Author Archives: Taryn Popplewell

WHY???!??!?!?!? Weren’t we happy? Didn’t we still laugh? All this time you had been seeing Apple behind my back . . . treacherous snake of a Lala.com!

Well, no one was really sneaking around I suppose.  In December 2009 Apple purchased Lala.com, though it didn’t really give a solid reason why.  Apple did say that it was interested in Lala.com’s engineering talent and technology, though no further comments were made by either company regarding plans for the future.  Rumors circulated claiming that Apple was ready to pursue alternative methods of music delivery (a method other than downloading) or that it was looking to join the cloud-based services effort.  Both of those reasons seem . . . reasonable.

Truth be told, it was only a matter of time before Lala got the axe.  Other music streaming sites like Rhapsody and Napster offer less complicated, but essentially the same services, for a price.  Both Rhapsody and Napster offer monthly fee-based plans that provide the subscriber with unlimited access to a specific number of songs (in the millions) and also the opportunity to purchase authorized copies of songs they want for keepsies.  Users on Lala enjoyed access to their matched music collections without paying anything, which is a pretty good deal.  Lala also lets you listen to any album once.  I am listening to Casino Twilight Dogs by Youth Group for the first time right now, as I type this to you.  What a wonderful way to decide if an album is worth some dollars.  Let’s face it though, if I am going to put any money toward this record it’s either going to be through Amazon or at one of the few remaining record stores in my neighborhood, not renting it on Lala.  I guess that makes me part of the problem :-/

With or without Lala.com there still seems to be interest in streaming music.  In the AppStore there are several streaming music applications to choose from.  The Pandora app works just like Pandora.com, but there are other apps that stream directly from your computer to your iPhone or iPod Touch like StreamToMe (OSX only!) and Dot.Tunes which offers additional features like remote-control abilities.  While these applications focus primarily on mobile devices, they still have a personal-collection focus, which is what was initially attractive to me about Lala.com.

Regardless of what is available now, I am still interested in what the future holds for streaming music and media.  I think it’s fair to guess that Apple might adopt a similar plan to those of Rhapsody and Napster, except Apple has the iTunes element which could really make things interesting.  Would I pay $10 a month to have 9 million songs available to me online on Rhapsody?  Mostly likely not.  But how much would I pay each month to have Apple stream my iTunes library into the internets?

As a full time student and a part-time gapper, I find sometimes that I get TIRED. As a means of keeping my brain up and running into the wee hours of the morn I (probably against the advice of my doctor) consume copious amounts of delicious coffee when my school/work schedule demands it. 

Here at gap intelligence we have a small, but growing number of coffee drinkers.  With the somewhat recent addition of Josh and Erin, we have two new members of the G-telligence Coffee Brethren, worshiping our 12-cup maker of goodness.  People keep late hours here. 

It was however recently brought to my attention that some people are not as lucky as we, and do not have caffeine-juice at their finger tips all the time at work.  My roommate is forced to drink instant coffee *gasp* made from the newly purchased hot water dispenser at the retail store she works at.  She uses the new Starbucks Via instant coffee, which I have not tried but has been reviewed as “Alright” by people I know.  In an even more desperate grasp for a liquid reminiscent of coffee, my boyfriend, at his coffee-apathetic office, tried combining Via with a Diedrich Coffee Pod.  He claims the combination  is <i>drinkable</i> but is it enjoyable?  I have no reason to ever find out for myself.  To my dear friends I offer but one word: Melitta.

Now with the popularity of energy drinks though, people can enjoy an expanded variety of energy-upping beverages to choose from if they dislike the taste of coffee.  I was pointed in the direction of the   and was blown away at the recognition of over 1100 different types of energy drinks!  What selection!

Of course there are other ways to treat sleepiness . . . like driving with the windows down while playing loud music (Just kidding, DMV!), or actually sleeping, but that report isn’t going to write itself.  Whether you’re drinking coffee for its caffeine component or simply for its delicious qualities, raise your mugs high and let it be known, Coffee! I love you!

Today while scrolling through an extremely back-logged Digg Technology feed in my Google Reader, I saw an article about a seller on Etsy.com who makes bars of soap in the shape of the Palm Pre.

I had trouble keeping my laughter at a respectable level.

For those of you who don’t know, Etsy is kind of like Ebay, except that the items sold on the online auction site are handmade by the sellers. The article that pointed out the phone-shaped bar of soap noted that the seller also made iPhone and Blackberry shaped soaps.

So, naturally, this got me thinking about my cell phone and everyone else’s cell phone and all the ways that they have worked themselves into daily life.  As I continued through my Reader, I eventually, I came to the conclusion that despite the inevitable servitude that comes with having a cell phone, I can’t help but thank my lucky stars for being granted such a kind and generous master (a Samsung SGH-A737).

To fully express my appreciation for cell phones, I have written a series of poems:

-I don’t know what format these are-

Samsung call my mother quick
The rain is coming, my car is sick
I cannot walk the way so long
Please answer, hear your Sony’s song

Mine is green and yours is orange
We are sisters! We love porridge!

Text me if you’re feeling blue

I’ll send a puppy pic to you

-Haiku-

Cell phone you I love
Carry me through daily life
Keep you safe and dry

-Sonnet-

What time is it should peaceful silence break?
A light is shone in darkness so serene
The morning calls, alarmed now in my wake
Beauty is truth, truth beauty, in its screen
And for the day my pocket you shall ride
To sound a tone when by my mother called
Text messages in class received I hide

Dropped in the toilet to the stars I bawled
To live without you, pain I could not bear
Lost are photos, ringtones, contact info
Return my treasure else a frown to wear

Quickly fix, don’t forget texting argot
Back to the store, I swap you out for free
I am no fool, I bought the warranty