Amazon MP3 part II; laptop woes and joys; Jon Foreman; Pownce

There's a lot I'd like to talk about, but it's too much to fit into my Facebook status, so I'm just going to hash a bunch of subjects together in this post.

FIRST:
Amazon MP3, since my original post about it, has expanded its library to include all four major labels (basically, nearly every track iTunes has), and every track remains DRM-free (for more info on DRM and/or Amazon MP3 and why you should use it instead of the iTunes Store, check out my last post on this subject). They've recently announced their intention of expanding to a global market. What does this mean? Amazon will, with it's current rate of growth, encroach on iTunes' thusfar unchallenged global digital music download monopoly. In short, iTunes will now be competing directly with Amazon, which is awesome news for customers, who will enjoy the benefits of cheaper downloads (this has already been seen by Apple, who recently lowered the prices of their DRM-free tracks to $0.99 like everything else), convenience, and a more enhanced user experience. And who knows? iTunes may win out in the end. But if they do, it'll be because they shift their entire library to DRM-free tracks and offer cheaper prices than even Amazon (which would be quite a feat; Amazon currently has a deal for Holst's "The Planets" suite--seven tracks--for less than 3 bucks). Though iTunes might win out in the end, we'll at least be enormously indebted to Amazon for dramatically improving the kind of affordability and quality we will have come to expect from our digital music downloads.

SECOND:
My laptop, as many of you may know, has for several months been crashing at random, usually whenever I hand it to someone while it's running, or even by merely setting it down on a table or shifting my legs around when using it on my lap (thus, defeating the entire purpose of a LAPtop). I took it to the Apple Store at Stonestown Friday afternoon, and the guy merely told me that it was most likely a software issue and that I should try re-installing the operating system. So I did--in fact, I had to do it twice, because the first time my computer refused to connect to the internet. The second time it connected, but was pretty spotty. I had always had a spotty connection, but this time I was suspicious of my laptop, rather than the actual network (on which I had, up to that point, placed the blame for the intermittent service). Sure enough, sitting in my dad's office right next to the router, my laptop couldn't even complete a simple download without getting stuck. I then tapped my laptop on the bottom where the airport card is located, and lo and behold: there was a kernel panic (equivalent to BSoD on Windows).

I took it to the store downtown yesterday and told the guy about my problems. He removed the battery pack, mentioned that the wireless card was sticking out a bit too far, pushed it back in, and presto, the laptop was working just like new, with no crashes and no intermittent reception. I told the guy about my experience at Stonestown--how the guy had mentioned airport repeatedly appearing on the crash logs, how he told me I may have to send it in for a $300 repair--and he (the downtown Apple employee) expressed his disdain for the incompetent "geniuses" working at Stonestown. So a lesson for all you SF Mac users: go downtown if you want the best tech support. The fix turned out to be so easy, I could have done it myself by simply applying a small amount of pressure to the slot in which the wireless card is nestled. And the guy at Stonestown was talking about getting my RAM and/or logic board replaced!

The conclusion of this story for me is that I have a newfound attachment to my little Powerbook G4, and am actually considering keeping it through at least the first few months of college. I'd like to wait for a major re-design overhaul in the Macbook line before I purchase one (the current lineup, in my opinion, has gotten pretty bland and tired-looking overtime). Until then, I'll happily compute on my clean, compact little machine.

THIRD:
Jon Foreman, the lead singer from Switchfoot, has recently taken on a solo project of four EP's (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer), with six tracks each, and the Winter album was just released about a week ago. It starts off pretty depressing, but the words and melodies are just so profound. I rarely rave about music like this unless I really, really like it, and I can tell you that this is definitely one of those times. Check it out on Amazon MP3! I'm pretty sure it's only 5 bucks or something. While you're at it, check out his Fall album, which has been out for a few months, and is definitely worth a listen (the first track is featured on the latest episode on my podcast, JMix (subscribe), which is a great way to listen to the track in its entirety and get a feel for the rest of the album).

I love this method of releasing new content. Giving six tracks at a time over a span of almost a whole year enables Foreman to present these distinctively-themed tracks in a set that the listener can really take the time to explore and absorb until the next release. Other artists (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers) have made the mistake of composing a ridiculous amount of new material (albeit, excellent new material) and distributing it in a gargantuan mass-release that only those who are already devoted fans would take the time to really absorb and fully appreciate. Releasing a bit at a time is also a great marketing tool. As fans have time to explore the bit of new music, they'll look forward to the next iminent release and almost certainly buy the next set when it comes out (as I did). The first two of Foreman's releases are generally pretty mellow and melancholy, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how he puts his Spring and Summer EP's together. Perhaps enlisting some band mates for the more familiar energetic, eclectic, heavy rock theme Switchfoot is known for? We'll see.

FOURTH:
Pownce is a tool made by the makers of the enormously popular click-to-promote website Digg that is comparable to the slightly more popular service called Twitter, which is basically a live mini-feed in which friends can share their current status with other friends 24-7. The best way to describe Pownce is that it's like Facebook Lite. You have a single news feed, all of your friends subscribe to it (though you can choose to send things to individual or multiple select friends, or even to the public feed for everyone to see). You can use the feed to simply update your location/status, or post a link to a cool website, video, or photo you found online, or share a file of any kind, or invite them to an event. It's a super-useful, super light, zippy app that can be accessed on the web as well as a regular computer application (which runs on the Adobe AIR platform, making it a universal experience for users of every operating system). So far my only friend on there is the soon-to-be megahit radio personality Chris Knight, and although it's fun to post things for his enjoyment, I'd love it even more if I had a group of friends to share things with, as well as receive things from! Pownce was started a long time ago, but just recently entered Beta and is open to the public, rather than on an invitational basis like before. For more info, visit Pownce.com or search for "Pownce" via Google. For those of you who want a friend when you sign up, look up "hijohnmark"!

an old friend returns

JMix is back. Why? Because I said so. Click here to subscribe.

For those of you who used to subscribe, you'll have to click the link above to subscribe to the new feed.

facing some decisions: project timothy 2008

Well obviously, colleges :) But I don't get acceptance letters until March, so I'll save that subject for a later post.

Last summer, I had the privilege of experiencing Project Timothy, which is a youth missions outreach trip associated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA), the denomination my church is affiliated with. It was an amazing time, and I made some good friends there that I'd love to see again.

The trip is in mid-July. Here's how it works: around 40 kids from churches throughout America that are in the RCA meet up at a small college in Ontario, CA. There are several groups, each assigned to a different location, and there are typically around five to choose from. This year, there are five options: working in San Francisco through my church (which doesn't interest me, of course, though I know that the group coming here will LOVE it), helping out at a community outreach daycare center in New Jersey and helping out with a local restart mission church, doing construction on a church in Ecuador and helping at a rehabilitation center for abandoned children, working at a kid's summer camp in Jamaica, and last but certainly not least, going to FRANCE to attend a conference in Taize, which sounds so incredibly amazing that, rather than summarize it, I'll copy the detailed description from the Project Timothy website.

Taize is a retreat center founded by the son of an RCA pastor and run by monks who come from Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches. Taize's primary goal is to help each participant come closer to God and with God’s people around the world. Many participants are teens from third world countries. Each teen stays in a tent with teens from other parts of the globe. Participants work for a portion of the day, attend prayer services, worship services, and discussion groups, and meet with the monks for prayer, confession, and spiritual direction. It is a place of great spiritual renewal and transformation through Christ and with his people from all over the world. Students with a mature faith who are open to explore spirituality will be considered for this site.

This sounds SO EFFING AMAZING.

My decision is this: should I go? The cost is $2250, which is pretty darn expensive. It would require a big effort on my part just to raise all that money, and most importantly, a whole lotta prayer. I mean, this is serious business, and I don't want to go into something like this unless it's something I'm really ready to take on. Staying in a tent with total strangers from all over the world? Meeting daily with monks from three very different constructs of Christian orthodoxy for prayer, penance, and spiritual direction? Holy. Crap. That's what I call intense.

So please, keep me in prayer as I face a very big decision, because it will probably affect my focus dramatically for the next few months leading up to it (including plenty of sessions with French Rosetta Stone software :P)

Now, keep in mind that just because I apply to go there doesn't mean I'll get in. I'm sure plenty of people will be applying for this location, so I'll have to cross my fingers and hope I get picked. But I'm confident that if this is something God wants me to do, then that's where I'll be going.

For those of you who have gone to PT in previous years, let me just say that as a resident of San Francisco, as well as a regular attendee at City Church, that trip is going to be THE most fun out of all of them. I'm not even kidding. San Francisco, is an amazing city, and City Church is an amazing church, and the staff at City Church is chock full of some of the most solid, hilarious, awesome individuals I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I'd highly recommend making this your first choice :)

For those of you who haven't experienced Project Timothy and would like more info, visit rca.org/projecttimothy for a more detailed description of the whole event, as well as the individual sites. Let me assure you that, if you decide to go, Project Timothy will be the highlight of your entire summer, no matter the location. I was skeptical last year, for sure (I was assigned to Arizona, along with my sister and a bunch of other girls. These turned out to be some of the most fantastic people I've ever had the privilege of knowing, and my stay in Arizona was absolutely a blast). It was also a time of profound spiritual renewal and clarity for me, something I really needed at the time. I'd encourage anyone to check this out. If you've been considering a short-term missions trip for the summer, I'd love to tell you more about my experience at Project Timothy. If you haven't, there's no time like the present to start thinking and praying about doing something like this!

As always, thanks for reading. Now get on with your lives!

uw application prompt

Just FYI--I've posted my UW application essay on my applications blog (jmapps.blogspot.com). If you have any constructive advice or have a keen eye for editing, feel free to tear it to shreds!

some holiday cheer

Ok, ok, so it's a little late for this. Still, it's worth it for the laugh.