So Tell Me Who The F**k Are You?

Since as far back as I can remember, I've enjoyed writing. I don't know who you are, dear reader, but I realistically expect that you're someone I already know and have a reasonable expectation of what it is I might write. You'll likely have an impression of who I am as a person, and having read this far, you're likely either family or a friend.
In high school, I used to write with my grandmother as my intended audience. It put all kinds of filters in place and forced my brain to re-think my grammar, but also my explanations of things. I wrote as though it was a letter to be sent to her.

Now, I write with my wife in mind. She's a peer, fairly tech-savvy, knows me well, and is tired of my old, stale jokes. The filters are a little different, obviously. All of that is anecdotal and came into my consciousness as I was thinking about how great it is to be a music fan right now. I know - it's some leap.

This morning, the USB drive I had left in my work PC overnight was ready. I started a process that analyzed all 2200 songs on it and leveled the volume on each and every track. My wife, I imagine, has already rolled her eyes. (This seemed like it was heading somewhere interesting, but now it's about software. Ugh.)

The USB drive has a distillation of roughly 200 favorite albums on it and I leave it in my car. I got a new car a couple years ago with a USB port connected to the stereo. I've been listening to the music on the drive since I got the car, and have had to adjust the volume with each song, almost every day. This might not seem like a big deal, but it's a lot of adjusting.

A few years earlier, I did an informal poll of friends of mine who care about this kind of stuff (as well as MP3 tagging, ripping CDs, etc.) and was turned on to MediaMonkey. I used it a lot right away - so much so that I plunked down $25 for a lifetime upgrade license.

Fast-forward to yesterday. I plugged the drive into my work PC and let it process the volume leveling function in the background while I worked. It finished up over night, and this morning it is done. I'm listening to the music on the drive and Bad Brains is even with Mute Math! Even better, there's an "auto DJ" algorithm that's choosing what might sound good next to other things and fading in/out from song to song.

Rarely do I spend money on software and think "I got more than I expected here" but that's certainly the case for MediaMonkey. If you listen to music regularly and have acquired files from various different sources in the past (including ripping them yourself), I highly recommend MediaMonkey. Lifehacker agrees, mostly. (Their biggest gripe can be addressed here: http://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index.php/DreadM's_Skins)The Gold license is also worth it if you plan to do any manual cleanup of files or tags. For me, the volume leveling feature was worth the price.

And so, to wrap up, I will now be able to drive around with my music blaring and without having to adjust the volume each time the song changes. Well, until I take it in to have the motor replaced, but that's a post for a different day.

Net Dreams

Update - 7/14/14: Well, that was uneventful. I guess everyone who follows the NBA knows where Carmelo's loyalty lies (and I'm not talking about NYC). Now I hope that Gasol and his championship experience (along with McBuckets and Mirotic) can still overtake the Cavs. (I'm not worried about the Knicks as a threat. For a while, anyhow.)

Here’s my take on Derrick Rose and the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. If Derrick throws his hat in the ring and recruits, and Carmelo doesn’t end up here, then Rose loses. There are so many factors beyond whether the two stars can get along that it seems silly that it’s an issue whether he is involved in the pitch or not.

I don’t remember Carmelo Anthony being voted MVP of the league, so it’s even more odd to think that a former MVP would need to plea with another player to help him. LeBron didn’t exactly do that – he worked with Wade, Bosh, and the Heat to get what he wanted. I’m not sure why there’s this expectation of Rose to do a song and dance. His presence at a pitch meeting seems pretty low on the list of reasons why Carmelo might come here. 

Further, there’s a reasonable chance that Rose recruits heavily but then never plays another game in the NBA. His health is probably the biggest unknown in this entire situation. If he doesn't come back at elite player status, then the Bulls are saddled with his salary and another huge contract with Melo, relinquishing any hope of adding or changing other good players. They'd be stuck for a few years. *

The simple take, in my eyes, is whether Carmelo Anthony is more driven by long-term financial security or his legacy as a player. Neither Los Angeles nor New York seem like they're on the verge of a championship; Chicago offers him the best opportunity to win in the 2014/2015 season. If it's even somewhat about the money, then he might as well stay in NY and help the Knicks try to get his hometown a championship. 

While most people would take that cash grab and try to rebuild, I think he's already done that when he left the Nuggets in the past. He's got the money already (and he's not looking at playing for free, either), so I could see him being enticed to try to win a title at this stage in his career. Besides, if he wins a title in Chicago, his endorsements could make up for any contract deficit, and probably exceed it.

I hope he gets to the Bulls without turning them into the Knicks (trading away too much talent to get him) and being hamstrung by his contract for years to come.

* - I don't think Rose is soft, but I definitely think he's accident/injury-prone. One of the first stories I remember hearing about him when he was a rookie was an accident with a knife, where he couldn't practice and almost severed tendons. (http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/Roses-Thorn-is-a-Knife.html)