Random thought after wrestling with Audacity yet again.

Every new version of every major program gets fussier and fussier about handling the STUFF IT’S SUPPOSED TO HANDLE. Browsers reject more and more file types and websites for “security”, even though I know AVG will handle REAL malware for me.

I just tried to use Audacity on some old-time radio MP3s from Archive. I like to check the clips before including in my bedtime playlist. Some Archive recordings have long silences or loud theme music after the program, and Audacity can cut off those potential waker-uppers. Audacity refused to handle these MP3s, calling them “improperly formed”. Audacity then wasted 15 seconds on its mysterious “checkpointing”, which is probably tattling to the authorities.

I then tried the MP3s in Gomplayer (NOT the latest version!), which played them with no errors. I normalized them in my Python normalizer, no errors.

If MP3s were actually misformed, Gom and Py would reject them.

This ever-increasing “security” fussiness is like OCD. More and more ordinary pieces of digital material are too too filthy for our delicate eyes and ears, and Nurse Ratched will do us the favor of shredding the filth for us.