I recently purchased a 30GB Creative Zen personal music player for myself. Tired of shuffling CDs in and out of the car, trying to change them while driving (dangerous and not fun), and picking and choosing what to take to work, I decided that a player big enough to hold my entire CD collection which can be plugged into my car’s auxiliary jack would be ideal, particularly for the long road trip I’m planning next summer.

Having resisted the purchase for some time, now I wish I’d done it sooner. This thing is awesome. I can take all my CDs with me in a piece of hardware the size of a deck of cards, create playlists that fit my moods, and it’s not likely I’ll fill this 30GB monster before it breaks or technology advances to the point I become tempted to buy a new one.

But I have one player-related complaint. While the hardware has evolved at break-neck speed, online music retail has not. iTunes still dominates the market, and with their draconian DRM attached to the vast majority of their offerings, I’m virtually shut out of getting anything useful from them, as you have to have iTunes or an iPod to USE their music, punishing those of us who have the audacity to buy a competitor’s product.

And other online retailers have their own DRM, or they require memberships, or their bit rate is so low that I’d rather not bother with them. (I ripped all my music at 328 kbps–I want the quality to come through in the car’s audio system.)

So it was with some hesitation that I began to research Amazon’s new online music retail. And I was pleasantly surprised to discover their offerings–most anyway–come at 256 kbps, which is more than decent, and they don’t sell anything with DRM attached. That means I, the buyer, can use those songs in any manner I see fit. I can burn them to CD, upload them to the Zen, or just keep them on my PC and play them with whatever software floats my boat.

Amazon’s selection still lags behind iTunes; obviously there are some labels that aren’t likely to negotiate DRM-free offerings with Amazon. And their purchasing interface isn’t nearly so friendly, given that iTunes has had several years to perfect their one-click and shopping card methods for downloading music. For example, if you buy individual songs, you might very well see a bill for $0.89 on your VISA or debit card. But if you want to buy a whole CD, you have to download a special add-on that reads your shopping cart. It’s clunky, but I don’t doubt Amazon will move full-speed ahead if the market responds to their offerings.

But the 256 kbps bit rate music I downloaded sounded just fine in the car and on my PC, and I LOVE the complete absence of restrictions. Plus, much of their music is cheaper than iTunes ($0.89 per song versus $0.99).

I don’t plan on buying a ton of music online–just songs here and there when I don’t want the entire album–but so far, I’m impressed with them as an alternative to Apple’s anti-freedom stance toward audiophiles. In a retail industry lacking in options, it’s refreshing to see a company with that kind of resources wading in.

iTunes can go pound sand.

Police visit but make no arrests at what appears to be speak-easy

About 3 a.m. Sunday, a uniformed officer attempted to follow a patron into the club, only to have the door slam shut on both of them.

I love it! Subversive behavior AND giving a nosy JBT with no warrant exactly the entry he deserves–none at all.

Does it get any better?

Man sets woman on fire in downtown Seattle

Lighter fluid also landed on the overcoat of Gus Jones, an 82-year-old who lives in the Central District.

Jones, who is recuperating from a broken hip, was downtown after visiting his doctor.

After the assailant grabbed his shoulder, the elderly man whacked the attacker once with his gray, metal cane.

“I smelled that lighter fluid and hit him. I cussed him out,” Jones said. “I bent my cane.”

The quick reaction of an unarmed elderly man, combined with those of the two men who chased the attacker down and held him for police, are comforting to me, knowing that this happened very, very near my office. In fact, I was at Gelatiamo about an hour prior for an off-site meeting over coffee.

Given the detatched, reserved attitude downtown workers often manifest - unfortunately, maintaining detachment is a necessity around here - I’m glad to know that some folks haven’t become so apathetic as to let this go without reaction.

(And by the way, Gelatiamo is an excellent place to stop for delicious coffee and exotic pastries, or a smooth, creamy gelato when it’s warm, if you happen to be in downtown Seattle. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it, assuming you aren’t flambéed while you’re there.)

A big hurrah to Netflix for being so understanding about their DVDs that were stolen, along with my own collection, last week.

Because I’ve been a good customer, Netflix wrote off the DVDs as “lost”, and didn’t charge me.

Thank you, Netflix, for taking one more thing off my mind.

I’d just like to take this moment to give a shout out to the speeding SUV driver who couldn’t be bothered to stop after it hit a cat almost in front of my house. I saw you. While I’m sure you thought that because the cat ran off the road after you squished him, he wasn’t seriously injuried, you should know that sometimes adrenaline will allow an injured animal to go a distance before collapsing. And animals bodies don’t really stand up well to thousands of pounds of force, no matter how briefly applied. You hadn’t even made it to the stoplight and the cat collapsed in my neighbor’s driveway. What you missed because of your impatience was me stopping to pick up the cat and drive it to the emergency vet clinic even though I suspected the worst, its soft black body already limp, its pupils dilated and unresponsive.

I can only hope you feel at least some guilt, but the cynic in me wonders if you even noticed the bump. I’ve seen you speeding up the street during the morning commute before. Sure, the cat ran out in front of you, and yes, no one wants to confess to accidentally killing someone’s pet, but you should have been able to avoid the cat had you not been speeding. And no matter what, you should have stopped afterwards. Unless you had someone bleeding to death in your car, I can’t see that your haste was justifiable in any way.

You should be the one going house to house searching for the cat’s owner. The cat had no collar, and apparently no microchip, so I’ll be doing that this evening instead of visiting with my parents, who are in town for just one night. Thanks for all of this - it’s really made my day just about as shitty as it could be.

And I just want to thank the incredibly kind staff at the Puget Sound Pet Pavilion for responding quickly when I arrived and for comforting me when it was clear that the cat had died from its injuries. I’m truly grateful that you were so caring and understanding.

Kirsten over at Enjoy Every Sandwich occasionally gives a nod to local businesses she frequents and enjoys, and in doing so, has inspired me to do the same. For those of us adverse to the impersonal, over-commercialized corporate chains, knowing and recommending good local businesses helps keep them afloat, giving us all the opportunity to avoid those cookie-cutter dens of imperfection and visit our favorite local holes-in-the-wall.

I’d just like to mention what I think is the best sushi restaurant I’ve found so far on the West Coast. Gari of Sushi, 1209 S. 38th St., Tacoma, has some of the most innovative rolls I’ve yet seen in a sushi bar. The service is excellent, the prices are reasonable, and the atmosphere is quiet. Of course, they always have the small television tuned into some weird Japanese take on American Gladiators, but it’s just one more quaint aspect of the place that charms me.

Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.