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I have a meta-Smart Playlist which consists of:
- A Smart Playlist of anything that hasn't been played in the last 12 weeks (and is still checked to be played at all). This also picks up new and unplayed songs
- A Smart Playlist of "New & Exciting" songs -- ones that I've rated three stars and up that have been played less than six times
- A Smart Playlist of "Newly Added" songs that have been added in the last two weeks.
This blend results in a bunch of old favorites that I haven't heard in a while, new-ish songs that I'm excited about, and an infusion of songs that I'm still making my mind up about. And if I don't get around to rating them in two weeks, the 12-week timeout will give them
in theory
four more tries in the next year.
I use Safari as my browser at home, but I have so much trouble with the new york times website using it that I've taken to openign up Firefox whenever I want to read the paper. Am I doing something stupid - maybe bad seetings?, or does the Times just not play nice with Safari? (The problems are very very slow page load times and lots of spinning beachball of doom).
Gah! You used to be able to go to Walmart.com and download their 30 second samples for the CD stuff. But I can't save them from either IE or Opera now. I need the Miami Vice theme as my ringtone!
Anyone know anywhere else one can get lots of snippets (but not a pop up laden crap site)?
Can't you still get snippets from Amazon? For most stuff, anyway?
On Amazon, when I click to save (instead of listen) it prompts me to save hurl.asf. Which I can't then play in Windows Media Player.
Hmm. Can you send me a full link to the cd you're looking at? I like trying to unravel these things, and it's a slow work day...
Here it is. Thanks for the effort.
Actually, never mind. ASF implies it uses the windows media streaming system (i originally read that as ASP) - it's designed so that you can't save, if I understand it correctly. Obnoxious.
There's almost certainly programs out there that let you capture ASF streams to something saveable, but it's almost certainly not worth the trouble.
I'm afraid most sites are gonna use the same system, though. Allmusic does, apparently.
ETA: I use the phrase "almost certainly" too much.
ETA2: Here are some WMP stream capturing programs, if you're interested in trying them out.
Also, there are programs that let you record whatever your soundcard is playing at the moment. I think that involves digital-to-analog-back-to-digital conversions, but the loss in sound quality might be acceptable for a ringtone....
Up until recently Walmart had 30s MP3s. It was a Cingular employee who told me about it. Too good to last.
Thanks Gris and Tommy. I'll see how much I really need it.
