, it could be that the 200M of other pages are for options in iTunes that I am not currently using; thus, proper for it to be paged out of the working set.

With memory access on the order of nSecs (nanosecond: 1e-9) and disk access on the order of mSecs (milliseconds: 1e-3), memory is a MILLION times faster (1e-3/1e-9 = 1e6). I'm very happy that iTunes is memory resident and consuming that whole 2% of my entire physical memory configuration.

I also have my streaming buffering set to large. iTunes can take and buffer all it wants. I hate stream hiccups.

Also, being multi-threaded (and I've written my share of multi-threaded apps), the thread managers keep heap set aside for the various threads. I know I can listen to AM on iTunes streaming in and being streamed out to my AirportExpress to speakers while ripping CDs and watching a video. I could probably be downloading from the iTunes store too but I don't buy music on line. The point being that I don't miss a single note of what is playing on AM while all of this is running.

On the PeeCee and Weendoze, who can actually tell what portion of memory an application is actually using. It's DLL hell. Are all of the DLLs that have been loaded for this application included in the tallies for memory usage by the statistics tool(s) available? I'd doubt it.

I could go into the translation buffer look-aside design, translation buffer mismatch and translation buffer invalidation schemes of each of the OSs and point out the benefits of leaving things in memory, but I don't want to bore you with too many OS design details all at once.

The point herein is that memory use is no metric of performance; however, the more physical memory in today's virtual memory environments, the better the general overall performance. Don't snarl just because a program is using it without a thorough understanding of the nuances of VM.


Footnotes
[1] If you believe this, I am MORE than willing to see you one.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

Holy Crap Vaxman my brains going to explode!!!!=8^O You lost me at PeeCee:surrender.Really It seems to me to foobar runs a bit better than itunes but it might be just me and foobar is just a audio player and thats it so it really don't need a massive footprint :).

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I agree with the points made in this post. These points are surely valid for larger applications that manage a lot of data.

When it comes to streaming shoutcast (which is what this thread is about), this is a very focused and specific task. The music comes down the wire to my computer and I want it to come out the speakers. On some machines I have, they are very resource challenged including my work laptop. It uses over 430MB of RAM just to boot the darn thing and the vast majority of which I have no control over since the asset doesn't belong to me. Using an unobtrusive player that uses a small amount of RAM is very useful in this situation. If you have a very very low-end machine that has a small amount of RAM (say 160MB total), running an application with a small memory requirement is handy.

If you are so inclined Vax and have low-end w* machine around, try XMPlay just for grins.

I want to point out that I DO use iTunes to manage my personal music library because of my iPod. But for listening to AM, XMPlay does the job nicely in a very stealthy way.

Cheers

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

The claim, as I read it, what that the smaller memory footprint made it better.

I don't know the XMPlay s/w and I guess I never will. I looked to download it and try it, but it is Weendoze only.

The thing to remember is that iTunes is a collections of myriad functions including playing Video. Personally, I would have preferred Apple to divorce the Video from iTunes and create an iVideo/iWatch/iTV application but they did not. It's like a single guy with a sedan. He really only uses one seat but the others are still there. Should he buy a motorcycle? Or, stick with the sedan in case he wants to pick up a videographer, a database manager, a shopper and TV broadcaster?

My first comment about the 100% CPU was from a real customer situation. If you don't understand what the computer metrics you are observing mean, then you'd be best off to stop wasting system resources to collect/view them. The story is quite humorous. If you want to know, I can describe it in another thread or a PM.

Re: How do YOU listen to AM?
 

I don't have a problem with the designpoint. A 5th gen iPod or better can do video so the application that supports syncing it should do all of the work necessary to feed it data. I've been using iTunes as soon as it became available and was using MusicMatch before that (this is what Apple was shipping with the Gen I iPod).

Let's say you have a lot of music stored locally. In order for iTunes to start, it needs to read some XML files. If the library it manages is large enough, you may need to wait anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds just to open iTunes application. Same on the closing side when it writes the XML back out to disk apparently. This isn't a big deal to me if I need to deal with managing updates to the iPod.

But when it comes to listening to AuralMoon, I've gotten spoiled by the "instant on" aspect of smaller applications like XMP, or running PocketTunes on the Treo 650.