i need a man-purse
Apr 24It seems I’ve finally given in to the iPod, after years of resistance. Lately I’ve been going crazy on the small gadget purchases, having been spurred by the purchase of the Olympus Stylus 770SW, and subsequently the rewiring of the car, which led me to want a new head unit for the stereo system… 
I bought the JVC KD-DV5300 unit for its DVD playing ability – my reasoning being, I can put ALL my most frequently listened to music onto 4 – 6 DVDs and just switch from those, of importance is the ability to browse folders with the remote and later add a screen and watch movies. I was very tempted… Very Very tempted to buy a JVC EXAD unit but for the price, I’d rather just get a computer to put in the car… AND, the blue color of the controls doesn’t match my theme.
I purchased the DV5300 from Frys, went home, installed it. Played the first cd, which is one of the ones I’ve been listening to… there was a HORRIBLE noise, as if you can hear the laser head tracking up and down and focusing – confirmed this by changing cds and turning up and down the volume – at 0, no sound following a loud pop when going back and forth between 1 / 0, at 1, no audible music because of the low volume, but a definite loud whir as noise on the speakers. Very disappointed with this $260 purchase, I removed the stereo (which actually is only the newer version of mine), and reinstalled my trusty old JVC KD-S52 which in any case fits more aesthetically with the car’s dash and red lighting (the face is smoother and cleaner looking). The DV5300 apparently has lost some of the menu options and is not really suited for running amplifiers (that you can control from the unit, anyway) as it only has one RCA l/r output and the Video out. During this time, I weigh my options… Get a different more expensive unit as an exchange, or… get an iPod, since my original stereo supports iPod with additional adapter box ($50). I sleep on it… anything that will house all my favorite music would of course be carefully selected given that music is 90% of my life (if I went to concerts and shows often, it would be 99.9%) is a very important decision in terms of functionality, capacity and quality.
Even though I’m not into toting my iPod everywhere I go, I always did assume that should I buy an MP3 player, it would only be an Apple product. What can I say, after all is said and done, I am pretty much loyal to certain brands, even though I don’t totally agree with their marketing scheme.
The next day, having well known that it would be a pain in the ass to return this thing to the Frys (in South Houston) at which I bought it, we make the hour drive south to the Frys in Webster by NASA, because they are a completely different store and actually believe in customer service (well, maybe not in the mobile electronics section). Return was a breeze, and I got my credit voucher good for exchange or refund at the register.
My choice, since it was almost an exact exchange, was the 30GB black iPod video, which I’m sure – with my luck and lateness to adopt – will shortly be superseded by a new model. I’ll probably upgrade at that time. 80GB would hold ALL of my music with plenty of room to spare, but given that there are many duplicates which haven’t been sorted out as well as a whole lot of stuff I NEVER listen to (and only keep for posterity), the 30GB would be more than enough. After loading it up with most of my library, only 18GB are gone so it was a good fit. Plus, the 80GB is a bit obtuse in its thickness.
The stereo, with the JVC KS-PD100 iPod adapter dropped in behind my glovebox works GREAT… I really don’t have to ever remove my ipod because the stereo controls it seamlessly using my remote, with the same menu structure as on the ipod. When the car is off, the ipod turns off, when the stereo is on, the ipod is on showing a steady screen of “JVC(big logo) OK to disconnect”. Only time I need to disconnect the iPod is when I want to work with the music… I’m currently in the tedious process of correcting all the mis-genre’d and misnamed Artists/Albums to make browsing easier, as well as creating many small but thorough playlists based on moods or general mixes. Of course, the stereo controllable folder/disk/mag (mag as in cd changer magazine = all on ipod, disk = selected top level filter like genre/artist, folder = playlist/album I think) shuffle and repeat is ideal for those “ehh dunno what I’m in the mood to listen to…” times but those are few and far between, and with so much music, I think it should prove to be useful when I want something SIMILAR TO but not the radio — maybe I’ll record some fake commercials to throw in there hahaha (yeah I’m lame).
All in all, my operation on Otto has been a rousing success he’s both running better and cleaner than ever and things such as locks and windows/sunroof even open and close up to I’d say 15% faster, which is a big improvement considering that alot of people have commented on how slow my windows are (which I don’t really think are that slow – at least they work, right?). Stereo sounds great and all my instrument lighting is now true red (not the orange-y red) LED, which I think the car likes. All power switches (relays) are where they need to be right by the load, and everything functions as I’ve always wanted it.
Stereo, by the way, sounds exceptional, in depth and its ability to be louder while maintaining crystal clarity and bass response with all windows open on the highway — I’m not so sure that’s good for our ears, since wind is pretty loud all its own but it sounds awesome.
So, given that I stuff my pockets daily with about $1200 worth of gadgets (give or take $300 depending on what I bring with me that day) I would like to consolidate that into one unit to keep track of – why oh why is it so strange for a man to carry a purse? it’s so convenient. But I’ve decided it’s all in the attitude. If you wear it comfortably and without second thought, it just seems natural but I think it would take some getting used to. All sorts of small things would have to be revised like mannerisms when putting on/taking off the bag, how I hold/protect it in busy public places without looking as though I’m clutching my hand bag, and how I access items within. Now that I think about it, keys (which are about to have a huge 2 way alarm/remote start receiver added to it), ipod, cell phone (may go back on the holster, though), camera, Palm, my Burt’s Bees lip stuff, possibly a couple of pens, and maybe a slimmed wallet (though I am still thoroughly satisfied -both by quality, elegance and utility – with my Fossil of 4 years ago, a style and leather finish which is no longer available at Fossil), so I’m not sure I would put my wallet in there — anyway, should my bag get stolen, it’s hard enough to deal with the $95 Tumi bag I like – in either 
Smoke or 
Black at Tumi in The Galleria being stolen with $1000 worth of gadgetry within (including all my personal info in my palm, the pictures on my camera and my soon to be painstakingly organized library of music, but my identification and means of communication… should probably always stay on me. it’s a minimal amount of pocket filling to carry the wallet and going back to the phone holster would be OK I suppose.
So the learning curve to owning and carrying a man-purse should be interesting, but I have to perfect it before I do any kind of traveling so I can be comfortable. It’s just so much more convenient. I’d have to learn to coordinate my outfits with my bag HAHAHA…. yeah…. shoes, belt, shirt, tie, coat, pants, man-bag.
Eventually, I will forgo the iPod and install a Mac Mini in Otto and have my navigation, contacts, music, everything on there, which I can sync from the driveway at home — or better yet, anywhere I go, with a good cell broadband plan. I’d have started on this one already but I still can’t decide where I’d mount the touch screen without making anything inaccessible. Maybe it’s time to devise the on-windshield projector I’ve been dreaming of for many many years… then I could overlay maps and realtime infrared video of the road including my car’s vitals (yes this is all possible) right in front of my eyes, without ever taking them off the road.