I’ve spent the last few days with Ms Bianco’s CD “Post Data” and I must say that I’m highly impressed with her work. Given that I’ve spent most of my time listening to electronica, hip hop and hard rock, having something mellow and smooth such as “Post Data” was a welcomed set of sounds for my ears.

This refreshing CD reminded me of one of those albums you listen to when you're driving along a long stretch of highway -- where you're going you don't know and/or you don't care. All you know is that you have great tunes blasting out of the speakers -- the wind in your hair (or scalp in my case) and a future waiting for you on the horizon. Sure, what I'm saying sounds highly poetic but that's the same kind of thing you'll find in the music and lyrics of this young lady's CD (can't you tell that I completely enjoyed it).

I'm going to be offering for you a free MP3 of one of her tracks compliments of Inside the Circle. Give it a try. If this makes you step out of your musical comfort zone, go for it -- that's what music (especially free samples) are all about.

To Ms. Bianco, I commend your CD and I definitely see a bright musical future ahead of you so go drive into that horizon..

For more information about Lisa Bianco, check out her website.

Trixie 360, the community manager for XBOX put together a special community playdate for this Sunday, April 5th. She gathered up a bunch of us who are on Twitter and we're all gonna host XBOX Live Gold Members is a few rounds of Major League Baseball 2K9.

This is actually one of my favorite video games (I'm a fan of 2K8. I thought it was well-done), so I'm pretty excited to be chatting with new gamers over a set of 9 innings. If you're around during the playdate hours, hit me up. We'll see if you can crack the bat against my change-up.

Oh and if you're wondering, I'll be picking either the Anaheim Angels Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (that name is retarded, I'm sorry!) or the Seattle Mariners. Rock on!

We’re now a few weeks removed from the small updates to zune.net. For those that haven’t noticed you’re now able to stream podcasts through the zune.net website and you have the ability to create your own music quizzes. I’m sure some of us have had a chance to tinker around with both features. Here’s my opinions/thoughts on both of them.

Streaming Podcasts

Personally, I think being able to ‘test drive’ a podcast is a good thing for the podcasters. Right now when you go into the Zune software and head into the podcast directory, you really don’t have much of an opportunity to try a podcast – outside of subscribing and then trying an episode. By being able to stream via the website, you have a chance to test it and see if you like it. From there you can hit a subscribe button and pick it up straight from the software.

It’s a wonderful move for podcasters who want to have greater visibility.

Music Quiz

I think the music quiz is an awesome little game for the Social. Considering that it was the Zune Social itself that picked the music quiz, to be able to finally see their choice come to fruition on the site should be an awesome feeling.

Creating the quiz was a bit straightforward. You can use songs, artists and albums to help people sample the possible answers to your questions. I know some people are a little dismayed by the [BUY] button that’s next to the albums, but I understand that it’s a contractual thing with the record labels. I know though that people don’t want someone getting sidetracked with a purchase when they’re in the middle of taking their quiz.

I created a quiz of my own and I’ve noticed that the more and more people take it, the worse the average score becomes :-) I guess that’s the point of the quiz though is for people to learn more about you. What fun is a quiz if people know all of the answers beforehand?

I have to tell you guys this though. When we were at Summit, the MVPs were testing out the quiz design section with Jessica. She decided that my question was going to be “If Marques was a song, which song would he be.”

“Shaft,” was the first thing I said. There was laughter in the room, but I had thought “Hey, why not?” Looking back on it I wish that I had said “Superfly” but that ship has sailed. When Jessica went into the second box, I immediately said “White and Nerdy”.

“Man, he’s good at this.” was one comment in the room.

The final choice, and the one that seemed most logical as the answer, was “76 Trombones”.

But that got me thinking… why not a group quiz?

I almost wish there was a way that a few Social users could get together and create a quiz using different aspects of their musical tastes. For example, why can’t there be an MVP quiz – find out new and different things about the MVPs. Or a Zune team quiz with collective questions from all of the participating members of the Zune team. And I wonder what Steve Ballmer’s Zune quiz would look like?

Both, the streaming podcasts and the music quiz make a nice step forward for zune.net. It’ll be interesting to see where these features go, because I would think that they wouldn’t stop there. With podcasts now able to be streamed on the site, what’s stopping anyone from making it available via Wi-Fi to the Zune device (It’s something I’ve always wanted so I could update my MSNBC Headlines podcast throughout the day).

But tell me, what do you think of the podcast and quiz features?

Say it loud... I'm Zune and I'm Proud!

I told this Zune story on Twitter and was informed that because of its length, it should be blogged :-)

So I'm riding the bus this morning on the way to work. I'm carrying my Zune and my Zune tote bag is over my shoulder. At the time I was checking out a pre-release CD from Lisa Bianco (fabulous stuff, by the way!) and just sat down to enjoy the next 30 minutes of the ride. Now, prior to this there were these pretentious teens who would get on the bus and stare at me for the first 5 minutes. I thought nothing of it until I realized that they essentially were trying to figure out why I would have a Zune, of all things.

So on this particular bus ride, one of the kids decided to grow some grapefruits and ask me. "Excuse me," he said "May I ask if that's a Zune". Of course, I replied in the positive. Couldn't he tell based upon the fact I was wearing a Microsoft Jacket, carrying a Zune tote bag and using a touch pad instead of the screen that it just might not be an iPod?!

"Why do you ask?" was the response I gave him and he proceeded to whip out his iPod Touch. "Well, I'm asking because I just want to know if your Zuuuuuunnnneee can do this?". He then proceeds to touch the screen and show me some contact list or whatever. Now, ok. Why is he going through this whole charade!?

I decide I was gonna whip out my Blackjack II, hit the 'contacts' button and say "No, but my phone shows contacts just fine. Actually, my music player is for just that.. music. I don't need a PDA at this time". No other words were said. He decided to sit down (smart move).

A friend of his, who had an iPod Classic decided to distance himself from this whole exchange. He kind of knew that if the comparison went where it was supposed to (iPod Classic vs. Zune 120) he wouldn't have much legs to stand on.

Now let me say this. Yes, I'm a Zune MVP and I'm a damn proud owner of a Zune, but I don't hate on anyone simply because of what device they use to listen to music or get their entertainment. I didn't hate on this kid for being proud of his iPod Touch. I hated on this kid because he seemed to think that I should be ashamed or apologize for having a *Dear, God!* Microsoft Zune.

Let me be clear: I'm a damn proud Zune owner. I do not apologize for having a device that satisfies my needs as it should. If you're an iPod owner, you should be proud too but don't ever expect me to feel bad when I stand next to you. I probably won't be able to hear you speaking anyway, because I'll be too busy listening to the plethora of podcasts I synced the night before.

That is all.

Happy Friday. I came across this cartoon and thought I would share:

Ever have something like this happen to you?

When you open the Zune Software and you click on Marketplace, you're taken to your PICKS page. Everyone knows that this page is designed to help you find like-minded listeners and new music that might be of interest to you based upon what you've already been listening to.

Now, me personally, I don't really use this page all that much. Sure, I'm curious to see what it tries to "sell" me, but then I end up going through the music tab and genres on my own and seeking out stuff. The like-minded listeners? I don't think I've become friends with anyone that was suggested on that list. Not because I don't want to, but maybe it's because it really doesn't tell me why I should make the effort to connect with them -- maybe that's just me.

So tell me: What do you think of the PICKS feature of the Zune Marketplace? Can it be improved? Should it be improved? How often (if at all) do you use it?

If you're a fan of Daft Punk [zune.net], or you just need one hell of a work distraction, check this out. There's a little website that has a picture of the words to "Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger." When you press the corresponding key on your keyboard you can sound off that particular sound effect. *And* it's the actual vocal effects used in the song.

So if you wanted to recreate your own remix of the song, here's an awesome way to do it.

Much props to my friend Jay for pointing this out!

Click here to check it out.

I've finally gotten around to uploading the photo gallery for the 2009 MVP Summit that I attened in Early March. These pictures highlight some of the things that went on in and out of the conference arena.

OK, this is coming a day late. And no doubt, your weekend will now be complete with the following free music:

• Download a free EP including tracks from a collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction.
• Stereogum has two MP3s from Atlas Sound.
• Fingertips has some Britpop from the Idle Hands.
• The massive SxSW song sampler, broken down alphabetically by band: A-M, N-R, S-Z (courtesy of Indie Rock Cafe).
  
• Zee Avi does a cover of Interpol's "Slow Hands" (via Spinner).

Enjoy your weekend!

If you wish to not attend the Grammy museum portion of the meetup, that's fine. You can join us for the second leg of the event.

1:30pm - Meet at the L.A. Live Starbucks. At the Starbucks, we'll share coffee and conversation. I want to hear your questions, comments and thoughts about Zune and the overall music industry. Bring your devices and we'll also engage in song sharing and wi-fi (device to device) gaming. This portion of the meetup will run til roughly 3:00pm.

Then you are free to enjoy the rest of your Saturday! For more information about L.A. Live, click here.

Need something to discuss this weekend? Try this.

The honorees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2009 have been announced:

Jeff Beck
Little Anthony and the Imperials
Metallica
Run-D.M.C.
Bobby Womack
Wanda Jackson
Bill Black
DJ Fontana
Spooner Oldham

Agree or Disagree? Discuss.

Note: Links go to the inductee profile at the Hall of Fame website.

So Microsoft has this software called SongSmith. What it does is essentially take you, as a singer, and write music based around what you sing into the microphone. Cool in thought, but the execution? Well, here. Take a look at the official commercial for SongSmith and you tell me how practical such an application would be.

Personally, I think this does nothing to beat the old standby of a songwriter at the piano or guitar, mapping out their next great hit. Maybe, this application was really just meant for the casual person who wants to try to see if they can create a song.

You think the people who run American Idol would mind being sponsored by SongSmith? Just sayin...

One of my coolest friends on Twitter, Yukino, and I share a love for the music of Hikaru Utada. Yukino has gotten an advanced copy of Utada's second U.S. release and did her own personal review of the CD. She's comparing it to some of the R&B that you hear nowadays -- which, for me, is kind of expected if you want to do well in the U.S.

If you want to read the full review, available at the all-kinds-of-awesome Gaming Angels website, click here.

A band from Iceland?! Awesome. I've always thought that music was a universal language. Head on over to Rcrd Lbl and pick up a free MP3 of this group called "Svefnsykt" (yeah, say that three times fast -- hell say that once). It's from the album "Karkari" -- well there's a title that's easier to say.

Click here to download

Note that this question is being simulcasted over at Twitter, so I thought I would toss it out here as well: For those who shop through the Zune Marketplace and find those free tracks (or even those free tv shows): Do you download them simply because they are free? Does it matter to you who the artist is? Does making it free give you incentive to try that artist (or genre) if you've never tried it before?

Sound off!

Now, that's not a typo. The actual name is Miike Snow (2 'i's) and you can find a really cool track over at Rcrd Lbl called "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance".

Head on over to visit the good folks at Rcrd Lbl and pick up this track, and a whole host of others for your DRM-free listening pleasure.

Click here to download.

So there's this thing going around Facebook (seriously, that new theme, um, yeah!) where you list 20 albums that have had a great impact on you throughout your years. I decided that I was gonna post this list here to share with everyone.

Feel free to comment with your own influential 20 as well.

They are (in no particular order):

TGIF... now with free music.

• Fluxblog has a track from 10,000 Maniacs.
• Indie Rock Cafe has two tracks from the Lonely Forest.
• Bmbx has a mixtape MP3 featuring Eric B. and Rakim, Kraftwerk, New Order, Devo, EPMD, and more.
  
• Spinner.com has a new track from Peter Yorn.
• Check out 3 tracks from the Gift Machine on Obscure Sound.

Enjoy your weekend!

[Editor's Note: I got this email from Christine who is representing the folks of Zune Canada. They are having a contest to look for the next great musical talent who will have a chance to perform at the Zune Concert Series up in the Great North! :-). The following is the official press release that was included in the email. I think this is awesome what they are doing, so check it out!]

Toronto, ON, March 11, 2009 – Beginning today, Zune Canada will conduct a month-long search to find Canada’s hottest undiscovered band or artist to perform at the Zune Concert Series, Canada’s biggest free outdoor music festival taking place April 17-26 during the 2009 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival.

As part of its commitment to emerging Canadian artists, Zune is supporting musicians working to break out and gain industry exposure with the Zune Concert Series Competition. Bands and artists are invited to upload an original music track at http://www.zune.ca/ to enter the competition. Music fans will be able to listen and rate selected tracks from participating bands, and have the chance to win a trip for two to see the selected band play live at the 2009 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival. The winner will be chosen by a panel of esteemed music industry experts on April 13th, 2009.

The winning band or artist will receive a coveted spot to perform on the Zune Concert Series Stage at the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard festival, sharing the bill with industry talents The Stills, Metric, Ten Second Epic and DJ Z-Trip, among others. The winner will also be awarded the opportunity to connect with Canadian music industry agents, A&R reps, and managers who will advise the band on what it takes to succeed in the highly competitive music industry.

The Zune Concert Series is a highly-anticipated highlight of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, a huge celebration in Whistler, B.C. featuring 10 days and 10 nights of live concerts, art exhibits and big air comps in Canada’s infamous outdoor playground.

For more information on the Zune Concert Series, visit http://www.zune.ca/ or http://www.whistler2009.com/.

WHAT: Zune Concert Series Competition
WHEN: Zune Concert Series Competition: March 11 - April 7, 2009, winner will be selected on April 13, 2009; Zune Concert Series: April 17 - 26, 2009
WHERE: Submit Band Search entries online at Zune.ca; Listen and rate music tracks competing for top prize

Zune Concert Series will take place at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival, Whistler, B.C.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, the Zune Software and Zune Social, created to help people discover music. Zune is part of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company’s software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zunenews.ca/.

About Microsoft Canada

Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Visit Microsoft Canada's web site at http://www.microsoft.ca/

Editor's Note: Check this forum thread for the definitive schedule (let's just make this easy for everyone, shall we?!)

http://forums.zune.net/456745/ShowPost.aspx

Follow-Up:

I've discussed with the Grammy Museum and they need to know the number of people attending, cause I'll have to pre-pay for the group tour. If you are certain to be going please let myself or Raiderette 87 know (total number including yourself) by Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

Thanks. Next Friday I'll post up the definitive plan :-)

Worst Case Scenario: We meet up at 11:45am at LA Live. Those who want to do the Grammy Museum on their own can (I highly recommend it). I'll even be more than happy to go with people through the museum. It would take roughly 90 minutes to see everything. Then at 1:30pm we all meet at the nearby Starbucks to talk Zune, music and whatever is on your mind.

[via the Zune Forums]

Zune Marketplace – sign-in and content purchase will be down tonight 10 March, 2009 from 11:00P (PST) – 1:00A (PST) for planned maintenance.

While maintenance is being performed, there will be an interruption of services across Zune.  Functionality should return to normal when the maintenance is complete.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

~the Zune Team

[Editor's Note: I wouldn't go getting my hopes up that this means any new functionality or features... then again, who's gonna listen to me anyway?]

As of right now, there's a plan to have a Zune Meetup at L.A. Live. The ideal itinerary would be to take a group tour of the Grammy Museum, followed by "Coffee & Conversation" at the nearby Starbucks. I speak in generalities because it all depends on level of interest as to the logistics of the group tour.

If you're interested in attending, leave a comment on this post or email me directly.

Date: Saturday, April 4, 2009
Time: 12pm until (roughly) 3pm
Location: L.A. Live (Los Angeles, CA)

For those that missed my interview with Jeff Levy on Sunday, March 8 (yesterday), here is an MP3 that you can download and listen to (feel free to delete it once you're done -- I don't know of too many people that would want this appearing as a play in Zune Social). Well, if you don't want it to appear as a play, use Windows Media Player :-)

Feel free to tell me how horrible I sounded.

So we pulled a name out of the hat and the winner is Deckardk, who informs me that this will be his first Zune device (even though he has been using the software some and joined the Social).

He has won:

• A red 4GB Zune Device (thanks to the Zune team)
• $25 in Microsoft Points
• A One-Year Digital Subscription to Downbeat Jazz Magazine
• The accompanying Downbeat Subscription Gift

I want to thank everyone who participated in the contest. I read through every comment (both good and bad) and found some interesting and well-thought comments and criticisms about jazz music. It didn't matter to me whether you liked the music or not but that you were able to describe your feelings as best you can one way or the other.

Look for more chances to win great prizes from Inside the Circle.

1. What type of Zune do you currently own?  
I rep a black 4GB Zune. Keeping it small and simple :)

2. What have you learned from your friends at Zune Social?
I've learned that it's nearly impossible to find two Zuners with the same music interests, which is great because that means I'm always getting inroduced to new stuff.

3. What made you decide to get a Zune over any other MP3 player?

4. What type of music do you listen to (name as many as necessary -- genres/groups)?

5. What's your favorite thing about Zune (favorite feature)?
Well the Zune Social is great. It's given me the opportunity to explore new bands and genres, which is a truly wonderful thing.

I also really like how the Zune doesn't require a separate charger. I don't have to deal with the frustration of a broken (and expensive) charger *cough*iPod*cough* ;)


6. Where do you use your Zune? Working out? At the office? 
Just about everywhere. I'm still in school and I'm always getting caught with my headphones on in the halls. I also use it when I go running, when I'm writing, doing chores, or just when I'm out and about :)

7. What are some of your hobbies? What's your life like away from Zune Social?
Life is kind of a busy mess right now. School takes up most of my time, but I also work as a waitress/hostess three nights a week.

As far as hobbies go, I'm a huge sports fan. I love basketball, ultimate frisbee, and soccer, but you can catch me playing just about any sport--except maybe golf or tennis haha.

I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm a total (proud) nerd 8D
If I'm not throwing a frisbee or cleaning up dishes, I have my nose in a book. I'm an aspiring journalist with a passion for writing, so I'm constantly working on articles, etc.

Other things I like are politics, music, debate, and sketching.

[source: istartedsomething.com]

Planned Marketing Solutions is a company that's all about branding. They have created renderings of a new in-store Zune display. These displays are ideas on how to better do the current drab WTF? displays that you see in places like Target. Personally I think these are more vibrant and really give Zune some life. They've posted a few of those rendered drawings in their Flickr account.

What do you think of the displays? Kudos to istartedsomething.com for this bit of news.

Another week, another free music wrap-up:

• Spinner.com has a track from Wild Light.
• Dance Music Blog has a mashup featuring Jaydee, Tetraflux, and Robert Armani.
• Obscure Sound has 3 tracks from the Deep Dark Woods.
• Indie Rock Cafe has free tracks from Say Hi, Death Cab For Cutie, and Nada Surf.
• Fingertips has an MP3 from Middle Distance Runner.
• The Walrus serves up some Eternal Summer.
• Fluxblog has a track from These Are Powers.

Until next time...

During the 2009 MVP Global Summit, the Zune Team released an update that added new features to the Zune website. In particular, one new addition is the ability to stream podcasts directly from Zune.net. For podcast enthusiasts and casual listeners this is good news as 12,000 podcasts are now at your fingertips ready for streaming, all for free. All you need are an internet connection, a computer, and Silverlight. Did you know that Silverlight has a Mac compatible plug-in (for Safari and Firefox). So, those of you with OS X can also use Zune.net to satisfy your podcast fix.

 

Navigation

To get to the new podcast section, head to Zune.net and select the ‘Entertainment’ link (formerly ‘Social’) from the top navigation bar. From there, notice ‘podcasts’ on the second row of the navigation bar or the podcast element in the discover section. Or, you could click here.

 

From the podcast homepage, navigating the new podcast section is simple because popular podcasts, top podcasts, and new podcasts are showcased for easy access. Along with these categories is the ability to sort each by audio and video-only content. Also, notice the left hand ‘browse’ column that allows you to dive deeper into Zune’s 12,000 podcast collection.

 

Usage

 

Clicking on either the podcast image or title below the image takes you to the main page of an individual podcast, pictured above. From here, you can play individual episodes by clicking the play button, located to the left of each episode title, listed under the ‘episodes’ heading. You do not need to download an episode to play it. If you do not have Silverlight you will be prompted to install the plug-in before being able to play an episode (get the plug-in). Clicking on a podcast episode title will unveil an episode description, if one is available. If a podcast is labeled as ‘Explicit’ then you will need to be signed into Zune.net in order to listen to the podcast’s content. One usage note, seeking within a podcast episode took a moment to get get accustomed to. Different from the status bar on other social media sites, such as YouTube, you cannot immediately jump around to different time spots within a podcast. You need to wait for the whole episode to finish downloading before being able to jump around freely to different spots within the episode.

Along with streaming episodes from Zune.net, there is some integration with the Zune social. If you find a particular podcast series to be interesting, you can share it with friends by clicking the ‘send’ button to the right of the podcast art. This process is the same as sharing a song on the Zune website. If you were streaming a podcast on a PC other than your Zune’s home PC and happen to come across a podcast you liked, you could send yourself a podcast recommendation that you could act upon when you returned to your home PC. A podcast review section is another social component that allows you to share your thoughts about a particular podcast with the general public. Like it, hate it, or just not that into it, you can review podcasts similar to album reviews on Zune.net.

The individual podcast page also provides deep links to the Zune software. A deep link is a link that, when clicked, will open the Zune software to the corresponding location of the Zune website. These deep links allow you download individual episodes and subscribe to a podcast from the Zune website. Hitting the ‘subscribe’ or ‘download’ button will stop your podcast playback as the Zune website sends your software to the selected podcast page. Clicking ‘download’ or ‘subscribe’ is arbitrary as both buttons will take you to the same Marketplace location, the podcast page. Once the browser returns you the individual podcast page, resuming playback at your previous position can be a little difficult because of the lack of immediate seeking. Remember to jump ahead in an audio podcast, the full episode must be downloaded.

Note: Due to technical reasons, this podcast streaming ability is limited to the US market. Sorry Canada. Zune Thoughts has more on this limitation in their preview of the new Zune.net updates.

vs. Zune 3.1

 

From a functional point of view, immediately evident is the software’s inability to stream podcasts. When using the Zune software video and audio podcasts need to be downloaded before you can listen to them. This gives the Zune website a definite advantage if you want to listen to an audio podcast immediately.

From and aesthetic point of view, the layout of the internet-based podcast homepage is similar to that of the Zune software. The parity between software and website is pleasing. This makes it easier to move between the two environments. On the main page at least, notice how there is a stronger emphasis on recommendations in the Zune software than on the Zune website. While you are the primary recommendation engine on the website, via the podcast reviews section, it appears the Zune Team is the primary recommendation engine within the Zune software, noting the ‘we recommend’ rows for both video and audio content. Also, it seems as if the website is taking a more visual approach, displaying nineteen podcast pictures to the Zune software’s sixteen. However, it is the Zune software that is able to display more information, as it includes rows for recommendations as well as top content columns.

 

Digging deeper into a podcast genre reveals one advantage the website has over the Zune software, larger podcast art. The fact that there is less empty space around the individual podcast episodes, looks better. It makes for a more engaging experience. There should be a simple way to increase the size of the art tiles from within the Zune software, not only for podcast art, but also for album art.

 

Conclusion

As a new feature to Zune.net, streaming audio podcasts is well executed. It is unfortunate that this feature not available in Canada. More and more, it seems like Canadians are missing out on what it means to be a Zune user. The podcast section of the Zune website, is easy to navigate, as its layout is similar to the Zune software. The social components are welcome as they help spread the word about great podcasts, such as Happy Tree Friends, Strong Bad Email, and Wait, wait… don’t tell me! And playing a podcast episode couldn’t be easier; find the podcast you want, play the desired episode, enjoy. Overall this is a great addition to the Zune website that podcast listeners will enjoy as it allows access to audio podcasts in scenarios where having podcasts on a Zune device alone may not prove feasible.

I'm not sure how much news exposure the state of California gets, or what local/state headlines end up being broadcasted on a nation wide scale, (I know the Danielle Van Dam case, the 2003 and 2007 wildfires [the 2003 fires were worse] we had made national and international headlines. As did the Scott Peterson deal), but in case you didn't know, California is in a bit of a money crunch right now. We were supposed to have run out of money as rencently as a few weeks ago..

-- One academic year ago, I was working 16 hours a week on campus.

- I'm now down to six a week.

-- We used to open from nine in the morning and close at five in the afternoon; plenty of hours to go around for the various mentors.

- We open at noon and close four hours later now.

-- The resource center where I work was open Monday through Thursday throughout the semester unless there was a state or federal holiday.

- This was our last week open for the next month. As a college student, I'm one step above homeless regardless of anything else. Now I'm not going to work until after Spring Break 2009 (mid-April).

Others around me are also being affected:

You can check me out on the Jeff Levy radio show this Sunday at 1:30pm (Pacific Time). I will be doing a call-in interview for about 10-15 minutes to discuss being a Microsoft MVP (and possibly more specifcally about being a Zune MVP). I'm quite excited about the interview and I hope I don't come off sounding like a complete idiot. :-)

The show is based out of Southern California, so if you're NOT able to get it on the radio, you can stream the show itself via its website. 

So I've reached the end of the MVP Global Summit and I must say that I've been impressed and enthused by the entire production. The final keynotes today (especially Steve Ballmer -- the man is a ball of energy) were especially great and really showed me (and the rest of the MVPs) where Microsoft, as a company, is going to be taking all of the technologies that are being developed on its campus.

The final sessions yesterday with Zune were also great. I'm sure you've seen on other websites about how they've made an effort on the Support side (if you haven't seen it, check out Zunerama). Essentially the newer Zune devices (read: not the Zune 30) can now have the screen repaired by Microsoft for $79.99. People had always been complaining about that and now there's at least an official way for owners of non-Zune 30s (of which I am now a member -- hahaha!) to have their screens repaired.

So the big question coming out of this conference, especially for those who have stuck by Zune is: Am I excited, enthusiastic and pumped for the future of Zune? Ladies and Gentlemen, it's a resounding yes! 2009 will be a fantastic (read: FANTASTIC) year for Zune owners and you'll definitely have things to brag to your friends about and you'll be even more proud to be part of the Zune camp. I know that going into this thing, we were all somewhat worried about Zune given all of the information and articles that were out there, but I can tell you that:

1. They've been listening to you and what you have to say.
2. They have a vision for where they want all of this to lead to.
3. They are very very jazzed about the offerings that they will be bringing to you in this year.

I hope everyone has had a chance to check out the new "little steps" that Zune took with zune.net: the streaming audio podcasts and the music quiz. Send me notices about your quizzes: I would love to see what I really know about you guys. I myself will be doing my quiz when I get back from Seattle on Friday.

So take heed, everyone! Zune is around and in 2009 its gonna kick ass!

I like The Game. He’s pretty good as far as rappers go, he sounds like Dr. Dre and has GREAT beats. Thanks to Zune Pass I was able to check out his entire discography and keep the tracks that I liked in my local collection. However, about two months ago something happened.  Two of the tracks on Doctor’s Advocate that were available through Zune Pass, suddenly were not. Interrupting my appreciation for The Game was the unwelcome C00D27E1 error (content no longer available in Zune Marketplace).

The same happened with two tracks from Shwayze’s self-titled debut album.  Track 5 and track 6 which were once available through Zune Pass are no longer available for subscripted download. If you’ll notice, these “problem” tracks are at the bottom of both album’s ‘most played’ listing. I wonder why…

Somebody is messing with my music again. =(

At first I hoped these unavailable tracks were an album specific issue. However, considering the length of time the problem has persisted, I am led to believe something has changed with the albums’ licensing agreements. I must admit I never posted this as an issue in the content issues sub-forum. Don’t you wish you were at least notified when tracks in your collection were on their way out the door?

Ever since November 19th 2008, Zune Pass + Keep 10 (see how it works)  has allowed me to get what I need. Now, standing by my vow to acquire my music by other means is easier to effect. Since I like The Game more than I like Shwayze I went ahead and used two credits to purchase the two tracks off of his Doctor’s Advocate album. Honestly, I don’t feel like owning Shwayze, so I suppose I can kiss those two tracks goodbye until they come back to Zune Pass.

Remember my issue with Plastilina Mosh? I went ahead and purchased the album, with credits, so I wouldn’t have to deal with future availability issues. I’m curious, am I the only one who has been compelled to use my credits to combat Zune Pass availability issues as opposed to purely liking an album enough to keep it?

Another week another Rookie video advertisement from Microsoft. These Rookie videos seem to try to display a more human side of an operating system. We all know Microsoft does big business well, with incredible scalability and enterprise support. But what about the individual? How accommodating and how easy can a Windows PC be to little tyke as opposed to a big business? These 30 second spots try to show that even the youngest of people can use a PC for simple tasks. I think they try to say Windows is not the impossible unusable monster people make it out to be. Overall, they do a good job in making their point.

What is interesting to note is that Adam is 8, making him the oldest kid yet featured in one of these 30 second spots. Also, as Marques noted before, there is a strong emphasis on Windows Live Photo Gallery. Although the end of the ad says “Window Live Photo Gallery,” look at the program Adam uses to make his slideshow. It is not Windows Live Photo Gallery. It is actually the regular version of Windows Movie Maker that shipped with Vista. Odd…

When I was reading comments about this video over on Gizmodo, some found Adam’s voice to be creepy because it was so deep. Is it time to move beyond the Photo Gallery (perhaps to Movie Maker)? Is the kid’s voice too deep? I mean how can you say no to cute and cuddly, but are these commercials doing it for you?

Check out this and other ads within the Life Without Walls / I’m a PC campaign over at the Window-Videos MSN Video Page.

Check out the press release featuring Toby Richards (pictured), Microsoft General Manager of Community and Online Support and a couple of the Microsoft MVPs about the MVP program.

On another note about the reach of MVPs and the program, I might be doing a radio interview this Sunday with the "Jeff Levy on Computers" radio show in Southern California. It would be a phone interview regarding me and the MVP program. Nothing is set in stone, but I've relayed that I'm interested (and available) for the interview if necessary. Check back for more details on that, if they occur :-)

So I've completed Day 1 of the MVP Summit. There is some great stuff coming out of Zune for this year. I can tell you that I'm very excited about 2009 and what is going to be happening for Zune users. For those that followed me on Twitter, you got the breaking story that zune.net is getting a refresh tomorrow that will include a couple of things: streaming podcasts via the website -- meaning that you will be able to sample the podcast of your choice through the site itself (this is US only, sorry Canada) and the other is the long-awaited Music Quiz -- you will now be able to set up little tests for other Zune Social users about you and your musical tastes.

The MVPs were also given these awesome Zune tote bags and shirts so if you see me walking around with one of these you'll also see a huge smile on my face cause they're pretty stylish. Having a chance to listen to key people within Zune offer up their thoughts on where they'd like Zune to go makes me glad to be a part of it.

So go ahead and get some sleep tonight. Wake up in the morning and check out the new features of zune.net. Please feel free to send me the questions that you'll use for your Social quiz. If I'm a friend of yours already I would love to take the quiz and see how much about my Social friends I know already.

Alrighty, guys. Have a good night. We have another hot day of in-depth sessioning to do :-)

No that’s not me doing a test post or generating some random code. That represents an error that some Zune users get when they’re trying to install the software. The knowledge base that tries to address the situation offers some suggestions, but a member of Zune Social has taken upon himself to create an automated file that attempts to fix the problem for you. I've seen first hand, via forum posts, that this can be a frustrating error to fix.

The Zune Social member, MisterMcD, created a program called Zune Prep which makes some fixes in your computer’s registry and files to help the Zune software install more smoothly.

So if you’re seeing this, while trying to install:

Installation Failed
Setup must stop because the required package 'Zune' failed to install.
Operation 'InstallDriver' has finished with result 0x80070643
Operation 'RemoveDriver' has finished with result 0x80004005
DIFXAPP: Rollback failed with error 0x2


Error Code: 0x80070643

Click here and check out this fix.

I would like to announce the winner of the Inside the Circle survey for Zune contest. It's Talyn328. He wins $50 in Microsoft Points. I would also like to tell everyone that there will be plenty of other contests down the road so keep at it (you never know) and take heart that the comments/suggestions you left in the survey will be put to good use in helping me (as an MVP) relay to Zune what the community is thinking.

Congratulations, again, to Talyn328!

Check out the official press release for the 2009 MVP Summit.

So the 2009 Global Summit started off with a welcome and keynotes. The keynote speaker, Rich Kaplan, gave us an overview of the importance of the MVP Program and how our feedback (Sorry, Fosmire!) and input from you, the community, help shape the direction of Microsoft products, goods and services. Afterwhich, we were all treated to a networking session to meet other MVPs.

I finally got to meet Ms. Drea who is one of the most awesome people ever and I finally was able to give her a gift that I picked up for her from Japan. Plus, I was able to hang out with some of the MVPs from the XBOX group. Watching them talk and play HALO is priceless.

Now, we begin the 2-day in-depth session fest (and this is where the NDA really starts to kick in). I'll try to give at least a general sense of what I'm feeling coming out of these sessions, but don't expect anything that could go against my Non-Disclosure Agreement.

By the way, you all can check out my twitpic (as well as my twitter) to see Non-NDA sights and sounds from the Global Summit.

Prior to the start of the 2009 MVP Global Summit, I had a chance to check out one of the hip hotspots in Downtown Seattle. The venue is called Trinity and it's located in Seattle's Pioneer Square. From the outside, you wouldn't think Trinity was that big. However, once you walk inside Trinity boasts 4 different rooms, several bars and a host of dancing men and women enjoying the night away.

However, I didn't realize that Trinity was such a meat market. Don't get me wrong, I'm a guy. I can appreciate a good looking girl like the next guy, but when it's drizzling outside (especially in SEATTLE!) you really need to go for comfort versus flaunt. Some girls just didn't get the memo and came more dressed for the Adult Entertainment Expo than a night at Trinity (or maybe that *is* how they spend a night at Trinity). In any event, as long as everyone was having a good time that's all that matters, right?

My evening at Trinity was hosted by Jessica Zahn, a member of the Zune team and her hubby John. It's one of the places that they frequent so last night was a chance to experience it first hand. I was also joined by fellow Zune MVP Grahm Skee (of AnythingButiPod) who was just as into the electronic music as Jessica.

Now I have to admit, I grew up on hip-hop, rap, jazz, rhythm and blues and music like that. When I initially walked into Trinity, the song playing was New Edition. I like New Edition, but I couldn't tolerate being in that room for more than 2 minutes. When I got into the Electronic room, it was like I was home (*tear* your little boy is growing up and dancing out of the box!)

However, today (Sunday) is now about getting down to business. We officially kick off the 2009 MVP Global Summit. Actually as you reach the end of this particular post, know that when I finished typing it I headed out to have some food and then register/check in. We get to have a welcome keynote today plus network with other MVPs, fellow Zune MVPs and our MVP Leads from Microsoft.

 "The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix)" Artist: Morgan Page // Album: The Longest Road Pick this song up @ Zune Marketplace