I’m not a fan of planned obsolescence.
Planned obsolescence is when a product is designed in such away that it will immediately stop working at a certain time, forcing you to buy a new product to replace it. You know, like when your iPhone starts slowing down just in time for the new iPhone’s debut.
So let me explain what’s going on. At one point in time, I could connect my iPod Classic to the USB port of my 2013 Chevrolet Cruze “Dracourage” and control my driving music through the stereo console.
This was great, until Apple pushed through an update and bricked the connection between my iPod Classic and my computer tower. Ugh. Again, ugh.
I mean, I wasn’t completely devoid of music or entertainment, my car has SiriusXM satellite radio on it, so I’m not completely out of the woods for driving tunes. And it also has a built-in CD player, so I could create custom-mix CD’s from my iTunes and do like the old days – you know, the window visor full of unmarked CD’s and the like.
But I hate that I didn’t have that immediate setup where all my music could appear when I wanted it. My own personal radio channel, if you will.
I thought about buying another iPod, but even then I wasn’t sure if the newer iPods would be backwards-compatible with a 2013 Chevrolet. And I shouldn’t have to replace my Chevy just because it wouldn’t work with the iPod I bought to replace the iPod. Now it’s just dog chasing tail.
So I tried an experiment.
The iPod connected to a USB port in the Chevy’s center console. If the USB port can handle an iPod, what if I could load a bunch of .mp3’s onto a flash drive, plug the flash drive into the center console, and …
No. It can’t work like that. My iPod needed to communicate with my car’s stereo system. There’s no way my car is smart enough to read a bunch of disassociated mp3’s on a flash drive.
Well, maybe it can. I mean, I do own a Chevrolet.
So I tested the theory. I downloaded a few episodes of my radio show onto a flash drive. I plugged the flash drive into the center console. Started the car.
Wait, why am I hearing news about Donald Trump’s COVID-19 infection?
Oh, silly rabbit. I forgot that I was listening to MSNBC on my satellite radio from my last trip.
Pressed the CD/AUX button on the car stereo console.
NO CD INSERTED
Well, yeah. Pressed it again.
NO AUX INSERTED
All right, one more try.
USB DETECTED
And within seconds … I’ve got my radio show blasting through my car speakers.
It worked. Happy dance. Well, not happy dance, I’m in my car. No dancing inside the car, bro.
But it worked. So I can go back to enjoying all the songs I want, whenever I want, wherever I want. Without having to purchase a brand new iPod.
Although I will purchase a new dedicated USB stick. Throw about 400 songs on there, set it up as a scramble/shuffle situation, and let the music play.
Oh, good. The “quote a song, have a YouTube video of that song pops up” exists in this upgraded WordPress setup. π
Chuck The Writer 
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