83 days before - Computers, Technology, and the Internets (oh, my)

So, I learned something new about computers yesterday. Maybe you all already knew this and I'm just technologically retarded--it wouldn't be the first time--but apparently, you don't want to leave laptops, cell phones, and other things that have a chargeable battery plugged in when the battery is fully charged. This will, according to the guy at Best Buy that sold my brother his computer, drain the battery more quickly. To prolong the life of the battery, you should only have the thing plugged in if it's actually charging. I don't know how true this is . . . but if it is true, it's another example of what a pain in the ass technology can be.

Technology and I don't get along very well. Things have eased somewhat since I switched to using a Mac computer, but still we have a pretty turbulent relationship. I think my main frustration is that because technology is incapable of actually thinking, it doesn't always see the easiest solution to a problem. (The whole planned obsolescence thing bugs me too.)

Like last night, for example. YouTube was, as it is wont to do, preparing to go into Maintenance Mode starting at 10:00, making it impossible to do . . . well, pretty much anything on the site, but in this instance, I needed to upload a vlogdriver video . . . which I hadn't had a chance to edit yet. So edited the thing in a hurry and started the processing and uploading at about 9:55, not thinking it would be able to upload the video in time and that I would have to wait until the next morning. But about fifteen minutes later, iMovie--which uploads videos directly to YouTube--told me that the video had uploaded. Of course, I couldn't verify this, because maintenance was still going on . . . but why would iMovie tell me that the video had uploaded if it hadn't?

So this morning, I checked, and guess what? It hadn't. My video was no where to be seen, and yet iMovie was still insisting that it was published to YouTube. Well done, guys. Well done.

The thing with iMovie 09 is that they've basically dumbed everything down. So if you're just learning how to edit for the first time, it's . . . well, I won't say great, because I think even then it sucks pretty hardcore . . . but it's easy to use. However, I've been editing videos for a year now. I started on Windows Movie Maker (which also sucks, but not quite as much as iMovie, I'm discovering) and then progressed to Vegas Movie Studio (which barely sucks at all.) So basically, iMovie is a step down for me . . . or more accurately, a jump off a cliff. I'm looking to get Final Cut Express, which from what I can tell is like Vegas, but Mac compatible.

Speaking of which . . . I've got a vlogdriver episode to edit.

Today's Question: How does technology suck out loud for you?

-Matt