Maven

I am going to buy an mp3 player. I know iPod's are much more popular, but I'm not sure how I feel about iTunes. What do you guys think is better? And WHY?

I NEED HELP!!!! I listen to music at work to get me through the day. I am looking for a good mp3 player. What I am looking for (in order of importance)...

I have a lot of music, and need an mp3 player with a good amount of storage (at least 16 GB, but preferably 32 or 64 GB or more)

I want to be able to organize my songs by artist, album, etc.

I want to be able to create different music playlists

I wouldn't mind a video screen, but its not that important and wouldn't want to pay considerably more for one. Same goes for a touch screen.

I don't want something very expensive (definitely under $200), and will probably buy from amazon or used on ebay.

FM radio would be a plus, but not necessary. AM radio would be even better (not sure if they make ones with AM radio). I listen to Mike and Mike on ESPN, and I know they have a podcast for this as well. Do I need an iPod to get podcasts, or can they be converted to any mp3 player (sorry I don't know much about iPods)?

I have nothing against iPod's, they just seem to be much more expensive and I don't think I need all the features they offer. I would listen to a couple podcasts, but that's about it. And I will likely get an iPhone in a couple months, so I just need something to get me by until then.

Lastly, the size does not matter at all, as I won't be jogging/working out with it on, just having it sit on my desk at work.

ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED AND I WILL CHOOSE A BEST ANSWER!

THANK YOU!

Is it just because the NBA wants more points scored to draw more fans? Do they want their "stars" to shine brighter by letting them get away with illegal offensive moves? It is not enjoyable to watch. I am a huge fan of the talent level in the NBA, but watching guys break the rules and have it not be called is mind-boggling. These are some of the best refs in the world, and they cannot see a travel that everybody in the stands and on TV sees? And even worse than never calling a travel, is selectively calling a travel. Why would they call one travel a violation, but not another travel a violation? That brings the league's credibility into issue, and I'm not even talking about the "star treatment" aspect of enforcing the rules. Just some times they call it and some times they don't. Why?

PLAYERS TRAVEL BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. AS SOON AS THE REFS START CALLING ALL TRAVELS, THE PLAYERS WILL STOP TRAVELING EVERY TIME THEY MAKE AN OFFENSIVE MOVE.

This is a serious issue for the NBA. I would estimate there are at least 5-10 traveling calls in every game that are not called. And they are not missed. EVERYBODY SEES THEM! But for some reason, the refs CHOOSE to swallow their whistles for some unknown reason, and it pisses me off! It is getting way too easy for guys like LeBron to lower their shoulder, run down the lane while traveling, create some contact, and draw a foul call after clearly traveling. And don't even get me started on the "continuation" rule. That is for another day.

PLEASE HELP ME!!! I have a HP dv9000 laptop which turns on. All the blue lights are on on the laptop. It has battery supply, etc. When my laptop loads and takes me to the page where I can sign in as a "guest" or with my password as the "owner", neither works. I have tried my password or just clicking guest and it will display a rotating circle like windows is thinking for about a minute or two, and then it just sends me back to the login page again. I have restarted multiple times and get the same thing. I have tried booting up in safe mode and same thing. Or I have also gotten to "Startup Repair" where is says my computer was unable to start and startup repair is checking my system for problems. Then is says "attempting repairs", then something like "repairs cannot be made", then it says click "finish" to exit and to turn off your computer. Is my hard drive shot? Would the login page still load if my hard drive was shot? Or do I just have a virus? Please help! Thank you!

I took my 1 1/2 year old dog outside this morning and he was running around playing in the snow and having fun. He did take two poops, which looked kinda soft (not diarehea though), but that is not too uncommon for him. I went to the store for about an hour and came back and he just didn't seem right. He would lay there and whine (which he does when he wants to go outside.) He is a very active dog and was not moving too much. I took him outside, but he came in and continued to whine/cry. He sounded like he was in some pain (different than his usual whine). I tried figuring out what is wrong with him. He just sits down and doesn't want to "lay" down. When I get him to lay down, it seems like he is in pain. I thought something might have been wrong with his leg or hip because it seems like he is hurting when he moves (mostly laying down, but not while walking although he is walking/moving much slower). I took him outside again a few hours later to see how he would move and he was jogging around the yard and he didn't look like he was limping or anything. I also have moved his legs in all different directions and he doesn't let out any signs of pain when I play with his legs/hips. However, he is a pit bull mix so he probably has a high pain tolerance. It seems like he is in pain mostly when he tries to lay down, not while walking or sitting. He is big for a pit bull (about 75-80 pounds) so I am wondering if it is a hip problem? But he is only a year and a half and in very good shape (I exercise him every day). He is an extremely strong dog and I am wondering if maybe he pulled a muscle? All the signs point to a pulled muscle except that he moves around the yard pretty well (he wasn't sprinting, but there is about a foot of snow and he was kinda "marching" and jogging through it). Something is definitely wrong with him. I am wondering if he is sick or hurt? I was worried about bloat, but he hasn't eaten anything all day and he was fine yesterday. He even refused to eat treats, but has since eaten a very small amount of dry food. He is drinking water though.

So basically I have a couple of questions:

1) What can be hurt in a dogs leg (something like twisting an ankle or knee?) (I know dogs don't have ankles!) Does it sound like he could have pulled a muscle? (That would be my most likely guess)

2) If a dog pulled a muscle or twisted something in its leg, could they still move/jog around the yard without signs of pain? (He is a pitbull so his pain tolerance is probably higher than most dogs even though he is really a big baby)

3) Why would my dog only be hurting when it tries to lay down, but not walk? (This is why I think there might be something wrong with his stomach? but I don't know) Cuz when he lays down, his stomach stretches and he seems hurt, but maybe it is his leg that is hurting.

4) What kinds of sicknesses can a dog get? It almost seems like he has the flu. I would guess he is just sick (because of refusing to eat, not a lot of energy, moping around, keeping head down) if it wasn't for the crying he makes when he goes from sitting to laying down. Also, when he is laying down his back legs were shaking uncontrollably pretty bad. That is when I was trying to examine him. He continued to shake for several hours (not non-stop of course. just when he was lying down on his stomach.) The shaking has me pretty worried because he has never done that before except for maybe a few times when he was scared. He has since layed down (on his side which is more comfortable) and is not shaking. He only seems to shake in his back legs when he is lying on his stomach (when he goes from sitting to laying).

Additional details: Not every time my dog lays down does he seem like he is in pain. Right now he just layed down without a problem. Also, he let out painful crying/whining sounds while just sitting there earlier, but then when he went to lay down it went almost to a high-pitched shreak which scared me. He seems like he is hurt. Would a dog cry/shreak if it was sick/ill or is he definitely hurt?

Finally, I want to see if my dog gets better by tomorrow before I take him to a vet. Also, I don't know what is wrong with him so I'm not sure if the vet could help him. I don't feel like paying hundreds of dollars for X-rays to see if he could have broken something (I'm pretty sure he didn't).

So if your only advice is "Please take your dog to a vet", then please refrain from posting. Any ideas of what could be wrong or if something similar has happened to your medium/large breed dog (especially pit bulls) then please give me some ideas. If I had to guess I would say he is either sick or pulled a muscle? Are these possible? I heard dogs don't get colds so I don't know what to think.

Thanks for reading all this. 10 points best answer. Thanks in advance!!

I know that the Bears can win the NFC North by winning their last two against Green Bay and Houston AND a Vikings loss to the Giants. I was wondering how or if the Bears can make the playoffs if the Vikings beat the Giants. Even if the Bears win out and finish 10-6, would the Cowboys (9-6) and Bucs (9-6) also BOTH need to lose to the Eagles and Raiders respectively? I would think that if the Bucs beat the Raiders and finish 10-6 then they would have the tiebreaker against the Bears cuz they beat the Bears in overtime earlier this year? Is this correct?

What is the NFL rule for a TD? In the Steelers game, when he caught the ball at the end and his feet were in the endzone it was a TD right? Doesn't it have to be possession of the ball and 2 feet OR possession of the ball and the ball breaks the plane? It was a TD right?

As for how the refs could say the the Steelers got a 1st down in the 1st half and upheld it after the challenge is beyond me. It was an easy call cuz it was right after a touchback so they needed to reach the 30. They didn't even come close. They ruled on the field 1st down and somehow upheld it. WTF is the point of replay if you can't get it right while looking at the video?

Larry Hughes sucks! I don't like Gooden and his Rasta Goatee either, but we do need big men. Are there any decent guys available that can score inside. Aaron Gray is decent, but he is not a starting center on a championship caliber team. The Bulls have good depth. Who can they package for a good center? What good centers are available, given what the Bulls have to offer (Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, Noah, Sefolosha, Nocioni, Hughes, Gooden)? Pretty much anybody is tradable except for Derrick Rose. We need to package 2-4 good players for a great one.

I don't like shaving with a razor because it irritates my skin. I also have had trouble with shaving with an electric razor because the hair on my neck grows in different directions and it doesn't shave evenly with electric. So I just use a beard trimmer with no guard to get the 5 o'clock shadow look. I like a beard trimmer that will trim very close to the face. No guards necessary. What is the best beard trimmer for a close shave that cuts smooth? Please tell me brand and model number and if you have personal experience. Thanks!

I know these treats are high in protein but wasn't sure if the ingredients are all ok for a dog. The ingredients listed in order (but not in entirety) are: Gelatin, Wheat Protein Isolate, Glycerin, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Vegetable Oil(Preserved with Propyl Gallate), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Lecithin, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Monostearate, Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids, Choline Chloride, Potassium Sorbate.

I don't even know what most of that stuff is. Are these not only ok for dogs, but actually good for them. I know my dog likes them. Also, why are they so damn expensive (especially for large and jumbo sizes)? THANKS!

Also, is this picture real?

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachment.php?attach...

My dog got sprayed by a skunk last week. He didn't get sprayed too bad, but he got some in his face and mouth. Ever since then he has had diarrhea. After the first couple days I figured that might be normal cuz he got skunk juice in his mouth and that stuff is nasty and probably upset his stomach. But now he is still having diarrhea although it is getting better. What could possibly be wrong with him?

If you don't know the answer, please don't comment. Yes, I know I should take him into the vet, but I don't have the money right now and he isn't seriously ill.

Ok, let me explain. I have to take a drug test and I know that I can't pass it. So I am going to use somebody else's piss who is clean. I know, genius right? I am going to store the piss in a non-lubricated condom and bring it in to the test.

Being that there is a temperature reading on the bottle, my question is: should I wear a tight T-shirt under a sweatshirt and keep the condom in my arm pit or should I wear tighty whities and keep it in my underwear. I know your body is 98.6 degrees, but which part do you think will better retain the warmth. How long do you think the piss will stay above 90 degrees or so. Thanks in advance!

My pit bull got sprayed by a skunk in my backyard. I read about using hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda and dish soap to remove the odor. (I read this at credible sources). My question is: Are all those ingredients safe to put on my dogs coat?

I also read the hydrogen peroxide can bleach or discolor, or otherwise stain the dogs coat. My dog has a black coat. Is it possible his coat could be discolored or bleached by the hydrogen peroxide? Please only respond if you know what you are talking about. Thanks in advance!

My pit bull got sprayed by a skunk in my backyard. I read about using hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda and dish soap to remove the odor. My question is: Are all those ingredients safe to put on my dogs coat?

I also read the hydrogen peroxide can bleach or discolor, or otherwise stain the dogs coat. My dog has a black coat. Is it possible his coat could be discolored or bleached by the hydrogen peroxide? Thanks in advance!

I understand that if many of these companies fail that the society will fall into a recession/depression. But these corporations are in this position because of bad choices (ie lending money to people who can't pay). Now we (the american people) are going to pay $700 BILLION to help these corporations because of their own mistakes. How come the people who bought houses they couldn't afford don't get bailed out by the corporations that lent them the money?

Is this guy the biggest moron in the NFL? I mean, this isn't the first time he has done something like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7hbzpZilJE

I don't know how people can compare this to Leon Lett. His fumble in the superbowl was due to a great play by Don Beebe and Lett didn't purposely fumble trying to look "cool". DeSean Jackson is a dumb@$$.

What is the biggest run a team has had to start an NBA game while shutting out the other team? I think a couple teams got in the 20's within the past couple years, but does anybody know all time? I really need to know. Thanks in advance.

What is the biggest run a team has had to start an NBA game while shutting out the other team? I think a couple teams got in the 20's within the past couple years, but does anybody know all time?

What team has the best chance of winning ATS (against the spread) in week 2 of the 2008 NFL season?

Also please say why you think that....