Toy!

Picked up a Zen Micro MP3 player off a fellow Microsoftie today who had an extra. I've been meaning to get an MP3 player for some time, particularly since Microsoft has a rather restrictive attitude about music files on company systems--not really their fault given the inability of the lawmakers to properly shore-up fair use laws with respect to digital media. It is more an irritation than anything else, and the walls are thin enough I should probably use headphones to listen to music at work anyhow.

A Wired story claims that most everyone at Microsoft has an MP3 player and it is an Apple iPod. From what I've seen, that's not really the case. Given the 'mysterious Microsoft source' uses the '80%' estimate for both aspects of their comments, I'm fairly convinced they pulled the number out of their ass ("I had an Apple insider tell me that 80% of Apple employees have sexual fantasies about penguins!"). There's no denying that the iPod is a high-end quality player, Microsoft employees are discerning consumers of tech gadgets, and the iPod was a one of a kind for some time, but it is not the only game in town for 'cool' any more.

The Zen Micro is pretty nifty: 5 GB harddisk, supports MP3, and has an FM tuner. All that in a nice sexy little case. What's not to love? Even came with a second rechargeable 12-hour battery. I guess I'm doing my "company tool" bit by getting a nice MP3 player from a different source--although frankly I have my own issues with Creative as a company. Whatever.

I have almost no MP3 files at home that didn't get ripped from legally purchased CDs in my collection. My current collection tops out at around 6.7 GBytes, so I had to be picky about what I threw onto my player.

In any case, I'm pretty darn happy with it.

My only complaint is that the damn virus that is AOL is shoved onto your desktop and your Programs menu by the Zen installer--just as it is with dozens of other applications. "Click Here for Free & Unlimited AOL?" Um, I wouldn't use AOL if they paid me, so shut the f---k up!

(no subject)

No matter what your opinion of the Iraqi war, the decisions that lead us to the invasion, or the on-going occupation, I highly recommend you watch Frontline's A Company of Soldiers. The report makes no judgment about the reasons they are in Iraq. It is simply a small glimpse into the daily lives of soldiers working, living, and dying there.

Almost every day we hear about another soldier dead in Iraq, and it is easy to grow calloused and accept it as a regular factoid on the evening news. It is important to remember that every single one of them is a son or daughter, a parent, a child, a friend, a spouse. While we do not individually control the way the Armed Forces are deployed or the missions they are tasked with, it would be remiss of us as citizens to not empathize and seek understanding of the task we are asking of them as a nation and the costs they bear in our name.

BTW, there was some 'controversy' over the fact that the Frontline producers offered a version of the report where the soldier's use of some colorful expletives was not 'bleeped' for fear of the McCarthy era-esque fervor at the FCC these days. I think people are being unreasonable to be upset about the very limited use in the report (KCTS didn't edit it for the 10pm showing). In fact, I think it is completely natural for nearly any native English speaker to say "shit" and/or "fuck" repeatedly if a hidden bomb goes off 10 feet in front of you while you are in a moving vehicle. If your sensitive child can't understand the nuances of appropriate use of expletives, they sure as hell shouldn't be watching a show about the realities of war.