Seems crazy right? I thought so at first considering that the iPod touch was probably the coolest gadget I've held in my hands to date. Not only was it thin, small, and of high quality build components but also had a revolutionary touch screen interface originally available only on the iPhone. With all that said, there were some things that just didn't work for me and my Windows centric lifestyle and I ultimately decided to return it.

iTunes.
Is there a more bloated and clunky media application for Vista? I think not! it totally pukes on a library as large as mine (16,000 songs) and continually created system instability and crashes. I've literally spent countess hours uninstalling and reinstalling, trying to figure this out, but it think it simply comes down to poor support for a large network library of music (all my songs reside on a local file server connect via gigabit LAN). Previously I used alternative software like Anapod, but there is currently no support for the Touch. And even if it did, doesn't support podcasts and store bought music.

Windows Media Support.
The only way around this is was to literally have iTunes convert all of my wma tracks to aac audio files. Now, initially that wasn't a deal breaker for me, but considering I have over 4,000 wma files in my library, it turned out to be quite an overwhelming task. That, and I'm stuck with 4,000 duplicate tracks needed only for iTunes and the iPod. Third, its overall inability to integrate in to my tech lifestyle. Since the iPod touch is Internet enabled via its built-in 802.11 b/g, it has a couple of the killer iPhone features such as safari and YouTube. While initially great, this created too much gadget crossover for me since I already carry with me an 802.11 b/g and 3g enabled window mobile 6 smart phone which can do both of those things, though admittedly not as well. In addition to that, it has no support for my Xbox 360 (and I'm not talking about the crappy library sharing via iTunes, which does not work with network tracks btw) and no glimmer of future support for a subscription music service via iTunes or the wireless store on the iPod.

Storage And Cost.
The device itself was limited to about 14 gigs of flash storage and cost $400 bucks. At the end of the day, it was just too little and too much to justify.

Now on the the new Zune. I snagged one of the rare 80gb models last Tuesday at a Target near me, and have been very pleased with it thus far. For starters, its a LOT smaller that the old 30gb brick, with nearly 3x the storage capacity, and a cost of only $249 bucks. So already its off to a better start.

The Software.
The new Zune software is a significant upgrade from the original. The interface has been totally redesigned for the better and looks and acts as I would expect a Microsoft developed WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) app to, even though it unfortunately is not WPF based. The navigation is a clean as it comes, and actually reminds me of the iPod touch interface experience quite a bit, less the touch screen of course. The new features included with the software are complete podcast subscription support via Collection or the Zune Marketplace (finally!), integration with the new Social, and wireless synchronization over your local wifi network. The podcast support is great, as of now they have a growing catalog of choices via the marketplace, or you can add the rss feed directly in the podcast section of your collection. Best part is that all iTunes podcast feeds designed for the iPod will work natively on the Zune, no transcoding necessary! The Social has been beefed up as well, which now has a built in messaging system, a new Zune card which shows all your recently played tracks and music prefs to your friends, and has even tighter integration with my Xbox live gamer tag...e.g. friends list and shared MS points. All of that combined point to some pretty amazing things on the horizon for Zune and 360 owners...I'm already envisioning full marketplace and social integration with Xbox. Just imagine being able to stream your subscription music or Zune radio channels on your Xbox while playing some Halo 3! The wireless sync is a very nice feature as well, though when I did it for a fairly decent size sync, it ate most of my battery in the process.

The Hardware.
This time around its got some significant improvements. The most notable are the size and construction, the new touch sensitive dial, and the incredible premium headphones. The size seems half the foot print of the original, and Microsoft used some higher quality components on the exterior. Primarily the change to a glass screen instead of plastic, the extra .2 inches of screen real estate. On the inside they added chip support for MPEG-4 and H.264 a/v an updated wireless adapter which now supports wpa2 security, and a new hard drive that's smaller and allows for 30 hours of audio playback on one charge. The touch sensitive dial is a very nice addition as well, it works just as you would expect sliding in the direction you wish to navigate. It's also a convenient way to adjust the volume when playing music and video...you even have the option to turn it off if you don't care to use it. Lastly, the new included premium headphones were the real surprise for me. They are hands down the best in-ear headphones that I've ever seen included with a media device...and I've bought a lot of music and video players over the years. The earpieces themselves come with 3 sizes of ear fittings and magnetically stick together for storage, which is even more convenient then you would realize. Also, the cord for the headphones are wrapped in a thin rope vs you typical plastic casing, which makes them considerably more durable. Granted, they will not take the place of my uber expensive Bose noise canceling headphones, but they are an excellent and more portable alternative for certain situations.

Final thoughts.
Overall, I'm extremely happy with my decision. Not only did I save $150 bucks, bit I now have a music player and software that tightly integrates with the OS and gaming platforms that I already use. And, as much as Apple has done to make the iPod at home on Windows, it just isn't enough to compete. And honestly, I don't think they care. They would much prefer and have certainly designed for their devices to function in their world of the Apple desktop and the Apple TV, which is fine considering the Zune is equally targeted to the Microsoft universe. Though, i would love to have one of those 17" Macbook Pro's running Leopard and Vista, they truly do make some, usually unrivaled, hardware.

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Want to pay top dollar for a brand new partially working gaming pc with a voided warranty? Or better yet, would you like to pay $4,000 do get kicked in the balls? oh yes please!!! Then Alienware is the company for you!

Some background...I've been building my own PC's for some time now until about two years ago when I decided to go with a fully pimped out Alienware gaming PC. I was at the point where I could afford to pay a boutique shop (at the time) to do it all for me with a warranty and the whole nine. My initial experience with them was average at best. My order took longer than expected and when it finally did arrive, it was missing the software disc containing all the drivers and the radiator for the liquid cooling system was mounted improperly. For the disc, which I absolutely needed since it contained the retail apps for my x-fi sound card, it took several support chats, a 6 dollar shipping fee, and 2 weeks to arrive at my door. As for the radiator, I was able to rig it properly using my past experiences in building my own over the years. Needless to say, a pretty rocky start. However, given all that, the machine itself has preformed decently for me over the past 2 years...enough so that I recommended them to a friend. Which brings me to today.

My friend ordered his $4,000+ rig just a few months ago online. The estimated delivery time was roughly 4 weeks, but it took over 6 weeks to arrive. And that was after server phone calls, getting a separate excuse each time to explain the delay....and no, their online order status system has not improved one bit over the two years, it literally stayed at the initial payment received phase for over a month. Now to the guts of the story. The computer arrived and my friend did a clean install of Vista Ultimate followed by all the accompanying drivers and applications that came on the Alienware system CD. During the first days of operation things just weren't working right, the sound wasn't working, the Alienware configured Nforce raid 0 array was notifying him of read and write errors, and the computer was randomly rebooting and/or blue screening. Now, given that I've been a windows user since 95, the very first thing you do in a case like this is to check and update all your drivers. And, as usual, nearly all of the drivers provided on the included cd had a new update available from their respective manufactures web sites. Including Nforce chipset drivers, Nvidia graphics drivers, new x-fi drivers, and even motherboard bios updates. Now, none of this is new to you if your a PC owner...to keep windows and especially games running in peak condition, we have to do the update rounds quite often. Ok...so all of that was done, and there still seemed to be something wrong. At that point, he was still receiving some read/write errors from the raid array and getting the less frequent random reboot. Now, given that all the software was as current as it could be, he turned to hardware as the possible culprit...specifically a memory module (4x1gb) or a bad hard drive (2x150gb raptor's) given the symptoms. As of this point in the story, my friend was about 45 days in and beyond the 30 day money back guarantee, but he really had nothing to worry about since he paid for the upgraded 3 year full boat warranty which would cover any hardware problem over the duration. So, he finally had no choice but to call up Alienware support, which was where it all went horribly, and almost criminally wrong.  He proceeded to tell the support tech about all the trouble he had been having and what he had been doing in attempts to resolve the issue...then he gets to the part where he said that he upgraded the bios to the latest version, and the tech completely shuts down. "Sir, there is nothing I can do since you've upgraded your bios. You warranty is now void and we have you recorded saying that you did it" ... let me repeat that, His warranty was now VOID, his $300 cash upgraded 3 year warranty, is VOID, because he update the bios to the latest version!! Un-fucking believable to say the least...what gamer or pc enthusiast on the planet would not update his/her bios to get the latest fixes and features out of THE main component of the PC? To make things even worse, the tech even refused to help or provide support in any way after that...meaning that not only are they out to screw you out of your warranty, but they have no interest in even supporting their products or their customers, in or out of warranty. Not to mention that MY Alienware, that sits below me as I type this, was in fact never under warranty, since the very first thing I did when I got it was to update the chipset drivers and the motherboard bios. Thanks for nothing!

I'll tell you this Alienware, you've made a very motivated and relentless enemy here, since I've now made it my mission to tell as many people as I can about this outrageous and shocking experience. And I think it goes without saying, that neither I, my friend, or anyone we know, meet, speak to, wave at, point towards, or write about will not even consider buying an Alienware PC, Server, Notebook, Media Center, Monitor, Mouse Pad, Mug, T-Shirt, Sticker, Talking Yogurt Doll, or Flamethrower!

Check out my main site chriskirby.net

The story begins at 8 am last Saturday morning with smiling hung over faces and hopes of a fun and snow filled ride. Our ultimate destination for the day was Paradise, which it roughly a half days ride from our base camp in St. Ignace. Little did we know that the powers that be had already smited our little trip across the UP, not only preventing us from reaching our destination, but only allowing 50% of our snowmobiles to return whole. Let the adventure begin:

8:30 am: All is well as we are unloading our sleds at the drop off in town and begin to head out on the trail. Though, as i would find out a few hours later, both my wife and my dad heard a strange and loud noise coming my sled as it was unloaded from the trailer.

9:15 am: We are 10-12 miles out when i hear a loud crack directly below me as a approach a stop sign on the trail. As i proceed forward from the stop sign, assuming that I had hit a rock, the entire sled begins vibrating forcing me to stop and pull of the trail. As we were diagnosing the problem we discovered that my rear shock was torn from its housing and appeared to be snapped in half! Essentially putting me out of commission for the day.

9:45 am: I attempt to salvage the day by trying to locate a rental sled while on the side of the trail. In the mean time, both my dad and my friend Steve are heading back to get Steve's pickup, so that we can haul my busted sled back to base camp, when tragedy struck again. I got a call from Steve saying that his engine has seized on his brand new Renegade and that he was now stranded 5 miles from our location towards town! So, that's 2 sleds down in less than 2 hours and we've only traveled 10 miles from our starting point.

10 am: I get another call from Steve saying that he was able to get his sled started and moving VERY slowing toward base camp, and that he would meet us there.

10:30 am: We load up my sled to the back of the pickup and send the rest of the group on to Trout Lake (20 miles north) where they will hold up and wait for me and my dad to meet them with his sled an my new rental. We estimate that we can meet them if roughly 45 mins if we trailer to their location.

10:45 am: Steve calls it a weekend. We load up his sled and he starts his 3.5 hour trip home.

11 am: Before we can trailer anywhere, we have to create a harness adapter that will allow the trailers lights (brake, blinkers, etc) to work with my pathfinder.

11:45 am: After 3 trips to the auto parts store and 10 trys later, we finally get all the lights working properly and are ready to go pick up the rental and head to Trout Lake.

12:30 pm: We arrive in Trout Lake just as the rest of the group was about to leave after their 2 hour wait fest in the restaurant.

1 pm: We're finally off towards our destination, with 1 man down and me on my rental.

2:15 pm: We arrive in a small town called Hulbert to gas up and grab some lunch after some fun riding. The gas line takes about 45 mins to get through.

3:30 pm: We're fed with full gas tanks and decide as a group that it's too late in the day to continue farther out. So, it was time to start our 3 hour trip back to base.

3:40 pm: All the sleds start up except the brand spanking new 1000cc Ski-Doo. We proceed to try just about anything over the next 2.5 hours to try and get this thing started including plugs, fuses, even kicking the damn thing. But unfortunately, all end in failure. The worst part is, that sled was carrying not one but 2 people (Jerad and Elizabeth) who are now stranded.

5 pm: A snow storm begins as the temperature drops and daylight begins to fade.

6:15 pm: A bartender at the bar where we were held up offered to take the 3rd broken down sled of the day back to Trout Lake in her pickup, along with anyone who was stranded. At this point, this appeared to be our best option, especially considering the weather and the 3 + inches it had already dropped down on us since it started. So, we load up the sled and send Hayley and Elizabeth off with our friendly bartender to Trout Lake.

6:20 pm: We head out on the remainder of the snowmobiles to rendezvous with the girls in Trout Lake.

6:30 pm: We slow to a crawl on the trail due to the worst visibility any of us have encountered in our many years of riding. We could literally only see a few feet in front of us with low beams and even less with high. This, on top of the trails being in extremely rough condition after a day full of traffic and the constant stream of fresh powder snowing down on us.

7:45 pm: We arrive in Trout Lake with our nerves shot from 1.5 hours of near death experiences.

8 pm: We off load the ski doo from the pickup and manually push it on to the trailer. We also load up my dad's sled so that he can tow the trailer back to St. Ignace in the snow storm, being that he is the most experienced tower in the group.

8:15 pm: My dad, the girls, and the trailer head back to base on the road and Mark, Jerad, and I head back on the sleds. At this point, the snow is still coming down very heavily make both road and trail travel extremely treacherous. However, the 3 of us have pretty much had all that we can take...so, the shittier the trail, the harder the snow, the faster we went! If I'm going to die, it might as well be going 90mph in to a tree on a rental sled... without the insurance!

9 pm: Still alive.

9:30 pm: We arrive in St. Ignace and load up the sleds.

10 pm: Reflect on one of craziest days any of us had ever had on the trails...while eating pizza and getting hammered.

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I've been very interested in this topic since President Bush publicly offered his opinion that the, so called theory of intelligent design, is a viable and acceptable scientific alternative to the Theory of Evolution. And, if that wasn't odd enough, he wen't on to state that each topic should receive equal time in the science classes of our public schools. The affect of statements like these as well as pressure from Christian religious groups, have led to a much heated debate, primarily dominated by the idea of religion vs science. The debate went so far in Dover, Pennsylvania that it let to a federal court ruling blocking the unconstitutional attempts of the Dover school board to integrate intelligent design (a religious based idea) in to their classrooms.

The reason I bring this up now is that I've come across an excellent lecture by professor Ken Miller of Brown University in which he discusses this debate in depth. I believe that anyone who has ever considered this topic and its recent effect on our society, regardless of their views/opinions/beliefs, will find it quite informative.

If you have trouble viewing the video above, please visit the original post on youtube.

Visit my main blog at dotNetWookie.com

"mmmhhhhm, hog fat!". Please, have someone kick you in the nuts (meat-head chest bump for the ladies;) , the next time you think of downing that grade b McRatburger or scarfing that steamed pressed slider. It may be tasty and cheap now, but 12 hours later as your exorcizing that demon in to the porcelain abyss, think of the old chinese proverb "man who eat shit, die on toilet .... and your lucky numbers are 5 9 12 65 78"

Visit my main blog at dotNetWookie.com

It must be frosty in hell and there will be a shortage on bacon this summer because pigs have definitely taken flight. I dont' believe for a second that Nintendo is in the console business for the fun of it. If they didn't want to take out Xbox, then why thow all of that r&d into designing a totally new gaming interface? I say that nintendo is in it to win it, so we'll see if they change their tune once consoles start flying off the shelves. My prediction is that the Wii will outsell both the 360 and the PS3 this fall in the US & Europe, but Xbox will be the champ in the long run. It will be hard for the other consoles to compete with Live Anywhere, especially once vista hits the shelves.

Visit my main blog at dotNetWookie.com

I'm really getting sick of hearing about this crap. Who gives a shit if the theatres are unhappy about so called early dvd releases. The fact is, things have to change. If you want me to come to the theatre and watch a, usually shitty, movie, then don't charge me 9 bucks for a ticket, 4 bucks for a drink and then bombard me with 20-30 minutes of commercials and previews before the movie even starts! If your products sucks, having the dvd come out in 4 months instead of 6 will not change a thing. I say abolish the theatre monopoly and let the consumer decide. If I think V for Vendetta in IMAX is worth the 10 bucks (which it is), then I'll go to the theatre, If not, I'll throw it in my netflix queue and watch in on my ridiculous expensive home theatre system with a beer in my hand. common sense + money and time saved = crazy logical.