Working fix for CDDB lookups in iTunes for Windows

Since the release of iTunes for Windows, I haven’t been able to get it to connect to the CDDB to get track information for my CDs. Judging from the activity on Apple’s discussion boards, I’m not alone. Today I found a fix that works on the board, involving turning off the use of proxy servers and deleting a registry key (see linked post for details). I don’t think Apple did a lot of testing of these features with machines that sat behind corporate firewalls and proxy servers…

How shall we sing in a strange land?

I sang for the first time at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle on Sunday. The group was a pick-up men’s chorus made up of men from the Cathedral Choir and from the general congregation, which is how I got to participate. For having only half an hour of rehearsal I thought it went quite well.

There was also an interesting discussion during the service with US Marine Colonel Andy Hutchison, a reservist who was called away from his work at Boeing (and membership in UPC) to become deputy for Logistics Operations for the Marines during the Iraq war and subsequent occupation (article mentioning Andy’s work here). He spoke about his faith and the progress being made in Iraq. Acknowledging the bad news that was coming from Iraq, he also discussed his witness first hand of the relief of the Iraqi people of being out from under the Hussein regime. It was interesting hearing the voice from the front lines.

Pictures from San Francisco

two round headed kids

I finally found my Bluetooth adapter, so I moved all the photos off the phonecam from last weekend. I’m especially fond of the photos from Santa Rosa (see right), of the town’s most famous resident.

It was a cold morning, but we walked out early for espresso. I had to see the statue, after having read about it on the museum website. That is, of course, The Great Pumpkin next to the statue, placed there on Halloween apparently.

Tony Pierce goes to dangerous ground

Tony Pierce asks: “dear bill gates, let me write your blog.”

Be careful what you wish for, Tony: you might get it.

On the other hand, it would be pretty cool to have Tony in Seattle. At least until his Southern Cal ebullience wears off in the perpetual darkness of the Northwest winter and he turns into another Starbucks addicted Seattle blogger like the rest of us.

Wait, I’m sorry: was that bitter?

Quick links

Since there is no time, I’ll do one of these updates—which ironically take more time than a real post.

The Matrix Revolutions

A bunch of us had a “morale event” at the local cinema this afternoon to catch The Matrix Revolutions. Bottom line #1: In classic trilogy conclusion form, it attempts to pay off a lot of the set up of the first two movies, plotwise. Bottom line #2: It leaves a lot of the deep philosophy of the second movie behind in the process. Those who like a little talking with their action may think of this as an improvement; I was disappointed that so much of the deep matter of the movie was left dangling.

Hotbed of apathy no more

Greg pointed out an interesting guest post on the Dean campaign weblog from David Wasserman of Hoos for Howard Dean, the Dean campaign organization at the University of Virginia. What astonished me was that even at the University, normally a bastion of apoliticism or rock-ribbed southern conservatism, the group numbers 253 members.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the HooBlog ethos has gotten to the campus yet. I can’t find any evidence that Mr. Wasserman blogs on his own. It would be an easy and effective way to bring lots more people into your campaign, David, and would give us something to point to from the outside. How about starting your own Dean blog?

Good blog news, bad blog news

Good: Greg seems to have had an excellent weekend. Of course gentlemen don’t pitch woo and tell, Greg, but iChat is always on should you care to share additional details—absent names, of course. 🙂

Bad, 1: Esta’s blog is going on almost a month of being inaccessible, thanks to a problem with the server. It can be read, but you can’t post to it.

Bad, 2: Craig’s hosting provider had a hiccup and lost his blog. no backups. He has to start over again from scratch.

Script for advertisement

Running like hell over three airports in the course of the weekend: $400.

Upgrade to first class so I could sit next to my wife for one leg of the flight: $75.

Two tickets for the Food and Wine Festival, for which I still owe George: $80.

Hotel room in Santa Rosa: $90.

Getting home at midnight Sunday with a system shipping on Monday that I’ve been working on for almost a year: priceless.

Had a blast on the road, really. But it’s good to be home.

In Sparky’s home town

I didn’t realize it until we passed the exit for the Schulz Museum on 101 this afternoon (though I mentioned that I thought we were in the neighborhood as we passed through Petaluma—remember the World Arm Wrestling Championships?), but Santa Rosa had the distinction of being Charles Schulz’s home for the last forty years of his life. This is where he built the famous ice rink; where his studio was; where grateful residents erected a statue to Schulz’s memory of his most famous creations; and where the museum honors his memory. There’s even a Snoopy Labyrinth.

Maybe we can squeeze in a visit in the morning before we return to the wine tastings…