The hard drive for the iPod I mentioned last week arrived and I got everything installed. Wasn't too bad opening the iPod, with the correct tools and knowledge of the retaining clips, I much prefer it than opening any modern device where the only means of access is through a glued down glass screen.

I did downgrade to a 80G HDD compared to the original 160GB. 80GB is enough for my library compressed and 160GB isn't enough for my library in lossless so I'd have to convert to 512GB flash for that. I did also install Rockbox on it in order to have some of my favourite albums in lossless though.

The FireWire power adapter I ordered also arrived too, not mandatory as the newer iPods will charge using USB but nice to have regardless. I already had the cable and the adapter was cheaper than I thought.

@Rommie - sounds like a licensing issue but I'm glad you got it sorted out. I'm personally not a fan of activation but I suppose it's pretty much standard with most software.

Yeah, it was a problem with licensing as you say, but at least the programmer/developer for this particular one is easy to contact, there aren't many programs that offer telephone support direct from the guy who wrote them.

Yeah, unfortunately telephone support, much less one where the original developer answers is a lost art now. Online support portals or live chats seem to be standard. What irks me are the companies that require the use of social media for support, looking at the companies where the only way to contact them is via Twitter or Discord.

  ...Well yesterday anyways .   I had to fix a MAJOR exhaust leak on the SubaFord !  The 30yr old , 231,000 mile front pipe cracked cleanly in two right behind the front catalytic converter . Now common sense would say to replace it HOWEVER a new one costs anywhere between $210 & $1,000 depending on where you look !!  Due to the overall condition of the car  , I decided to get out the grinder and MIG welder and weld it back together . DONE !!   Until it cracks AGAIN somewhere else !!    ( I've already fixed 3 other cracks in this one pipe alone !)

Had the AC fixed on my accord, the compressor and expansion finally tapped out 2 weeks ago. Got the new stuff installed by a local shop and they also found my slow leak was that someone misassembled part of the system in the past and left a small piece of foam between the seals causing it to seep. It blows Ice cold now, of course it broke when it was 95F outside and as soon as it's fixed the temps dip into the low 70s in mid july.....

And no, I'm not going to talk about how much it cost, lest I be banned from this site.

 Welcome to the joys of car ownership Max !!

Ermm... 1, 2, 3, lots.? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 

And no, I'm not going to talk about how much it cost, lest I be banned from this site.

Now would I do that to you, Max..? 

@Tim: Buy a Honda they said, they're reliable cars they said.

@Sammi: Lets just say it was a few extremally rare lamps worth to fix.

@Ria: You might give me a slap on the wrist (face?) if I used such language, but I don't think the other moderators of the site would be quite so lenient towards my hypothetical vocabulary regarding that subject.

Oh and don't get me started on how much the alternator cost to get fixed last May.... I should have it all sorted now, everything else has worked fine so far in my 6 months of ownership. Changed the oil on it a couple weeks ago with my BMW friend and that thankfully only set me back 40 dollars for parts. (And an extra forty for a new set of air filters since the old ones where quite shabby.)

You managed to barter some lampses to get the job done .? 

No Sammi, it was the price of a few very rare lamps to fix. Sorta in the range of the ones you got from London a while back.

Sheesh!   

Max, you should know by now if Sammi can derail a thread (she's been known to do it to one of her own in the description ) then she will   

 @ Bulbman :   Regardless of what they say , ALL cars have what I call their "Personality Quirks"  Plus , every car regardless of the brand will go thru cycles where EVERYTHING seems to fall apart at once !! How long the time varies between cycles varies from brand to brand & car to car  !  I'm currently in the middle of one with the Subaford right now .  The middle of those cycles are typically when cars get traded in the most !! 

@Tim: Buy a Honda they said, they're reliable cars they said.

Not anymore. The 1.5T engines in the newer Civics are failing left and right; some even suffered from oil/water dilution... The only Hondas I'd buy nowadays are the ones with the V6 (Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline, etc.). Even new Toyotas are having problems (ahem Tundra). Hyundai/Kia seems to be making a turn for the better and so is Mazda. Nissan is probably our last hope for a solid, reliable full-size half-ton pickup truck.

TL;DR: The automotive industry is going to hell.