I just got fooled. I was looking at file dates in a directory list and saw this:

file1.txt 1/15/2006
file2.txt 1/15/2006
file3.txt 1/15/2006
file4.txt 11/5/2006
file5.txt 1/15/2006
file6.txt 1/15/2006

I couldn't understand why file4 hadn't changed in ten months. Then I looked more closely.

Recommended, especially if you think Apple is just as evil as Microsoft.

Songbird

I'm using version 0.2 Developer Preview regularly, and am happy with it. Reasonably stable. I don't need much, just an MP3 player, but I like the iTunes interface. With Songbird, I get the same interface, and other features if I want them. The mini-player is better than iTunes.

If you try it, you'll notice it doesn't have the Genres panel. I filter by genre quite a bit, and found this can be added very simply by editing a particular file. Here are my notes:

Add "genre" to the array in the following function, as shown.
The function is in 
Program Files/Songbird/chrome/songbird.jar (open using Winzip)
content/songird/xul/playlist_test.xul


  function LocalLoad()
  {
    try
    { 
      // Default values, in case we get confused
      var table = "library";
      var guid = "songbird";
      var data = SBDataGetStringValue( "browser.uri" );

      // Cook the table from the magic browser uri?
      var qm = data.lastIndexOf( '?' );
      if ( qm > -1 )
      {
        var str = data.substr( qm + 1, data.length );
        var divider = str.lastIndexOf( ',' );
        if ( divider > -1 )
        {
          table = str.substr( 0, divider );
          guid = str.substr( divider + 1, str.length );
        }
        else
        {
          table = str;
        }
      }
      
      if ( ( table.length > 0 ) && ( guid.length > 0 ) )
      {
        // If we're a library, we want metadata filters
        var filters = null;
        if ( table == "library" )
        {
          filters = new Array(
                                "genre",
                                "artist",
                                "album" 
                             );
        }

In my previous posting I touched on the film The Butterfly Effect starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. I wondered why it wasn't better received. True, there are problems in the film, but I was impressed, especially with the ending. Why wasn't it the talk of the season, in the vein of The Sixth Sense? "I'm not going to tell you what happens...you've got to see it for yourself."

Today I read some reviews--most importantly, some DVD reviews. They kept mentioning an alternate ending. I haven't returned my rental, so I inserted the side with the theatrical version and skipped to the end.

Um, holy cow! No wonder the original reviewers commented on the unsatisfying ending. It's completely different in intent, tone and impact. The director's cut ending makes sense of both the plot and story, and is the correct ending to the film. The theatrical release received a ridiculous Hollywood ending.

If I'd watched the theatrical release, at the end I'd have said "Oh, well, that was okay."

After the end of the director's cut, I cried hard for five minutes.

I recommend The Butterfly Effect - Director's Cut.