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Have you seen the marketing "feel" for Microsoft's new Zune portable media device?  Clearly, it has a different feel than what Apple has put together for the iPod.  I'm not sure I like it at all.  To be fair, I'm probably not in the target demographic for either player, but still the iPod marketing has always been fresh and appealing.  Apple marketing shows the device it in the hands of fresh young hipsters having fun.  The Zune "feel" is much grittier and earthier, and I'm not sure in a good way.  It is pictured in the hands of tough looking gangsta types and people with lots of bare feet.  (Did they pay too much for the Zune?  Can't they afford shoes?)   Let's compare the two.

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What's the population of Bulgaria?  (About 8 million).   What is the "Big Chicken"?  (It's a local landmark in Marietta, Georgia).  What's Cinchonism and how do you treat it?  (It's caused by an overdose of quinine, reverse it by stopping quinine treatment.) Shall I go on?  The answers to these and many other questions can be found at Wikipedia, which today passed the 1.5 million article mark. 

Here's the interesting thing about Wikipedia:  Besides the fact that you can find out about almost ANYTHING, it also serves as a pretty good litmus test for how someone feels about the wired (and unwired) world.   (more…)

“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

Classic.  This takes me back…  And if you don’t get the joke, well… too bad. 

“…I’m living on the air in Cincinnati…”

Cerulean Studios Previews Trillian Astra

I've been a big fan of the Trillian IM client for a long while now.  I have accounts on AIM, Y!M, MSN and Googletalk, and friends across all of those networks.  While the proprietary clients have gotten better over the years, I still need to use all of the networks to stay in touch.  Enter Trillian.  Instead of running individual clients for each IM network, Trillian interfaces with all of them, fairly seamlessly.  Now, a new version of Trillian is on the horizon, Trillian Astra, and it sounds like a winner. (more…)

eToys: GR8 TaT2 Maker from Spin Master Toys

Because kids today don't draw on themselves with quite enough reckless abandon, Spin Master Toys presents the gift that every child in the lower socio-economic strata wants this Christmas:  The GR8 TaT2 Maker.  In the immortal words of Dave Barry, I am not making this up.  Sadly I'm not changing the spelling either, that bit of psuedo-hip leet/txt tlk is straight off the desk of some marketing genius at Spin Master (who, it seems, also makes the 7-11 Slurpee maker and the "Airbrush Tattoos" system targeted at little girls).  So now little Billy can get himself tatted up, and pretend to work at the McDonalds Drive Through.  ((Comments about after work activities including his rusted out Big Wheel etc.. have been withheld.)) (more…)

Critical - Hits Dot Net » Amazon Wii Launch! Estimated Arrival
So the gist of the linked story is that this guy waited in line at Best Buy to get a Wii and missed out.  Well, too bad, but it has to happen to someone, right?  Anyway, he comes home and hops on Amazon, thinking that he might get lucky and get one from them and have it shipped.  So he gets the one-click all set up and after several reloads gets the order button to pop up.  Good for him, right?  Not so, seems Amazon is more than willing to take his payment and THEN inform him that his Wii is estimated to ship in the MIDDLE OF JANUARY.  Might have been nice of them to mention before he payed them and payed for overnight shipping. 

In my case I pre-ordered a CD.  Now last time I did this Amazon actually shipped it so that it arrived at my house on the day it was released.  That and the CD was actually a couple of dollars cheaper than it was at Best Buy or wherever so the shipping costs evened out.  This time, it worked out to be a little more, but I figured it was worth it to not have to run down to the store, right?  No.  They shipped it the day AFTER launch.  So I payed more and had to wait three days. 

I'm telling you, I'm done with Amazon.  They're only good for wishlists and grabbing missing album art pictures for iTunes.

I'm not going to post about the launches of Vista, the PS3, or the Wii.  Unless and until I have a chance to actually use said products for quite a while.  Meanwhile, I keep meaning to do a quick review of Ubuntu 6.10-Edgy.  Actually, I should have Pamma do a review of it, since she took the laptop with Edgy on it to her class to show web stuff.  Go FLOSS!

Google Maps

Try this:  Go to google maps (link above) and find your neighborhood.  Search for a nearby business (I tried Blockbuster Video).  Click the "Call" link, and enter your phone number.  Wait for your phone to ring, and Google will connect you to the business.  That's it.  It's free and couldn't BE simpler.

This couldn't come at a better time now that cell 411 calls are like $1.50.  How many ways can I use this?  Click on, fearless reader…
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Jedi Knights demand Britain's fourth largest 'religion' receives recognition | the Daily Mail

In 2001, the UK conducted a census.  One of the questions asked respondents to identify their faith.  The fourth most common response was, as you've no doubt surmised by now, Jedi.  Now they are demanding a little respect.  (Hey, I respect anyone that can shoot lightning from their fingers or choke imperial admirals with their minds…)

According to the linked article, it seems at least two of our midi-chlorian-enhanced brethren (and sistren?) are requesting that the UN International Day of Tolerance be renamed the Interstellar Day of Tolerance.  Sounds reasonable.  Hmmm… I have the strangest feeling that these aren't the droids I'm looking for.  You can go about your business.  Move along, move along.