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Sharks on iPod, Sharks in Kool-Aid.

Not going to finish Disney Part 3 this weekend, partly because I haven't started it yet, but mostly because I'm going out of town tomorrow. And since that "going out of town" involves a long flight, I finally took the plunge and bought a Video iPod. (Which isn't such an extraneous purchase when you consider that I managed to lose my first iPod like a week after opening the box. I figure punishing myself with an iPodless existence for six months justifies today's big cash sendoff.)

It didn't take long for me to realize that VideoPods are worth more than the ability to watch movie trailers a thousand times. I can't believe I'm going to be able to kill half of my flight time watching Shark Week. I'm really okay with that arrangement. Three hours of mako madness!

I chose the black iPod because I'm a man, dammit, even though the guy at the store said that, while sleeker, black iPods show their scratches far more. That was really just his way of getting me to buy a plastic "Jam Jacket" case, which is, incidentally, white in color. So I may have been had. Actually, I've definitely been had, because now I gotta go around carrying something called a "Jam Jacket." I will never tell anyone it's called a "Jam Jacket," but knowing is half the shame.

While we're on the subject of sharks, vaguely, it's with great pleasure that I confirm the continued existence of Sharkleberry Fin Kool-Aid. There can be no doubts now, as the packages seen above has non-expired expiration dates. It's true -- they're out there. Maybe more so in Canada or the UK than the States, but it's true -- they're out there. For a new generation, the once-pink shark mascot has been reduced to a mere means of transportation for the Kool-Aid Man. Some personality is injected with the shark's penchant for goofy goggles, and while I can't honestly say that I prefer this new rendition to the original talking pink shark dude, I'm still stoked that Sharkleberry exists in any form at all.

It's impossible to know if the flavor's changed, but if it has, it's a very slight mod. It's still a bonanza of fruits -- orange, banana and strawberry -- conspiring to form a Pepto-pink punch that smells stronger than it tastes.

While we're on the subject of liquids and pods, vaguely, there's new "Aquapods" from Poland Spring, which take the very basic and everyday idea of bottled water and turn it into something so unbelievably cool that I'm putting off a dire need to pack for a morning flight to tell you about it. Featuring bottles in an "orbtastic shape," it's 11 ounces of water packaged in what will ultimately make for an awesome night of arts & crafts: The bottles are shaped so much like E.T.'s spaceship that I don't know how long I'll be able to resist yanking out some paint to prove it.

Though Aquapods aren't extremely convenient due to their bloated shape (I wouldn't dare put this in my work bag -- it's gotta be twice as prone to getting pricked and exploding all over everything it shouldn't explode on), they're one of the only ways to make water more exciting without turning it into iced tea. Or, you know, Kool-Aid.

The synergy in this blog post rocks.

And this doubles as your Saturday Night Thread, folks.

Posted by Matt on 06/24/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 126 comments

:o Whoa, that was really weird… I didn’t even see Manimal‘s post till 2 seconds ago, and there I am, posting right under him…

Aww, I’m flattered that you remembered! :D

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 06/24/2006 11:42 PM


i cant believe sharkleberry is back.

im going to go out tomorrow and find some and buy a whole box.

Chestnuts roasted by andrew @ 06/24/2006 11:55 PM


I’ve been fighting against getting cable for the better part of a year, and the mention shark week is about to freaking do me in.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 06/25/2006 12:13 PM


I think I’m going to have to break down and buy a video iPod. I really hate the near-monopoly Apple has on the whole portable media player market, but unfortunately the other options out there just can’t stand up to the iTunes juggernaut. It’s too bad, because I think that some other companies have superior hardware- they just don’t have the backing on the downloads side that Apple has. The two things that are still holding me up are Apple’s Nazi attitude on battery replacement and media format.

I really like my current player’s ability to swap batteries. I often forget to put it on the charger, so I can carry a comparatively tiny replacement battery, rather than a clunky external battery. This is especially good because the extra battery makes it through security where I work without a second glance. An external battery with a wire and/or an electronic connector would cause all sorts of headaches.

I also think it sucks that Apple forces their codec down our throats, and that you can’t convert it to anything else. I LIKE mp3 and wma, dammit. They work with everything, not just iPods. With their format, if I want to trade music with someone (ahem, not that I’d ever do anything illegal, ahem) I’ll have to hope they are okay with Apple’s format. Also, don’t they have some sort of hidden way to keep you from copying the files more than a certain number of times or something?

If they’d just give me a replaceable battery, I’d probably take the plunge right now. But a product that expensive that’s designed to wear out in a year or so just pisses me off. I’ve had my current Creative mp3 player for over a year and a half now, and I bought a replacement battery for $40. My old battery still works, albeit with a reduced life of about 4 hours. The new battery still gives me about 10-12 hours of life. The audio quality is better than the iPods I listened to, and it cost about half for the same capacity.

The downside to Creative is that they are Nazis when it comes to their media organizer. You can use whatever format you want, but just try to get your carefully selected playlists over to Windows Media Player, and thence to XBox360. Not to mention all the database maintenance I had to do to get all the music I, um, acquired, to show up right on their program is useless for Media Player.

Grrr! Why won’t someone come out with something with a replaceable battery, the format of your choice, and an organizer that’s compatible with Media Player?

Chestnuts roasted by spaz307 @ 06/25/2006 12:19 PM


You don’t have to use iTunes to buy music. I buy CD’s them rip them using the iTunes ripper, which works well. And you can rip to mp3 or even lossless if you’re crazy. The iPod is an awesome gadget and still the best mp3 player out there.

Chestnuts roasted by Travis @ 06/25/2006 12:25 PM


I heard Microsoft is supposed to be coming out with their version of an iPod soon. *shrug*

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 06/25/2006 12:38 PM


Ahhh! I want that orbtastic bottle too. So I can cover it in polymer clay. It’s hard to tell if it’s the kind of plastic that will stand up to the oven or the kind that will turn into toxic melted despair, but it’s worth a try. I’d cut the top off and decorate it all crazy, and then I’d have the most coolest pencil cup ever, and make everyone jealous.

Chestnuts roasted by Welsh Rabbit @ 06/25/2006 12:49 PM


Travis-

Well, yeah. But part of the attraction of being able to download music is not having to buy an entire CD. Sure there’s lots of CDs that I’ll buy from favorite artists that I’ll rip. Hell, I’ve ripped hundreds of CDs to my computer, and those work with both Media Player and Creative Organizer. The problem is that if I want to get "Puttin’ on the Ritz" or some other 80s-tastic stuff, I really don’t want the whole CD.

Chestnuts roasted by spaz307 @ 06/25/2006 12:59 PM


Must… find… Sharkleberry Fin!

Has anyone spotted it in the general Ohio area?

Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 06/25/2006 1:38 AM


It’s Saturday? Jesus. My DS Lite has destroyed all sense of time.

I’ve been watching the 24 hour Superman marathon on Boomerang.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 06/25/2006 1:48 AM


I know it’s bad form to promote other websites here, but I found a really cool one. My earlier post got me looking for an alternative to iTunes and Creative Music Store. I found a site called pandora.com that has a pretty cool concept. You enter an artist or song you like and it finds other stuff you might like based on reviews, etc. and turns it into an internet radio station. It still points to iTunes for downloading music, but I still think it kicks total ass. The stuff I like doesn’t typically get radio airplay, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to find new music. I’m hooked!

Chestnuts roasted by spaz307 @ 06/25/2006 1:55 AM


My long haitus on posting and only trolling must be stopped at the mention of the reincarnation of Sharkleberry Finn. My new goal in life is to track that stuff down. That’s just amazing.

While I’m here, I might as well complain that our comments are still "Chestnuts roasted…" and the emoticons are still Halloween themed. Just sayin’….

Chestnuts roasted by Gozer @ 06/25/2006 3:53 AM


I’ve got a first generation ipod here if anyone wants the thing. I’ve never really used it. I’m much more of a cd player kinda guy. Thank god for long commutes, you are my salvation. Besides artists need motivation to put out complete "albums" and not singles, and the current generation of digital music is only giving them an excuse to put out crap. So, you don’t need ipods and downloads to only get the one good song they’re putting out, you need to rally and tell them they need to put out better product!!!!

Oh yeah, and rebel against Bill Gates while you’re at it. The MAC revolution is coming and it will be televised, but not on ipods :)

"The Wii is for children and the PS3 will be a [mad-fat]* PC killer"

additional flavor provided by Jay

Chestnuts roasted by Knegative @ 06/25/2006 7:40 AM


I want it. Give it to me.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 06/25/2006 8:30 AM


Gozer: complaining about the chestnuts and the Halloween icons? That’s a taste of the good stuff when it’s still months away!

This whole blog post makes me smile.

Chestnuts roasted by Spoodles @ 06/25/2006 9:24 AM


It’s really no wonder they’ve got a new mascot for Sharkleberry. You know why the last one was pink all the time? Constant sunburn. He thought it added to his "image." And I suppose it did. Right up to the final stages of skin cancer. His agent tried to tell him. "Sharkle, baby, you gotta stay out of the sun. You’re an aquatic animal. You don’t actually tan. If you really feel like you have to be the same color as the drink you’re pitching, we can get the makeup guys to whip you up something waterproof. All this sun is gonna kill ya."

But of course Sharkle wouldn’t hear of it. Kept telling everyone that sharks are immune to cancer. The real tragedy is that this all could have been avoided had he checked his facts on snopes and realized that he was staking his life on an urban legend. Sadly, sharks cannot use the internet, as they lack sufficient physical dexterity to work a keyboard and mouse properly, as well as the capacity for abstract thought necessary to negotiate DSL contracts.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 06/25/2006 11:08 AM


between that and the whole Kool-aid man screwing Purplesaurus Rex out of his pension I really don’t know how I can keep drinking the stuff.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 06/25/2006 11:20 AM


Jedoc, you’re priceless. :D

You know, I can honestly say I’m not even sure if I ever tried Sharkleberry fin… I may have, and just don’t remember it at all. The taste, I mean. but if I find it, I’ll buy a packet or two.

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 06/25/2006 11:44 AM


I can’t find much along the lines of exotic Kool-Aid flavors around here. Except when I stumbled upon those oooold packets of Apple a few months ago. And my hoarde of Strawberry Tea. I have some of the big, sugar included packs of Soarin’ Strawberry Lemonade, which I love a million times more than the small packets because they’re so amazingly pink and cute.

I’ve also started stocking my desk at work with cases of water and Kool-Aid singles. I’m getting other people in the department hooked, too. Soon they will all be pawns to the Kool-Aid man. Oh yeah.

Chestnuts roasted by Mystie @ 06/25/2006 12:34 PM


Ryane: Aww, you only think that because you don’t have to rely on my fractured imagination to help you find research material. Like all those poor schmucks at the library.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 06/25/2006 1:02 PM


No bones about it, sharks are cool. Sharkleberries even more so.
Jedoc needs to have his own "True Hollywood Stories"-type show or site. Him and Charlie Murphy. Kool-Aid’s a hell of a drink.

I’ve got a new digital camera on layaway. It can be used as mp3 player, voice recorder, and record stuff off of most A/V outputs and play it on the go. Once I figure out what size of SD card to use, I’m going to record entries off of my BBC HHGTTG discs and have my own version of the Guide. Should come in real handy if someone needs to know the best way to get a drink out of a Vogon. Or the full radius of Eccentrica Gallumbits’ erogenous zone.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/25/2006 2:51 PM


I picked up a box of Singles for the same purpose; unfortunately I discovered too late that I’ve developed a dislike for that Kool-Aid aftertaste. I know I probably shouldn’t admit that here, but it’s true. :(
I find it funny when people hate on portable media players on principle. If they want to carry around forty cd cases plus a 700 pound player that skips if you breathe too deeply it’s their business. But artists were putting out albums full of crap with a few gems before the digital revolution, and I don’t think boycotting iTunes is going to reverse that. Besides that, you miss out on programming aimed towards portable players. Which leads me to my real question, does anyone have any great podcasts to recommend? I don’t have a Video pod yet, so I don’t know too many videocasts, but I listen to voicecasts as much as music. I love The Ricky Gervais Show, and some of my other favs are The Official Lost Podcast, The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack and The Onion Radio News.
Travel Channel is showing a special on Disney World today that should be just starting for the East Coasters.

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 06/25/2006 3:03 PM


Matt
Maybe this was discussed before but why the shrimp by the Chestnuts roasted? Maybe it should be a CUTTLEFISH ! ;)

Chestnuts roasted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/25/2006 4:48 PM


Didn’t know if this was allowed so feel free to destroy this link:

Can you fill in the lyrics of these old 80′s ditties?

http://www.yetanotherdot.com/asp/80s.HTML

Chestnuts roasted by threebeesatdisney @ 06/25/2006 5:09 PM


Now THAT’S how you sell water to someone who has it already running through his pipes.

VERY surprised to see ol’ Sharkleberry still around. Usually with specialty flavors such as Sharkleberry, drink companies take them off the market and repeatedly re-introduce them under a new name every time to fool a new generation of kids. Example: Ecto-Cooler….

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 06/25/2006 5:27 PM


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