Are We All Digitally OCD Now?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2042340,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/a...2042340,00.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We are all OCD now. We do these things not just because digital filing gives us the satisfaction of cleaning without the unpleasant feeling of getting up from our chairs. It's because we're constantly confronting the onslaught of information, and our brains are trying to make patterns out of the randomness. We believe that if we just finish a list of every movie we want to see, we can finish that task, despite the fact that Rob Schneider is going to make more films."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1296604334.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p><em>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.gizmodo.com" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a></em></p><p>This is a humour column, but there's some truth to the idea that sometimes we spend more time organizing and fretting away over the details of our digital collections than actually enjoying them. However, unlike the author of this column, I've always been detail-oriented and I appreciate creating digital order from digital chaos...it's almost soothing to me to see things organized properly. I don't think I could ever embrace digital chaos the way the author is suggesting - could you?</p>

[Alber1690]

...it's almost soothing to me to see things organized properly.

I couldn't agree more with that. Last holiday season, I spent a few hours cleaning up my (already pretty well-kept) music folder collection. Now, until the next thing I notice is all "messed up," I consider it "(almost)* perfect." :rolleyes:

*(almost) because we all know we always find a flaw and can't sleep until it's fixed

[Jason Dunn]

I couldn't agree more with that. Last holiday season, I spent a few hours cleaning up my (already pretty well-kept) music folder collection.

Your laminated "I'm a Type A Personality" membership card is now in the mail. :D

[Hooch Tan]

However, unlike the author of this column, I've always been detail-oriented and I appreciate creating digital order from digital chaos...it's almost soothing to me to see things organized properly. I don't think I could ever embrace digital chaos the way the author is suggesting - could you?</p>

I'm currently in the process of trying to organize all my media files from CDs to DVDs and work files. I'm considering trying out all those tagging programs and getting into the 21st century, but decades of files is daunting.

I also could not handle digital chaos quite like what the author suggests, however, there are means to manage it without going through each file. Isn't that what Google Desktop Search supposed to solve for us?

[Jason Dunn]

I'm considering trying out all those tagging programs and getting into the 21st century, but decades of files is daunting.

Use MediaMonkey, and tackle it in small chunks - don't think you can undo decades of missing tags in a few hours. MediaMonkey has a community of users who have all sorts of clever scripts for fixing tagging problems. I paid for the gold version of MediaMonkey simply because I was so thankful that the program helped save my sanity. :D

[Hooch Tan]

Use MediaMonkey, and tackle it in small chunks - don't think you can undo decades of missing tags in a few hours. MediaMonkey has a community of users who have all sorts of clever scripts for fixing tagging problems. I paid for the gold version of MediaMonkey simply because I was so thankful that the program helped save my sanity. :D

How quick is MediaMonkey? I've tried a few tests with MusicBrainz Picard which seems to work /almost/ okay, though it seems to get itself stuck once in a while. How would you compare the two?

[Jason Dunn]

How quick is MediaMonkey? I've tried a few tests with MusicBrainz Picard which seems to work /almost/ okay, though it seems to get itself stuck once in a while. How would you compare the two?

I've never had any complaints about the speed, but that's entirely subjective.

[Alber1690]

Your laminated "I'm a Type A Personality" membership card is now in the mail.

That is probably the most awesome way anybody has ever approached commenting on this "condition" :D