Sox & Yanks

The 2005 Baseball season is coming to a close this weekend and my beloved Ole' Town Team (Boston Red Sox) are going to square up against Evil Empire ( NY Yankees ).

You're probably asking yourself... "How could that be possibly true?"

The Red Sox did the unthinkable last year when they came back from an 0-3 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in what could arguably be the greatest 7 game series of all time.

Prior to that AL Championship, a few co-workers asked if I wanted to have the Sox play the Yanks to get to the World Series.... the truth is, I really didn't want to see the match up. It wasn't because I thought the Sox couldn't be the Yankees. I just didn't think that the match up could rival what happened in the 2003 ACLS.

The truth is... I didn't care who the Sox had to topple on their way to the World Series. I didn't have to add a degree of difficulty to it. A World Series win is a World Series win. 25 guys have to come together as a team every fall and figure out a way to win the best of 7 to win it all... Having to face the Yanks before getting to the biggest prize in Baseball would have been cool... don't get me wrong, but who was going to hold our feet to the fire?

Apparently everyone. Had the Sox not defeated the Yankees on the way to the World Series, we would have never heard the end of it.

I think that's the reason why this weekend mach-up meets so much. At stake, the Division Title. A prize that we have never successfully wrestled away from the Yankees in the history of Sox VS Yanks, in respect to head to head mach-ups in September/October.

To clinch the division, the Sox must sweep the Yanks 3 games to 0. If we win 2 out of the 3, we get to play them in the house that Ruth built for a 1 game playoff to win the East.

.mCr.

29th of September

A few people who visit the site might not know why its called "September29th.com"... Several years ago I needed to come up with an chat handle for AOL Messenger. I think that everyone can relate to the difficulty of coming up with something unique to go by that isn't already taken. After 5 or 6 attempts to score a handle I wanted, I looked up to a picture of my younger sister and typed in her birthday: September29th.

She (with many other people around the world) are celebrating their birthdays today.

I raise a toast to them all.
.mCr.

In the Vault: The Great Wallet Hunt

Several years ago I was asked to pen a lengthy column for a webzine I scribbled for called Bettawreckonize. Life's been a little uneventful lately, so I thought I would drag out a little entry I wrote up a few years back.

Enjoy,
.mCr.
_________________________________________

After five years of outstanding service it finally came to me last night that it was time for a new wallet. My current wallet (a gift from my sister five years ago) is showing signs of near death!

1st Sign: All wallets have lining on their insides. The lining separates the bills and the cards into little respective slots. Anyhoo, that lining has started to give and I fear that my cards will have access to escaping.

This is actually the first time that I've ever had this happen, but I attribute it to having more credit, ATM, ID's, etc.

My first wallet was a very nasty blue Coca-Cola velcro wallet that I got while on vacation with my family in Colorado. I remember pulling out a small wad of money somewhere and my father asked where my billfold was? I stood there looking at him with a blank stare (knowing very well that no answer was never agood excuse for my father) and told him that I didn't have one. I guess I didn't really think about it too much then but his concern about me not having a wallet as a little boy (more importantly - his little boy) was very noticeable. He managed to find the Coca-Cola billfold at my aunt's house that afternoon and it served as my wallet from age 7 to 11. In retrospect, I didn't use it all that much I just had it on me in case my father asked me to pull it out. On Saturdays he would wake me up really early to go get "father/son" haircuts. He'd ask where the "bill fold" was and I'd flash it out so I could get the five spot to pay for the snipping. The biggest problem with this wallet was:

· It looked cheesy (it being a freakish BLUE).
· It had that super Velcro that kept it together.

Remember those 80's Velcro wallets? It was like tearing a fucking phone book in half! I wonder what ever happened to all those wallets? I think I missed out on a class action lawsuit of some kind - where children all across the U.S. suffered freak arm dislocations from trying to tear open one of those things. Come to think of it? I remember having a CAMEL cigarette "Six-pack" cooler, also a vibrant blue, that looked like a plastic paper bag of some kind. Again, my forearms suffered from its VELCRO HELL! But what can I do? My mother urged me to use as a lunch box and I did.

· I should note: My parents stressed the importance of never drinking, smoking or doing drugs, but fuck if they ever passed on the opportunity of outfitting my sister and I with countless "one-size-fits-all" garb from Salem, Camel, Marlboro, Budweiser, Miller Lite, etc. I remember how pissed my mom was when I was in 4th grade and they announced that these shirts could no longer be used at school! I shit you NOT!

Here is a 3rd grade photo of me wearing a *Playboy* polo shirt, my father got from a subscription. He had wanted a medium shirt, but they sent a small by accident. If you look closely, you'll notice that the front zipper goes down to my belly button!

Anyway, after several complaints my father broke down and gave me a money clip he had stored somewhere.

The Money Clip - That lasted all but three weeks. I never had enough money to really ever put in a clip at the age eleven, so after another two weeks of complaints on my part, my uncle was kind enough to pass on his old wallet. A nasty, NEAR LEATHER job, that had a deep CACA brown border and a freaky tan fuzz square on each side. My uncle (George) was seven years older than I was so he was an Idol of sorts. So I took this wallet as a "coming of age" moment. For most guys it's shaving, but I run deep with Aztec blood (that means no facial hair till your early 20's) so I had to make good with what I had.

But I digress....the nasty, "Near Leather" wallet lasted for a couple of years. I didn't really need a wallet from ages 12 to 14. I really only had it on me, when I went out to the movies or the mall. A nasty rubber-like piggy bank that kept my School I.D. and what little money I didn't blow on records.

My third wallet was the monumental wallet. This was the wallet that would set my wallet tastes FOR LIFE! A very fashionable, tri-fold brown leather wallet made by FOSSIL. I was only months away from acquiring my license and I was GEEKED to finally have use the FLAP function! The ability to flap open is the reason why I'm a tri-fold man for life….I don't see how people can justify the bi-fold. It's an inferior wallet. Sure it's slim and it's probably better for your back, but I need that inconvenience on my right butt check. Sure it hurts, but at least I know that it's still there!

The FOSSIL wallet lasted for five years or so. I remember the little metal logo coming off fist then the leather began to tear from it missing. I actually took a needle and thread to it and gave it a scar like appearance. Something that I thought was FUCKING COOL, but got little support from loved ones

Present Wallet: Five years ago, on Christmas, my sister decides to get me a new "bill fold." I knew that this should be taken as a thoughtful gesture, but it's a bullshit last minute gift on her behalf. My mother urged her to get if for me! Women don't understand the relationship between a man and his wallet. No one should come in between that.…if a person is going to let something that special go, then let that person do it on his own. Don't gift wrap it in a little box and have him open it in front of family members!

So now I'm in a living room, stuck with extended family (that I wouldn't be caught dead with - if it weren't for Christmas) fielding silly remarks like: "Wow Rollie! A new wallet." "You've been needing one of those... why don't you try it out?" "Try it out? Have you no fucking HEART WOMAN," I said to my aunt (we're a drinking family on the holidays).

So, after my little drunken blow-up. I took my new wallet and the rest of my unopened presents up to my room. I just sat there with the creeping thought of having the "changing of the guard." Every man has to do this. You set the new wallet on the right side of the old wallet and you pull out all the old things that you may have forgotten about over the years. The high school pictures, the phone number from "what's-her-name," that you promised to give a call to after a long Friday night in Mexico. It makes you really not want to get rid of the precious little thing. Anyway, I decided to use the little black wallet my sister gave me.

I hated it at first. I remember the first time I accidentally left it in some pants and it got washed in the washer. I pulled out the little wet mess and I didn't feel bad for it. I kind of hoped that the wallet wouldn't pull through. Anything so I could get my mother to send the old wallet back! But, it didn't. New wallets, like new dogs that replace old ones, have to EARN YOUR LOVE!

And it has. Strangely enough, the wallet was a little more convenient than my old wallet and I got several compliments from friends on how nice it was.

However, the compliments are few and far between now and it just gave off another sign of near death.

You know that little plastic laminate that covers the license? Well, it started doing what I like to call "the stretch." That's where the laminate seems to stretch beyond the leather border, possibly caused by the giving of the glue from various dunkings I gave it in the washer. Once the laminate stretches, it begins to curl. My laminate is now beyond the curl stage and its found it's way to the curl and crack stage. Not good, especially for a happening young gent like myself. I can't be taking out the old wallet with a cracked and curled laminate.... it's not DONE in rock n' roll!

But, I'm four years out of the wallet loop (actually nine years or so since my sister purchased my last wallet). Where am I supposed to start my search?

I've never seen an article on wallets and that gave me a reason to even write a column on the subject. Is there a specific brand that I need to keep an eye out for? Does one limit themselves to visiting his or her local mall to get one of these things?

I know that I don't need anything too fancy. A wallet from Luis Vuitton won't do. I don't ever frequent a spot (or know a person for that matter) that would admire that kind of wallet. With that said I don't want something that may be too trendy either. I mean, I don't care how popular Paul Frank is; a silly monkey on my wallet won't do!

I just want something simple. I'm not set on having it a specific color but I'd like to have a leather wallet. A nice tri-fold with equipped with a few slots to showcase my spending power.

So if you have any recommendations or thoughts on my little piece please send them in.

Rollie's little helper: Purple Pill Box

As I slowly creep to Twenty Eight tender years of age... little things in recent months have began to shape my adult life. Most recently, I received my first ever 'prescription' to cure a mild case of Acid Reflux that I was diagnosed with in late July. The routine is rather easy... I take my pill around 7:30AM every day and have breaky half an hour later.

In recent weeks... I've been a little bad about getting up early on Saturday's to take my prescription, which leaves me a little puzzled in the morning when I'm walking around the apartment, wondering whether I took it or not.

I decided to swing by a local drugstore over the weekend to find a pill box that I could easily put my prescription medication into. I kinda hoped to find a pill box that would be small, sexy and discreet...

I naturally didn't come across anything described above, but I got a pharmacist to give me this little number for free!

The Controler That Jumped the Shark

I couldn't possibly begin to describe my excitement of the Nintendo Revolution prior to September 16, 2005. A few months ago, Nintendo released photos of the Nintendo Revolution (the 5th platform from Nintendo, replacing the Gamecube) at E3 with the promise of releasing information about their next-gen controller at a later date.

It was reported then that Nintendo wanted to be very secretive about the look & abilities of the Revolution controller because other consoles look to ape their ideas.

The second bit of information was that the console was going to have the ability to download & play any game in the history of Nintendo. This was an amazing bit of news, because unlike the other consoles, Nintendo has a stable of FABULOUS games.

In 1985 the NES debuted and my parent's were cool enough to get me one for Christmas. This was quite possibly the best reason that I ever stayed up until Midnight to receive something.

The machine was nothing short of "perfect". It had an incredible color scheme, futuristic design, 2 breathtakingly simple buttons on the front of it: Power & Reset

The machine simply shat on everything around it from an indefinable hight.

And it wasn't only the console that eclipsed everything that I had ever encountered... it was the controllers that simply set it apart from anything I had ever laid hands on. Resembling very closely to the form factor of the NES, the two button controller was year zero for console controls. Was it perfect? Absolutely not... It had very sharp corners and this was problematic when thrashing it down onto the carpet and having it come flying back at your head. The cords that accompanied it were impossibly thick. I can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to wind the cord perfectly around its rectangle head before putting it away.

But despite these shortcommings, I never set out to replace it with the inferior NES Advantage. A shitty device that only aided those who needed the benefits of a Slow and Turbo button to defeat obstacles in games they couldn't normally finish.
Nothing was more upsetting that playing against someone who hid behind the need to play with a joystick that mimicked the feel of an Arcade layout. When it was all said and done, it was the Turbo and Slow buttons they were after.

But I digress. The system benefited from having an amazing set of games. Super Mario Bros. (1, 2 & 3,) Zelda I & II, Final Fantasy I, II, III, Megaman, Metroid, Adventure Island.... the list goes on and on.

All I could do the very moment that the Revolution could play its entire back catalog, was think about what games I wanted to download the very evening I brought it home.

RC Pro-Am, Megaman II, Contra!!!

Contra gave us the "Konami code" An intricate sequence of button entries for (up,up,down,down,left,right,left,rightb,a,start) that set apart those in the know from those who are undeserving to get it.

Which got me thinking again about the controller. How would Nintendo develop a controller that would cover every console that they've ever released?

As cool as the NES controller was, the following system SNES (Super Nintendo) had a controller that completely trumped its predecessor . Upping the ante to Six buttons, games on the SNES could do things that were just unimaginable. The form factor couldn't have been better. The familiar grey casing had a dash of periwinkle and purple. Which in retrospect looks a bit silly, but it may arguably be the finest controller they've ever made.

The following controller (for the Nintendo 64) showcased (IMHO) the second time Nintendo got a controller wrong. The first time honor goes to the Power Glove. A mishap that I think many want to forget about.... the Power Glove was a nightmare to configure (with silly pieces of plastic that Nintendo wanted you to velcro onto your Television set so that you could get the Glove to be recognized by NES. While the N64 was a little hard on the eyes... Nintendo developed incredible games around the controller. The N64 benefits from having 7 buttons. The coolest of the 7 was button "Z" on the center grip. It's the button layout that made Mario Kart 64, Golden Eye, Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, all rock veracious wang!

So much so that the N64 is my second favorite controller behind the SNES one.

Then there was the Gamecube.... the Gamecube controller, never appealed to me. I think it will go down as the most forgettable controller to date. While many of the games benefit from single button action... it makes the system feel regressive. Which is really unfair to the Gamecube, because game development has never been better at Nintendo. The layout however is just simply rank. Weighing in at 8 push buttons (one directional push "C") the control is equally over and underwhelming.





Which brings us to the morning of September 16th, 2005. The day that will go down in history as being the Nintendo controller that jumped the shark. There isn't words to describe the horrifying disappointment and shock I felt this morning. The controller is rumored to work like a mouse, except that it works in a three dimensional space. Sensors are reported to be inside the controller to interpret pitch and yaw.

The remote control/directional pad... um device? Has a large Gamecube inspired "A" button below the directional pad with a button "B" directly below it, acting much like the trigger button did for the N64 controller. Below that mess is a row of three small buttons: Start, Home, and Select.

Near the bottom end of the controller are two additional buttons labeled a and b. Which means one could could turn the controller 90 degrees to rock out some serious NES games, but it doesn't say much for SNES, N64 and Gamecube games now... does it?

I read word this afternoon, that more controllers are to surface. Specifically multi button ones. Something I'm desperately hoping for. How in the hell am I supposed to get my Madden on with a numchuck device?

Can anyone ever recall a system launching where 3rd party controllers would be gladly welcomed? Some may say the original X-Box controllers were shitty enough, to get 3rd party apps pretty geared up for aftermarket.... but they're not nearly as bad as this one.

Going into 2006, I saw myself as a 2 console home. I would be getting a Revolution and PS3 at a later date.... announcement of todays control setting just assured me of getting a PS3 (regardless of the cost) on release day.

.mCr.

Calvin and Hobbes

I've been described in the past as being a person who is "hard to shop for". I don't really know why... I never shut up about what I want. While surfing the net last night I ran across this little gem.

Bill Waterson's classic Calvin & Hobbes will be released as a complete set by: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

I spent a good part of my teens reading every panel by Senior Waterson. No word on there being bonus materials...

Safe to say that this collection Rocks Wang

Gillette Fusion

I'm completely taken aback by the arms race going on between Schick and Gillette these days…

I’ve been a devout Gillette user since my 18th birthday… I (like many other guys) got a Sensor Excel in the mail from them (without any provocation from my part) and for that reason alone, I've been brand loyal to them. There was a brief moment in the 90's when Schick came out with a bendable 2 blade razor (the Extreme I think...) but it felt shitty in your hand and the blades managed to pull hairs more than it managed to cut them. Gruesome I know... but there's penalties for cheating on the one you love.

I've been using the Sensor Excel now for about a decade now... In my opinion it never got better than the Sensor Excel. Replacements roughly set you back a dollar for every blade set and you could retrofit it with the Gillette Sensor (also a double blade, but they weren't as expensive) for a little bit less in the event you were hard up for money.

I hesitantly went up to the Mach III two years after its introduction because I received a free one in the mail. I didn't stick with it too much because I got very put off for shelling out 11 dollars for FOUR blades. It's not so much the money, I can afford to pay it... I just wish there were more options out there.

Last year Gillette decided to introduce the M3 (a Mach 3 that vibrates) and I realized that very moment that Gillette jumped the shark.

I gladly went back to the Sensor Excel, but Gillette decided to quietly introduce the Sensor Excel ^ 3. This isn't the official product name, but the blade setting went up a number - driving costs to get close to that of the Mach III. This is really upsetting seeing that the Mach III blades can bend to the contour of your skin.



The announcement of the Gillette Fusion was rather predictable. The Onion called this announcement out a year or so ago with the fabulous headline Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades.

No word yet on how much a set of 3 blades will set you back. Keep this in mind... 3 blade sets will contain 25 RAZOR BLADES.

I'll set the over under @ $15.99

As consumers, we need to seriously wake up. We're being held hostage by this silly shit.

.mCr.

Voxtrot

With news of My Favorite breaking this afternoon... I've decided to post about a band from Austin Texas that I've been digging for a few months now. They're called Voxtrot and my friend Heather turned me on to them after she wrote up a brief blurb for a pop festival they participated in out west.

I think they're absolutely dreamy.

Give them a listen and pick up their album from the link above.
The Start Of Something

.mCr.

My Favorite: Announce Break-UP

I was forced a few weeks back by my friend Heather to NOT break this story... She was in attendance for My Favorite's last performance in August... It was only this afternoon that the band finally went public about their split.

I learned about My Favorite four years ago when my dear friend Heather spun their album at my house... I foolishly dismissed them after my first listen, but became obsessed with them a year or so later.

Highly recommend them to anyone who likes: the Smiths, Young Marble Giants

.mCr.

Eraserhead: 2000 DVD

Finally got around to watching Eraserhead last night. A film that I've been meaning to get to my entire life, but never managed to secure a copy until this week. It's not so much that the film is unattainable... I've gone to a number of rental stores but the bloody movie never seems to be on the shelf. I have a friend in Detroit who has a copy of the film, but it's a freak Japanese import (on Laserdisc) that set him back 70 dollars in the mid 90's.

The film was restored a few years ago to DVD and is made available by David Lynch at his website: www.davidlynch.com

The film will set you back $40.00 (shipping not included) and I thought that was a bit too high to schill out on a movie I hadn't seen. I opted to secure the film from Netflix and made time this week to catch it. My thoughts:

The DVD starts out with an interesting introduction about what the appropriate TV settings should be to watch the film. After adjusting the contrast, brightness and sharpness of my Television, I dimmed the lights in my apartment to take it in properly.

The film restoration is amazing. I don't really have a reference point to compare it to, it was my first time catching the flick, but the scenes were crisp and surreal. I won't go too much into the plot development of the film... I'm possibly the last person on earth to see it.

My favorite part of the DVD is that the movie is 1 track.

There's no chapter selection on the movie and I think its appropriate. It forces one to sit down and enjoy it in one sitting.

Seek it out: It Rocks Wang

.mCr.

Fatal Bert.com VS. Bill Cosby

Anyone else follow the law case of Bill Cosby & FatAlbert.com ?

To surmise it... Cosby has the Trademark for Fat Albert. fatalbert.com was showing porn on the URL.

Cosby wasn't having this so he took them to court... and the site had to fork over the URL because in previous instances, celebrities/companies have won similar cases.

What I found amusing to the story was that in court today, the defense told Cosby that Fatal Bert *dot* com had nothing to do with "fat albert" dot com.

classic,
.mCr.

Bosch: Micro Edge Excel

Had to quickly plug a fine product I picked up from Bosch today. Recently had a problem with 'puddling' (for lack of a better description) with my factory issued wipers.... so I opted to seek out windshield wiper replacements for my Pontiac Vibe this afternoon.

I sorta half-assed my way into selecting said product after seeing a set installed in my co-workers car last week. He's far more knowledgeable about cars than I am, so I assumed that it was one of the better windshield wiper solutions out there.

Had little luck trying to find their products at local places like Target or Meijer (Michigan Wal-mart) so I had to visit a proper auto supply store. I tend to stay away from said places because I privately fear the situation of having a random conversation with a gear head about oil type.

The visit to the auto supply store was pretty uneventful. The place was empty when I arrived so I had an eager clerk help me out with getting me the proper Bosch wiper blades I was looking for.

The instillation of windshield wipers was suspiciously easy. I believe that I benefit from having a "U" hook wiper arm ??? So the blade appeared to simply snap into place. I didn't hear 'clicking noise' when I mounted the wiper, so I can only assume that its on OK. I gave it a quick test by running wipers on low and running the windshield fluid... but I won't really know how they'll hold up until I drive in the rain.

The forecast is calling for just that tomorrow... so if all goes well I'll post a late afternoon update on this thread.

.mCr.

Ulli Lommel's : Zodiac Killer

I've been kicking around the idea of starting up a posting reviews for music, film and pop culture on this site... I'm not one for rating systems, all the good ones have been taken.

So I've decided to simply christen all subjects with a Rocks Wang or Sucks Wang rating.

First item up for review:
Ulli Lommel's : Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer has been a bit of a private obsession of mine for the past 4 years... I spent a quiet Saturday Afternoon @ home with my roommate watching the History Channel run a marathon on serial killers in October. The programing was rather predictable... Green River Killer @ 6:00PM, Son of Sam @ 7:00, Ted Bundy @ 8 and Charles 'Helter Skelter' Mason headlining at @ 9:00PM.

Somewhere around 3 or 4 PM that afternoon, an hour special was going to air on the "Zodiac Killer". I admittedly knew very little about the guy (assuming he was a guy) before the special... serial killers aren't exactly my wheel house. The hour special called my attention because it appeared to be shot differently from all of the other tripe that the History Channel doles out. Reason being, the special was the broadcast of a taping they secured for the day long marathon.

In short the Zodiac Killer remains at large... he's eluded arrest by the San Francisco Police Department since 1968. His entire bio can be check out in the link above or you can read Wikipedia's Zodiac jacket here.

Several months ago I read about David Fincher (Alien, Se7en, Fight Club) working on a film called Zodiac for a 2006, so I thought I should check out what Netflix had to offer on the subject. I was hoping to secure a copy of the documentary I caught on History Channel a few years back but all they had to offer was Lommel's attempt at the story.

The film revolves around a young man's obsession with Zodiac Killer. After reading a book checked out at a local library... he begins to yawn-fully copy cat the murders.

While some of the black & white reenactments were OK to watch, the film was nearly impossible to sit through because "Toronto Film School Project" feel to it.

In summation: Sucks Wang

.mCr.

iPod nano

I'm an unapologetic fanboy of most things Apple. My addiction began with the procurement of 17" iMac and 2nd Generation iPod in 2002... and that blossomed into a full blown obsession with a strange rash of Apple product purchases.

1.) Apple (Newton) eMate in October of 2002. After reading an article in Wired Magazine about the the Newton and their cult like following. I picked up used eMate from a school teacher in Florida for 40 dollars on eBay. I hoped to use the Newton to write short stories and flush out columns while away from home, but ran into some difficulties transferring materials I created on it to my iMac. There's been some advancements in having eMates/Newtons sync up with OSX but never explored the options because of my next Apple purchase.

2.) Indigo iBook Clamshell: This lappy literally fell on my laps in November of 2002. I was very frustrated with purchase of my eMate the month before... and commented this to a friend in Ohio. He happened to know a Student that wanted to shell her Indigo iBook after securing a newer Snow iBook. I asked how much she wanted for it... and $300.00 later I became the owner of my 3rd Apple product (well... 4th if you count the iPod) in 3 months.



At this point... it got so bad that friends teased me for taking in Apple products like some people take in stray pets.

3.) Powerbook Duo: January 2003 / $10.00. This purchase (in retrospect) was really stupid. My goal was to secure a mac that had a serial port that could Apple Talk with my eMate. What I neglected to do... was

A.) confirm that the Duo having a proper serial port to talk to the eMate - it doesn't
B.) confirm it having a 3.25" floppy drive. - it doesn't

I learned a lot about the Powerbook Duo (and the history of Mac products for that matter) after the silly purchase but it only set me back 10 bucks and I could say in passing to friends that I owned a Powerbook.

4.) Gen 3 iPod - April 2003: When not collecting Apple products, I get around to spending what little money I have on music. I have well over a Thousand albums and strongly feel that one should own over 800 records before they claim to really know anything about music. Granted its not quantity but QUALITY... but the likely hood of someone investing 800 albums worth to bad music is pretty rare.

The Gen 3 iPod is the only Apple product that I had a Love/Hate relationship with. It was 15 gigs in size and it set me back a little under $350.00, the night the product was released in April of 2003. My biggest complaint about the iPod 3rd Gen was that it felt cheaply made... I really appreciated that the iPod came with a larger hard drive/cradle/backlit button and a no click interface... but the product felt strange in my hand. When I wasn't fretting about the feel of the iPod in my hand... I spent a silly amount of time ripping CD's into MP3's.

Then came : AAC. Anyone recall this? I can't recall when this happened, but I deleted 17 gigs worth of music so that I could re-rip my entire library into MP4. It was here when I realized that 15+ gigs of music on ones hard drive really takes a bite out of one's computer performance. So much so... that I really began to get selective about what I would import to my hard drive. My listening habits are really strange... and I'd rather not delve into that right now.... but I decided that afternoon that I would never fill my iPod to its complete capacity.

5.) 15" Alu Powerbook - September 29th 2003: The date of purchase has nothing to do with the name of the website/blog or my handle. It happens to be coincidental.... Reason for me upgrading my lappy: 800x600 wasn't cutting it for freelance assignments I was taking up at the time.

6.) 20" iMac G5 - September 2004 - This purchase isn't a personal one.... but I got work to get me a Mac. I'm the only Mac user at the office.

7.) iPod Mini : Sold my iPod Gen 3 in August of 2004 to have some spending money for a trip I planned to San Antonio Texas. I purchased a Blue iPod mini for my Girlfriend for X-Mas and she returned the favor by getting me a Green iPod mini for X-Mas also. Coincidental... but the iPod mini reaffirmed my love for the iPod.

It feels incredible to the touch. The colored aluminum casing (in my opinion) really set this product apart from its bigger brother. The return of the push-center-click wheel made the device warm again. Apple products in general have this feature... its a technology that makes you want to touch it. Thats the reason I purchased a iMac (G4) to begin with. The swivel display blew me away.

8.) iMac Graphite G3 : Secured this iMac in April 2005. I traded a display calibrator (i never used) straight up for it. I hope to use it for a digital jukebox.... but opted to install Ubuntu (linux) on it.



9.) iPod nano - ????

iPod nano was announced yesterday and like all Apple products, I tried to dismiss it as a product I really didn't need. Then checked back at the Apple website a good 6 or so times to confirm my dislike. Somewhere around visit number 4... Apple products begin to grow on me. Like the Mac mini for example. I have no need for one... yet, I'd justify the purchase of one if I could score one of the original Apple Studio (flatscreen) 15" displays.

Checked an Apple blog TUAW this evening and read that they were going to have a contest: awarding an iPod nano for anyone willing to write up a piece showcasing 10 entries they dug on their website. I really don't know how they'll select one... but thought a little write up about my history with Apple products would help my chances....


Anyhoo: Top 10 TUAW entries I've read in the past 5 months.

10. iPod nano contest: this entry is #10 simply because it appeared today. It think its great that the weblog is going to give out an iPod nano for a prize.

9. Incase launches new website: recently took a trip to San Antonio and was in the market for a new computer bag for my Powerbook. I was somewhat familiar with them... because I recalled seeing a sleeve they made at the Apple Store. It was an ideal reminder to check out their complete product line before my trip. I ended up going with a Booq bag... but it was cool to have several bags to consider.

8. Happy/Sad Mac Sweater: This story recently got me into some hot water... the other day my better half : Katheryn : said that she would like to crochet me a scarf. I immediately took her up on the offer and then asked if she could incorporate happy/sad mac into the scarf.... this request lead her into a fatwa on doing nice things for me. sigh.

7. Pirates of Silicon Valley took up the movie recommendation a week or so ago when it was released on Netflix. Thought it would be interesting to check out seeing that I read Apple Confidential 2.0 and Revolution: In the Valley over the summer. The film turned out to be a bit of a let down, but TUAW gets big ups for good-looking-out.

6. Comic Life review: this write up was the first time I got a chance to check out TUAW. A friend of mine read the review and forwarded me the link to the TUAW blog. Bookmarked it that morning and have been checking it ever since. Comic Life by the by is an amazing program... I've used it for a few small projects for work & home. Highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't checked it out.

5. iMac G5 repair extension program This post in many ways, is one of the more valuable posts I've ever run across on TUAW. I have a G5 iMac at work and I have a model that qualifies for the extension program. My iMac is working fine at the moment but hearing about the extension was invaluable.

4. Team Banzai Didn't see too many Mac-releated-websites pick up this story... Working for an automotive supplier, its nice to read about Macs & Cars... Summation of the story: Team Banzai developed a program to drive their car remotely using macs. I hope they bring home the prize.

3. Mighty Mouse: Multibutton-esque Mouse: This story is a personal fave because TUAW totally broke the news to me when I arrived at work that morning. At first... I thought it was a funny hoax, then I nearly shat myself after I checked the Apple website. TUAW (imho) had some of the better write-ups on the product in the following days...

2. Fix Your Own Powerbook Batteries This post is an all time fave because it served as a catalyst to have a friend create me a brand new eMate battery pack. I approached my friend Karp (electrical engineer for Denso) at the beginning of the year about helping me (read: have me watch as he works) create eMate batteries. He tentatively agreed... saw this post and hopped on the project like a fat kid on cake. eMate holds a great charge... Still can't get it to talk to another Mac I own tho'.

1. Jobs, Ive take top honors: One of the reasons I *heart* Apple, is because of the industrial hardware design. Ive in my opinion is as instrumental in the return of Apple as is Steve's return to Cupertino. I wonder what awards the iPod nano will bring home next year?

.mCr.

Katrina

The past 11 days have been very difficult for me and the thousands affected by Hurricane Katrina. I really don't have something new to add to add to the discussion. But if you're one a friend that occasionally drops by to visit my website, please consider giving a small donation to the American Red Cross.

.mCr.