Siruis vs. iPod for control of my musical soul
I stand at a musical crossroads.
And no, I am not talking about whether to offer my soul to techno or country and western (the only way that happens is if I suffer some horrific closed-head injury and then, well, I couldn’t help myself could I?)
Christmas is coming, and I’m in a pickle to whether to ask for a new 30-gig iPod, or a Sirius Satellite Radio receiver for the car.
My original, first-generation 5-gig iPod is giving up the ghost. It often forgets its program. It gets to songs that it refuses to play. In shuffle mode, it’ll shuffle for a time, then refuse. Poor little thing; it’s given me years of trustful service, it’s got more than 1,000 songs on its brain (punk songs, by virtue of being short and sweet, has allowed me to surpass its estimated song capacity).
But do I want another one?
Like I said, I’ve got more than 1,000 songs on it – a 30-gig iPod would increase that to 7,500 songs – but even I don’t want to listen to a particular song at a particular time (although, yesterday, the dB’s “Any Old Thing” came up and boy, I hadn’t heard that in a while and gave me a big smile). I tend to scroll through the shuffle play to find something that fits my mood.
(And, please, don’t talk to me about playlists; I could make 100 playlists and still find something I don’t want to listen to at a particular time.)
With Sirius, I get new, exciting stuff all the time. If I don’t like the new alternative stuff, I can switch to one of 193 channels of music, sports or talk radio. All commercial-free.
But, Thom, what about listening to a little Ramones or White Stripes or The Replacements at work? Sirius is satellite radio for your car. With the iPod, you just walk in, plug in and listen.
Well, I get Sirius for the car and I also get Sirius Internet Radio. Fully-streaming music right from my laptop (I’ve been pirating my dad’s subscription since February).
Here’s the biggest dilemma I face: portability.
I can’t take Sirius into the grocery store, or in the backpack when I’m fishing (unless I get the Sirius mp3 player that allows you to record your favorite songs).
So, I am conflicted.
I do know that I’m leaning toward getting the Sirius radio for the car (I have Dish at home, so I get Sirius there, meaning I’d have commercial-free tunes most everywhere I find myself) and a two-year subscription.
And then saving my pennies for a 4-gig iPod Nano ($199) for the portability.
It’s a win-win thing.
And no, I am not talking about whether to offer my soul to techno or country and western (the only way that happens is if I suffer some horrific closed-head injury and then, well, I couldn’t help myself could I?)
Christmas is coming, and I’m in a pickle to whether to ask for a new 30-gig iPod, or a Sirius Satellite Radio receiver for the car.
My original, first-generation 5-gig iPod is giving up the ghost. It often forgets its program. It gets to songs that it refuses to play. In shuffle mode, it’ll shuffle for a time, then refuse. Poor little thing; it’s given me years of trustful service, it’s got more than 1,000 songs on its brain (punk songs, by virtue of being short and sweet, has allowed me to surpass its estimated song capacity).
But do I want another one?
Like I said, I’ve got more than 1,000 songs on it – a 30-gig iPod would increase that to 7,500 songs – but even I don’t want to listen to a particular song at a particular time (although, yesterday, the dB’s “Any Old Thing” came up and boy, I hadn’t heard that in a while and gave me a big smile). I tend to scroll through the shuffle play to find something that fits my mood.
(And, please, don’t talk to me about playlists; I could make 100 playlists and still find something I don’t want to listen to at a particular time.)
With Sirius, I get new, exciting stuff all the time. If I don’t like the new alternative stuff, I can switch to one of 193 channels of music, sports or talk radio. All commercial-free.
But, Thom, what about listening to a little Ramones or White Stripes or The Replacements at work? Sirius is satellite radio for your car. With the iPod, you just walk in, plug in and listen.
Well, I get Sirius for the car and I also get Sirius Internet Radio. Fully-streaming music right from my laptop (I’ve been pirating my dad’s subscription since February).
Here’s the biggest dilemma I face: portability.
I can’t take Sirius into the grocery store, or in the backpack when I’m fishing (unless I get the Sirius mp3 player that allows you to record your favorite songs).
So, I am conflicted.
I do know that I’m leaning toward getting the Sirius radio for the car (I have Dish at home, so I get Sirius there, meaning I’d have commercial-free tunes most everywhere I find myself) and a two-year subscription.
And then saving my pennies for a 4-gig iPod Nano ($199) for the portability.
It’s a win-win thing.
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