iStuff

Can we get some new font options here?

While I can navigate pretty well through the world wide web and can do most of the simple up to the not-quite-so-simple operations on a computer, I confess to having no knowledge whatsoever regarding anything made by Apple. If I use a mac, it's because someone set it all up for me to get my email off it. I haven't a clue how they work. I understand they are more user friendly and probably superior, but Microsoft is more popular and it's easier to get things that are compatible with Windows. I admit to taking the easy route.

I had this vague thought that it might be nice to borrow the Child's iPod for my trip. I don't process noise well, and having music might be useful to keep me from sticking a fork up someone's nose. While walking today with Late (Yes! I walked! Maybe only 5 miles, but it's a start.) we pulled into the Apple store. My thoughts had progressed from borrowing an iPod for music to getting one of my own that does movies.

It's impressive to me to hold a small little plastic box that can play full length movies very clearly on little tiny screens. When I was born, TVs were very new. We had a remote - that means my parents and my brother made me get up to change channels. There was a big dial, and I turned it to get to one of the 4 channels we had. Today's technology seems to be aiming for both the biggest and the smallest screens possble.

So, I asked the sales girl if there is a way I can view NetFlix movies on an iPod or iTouch. I don't want to buy movies from iTunes, I want to view them once and move on. I am not a repeat watcher. (OK, I saw Batman twice.) She said no, then she also added: (1) Maybe, (2) Probably, (3) Probably not, but maybe, (4) I am not sure, (4) Maybe some of them, if they aren't something or another, (5) Sure, (6) Let me check. (The last was in response to my question, "Could you ask someone here who might know the answer?"

She came back with pretty much the same answer. She didn't tell me that iTunes will soon be renting out movies themselves. It doesn't matter, since they won't be available to me soon enough, and it doesn't sound like they will have much of a list available anyway. Late and I continued to check out the toys, and a sales guy joined us. We asked him the same basic question. His answer?

"If you can find the right software online, yes, you can." Then he seemed to reconsider his answer and went through pretty much the same list as the sales girl. However, I had heard what I needed to hear, so we said thanks, and left. I planned to go home and look up what I needed to see. So far, none of the software I have found works with Vista, but I haven't tried really hard yet.

I sent an email to a friend to ask for advice, and he told me that he bought an iPod and just wiped the whole iTunes thing off and replaced it with something else that will do any MP3 song.

Honestly, I still don't get it.

I think I will just pack an extra book, and avoid touching any forks.