Coffee and Code

I bought a network walkman this weekend (1GB).

THE VERDICT:

I really like the physical interface to the walkman, and the general aesthetics of the player. It's got an organic luminescent display that seems to float above the silvery skin of the player. The player itself is compact and feels sturdy. The sound quality is everything I would expect from Sony. It's got adjustable bass, treble, and balance. And the volume goes up really high. Rock on.

It also comes with an FM radio. I dig this greatly.

HOWEVER...

The controls are somewhat counter-intuitive: There is a jog switch that you slide out from the top of the player either one or two clicks. You can then twist the jog to move up/down in your playlist, but it's easy to forget how far you've pulled out the switch, so I end up changing artists instead of songs alot.

The management software, SonicStage, is AWFUL. Freaking Awful. It makes me feel paranoid when I install a piece of software and my personal firewall goes bonkers, and SonicStage falls into this category. Also, you CANNOT directly copy music onto the walkman via windows explorer. This sucks.

Overall, I dig the player, but I hope I can find out how to bypass the management software to copy music over without violating the EULA...

I am writing this from my brand-new, ultra-spiffy Dell Inspiron laptop, a gift from The Dark Priestess.

This is such a sleek machine - extra wide 1280x800 resolution, DVD-ROM/CD-RW, and fast. It runs Call of Duty like a champ and maaaan am I stoked.

I feel a need to spend money this weekend. What's on the shopping list? Well... A new phone with caller id... A new pair of tactical boots ($25.00 at Big 5!!!), a dresser and perhaps some new pants or something. Perhaps some Thai food is in order as well.