Stuff & Nonsense

[stonebender]

I spent most of yesterday in my backyard. Sitting in the sun, with a book on my tray and music from my iPod in my ear. All afternoon I read Neil Gaiman's American Gods smelling fresh cut grass and feeling the cool breeze. It occurred to me at the time that I could do this the rest of my life. I didn't need to know how the book ended or who was singing the songs I listened to, that moment could go on and on forever.

If you're expecting cohesive prose, forget it. I'm writing bits and pieces of stuff I've been meaning to post for awhile.

Does anyone else have trouble ranking their preferences on iPod or
Netflix or Amazon.com for that matter? I enjoy doing some of the ranking. The stuff I really like, my favorites. However I worry about clicking the "I'm not interested" button. Not that I don't have music or movies or books that I would never be particularly interested in experiencing. I just worry that I will be left out of some future good thing. That music I say I'm not interested in now will grow on me. Maybe a specific novel that I hated will cause the software never to recommend a truly great book. Perhaps I worry too much.

Have I mentioned how much I love being able to play my music any fucking time I want?

There are things that I might write in this journal, but because I have many friends and most of my loved ones on my friends list I worry that any complaints or concerns I may express are passive aggressive ways of getting something I want.

Comments

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I run across this mostly in Netflix. I am afraid if I say I don't want to see some movie that I'll miss something it might otherwise have recommended. It is irrational because I have something like 80 movies in my queue and I don't mostly look for recommendations. *laugh*

I *love* my iPod. I just got a 60GB iPod photo and I am soooo glad I don't have to shift things off to put music on the 20GB anymore. Now I can rip the rest of my CDs. BTW, do you look at Audiofile on Salon.com (http://www.salon.com/ent/audiofile/index.html). I find it an interesting way to find new music. Much of what he reviews doesn't interest me but I've found some real gems.

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I run across this mostly in Netflix. I am afraid if I say I don't want to see some movie that I'll miss something it might otherwise have recommended. It is irrational because I have something like 80 movies in my queue and I don't mostly look for recommendations. *laugh*

Yeah it's mostly in Netflix for me too, but I also feel it a little with my iPod. At least around the frequency of playing certain songs or albums in the party shuffle. I'm pleasantly pleased all the time at hearing a song I'd forgotten I owned. And yes, the feeling is irrational but it's still there. :-)

BTW, do you look at Audiofile on Salon.com. I find it an interesting way to find new music. Much of what he reviews doesn't interest me but I've found some real gems.

No I don't. I wasn't aware of it, thanks for the link!

[dryadgrl]

I really like that first bit.
Yesterday was such a beautiful day!

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

It was wasn't it?

[smellybeast.livejournal.com]

When I first subscribed to Netflix, I went through and marked almost all of Ah-nold's movies as "I'm not interested." Unfortunately, many of his movies are overblown sci-fi adventures and Netflix interpreted this to mean that I wasn't interested in any sci-fi. For months now I haven't had any sci-fi recommendations.

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I am worried about. There are often movies I'm not particularly interested in seeing because of an actor or director. But a movie on the very same subject by another director would be something I'm very interested in seeing. I don't know how the software decides not to recommend something. So I worry I'll get "left out" of a really cool film.

[leback.livejournal.com]

Amazon went through a phase where it kept recommending me the Cliff Notes of books I like. I had no problem saying "I'm not interested" to those. :-)

[stonebender.livejournal.com]

Well, I can't argue with you there. :-)