I spent some time today creating an updated inventory of my DVDs on Delicious Library 2--a cool Mac application that catalogues books, CDs, DVDs, software, iTunes purchases, and various other things, mostly using the iSight camera to scan barcodes and tap the Amazon.com databases. (You can even track loans using the names in Address Book.) I was pretty good about keeping track of all my stuff on an earlier version of Delicious Library, but somehow lost all the data on my MacBook just before the upgrade was released.
So at the end of a few hours of work, here are my lessons learned:
- I am making backups of my database regularly now.
- I have FAR too many DVDs in my collection, including stacks that I haven't watched. I guess I need to control my "affluenza" and rein in impulse buys. Perhaps I should make better use of the Netflix subscription I am paying $5/month for and not using; my last exchange of discs was over two years ago! (Now Netflix ships Blu-ray for an extra buck a month plus online downloads, which may motivate me to get back on top of this arrangement.)
- I dread the task of repeating the inventory process with all of my books and CDs. As easy as it is, this will still take quite a while, I suspect. Maybe small bites--a shelf a day--is the best way to proceed?
- The improvements Apple made to its iWeb program (and I haven't even received the iLife '09 update yet) make publishing my catalogue to the web an absolute breeze, particularly because it's integrated with the MobileMe service. If you want to check it out, go to www.nedgallagher.com/nedflix.
