The Chronic Consumer

My local public library has a terrific program whereby patrons can “borrow” ebooks and audiobooks online. This is all done through the library’s website, where a valid library card number allows me to access a decent-sized collection of electronic material.

The only problem is that a majority of the library’s audiobook collection comes in WMA format — which is unreadable by Apple iPods. Since I have an iPod, there were only a few ways I could listen to those files. I could buy a different device, listen while sitting at my computer, or burn the files to audio CDs. None of those alternatives is very attractive, so I decided to get some software to handle the WMA to MP3 conversion process.

It has been a looong time since I’ve purchased software, because most stuff is available for free on certain websites or as free trials. But all of the free WMA to MP3 conversion programs only convert the first 3 minutes of a file — completely useless when dealing with audiobooks.

So after checking some reviews and looking at affordability, ease of use, and effectiveness, I purchased the Daniusoft WMA to MP3 Converter program for $25 plus a buck and change in sales tax.

The Daniusoft converter is quite simple to use. After getting a registration key via email and installing the program, I was ready to start converting files. All I had to do was find the appropriate WMA files on my computer, import them into the Daniusoft program, select my output file choice (MP3, MPEG-4, FLAC, WAV, and a bunch of others), and hit the start button. Piece of cake!

The Daniusoft program works flawlessly to convert even digitally protected DRM files to MP3, so now the books I check out from the library can be loaded onto my iPod. I kind of feel bad that I have to strip the DRM in order to listen to audiobooks that I’ve legally checked out from my library, but what else can I do in order to listen on my iPod? There are other workarounds, including burning the files to audio CD (which the library site actually recommends) and then re-ripping those audio CDs to my computer to get MP3 files. But that would not be very cost- or time-effective, especially when dealing with 22-hour long audiobooks!

The only drawback to this Daniusoft WMA to MP3 Converter is that it’s a total resource hog. I can’t do anything else on my computer during the conversion process, which takes about 30 minutes for a 5-hour audiobook (or six minutes per hour-long file). But that’s ok, I just hop on my netbook until everything is squared away.

Overall, I think this Daniusoft WMA to MP3 Converter was well worth the money spent. It will pay for itself after just two or three book rentals from the library, as I would spend far more than $25 to get these same books on iTunes or Audible, or on burning the files to audio CDs. If you’re in the same boat, I highly recommend Daniusoft!

I don’t really eat a lot of health food, but for the past few months I’ve been trying probiotic yogurt. Probiotic yogurt is different from regular yogurt in that it contains live bacteria that are supposed to be good for your body — specifically, for your digestive tract.

I’d also read that probiotic yogurt could be beneficial to those suffering from acne (though this claim just came from regular people, not medical professionals), so I really decided to try it for that reason. So I bought some Dannon Activia the next time I went to the store, and have been eating it ever since.

Probiotic yogurt doesn’t taste any different from regular yogurt, and to be honest, I haven’t noticed any additional benefits. In other words, I’m not any more regular (in terms of bowel movements) than before, nor do I have any less acne than before.

And yet, I keep buying the stuff. Why is that? I have no idea. I guess I do it just in case there really are benefits to be had somewhere down the line.

Would I recommend probiotic yogurt to others? Not really. As I said, if there are any benefits, they’re not the kind that you’re likely to notice, so it’s probably not worth spending the extra money on this stuff.

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed my Moonlighting Season 4 DVDs yet! I ordered this set way back in early March, so I’ve had it for more than 3 months already. But I’ve been so busy with offline/”real life” stuff that I haven’t had a chance to watch, let alone review, the DVDs. Until recently, that is.

Unfortunately, as much as I love Moonlighting, I have to admit that I’m extremely disappointed in this DVD set. The main reason is that there’s not really much to it! For some reason, Moonlighting only produced 14 episodes in Season 4. Therefore, there are only three discs in this set — and there aren’t any extra features at all, except for commentary. That sucks!!

Like most fans of the show, I kind of lost interest during Season 4 because Maddie and David weren’t even on screen together very much. Cybill Shepherd was pregnant with twins, and Bruce Willis was filming Die Hard. That meant Burt Viola and Agnes DiPesto assumed major roles in this season — not a good thing.

But I digress. Obviously, you need to have this DVD set if you’re a huge Moonlighting fan. There might not be much to it, but for me personally, there were several episodes in it that I had never seen before, so I guess it was worth the $19.99 I paid.

Ok, why does this keep happening to me?? I swear, I’m going to have to start walking around with latex gloves on all the time or something like that!

I was at the store today buying a few things when the cashier, who clearly had a cold, kept coughing into her hand. While I appreciated the fact that she wasn’t letting her germs fly in my direction, this appreciation was greatly diminished by the fact that she used that same hand to dip into the cash drawer for my change.

This is not the first time — or even the second, for that matter — this has happened to me. I find it totally disgusting and can’t understand why people do this.

Yes, coughing or sneezing into your hand is better than directly unleashing your nasty germs on the people near you. But then when you go and touch stuff with your freshly coughed-into hand, where do you think those germs are now going?

Seriously, I can see myself becoming a total recluse like Howard Hughes someday. People are so damn disgusting sometimes… I hate having to deal with them!

Way back in December, I wrote this post about how I wanted to buy Seinfeld — The Complete Series on DVD. At the time (Dec. 15), the set cost $179.99, which I thought was a bit high. I decided to hold off on the purchase in the hopes that the price would drop after Christmas.

Well, I wasn’t as vigilant in monitoring the price as I should have been, so I didn’t notice that it did indeed drop! I don’t know when this happened, but I ordered it today from Amazon for $139.99 — which I think is far more reasonable.

I’m so excited about finally getting this box set! Full review to come after I view all the extras!!

My six-year-old son loves all the Mario games we’ve ever gotten him, including Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Party, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Bros. So it was pretty much a no-brainer that he would enjoy Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl at first looks like a standard fighting game, but upon closer inspection there are some differences. First of all, one of the most appealing aspects of the game is the sheer variety of characters to choose from. Along with Mario, Luigi, and their friends, you can also play as Kirby, Sonic the Hedgehog, a Pokemon trainer, Zelda, Fox, Lucas, and a bunch of other characters that I’d never even heard of before.

Second, in most fighting games, characters have a Damage or Life bar that starts at 100%, and then dwindles with every blow you take. But Super Smash Bros. Brawl goes the other way, with everyone starting at zero and accumulating higher damage scores with each hit. Plus, the object of the fighting mode is to send your opponent flying off the screen, rather than just knock him down or out.

And finally, unlike most regular fighting games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl also has a side-scrolling story mode that you can play to change things up. This is particularly great for kids, as they often get bored with games pretty quickly and want something different once in a while.

To be perfectly honest, I personally haven’t played Super Smash Bros. Brawl all that much. I have never been very good at fighting games because there are just too many different moves and controller combos to remember. So I can’t tell you firsthand how good the game is. But my son absolutely loves it, and enjoys playing with a couple of his friends from the neighborhood. I think all the cool characters, the variety of game modes, and multiplayer capabilities makes this one a winner for kids.

Overall, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has quickly become one of my son’s favorite Mario games. He chooses this one over every other title now, and has been enjoying it since getting it for his birthday four months ago. In that regard, I think this was money well spent!

If you’re a Coldplay fan, then you should get over to the official website right now. That’s because the band is offering a free download of LeftRightLeftRightLeft — which is a compilation of live songs.

Included in the download are these favorites: Glass of Water, 42, Clocks, Strawberry Swing, Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away, Viva La Vida, Death Will Never Conquer, Fix You, and Death and All His Friends.

All nine tracks sound pretty good, so I definitely recommend getting your downloads while you can. This is a limited time offer — but I’m not sure when it ends. Better just go to this page now!

I was wasting some time on YouTube this afternoon when I came across this compilation of the Top 11 funniest commercials from the 2009 Super Bowl. Yes, I know the Super Bowl was at the beginning of February and we’re into June now, but I’d forgotten how funny some of these spots really are.

Anyway, take a look here if you have 6 minutes to spare!