Computer Music

Recently, I took possession of a new computer - state of the art, the whole nine bits. There's a fallacy floating around that an old computer is perfectly fine for standard actions (word processing, surfing the net), except that software is constantly getting more complicated and memory intensive - to match the progress in hardware. It's a sad cycle, but often to read a normal website you need a new computer.

Moreover, my normal computer consumption requires 7 to 8 programs open at once - which also requires the most advanced technology commercially available.

I got a Dell even though I personally endured their horrible customer service (long story) - 2 hour long phone calls with sub-continent illiterates, surly and stupid American counterparts, you name it. Dell also was hundreds of dollars cheaper than the nearest competitor, so I fear I was thinking with the pale dollar signs in my eyelids.

I *would* have bought a Macintosh, as I am a loyal Macophile (Machead? Macaninny? Macadoolde?) since 1986. But the key Torah software does not work on the Mac. And I need the Bar Ilan disc and Dagesh. Grrr.

One benefit of my voluminous hard-drive (370 Gigabytes, so large I could store a rhino) is that I can stockpile and play my entire CD collection. A genetic flaw I inherited from my father is the need to acquire the latest audio/video venues for my favorite artists. I remember my father’s 8-track tape player and the day we upgraded to CDs. I owned an extensive VHS collection which I now have almost completely replaced by DVDs.

When MP3s were invented, my CDs were shelved. I was never much of an album listener; I preferred singles and hours of random variety, making MP3s perfect. However, I lacked the technology to rip and store CDs, and people weren’t making MP3s of my favorite stuff. Now I have the power (add the He-Man reverb).

It took a while, but I entered and copied my CDs into my computer. It’s 21.7 Gig if you’re curious. And I now can use my computer for its most mundane, but for my tastes most necessary task – playing music.