So two weeks ago my computer crashed. Well, more accurately, my hard drive crashed. Even more accurately, the hard drive for my PC died.
It was quite a surprise. I turned it on and it said “operating system not found.” I put my Windows disk in, hoping to repair it, only to have my computer to tell me that I was lacking a hard drive.
(Fortunately I kept a months worth of Resolution albums on my iPod, so the crash didn’t affect my listening, just my typing.)
I bring this up to explain why I’ll probably never go digital; I’ve probably lost a lot of stuff (I say “probably” because my tech guy says there’s a chance some of the stuff can be saved). Sure, the stuff I purchased from iTunes has been transferred to the computer that I’m using now, but I had other music that I won’t be able to get back. I’m betting the exclusive bonus tracks from Circuit City, Best Buy and Target are probably gone for good.
I’m equally sure that the copy of Radiohead’s In Rainbows that I downloaded (and paid for) will have to be purchased again. All of the playlists that were meticulously compiled will have to be thought out and done again.
Plus I’ll have to put all of the music that was on my old PC onto the computer I’m using now. That’s quite the task. It’ll probably take an entire day. While I’ll admit that part of me is kind of looking forward to such a project, most of me isn’t.
But this is why I’m afraid of a digital world. I didn’t like that I couldn’t update my iPod for two weeks. I don’t like the prospect of losing music that I worked hard to track down. I don’t like the notion that I should have to backup everything in my collection (which to me kind of defeats the purpose of a digital revolution).
OK, I’m glad I got that off my chest. Hopefully the rest of this year will go more smoothly.
