You and Your iPod Shuffle

(Note: This post, like many, will focus on the Windows operating system, as this blog is not so secretly a public how-to guide for my lovable, intelligent, and hapless mother. As such, I've visited the computer in her basement to review and compose the step-by-step. If you feel irate or confused, do not hesitate to contact me.)

Let's talk about your second generation iPod shuffle.
Before we talk about "plugging" in your iPod, it might be a good idea to discuss the resources provided by Apple. Apple's success hinges on clean design, appeasing nerds, and really easy, really simple technology paired with customer service. To that end, Apple provides alot, even if it doesn't include it in the packaging. (If you're annoyed that a manual wasn't included in your purchase, I agree.*)

Apple's support page (www.apple.com/support) has a wide range of resources. Here are important pages regarding your iPod shuffle:

• iPod shuffle user guide (also includes first generation shuffle)
  
• iPod shuffle manual ("features guide"), opens as a .pdf
• iPod shuffle troubleshooting assistant
  

The troubleshooting assistant will instruct you how to reset your iPod, reinstall iPod software and iTunes, and restore your iPod (this will erase all data on the device).

Using Your iPod

Pictured above are your USB cable and iPod shuffle.

Insert your iPod like so:
The jack in the dock will fit snugly:
Turn on your iPod by sliding the on/off switch. A green light will appear:
Connect your USB cable to the computer. First, note the graphic on the cable:
On the computer pictured, the graphic will face the to left. When the option faces up or down, the graphic will typically face up.

Carefully connect the cable to the computer:
(I used a flashlight. My lighting skills are not at the best in this post.)

With your iPod on, and connected to your computer, iTunes may start on its own. (This can be changed in your program's preferences.) Here's a handy diagram of iTunes:

(As always, click the image to see it bigger, and hold CTRL while clicking to open it in a new window or CTRL+T for a new tab.)

(For instructions related to starting iTunes, see this post.)

*May I suggest a tip I learned from my oldest sister? Keep all of your manuals and purchase paper work in an accordion file. Label the tabs to your specifications and keep the file in a safe, dry, each to access location. If a manual isn't available, print out the one provided online and store it with your other manuals.

Vocabulary Lesson: Blond vs. Blonde

This isn't a lesson for Old People as much as a general sense of irritation on my part. I see "blonde" used generically, and if there's something I can't stand, it's a violation of AP Style.

Blonde: A golden-haired female.

Blond: A golden-haired male.

Additional Resources:
Blonde, Dictionary.com
Blond, Dictionary.com

Vocabulary Lesson: Internet Vocabulary

One of my biggest pet peeves is a non-hyphenated "email." This is strange, given my general inability to hyphenate anything (only hyphenate words broken in the layout, please!), and my promise to ban hyphens upon my election as Grand Queen Supreme of the English Language. (Vote for me!)

There are other Internet related quirks I have (capitalize Internet!), because when a serious publication misuses a word, it indicates unfamiliarity with technology and a misunderstanding of its importance. Yes, on the one hand, it "isn’t that important," but on the other, it’s only unimportant if looking like a moron doesn’t bother you. Personally, I'm bothered that you look like a moron.

So, with your reputation at stake, I present a list of commonly misspelled, misused, and mis-hyphenated words. I have deferred to both the 2009 edition of The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law and Webster’s Dictionary to ensure accuracy. So take note, old people, and look like smart people:

E-mail, e-mail (Also: e-book, e-commerce, e-letter)

Internet (always a proper noun)

Twitter (the Web site), tweet (the act of sending a message through Twitter)

Web site (two words, never website—I often make this mistake myself out of habit—and always a capital "W")

World Wide Web, Web, Web page (again, capital "W"; also: webcam, webcast, webmaster)

Check the glossary for more words you oughtta know.

Vocabulary Lesson: Cheddar

More than a smooth, sharp dairy product, "cheese" for a variety of other terms.

CHEESE (CHEEZ)

1. A synonym for cash, money, or wealth, with roots in Harlem, and made popular through hip hop music. Example: "I check cheddar like a food inspector" ("Public Service Announcement" Jay-Z, The Black Album, 2003.)

Note: Cheddar may also be a reference to marijuana: "Slang term for Marijuana near the Pennsylvania and Ohio border." (Source)

2. Street slang for the mixture of heroin and cold medicine prevalent. The drug is attributed for "among adolescents in Plano, Texas, between 2005 and 2007." Cold medicines, such as Tylenol PM and Benadryl, are used for the drugs' acetaminophen and diphenhydramine contents. The drug is snorted.

Cheese is sometimes called "starter heroin" for both its content and prevalence among young people. The phrase is attributed to Dallas police and school officials, who discovered the drug in Dallas middle and high schools in 2006.


Resources:
Urban Dictionary definition(s) for Cheese
Urban Dictionary definition(s) for Cheddar
Cheese, Wikipedia

Culture Lesson: Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps

photograph of by Mykal Burns under Creative Commons License 3.0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mykalburns/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Fred Phelps and his church, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), picketed Brooklyn high school in New York this week, and I was reminded some people think he's 1) the father of Olympian Michael Phelps or 2) an actor.

And since he's actually a bigot leading a hate group masquerading as a church, leading a fanatical fringe group, I thought I should probably host a quick, informative lesson.

Fred Phelps, born in 1929, is an old geezer leading his large Topeka-based family in protests across the nation against non-Christians, most Christians, non-whites, and homosexuals. His group is best known for their poor timing and horrible signs. The group is not formally affiliated with the Baptist church, despite its name.

Their core beliefs include the following:

• Heterosexuality is the only God-approved sexual orientation.
• Natural disasters, horrifying catastrophes, and death are God's revenge for rampant sinning by the gay community.
• One-third of Catholic priests are homosexuals seducing women and children. Pope Benedict XVI is "The Godfather of Pedophiles." The Catholic church is pro-gay. (If only!)
• Protestants, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Baptists are "rapists" and also pro-gay.
• "Mohammed was a demon-possessed whoremonger and pedophile who contrived a 300-page work of Satanic fiction: The Quran!" (Fred Phelps to Newsweek)
• The same is said about The Book of Mormon.
• The gays are also responsible for American deaths in the War in Iraq. Phelps has said, "God is killing Americans with Muslim IEDs."
• Hindus are also pretty bad for their "idol worship."
• Anti-racism claims, despite racist imagery in fliers and pamphlets. (Phelps claims to have supported the Civil Rights Movement.)
• God hates Italy, Italians, and Italian culture as Italians are "mobster-breeding perverts."
• WBC is the only friend to America.

Some of their appearances include:

• Productions of The Laramie Project, a play about college Matthew Shepard, who was murdered in 1998 for his sexual orientation.
• Theaters and Broadway productions (the performing arts is a "gateway to homosexuality").
• Kansas City Chiefs football games.
• Appearances by Billy Graham (he is too liberal).
• The United States Holocaust Museum.
• A 2002 Holocaust memorial dedication in Topeka, KS.
• Funerals of gay people, AIDS victims, victims of hate crimes, and soldiers.
• Funerals of Jerry Falwell, Michael Jackson, Fred Rogers, Coretta Scott King, and Matthew Shepard.
• 2006 Sago Mine memorial for 12 miners who died following a explosion.
• 2008 parade for Michael Phelps in Towson, MD. (To Towson's credit, the group was ignored!)
• The funerals of three University of Wisconsin-Stout students. The students died in a house fire in 2008. (1,000 University of Wisconsin-Stout students drove the WBC away in 15 minutes.)
• 2009 Academy Awards. (Milk was nominated.)
• The Anti-Defamation League and DC's largest synagogue. (Same day visit to the Holocaust Museum as well.)

Jerks, right?

In the interest of being helpful, WBC provides an appearance schedule on its website. (I will not be linking to the Web site.) Each appearance on his calendar includes an insightful rant. Here's an example for an upcoming engagement on a Maryland college campus:

Cecil College Milburn Stone Thtr - Hell IS REAL, ask Matt! One Seahawk Drive It was so nice for you to have the Laramie Project in such an evil place - thereby showing just how evil Maryland really is. We will be outside with the same message we had lo those 10+ years ago outside on the sidewalk when all of the liars went in to worship Matthew Sheperd's dead corpse. From the moment he split hell wide open, and even now the only thing Matt wants you liars to do is SHUT UP! You hate Matt and you hate each other. Here's proof: Leviticus 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Psalm 12:2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. Psalm 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Jeremiah 9:8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. It is a two-sided coin, to wit: 1) If you love your neighbour, you tell them the truth about all things and especially the important issues of life, death and eternity! 2) If you do NOT tell your neighbour the truth as set out in scripture - YOU HATE THEM! Shame on Cecil College Milburn Stone Theater North East, Maryland, and DOOMED america. Signed your best friends in the whole world, WBC. AMEN!

Naturally, these activities have not gone over well. To date, WBC has been slammed with lawsuits, legislation, and counter protests. Most appearances—I'd be willing to say all appearances—are met with protesters. The highlights include:

• The family was sued in 2006 by the family of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, who died in Iraq and drew attention when his funeral was protested. Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps were found liable for invasion of privace and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Snyder's father was awarded $2.9 million in damages plus an additional $8 million. A $5 million verdict has been overturned.
• It is now a felony to protest a funeral within 500 feet in the state of Indiana. Violators are subject to three years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine. (The bill passed the Indiana General Assembly unanimously, 11–0.)
• Michigan banned "intentional disruption of funerals" within 500 feet in 2006. First-time violators are subject to up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Repeat offenders are subject to up for four years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine.
• Illinois enacted the Let them Rest in Peace Act (Senate Bill 1144) in 2006 to "shield" military families from protests at memorial services and funerals. Violators are subject to up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Repeat offenders are subject to 1–3 years in state prison and a $25,000 fine.
• Motorcyclists formed The Patriot Guard Riders in 2006 to protect families of deceased veterans.
• A Delaware mob chased the group and smashed its van's windows in 2006. Five people were charged in the incident.
• A garage was set on fire in 2008, causing up to $30,000 in damage.
• The United Kingdom banned Phelps and Phelps-Royster from entering in 2009 in advance of the group's visit to protest a performance of The Laramie Project. Church members are subject to banning.
• University of Chicago fraternity bros appeared to a 2009 counter protest nearly-naked and danced to "gay anthems." Students made signs with slogans "God hates the new Facebook" and "God hates dial-up."
• Kiss-ins are a regular response on college campuses. These are usually gay couples, but larger public counter protests have included straight couples too.

To balance the vitriol, here's a video from filmmaker Michael More's TV series The Awful Truth, Moore, who organized a counter protest:

It's a nice video, because Phelps "leaves in defeat," which is seemingly rare. Sometimes protesters scare the group into leaving, but more often than not, these bigots keep their tempers under a better control, and because they're protected under the First Amendment, the counter protesters find themselves in more trouble.

Resources:
1,000 UW-Stout Students Drive Protesters Off Campus, weau.com
Funeral protesting Westboro Baptist wins on appeal, The Daily Record
Cops: 'Kill Jews' messages may be linked to Kansas crazies, Brooklyn Paper
They'll Bring the Lunacy, You Bring the Laughter, Village Voice's Runnin' Scared
Hate-Freaks to Brooklyn: Bring It On, Gothamist
Church protest against gay club draws counterprotest, Towson Times
A native son's sacrifice honored, Baltimore Sun

Culture Lesson: Auto-Tune

My sister doesn’t know what Auto-Tune is. We have a crisis on our hands! If you saw Jimmy Fallon's appearance on the Emmys Sunday and were befuddled by the skit, you too may need my assistance. Here's Fallon spoofing Auto-Tune and Kanye West:




Auto-Tune is an Antares Audio Technologies audio processor that auto corrects pitch in vocalization. Or as Time described it in February:

“…a downloadable studio trick that can take a vocal and instantly nudge it onto the proper note or move it to the correct pitch. It's like Photoshop for the human voice. Auto-Tune doesn't make it possible for just anyone to sing like a pro, but used as its creator intended, it can transform a wavering performance into something technically flawless.”

I imagine the vocals pre-Auto-Tune as a piece of Swiss and the vocals post-Auto-Tune with the holes filled in.

Continuing my metaphorical visualization, we’ll pretend I like Swiss cheese, because Auto-Tune is actually really bad for the future of music. (Technologically speaking, it’s awesome. Also, I'm biased!)

Invented for the oil industry in 1996, the plug-in hit pop music with Cher’s 1998 hit “Believe.” I tend to excuse its use here, if only because its use is so obvious. Recording artists followed her example, and now its become a crutch in pop music. T-Pain, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, P. Diddy, Kanye West, Janet Jackson, and Britney Spears are using Auto-Tune in their recorded material. It’s even allowed West, who typically raps over his melodic pop hits, to sing. It’s the only way West sings, and that’s a problem.

It also removes any sense of emotion. Think of the dead digitally animated eyes in 2004’s The Polar Express, 2007’s Beowulf’s, and this winter’s A Christmas Carol and translate the lack of emotion into your pop music. With Auto-Tune, there are no nuances of heart break, angst, rage, or elation. I need to hear the vocalist crack under the weight of emotion.

There’s certainly no argument that a lack of vocal talent has prohibited an artist from entering the pop music landscape—Death Cab for Cutie notoriously opposes Auto-Tune, and singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard is far from ideal on both fronts—but Auto-Tune’s presence isn’t just misleading and emotionless, it’s preventing evolution in pop culture. Ultimately, we need the lesser talents culled from the landscape. (And while I am bereft at the lack of attention turned to greater talents, it’s inarguable that this is a huge problem.) For one thing, if we never had Auto-Tune, we’d never have had to listen to West’s “Heartless.”

Update Time named Auto-Tune as one of The 50 Worst Inventions in May/June:

It's a technology that can make bad singers sound good and really bad singers (like T-Pain, pictured here) sound like robots. And it gives singers who sound like Kanye West or Cher the misplaced confidence that they too can croon. Thanks a lot, computers.

Auto-Tune is joined my the Segway, DDT, Agent Orange, subprime mortgage loans, Crocs, pop-up ads, and leaded gasoline.

Resources:

Auto-Tune: Why Pop Music Sounds Perfect, Time

Death Cab for Cutie takes a stand against Auto-Tune, PasteAuto-Tune, 50 Worst inventions, Time

Culture Lesson: Quiverfull

My mom requested I cover the Quiverfull movement. So. There may be some unjournalistic bias, and if you are personally hurt, I am so very sorry. (Feel free to comment, but be mindful of the policy.)

Quiverfull A faith-based movement subscribing to Psalm 127 (see below) as a means to populate the world with God-fearin', women hatin' Christians.

I think this Bitch article defines the movement best:

The Quiverfull movement has no real founders and no established hierarchy, but it is gaining momentum just the same. It takes its name and its justification for existing from the Bible's Psalm 127: "As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath a quiver full. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (As with many passages of scripture, there are some eyebrow-raising variations on this Psalm; for example, the New International Bible used by many evangelicals translates it to read "sons" instead of "children," and proclaims that the quiver of tykes will actually "contend with their enemies at the gate," which sounds a tad more ominous than just talking.)

That article, by the way, has been forwarded and sent to just about every quizzical eyebrow raised my way, so please, do read it.

A run down of the movement's core beliefs:

• Reject birth control.
• "Infertility treatments are seen as a usurpation of God's providence," so an "empty quiver" or barren uterus is God's choice. Chin up, he may miraculously intervene. (It worked for Mary's cousin, didn't it?)
• Adoption is OK.
• Return to Biblical Patriarchy where the mother is the homemaker, father is the head of house, and "children adhere to both."
• Children should be "sheltered" from "aspects of culture they as parents deem adversarial to their type of conservative Christianity." (Homeschooling and no TV is fairly standard.)
• Homesteading is heartily encouraged. (Build your own compound so that the head of the family may be head of the church.)
• Feminism results in heathenism. (My own words.) A woman's job is to give birth and raise children, but there is no equality in the movement, and those of the movement are vocal opponents of feminism and gender equality. There is also an unsettling obsession with purity.

The most public Quiverfull family is the subject of TLC's 18 Kids and Counting. Known for their regular Today show appearance to proclaim pregnancy, Jim Bob and Michelle are expecting child No. 19, homeschooling their brood, describe themselves as "conservative Baptists," and rely on the older girls to raise the brood.

As an aside, Andrea Yates is another well known follower of the Quiverfull movement, though Michael Peter Woroniecki, the preacher she and her husband followed, has not been named as a nominal Quiverfull leader, and many families bristle at the comparison. Mark Driscoll is the least official follower—he claims gender equality in addition to his position as the leader of his own church—but told Salon he hopes to populate the Earth with Mars Hill spawn.

How many descendants can the Duggars expect with 19 children? If Rachel Krishevsky is an example, the Duggars can expect close to 3,000. Krishevsky, who died last week in Israel at 99, had 11 children and 1,400 descendants. Krishevsky has not been described as part of the movement, but her belief in being committed to God and adherence to "be fruitful and multiply" was passed to her children and grandchildren, who followed suit. Surely the Duggars, their charmingly robotic offspring, and other families will leave a similar legacy.

Resources:
Multiply & Conquer, Bitch
Arrows for the War, The Nation (do be sure to read this too)
Quiverfull: More Children For God's Army, RH Reality Check
Israeli woman dies, had 1,400 descendants, UPI
Life with with "Quiverfull" Family, photographer Rick Wilking for Reuters blogs
Come as you are, Salon (Mars Hill Church)
Duggar family Web site
Quiverfull Wikipedia article
All God's children, Salon
No Longer Quivering, written by ex-Quiverfull(s)

Vocabulary Lesson: No Homo

"No homo" is a vile, despicable, and hateful phrase commonly used in hip-hop. Because it will be one of several features on an upcoming post regarding Kanye West, I thought it would be best to "define" the ugliness of the phrase to save a few thousand characters explaining West's flagrant homophobia.

The best definition and explanation is Jay Smooth's video below:



Slate's Jonah Weiner argued this summer that the phrase can be used by an artist who embraces the community. But he's wrong. It can't. The phrase is still used, seriously, as a way of distancing oneself from the homosexual community. And until hip-hop takes responsibility and changes its homophobic way, we have free reign to accuse its users of inhumane, vile, and reprehensible people. Weiner has to gall to write, "As society becomes increasingly gay-tolerant, hip-hop is reassessing its relationship to homosexuality and, albeit in a hedged and roundabout way, it's possible that no homo is helping to make hip-hop a gayer place." Ridiculous, Weiner.

Guilty parties include Cam'ron, Chamillionaire, Jay-Z (it's in one of his songs and additional use of "pause" which has the same meaning), Kanye West and Lil Wayne. (Those are the people I can confirm.)

Resources:
A Layman's Guide to "No Homo", Jay Smooth
Does This Purple Mink Make Me Look Gay?
The rise of no homo and the changing face of hip-hop homophobia., Slate
No Homo Wikipedia article (not really the best resource, but if you're desperate...)

Lesson: Starting iTunes

How to Start iTunes
1. Turn on your computer.
2. Let it start up.
3. Start iTunes through the following methods.
A. Click the iTunes icon on your desktop (if there is an icon on your desktop)

B. Select iTunes from your Start menu by clicking the Start button at the bottom of your screen, in the left hand corner, in your task bar. iTunes may be located on the left of the menu if it is an program you use frequently. If not, it is likely located to the right and can be accessed by clicking All Programs.

C. If iTunes is installed on your computer but can not be located on your desktop or in the Start menu, click Run, located in the Start menu.

Type "itunes.exe" and click OK.

How to Use This Blog

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Let's examine the above image first: Browser A browser is the program you use to surf the web. This screen shot was taken viewing Lessons for Old People in Mozilla Firefox. You can view Lessons in any browser of your choosing. Search Bar and Blogger Tool Bar This is the long, black vertical bar at the top of the page. You can search Lessons by typing your search term in the white text box on the left. You can also navigate other blogs published by Blogger, follow this blog, or flag this blog using the tool bar. Banner This is the big logo, black text on a white background at the top of the page. No matter what you view in the blog it will be at the top. (Except comments.) If you click the banner you will return to the main page, http:lessonsforoldpeople.blogspot.com. Lists of significant posts This is the top section of the sidebar, the long column on the right. This is a handy place to find references already posted in the blog, including a glossary of terms. Contributors This middle section of the sidebar lists current contributors. If you click the person's name, you will view the author's Blogger profile. Archives This is where you can view posts by date and title. Click the arrow to collapse or expand the list and view posts by year and month. Date The post date is listed above the the blog post. Blog Title The title of each blog is inside the dotted lines at the top of the post's content. Note that the text is bold. Post This is the entry. You will notice it is encase in a thick dotted line. Author, comments, links This line, located under the post, includes the author's byline, the time the post was sent, number of comments, and other blogs linking to the post. (If this happens, it will be rare.) Labels (tags) The very last line under the post includes labels, or tags, associated with the post. You can click the labels to see a list of posts with the same label. For example, if you clicked "twitter" you would see a list of every post on this blog with the "twitter" label. I often call labels tags out of habit. Blogger calls it labels, so I'm letting it stay for now. Footer This is at the bottom of the page. If you click the graphic you will visit my portfolio at www.macaroonshindig.com/winsomeicarus. The footer also includes my e-mail address if you are interested in digital correspondence. Here is a better view of what a post looks like and what you can expect visually: How to comment 1. Click the word "comment" on the comment line under the post. 2. Type your comment in the box on the right side of the screen. Here is an example: 3. Be sure to choose an identity. Because this blog is powered by Blogger, which is affiliated with Google, every GMail user already has an identity, so you may already be logged on. (See where it says Katherine (Google Account)? It's because I'm signed into GMail.) You may choose Anonymous, but you must provide an alias. You may also sign on with an ID associated with OpenID, LiveJournal, WordPress, or AOL Instant Messenger. If you wish to refer to the post's content as you draft your comment, you can click Show Original Post to the left of the comment box. (See image below.) After you have written your comment and signed your name, click Publish Your Comment. You will see this when you have successfully posted your comment: Success!

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Lifehacker's tips for protection

This morning's Lifehacker roundup covers how to protect your identity and expensive technology.

Naming Folders (Music)

I purchased my mom an external hard drive for her birthday this year. And while I type this, it's sitting on her kitchen table, untouched, zipped up in its small purple protective case. The software remains untouched as well, and the USB cords are still imprisoned by twisty-ties. (It actually hurts my feelings a little bit, but she says it's because she's "waiting" for me to "show her how," but that may also mean "I'm expecting you to manage my files," so it's a nasty little cycle, isn't it?)

I eventually plan to write a step-by-step "guide" to file management, but seeing as this blog remains unlaunched (maybe that will change this weekend?) it can't hurt to share this one vital tip until a longer, detailed, more helpful essay appears on this blog.

Anyway, I wanted to show you how I organize my music. First, I backup my all of my digital music files with an external hard drive. I have a lot of analogue and a lot of digital music, and I store both on the drive. I have one folder for the music and inside several folders organized by artists, and in each artist folder the music is arranged by album. This keeps the MP3s less cluttered. There are occasionally "loose" MP3s as well.

A visual example, using music I've been saving for my mother on a small thumb drive:

Again, you will want to note that the folders are arranged by artist name. You may also want to note that there are no spaces between words. For these folders I've used an underscore (_) to denote a space. I often type everything as one word, sometimes using a capital letter for each new word. You should name all of your files this way as spaces will often complicate the use of the document as it moves from one program to another. It is also less sloppy, less complicated, and looks better when a nerd like me looks over your shoulder.

Since my mother hasn't so much as batted an eyelash in the direction of her external hard drive I took the liberty of starting it for her just like this. When you import music (or "burn" CDs) you can assign the folder and the software will categorize the music in a similar way. (When you first install the program it will probably ask where you want your files stored. You can change this in settings. We'll discuss that in the future.)

If you wanted to you could also denote the album folders by date, either starting or ending the file name by year. For example "2007-We_Were_Were_Dead_Before_The_Ship_Even_Sank" in a Modest Mouse folder would sort the folder between 2004 and 2009. I actually think this is a very efficient method. I didn't do that for my mother's files if only because I am sometimes fuzzy on exact dates on a timeline.

Resources:
Managing Computer File Clutter, Unclutterer
Best practices for file naming, 43 Folders

Get Into Gmail, Thanks to Lifehacker

Lifehacker has a great post today on how to access Gmail, even when it's down. (Gmail crashed last week and all heck broke loose among its more anxious, devoted, and tech addicted users.)