Home Audio + iTunes + iPhone = Kickass!

About a month back I decided it was finally time to reorganize my clutter mp3 collection. Since I’ve pulled this data from multiple machines and data sources, there was a big mess to be dealt with. Taking some tips from my friends at Life Hacker, I followed many of the steps outlined in their “Whip you MP3 library into shape” articles (I, II, III).

Here's the process I went through step by step:

• Organize Songs: I started off by bringing all my mp3 files into one directory, and then importing it into iTunes (making sure to allow iTunes to manage my media). iTunes created a new directory with all my audio pre-sorted by artist & album.
• Remove Duplicates: I then downloaded Duplicate Cleaner and used it to identify my duplicate songs. First by meta data, then by file name. This cleaned up 90% of my duplicate fils.
• Update Meta Data: I then downloaded Media Monkey and used it to update all my songs metadata, file names, and album artwork.
• Another Duplicate Removal: Now that all the meta data and file names are synced up, I ran through Duplicate Cleaner again to find any remaining duplicates.
• Re-Import into iTunes: I now had a very clean directory of music. I renamed this directory, cleared all my songs out of iTunes, and re-imported (making sure to allow iTunes to manage my media). This created a new iTunes managed directory with all the songs properly organized. I then let iTune sound level my tracks, download any missing album artwork, and run through genius.
• Cleanup and Thoughts: I obviously had to remove the two erroneous directories of music (the one from the start, and the old iTunes managed directory I renamed. At the end this cut my unorganized 160 GB of mp3 files down to a clean & tidy 90 GB's. This process is not for everyone, as it'll require rebuilding your iTunes library. For anyone who's invested a lot of time categorizing and rating their mp3's within iTunes, this will erase all that hard work. For me I just wanted to start over fresh, so it didn't matter.

Now that my music collection is organized, I needed to set it up to share across my network for usage at parties. For this I shared the managed iTunes audio directory on my network. I then fired up my laptop (which I will plug into my home audio receiver), and had its iTunes import all the tracks from this network share (FYI - This will take a long time to do over a network with the audio size I have). This will allow me to use these shared audio files from my laptop, however any ratings, categorization, or playlists I create on the laptop will be separate. As iTunes does not yet share its library across multiple machines.

Based on my friend's advice, I installed the iTunes remote application on my iPhone. This allows me to control the iTunes library running on my laptop (hooked to my home audio receiver) from anywhere in the house/property. I can sit out on my back deck and control iTunes playback via iTunes DJ Mode. I can add songs, skip songs, search my library, turn the volume up/down, pause, etc. And even better, when I have friends over for BBQ's or parties, then can co-control the iTunes audio experience by voting, ranking, suggesting songs for playback via their iPhone apps.

I'm very satisfied to have this project completed, only took a few days worth of work over a two week span. But it's totally worth it in the end. We now have a kickass audio system to enjoy. Now my buddies can stop complaining that there is no music in my billiards room :P

DIY - Mash Tun

Upgrading my brewing setup from 5gal to 10gal batches requires that I also create a 10gal mash tun. Following the advice of one of my fellow home brewers, I followed these instructions to build mine. The project was very simple, requiring a quick trip to Home Depot and 10 minutes of assembly time. Can't wait to put this to good use on my next batch of homebrew!

Kegworks Upgrade!

After a couple years of pushing, I finally talked my buddy into selling me all of his home brew gear. I now have the beginnings of a very respectable home brewery operation. The crème de la crème of which consists of:

• 5 lb. Co2 tank


• 2 x 20 lb Co2 tanks


• 2 x 5 gallon cornelius kegs


• 15.5 gallon keg brew pot w/integrated spigot & thermometer


• 15.5 gallon keg ready for brew pot conversion


• Dual gauge pressure regulator


• Draft dispensing hardware for cornelius & sankey kegs

This will finally give me the ability to brew all grain batches efficiently. As well as the ability to convert my garage fridge into a multi keg draft dispenser. I'll also have the option to keg my home brew instead of spending hours bottling every batch. And this summer I can simply grab a keg and the portable Co2 and bring it over to friends BBQ's.

Can't wait to get everything cleaned up and put to work!

Pac-Man is Alive!

After four months of hard work I've finally finished restoring/converting my Pac-Man cocktail arcade cabinet to full glory. This cabinet has been locked away from the world for more then a decade, maybe even two decades. It was hidden away in my buddies garage forever, and then a few more years in mine, until I had the time to invest in restoring it. The cabinet was empty other then the original monitor, and in very poor shape. So I made the tough decision to "MAME" the cabinet. I'm sure I'll be flamed by the purists out there, but for me and this cabinet, this was the right decision.

I started off by stripping the cabinet bare, and giving everything a thorough cleaning. I had to rebuild the under carriage and leg levelers as the wood was splintered from years of moisture. I sanded rust off the metal components and gave everything a new coat of paint. I installed my old 19" IBM CRT monitor, which to my surprise fit perfectly with only minor alternations.

I then installed a vast array of new components:

• 11" Cocktail Control Panels from ArcadeDepot. I had to modify the controls from pac-man's centered solo joystick to a proper joystick & 3 buttons layout.


• Red/Blue Suzo Universal STC 500 (OMNI Stik) Joysticks (set to 4-way)


• Red/Blue Translucent Pushbuttons from FX Buttons


• Mini Round Momentary Pushbuttons


• Reused my old I-Pac4 Encoder from Ultimarc, however I may installed a GP-Wiz40 Eco from Groovy Game Gear that I have lying around to try it out.


• Cold Cathode Lights from NW Computer Accessories


• an old Dell Optiplex GX1 - running Micro XP Pro.

To keep the cabinet as authentic as possible I only installed MAME and classic ROMs that have a cocktail cabinet dip switch mode. No Nintendo, Sega, Virtual Pinball, or jukebox craziness on this cabinet. I configured everything under the MaLa front-end, and set the machine to boot directly into Pac-Man (you can then backout to select other games to play).

I still have a few more lighting, electrical, and software tweaks to make to the cabinet, but it's in fully function order. It was ready in time for my 30th B-Day party, and got a lot of usage and rave reviews.

Mark another knotch in the project tree, let's see what's next ...

Burning Man is Right Around the Corner!

I've been spending much of my time planning and preparing for my trip to Burning Man. A week camping/partying on a dry alkali lake bed in Nevada isn't something to take lightly. Especially when there is absolutely no cash buyable amenities to be found. As the website states, this is an experiment in radical self reliance. I've been doing a lot of reading on other attendee's experiences and preparations for BM to ensure I'm taking all precautions and packing accordingly. One of the big items was making sure to bring enough water, I purchased three 15-gallon barrels to cover this item. The other big item was to buy a bicycle, as bike & foot are the only means of transportation within the boundaries of Black Rock City. Since the city is essential laid out within a 1.5 mile diameter circle, it's best to have a nice set of wheels. Check out my sweet ride setup. I will be taking my tent trailer down with me, so that means I have to complete my remodeling work on it before the event. Justen came over yesterday and helped me finished the new custom cabinets and benches. I just have a handful of finishing work tasks to get done and the remodel will be complete. Well at least complete enough to be usable for the event. I'll still have to re-panel the interior walls, build the new cabinet doors, and do a bunch of painting. But that all can be done later. This week I'll busy with all the last minute details of the trip. Shopping for food and other last minute gear essentials, packing, doing some maintenance on my Chevy S10 Blazer, etc etc. A whole lot to do before we leave on Sunday 8/27. My goal is to upload blogs to the website periodically during my time at BM. So check back occasionally next week for updates. And of course I'll have a full event write-up when I return on 9/4. Wish me luck!

Project Update (4/3/06)

I've made a lot of progress on many of my projects. Since I don't have a proper site update feature created yet, I decided to post a blog entry to summarize my accomplishments. MAME Arcade: I finally finished assembling my 4-player control panel for the MAME arcade. I was up till 4am on Sat 3/25 trying to get it finished in time for our March B-Day Party. Since then it's been thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially the kids. I need to buy a new soldering iron as my old one is crap. Then I need to solder up the El-wire, LED's for the pushbuttons, and the trackball. Lots left to do, track my progress on this here. Bumper Pool: I found an awesome deal on an old Bumper Pool table off craigslist. Heath and I went to pick it up on Saturday afternoon. We tied it down pretty good in the back of his truck, however once we got on the Glenn Jackson Bridge we found out otherwise. Right after we passed Government Island the high winds caught the lip of the table and flipped it over. Fortunately we routed one of the tie downs through the legs, that held it until Heath was able to pull over. It scared the crud out of me as I was following right behind. If it had fallen out, it would have hit me and likely caused a nasty accident on the bridge that would have closed it down for a while. Phew! Eventually we got it home and had to remodel the basement bar to make room for it. We played a few games after getting it all setup. It is a lot of fun to play. However it does need some TLC and a few modifications. Follow my work on this here. Blazer: I've been scouring the web for new parts and mods for my Blazer. On Saturday I met up with a guy in Gresham to get some 2nd gen seats. On arrival it turns out the Blazer was only a 1st gen. However I was able to find a rear window with defog & rear window wiper and some really nice lighted sun visors. Sunday I decided it was time to paint my dash components so they all match. Took me about an hour to remove them all, and I found a couple more components were need of repair. Eventually I got them all sanded, cleaned, and applied a first coat of dark grey Krylon Fusion Textured spray paint. I'm letting them cure for 24 hrs before I re-install them, however that meant driving into work this morning with my dash all ripped up. This week I'm going to remove the headliner and run wiring for all the new components: overhead console, power sun visors, rear window defrost, rear window wiper motor & spray pump, and cargo area accessory power port. For pics and a full write-up on the modifications check here.