Now, I work in the computer industry so I know that sometimes ish happens and you just have to reboot the offending piece of technology. On rebooting my xbox I get a quaint little error message written in about 13 different languages and I look down and *GASP* I have the infamous Red Ring of Death.

So I shout a curse at Microsoft, make another double Vodka Sprite, and quickly update my twitter account. After a few minutes I calm down a bit and realize that we do live in a 100+ yr old house without air-conditioning and that it was over 90 degrees during the day and is still quite warm. I decide to chalk it up to the weak cooling system of the 360 and the heat from the day and will play around with it in the morning.

The next morning, I get the Red Ring again and hate my life. Which is weird because I hardly ever use my Xbox and hadn’t intended to play it at all that day. So now I’m stuck with trying to figure out how to proceed. Over the last year and a half I’ve heard nothing but horror stories from people that try to send their xbox’s back to M$ to get repaired only to have them returned still broken.

What are my options:

1. Setup a RMA with Microsoft.

2. Check in with Best Buy to determine what my warranty options are.

3. Open the xbox up (thus voiding the warranty) and see if I can repair the problem myself.

My only “legitimate” time constraint is the release of Gears of War 2. So as long as the situation is resolved by November I should be okay. I’ll just have to cope with the fact that I can no longer play Guitar Hero 1, 2, 3 or 80′s edition while drinking until the situation is resolved.

Contacting Best Buy is my first course of action. At the time of purchase Best Buy tried to sell me their extended warranty and I gave it serious thought. I’m pretty sure I bought it because I remember thinking how much easier it would be just to return the item to the local Best Buy for repair or replacement rather than sending it to M$ multiple times. Especially when, at the time, some estimates put the Xbox 360 DOA or failure rates at around 30% (I believe its gotten a lot better with later rev’s of the console).

If for some reason I didn’t pick the smart move and buy the additional warranty from Best Buy then I will have to go through Microsoft. Then depending on how their customer service is will determine if I need to take matters into my own hands to meet my November deadline.

I lied. I know what a Chumby us and I’ve toted with the idea of getting one, but this cemented it.

The things are ultra- useful and I have to admit, they give dynamo gymnast Shawn Johnson a run for her well-earned money in the cute department.

Check it – www.chumby.com

People around the world who use their beefy home computers to do what their pared-down ThinkPads won’t can rejoice. No longer will PowerPoint presos sit on a laptop at home next to that questionable bit of downloaded material (DRM anyone?).

Computerworld dropped a bit of knowledge about a new(ish since it’s been alive in the server world for a while) Intel Technology dubbed “Remote Wake Technology.”

The technology allows remote users to ping a computer via motherboard-embedded technologies and retrieve files.

I’d sure like to do this rather than sign into our wonky VPN to retrieve files. Believe that.

Yet I find myself in the position of having enough disposable income to buy shiny new things and I also happen to work in the technology industry. It is now several years into my post-collegiate career and I have a very good job and a lot of “fancy” electronics. However, one thing distresses me …. why is managing your digital life such a pain in the butt? Oh, you know what I’m talking about. The myth of “cross-platform” solutions and how technology is going to make your life easier. If you’ve ever worked with iTunes on a Windows computer you know what I’m talking about.

I won’t lie to you … this series of posts will probably turn into a rant. My intention, however is to try and elicit valuable feedback. For over a year now I’ve tried to find a way to turn my life into Minority Report. A life where all your electronics and requisite personal devices play nice together, seamlessly integrate and are super-intuitive (and where you manipulate your computer with your hand and the air). A life where I can manage everything for my job and my personal life in a very simple yet powerful way. I’ve religiously subscribed to the RSS feeds of sites like Lifehacker which are aimed at improving your “Get-It-Done-idness” but I’m still left feeling empty inside.

I’m just going to throw a couple of random gadgets at you and see what comes to mind:

1. iPhone
2. Generic non-apple mp3 player
3. World of Warcraft
4. Microsoft Windows
5. MacBook Pro

Ouch right? You can use the iPhone with your MacBook and maybe even your generic mp3 player but you’re screwed if you want to sync music to both of them. You use M$ Windows at work but you only have your Apple at home which means you may be screwed if you want to bring work home with you. And I personally don’t know about the system requirements of World of Warcraft (as I have yet to follow Alice down that rabbit hole) but most video games have a problem running on Macs.

Welcome to my world and welcome to my pain. Alcohol helps but you may not enjoy the ride. In a series of posts I will bring to surface problems that I face from day-to-day; some of which I’ve overcome and some of which I haven’t. Feel free to leave comments with useful tips as the collective from the intarwebs definitely knows more than me and perhaps we can help others in the process. Or you can just be that guy/gal and start flaming us. Choose your own adventure.

Is this a play at broadening their steps into cloud-based computing or simply a land grab in an are known for cheap power, land and friendly lawmakers willing to kick a few ducketts back to large companies bringing “business” (and I use that term loosely, since many of them don’t know these datacenters won’t create many jobs in the area beyond the inital construction jobs) to the area.

Other companies said to be shopping for (and taking) space in the Greater Wenatchee area: TMobile, Yahoo, Microsoft. That’s just word around the local watering holes.

Read more about it at TechTarget, via the Wenatchee World.

Apparently, anyone who enters Intel’s Ultimate Geek contest and walks away with their grand prize and the Ultimate Geek monniker can clearly make a case that they are the master of microprocessors, the Prince of Perl, the Sultan of… OK, that’s enough.

If you’re going to be in SFO for Intel’s Developer Forum in Aug., do yourself a favor and throw your hat in the ring.

Hit the link for more info.

Ultimate Geek

I have to say, so far things are great.

We’ll see how things turn out.

In 2008 the world is becoming increasinlgy more in tune with the technical as the digital divide gets smaller and smaller. People who can’t boot their computers are walking around with iPhones and kids know what Ubuntu is.

This blog is meant to sit at the crossroads of the absolute technophiles and the everyday Joes with an iPhone and a dream. This is… One Finite Loop.

We’ll be joined by my cohort Jon who actually works on the hardware side of the tech industry so he can offer insights that go beyond my “hey, look something shiny” marketing perspective. We’ll even try to bring in some guest bloggers along the way.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.