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Managing the vast amount of data that we tend to collect in this digital age can be a challenge. Given the tiny shred of spare time that we all seem to have doesn’t help matters much. With the growing popularity of multimedia devices, applications and formats, the number of files that are scattered throughout our hard drives increases daily. So how do we make sense out of all the bits and bytes that seem to just take up space on our hard drives? How can we organize this vast collection of files without making them too difficult to access?

Taking a quick look at my e-mail inbox, the average message size (without attachments) is around 14KB. In contrast, taking a look at my music library, the average file size is around 5.8MB. From here we can deduce that the amount of hard drive space taken up by music files is approximately 415 times greater than that of email files. The irony is that we all have a nice, user-friendly application for organizing our email. We don’t, however, tend to have an easy way of managing our multimedia files.

When thinking about this seemingly daunting task we need to remember that a file is a file is a file; whether it’s an MP3 or an email message, you can use the same strategy to organize your files. Approach the search for a media player the same you would for an email management program or a document management application. There several media players available for download on the internet. Some are free. Some will cost you about four Grande Café Mochas from your favorite coffee shop. Whether you are running Windows Vista, Mac OSX or Ubuntu, you can find a media player that is right for you.

Keep in mind that some media players are simply that, a player. Others give you the ability to access album art and lyrics. More sophisticated media players offer a CD burning functionality as well as the ability for multiple users to access the library over a local-area-network.

Recently, we put together a jukebox using an old PC that had been sitting in the corner collecting dust for the last several months. The computer, coupled with an external USB hard drive, would be the foundation for our 21st century jukebox. To test the capabilities of free software and to push our own technical abilities we downloaded and installed Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition on the computer. Ubuntu is an easy-to-use Linux-based OS. Don’t worry, though, it’s not just for geeks. It has a user-friendly graphical user interface that even my eight-year-old daughter doesn’t have trouble navigating.

For a media player, we decided on Rhythmbox, which was developed by The GNOME Project. This player was orginially inspired by iTunes, and it features a searchable database, internet radio, playlists, and many other desirable features. Rhythmbox delivered as promised. Not only did we have access to album art and song lyrics, but we were also able to burn music to CD and even transfer music to our various MP3 players. With a little extra technical know-how and some spare time, we were able to set up an interface that could control the jukebox over the local-area-network. The only thing that we were missing was the ability to pump this glorious music library to our multiple players simultaneously.

Choosing an application to store and play your music library is like choosing a new car: some people need a Hummer while some need a Honda Civic. If you put in the research, it’s possible to find the jukebox that best suits your wants and needs. The Rhythmbox experiment provided me with a fresh look at some new and exciting developments in the software world. It also pushed me to accomplish a New Year’s resolution aimed at becoming more organized, even if it’s just a few “ones” and “zeros” at a time. Whether it is a media player, as discussed here, an e-mail management application, a CRM tool or even a new accounting package, considering any new piece of technology should have one single goal: making your digital life as user-friendly as possible.

Ken McCoy has been in the IT Industry for the past fifteen years. He holds several industry certifications and is currently working as a Network Consultant in Colorado. Ken has three young daughters, enjoys fly-fishing the various drainages of the Rocky Mountains, and is a self-proclaimed Urban Chicken Farmer.

Monday, January 21st, 2008 Both comments and pings are currently closed.

By Haley January Eckels