Monthly Archives: January 2007

Some Fruit Company

Forrest Gump went to his mailbox and opened a letter. In the narration voiced by Tom Hanks, Forrest states that Lt. Dan invested in “some fruit company” and that he didn’t have to worry about money anymore. Forrest says “Well that’s good. One less thing to worry about.” The setting was the mid 1980’s when this fruit company was at their apex. In the mid 1990’s they took a steady nose-dive.

About five years ago I pondered dropping $500 worth of money I had on Apple stock which was trading at about $20 per share. This was before the iPod/iTunes really hit its stride in the mainstream and OS X was the powerhouse it is now. Today they are trading at over just over $90 per share. About four years ago I plunked down cash for a widescreen G4 iMac which still works very well.

Apple now leads the market in digital music and video distribution. Numbers show that online music sales rose 65% while in-store sales dropped around 7% (a 10+ year trend). Apple controls the digital audio player market with an 85% share with the seamless iTunes/iPod interface. The transition to Intel chips in their entire computer line has made Windows a viable option for Mac owners. In fact Windows runs smoother on Apple machines, much to the embarrasment of Mr. Gates. Mac adoption rates have more than doubled in the past year as a result. Many users have been opting to stick with OS X and leave Windows behind.

Today Apple unveiled the oft rumored iPhone. It comes in 4gb and 8gb versions, runs OS X, iTunes, and is a cellphone with a myriad of connection technologies all run from a touchscreen. This is Apple’s Gleichanschaltung (coordination) at its finest. I have for nearly a decade now refused to purchase a cell-phone. I believe I may buckle for this one… eventually. I still hate cell phones.

I do not have any money right now to invest. But five years ago my $500 would have brought in $2,250 if I sold today. That would help me pay for the three tracks I just bought on the iTunes store.

Pure Profit

A while back I stumbled across a box of random untested videogame systems on sale at 50% off for a grand total of $10. The Sega Master System required thirty seconds of repair to get back to working order. Final price on eBay? $46 plus $7 S/H.

Nintendo Wii Online

Using the same Mac OS X Hints instructions for getting NintendoDS online I have been able to also get my Nintendo Wii online. After a lengthy download from Nintendo after connecting I had access to the Virtual Console, Wii Marketplace, and other online features. I even shared my friend code with my friend Blair. This morning when I returned to my room the Wii disc slot was lit up. I fired up the console to check what it meant. Apparently you can send your custom Mii characters, messages, and other Nintendo goodies.

My Wii friend code: 1423 3644 2287 4084

Leave your Wii friend code via the comments. I have to input your friend code in order for our Wii to communicate.

Rockboxing the iPod

After much trial and error I have gotten iPod to run new system software. I stumbled across Rockbox a few months back, but was turned off by the prospect of installing new software. I installed iPod Linux on my 4G iPod when it was unsupported and ended up bricking the thing. I took the warranty voiding plunge this weekend and was able to get Rockbox up and running alongside the iPod software.

Loader 2.4

But why use Rockbox when Apple’s software works fantastically? As with most open source software the answer is customization. Everything from scroll speed, display info, and themes are completely configurable. There are also formats not officially supported by Apple that can be played with Rockbox. Plus it makes people do a double take when they see your iPod running something different. If I need to I can switch back to the original iPod OS by holding down Menu + Select with the iPL Loader 2.4 bootloader package.

custom theme

Installation is not for the faint of heart. It does require some work with Terminal line commands. The installation instructions leave something to be desired. It took some forum research and ingenuity to get it to work. I found it best to install Rockbox first and then skip the Rockbox bootloader installation which loads it by default. iPL Loader 2.4 is a seamless loader for the two firmwares.

Coming soon… Doom on iPod.