I have this nifty new Archos 605 Wifi 160 GB personal media player. I like it a lot. I’m also exclusively on Ubuntu these days. No Windows for me. This makes life a bit interesting when dealing with peripherals that are not mainstream. It has not stopped me yet. I found a way to get album covers for my ripped music to display on my Archos. Here is how it’s done:

First off let’s get some things straight: Archos, Ubuntu, Amarok, CopyCover, ImageMagick
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One of the faults with today’s copyright system is that it is virtually impossible to use any media in any form in another work because of these reasons:

• Everything is copywritten automatically, but no record is kept of who owns that right.
• The idea of “free use” is held at ransom at the whim of the unknown right holder and their lawyers.
• No regular human can afford the process, let alone the cost of licensing media for use.

Where does that leave us? Since most culture is built on something from the past, big media owns more and more of our culture. And the problem will only get worse unless we do something about it.

One such company is Magnatune. This competitor to iTunes sells music, but they are following a different model:

• Try before you buy. Listen to it online.
• Buy it in almost any format you want. Physical CD, download and burn, MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, VBR MP3.
• They ask you to share your download code with 3 other people.
• You can license any of their music by filling out a simple web form and paying a realistic licensing fee.

When an Ad Exec friend of mine heard me talking about this she asked me to forward her the link. She related what a pain it is to license music. She said it was never worth it to go through the lawyers and that they usually hire a musician to write a song that is significantly different than the music they want, but as close as they can get and still be safe from law suits. How sad!

No, you will not find your favorite big label band here, but maybe you’ll find something you like. Services like this should be the first place we look for new music. That is, if your local indie disc shop doesn’t have something you like. Anyway, don’t you need a new favorite band?

Check out Magnatune!

While you are there you could look up Drop Trio. This Jazz trio has some good grove. Just what I was looking for. I ended up buying their album Big Dipper. Good stuff!!

I left my video iPod in the seat back pocket on a flight a while back. I lost all my music and the $350 player. I’ve been grumpy about the fact that my iPod didn’t allow me to do some of the things I wanted. Maybe it was Fruedian!?! I was bugged that I had to deal with iTunes because it was the best option I found to get the podcasts into the Podcast folder. I hate iTunes, but it still did the one thing that I wanted well, so I used it. The iPod was too closed for me. I felt claustrophobic.

After using my new Archos 605, I realize how limited the iPod really is. The form, the slim body and smooth lines, the simple click wheel. BAH! Smoke and mirrors…

Here are some reasons I like my Archos more than my video iPod.

• Open file structure - You put the folders you want where you want them. I have Music and Podcasts: never the twain shall meet. No more random podcast popping up in the _smart_ playlist. Audio books will have there own folder when I get some.
• Delete files in situ - You can nuke a file you don’t like right there and then. Like you’ll remember when you get back to your computer. Ha! How many times have I skipped passed Mother by the Police wishing I could just delete it? Not any more… its gone!
• Big screen - Sure its in a different league than the video iPod, but the iPod touch only comes with 16 GB, and still the screen is bigger. The bigger sized player doesn’t even come close to balancing out 10 times more storage and a bigger screen.
• No Proprietary Kludgey Interface - What’s wrong with using a usb hard drive like a usb hard drive?
• Dock doubles as a Tivo and video input recorder - Have a video feed you want to record? How about a TV show you just can’t miss? Record it onto your Archos. Then you can take it with you or use the same dock to play it through your TV. Oh yeah all the other features work through your TV too. Internet, audio, video, photos, etc.

Check it out. You won’t be sorry!