Rob's Blog

I love the service, but Sirius Satellite Radio provides a bad experience for subscribers who listen over the internet. The reasons are, poor quality audio, restricted access to certain channels (i.e Howard 100) and lack of features such as playlists. The reason Siruis provides bad service is because they are concerned about subscription piracy. This entry will explain the three main problems with Sirius Satellite Radio’s internet service for subscribers and why they exist.

Problem: Sirius provides a poorly designed flash-based interface for listening on the web. The flash Sirius player lacks proper internet radio features such as playlists and links to artist information.

Solution: Abandon flash interface and use a database driven page that offers information about what is being broadcast along with multiple audio streams. An example of a station that has a great internet radio offering is Seattle’s KEXP.org. KEXP offers a fully archived song playlist along with DJ comments.

Problem: Sirius provides a very low quality, 32kb st

ream for internet listeners. This point is wholly unacceptable because bandwidth is very cheap, especially in bulk. Rather than provide their subscribers high quality internet streams you get the same low quality sound you get driving around in your

car.

Continue reading Sirius Satellite Radio Lacks Quality Internet Listener Experience

Just a quick note to point out that Google is not your aunt May who bakes you muffins and tucks you in when you’re sick.  While it has earned the mass belief that it is the best way to find information, it has also somehow aquired the golden halo that mac users feel towards Apple’s iPod.  This is a mistake.  Google is on the verge of capitalizing on all of its database, which includes an understanding of your financial situation, the decision making process you use to purchase products, your personal information, and most importantly how you aquire new information. 

Continue reading Google Search Packaged for Sale

I have a long-standing rant against Apple’s iPod and iTunes system of consumer enslavement, and have managed to stay well away from their products.  I’m afraid things have not gone as well for my friends.  I’ve wanted to explain my hatred for the iPod in so many words for some time and my recent purchase of the Sony Walkman D-NE320 has provided a reason.

I like to listen to mp3’s.  A lot.  I download several hundred dollars worth of music a quarter, and that stuff has to be listened to.  Most of my listening has been done on the computer or at work.  [Have a look at my Last.fm profile to see what I’m up to recently.]  I usually burn cd’s to pop into the magazine of my BMW, but this has become a problem since I had the battery replaced.  See second post of this CODE WAIT thread.

I have been hungrily eyeing a number of Sony Walkman cd/mp3 players at the local Fred Meyer, but have never been able to bring myself to drop the 40-80 bucks they wanted for one.  Enter my father, who was in the Christmas spirit this week.  He hooked me up with a Sony DEJ001, which turned out to be not so great.  It was priced at $39.99 and had a crappy little lcd display on the side.  the DEJ001 requires two double-A batteries which makes it heavy.  It comes with a pair of incredibly shitty ear buds–it just sucked.  (note: I picked it out on impulse when he said I could get one more thing.  And yes, I am a spoiled brat.)

So I took it back and exchanged it for the Sony Walkman D-NE320.  Now this is a really cool player.  It has a big nice LCD on the top of the player that shows a little animation while it is reading the disc the first time.  It displays its progress as it scans the disc and has a GUI that shows folders and songs inside them. (Album and song names are read from ID3 information imbedded in the mp3s)   Rather than worry about some more crappy ear buds, I went ahead and got a pair of Sony Walkman MDR-EX51LP ear buds.  They were overpriced at $35.00.

Continue reading Why My Sony Walkman D-NE320 is Better than your iPod Could Ever Be