kansasgirl?

Okay--I just downloaded the Zune software and signed up for "the Social" by signing in with my normal Live ID -- the same e-mail address I use with Messenger. Next thing I know, I get a huge greeting "Welcome kansasgirl!". On top of that, it tells me that my unique URL where friends can see my current music is with "kansasgirl" in the URL. What the ....? Where in the world did I ever set that? Yes, it's obviously me...but I have no idea where "kansasgirl" was ever set. I signed into Live, Spaces, looked in Messenger, no clue. I can't change it. Can't figure it out.

kansasgirl?

ipod or zune?

I'm so annoyed--my iPod just died. I noticed it was dead on the flight home from Vegas to Seattle...but I thought it was perhaps the battery (which was odd as I had it plugged in all weekend). I just took it out, plugged it into the wall and it won't turn on. Nada. Boo.

So now, what to do? I started checking out mp3 players--and it really just comes down to the iPod or the Zune. Here's what I like about the Ipod:

• I've been using an Ipod forever...like, since the 2nd generation one. Product loyalty, yah.
• Because I used the Ipod forever, I've been freakin' buying music off iTunes forever. I just did a search and have 107 m4p files. That means 107 m4p files that I couldn't play on the Zune if I switched without figuring out a way to convert. Pain in the butt.
• The new nano is cute and small, except...
• I have 13GB of music. Okay, that's not a lot -- but I keep adding music and I like not having to think about the storage size of my player....
• ..which means I could consider the Ipod Classic. (this is an issue with the Zune too---why can't either company make a freakin' 16GB player? Why either 8GB or 30GB?)
• Nice accessories -- like that cool Nike attachment

Here's what I like about the Zune:

• I've played with a Zune---and honestly, I LOVE the user interface of the Zune WAY more than the Ipod. There are just subtle things like being able to toggle shuffle on or off right off the album I'm playing instead of backing all the way to a menu and finding the shuffle option. Plus, the UI is slick and really nice.
• FM tuner. Yes, I still listen to FM. Plus, all the TVs at the gym have sound tuned into some random radio station.
• Wireless syncing -- I think that's awesome.
• Xbox 360 syncing -- since I have one of these, I love the idea of this. Of course, I can just my Media Center extender to do the same thing, but it's nice to not have to wait to connect to my computer upstairs, yaddah yaddah.
• Sure, I talk about nice accessories for the Ipod--but I've had one for years and never bought an accessory aside from a wall plug adapter.
• Supposedly the desktop software rocks. Downloading now to check it out.
• The new 4gb and 8gb flash versions are really tiny--but again, I'd probably get the 30GB one to hold my music...which is just as big as the Ipod classic. Okay..a bit thicker..but the difference doesn't matter to me.
• Finally, okay--maybe there's a bit of drinking the Kool-aid...(being a MS employee)

In either case, I think that the only thing that's holding me back from getting a Zune are the 107 freakin' M4P files that I have...and it's all music I like too. Haven't done much research--but if any of y'all know of a good, free converter, I'm all ears.

Playing with Hulu

It's 1:09am and I finally got a beta invite to check out Hulu.com, the new online video service featuring content from NBC, FOX, MGM, Universal...heck, a lot of the big players. (thanks Euge for the invite!) I'm still getting a hang of it but am definitely noticing a heck of a lot of shows that I happen to like and watch (The Office, SNL, Heroes, 30 Rock, etc...) After previewing a few, I realized that it's Hulu that powered the episode of Desperate Housewives I watched the other night when my DVR failed to record it. Neat! I'll have to follow up with a more thorough review after going through the site more, but for now, in my brief 10 minutes of scanning through it, I leave you to watch the entire Sideways movie, which I can now embed via Hulu. Sweet!



And just to check out the snipping feature, here's this week's episode of Heroes where Hiro says goodbye to the Princess: (this whole snippet is in Japanese, Asayo!)