MP3 players: the best way to get mugged

So I got a new Samsung MP3 Player. I refuse to give in to the iPod fad even though, in a way, I've lost the battle a LONG time ago by getting an MP3 player in the first place.


But what I love about my player is that it plays music (obviously), videos, FM radio, displays pictures and texts, and actually has flash games. I love the features, plus I only got it for 125$ on sale. An iPod sans FM radio with those features cost around 250-350$ USD. And it's at around 30-80gb GB. For the love of Pete, my laptop and desktop are 30 and 80gb, respectively (even though my mother swears that when she bought the laptop, it was supposed to be 80gb: I blame those slackers at Dell).

The only things I don't quite like it that if I connect the player to the computer, it automatically charges by itself (and if I remember correctly, frequent charging is bad for Li-Ion batteries); and it needs a program to transfer files (I won't be able to use it to transfer files from one computer to another because the program is huge); the buttons are, well, buttons (I remember that one of my friends, who also had a Samsung, had laptop touch-screen type buttons which I believe should last longer), and it doesn't have uber-cool concert mode. Bleh.

But those are small prices to pay. I believe that I got a great deal. Now I'm in the process of downloading. Damned Videotron has a 1-gig downloading limit, so I have to be very careful, seeing as how last time I tried to download a film, I paid the price (50$ instead of the usual 20$... I could've just bought the DVD, fer the love of Pete). Some of the songs are of bad quality, and for some reason, there are songs that I was sure I downloaded, just for the life of me, couldn't find it, no matter how long I looked.

Anyways, back to the title, it's true, those white iPod speaker buds are the best way for you to get mugged. 300$ Almost enough for them to ignore the 500$ deisgner sunglasses that you'll never wear again as soon as it's out of fashion. And speaking of those iPhones... Here's one person that's not going to get one when it lands in Canadian retail stores. Heck, I don't even want a cellphone. Why? Cause I probably won't need one anytime soon. But who knows? I can indulge myself every now and then and be hypocritical for a while.

The Destiny of Harry Potter

I read on Yahoo! that J.K Rowling might keep Harry Potter alive after Deathly Hallows, or even ressurect him with magic in an eighth book or a la Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure that millions of rabid Potter fangirls are squealing with delight or fainting from the euphoric shock.



I'm a fan, but not that rabid, of course. I dunno what exactly I'm feeling. Somehow, I think that it would be better for it to end with a humongous "BANG!" . Maybe have some blood squirting everywhich way, too. Her holiness J.K Rowling had said that 2 characters will die. I don't remember her saying which ones. I'm thinking it might be ole' Voldy and Harry. That will definately be one heck of an explosion. After all, everything has its limits, and I personally think that if she ressurects him with magic, HP will completely jump the shark. What really attracted me to HP was that, despite all the magic, the characters are humans with faults and mortality. Maybe she might sort of do the Sherlock Holmes thing at the very end. Leave it like that, and our imaginations will keep HP alive. I'm not sure I want to read "Harry Potter and the Wreaked Wedding" and "Harry Potter and his Adventures with Arthritis".



Her Holiness should milk the franchise for all it's got, but not squeeze the life out of it. But who knows, maybe she will continue HP and make it work just as well as before. Only time will tell. I am also excited for the next HP book coming out very soon. I won't get it, though, until the excitement's abated a little. And I will check out the spoilers (maybe that just comes to show what kind of HP fan I really am).

7/7/07

Most people know that yesterday was 7/7/07. While gamblers gambled even more furiously and newlyweds said their "I do's" and the husbands rejoiced for finally having an anniversary date that they would actually remember (especially if they become compulsive gamblers). For those who are out of luck and aren't old enough to gamble, 7/7/07 was also Live Earth.

That was fun. I loved Sneaky Sound System, the Japanese opening with the holograms, and Madonna, who is always better live than on a CD IMHO. I also loved the fact that Shanghai also hosted a concert, even if there wasn't much CTV coverage (probably because it didn't have the big names or the sort of music most Canadians liked). I also loved the short pieces, especially the two last polar bears on earth, which were funny and tragic at the same time. I also loved the little ads by celebrities, which were great examples of the usage of celebrity.

The concert in Antarctica was great, too.

Hopefully, this will make a difference. I believe that the major difference between the Live Aid/8 concerts and Live Earth was that Live Aid/8 was about raising awareness for hunger in Africa, which is great cause, but which is much harder to participate in. Helping to stop hunger in Africa needed money, donations, and pressure on the gouvernments, something that not all citizens can do. With Live Earth, people can do things by themselves, little things that they're much more capable of doing.

Here's to the Earth!

And since the Harper gouvernment is thinking of banning incandescents, maybe they can lower the price of CFL's a little and develop more styles?

Job Hunting

That's right. I'm trying to find a first summer job. No such luck for me, who, because of my overtly-bloated ego, refused to get a McJob. I want corporate, dammit.

I've sort of hit a snag, however. The jobs I want are either for 18 and over (it's not like they're dancing around a stripper pole for the love of Pete, they're just phone calls) or for CANTONESE. This day is one of the few days where I've wished to be able to speak Cantonese. I'm still pissed, but I suppose that it's because there are a lot of Mandarin speakers looking for a good job and they've got them all.

Dammit. If I don't get a job, my parents will think I'm inept (which is more or less true), and if I get a McJob, I'm probably gonna be miserable, just like Fanfan. Dammit. Once again, I totally wish I never grew up. I can be as stupid and immature as I like. But now, I have responsabilities. Don't we all wish they could disappear?

I really should have taken up on that offer at the local library. Damn.

God, it feels good to vent.

Luke Skywalker Look-alike

Check it out! I was watching an episode of CBC's Intelligence when I noticed this: the main character, Jimmy Reardon, looks just like Luke Skywalker on the Japanese NJO covers (I hate most of the American covers... ick)! If the folks at Lucasfilm ever want to make a live-action TV version of the NJO (which I doubt will happen, seeing as how many fans simply hated them), he seems like the right choice for Luke Skywalker, since for one thing, I doubt Mark Hammil will want to, and because not only does Ian Tracey know how to act, he also looks better (sorry Mr. Hammil).

Ian Tracey as Jimmy Reardon

(What's even cooler, his hair is already slicked back!) Luke Skywalker, hair unslicked