Cycling + > Freewheeling

Killing the iPod Zombie Myth

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sam:
Cycling with headphones kills mother as coroner says she caused her own death.
Because "Brake cable too short" doesn't make as good a headline. And let's not even start counting coulds:
"I cannot determine if she was on her iPhone listening with earphone at the time, but if she had been, it could have caused a distraction and could have contributed to the cause of the accident." Rewrite!

I think he said it best:


Mmmmm, zombies. (Out of shot: the walking red.)
can't say I'll miss Lucy

sam:
Steadmanesque?

When I heard the news last year that Apple had killed the iPod Shuffle, I didn't grieve, at first. That model had never appealed to me due to the lack of a screen and the small capacity. Out of curiosity, and not wanting to spend £££ stocking up on its bigger brother for the coming drought, I went ahead and got one.

It quickly replaced my beloved {no that's not too strong a word for it} Nano. Since the vast majority of my rides are 1-2 hours long, a couple hundred songs, easily changed, are more than enough to keep me happy; also, I’d never realised you’re not stuck with shuffling if you don’t wanna.

A screen isn't necessary after all! This came as a surprise.

The best feature is the most old-fashioned: tactile control. Now I don't need to take it out of my pocket or even look at it (sorry Apple) to skip songs or adjust the volume.

I was so won over I bought another. Then another. Then decided that was probably enough, as I was unsure about the long-term effects on battery life for a stored iPod. Barring accidentally giving them away in change, I shouldn't have to worry about finding a decent replacement MP3 player for a while.


almost as welcome as Scottish money

The tech Borg despair at anybody who hasn't already gone the phone/bluetooth/Spotify route.

Anachronism that I increasingly am, I still haven't gone wireless, which would be useless for one of these anyway. My earbuds must also have hooks, otherwise I'll spend most of my time feeling they're about to fall out. For years I've made do with successive Sennheisers: great sound, but invariably let down by noise artefacts thanks to cheapo wires (ticking, mostly, as if they were aping a troublesome bottom bracket). For less than half their price I've recently discovered an offering by JVC. What they lack in bass they make up for in not suffering from the earbud equivalent of tinnitus.


didn't have to wait 50 years, guys

Voting appears to be stuck in a tie. For all I know there are two factions of 'bots keeping it that way.

sam:
Lyric salad from a ride, in the order in which it was served:

Give the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll, and drift away
Gimme those notes to climb inside… it’s gonna take me on that ride
This ain’t my first rodeo
I can see her lyin’ back in her satin dress
Keep it dark
How do you do?
I think I love you
Lover come closer
Think about it, there must be higher love
Just a fleeting sense of that rare suspense I once thought made the world go round
Absolutely everybody
Burn out the day, burn out the night, I can’t see no reason to put up a fight
Bang bang bang went Frankie’s gun, he shot me down Lucille
So let me go or make me wanna stay
My word, it’s a shame I’m so dumb.


nonlinear notes
I didn’t know Marcy sang C&W! Oh wait, yes I did. Do you ever worry you’ll die in the saddle, and the last song that was playing will be what you’re remembered for? Like your last words? God help me if it’s David Cassidy’s I think I love you. Absolutely must cleanse this Shuffle and fill it with Beethoven or something. Remembering that marvellous quote from Sensitive Skin - something like “CDs: you know, the intermediate step between vinyl and stolen.” Tanita’s brother is Ferdy from This Life. No Dylan this morning, but at least I got the Felice Brothers. All these notes to self to transcribe when I get home, is there a song called Transcription Blues?

sam:
It turns out every day is ananniversary of something. (As the pandemic wears on, even words are having trouble maintaining social distancing.)

Voting hasn't budged for three years: it's still neck and neck. Guess it's my duty to break the tie, like Kamala.

The Yeas have it!

To celebrate the franchise, and 15 years of not having to eat my words by not getting mowed down by a Guardian-subscribing Kia driver as I'm distracted by Moonlight Sonata [more likely to be Moonlight Shadow], let's have a singalong.


The first comment I read: "Clicked on this prepared to be unimpressed... boy was I wrong."

Go Your Own Way → My Way → Regrets → The Regret Rien, from Life is Sweet.

sam:
I assume the killjoys would have a problem with this, too.

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