Napster rues Microsoft, player glitches

Posted by MikeyMike at 09:24 PM on March 1, 2006 in Tech, iPod, Rants.

Reuters Photo: Napster Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Chris Gorog speaks during the Reuters Technology Summit in...


Well, this is only one aspect of which I speak... And now there are rumors that Microsoft is going to build their own "iPod Killer" harhar! ^^


By Adam Pasick, UK Media Correspondent Wed Mar 1, 2:03 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Technical glitches by Microsoft and the digital music device makers have hampered
Napster Inc.'s ability to close the gap with Apple's iTunes, the dominant online music service, Napster's chief executive said on Tuesday.

"There is no question that their execution has been less than brilliant over the last 12 months," Napster Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Gorog said at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York.

"Our business does rely on Microsoft's digital rights management software and our business model also relies on Microsoft's ecosystem of device manufacturers," he added.

Microsoft Corp., he noted, had to grapple with the complexities of dealing with a number of different services and device makers.

"It's a lot more complex to get organized properly than it is to build one device and one service as Apple has done," Gorog said. "It's always been painful at the introduction of new technologies. But it always takes shape like it's done in the past."

Gorog, whose company has one of the best known names in the business but has failed to put a dent in Apple Computer Inc.'s 80 percent market share, argued that eventually the "Microsoft ecosystem" and its Windows Media format will prevail, with new devices on the way from firms like Samsung and Sony.

"Ultimately, the consumer electronics giants ... are all going to come to this Windows Media party," he said. "This is really going to be the ubiquitous format."

Apple's seamless combination of music player and download service has not yet faced a significant challenge from devices made by companies like Samsung, Sony or Creative, or from services such as Napster or RealNetworks' Rhapsody, which offer monthly subscription plans using a Microsoft format.

"Apple set the bar ... it just worked," said a spokesman for RealNetworks. "That's one of the things -- it's hard to make it easy and easy to make it hard." More Here

4 Yeah Baby!s

Beijingers Being Taught to Mind Manners

Posted by MikeyMike at 12:52 AM on March 2, 2006 in Geographica.

AP Photo: A Chinese young girl learns good posture at the Beijing Courtesy College in Beijing, China...

No spitting!!



By DEAN VISSER, Associated Press Writer Wed Mar 1, 5:06 PM ET

BEIJING - The government is teaching citizens "the right way to spit." A college is showing students the right way to sit. Two years ahead of hosting the Olympic Games, people across Beijing are on an all-out drive to mind their manners.

China's hard, gray, briskly communist capital has a reputation for brusqueness. Visitors are often startled to see its people spit onto the crowded pavement.

Changing all that ahead of the 2008 Summer Games is "crucial in providing a cultural and historical legacy to the world" for China, said Beijing city official Zhang Huiguang.

"We will work with newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, the Internet and mobile telephone carriers to teach people the right way to spit," said Zhang, director of Beijing's Capital Ethical and Cultural Development Office.

Zhang said her office is running a "behavioral training" campaign that also includes lining up properly for buses and turning off mobile phones during meetings.

But spitting is the No. 1 issue, she said at a news conference Wednesday. "You have to spit into a tissue or a bag, and then put it into a dustbin to complete the process," she said.

Zhang said her office has organized a small army of volunteers who are hitting Beijing's streets to hand out "spit bags," wearing bright orange uniforms with the Chinese character for "mucus" emblazoned in yellow on the back. More Here

2 Yeah Baby!s

You can still buy an iPod Mini!

Posted by MikeyMike at 12:36 PM on March 5, 2006 in Tech, iPod, Rants.

Well, it's a refurb, but it's direct from Apple with warranty - and only $149-159, depending if it's the first and second version of the Mini. (second version has improved battery). Only 4gb models available. "Borrow" the parental's credit card and get one NOW, if you want one....

Mini's are going for OVER their initial retail price on ebay and such, so this deal is even more smoking than usual....

Go Here to get one....

Currently listening to: Get it NOW

12 Yeah Baby!s

Your Musical Tastes Match: Jennifer Garner

Posted by MikeyMike at 10:15 PM on March 6, 2006 in Usual Crapola, Arts, Performers.

I don't really like her, but OK....

Your Musical Tastes Match: Jennifer Garner

See her whole playlist here (iTunes required)

Currently listening to: Lucy on XM Radio

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Simpson Personality Test

Posted by MikeyMike at 10:25 PM on March 6, 2006 in Rants, Arts.

Ok, who'd you think I'd come out as?? ^^

You Are Homer Simpson

You're just an ordinary, all-American working Joe... With a special fondness for pork rinds and donuts. You will be remembered for: your little "isms" and philosophies on life Your life philosophy: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel."

Currently listening to: Simpsons Theme Song

8 Yeah Baby!s

Snow Powders San Diego's Mountains

Posted by MikeyMike at 07:41 PM on March 10, 2006 in Geographica.

Brrrrr! Cold (for San Diego) even snow, possbily down to 2000ft!! The "rainy" season is almost over, so we get the worst Pacific storm of the year... I'm getting back unde the electric blanket! ^^




Brunt Of Storm To Hit Tonight

POSTED: 6:42 am PST March 10, 2006
UPDATED: 6:33 pm PST March 10, 2006

SAN DIEGO -- Schools in Julian and the Mountain Empire School District suspended classes Friday because of overnight snowfall, NBC 7/39 reported.
Snowplows were clearing Interstate 8 near the Pine Valley Bridge. Several accidents were reported near the bridge, the California Highway Patrol said.
Elsewhere in San Diego County, scattered showers and hail were falling in short bursts. The cold, windy weather was expected to intensify throughout the day, with the brunt of the storm hitting the county sometime Friday evening, NBC 7/39 weathercaster Whitney Southwick said. The cold Pacific storm, which originated in the Gulf of Alaska, could be the wettest storm of the season, he said. It was expected bring from 1 to 2 inches of rain to areas west of the mountains and several inches of snow to higher elevations, Southwick reported.

The National Weather Service issued a 24-hour wind advisory beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday for mountain areas. Winds are expected to reach about 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, according to NWS forecasters.
The cold, rainy weather is expected to continue Saturday and Sunday, Southwick said.


btw, I'm making Princesses Emma and Liz a "Go to sleep" CD.... got any good children's songs like that? Don't have any Japanese and Chinese songs like that especially.... Plenty of Irish though!

Currently listening to: Let it Snow

6 Yeah Baby!s

Super cyclone hits northeastern Australia

Posted by MikeyMike at 07:14 PM on March 19, 2006 in Geographica, Wild.

Update: Peggy is safe!! Whew! Not have to do pathetic Tsunami-type search, only finding muddy iPod Kinomo in destroyed palm tree...


I hope Peggy is OK.... Although I think she lives south of most of what hit Queensland...





BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) - Sun Mar 19, 5:51 PM ET

A super cyclone smashed into tropical northeastern Australia, with winds of up to 290 kilometres an hour (180 mph) causing casualties and ripping homes apart, officials said.

Tropical Cyclone Larry hit land near Innisfail in the far north of Queensland state as a top category five, but had since been downgraded to a category four, the Queensland weather bureau said.

It is the strongest cyclone to strike Australia in more than 30 years and was seen as potentially more dangerous than Cyclone Tracy, which devastated the northern city of Darwin in 1974, killing 71 people and leaving 20,000 homeless.

Innisfail police said they had been inundated with calls from terrified residents whose "homes are literally crumbling around them".

"We have roofs flying off in Fly Fish Point, Silkwood and in the city centre," an Innisfail police spokeswoman said. "And we have trees across roads."

Police had been unable to leave the station despite hundreds of calls for help, she said.

"We've had reports of some casualties at Cairns hospital, some 20 or so," weather bureau forecaster Jonty Hall said. "There's also some reports of a few people missing as well."

Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's landfall late Sunday, opening the way for mandatory evacuations in several coastal areas, where tidal surges of up to two metres (6.6 feet) were expected.

Hundreds of people evacuated coastal towns in the area and major airlines cancelled all flights into Cairns and Townsville, the two biggest cities in the region. More

10 Yeah Baby!s

Naked wedding photos a hit in China

Posted by MikeyMike at 01:14 AM on March 21, 2006 in Rants, Geographica, Photography.

Conservative China?!? Sorry, no photos to go along with this story...

Oh, I found one! ^^



AFP
March 15, 2006

BEIJING: Forget the Mao suits of a generation ago. Actually, forget about any clothes at all. Naked wedding photos are the hot new trend among young couples in once deeply conservative China.

Even in Anhui, a largely rural province in the east, many newly-weds are having their pictures taken in the nude, to the fury of their parents' generation, the Xin'an Evening News said.

"Some photo studios are just going too far. They allow young women to have their photos taken in bikinis or with nothing on at all," said an irate woman from the Anhui capital of Hefei. "I hope the authorities will do something."

She had just found out that her daughter had taken two sets of wedding photos, one to show the family, and another considerably more intimate one for her own private consumption.

Previous reports in the state media suggested nude wedding photos were a trend that began in the south of China that was gradually spreading to the rest of the country.

"Not a few young people think that the nude pics are a welcome renewal to the stale unchanging traditions of the wedding photo," the Xin Wenhua Bao newspaper reported in November last year.

This attitude is now prevalent even in northwest China's Xi'an, a proud ancient capital and home to the – fully dressed – terracotta soldiers.

The Xi'an Evening News did a random check of five photo studios, and found that all of them would be willing to take nude photos of soon-to-be-married couples, should they so wish.

"Most of the people who come here to have the bold, naked photos taken are young, trendy and unconventional," said a studio owner. "There are still lots of people who don't like it."

The China Radio International news website even carried an article on the trend showing some images of naked newlyweds.

One bride wore nothing but a veil and bouquet of flowers while another couple embraced in a provocative position, although the photos were carefully taken to avoid displaying full-frontal nudity.

10 Yeah Baby!s

Listen to ogg Vorbis songs in iTunes

Posted by MikeyMike at 04:52 PM on March 22, 2006 in Tech, iPod, Arts.

Not as exciting as naked Chinese, but maybe more handy at some point to you... ^^
I DLed a Do As Infinity CD and found that all the songs where in ogg Vorbis format - like mp3 or wma music files. There are two features to ogg files that you might care about. First, it's a format that is in the public domain, unlike even mp3 - which is copyrighted and cost music player creators money to liscense. And ogg is a newer format, which they claim is more efficient than say mp3, which was developed in the mid-80's.... Quite a few players will player ogg files natively, but I only use iTunes now - so what to do??

Come to find out that there is free software that lets Quicktime (the backend of iTunes playback) play ogg music files. You install it and now your iTunes will play ogg music too! (And you can have iTunes save the song as mp3 so that it will play on your iPod) Pretty cool, huh?

Go Here to get the the required software...

Currently listening to: ogg

2 Yeah Baby!s

Micro$oft Vista Delayed

Posted by MikeyMike at 08:49 PM on March 22, 2006 in Tech, Rants, Usual Crapola.

Oh, there's a shocker! Just like the "Ipod Killer"! ^^

3 Yeah Baby!s

Too Cute MP3 Dancing Bear!

Posted by MikeyMike at 01:02 AM on March 23, 2006 in Tech, iPod, Kawaii.

The Soundpet

Looks like this will be a Japan only item... You know, I was talking to Linda about something similar to this not long ago! Great minds think alike, right?? ^^


Of all the music triggered animals seen so far –the iFish; the "iDog"; etc. – this is by far the cutest. How could anyone remain indifferent to the pink and blue dancing fluffy bears?!

Put your MP3 player on the bear and it will start moving to the beat; an integrated speaker system will share the music the bear is currently listening to.

Soundpet will be available in Japan starting in April and it looks like it’s going to be a Japan only product.

See more Here

Also see the iDog and iFish from Sega Here too...

Currently listening to: Dancing ibear

6 Yeah Baby!s

Puppies Ho!

Posted by MikeyMike at 01:35 PM on March 26, 2006 in Kawaii, Doggies.

The new puppies will be arriving soon (April 2?). They are both dark/chocolate colored. We will be getting a pup to replace Donald, plus a six month puppy that has a slight overbite. He's a lot bigger, as your can see! We'll have quite an age distribution then...

7 Yeah Baby!s

Vedeogame Urinal

Posted by MikeyMike at 01:57 PM on March 26, 2006 in Tech, Arts.

Believe it, or not! I knew that there was a reason that boys can aim! I hope that this one doesn't "go down the toilet!! ^^






A videogame in a urinal which helps maintain hygeine sounds quite wierd. Recessed into a urinal is a pressure-sensitive display screen. When the guest uses it, he triggers an interactive game, producing images and sound. The reduced size of the “target” improves restroom hygiene and saves on cleanings costs. It also makes a trip to the urinal “fun and games” – more than just a necessary nuisance. By projecting the game experience into the public space, viewers are treated to a new way of visualizing the abstract, and the entertainment value is boosted.

Currently reading: Treasure in the Toilet by IP Nickels
Currently watching: My aim

6 Yeah Baby!s

Pink Motorola L6

Posted by MikeyMike at 02:12 PM on March 26, 2006 in Tech, Kawaii.

Getting minds "out of the toilet", so to speak, here's something for you femmes... I'm thinking Peggy and Neko, for sure!


Continuing on the success of the Pink RAZR, Motorola has announced the pink Motorola L6. Think of the L6 as a RAZR in candybar form. It has VGA Camera with 4X Digital zoom, Video recording and Selftimer, Bluetooth for going handsfree, MP3 Ringtones and Instant Messaging. The tri band phone has a CSTN display capable of displaying 65k colors and is made of scratch resistant glass. The pink lady is only 11mm thick and weighs a mere 86 grams. We can expect a pink version of the Motorola SLVR L7 pretty soon too.

Currently listening to: Moto

7 Yeah Baby!s

Problems Converting to .rbs?

Posted by MikeyMike at 11:46 AM on March 27, 2006 in Tech.

I sometimes have problems converting an mp3 file to .rbs for Radio Blog, and I know others do too. I've found a free program that fixes many mp3 files, so that they will convert to .rbs sucessfully! It is about 90% effective for me.
It's just a single .exe file, so I just copied it to the directory where I convert, and just run each mp3 through mp3Trim.exe before attempting to make rbs files. And you can always cut off the dead space at the beginning or end of a song too! (It's original purpose) ^^

You can find mp3Trim here...


Happy birthday El!!

5 Yeah Baby!s

Teenage auteur ignites buzz about video graphics

Posted by MikeyMike at 07:47 PM on March 27, 2006 in Tech, Arts.

In otherwords, she posted a lame video about her breakup, but also used this cool software from Logitech that can make you look like a cat, that you're wearing a gas mask, etc. while moving when you move... Mega-hits on youtube.com

See the video Here. I'm assuming that's the correct URL, since my company blocks videos (that Websense knows about).



OK, I wanna see your Kitty faces on the webcam soon!

Currently watching: weird webcam faces

6 Yeah Baby!s

Making Your Own Podcast

Posted by MikeyMike at 10:33 PM on March 28, 2006 in Tech, iPod, Arts.

Creating your very own Podcasts has become a lot easier lately.
What's a Podcast? First of all, you don't need an iPod to do it. Any device that can play mp3s can play Podcasts. Typically, a Podcast is like a radio talk show - letting you be the next Larry King - or whatever. Many commerical companies are getting into the podcast arena, like the BBC and many entertainment companies that want to reach the hip demographics that are your podcast listeners.

I have found an excellent Beginners guide to creating your own podcasts - at the iPod Lounge - a great resource for all things POD.


Ever since Apple’s release of iTunes 4.9 with built-in support for podcasting, hundreds of thousands of people have discovered the wide range of free audio programs now available as podcasts. While most will be content only to listen to podcasts, some - perhaps including you - may be ready to create their own radio-style programs. After all, distribution through iTunes is now easy, and subscriptions are the only thing separating listeners from your thoughts and ideas.

Creating podcasts isn’t simple, but it’s not too hard, either. You’ll need a small combination of hardware and software in order to create your own recordings, and in this iPod 101 tutorial Beginner’s Guide to Podcast Creation, we’ll walk through the different elements you need to create a simple podcast, from computer and microphone through to the finished product. More

Currently listening to: Podcast
Currently reading: Creating Podcasts
Currently watching: Vodcast

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Best Headphones?

Posted by MikeyMike at 01:14 AM on March 30, 2006.

Best Headphones? There are no perfect headphones for everyone in all situations. But, if you're using the headphones that come with your iPod (or most other music devices) you can get much better sound by spending around $50-75. Take advantage of the great sound all iPods produce!

I'm assuming that you want heaphones to you will be comfortable with wearing out and about, not big "cans" - DJ type phones. We are looking for light, foldable cool looking models, hopefully in Ipod White...

With all this in mind, I keep seeing the Sennheiser model PX100 open heaphones at the top of many Best Phones lists. They fold up like sunglasses and come in iPod White for a few dollars more. An "open" design means that you can still hear what's going on around you - handy when a bus is comming right at you! ^^ It also means that others can hear what you are listening too also... Sennheiser also has the PX200 that is a closed design if you wanna keep your tunes to yourself...

You can "see" the PX100 at Amazon Here

PX100 Reviews:

Headroom.com Here


Cnet.com Here

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Desert Bloom

Posted by MikeyMike at 11:59 AM on March 30, 2006 in Arts, Photography, Wild.

Our cactus is blooming! With all the rain, it thinks this is the time... cactus flowers don't last long, so I had to get out there quick!





and the view from the back yard, looking out to Mt. Miguel. Some sun at the moment.

Currently listening to: Regine's Sa Aking Pag-lisa

24 Yeah Baby!s