When I reviewed my Sony Vaio, I mentioned having to disable the very annoying startup sound that played on the Sony splash screen. Unlike the Windows startup sound, this one has to be disabled in the BIOS.

Yesterday, I got an email from someone asking me how to do this. So in the interest of helping others out, here are some step-by-step instructions should you need to do the same.

To access BIOS and disable the Sony Vaio startup sound, do the following:

1. When you see that first Sony VAIO startup screen, press the “F2″ key on your keyboard.
2. On the BIOS setup screen, use the “Right Arrow” key to select “Advanced”.
3. Use the “Down Arrow” key to select “Speaker Volume”
4. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
5. Use the arrow keys to select “0″.
6. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
7. Press the “Right Arrow” key to select “Exit”.
8. Make sure “Exit (Save Changes)” is selected, which it should be by default.
9. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
10. On the “Save Configuration Now” screen, select “Yes” and press ‘Enter”

Enjoy an annoyance free boot!

For my second installment of key takeaways from Jan Venolia’s Write Right!, I want to focus on her notes for style. This section of the book is full of useful nuggets, so it would be next to impossible not to learn something from her writerly wisdom.

Here are some notes I jotted down in my Moleskine. Many may seem routine to you, but to me they were eye-opening.

• An acronym is pronounced as a word. “NASA, OPEC, OSHA”
• An initialism is pronounced letter by letter. “NBA, YMCA, NSA”
• Choosing the correct article (a or an) before an acronym is determined phonetically.  Use ‘an’ if it proceeds an F, H, L, M, N, R, S, or X.
• Abbreviate social titles only when the full name is used. “Rev. Jesse Jackson. Reverend Jackson.”
• Abbreviate country names, such as United States and United Kingdom, only when they are used as an adjective. “U.S. Ambassador, U.S. Foreign Policy.”
• Use italics for foreign words when they are not normal.

Here are a few notes on capitalization:

• Capitalize the first word after a colon if it’s a complete sentence; lower if not.
• Do not capitalize the word city in “city of Toronto”.
• Seasons are not capitalized.
• Capitalize African Americans and Caucasians, not blacks and whites.

And finally some notes on using numbers:

• Write the words (1-9) when using them for journalism, science, or business. “Two, nine”
• Write the words (1-99) for literary writing. “Seven, fifty, sixty-one”
• Write the words if they begin a sentence. “Four score and seven years ago…”
• Write the words for decades. “The twenties”
• Write the numbers larger than nine for journalism, science, or business. “29, 88″
• Write the numbers larger than ninety-nine for literary writing. “102, 1054″
• Write the numbers when it’s a mix of these rules, such as “8 to 30 employees.”
• Write the numbers when referring to a part of a book, such as “Chapter 9, page 71.”
• Write the numbers for all dates and times. “21st Century or 10 P.M.”

You can check out other key takeaways here.

Writing is hard. There are rules. There are exceptions to the rules. Sometimes the exception is the rule. Throw-in perspective, irregular verbs, punctuation, and style and you’ve created alphabet soup with a side of insanity.

I’ve been sifting through books on writing, and have finally found a useful one. Jan Venolia’s Write Right! is the first writing book I couldn’t put down, despite what would seem like the most boring content in the world to a fiction aficionado. It’s straight up talk about grammar, words, style, and punctuation – just the facts ma’am. I’ve learned a lot, and I plan to dedicate three or four posts to my key takeaways.

The first thing I would like to share with you will not be that helpful, other than shedding light on why English is such a frustrating language. Check out these three classifications of similar words…it’s amazing we ever learn to speak at all.

Homonyms – Words that are spelled and pronounced the same but have different definitions. Beet (noun) and beat (verb). Blue (adjective) and blew (verb). I bet this is a huge problem when people learn English as a second language. Check out Alan Cooper’s huge list of homonyms.

Homographs – Words that are spelled the same but have different definitions and sometimes pronunciations. Fair (noun) and fair (adjective). Wound (noun) and wound (verb). Subject (noun) and subject (verb). More information on homographs, and their conservative cousins heteronyms, can be found here.

Homophones – Words that are pronounced the same but have different spellings and definitions. Their (pronoun), there (adjective), and they’re (contraction). Pair (noun), pare (verb), and pear (noun). Write (verb) and right (adjective). You can check out this extensive list for more English homophones.

As I mentioned, I’m not sure how this information can help you in any way, other than arming you with the vocabulary to verbally thrash the English language. Enjoy!

I really enjoy reading Chuck Klosterman books, if only because we are the same age and care about the same meaningless things. Reading “Killing Yourself to Live” was no exception. I appreciated that this book had more focus than has previous efforts, even if it’s Chuck’s version of focus.

I’m not even sure how to review a book that is so benign. It passed through me like one of the ghosts in Poltergeist, but without the bonus of a freaky little woman. It’s only been a few days, and I’m not sure if I even remember how it started. NYC? So, I thought I would break from my typical review format and offer up some unconnected thoughts about the book:

• Due to the slug of information about Chuck’s family and hometown, I couldn’t help be constantly reminded of my friend Alan. Chuck and Alan seem to be from the same bowl of soup, and have nearly identical parents, brothers, farms, interests, and eventual escapes from North Dakota. Alan didn’t get to write for Spin, but he was good people. I suspect that Chuck is good people too. This somehow makes me like Chuck’s book more.
• Everybody always comments about how the book is really about the three girls. No way - the book is really about Chuck. He could take out the parts about the girls, make the final stop in Cali, throw in a couple more “we are so going to party” stories, and readers wouldn’t even miss those girls.
• I have always loved the way loud music actually feels inside a car - I now have some further clarification on why that is.
• I would have liked the forgone California leg to have included a stay in the San Francisco room where Bradley Nowell overdosed on heroin. Sublime was unpolished for sure, but Bradley is as under-rated as Kurt is over-rated. I still think we lost more when he died, if only in potential - Cobain had given all he was going to give.
• I need to read the SPIN article. Was there actually a SPIN article? If so, it must have been published while I was between subscriptions. Come to think of it, I have a new sky miles subscription being processed right now. That seems about right.
• I have a new respect for all Tauntauns, two-a-days, hunting laws, and small aircraft.
• I want to go to that cornfield in Iowa where the music died. I can see me dragging my kids our there in ten years and making them listen to Don Mclean the whole time.

I picked up Nic Harcourt’s Music Lust the other night, and blew through it like an Entertainment Weekly. This collection of music categories is a worthy guide for rock’s uninitiated, but may seem basic to a music junkie. One section details Manchester UK bands by decade, while another suggests bands with cats and dogs in their names. Huge artists like Hendrix, Zappa, and The Rolling Stones get their own lists, as do niches like Irish music, Motown, and Latin Alternative.

It’s an interesting concept, and I dug in hoping to find a handful of musical leads. I didn’t finish the book with a year’s worth of CD purchases planned out, but I did walk away with a few artists to check out. Here are my notes:

Electronic Pioneers :: Tago Mago, by Can. I should check out Can’s 1971 double album Tago Mago, and their 1972 album Ege Bamyasi. They influenced artists like Gary Newman, Sonic Youth, and Stereolab. Can appealed to me because the paragraph referenced ”Krautrock”, and the author described it as sprawling and experimental.

Hey Ho, Lets Go:Punk in the U.S.A. :: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, by The Dead Kennedys. Released on IRS, and reissued on Cleopatra in 2002. I listened to the DKs on old, 5th generation Maxell tapes, so the clean recording would be a great way to revisit and old favorite.

Livin’ Large: The Big Band Boom! :: Atomic Mr. Basie, by Count Basie. The author notes that Count Basie’s thirties recordings are rough, so it’s best to start off with the 1958 Blue note release “Atomic Mr. Basie.”

Love is a Many-Spledored Thing :: Forever Changes, by Love; released in 1969 on Elektra Records. Nic says they were the West Coast’s best-known psychedelic rock band at the time, but I’m skeptical. This warrants and investigation.

Organ Grinders :: Blue Mode, by Reuben Wilson. released on Blue Note in 1969. I love Hammond B3 organs, and Wilson seemed like this section’s best offering. Mentioning that A Tribe Called Quest sampled his work really sold me.

Ten Albums You Missed :: I marked this whole section, but I’m not sure why. The bands include Spoon, Talk Talk, Azure Ray, The Blue Nile, and Jack Frost. We’ll see.

Music Lust is worth a read, especially if you have trouble finding new music. But at the same time, it’s one of those books that when finished, you want to start writing a better version yourself. On second thought, you may just want to check out a music recommendation site like Pandora.

The 2004 Grand Prix was a random rental, so I didn’t expect much as I drove away from the airport. In fact, I didn’t even turn on the radio. The next day was a different story however, and with speakers thumping I rocked out to Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” When this was followed by Def Leopard’s “Photograph”, I had to see what was going on. Sure enough, my console simply said ‘The 80s’, and that’s when it hit me…this thing had XM Satellite Radio.

Over the next four days, I drove around a snowy Toledo bouncing back and forth between decades. A little Frieda Payne with a REO Speedwagon chaser. I really liked this. I even heard some obscure stuff, like that Mick Jagger/Michael Jackson duet from the 80s…I was literally in a State of Shock.

I didn’t get a chance to explore the other channels, though a brief scan revealed bluegrass, country, top 20, jazz, and just about everything else. I wish I had more time to ingest this orbital bliss, but my trist ended at the Hertz counter and I headed home. This was a great first impression, and I going to take a more serious look at this service after tha holidays.

After a few weeks of use, I would like to add a few more bullets to my previous review of the Sony Viao S560P:

Things I like:

• The comfortable balance of power and portability is just what I needed. I’m happy with it’s weight and handling, and equally impressed with it’s performance (despite only 512MB of RAM.)
• I love the wifi. It’s strong, and I’ve been able to use it in many locations without issue.
• It feels great in my hand when I’m carrying it, particularly the rounded hinge edge. Smooth!

Things i don’t like:

• It runs hot; really hot. It feel like it raises my body temperature, and sometimes it makes me sweat when it’s on my lap.
• The touchpad isn’t as consistent as other laptops I’ve owned. I like to click using the pad, and this doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes the mouse movement is sluggish as well.
• The headphone levels seem really low, even when everything is maxed out. Listening to Blues Clues on the plane with my son was tricky, but still effective.

I’m writing this 800 miles from home and untethered to the ether…that’s why I love this thing. I still recommend it without question.

I had to get one. No, I actually had to get one. After a day-long clicking seizure, my 4G’s failing hard drive was no more. So, naturally I picked up a 5G iPod as a replacement (Portable Music Withdrawal is powerful stuff…I had no idea.) Anyway, the headline should read, “Love at First Sight, Again”, which is of course completely predictable. It’s sort of like cars or even cats: the only iPod better than an iPod is a brand new iPod.

THE GOOD: The screen is underbilled - it’s shockingly sharp, and immediately changes the way I feel about the device. My photos look bright and crisp - it’s nice having them in my pocket. The video and album art functionality is a nice bonus, but I’m not really focused on that. The PSP-user in me knows the iPod has moved way past the typical DAP, but all the things I loved about the music part are still there. My favorite enhancement is the recognition of Compilations - Thank-you! Managing Podcasts - that I like. It’s smaller, yet more powerful; vibrant, yet longer-lasting - these are all good things.

THE BAD: I’m not sold on the flat front yet. I like the rounded bevel of the 4G - it mades the whole thing feel like a flat pill, and that is strangely appealing to me. The button on the 5G is flat, making it hard to find. When I navigate quickly, the firmware transitions slowly and sometimes get stuck for a moment.

TAKEAWAYS: You can’t go wrong with an this iPod. White or Black, 30 or 60, this thing will do what you want it to. It works well, looks great, and brings with it all of the collateral value of iPodding. Unlike what a pre-bugeye-glasses Bono once recorded, in this case you have found what you are looking for.

I’m not even sure how this potato clan got into my house, but I’m guessing it involved a grandparent or two, and a trip to the local Target. The Potato Heads are good people, and we’ve had fun playing with this little spud family; but they aren’t part of our routine or anything.

THE GOOD: It’s Mr. Potato Head, so by definition, it’s good. Classic creative ‘choose your own adventure’ type toy that plays well with all ages. Arms in ear holes, eyes in mouth holes - it’s all good. This is an inexpensive toy that does its job.

THE BAD: The only reason I’m reviewing this toy is because something has been bugging me. The ‘Bucket of Parts’ comes with three Potato Heads, but only three sets of each item (eyes, mouths, ears, hats) We get kind of bored with the limited options AND we’ve already lost one set of eyes. How hard is it to throw in a couple extra sets of eyes and mouths, and possibly a nose or two? Just a few more would make a difference. This isn’t like asking for more Potato Head bodies…these extra pieces are tiny, and can’t cost much. Make it happen Playskool.

TAKEAWAYS: Mr. Potato Head is good; more Mr. Potato Head parts would be better.

My Sony Vaio S560P arrived without issue from the Best Buy warehouse. I unpacked the box, which included only the laptop, power supply, battery, and requisite paperwork - though it didn’t come with a CD of any kind (cool!) I charged it up, turned it on, hopped onto my wifi network, and I was in business.

THE GOOD :: This laptop is very well built, and feels sturdy despite its meager size and weight. The finish is quality, and the screen is amazing - The XBrite technology is as advertised. The simple layout makes it easy to use, as there aren’t buttons and inputs everywhere < -- a complaint I have of my Dell Inspiron which this Vaio is replacing. It feels great when typing, something I was worried about with such a small laptop. The fact that it is only 4.3 pounds is it's biggest selling point (besides the kickin' monitor), and it closes up and carries very easily. The widescreen monitor is crisp and sharp, and very very bright (did I mention that I love the monitor?)

THE BAD :: The screen drains the power very quickly, and I have to turn the brightness way down to expect any kind of longevity. I would like to see a volume control on the body, but the FN key will work fine once I commit it to muscle memory. The VAIO startup screen has a horribly loud audio file associated with it, and I had to go into the BIOS to manually turn it off. I miss the mouse nub, but am already used to the pad. I had to uninstall some seriously knaggy programs, but this is common with most PC purchases, so I can't blame Sony.

TAKEAWAYS :: I did my research, and this laptop provides exactly what I need: A portable, powerful, wireless laptop that makes typing easy. It's going to serve me well as a wireless terminal, not a desktop replacement. It will also work well as a DVD player for the kids when we are traveling. All in all, I am happy happy happy. I've always been a big Sony fanboy, and so far my first experience with a VAIO has been wonderful.

Every trip to the Barnes and Noble starts the same way for me: Looking through the ‘Art and Design’ section of the magazines. I look for a new Lurzer’s Archive, flip through the STEP and CMYK, all the while keeping my eyes peeled for something cool. Last week, Look-Look Magazine practically jumped off the shelf like a pet store puppy.

This zine is straight up creativity with no ads (more on that in a minute). The basic idea is to print reader-submitted art from young people. Simple enough, and the final product is amazing.

The cool thing is there are no ads. Well, there are four ads in the back, but the content has been submitted by the same young artists. Here is what Look-Look wrote about the Ad Gallery: “On top of giving us the money to make this magazine, they [the advertisers] go one step further and actually allow young people to create their ads. They are one of the things that is right with this world, and for that we thank them.” Very, very cool.

Look-Look has it all…painting, photos, poetry, essays, and more. Pick up a copy and support the kids yo!

It’s official - my family has grown…this much is certain. Little Brother has moved in, cleaned out the fridge, and taken up residence on the couch. Why would I let three guys from NC do this? Simple: They’ve got the chops to keep my earholes happy. I haven’t been this excited about a new hop-hop CD since De La Soul reappeared with ‘AOI Bionix’.

The Minstrel Show reminds me of those early, boundless Native Tongue releases. Righteous poets penning scripts about their life, flavor steeped in the neighborhood instead of record label board rooms, and creative interludes (skits) that actually add to the album. These are real guys, delivering real lyrics, intended for real people. If you have fallen under the trance of studio-formulated acts like 50 Cent, this is not the record for you.

I highly recommend anyone who has an inclination towards De La Soul, Tribe, or The Roots to head on over to the iTunes Music Store and give this album a shot. Their debut, ‘The Listening‘, was an instant classic and worth a peek as well.

My buddy and I challenged each other to get all the PSP media options buzzing over the weekend. Although I didn’t get started until Sunday afternoon (during my son’s naptime), I have to say that for the record, I was impressed! It took only 20 minutes to get photos, music, and videos loaded onto the PSP (and that includes cropping the photos to the widescreen format). Here’s the skinny…

MUSIC - This was the easiest of the three by far. Plug in the PSP, and create folder called ‘MUSIC’ inside of the ‘PSP’ folder. Drag a .mp3 into the folder, and enjoy. Cool, but let’s face it - it’s still no iPod!

PHOTOS - Just as easy to upload as the music, except that I did some cropping so that my photos would show full screen. Create a folder called ‘PHOTO’ inside of the ‘PSP’ folder. Drag a .jpg into the folder, and enjoy. Any size will work, but I used 480 x 272 so it would be fullscreen and as small in file size as possible without stretching. Also, if you want a folder, just create one in that ‘PHOTO’ folder…PSP will recognize. Anyone know how to delete the ‘digital camera photos’ folder that magically appears, despite not being on the memory stick?

VIDEO - By far the most difficult and least thought through by Sony. Instead of following the pattern for music and photos, the PSP requires that you create a set of folders starting in the root of the memory stick. Not a big deal if you are a technophile, but my Dad would have had trouble with this. Now, the fun part. PSP Video 9 is what I used…and wow, what a tool (NOT). I could only get a standard .avi converted (.mov, .mpg, .wmv would not work). It also managed the transfer for me, once I manually pointed it to my PSP. The software had 2 updates over the weekend, so hopefully the developer is working on the huge number of bugs (’Transcode Cancelled’ anyone?). And Sony…where are you? Where is my video software? You are dropping the ball! So, since I can only convert the high quality .avi’s I have made myself, I now have a 45 second video eating up 8MB of my 32MB memory stick…nice! Despite the problems converting or loading video, it looks great when it plays. Some better software and a bigger memory stick, and I’m in business.

All in all, the PSP rocks the proverbial casbah. If you have tricked yourself into thinking you don’t need/want one of these, WAKE UP!