Category Archives: For Fun

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JukeFly and Bubbles, A Great Combination

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Let me admit now, this post has nothing to do with the practice of law. However, somedays I am still amazed at the things that technology allows us to solve our problems. In this instance, I have approximately 40GB of music sitting on my computer at home. While at home, I can easily serve this music to the other computers in the house. Recently, however, I was thinking that it sure would be nice to be able to do listen to all of that music while I was at work as well.

After a few minutes of research (also known as Googling), I found a solution that I like quite a lot. The first component of the solution is a program called JukeFly. JukeFly describes itself as:

a social music player designed to play your music collection anywhere.

As long as your “anywhere” includes high speed internet access. I think this is an accurate description. After you create an account (which is free). JukeFly installs a small server app on your computer with the music that allows you to access it when you are away. The server applet is quite similar in concept to those found in programs such as LogMeIn.

Once you install the applet, you simply tell the program where to find your music. The program then indexes your music in a short period of time. My 40GB of music took only a couple of minutes to index. Once indexed, the music is available for you to listen to anywhere that you have high speed internet access. You simply log in to your JukeFly account and listen to your music through your browser.

JukeFly could not be easier to use and by allowing me to listen to my music collection regardless of my location, it provides me with an invaluable benefit.

The only issue I have ran into with JukeFly is that I would like to see a shuffle feature of some sort to shake things up a little.

JukeFly also includes some social media aspects to it as well. However, I have not yet explored any of those.

I quickly fell in love with JukeFly, but  I had a problem where I was repeatedly closing my web browser, and thus closing JukeFly. I found a great solution for this problem in a program called Bubbles. Bubbles describes itself as:

an application platform, based on Browser technologies. It detaches Web Applications from the classic Browser and offers them with the familiar accessibility, capabilities and always-on nature of Desktop applications.

In plain English, Bubbles detaches certain web applications (in my case JukeFly) from the web browser an lets you run them as a stand alone application, just as though the web app was a regular desktop app. With JukeFly, I can listen to my music and not worry about whether I am closing my web browser. Instead, when minimized, JukeFly sits as an applet in my notification area, taking up no space on my task bar, but giving me ours of music pleasure.

Bubbles works with many web apps, including GMail and Facebook.

For more information about JukeFly, click here. For more information about Bubbles, click here.

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Best Blago Quote I have Seen Yet

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I normally avoid political topics on the blog, but with the impeachment trial going on in Springfield, it is impossible to ignore. The best comment I have heard about the whole mess comes from a post from Eric Zorn. He was commenting on fact that Blagojevich had purchased a puppy for his children because they were having a hard time with the arrest and impeachment process. Zorn noted:

I genuinely do feel bad for the Blagojevich girls. What a heartbreaking and scary ordeal this must be for them.  What a bleak future they face.

The sympathies I feel here are similar to the sympathies I feel for Lura Lynn Ryan, the wife of our imprisoned former governor. But they also remind me family, particularly children, should always be an extra incentive to do right in this world.

He then concluded with:

Those closest to you pay an unfair and heavy price for your sins so, you know, maybe you should think about that before you indulge in an orgy of venality instead of trying to compensate later by buying a puppy.

Awesome. Just awesome.

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Friday Fun: Snarky Comments on the TSA’s New Blog

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Recently TSA has started a blog. On balance I think this is a good thing. Anything that allows TSA to communicate more directly can only benefit all of us. Plus, it looks like the blog and its comments have lead directly to TSA taking action to limit inconsistent application of its rules.

Nevertheless, the blog provides a great opportunity to poke a little fun at TSA. In this vein, I am particularly fond of a post from Steve Johnson, the Chicago Tribune’s Internet Critic. In his post, Steve provides the Rules of the TSA Blog. These include things such as:

1. Commenters must arrive at the blog 45 minutes before attempting to post a comment.

3. Comments that are longer than three paragraphs are subject to confiscation. For more on the handling of comments, see our post, “Why 1-Quart Zip-Loc Bags are Much More Secure than 1-Gallon Zip-Loc Bags.”

9. The rule about no lithium batteries in checked bags is not TSA’s rule. To complain about that, please visit the FAA’s blog. Oh, that’s right. The FAA doesn’t have a blog. Which agency do you like better now?

My favorite zinger, though, deals with the TSA’s blog title, Evolution of Security:

4. The use of the term “evolution” in the blog’s title does not constitute endorsement by the TSA or this administration of the concept of evolution, generally. TSA believes it may well be possible that airport security is the result of Intelligent Design.

Check out Steve’s entire post to see what else he has to say about the TSA’s new blog.

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Friday Fun: A Doubleheader

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I have two fun things I want to point out today. One is “scary-fun” and the other is “cute-fun,” but it’s probably only that if you have small children.

First, the scary-fun.

From Wellington Grey comes a  great little slide show demonstrating some of the more inane aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The subtitle to the slide show is “An Example of Anglogue Circumvention and Idiocy.”

Anyway, check it out to see a clever analogy that demonstrates some of the idiocy of the DMCA.

The next item comes from the Cafe Press store of Redhead Esq. Clearly playing off the great children’s book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Redhead Esq offers a selection of items, from bibs to tote bags, telling the story of ten little monkeys who call a lawyer instead of a doctor:

10 little monkeys jumpin’ on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the lawyer and the lawyer said

Have the monkeys sign a release and indemnification agreement holding you harmless from any injury or damage which may occur should they continue to jump on the bed.

Now that is a bedtime story.

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Friday Fun: Zorn’s 50 Things

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A few days ago, Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune published his list of 50 Things he has learned in his 50 years.

Some of my favorites:

2. Promptness shows respect.

3. You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences.

6. The most valuable thing to have is a good reputation, and it’s neither hard nor expensive to acquire one: Be fair. Be honest. Be trustworthy. Be generous. Respect others.

8. Don’t be bothered when people don’t share your tastes in music, sports, literature, food and fashion. Be glad. You’d never get tickets to anything otherwise.

14. It’s not “political correctness” that dictates that we try not to insult others’ beliefs and identities. It’s common decency.

35. Candor is overrated. It’s hard to unsay what you’ve said in anger and almost impossible to take back what you’ve written.

49. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are.

 His entire list is worth reading. I encourage you to check it out.