You buy some software that says it works on PC and Mac.  You are a PC nerd, so, naturally, you throw it on your computer and go to town.

Then, one day, you buy a Mac.  You break out that software, all rip-roarin’ and ready to go, and it won’t activate.  You e-mail the company, asking for a bit of assistance, and describe your entire issue… including the PC-to-Mac part.  They say that they’ll be able to help, but only if you call their activation line.

‘No worries,’ you figure.  So, you call ‘em up, and tell the issue in full detail to the very nice (and marginally inept) rep on the phone.  He puts you on hold for a few minutes, and, as you listen to really crappy hold music, you wait, checking up on some e-mail and whatnot.

The rep comes back on, and asks if you’ve switched from PC to Mac.  “Why, yes,” you say, trying very hard not to follow that up with, “I ALREADY BLOODY TOLD YOU THAT!!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir,” he replies, “but once you’ve installed the software on a Windows system, you can’t activate it for Mac.  It’s locked.”

Now, I’ve seen some pretty stupid End User License Agreements (EULA) before, but this is above and beyond my usual level of idiocy.  Locking a user into one platform or another?  Man, that’s freakin’ lame.

The part of all this that killed me?  I told them that I switched from PC to Apple at the start, which, you know, coulda saved me a bunch of time on hold and whatnot.  But, no, that woulda been way too convienient.

Oh, well.  In the end, I threw the software on my Vista box and, although it can’t use the Aero interface and is being kinda whiny, it’ll do.  And, in case you were wondering, the product that caused this fun situation was Macromedia (now Adobe) Studio MX 2004.  Oh, and the new version of the product has the same OS restraint, sadly, which is stupid.

On that note, it’s off to bed.  G’night.

Newsarama reports that Warner Bros. (who own DC Comics) has approved development of a Lego Batman video game, in the spirit of Lego Star Wars.  The game should be out in the Summer of 2008, to coincide with the sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight.

Check out the article for more info.

Seems that a company called PDASmart is offering a hard drive replacement for 5G iPods, allowing you to finally kick up your iPod’s storage space to 100GB. You can either get the DIY kid for the 60/80GB iPod for $275, or mail it in for $10 more. For those of you with a 30GB player, there isn’t a DIY kit for you… you gotta pony up $300 for the service.

Or, you know, you could just go buy another iPod. Since $275 for 20GB of storage and a hearty helping of warranty voiding is just a little bit stupid.

You can check out this gem via iLounge, where I first found the story.

Go.  Watch.  Thank me later.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, this week marked the death of my formerly-reliable Compaq laptop. It had been through a lot, and eventually the power connector on the back of it just gave up.

A moment of silence for the Compaq, please.

Thank you.

Anyway, since I can’t go that long without a laptop (what with it being a requirement for two of my classes and all), I picked up the mid-level MacBook. Despite my status as “Mac Slut,” this is only my second Apple computer, the first being a first-generation Mac Mini, and is my first Apple computer that has some real power to it.

However, despite being a “Mac Slut,” I have, for most of my life, been a Microsoft Fanboy. Yes, I think Steve Balmer is a tool, and Bill Gates sounds like Kermit The Frog, and Windows is usually the most unreliable operating system out there, but I still stood by my Redmond masters. I’ve used ‘em all at some point… from 3.1 to Vista, with a sprinkling of Microsoft Bob for good measure. Heck, I stayed loyal during the disaster that was Windows ME.

If that ain’t commitment, I don’t know what is.

But, once I got my Mini, that all seemed to change. My loyalty swayed (quickly, might I add) to Apple, and I never looked back.

The question in my mind, however, is now that I’m using a Mac as my main PC, will I still feel that way? Will I restart the computer into Windows very often, going back to the system that I am most familiar with? Will I stop asking questions and get on with it?

For the next few days or so, I will be posting about how my switch to pretty-damn-near-exclusive Mac use is going, and the observations I’ve made. And, since I’ve decided to start this on day three, I present says one and two after the break for your reading pleasure.

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The University of Nebraska, in an unusual move, is sending the RIAA a bill for the amount of time they’ve wasted dealing with the Recording Industry’s insane demands.

A school, actually taking the side of students? Holy crap!

Check the article out by clicking the link. Somewhere. Digg is posting this for me, so I don’t know where it’ll show up.

read more | digg story

iLounge has a pretty decent article today featuring the top ten reasons you probably don’t need the Apple TV just yet.

That being said, the Apple TV looks super-swank, so maybe you should just buy one as a conversation piece. Especially if your name rhymes with “Mill Rates.”

I gave in and bought the mid-level MacBook to replace my now-dead Compaq.

Now, watch as in 15 days (riiiiight after the end of the return policy) as Apple refreshes the line.

You heard it here first!

Did you ever own a laptop where the power connector to the motherboard started to go on the fritz, leaving it running entirely on the battery power that wouldn’t last more than an hour?

Well, if so, you should start welcoming me to your world.

My nifty little Compaq laptop is taking a crap, which makes it all the more difficult to update this blog (what with my other computer being in my basement) and, more importantly, makes doing things for school (which requires that everyone in my major have a laptop) super-annoying.

So, I have a choice to make: Do I (A) wait three to four weeks for my laptop to be repaired, (B) try and ‘trade in’ that laptop, putting the cost of the laptop toward a shiny new MacBook, or (C) pray that I become rich in the next 24 hours, buy a MacBook outright, and send the other computer out for repair, giving it to my mother for Mother’s Day until she can score a MacBook of her own?

Well, I suppose that you’ll all find out when I do… until such time, eTM may not be updated as “daily” as I strive for.  Not that “daily” has really meant “daily” for a while, but hopefully I’ll get back to it soon.

The official Marvel press release (via Newsarama.com):

United Arab Emirate-based Al Ahli Group and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) announced today a partnership that will bring Marvel’s full library of Super Heroes — including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer — to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG. The development is in line with the vision set by HH Shk. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, through his innovative entertainment and hospitality driven expansion projects for Dubai and the UAE.

The Al Ahli Group, under the leadership of Chairman Nasser Ali Khammas and driven by the idea and dedication of CEO Mohamed Khammas, is poised to bring the region’s first and only global theme park destination directly to the heart of the Emirates. AAG and Marvel are also in initial stages of discussions about additional projects throughout the greater Pan Arabia region.

AAG has been in discussions for more than two years with the owners of the world’s top intellectual properties in the entertainment arena and is extremely proud of its new long-term partnership with the world renowned Marvel brand. The Project will open in 2011 with a direct investment of over $1 billion USD. The creative team, which consists of some of the most spectacular creative minds from around the globe, will be based in Hollywood, Orlando and Dubai throughout the four year development process. New technology and unparalleled visitor experiences will be the hallmark of the theme park, creating a new standard for theme parks around the world.

David Maisel, Chairman of Marvel Studios and a member of the Office of the Chief Executive, Marvel Entertainment, said, “We are launching a long term relationship with the Al Ahli Group to bring the Marvel Universe to Dubai with this exciting new theme park development. Al Ahli Group has both an impressive team of theme park, entertainment and hospitality executives and the financial strength to leverage that expertise into a world-class destination resort experience unparalleled in the region. We are very pleased to be a part of this exciting initiative and look forward to a successful partnership with Mohamed Khammas and the Al Ahli Group.”

Mohamed Khammas, CEO of Al Ahli Group commented “Al Ali Group’s partnership with Marvel Entertainment serves a long pursued quest of creating the ultimate entertainment destination for families and children of the region and the world, a destination where they can live their childhood fantasies and create new memories for the entire family to cherish and remember. Family destinations have not evolved in Pan Arabia and thus it’s time that we cater to that demand and make the investment required for global tourism.

“Marvel is a brand that is recognized globally via its ever expanding list of ‘Super Hero’ characters. Now, it won’t be much longer until the children in Pan Arabia and the world can experience new and exciting rides with Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four and many other Super Heroes right here in the UAE.

“This partnership is a result of the appreciation and loyalty that Marvel has internationally, and was realized through the dedication and management of the Marvel team led by my friend David Maisel. Without his personal efforts and dedication, it would have been a long time before the world would be able to experience the Marvel Super Heroes in what we aim to be the best entertainment destination in the world. In 2011, Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel Super Heroes will set their first steps in Dubai.”

How long before FOX News starts asking if this is why Marvel killed Captain America?