Creative has sued Apple in a shameless money-grab. Creative's Zen sucks choad, and they know it. Now, they're suing to halt sales of the iPod and the Nano in the United States.
The lawsuit accuses Apple's iPod navigation scheme of violating one of their patents. It was filed in August of last year. I may not be the sharpest tool in the drawer, but I've had an iPod for a lot longer than that. I wasn't aware you could patent somebody else's stuff and then take it away from them. I wonder if it's got anything to do with Creative's rather lackluster performance last year? The whole thing stinks of the typically Asian lack of honor in matters of intellectual property.
Creative was one of the first companies to build a portable MP3 player, with their Rio. They were also one of the most innovative companies in the PC world with regard to sound hardware. In the mid-to-late 90s, the sound card was generally a separate piece of hardware, and very rarely built into the motherboard. As amazing as it seems know, most PCs didn't have sound at all. Back then, your choice of sound card was actually a lifestyle choice. Companies like Creative, Turtle Beach, and Gravis were all clamoring for your greenbacks. I loved my Gravis Ultrasound, but the best sound card I ever owned was the Sound Blaster PNP32. It had brilliant sound output, and made absolutely flawless recordings. For a consumer-level card, it was top-drawer. It was the last Creative product I've bought. And I'll probably not be investing in a company's products that has to resort to lawsuits to generate revenue. That's usually a pretty good sign that it's not going to be around much longer.
I hope that Apple gets pissed off here. I hope they create irresistble, cheap products to compete with each and every Creative SKU. Sim Wong Hoo can only sit and fume while his sub-par company collapses around him.
"We haven't been able to find the head."
I looked at the floor around the table, barely thinking. "You look in the cabinets?"
The uniform nodded. "Cabinets. Fireplace. We even looked in the toilet tanks. It ain't here."
Christ, another head freak. If there's anything I can't stand it's the trophy-hunters. A cannibal is a walk in the park next to these guys.
I walked out the front door and lit a cigarette. The Chief got out of his car and started across the manicured lawn.
"What's the story, Jake?"
"Upscale neighborhood, pricy dame–"
"Another head freak?"
"Yep."
The BBC wanted an expert opinion on the Apple vs. Apple Corps. copyright infringement debate. So, they invited Guy Kewney, editor of Newswireless.net. And then they interviewed his taxi cab driver.
Video Here. And it's awesome. I only hope I would hold up as well, considering the circumstances.
Via Daring Fireball.
Found randomly on Flickr. I've looked at this picture for an hour straight, while listening to the Shangri-Las' Leader of the Pack and it's become impossible to separate the two.
I felt so helpless, what could I do?
Remembering all the things we'd been through
In school they all stop and stare
I can't hide the tears, but I don't care
I'll never forget him (the leader of the pack)
The leader of the pack - now he's gone
The leader of the pack - now he's gone
The leader of the pack - now he's gone
The leader of the pack - now he's gone
My mom is the best mom in the world. If you happen to think differently, well, to each their own, but you're wrong. She's pretty, she's crazy, she's funny, and she's got two good-looking sons who love her dearly. She put up with a mountain of crap raising us, and came out smelling like a rose. Well, except for that one time that she beat me though I didn't deserve it. Not that I'd remind her about that, but you know.
Here's to you mom. In a perfect world, I'd come over today, and hang out in the kitchen, listening to the washer run, talking about anything and everything, and we'd watch the sun go down in the back yard with a pot of fresh coffee, and a mutual love of night air and whippoorwills.
My mom is awesome.
