hoarding

I regret selling my DVDs

I used to have hundreds of DVDs. They lined an entire bookshelf. I knew I never watched many of them; besides, the future was digital, wasn't it? It was 2006. My iPod Video told me so.

I sold about half my discs to the departed Kim's Video up the street, and then--pressured a bit by my family needs and small apartment--I did the unthinkable: I tossed out the remaining boxes and stuffed the discs in a binder.

It felt like sacrilege for my treasured and somewhat hard-to-find discs--my Canadian version of Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" with a commentary track, my various out-of-print Criterion movies. I gambled that I'd never really play these discs many more times, what with Netflix instant streaming and iTunes movie rentals.

Mostly, I was right. Then came "Kiki's Delivery Service."… Read more

Are you finished with physical media?

It was just the other day when I had a conversation with CNET Senior Editor David Katzmaier about movies, and he told me he was getting rid of nearly all of his DVDs and Blu-rays. Whoa, that news hit me hard; Katzmaier has reviewed a gazillion TVs and loves movies, but he no longer feels a need to keep the discs.

I know it makes sense for a lot of folks, but not me. I like having my stuff around, and I like the process of selecting music from my huge collection. It's pretty organized, so I can find most titles in a few seconds, but I also like just randomly pulling up something, and holding the cover in my hands. I have a strong attachment to this stuff, and I don't want to ever let it all go.… Read more

Physical media vs. files: And the winner is?

In 20 or 30 years, how will you feel about the downloaded music, movies, and books you buy today? With physical media you may have written notes on the books' pages or spilled coffee on them. You might remember the day you accidentally ripped page 202 of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," or lent an LP or CD to a friend who put a small scratch on "OK Computer." I have literally hundreds of LPs I bought in the '60s and '70s, most of which I never replaced with CDs. Just holding the LP jacket … Read more

Bump up your old iPod to 240GB

I'll catch some hell for saying it, but Apple's fifth-generation iPod (aka the iPod Video) is one of the best hard-drive MP3 players of all time.

Say what you will about sound quality or the easily scratched screen, compared with today's iPod models the 5G iPod has a lot of advantages: it's compatible with just about every iPod accessory ever made; video output is built right in; you can use it with older computers and old versions of iTunes; and there are countless ways to hack and modify it. Unfortunately, the old guy just doesn't … Read more

Laptop sleeve is a hoarder's worst enemy

This is one of those items that might look goofy at first but then, after some thought, might just make sense. All too often, messenger bags and other laptop totes are just excuses to carry around junk you don't really need. That can result in scratches and dents to your computer or, far worse, a bag that's so heavy it gets dropped or topples off a desk because of gross weight imbalance.

For the true road warrior who survives with only the essentials, the Cargo Laptop Sleeve from Built NY provides space for all the gear that's … Read more