Shopping made easy.

Good point about the decision-making process that should go into buying an MP3 player, Ralph. Only problem with that is that I doubt many people do it.

Think about it for a moment. Most people buying an MP3 player as a gift are going to consider three things:

1. What the person asked for.
2. What they've heard of.
3. What they can afford.

Guess who wins? Hint -- it's named after a fruit.

Seriously, iPods are "cool" -- people want them (#1). Everybody's heard of them, even your 78-year old grandmother (#2). They come at a lot of different price points (#3).
Can gift-giving get any easier? That's not an endorsement of iPods -- just a look at reality.

And by the way, what about this statement: "Buy something with a hard drive for someone into running track, and you're giving them a player that will soon be on the fritz." Sounds like a generalization to me -- got some supporting evidence that the HDD in iPods doesn't hold up?

On the subject of memes, I hope Orange County can turn it around. Maybe the band can learn that Chumbawamba song, "I get knocked down, but I get up again..."

On second thought, better not.

Ken