Uh Oh.

So I accidentally bought an iPod a couple weeks ago; breaking my self-imposed "no iPods in my car" ban. Its pretty nice though. I've had a little troubl finding an FM transmitter of the same quality/ power as the old one I had, but that's Griffin and the FCC's fault, not Apple's. All the little games and other apps you can download are a nice bonus too, although I haven't really seen the need to pay any money for one yet.

Anyway, I finally busted out the iTunes store over WiFi last night to search for an artist someone told me about. Searches as you type, stream clips of each song, only 7.99? Okay... Downloaded in about 3 mins and its already on my iPod read to roll. Shit; I may have just relapsed into my itunes addiction. And't I'd kicked it so well; for so long!

Emusic sends me to a reactivate page when I head to their site. For 12 bucks I'd get 30 songs a month (40 cents each) in pure MP3 format, instead of 99 cents each for DRMed up itunes tracks. Half as much for freeer (three "e's", really?) content doesn't seem like much of a contest, but honestly the ease and instant gratification of mobile iTunes is a much bigger draw than I thought it would be.

So I guess I've got some soul searching to do. Reactivate with Emusic? Pay through the nose with Apple? What I really need is an Emusic iPod app to search and download just like I do with the built-in iTunes app. I actually find getting music on the computer easier with Emusic since my machine runs firefox better than iTunes. But Apple has control over the walled iPod app garden and this is exactly the kind of app I could see them not letting through the gate.

P.S. New organic options at the store, you gotta get your torso on these badboys

No iPod Till You Clean Your Room.

I don't want to get into a big debate about the state of North Korea, or how the world community should be handling it.  Whether Kim is a big boy and should be allowed to make his own decisions; but I have to tell you I'm feeling more and more like he's being treated like a middle schooler.  The latest development is that he's not allowed to have an iPod.  That'll probably make him see things our way.  After all, who can resist the allure of Apple's shiny magic style.

• Engadget: Kim Jong Il's iPod, Wine Orders get denied by US

In The Future We'll Fly Naked.

Its rough being on the bleeding edge. Especially when you enjoy buying and using electronic devices because they are unknown only to have people searching your person for unknown electronic devices. Imagine the hubub that arose when someone tried to board a plane with the new (and stupid) Nike+iPod implant in their shoe. Remember that some dude had shoes made of bomb, and now you have to run footwear thought the x-ray scanner. I find it funny only cause I don't ever think I'll be persuaded to get this thing. But it got me thinking. We're only going to have more and more wearable or implanted technology in the future. And if things keep progressing, we'll have more and more invasive searches in once public areas. How in the world are these two going to reconcile? Will TSA employees actually be versed in technology or weaponry? Or will they just keep raising alarms when they run across something they've never seen before? Honestly, my outlook is so bleak that I prefer not to even think about it.

• PSA: The TSA is not down with Nike+iPod - Engadget

Step 4C: Insert Positronic Brain.

I've been thinking about toys recently, and I've concluded that adult toys are better than kids' toys. Well, they can be; for adults. And I had a conversation with someone about this and didn't realize that 'adult toys' usually means something else until the other person said it for the first time. So let me just say, no, not that kind of adult toys.

But there are a few problems with grown-up toys. First is where to learn about all these cool things. You have to scour every model shop, dork convention, and the entirety of the Internet to know that robotic bartenders, pogo stick hydrofoils, fuel cell car models, and remote controlled jets even exist. There is no "Adult Toys 'R' Us" (not that kind of toy) where you can stroll down the isle and see representatives for every conceivable group. It takes hard work just to figure out what you want.

Once you have something in mind, the problem of where to get one still remains. I know from first hand experience the pang of buyer's remorse, as the real McCoy didn't quite match up with my lofty expectations. Its very difficult to judge quality or feasibility of things without being able to lay your hands on one. Like I said, there's no "Adult Toys 'R' Us" where you can go try it before you buy it.

And of course there is the largest obstacle to adult toys, their price. I've had my Carrera priced out for years now and I'm nowhere close to imagining that I could afford it. So you kinda have to keep a lid of your dreams; shoot for the slightly inconceivable and you just might get there. It also helps not to lust after the brand name.

We have to start de-conditioning ourselves. As a good little American I was taught from a young age that store bought goodness one-uped any homemade contraption. While some of the time I did rig my own toys and imagine them up to spec, I still believed that a packaged toy was better. This is not so with adult toys. It takes some work to get over the hurdle and put faith in yourself that given the right tools and materials, maybe even the right kit, you can one-up the store and their piddly wares. Just look at websites like make and hack-a-day and you'll see people making cool stuff every day. Shrug off that iPod and RAZR ad campaign. Make your own adult toys and be proud of yourself for once.

So now I'll leave you with an excerpt from a wired article about making a robot from a prefabricated kit. Its an entertaining and quick read. I'd recommend it to anyone who has dissuaded themselves from building something they wanted.

There's an odd, Asimovian irony to having to put together your own robot; it seems like the sort of thing you'd want a robot to do for you.
...
The next chapter tells me that the bags of parts are clearly labeled, and I should under no circumstances open a bag before I'm told. The first set of parts I need is in bag B. I look around for bag B, and it turns out it's sealed inside bag E, which I haven't been told to open yet. This is why a robot can't assemble a robot.

• Wired News: A Robot That Walks Like a Gorilla

Tiny Tune Adventures.

I know, I know. iTunes eats memory like the King Of Town on a Tuesday. That's why I'm back to Winamp for playing mp3s off my iPod at work. But sometimes I want to hear new music that isn't yet liberated from m4p format, so what am I to do? That's right, go crawling back to iTunes. But this little trick just might make me resent it a little less. It lets you minimize iTunes into a miniplayer on the taskbar. Honestly I can't believe I didn't find this on my own. How embarassing. Its not as good as the sweet sweet hotkeys I have hooked up to Winamp, but its a start.

• Minimize iTunes to your taskbar - Lifehacker

Is It Time?

I do like the more daylight thing about summer, but I may be getting weary of it. I looked in the closet the other day and suddenly remembered the concept of the jacket. Now I'm kinda excited for it to get cooler again. My wool coat, my leather jacket, my spray top, my gortex; and oh the pockets! No more keeping my iPod and keys in the same facility. I don't need winter, but I think I'm all set for fall.