NSLog();

I just read the Wikipedia entry on Microsoft Points. I remember hearing quite awhile ago that they'd chosen the point values so that you were always likely to have some left over that you'd want to use - I believe that referred to their music service. The Wikipedia entry makes a compelling argument that it wasn't so much about "always having points left over" (by using non-round numbers for music tracks, like 79 points) but rather so that conversion to "real-world money" is difficult. It also points out that using points saves Microsoft from having to pay more credit card fees ((Unlike Apple in iTunes, which is arguably an even bigger penalty since their items cost about $1-$2 while the average price of something from Microsoft is probably more like $8 or $9.)).

We're somewhat fortunate in the U.S., I suppose, because 800 points = 1000 pennies ($10). Most content in the Xbox Live Marketplace seems to be 400, 800, or even 1200 points, and the math is pretty simple there: $5, $10, $15. Only the occasional 150- or 120-point items can throw you off, and in both cases they're under $2.

I just recently used my first Microsoft Points to purchase the full version of Worms from the arcade. It was 800 points, so I've got 5200 remaining. I'll likely never buy themes or gamer pictures (waste of money) and will probably reserve my points for the occasional game.

What have you bought with Microsoft Points? Do you like or dislike the concept?

It's been a few months since Time Warner took over from Adelphia in servicing my area. In that time, we've paid $59.95/month: $45.95 for basic cable Internet service, $17 for "Premium" service, and -$3.00 for owning our own cable modem (I've had this particular modem since I lived in Florida!).

I had been assuming that the "Premium" service related to speed. It turns out that $17/month gets you next to nothing. Go ahead, click - I think you'll be surprised at what a pile of poo "Premium" is.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 353); »

Something Apple should have bundled with the system: a QuickLook plugin that lets you peek inside zip files.

Nice.

If you have an Xbox Live account (my "gamertag" appears in the right-hand column, currently), please be aware that Microsoft is set to thoroughly abuse your privacy and the privacy of your friends:

After the software update to Xbox in early December, you will be able to meet new friends by browsing the Friends lists of other Xbox LIVE members. You can determine who can see your Friends list now on this page – Everyone, Friends Only, or Blocked. You will be able to check your status and change your Friends list setting anytime after the software update in the Account Management section of Marketplace on your Xbox 360 or My Xbox on Xbox.com.

The default setting for who will be able to see your Friends lists depends on your age:

Adults - Everyone
Teens (13-17) - Friends Only
Children (under 13) - Blocked

The default option for adults is roughly the equivalent of giving customer privacy the middle finger. Now, everyone can see who's on everyone's friends list. Yippee!

And on top of that, if you follow the instructions and go to xbox.com/fof, and choose one of the saner options like "Blocked," your choice is not actually stored. Re-visit the page and "Everyone" will again be selected.

When I'm finally allowed to make a selection that sticks, I promise my friends that I will only ever set this to either Blocked or Friends Only. I would also ask that anyone who has me on their friend list do the same.

The thought occurs to me that the device I first talked about in January has come about in terms of hardware: it's an iPhone (or an iPod Touch). ((Yeah yeah, it's a little bigger than an iPod Shuffle-sized version, which I still think would sell (a Shuffle with WiFi, that is), but that's okay.))

It's just missing the software.

I wonder if software of this variety will be possible as of February…

Just a link for my own future knowledge. Thanks Alex.

And no doubt my arm would be tired if I had to write the above out.

Shift-cmd-F is a handy keyboard shortcut for finding items by name. Though the UI gets a little messed up (("Contents" is selected with "Name Contains" provided as a constraint.)), the concept still works. You can type "Pages" and find your Pages app, Pages documents, and even WhitePages.framework.

But hit shift-cmd-F and type in "loginit" to find "com.apple.loginitems.plist" and you're out of luck. Gee, the file's right there - in every user's home folder (~/Library/Preferences/) as well as the main /Library/Preferences/ folder (maybe).

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 260); »

My brother-in-law came over last night and we played Mario Strikers (for Wii) for most of the evening, then jumped into a little Wii Sports. I had previously imported Brandon's Mii character onto my Wii, so he played as his Mii in bowling, tennis, and so on.

Unfortunately, though Brandon is a "pro" bowler at home, he isn't on my system, where he has 0 points. One of the most glaring differences between Microsoft's Xbox Live strategy and Nintendo's online strategy became immediately apparent.

In about a week or so, I've become rather impressed with Microsoft's Xbox Live capabilities. You can message - voice or text - friends while playing other games. Invite them to join your games. Your profile - your gamerscore, settings, etc. - is stored both on your system and on MS servers, so you can log in from another console and play there with "your" account and track "your" accomplishments.

Nintendo certainly has the capabilities to do this kind of thing, but instead would rather track your voting patterns in incredibly simple "channels" like "Check Mii Out" and "Everybody Votes."

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 1037); »

In the mail today I got a pair of envelopes from AT&T. I thought they were the rebate forms for the two RAZRs we have on our three-member Family Talk plan.

I had previously noticed online that two of our accounts had the Roadside Assistance ($2.99) on it. I called and had that removed a few days ago. On this little packet, it also said both phones had the "Media Basic Bundle" at $9.99/month. I've just now called and had that removed.

The salesperson who set up the accounts the first time had also promised me he'd be waiving the activation fees (since CellularOne == AT&T), but each of the packets lists a $26 activation fee, too.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 244); »

True or false: you can accurately measure the size of the geek by the size of his cable collection?

I would have to say true. I don't have much basis for comparison, but since I've spent three hours organizing cables and still have an hour or two to go, well, yeah…

Cynical Peak is offering 33% off of its products - Cyndicate and Scorecard - today only. It's "Black Friday" after all. Details are available here, but in short, it's your chance to pick up a copy of either for $19.95.

Carey woke up early (3am!) to get to Kohl's, which opened at 4am, and then WalMart next door at 5am. I've asked her to pick up a 4 GB SDHC card ($27.99), an Xbox 360 game (Orange Box) I may return ($48), and Office:2004 Student/Teacher edition. Why? Because it'll let me get Office 2008 for less than fifty bucks. I'm not certain it applies to online orders (or else I'd just get it from Amazon.com), so I'm trying to find it locally. I may have to venture out myself later if Carey can't find it ((Or doesn't want to find it, for which I can't blame her.))

Update: sherjo says in the comments: "Yes, online or offline purchases qualify as long as the purchase was made on Friday, 23rd November, 2007." So, I guess I'll just get it off amazon.com now.

Does anyone think Amazon's Kindle is a good idea? Anyone at all?

Update: Yup.

Based on the comments of others, I picked up a license to Connect360 for connecting the Xbox 360 to the Mac (or vice versa). I played some songs and videos last night and it worked beautifully.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that movies aren't sorted into folders as they are on my hard disk. This means I have a bunch of "Episode 04"s scattered about and I have no idea whether it's House, season two of 24, or Entourage. My movies are mixed in with my TV shows and the whole thing's a mess.

Also, I wonder if the Xbox controller can be used to browse media or to play it. Does the Y button, for example, map to pause? Can I plug in the Xbox "messenger" little hardware piece to type an artist's name if I don't want to scroll all the way down to "R.E.M." in the list?

Overall, I'm impressed, particularly with the image quality of movies I've ripped. It's pretty neat to play your own music while playing games, too, and I'm certain the photo-sharing capabilities will be used over the holidays.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 415); »

My iPhone has been restored and is now set up with AT&T. I've verified that the EDGA data works (it's not too bad), and that everything is properly set up. Tomorrow I'll call CellularOne to make sure they know we've "switched" ((In quotes because CellularOne == AT&T at this point.)).

I don't plan to do anything to hack this phone. Now that it's winter, I'm going to be near my computer most of the time anyway. By the time February's SDK rolls around, I fully expect to see a terminal application capable of SSH and the "return" of almost all the "indie" iPhone apps I've previously, uhh, seen run on the iPhones of other individuals. 😉

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 474); »

John Gruber's essay on Amazon's Kindle contained this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

If you would know how a man treats his wife and his children, see how he treats his books.

I've always been appalled at how people treat books. I go out of my way to choose thin bookmarks that don't damage books. I've never been one to highlight or write in books, even in college, and I certainly don't dog-ear pages as a means of bookmarking.

How do you treat your books?

P.S. I'm not entirely certain I agree with the Emerson quote, but it got me thinking…