totally ripped

The project is complete. Last CD ripped into iTunes: U2 "Please" (the single.) Now our entire library of CDs is sync-able to our iPod.

Oh, did I mention that we got a new iPod? After a couple of great years of service, our 40GB iPod photo gave up the ghost with a clicking hard drive. We decided to replace it with the new 80GB 5.5 generation model. It's so pretty. Right now, we have 34.43 GB of music on it.

Also, I got a deal on Toast 8, so we can move Tivo shows to the iPod. Look for the other 40GB-ish (after formatting) to be filled up quick.

mini bootie

According to several sites, my mini can boot from an external firewire hard drive, no problem. Using SuperDuper, it was easy for me to create an image of my boot drive on my 80GB, 7200RPM firewire/USB 2.0 drive. However, that just got me a faster... not bigger boot drive.

I also have a 200GB, 5400RPM firewire/USB 2.0 drive. That would give me the space increase, but not the performance boost, especially over firewire. Plus, it's currently my backup drive for the various computers we have around the house (and then some.)

I have tried every combination... one FW, one USB, both daisy chained through FW, one in front of the other... and the mini only seems to like one combination: the internal drive and one external drive. It sees both drives and can do things to both drives... but it sometimes hangs in the middle of operations. I don't know if that's a limitation of the mini, or the interface standards, but I can't seem to get around it.

Ah well, I guess I'll just have to save up for one of these.

maxi mini

Hooah! The mini now has 2GB of RAM! I got tired of waiting... and waiting... and waiting while I was working with video or doing an iTunes rip and surfing the web. Now I've got headroom galore. I'm not sure if I should attack the hard drive first or if I should go for broke and swap the processor! Mua ha ha ha!