Lots of Monkeys

With the addition of the 5th Gen iPod Nano, I’ve examined how I rate songs.  To be honest, I’d rather have song tagging, but since I don’t have that, I’ve had to define how I use the star rating system.  This way, I have a more consistent metric for using the tools that I have.

One star – Delete

There is something wrong with this file.  It’s broken in some way, either there’s clipping or it cuts off, or is mislabeled.  Or I could just really hate the song and what the hell is it doing in my library?  Also, podcasts from 2005 are typically one starred.

Two stars – Meh

Pieces of incidental music that I don’t feel, and that’s their problem.  (Typically tracks from soundtracks, although Vangelis is a notable exception.)  Also songs from albums that I just ripped in their entirety that I don’t care too much for.

Three stars – Well maybe

Audit.  These are songs that need listening in order to see how I feel about them.   There is a smart playlist in iTunes for this and it fills up with 25 songs.  I try to get through them during the workday, giving them a full listen while I’m at my desk and the iPod is easily at hand.

Four stars – Pretty good

These are songs that I will listen to in their entirety, depending on my mood.  Typically an easy decision to make, I just four star music that I enjoy.

Five stars –

I am physically unable to skip these songs.  It is a physiological impossibility.

How this works:

I search for one star songs in my library and delete them.  Then, comes some iTunes configuration.  Specifically, three smart playlists that are synchronized to the iPod.

1. First, a smart playlist that is automatically filled with music that is rated four stars or above.  This way, I’ll always have something I want to listen to.
2. Then another smart playlist for songs rated three stars, but limited to 50 songs.  This list is typically listened to at work, while the iPod is close at hand on my desk.  As I go through the list, I make sure to rate songs that I enjoy at least four stars, while some songs I leave at three stars for another listen.  Some songs go down to one or two stars and those never come back to the iPod.
3. Finally, a smart playlist that’s filled with songs that are unrated.  This is another list that I go through at work.

In this way, I hope to be through my iTunes music library with a better idea of what I like and don’t like.

It was about six years ago in November when Roomba-kun came into my life.  At first we were unsure of what to do with each other.  There was so little space and too many bits and bobs.  But as we grew together, I learned how to keep the floor clear and Roomba would in turn, take care of the floors themselves.

There is a quiet dignity in service, and Roomba-kun was in all ways, a true gentleman.  He may have been loud at times, and at times may have been a bit bumbling, but he was a loyal servant, never wavering in his prescribed task.  And he excelled at that.

Near the end he labored with great difficulty to complete his tasks, but still he performed without complaint, save for telltale descending scale tones.

It is with great reluctance that I let him go.   May your batteries be always charged, and your dust bin always empty, forevermore.