Genius!

The other day I complained on my blog about the new iTunes (version 8) crashing on my computer every time it tried to start up. Well, now that's all taken care of and I am loving it. Most of the new features that Apple releases with iTunes go by the wayside: the mini-store, folders for playlists [though, this is a great idea... I just don't want to have that many playlists], and now the new genius bar that tries to sell you more music. But there is one 'Genius' feature that is awesome. The Genius generated playlist. Here's how it works. You select a song you feel like listening to (eg. "No One's Gonna Love You" by Band of Horses), click the 'Genius' button (the little orbiting atom at the bottom-right), and Apple generates a playlist of similar music from your existing library. This is a great, simple way to listen to a random assortment of your own music without having Brian Regan, Bill Cosby, Mozart and The Arc Choir pop-up unannounced and unwanted.