Alamak! There's a singing session by Jack Johnson pulak! This may drag the keynote longer.

Looks like I would have to bring my Macbook White to Frankfurt this Friday. Updating it while I'm there since it comes out on that day. Damn all this work!

It should be. Updating iTunes to 8.0 with those new features and not having them on the iPhone is a bit ridiculous to me.

Damn, over already. No "And One More Thing".

Oh well, I have today to look forward to for stuff from Amazon, and Friday for the new firmware.

Good night folks! Gonna eat some sahur before dozing off.

Using iTunes 8.0 now. A few observations:-

1 .The Genius feature requires you to sign into an iTunes account, otherwise it is disabled. You can make the Genius sidebar visible or not, by clicking its button on bottom right of iTunes.

2. HD contents immediately available NOW! This includes at least all of my previously purchased TV Shows such as Lost. Also ,welcome back NBC! Those season passes for The Office, Heroes Season 1 & 2, and Battlestar Galactica is teasing ME! I need more credits before I can purchase them. They also include how much storage is required to buy them by seasons. For example, Heroes Season 2 is 14GBs in HD, but only 5.3GB in SD. I'm getting my TV Shows in HD on Blu-rays, only getting SD versions via iTunes.



3 .After agreeing with the terms and conditions for Genius, it will start gathering info on your iTunes library, and it takes a while too. Once done, a notification appears that says that you can start using Genius now. To use it, select a song, and on the Genius sidebar, a Genius recommendation, at the time of the writing of this post, based currently on the composer, appears. The Genius feature assumes you are interested in similar sounds from the currently selected song, and recommends it with links for purchase and details. Note that Genius only works for songs at the moment, and also Genius is evolving.........the more data it gathers from users as more and more users uses iTunes 8.0, the smarter it gets, and the better recommendations it gives. Creepy isnt it? Almost sounds like Skynet in Terminator.....



4 .A new Visualizer as promised. Magnetosphere is now available as the iTunes default visualizer when selected. Looks just as described by Kevin Rose, streaks of light jumping between spherical worlds or planet. Very trippy and beautiful. Also , ZERO lag on the visualizer, even when turn on to full screen. This is excellent for parties, gatherings and get-togethers while you turn on your HDTV connected to your Mac. Nice!

5 .Remember those blue notification bubbles on your iPhone? Now it serves as a way of saying that you have new unwatched episodes on your Mac, instead of what I initially thought as new episodes available. Refer to the screenshot below.


6. Genius Playlist, what is it? It is basically the Genius feature trying to second-guess what you would want to group your songs into and at the same time create a playlist based on those guesstimation. For example, if I choose the song "Dont Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, these songs are what Genius recommends I put inside the Genius playlist.



I choose a song based on a soundtrack, called "Little Things" by Danny Elfman from the soundtrack of "Wanted", it generates songs all based from soundtracks or what it thinks are soundtrack titles, including titles that arent necessary tagged as a soundtrack album. I got songs from a few classical albums I got, in which Genius would already have scoured the iTunes music database and identified it as one of the songs from a soundtrack of a movie. Hence it gets recommendation inside this Genius Playlist because of those criterias.

7. The new Grid look is further enhanced to look like this:-


Hovering your cursor over a title on that said grid enable two things. If the said grid item is arranged as "Artist", you can scrub over the grid item to select different albums within the said grid by scrolling left to right and clicking it down when you've come to the selected album you wanted. Those familiar with scrubbing within a photo Event in iPhoto should find this familiar.

8 .One bad glitch I found out is that all my movies contained in Time Capsule are no longer containing their album art/movie poster. I had to individually use the "Get Info" feature to refresh the alias/link to point towards those movies stored in the Time Capsule, and recollect their album art, or in this case, the movie cover art. I've close to 300 movies stored this way, and the thoughts of doing them one by one is not a pleasant one.

And the next thing I know, I got a PM from someone, asking me to give him my South Park episodes.

I bought these fair, square ANd LEGAL via iTunes, and you want these for free?

Typical leeching, pirate Malaysian mentality.

Watch the entire Special Event revealed in Quicktime format, head to this link:-

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0809...vent/index.html

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Added on September 10, 2008, 7:50 amReal Soccer 2009 is out on iTunes, anybody buying? I'm not a big fan on anything soccer/football, so I'm holding this off.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Sep 10 2008, 07:50 AM

Even the SD ones are not subtitled, I doubt the HD ones are. Unless the subs are hardcoded into the film, and not placeholdered over the film data, it wont be subtitled.

People who are asking things like these are people who cannot afford these luxury items in the first place. It is like buying a BMW but cannot afford to fill the tank with petrol, instead mau curi someone else's petrol by siphoning it out of other people's tank. Music and movies are the fuel for your iPod and iPhone, if you cant afford getting fuel for these luxury items, then dont get the iPhone/iPod in the first place. Dont just follow people, they have iPhone/iPod, you also must have one. Ukur baju kat badan sendiri lah.

Malaysians have been so used to freebies, that even getting things like this through illegal means does not faze them. When a guy does it and gets away with it, the next guy follows. In the end, everybody does it, and taken as a norm. This has become an epidemic, to a stage where those who chose to go the legal means have been either shunned, belittled or laughed at by these irresponsible people.

I've been battling this mentality since the I can remember, and I've received my share of death threats, mockings, and forum people mobbing up against me. I'm thankful on my fortunes in life, and I dont expect everyone to follow me on my spending patterns, but someone of lesser spending power than me, and still maintain his purchases on the legal side, have my utmost respect and admiration for his determination to stay legit. It is even harder to pull off if you are constantly seduced into piracy because of financial needs. You can still stay legit, maintaining a modest lifestyle and still not break any rules or law. Taking the piracy route is like a copout, you are taking the easy way out.

I didnt start off being where I am right now, I myself did my share of pirating on my younger days as well. There are still skeletons in my closets, and I admit them. But what's more important is admitting and rehabilitating oneself against this disease. What's even sadder is, there are portion of iPhone/iPod buyers who reside in the "well-to-do" category, with luxury car,huge houses, and designer clothes on their back, yet they still dont find it important to stay away from piracy.

I'm sorry, but I have my conscience reminding me every time I want to break a rule or law. That is my safety net. I cant ,in the right frame of mind, to pirate things others have worked on so hard in their life.

Notice I write about "songs and movies" not your favourite topic of OSes and their costs,which is the favourite point people like to use to justify themselves pirating. If you cant afford 99 cents for a song, or USD1.99 for a TV Show, then you're just making up excuses to pirate.

My rationalization is simple: If I cant afford it, I wont pirate it. You dont see me stealing cars when I cant afford a new BMW 3 series. Same case here. The only difference is, that this is virtual, and to some people, they dont see the value of staying legitimate on things that cannot hold physically.

Sure, piracy helps on technology uptake, but how many of those who had taken up technology and incorporate that into their lives and livelihood, shed those piracy coat they wore during those "desperate times" and went the legitimate way? More often than not, they still hang on and wear those "pirate coats" and "eyepatches" , even when financial outlook have improved to a point that it is possible to take things up legitimately. To them, there is no incentive to go legit because you can get the same (almost) when you pirate. Selfish much?

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Sep 10 2008, 12:38 PM

Potential loss is potential nonetheless. How many of those pirating, you can count on them actually purchasing the items the pirated, when they like what they saw/hear? Ethics, morals and conscience. When it comes to this, "getting things for free" mindset usually prevails.

Sure, if albums or songs are not available on iTunes, sample them online via other vendors like Amazon Unbox, or God forbid, leech them, sample them, and then buy them legitimately via legitimate means like CDs and other legitimate online offerings. How many choose to go this way?

iTunes is available in Malaysia, it depends on which country you choose to sign an account in.

It is easy to dismiss the damage you have done as "non-detrimental" or "negligible" when you dont know the people who are directly affected by your actions. You can easily carry on with your life blissfully ignorant of the results of your actions. The damage may not be immediate, but the recent TV Show writer's strike and the already shrinking revenue having to be further subdivided, is already exemplifying how leeching and pirating TV shows have already shown its ugly side.

All it takes is a little bit of effort and one;s own clear conscience. That one example is a thread in Apple Byte, where a member asked on how to update his iPod Touch to firmware 2.0. The legitimate route, as I have suggested to him, is to either get an iTunes gift card, available in a location in Kelana Jaya, redeem the credit and purchase it via iTunes legitimately. Or use iTunes Malaysia, add in a credit card, (or use Ambank Prepaid NextG credit card, if you dont have one, it works like a charge card, with a credit card front), and buy the firmware update that way. Guess which route he takes? Torrent! Why? Because it is much easier to sit your bum on a chair and leech torrents than actually lift that bum and work your way to get things done legally. Clear conscience too is lacking in this case. It is easier to cop out and give yourself in to the seduction, but is it right?

As for your comment on me being harsh....which part is that? In fact, I've been treated more harshly by those advocating piracy for trying to bring them back to the right way, than me being anythig more stern in my words. My word hits home to them, but admittance to those words would mean proving that I was right and what they did was wrong. You at least have the decency of admitting some of the points I made, unlike "these folks".

The posts made before are not made to reflect self-righteousness, but more on to reflect on the laissez-faire attitude Malaysians (and Malaysians abroad in most cases) towards trying to stay legit in their digital consumptions. Like I said, they are more inclined to find excuses to justify their means to their ends, rather than try to make amends and slowly correct themselves to go legit. It is like rehabilitation, but admitting to the need to rehabilitate is the first step needed to begin the healing process. I admitted I needed help before I turned a new leaf, I was a chronic hoarder during my earlier days.

It is easier to give in, succumb to the seduction, but it takes a bigger person to hold true to the course. Again, not meant to make myself look good or anything, just something to reflect on.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Sep 10 2008, 02:21 PM

Register a US account. Google for the steps or search within this forum for the procedures.

To top up credits in a US account, a store in Giant Kelana Jaya is selling US iTunes prepaid cards now , USD15 cards for RM50.

And if I may interject, in the case of Davidgary bro here, he is directly impacted when it comes to music piracy. He cari his makan in the music business, where his direct income comes from. Can anyone here tell me with a straight face that you are not against leeching his hard work, just for your own convenience? He is your fellow Malaysian here, looking to find a way to support his living.

Hey, if it is legally free, i'd share it with you. That is why I posted the news on free HD TV Shows on US iTunes available now, and urge you to download it. It is deemed FREE by its distributor, so by all means, get it, share it, spread the love if you like.

But when it is deemed or marketed as a purchase-item, it is marked as such for a reason. For cases like album production, in the case of DavidGary here, he had invested RM40,000 to produce a single album, presumably with 12 tracks, and of course wanted to have his efforts reimbursed at least, or make a tidy profit, so that he can continue putting food on his table, and use that extra cash to produce more albums, and thus continue generating income for his living. Would you "share" his album when the case is like this? If the answer is now, where do you draw the line? Is it not okay to pirate DavidGary's album, but okay to pirate, say, Kanye West's album, just because he has made it rich? Why draw those lines there, when the act itself already constitutes stealing?

It is easy actually. You like? You buy. You dont like? Stay clear. Want to test before you buy? Sample it using iTunes 30-second samples, or other online sampling alternatives. Hell, if you have to, leech the song off torrents and all, but have the decency of deleting it off your hard drive, and purchase the songs you like legally. That way, at least you are carrying the statement that "I like certain songs in this album, but I'm not going to buy the entire album, just for that few songs I like". Unlike buying CDs off record stores, you can purchase songs for a measly 99cents, instead of the whole album. Would it not be better on your conscience that you have done the right thing here, enjoying your purchase, and at a more than reasonable price?

No matter how you spin it, when it comes to digital copies distribution, this "sharing is caring" thing is wrong. I'd share things I get for free with you, no sweat. But the wrong thing here is, Malaysians perceive things they downloaded from torrents as free, hence does not mind sharing them. Where do these torrents come from, if not from pirated digital copies?

How much is "not affordable"? Is 99 cents not affordable enough? Remember, music, movies, TV shows and apps are not daily necessities, they are luxury items. For most, they are for your enjoyment, and living without them will not incur serious repercussion. (exception is DavidGary, his life is music. Even then, he does not pirate his stuff). So, when it is not something necessary to live by, why must you pirate it? If you do feel the need to have it, get it legally, but it would not kill you not having it, would it?

Which brings me to my next point: Hoarding. Malaysians like to hoard, be it ripped movies, mp3s, cracked programs or porn. This whole mindset is the reason why they feel compelled to pirate because they want it in their collection. Do you need it? More often than not, the answer would be NO. Can you live without it? Unless you eat and breathe them, you dont need them. Malaysians feel compelled to do so because their peers come about during lunchtime telling them how he have leeched off torrents of the latest episode of (insert TV show here) or the latest (insert favourite artist here) and bragged about it. Not wanting to lose out, or just plain curious, the other party either follows the same route, leeching from torrent, or simply ask the other person to copy it into a portable thumbdrive/harddrive. Sounds familiar? You'd think you're not hurting anyone by doing this, but half way across the globe, a struggling artist with the new album released you have just leeched or "shared" is looking in dismay at the sale of his album, because everyone is leeching and nobody is buying them. Poof! There goes another aspiring musician, who could probably be the next Frank Sinatra, or Frank Astair. Somebody said something about "only affecting potential loss of income", but in this case, you're potentially losing anther great addition to the music world. You've just killed his potential of being a great musician.

Let's not go too far to discussing OSes.

What about the most common and taken-for-granted sins of piracy: Downloading songs/mp3s.

Is 99 cents "not affordable"?

Now why would you need a million songs? This further shows the example I posted about Malaysians hoarding.

You posted that, I assume, because you wanted fair treatment. You cant, because that guy who got his one million songs the "ahem" way, does not have any conscience in him telling him that it is wrong. Just because someone else is doing it, does not mean you have to follow too. And just because he does it and not get caught, does not make it right to do so either.

Good habit comes from upbringing or an epiphanical experience. Mine was the latter, I was also brought up with the notion that "Piracy, biasalah!" is okay and normal. It is once I stand back and looked at what I had become, hoarding stuff without thinking of my actions and the result of that actions, that I came to my senses.

It have to start somewhere, and in my case, I put the first step forward. If I wait until the price of DVDs/WindowsXP/Vista/Original titles to come down to my "affordable price" level, I would have never stopped pirating. I dont like not doing the right thing on my conscience.

Tayhaitian, is 99 cents per song "not affordable"?

Well, looks like 99 cents is still expensive. "Free" is not a pricetag, last I checked.

Read my post carefully. I've admitted that I've dabbled in piracy before, but through the years, I've became a repentant man. It is not whether you choose to remain legit and staying legit, it is about the will and the willingness to change. Leech and pirate if you want but if you come across something you like, do Malaysians do the right thing and purchase them legally?

P/S: My iPhone and iPod is filled with nothing but legal material. The effort to this effect was not immediate, but from years of staying true to the course. Again I reiterate, you dont have to completely throw away all your pirated copies, and start from scratch. Determining one's will to stay legal is already a good start.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Sep 10 2008, 06:00 PM