Taking a swipe at the great Satan.....

Before I start this, I need to tell you that I depend on Microsoft for my livelihood. Years ago, I was faced with a decision as to whether I was going to learn Microsoft based languages like C# and their products, or was I going to expend my time learning non-Microsoft technologies like Java and now PHP etc....

At first, I was trying to study the products and compare them to figure out which I thought was "better". Suddenly, the thought came to me that it doesn't matter which is better, what matters is what my client base uses. When I looked at it that way, the choice was simple, you must learn Microsoft. I simply don't have the brain cycles (or want to take the time) to learn them both. I feel certain though, that if it came to a choice between learning Java and starving. I could learn Java.

I am a Microsoft guy...but not a MICROSOFT GUY if that makes sense. I make my living using Microsoft tools, but, I take a pretty pragmatic approach, I don't think its a good idea just because Bill Gates and his marketing machine says so....

Anyway, to my story. I am about to do some traveling and I wanted to be able to charge my Zune (Microsoft's answer to the iPod) in the car. I went to Target to look into buying a car charger. The Microsoft car charger for the Zune is $70. Microsoft tends to over-engineer everything so what should be a simple product becomes very expensive.

I took a stroll over to the automotive department and Bell makes a power port splitter that amazingly enough has a USB connection on it. It was $12. I bought it and plugged the Zune cable into it (which comes with the player) Voila! Zune charges in the car now! Bell doesn't show it on their web site, but it should power anything (cell phones, music players, GPS systems) that charge from your computer's USB port.

Just a tip from the frugal tech guy ;-)