I'm thinking of getting a current-generation mp3 player. My previous one was a very reliable Dell Pocket DJ -- unfortunately, Dell is "on hiatus" from producing DAPs since last summer and won't bring out their iPod killer until sometime this coming summer.
That leaves either the iPod or the Zune. I've considered the pros and cons of both, and the Zune is leading the race by a neck.
Cons:
-The proprietary Zune DRM scheme.
-Zune's WiFi capabilities are seriously underfeatured at the moment.
-Zune Marketplace (its version of iTunes) doesn't yet offer video.
-Physically larger than iPod, not quite as sexy.
Mitigating factors on the cons:
-I don't already use a music subscription service, Zune Marketplace would be the first. Nothing to transfer from another service means IDGAF about DRM issues.
-I have no interest in what anyone else is listening to, even if it is on a Zune, so WiFi issues don't raise an eyebrow, either.
-Why would I buy video, anyway, when there are other ways to 'acquire' it?
-As long as it fits in my pocket, its size doesn't much bother me. Besides, in the case of Zune vs. iPod, bigger device = bigger display.
The Pros:
-FM Tuner supporting RDS (Radio Data Service.)
-Reportedly, better display + better video playback.
-Fully compatible with PCs. Having tried to simply move files from a PC to an iPod 3G this morning... and later this morning... and this afternoon... I can say that I'm skeptical of just how PC-friendly the little fucking music-toaster actually is.
-Firmware updates can further mitigate the weak feature set of the WiFi, and the Zune Marketplace has only been online 3 months. You'd better believe those features will continue to grow, and I'd bet a testicle that a 5G Zune would beat the snivelling shit out of its fruity competitor.
And the one thing you can say in favor of a Zune that you can't say in favor of an iPod: It ain't a fucking iPod.

Story first, then my comments:

Link to Levy: Microsoft's Zune Not an iPod Killer - Newsweek Steven Levy - MSNBC.com

First thing's first: Steve -- dude -- you really need to rethink your decision to have your photo attached to your column. That's all I think I need to say on that score.

With that helpful hint out of the way, let's strike right at the heart of the matter, which Steve Urk -- um, Levy himself mentioned: The first-generation Zune is just that -- first-generation. Compared to the iPod's fifth-generation device, then, it's actually one seriously fucking impressive machine.

Apples (lolz) and oranges, you say? Not fucking hardly, son. Sure, Microsoft (maybe) could have taken a 5G iPod and reverse-engineered it to produce a Zune that's sleeker and sexier. And no, the fact that the 1G Zune is basically a Tosh Gigabeat is not unnoticed, nor is it glossed over. The reason it's Microsoft, kids, is that they're still 99.99999% a software business. Unfortunately, even their best peripherals prove this.

I forgot where I was going with that. Oh! Right, it was this: In its very first incarnation the Zune is, if not the iPod's equal, at least a decent challenger. And lest we forget, both the software and hardware only came out three months ago.

Unwad your pretty pink panties, Steve.

Bitching About Larry

For the past year and a half, I've been earning money by writing short-form fetish erotica for a website at www.lhart.com. Not what you'd call "literature," the subject matter is female muscle domination. Six to eight single-spaced pages nets me $180.00, and each story is crafted for a single reader, following custom guidelines regarding plot, characters and general setting. Now, whereas the money is good, it's very, very slow in coming. And just recently, the publisher (let's call him Larry) has been incommunicado for over a month and a half. Great. Yee fucking haw.

Waiting For No

On the subject of waiting to hear from folks in regard to my writing, I'm also waiting to hear back from a prospective agent to whom I submitted my feature-length horror/action script entitled Testament. Now call me biased -- hell, call me whatever you want -- Testament is the best horror script that hasn't been produced yet. Take the horror film elements of Friday The 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Evil Dead, add the theological theme of The Prophecy and the action level of The Matrix -- that's only the roughest possible idea of what Testament will rock on the silver screen. And here it sits... waiting. It's been my experience that the length of time you spend waiting for an answer directly parallels the probability that the answer will be "No."

General Griping

I'm out of coffee. I'm out of cigarettes. I'm out of money. And I'm out of patience.

Going Live:

This is not my first Live Space. I've tried a couple other addresses in the past, and wasn't happy with the direction they were taking. I'll try to steer clear of politics on this one, primarily because I'm a very political person, and secondarily because I'm a very not politically correct person.

Weather Bitching:

Tempe, Arizona is not supposed to look like this:

39 Degrees when that was taken. I know it's January, but for fuck's sake, let's have some moderation -- can we?

Writing software:

Sure, I'm still "aspiring," but I have some recommendations:

• Power Structure: Good for what it sounds like; taking an idea and structuring a plot, characterization, conflict, all that good stuff.
• Power Writer: Power Structure's composition cousin. Incorporates minimal structuring tools, but this is where you get the writing done... if you're writing short stories or novels, anyway. For screenplays, you want...
• Final Draft 7. This is for that Great American Film. Or maybe a really crappy American film, just depends on how good your story is.

Miscellanea:

Add me, or I'll do somethin' to ya. Somethin' bad. (Okay, not really. That just sounds funny.)