Any ideas? Occasionally the "Free" part of my Capacity will plummet from about 4GB to 2.3GB without obvious reason - I haven't downloaded much and the missing 1.7GB usually comes back.

But why oh why?

I have been away so have had a bit of catching up to do.

First, the Mutton Brds, how good is this news? I do hope they make a trip this way.

Not from hereabouts but I find that Gallagher & Lyle are reforming for a Scottish tour. Most of you in the Massive are too young to remember their pre-Breakaway music but I can heartily recommend it.

Also there is news that Jimmy Webb's talented boys are releasing new music.

A good year in prospect then.

I suspect no replies to these ramblings but I trust the odd "like" from young Richard Lowe!

Van Morrison Removed From Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Following Allegations He Bet On Album SalesJanuary 25, 2011 | ISSUE 47•04

CLEVELAND—Officials from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Tuesday they were removing 1993 inductee Van Morrison from the institution following the discovery that he had bet on record sales throughout his career. "From 1971 to 1998, Mr. Morrison placed dozens of illegal bets on the success of his albums, sometimes wagering tens of thousands of dollars," said Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart, adding that the Irish singer had clearly rigged The Best Of Van Morrison to garner higher sales. "We also believe that he threw a number of albums in the 1980s." Supporters have argued that regardless, Morrison deserves a spot in the Rock Hall based on his record-breaking streak of 4,256 consecutive shows performed without cracking a smile.

Phew. It's from The Onion so all is OK, Van fans.

Why isn't it working for me? It won't search, it won't play. I appear to be logged on and the internet connection of fine.

Any ideas?

My iPod misbehaved this morning and I wonder if anyone can help.

I attached it to my computer to download some podcasts and it went straight to "syncing, do not disconnect" which it normally doesn't do. It carried on so I aborted the procedure. Now the iPod has lost all its podcasts although the Music and Photos remain intact.

It's no big deal yet as all my unlistened-to podcasts are safe on the computer but should I be worried?

It is a 30Gb classice I believe.

Thanks in anticipation.

The iPod shuffle came up trumps the other day when it thre 2-4-2 Foxtrot (The Lear Jet Song) by The Byrds at me. It really struck me that this song has stood the test of time better than most of their other material - it fist appeared on 1966's Fifth Dimension LP.

Does anyone else know of any 30-ish year old tracks that possess the same timeless quality? Like if you played 2-4-2 to kids today they could well be astonished by the funky guitar and unusal lyics.

I have just had to re-load everything onto my computer after a fairly catastophic event. Fine except now Spootify pauses evry 30 seconds or so, something it never did before.

Is this normal? Or am I being computer illiterate again?

I just received the latest Newsletter from Bob Lefsetz in which he tells of a serious medical condition he has contracted.

I'd like to put on the public record how much I enjoy (and hopefully will continue to enjoy) his various communications whether they be by email or podcast.

For those who have not dabbled, sign up for the Newsletter (see below in The Sites We Like) and also subscribe to the Rhinocast (I do this through iTunes).

Best of luck, Bob.

and feel like a pariah on this site for not doing so. My chum Tim is a Newsagent and he has to struggle with a nearby Sainsburys who sell papers and mags as well as the likes of you. It is galling to mention that he is also a big fan of your magzine!

We will be at the Union Chapel on Monday (near your offices I assume) and if I see Ms Mossman there I will tell her that I think subscriptions should be banned and that we should Support Out Local Newsagent. What do you think of that Mr Hepworth?

In one of his recent newsletters Bob Lefsetz waxed eloquent about the Gabe Dixon Band who he saw in support of Loggins & Messina (who he rated better then CS&N) at The Greek Theater in LA. I have checked the GDB out on Spootify and am delighted to recommend them to those who read here.

Many thanks to all those who responded to my request for tech help. I fear that the solution was ever so simple: I had downloaded iTunes 6 from the disk I got with my iPod some 3/4 years ago and I don't think that it supports Vista. So when iTunes 9 was shoved on all was OK.

Next question: what is the recommended way of uploading the music I have on the iPod to my new iTunes Library - remember the old one is still languishing on the "dead" HDD?

Apologies if we've had this one before.

I am having a shocker. First the hard disk dies on my computer.Let'snot talk about backup, right.

Now the reinstall of iTunes isdriving me crazy. 2 problems that all you techies out there may be able to help with.

1. I can't get inro the Music Store, which in tiurn means I can't get the Word podcast. Just vaguely blank tables appear, not like on the old computer at all.

2. I can't even download my own cds! There is something about bit rate not being compatible. Where do I change this?

Any help would be gratefully received.

The idea I've nicked from Gauntlet but his post is probably buried in the Glasto stuff.

My order of preference has remained unchanged over the years:
1. Nash (the anthems)
2. Young
3. Crosby (the weird shit) even though I am a Byrds fan
4. Stills (the rock 'n' roll)

I was quite surprised at the choice of Ruby Tuesday although it suited Nash's voice pretty well. The Crosby songs just go on too long. And poor Stills is obviously not as well as he would like to be. Young was extraordinary, even on TV quite exciting.

But the whole thing's a soap opera really, isn't it? Some of us bought into it years ago.

The Word Massive may be interested to learn of my discovery today - or maybe you all know of it already.

The name Lefsetz appears in The Sites We Like (to the left and down from here) and I noticed the other day that he makes a podcast for Rhino Records. I downloaded it (it was about Keith Urban) and I am pleased to report that it is TERRIFIC! Lefsetz is full of enthusiasm for his topics and if I say that it is a US/Californian version of The Word only more to do with music than entertainment in general then I am probably giving a decent impression. Less The Sounds Of Young Islington, more Cruising On Pacific Coast Highway. And to be honest I prefer to read about CSN&Y than Madness so it suits me down to the ground.

What does everyone think? It is sure to keep you going until the next Word Podcast at any rate.

I am distraught. I can download the latest podcast to my computer but the iPod is not accepting it when I drag it over, or if it is it is hiding it somewhere.

Can anyone help?