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is terrible. For the last month, our family laptop has been broken. CompUSA, from whom we bought the extended warranty, was supposed to fix this. They have purportedly done many things.

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1. Replace the Hard Drive
2. Replace the Power Cable
3. Replace the Actual Power Supply (how this is different from no. 2, I don’t know)

The first two times, we have had to return the computer back to the store. They kept dancing around the subject, instead of refunding us our money. In one instance, they claimed this “rare part” would come in on a Monday or Tuesday, conveniently coinciding with the day the store manager, the only person who could refund our money, would return from his vacation. Alas, the day the manager came back, he stated he would “need a day to think it over.” We gave him two whole days. The result? Zip. It’s been a week since then, and we are finally getting our laptop back today. We’ll await the results and I’ll post the status.

The winner of each daily contest is automatically guarenteed a spot in the final round, with a chance to win 500 dollars (US) or a video iPod.

If you go here now, you’ll see my user name, indraneel24, as the winner for the 19th! So register for a free account at Dabble, link above, and if you want, vote for my final playlist (it will be here) from noon on New Year’s Eve, till noon, New Year’s Day. If you don’t want to vote, I won’t force you (but, please!), you can always use Dabble’s great video searching tools or make a playlist of your own.

If the links above broke, here they are:

www.dabble.com

www.dabble.com/blog

So if you have a Wii, get your replacements soon. If you don’t have a Wii, they’re probably starting to include the new straps with all consoles.

[image courtesy Nintendo]

Why did the NBA switch in the first place? Cold. Hard. Cash.

Why are they switching back? The league’s stars, such as 2-times-running MVP Steve Nash says it cuts the players’ hands. It also has been horrible for the shooters (see New Jersey Nets).

A la the Simpsons, Hooray Status Quo!

(Image Courtesy: John G. Mabanglo/EPA)

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Today being Black Friday (stateside) signifies the start of the holiday season. No matter if you’re shopping for Grandma, Little Billy Bob or anyone in between; chances are there will an MP3 player on someone’s holiday list. This can be a grueling and stressful time, but you can pull through.

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1. Identify the person you’re buying the player for.

Obviously, if you buying it for the family jock, then you’ll have to take into account weight and shock protection, whereas if you’re buying one for the family member with every rock band CD from the 70s, storage capacity and general ease of use.

2. Pick a Device

Ah, the fun part. Picking the (hopefully) automatic day-brightener for your gift’s recipient. The main points to take into account are:

Capacity – the amount of songs/photos/videos you can put onto the player. Usually measured in gigabytes (GB)

Size of Player – how big the player is. Small is ideal for younger children and the workout buffs.

Features – FM radio, video playback, photo playback, voice recording,

Software – almost always needed for syncing your player, features for this include overall ease of use and look/feel.

Ease of Use – when buying, ask these questions. How quickly can I find a song/photo/video? Will it be easy for all to use? Does the system freeze/lock up frequently?

3. Buy what you need

DO NOT be swindled by those clever salesmen into buying something you don’t want. Make sure you’ve done your research. This will prevent you from not knowing what will go into your recipient’s hands. If time permits, wait a while or shop online if the product you want is not there; if this is impossible, buy something similar or give a gift card with the same amount of monetary value as the MP3 player.

4. Accessories

This is optional, however is a nice addition to any gift. Popular accessories include cases, skins, and docks. Cables or adapters may be nice, but if you don’t know that they will be used, don’t buy them.

And that’s all there is to it. Remember, find the best deal possible, but don’t sacrifice too much quality, ’tis the season of giving! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, post a comment or shoot me an email (you’ll find the address in the about page).

Atlantic

1. New Jersey Nets

2. Philadephia 76ers

3. Toronto Raptors

4. New York Idiots Knicks

5. Boston Celtics

Central

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Detroit Pistons

3. Chicago Bulls

4. Milwaukee Bucks

5. Indiana Pacers

Southeast

1. Miami Heat

2. Washington Wizards

3. Orlando Magic

4. Atlanta Hawks

5. Charlotte Bobcats

… or maybe I’m just sleepy. Eh.

I tried it with numerous folders and it works. When you have multiple folders in the same bar, it sort of ‘tabs’ them, and whence you double click on the name of the folder, it slides to it. Or you can click a drop down menu next to the name and see the contents of your folder. Pretty cool eh? No? Okay…