Vista

These days when I listen to music it’s usually streamed from Last.fm via XBMC, either my own loved tracks or those tagged “ambient“, however sometimes I want to listen to my offline music collection and for that I use Amarok.  Given how much hassle it is to get working and that they’ve removed the features I found most useful*, increasingly I wonder why I bother but for the moment I do and this is an aide-mémoire to help the process go much smoother the next time I have to install it.

1. Check that libxine1-ffmpeg is installed
2. Check that phonon-backend-xine is installed
3. Check that phonon-backend-gstreamer isn’t installed
4. Configure phonon (Amarok > Settings > Configure Amaraok > Playback > Configure Phonon) so that the uppermost option for each “Device Preference” category actually works.  Use the test button to check each option if you’re not sure.

That should get the audio working.  Now to figure out why it doesn’t seem to be scrobbling…

* They have promised to put them back in but it doesn’t look as though it’s going to be any time soon.

I’m loving the content that’s being created as a result of Lawrence Lessig’s recent interview on The Colbert Report:

During the interview, Stephen Colbert issues a challenge:

never ever take anything of mine and remix it.  For instance, I will be very angry and possibly litigious, if anyone out there takes this interview, right here, and remix it with some great dance beat and it starts showing up in clubs across America.

To which Lawrence Lessig responds:

Well, actually, we’re joint copyright owners.  I’m OK with that.  You can total remix it, I’m fine with it.

And so, naturally, we are now the blessed beneficiaries of umpteen Copyright Remixes.  My favourite so far is an MP3 by Sam King.  Many more are posted in the comments of this blog post by Lessig.