What’s on your SolidWorks World iPod?

What’s on your SolidWorks World iPod?

I’m sure that all of you know by now that all SolidWorks World 2008 attendees received a special edition iPod Nano with the SolidWorks logo laser etched on the back. You might also know that it was pre-loaded with video podcasts that all had something to do with SolidWorks. I watched my first and last of these podcasts on the flight back to North Carolina. I’m sorry but the screen is just too small for captured video from a SolidWorks session.

Yes, I know with the right cabling I’d be able to watch the video on my television but why bother when I can go to any internet connected computer and watch the podcasts there. So I’m left with a dilemma, what can I put on the iPod? I was skeptical about iPods and iTunes in general, I mean I figure I’m already in bed with Bill Gates do I really want Steve Jobs to join us? But I went ahead and took the plunge and installed iTunes on my desktop computer. Actually the experience was very pleasant, after playing around with iTunes and letting it add my existing music library which is on a homebuilt NAS running FreeNAS I was sold on it. It was then just a matter of loading up the Nano with stuff I will listen to.

The first step was to remove all the SolidWorks podcasts which I did save so that I could watch them later. This was all done within iTunes. I then loaded up on some music from my library. My music tastes are very diverse for example right now I have Pink Floyd, Allan Parsons, Paul McCartney, Vangelis, Pablo Cruise, Mike Oldfield, Simon & Garfunkel, Chicago, Third Day, Jars of Clay and more.

The music is fine but sometimes when I walk I rather listen to talking or reading to pass the time. So I listen to several audio podcasts, TWIT (This Week in Tech) is usually very entertaining and informative. Leo Laporte leads a guest panel in discussion of the week’s tech news. My favorite panelist is John, that’s a crock of crap, Dvorak. I also enjoy another podcast called X-Minus One. This podcast is old-time Sci-Fi radio shows by the same name. Some of the classic authors are represented here, Asimov, Bliss and others.

There are a few video podcasts that are suited for the small screen of the Nano. One that comes to mind that I watch when I get a chance is Mahalo Daily. These are brief informative and entertaining podcasts that cover a variety of subjects. You can watch them in as few as three minutes.

My opinion of Apple and iPods has been changed by the Nano. Don't get me wrong I never would have bought one but now that I have one I find that I use it every day. I purchased one of the little FM transmitters that allow me to listen to the Nano in the truck through the radio. While this is not perfect it works great for the talk show type podcasts. I find myself longing for a better solution for music though.

There is a vast amount of free media out there for you iPod; I’ve only scratched the surface. Do you have a favorite that you will share with us? Leave a comment.