abraham

On my youngest team that means our undersized power tackle will see some reps at wingback and on the age 10-11 team the safety will see some reps at linebacker.

On individuals we worked on finishing our blocks off, with hands and playing to a very long whistle of about 7 seconds. We emphasized coming of the ball on the “G” of go. A longer than normal in time and distance board drill was added and we worked our quickness off the ball with our tennis ball drill to round out the work for our linemen.

The backs worked on open field blocking technique including the diamond drill as well as some 3 level Oklahoma and the Gauntlet drill. We still have a few of the backup backs hesitating a bit, not attacking the line of scrimmage, so we worked the chaser drill some as well. All of our starters we are real happy with their aggressiveness, the backups however needed the work and we are coaching everyone up.

We worked the last hour on team fit and freeze offense and to get some conditioning is, we are moving the play forward and spotting the ball 10 yards forward every snap. We rotate on every play at full speed and are at about 14 seconds between reps at the age 12-13 level. Both teams worked out some minor execution problems that one can expect after just 9 practices.

All the drills, offense and defense can be found in the book “Winning Youth Football a Step by Step Plan”.

Copyright 2008 Cisar Management, all rights reserved
Republishing allowed if links are kept intact

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You will recall that in the college football game you got your box score set up so that you can begin the game and just take turns for four quarters. In the baseball game you will have to make a box score sheet that has nine boxes split in half. These two halves represent the home team and the visitors. Remember that in baseball the home team always bats last and should be on the bottom of the two box halves.

As in real baseball each team rolls for nine innings. The exception of course is the home team. If the home team is winning after the visitor has finished his half of the ninth, then there is no need for the home boys to roll the ninth. Just like in real baseball the game is over and the dice can hit the showers.

Batting is pretty simple. Each team gets to start their half of an inning by rolling the dice once. If the two die total an even number then they can roll again. That is because even dice totals equal one single. An even dice total will be one of the following combinations; 1+3=4, 1+5=6, 2+4=6, 2+6=8, 3+5=8, 4+6=10. If the next roll yields an even number then there has been another hit. Now in baseball terms this means that there are, two men on base. The rolling player now gets a third roll. As you can see where this is going, another even number means that the bases are loaded. A fourth consecutive even dice result will bring home the first run and each consecutive roll will continue to bring home runners until the roller finally rolls an odd dice total.

Any odd dice total represents the end of an inning. Thus, if a player rolls an odd number on his first roll, then that inning is over. The odd dice totals are as follows; 1+2=3, 1+4=5, 1+6=7, 2+3=5, 2+5=7, 3+4=7, 3+6=9, 4+5=9, 5+6=11. A really cool thing to do during this game is to see if you can get a no-hit game. You can do this by simply putting a dot in the innings that a player rolls an odd number. You can start this on their initial first inning roll. Each consecutive inning thereafter that the player continues to perform a first odd roll continues the no-hitter up until the player finally rolls an even number. If they fail to roll at least one even number in nine innings that means you pitched a no-hitter. Time to call Cooperstown!

So where are the homeruns? I bet you are glad that I asked. Any time a player rolls a double-dice roll, he has hit a Homerun! That is all that it takes; doubles aka, two of a kind. Better yet, if there are any men on base then they score with the homerun. Yes, with the bases loaded a homerun is a grand slam.

This is an example of how the baseball game can be played. Let us say the visitors roll a 2+3 on his initial first inning roll. The visitors inning is considered over and with no hits. The home team rolls a 4+6 (10) on the first roll. That represents a base hit or one man on base. The home player then rolls a 3+5 (8) thus getting a second man on base. Then he rolls a 1+4 (5). The inning is over. End result of the first inning is 0 to 0.

The visitor starts his second inning with a pair of threes (3+3). Boom, he hit a homerun. He then rolls a 2+5 (7), which means the inning is over. The visitor has scored a run in their half of the second and leads the game, 1 to 0. The home team starts with a 2+4 (6) single. Then on the next roll the home player rolls a pair of fours (4+4). The home player has hit a two run homerun since there was a man already on base. The next roll is a 3+4 (7) out and that ends the second inning with the home team ahead, 2-1.

Now for the rest of the game neither team scores again until the ninth inning when the visitor strings together six consecutive even numbers before rolling the inevitable odd number. That means the visitor scored three runs and now leads the game, 4-2. Then the home team follows with three consecutive rolls of doubles (homeruns); which means they won the game, 5-4. What a comeback!

If the score ends in a tie after nine innings then just keep playing one inning at a time until someone finally wins. That is what baseball calls, extra-innings. In the next article I will attempt to teach you about the college basketball dice games. Till then, keep on rolling.

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Download The Man Who Would Be King Online. Movie Title: The Man Who Would Be King Average customer review: The Man Who Would Be King is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Man Who Would Be King

He began with ‘The Maltese Falcon’ which one must admit is not too bad for a first film, don’t you think?

Then for years he wanted to bring this adventure story by Kipling to the screen. How many years? Well, originally he had Bogie and Gable in mind for the leads, you do the math.

Fortunately for us, he eventually got the green light for his project.

He then found Peachy and Danny in Michael Caine and Sean Connery, movie stars who are also great actors– of which there ain’t many, folks—and who are perfectly cast in the roles.

Moreover, Caine and Connery had been friends for a long time and this undoubtedly helped bring to life the camaraderie between the misfit heroes.

It is the late 19th century and Danny and Peachy, formerly sergeants in Her Majesty’s Army, find themselves stranded and penniless in India. Their ungrateful country has no further use for them, although their officers once called them heroes “We fought our way up the pass yard by bloody yard.”

Now, bureocrats are running the show “with long skinny noses for looking down on you” and Danny and Peachy are considered ‘undesirables’.

So they are faced with three choices: Go back to England and take jobs as a porters or something equally lower class and menial, stay in India and continue to live more or less as petty criminals, or. . .

Well, let’s not give the plot away. Suffice it to say that when a reasonable Kipling (wonderfully played by Christopher Plummer) tries to dissuade them from their insane scheme, on the grounds that the odds against them are truly suicidal, Peachy dismisses his concerns with “Well, if a Greek can do it, two Englishman certainly can !”

–The Greek in question being Alexander the Great–

And yes, women as well as men will enjoy this great film. It’s a not a “buddy movie”, it’s a classic.

Thank you, John Huston.

This is, of course, a great film, with every aspect of what makes a great film fully exploited. But I did discover something strange on the DVD - there is an entire scene missing. After Sean Connery falls from the bridge, instead of the process shot that shows him falling in slow-motion and the crown falling from his head (which is in every version of the film I’ve ever seen) the scene dissolves to Christopher Plummer listening to the final words of Michael Caine’s narration. What happened to the scene?? Why would it have been removed?? My only other quibble about the DVD is that the sound is not very full. It is an early release DVD so in subsequent releases they might address that issue, but PUT BACK THE MISSING SCENE!

Download The Terminator Online. Movie Title: The Terminator Average customer review: The Terminator is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Terminator

This review refers to the BLU-RAY edition ONLY and NOT to the DVD edition.

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Well having The Terminitor series on DVD and loving them and having recently upgraded to a blu-ray player I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my collection to high definition blu-ray format.

Boy, what a mistake that was.

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Picture quality is AWFUL - well awful for blu-ray anyway. They’ve taken the same standard definition source as the DVD and upscaled it for blu-ray - but it’s still standard definition. Only the menu is in High Definition, the movie is not. I tested my DVD version upscaled against the blu-ray edition and found them identical - if anything the DVD came out slightly on top.

It also only contains 2 extras - the special effects making of and the retrospective - nothing else. My DVD edition contains over a dozen extras.

My verdict if you’re thinking of buying The Terminator in blu-ray and you have an upscaling DVD/BD player - forget it. Stick with the DVD version instead, picture is the same and it has more extras. It’s cheaper too.

Maybe one day this wonderful movie will receive the treatment it deserves and be digitally remastered and have it’s frames scanned with a high definition camera - but until then sit on your DVD’s and wait.

The original “Terminator” is arguably the greatest sci-fi/action film ever, and the Special Edition DVD finally does this classic film justice. Many people look at the sequel as the better of the two, but remember, Cameron was given a huge budget for T2. He was forced to film “The Terminator” for less than $6 million. If you’re like me, you could write enough about this movie to fill an encyclopedia, but I’ll try to give just a breif plot description for those who have yet to see it.

In the future, SkyNET, the supercomputer in control of all military power, decides that humans must be destroyed and begins a massive nuclear war that destroys most of the population. The survivors form a resistance agains the computer and its mechanical army, and eventually defeat it, thanks to their leader John Connor. In a final effort to win, the computer sends a Terminator back in time to kill John’s mother, Sarah, before he is born. The humans send back a lone soilder, Kyle Reese, to protect Sarah from the seemingly unstoppable cyborg.

When the movie was originally filmed, the soundtrack was recorded in mono, which sounded horrible on the original DVD release of the Terminator. But here you can find a newly recorded soundtrack, with the original soundtrack remixed along with new gun and explosion sound effects. Most of the new sounds are very cool (esp. the HK entrance in the first scene), and the new gun effects are good for the most part. Only in a few instances are the new sounds a little weak. Fortunately the DVD also sports the original mono soundtrack for when you want to watch the original verion.

Next to the film itself, the best part of this DVD is the Special Features, most of which were unavailable before. There are two Terminator documentaries, which have cast and crew interviews and behind the scene footage of the original filming of the Terminator, very cool stuff for die hards. Also featured are deleted scenes from the original film, which offer a deeper look into the Terminator mythology, and shows different sides of some characters which you wouldn’t see in the original. Also in the special features are all the original storyboards for the film and hundreds more photos of the sets, actors and sketches from the original production. Simply put, for die hard Terminator fans, your wait is over. Terminator: Special Edition is a godsend.

HERE ARE ALSO TWO SECRETS I HAVE FOUND SO FAR ON THE DVD. On side one, under Languages, more to “Francais” so it is highlighted. Now move to the right. A little box on the right side of the screen should now be highlighted. Click on it. This gives access to one of four short, random interviews. The second secret is also on side one. Under special features, click on “DVD Rom Features,” then under there move so that the Main Menu shortcut is highlighted. Move to the right again, and another small box should now be highlighted. Click on that. This also gives access to four more interviews. Enjoy!

Download Clannad: Collection 2 Online. Movie Title: Clannad: Collection 2 Average customer review: Clannad: Collection 2 is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Clannad: Collection 2

I saw it with my youngest daughter one day. And to be totally honest with you, I fell in love with the one of the main character Tomoya until I saw his best friend,Sunohara. I was was satisfied with Tomoya using Sunohara in his cruel pranks. But, then there are these beautiful girls, not in looks although, they are pretty as well. Then, the story unfolds into a tear jerker at times and a gut buster on the others. You start to find that these people, high schoolers are dealing with some mature issues that some adult wouldn’t be able to deal with. There is a moral like storyline and inner strength that pours out of each like Tomoya encounters including himself. I laughed until I cried and I cried through my smiles. Now, for the information that is needed to watch tis show. It is in Japanese with subtitles. The music is sweet also bubblegum pop and in Japanese. This credits are in Japanese and English. And no, you can’t change it to English and there is no dubbed version. There are 24 episodes and 6 episodes per dvd. I am shocked to be able to buy it in its original format. So, if you love animes in their original language. If you love a story of love and hope.You may even learn something about yourself through these group of high school students. This video is for you. I love watching online and then I bought it.

The second half of Clannad was really good! I especially liked that the Tomoyo Arc extra episode was included. A definate winner for any fan of the high school romance genre of anime.

Download Story of India Online. Movie Title: Story of India Average customer review: Story of India is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download Story of India

I must disclose two items - I am a big fan of Michael Wood and I am of Indian descent. I don’t believe either of these color my review but both were my reasons for watching. Michael Wood is to History what Carl Sagan was to Science and Cosmology. His passion and interest in the subject matter may be viewed as overdone by some but I see it as sincere and therefore brings out the same in the audience. He is able to bring the story of 5000 years to life without leaving the present which is quite an accomplishment that has both to do with the filmmakers and India as both country and people.

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The program was beautifully filmed and captures the voices of more than just the conventional academics that provide the commentary in many historical documentaries. The episodes on Asoka and Buddha are my favorites but all were easy to watch and taught me some or much that I had not already known. Some critics will call Wood’s perspective as viewed through rose colored glasses. I would agree but I think that is by design and not meant to minimize much tragedy and depravity that has also occurred during the 5000 years. There are plenty of other resources that can provide that perspective.

I have seen the first two episodes on PBS and was blown away. Wood is clearly an Indo-phile. You can see by his facial expressions and body language that he is blown away by the intricacies and depth of Indian history and culture.

My favorite part thus far - the fact that spice shops in Peshawar know exactly what Soma is. Soma is the “Rig-Vedic” elixir for the gods. No one in India today probably knows anything about it.

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Another thing I really like, as an Indian, is that this is a history of all of India, including parts which are now Pakistan and played an integral role in the development of Indian civilization. The parts about the Indus Valley (Harappa and Mohenjodaro) were awe inspiring - like the earlier reviewer - this is stuff I learnt about in static history books 25 years ago - to see it in moving video was …. moving.

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This review refers to the WHAM! DVD edition of “My Name Is Nobody”……

Who is faster on the draw than the legendary gunslinger Jack Beauregard(Henry Fonda)?…..NOBODY! (Terence Hill). That’s Who! This is the most delightful western, that the whole family can enjoy together(there is some mild violence and language).

Jack Beauregard who has made quite a name for himself with a gun, just wants to slip away quietly on a slow boat to Europe. But it’s easier said than done. There are others who would rather see him dead and young gunslinger Nobody is hired to do away with Jack. Nobody is so taken with the his idol though, that not only does he want Beauregard to live, but wants his legend to live on in history as well. The pair become the Odd Couple of the 1890’s and you’ll have a fabulous time watching their antics.

It is filmed in the wonderful “Spagehitte Western” style. Based on an idea by Sergio Leone(”Fistful of Dollars” et al), directed by Tonino Valerii, and with a fabulous whimsical score by Ennio Morricone. It has all the great western landscapes, camera work, and some terrific acting.

I was very confused when I was shopping for this DVD. I knew this edition was an import only but I was confused as to how many versions there were.The tech info here says the studio of release is Pid, yet most of the reviews that mentioned the name of the studio refered to it as WHAM. But I really like this film alot, so I went ahead and ordered it. The image of the case here is the same as the one I recieved, but does not say Pid anywhere on it, and is WHAM!. So I just want to clear that up in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. And by the way, it’s a decent DVD transfer as well.

The DVD is very good. The sound is excellent. I wasn’t sure what to expect as there was no info here or on the box as far as the sound was concerned. My DVD player decoded it at DD2.0, and the music as well as the dialouge was crisp and clear. Every little detail(like Fonda getting a shave) was distinguishable. The picture was clear and good for the most part. There were times when it seemed a little grainey, and also the colors seemed somewhat dated. But the widescreeen (1:85:1) was great and it was a nice view. As far as extras, you won’t find too much, but there is some. You can go to “soundtrack” and listen to the music from your favorite scenes. There are also bios on Henry Fonda, Terence Hill and Ennio Morricone (no filmographies though), and there is a theatrical trailer as well.

If you have seen this and know you like it, I would say this DVD is a good buy. If you have’nt seen it but love these kind of spaghetti or comical westerns, you’ll love this one! It’s a keeper!
Happy Trails…Laurie

I have seen many comedy westerns including Cat Ballou, Blazing Saddles, and City Slickers. None have made me laugh harder than “My Name is Nobody”. Henry Fonda plays a retiring gunfighter, Jack Beauregard, for the law while Terence Hill plays a comedic young gunfighter, Nobody, for good. His methods are quite different and should keep you in stitches more than once. The scenes at the Circus can’t be beat. Although he is proficient with a gun, you never see him kill anybody to make his point. Did I mention the musical score by Ennio Morricone is great? As mentioned in a good review, laurie’s boomer views, you can play just the soundtrack. I love Morricone’s happy go lucky intro song , My Name is Nobody, and all the western themes that dramatize the scenes with Beauregard. I do hope this will be released on DVD in the US and for a lower price. The import quality lacks a little to be desired so I am hoping for a better transfer of the master in the future. The WHAM! version menu is overly red and the Bio has Henry Ford instead of Fonda as the name, but the bio is correct. The DVD is decent quality with a only a few screen glitches and the sound is good. The occasional graininess can’t be helped since the original VHS quality was no better and probably the master print wasn’t sharp. I don’t regret getting the DVD since this is a great movie and my VHS is wearing out.

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The “bikers” are like Broadway show extras. The dialogue is embarrassingly unauthentic. Believe me, nobody outside of 42nd Street ever talked like that, daddy-o. The story plays out like some kind of “B” Western with a horse shortage. The “town” even looks like a Western set made over for what somebody in Hollywood thought might be a new genre. There’s a café and a saloon rolled into one and a gal working there to catch the eye, and a town posse and a jail and a sheriff (father of the gal) and some “decent citizens” turning into vigilantes, and instead of outlaws we have “hooligans.” The bikers do everything but tie their bikes up to the hitching post after roaring into town as though to take over.

Okay, that’s one level. On another level this should be compared to Rebel without a Cause (1955) as a mid-century testament to teen angst. Or to Blackboard Jungle (1955) with the fake juvenile delinquency and the phony slang. Marlon Brando as Johnny Strabler, whose claim to fame (aside from being the leader of the pack) is that he stole a second-place biker trophy, stars in a role that helped to launch his career, not that his acting in this film was so great. (He was better in half a dozen other roles, for example., as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire 1951, or as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront 1954). What stands out here is his tough-guy vulnerability with women: the irresistible little boy playing big. In one sense, this is, despite all the men running around and the macho delirium, something very close to ladies night out. It’s a period piece love story, as delicate as a teenager’s heart.

Mary Murphy, who in my opinion really steals the show, is at the very center of the drama and the psychology (not to mention that she looks downright yummy in her cashmere sweater and close fitting skirt). She plays Kathie Bleeker, a small town girl whose heart yearns for something–anything–to break the tedium. Along comes Johnny to sweep her off her feet. Only he isn’t sure how. Furthermore, she has a problem: although she falls in love with the wild one, she sees right through him. The scene that makes the movie begins with her jumping onto the back of his motorcycle (of course) and, after roaring down the night highway, they retire to what looks like a park. She is about a breath away from what used to be called swooning, but despite her fluttering heart, she sets him straight on who he is and how she feels and why. It’s like a woman talking to a wild boy. Then she falls to the ground and just about caresses his motorcycle. It really hits home because she sees through all his pretense and exposes his vulnerability, but is vulnerable herself.

Lee Marvin plays the rival gang leader with a lot of showmanship and Robert Keith plays the ineffectual father. Just about everybody else (including longtime LA sports anchor, Gil Stratton) amounts to an extra.

See this for a glimpse at mid-century psychology as seen through the eyes of Hollywood’s seduction machine, and especially for Mary Murphy (running in those heels) who, for whatever reason, never became a star.

I look at this film today through very different eyes than when I first saw it as a high-schooler in ‘54.

Of course a lot of it seems hokey now, and with good reason: the world is a far less innocent place than it was in those bucolic, Eisenhower, pre-R&R days.

But when it first came out, it was Hot Stuff. Bad guys, noisy bikes, beer-drinking, and girls in tight sweaters were a big deal to us then.

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The first thing you’ll probably notice about this player is it’s gorgeous widescreen. How big is it? Well, technically speaking it’s 480 x 272 resolution, 4.3 inches wide diagionally, and capable of displaying about 262,000 colors(same as Zen M). For those of you who now own a Zen M, to illustrate how big the screen is on the Zen W: You can lay an entire Zen M on the Zen W, and the entire area of the Zen M is about the size of the screen of the Zen W. For you Psp owners out there, the Zen W screen is exactly the same resolution and size as the screen on the PSP. Although, the PSP screen is actually more advanced and can display over 16 million colors. Though both of these screens are much better than the screen on the video Ipods(which is only 320 x 240, and only display 65,000 colors). The screen on the Zen W does the job very well, and you can adjust the brightness levels. Even at %50 brightness, it’s adequate. Though it outshines the Zen M in screen size, I noticed that it’s not quite as sharp and the colors are not as vivid as on the Zen M. Also, I noticed that while playing Divx video, the Zen W doesn’t play the video as smoothly as on a computer. The video frame-rate seems to look more jerky and less smooth. Although the pre-installed videos looked fine in Xvid, so this may only apply to Divx videos. Some other great features about the player are it’s built in FM radio, voice recorder, custom sound equalizer, built in speaker, and Compact Flash slot. The built-in speaker can get surprisingly loud and is adequate for watching videos… But if you’re an Audiophile, it’s not good for listening to your music. It’s sounds quite tinny and is only a single speaker. One huge improvement over the Zen M is that you no longer need to carry a stupid adapter to charge or upload songs or media. The mini-usb power, and A/V out ports are already built in to this player. Also the magnesium casing seems much sturdier than the Zen M’s plastic casing… and probably not as prone to scratches. The thing looks and feels very solidly built. The interface is also simple and easy to figure out and very similar to the Zen M interface.

The only big difference is that the Zen W uses buttons instead of the touch thumb-pad on the Zen M. I think they should have tried to integrate the thumb-pad somehow because it worked so well on the Zen M. In this respect, the Zen W buttons seem like a step backward in progress. However, I do like the fact that they made all the buttons on the right side so you can effectively use the player with only your right hand. (sorry lefties).

The built in Compact Flash slot is also a very cool idea. You can backup your compact flash or microdrive photos onto the player with the slot. The only thing is that you can’t use the compact flash as a secondary hard-drive… meaning you can’t just slip a compact flash card with video on it and watch it straight from the card. You must import it onto the player first before you can play the media. You can’t play mp3s or browse photos straight from the CF card either. All the files must be imported onto the hard-drive of the Zen W first. This seems pretty lame to me because you’re not using the slot to it’s full potiental. Hopefully there will be firmware upgrades that will let you do this in the future. Another thing about the player that needs to be improved is it’s thickness. The second thing you’ll notice (after the lovely huge screen) is how thick this thing is. I mean, it’s barely pocketable. So it’s not quite as portable as the Zen M. How think is it? Well, it’s nearly an inche thick… a little less thick than a PSP. If they could cut the thickness in half, it would make this player much more portable.(not to mention sleek and sexy). Here’s a quick run-down on Pros and Cons.

Pros:

-Gorgeous 4.3 inche (480×272 resolution) screen that displays up to 262,000 colors. Movies look so much better than on a 320×240 (Ipod)screen. And if you like to watch Anime, you’ll have no more problems reading subtitles.

-Built in mini-usb port, power, and Audio/Video out port(for tv output).

-Sturdy magnesium casing and solid feel.

-Lots of extras like FM radio, organizer, calendar, voice recorder -Audio/Video cable included, plays Xvid and Divx files.

-Built in compact flash/microdrive slot for photo backup.

-Removable battery (yes, finally!)

-Optional wireless Remote control available (built in IR reciever)

-ZenCast organizer (allows you to download/organize Podcasts to Zen W)

Cons:

- Pretty thick at almost an inche thick. (barely pocketable)

- Divx playback (Frame-rate) a bit jerky. Screen not as sharp-looking and colors not as vibrant as Zen M. (I’m nit-picking, you may not even notice the difference…especially if you don’t have a Zen M)

- No video line-in for video recording. It would be great if they had this built in and you could record from any video source… don’t know why they don’t.

- When viewing files on Compact Flash using CF slot, you must first import/upload files over to the Zen W drive first to view.

In conclusion, this player packs alot of punch for the money. And almost everything it does, it does very well. If you love movies and music like I do, you will definately enjoy this device. It’s very impressive and looks and feels sturdy. The biggest flaw/turn-offs to me is it’s thickness. A device made for portability should be … well, more portable. In a world where other mp3 competitors are sizing down their players, creative seems to be sizing their’s up. If they could somehow cut the thickness of this player to half while not sacrificing any of it’s other features, it would be perfect. Still with it’s minor imperfections, this player is still worth every penny and outshines it’s competitors. If you value portability over video capability, I’d go for the Zen M. The Zen M still plays video…but on a smaller screen.(And it’s cheaper too)

One last thing, the viewing angle on this player is great, unlike the first model zen vision media player that came out a few years ago. And since the screen resolution and dimensions are the same as the PSP, so you can buy a screen protector for the Psp and use it on this baby Cool huh?

Update: For those of you interested in a case for the Zen Vision W 30GB version, the Nintendo DS lite is about exactly the same size as the 30GB Zen Vision W so many of the cases for the DS lite work pretty well for 30GB Zen W as well. However the 60GB Zen W is a bit thicker and the cases probably won’t work as well for it.

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I just got my Zen Vison W yesterday. Pulled it out of the box and had it up and running within 30 minutes. The entire package is well thought out with an AC adapter, decent earbuds and a well designed software package for importing content into the player.

I took about one hour to import my music to the player and also used the Zencast service to import Rocketboom and other video broadcasts to the player with zero problems. The import process for RSS-driven videocasts (no, I won’t use the i*od word, since a certain fruit-based company is using legal tactics to go after anyone who even utters the word now). The Zencast service that Creative sponsors is just great and really is simple to use for both the Zen Vision and Zen touch players I have. I hope Creative extends the service with more functionality and features over time.

I’m still working out how to load videos from my Directv Tivo, but overall, this is an amazing package. The only weak area I see is that the FM radio is a bit insensitive for folks like me who live further out in the boonies. I was able to pick up stations and feel that if I were closer in to the city, I’d do just fine.

Powerup switch is sort of unique with a momentary contact switch that takes a little getting used to. At first, I thought I had a broken switch and then it became clear that this was all designed in. I’m going to be careful when turning the unit on and off, since I never have liked momentary spring-driven switches - They just seem to break unless you are very careful. I would expect that Creative used high-quality components for the switch.

Powering off uses the same switch with a momentary hold to signal the system to shutdown. The system powers off and on in a matter of seconds and despite complaints about similar units being slow, I don’t see what the big deal is. Where else can you get this kind of performance, quality and sheer information storage? If it takes a second to get things to work, so be it - Frankly, I think it is a very good balance that Creative achieved with technology, form, function and limitations. In other words - They did great!

I was surprised that the sound w/o earbuds, using the inboard speaker was as good as it was. It can overdrive a bit, but honestly, it is just fine for watching videos in quiet locations and the sound is clean and just loud enough for most needs.

I was very pleased with the video quality. The screen quality is outstanding and the angle of view is *very* good. I have yet to try hooking the output to my Westinghouse LCD, but I’ll bet it’ll be amazing.

The photo section is great too - I was able to transfer all my photographs quickly and the ability to play through the pictures is just great. Very nicely done. I also took one picture and zoomed in on a spot I liked and used that zoom picture for my wallpaper. Yep, they have wallpaper that can change just like on a PC and it really is pretty cool.

Getting data into the system is easy and just involves a USB cable and plugging into a standard Windows XP box. I was up and running in minutes. The battery charge time states 3 hours on the box, but it seemed like I was topped off in far less time, so I’ll have to see how it goes over time.

The only weird thing is how to set the time and date. Takes a bit of fudging to work the menus and figure how to do it, but overall, it was pretty easy. The alarm feature was interesting too… I’d guess you really need to set the volume high to make it work and I’d suggest future versions of the Zen incorporate a small buzzer or pleasant chime to make this feature shine more.

Creative hit a home run with this unit and this should be the standard for all portable video. Huge screen, easy to operate menu and high quality. I’m glad I’ve always stuck with Creative - they always give exceptional quality and functionality for a great price. I recommend this player highly and think you’ll be glad you bought it if you go for it.

By the way, all my friends and family were blown away when they saw it… ;>) I’m happy with the product and will be using it for a long time to come.

I’m a semi-professional photographer whose dSLR takes Compact Flash cards, and so I was very excited at the prospects of using the Vision W as a way to offload images from shoots (using the compact flash slot) and to free them back up so that I could continue shooting.

I was hopeful that I would be able to even use the W as a proofing device to hand off to clients directly after the shoot so that they could immediately delete the photos that they didn’t like.

I also was looking for a new MP3 player and was very interested in having a video player.

After using all components of the Vision W, I have the following observations.

Good

-Almost everything about this player is good! It’s very sleek, reasonably priced, it excels at almost everything it does, and is pure joy to use.

-The screen is gorgeous. It is easily viewable from any angle. Pictures and movies alike look great.

-I love the organizer feature and am syncing the device to outlook daily. This has gone very well.

-The options for video play back work well. If you’re not watching something in 16:9 format, you can zoom in to fill the whole screen with a portion of the video, stretch it to fit the full screen, etc. I’ve used this more than expected.

-The formats of video that are supported are great! It’s nice not having to worry what format it is. I appreciate that the software handles converting the video into a format that it can handle.

-The interface is very intuitive. I haven’t yet picked up the user guide and have been able to navigate successfully around on it.

Bad

-Photos copied over from Compact Flash cards take a long time to transfer to the device and are very slow to load when cycling through them on the player. Granted, they’re coming directly out of an 8.2 MP camera and so they are huge files, but I had hopes that they would load much more quickly. Also - the thumbnail icons for these photos look distorted and load slowly, too. Photos copied to the device via the software (rather than directly from the compact flash card) do not have any of these problems.

-The headphone ear buds are too large to fit my ears. They literally fall out immediately because they don’t fit. I had to buy a new, smaller set. (Note: I do often find that headphone ear buds run a little big - these were even bigger than normal. If you generally don’t find this to be the case then it shouldn’t be a concern for you).

-Like another reviewer, I wish it had a stand for watching movies so that you don’t have to hold it in your hand. It would have been nice to set it down on the tray table during a flight. (Update: I’ve had wonderful luck with a business card holder like this one that I bought for just a couple bucks at an office supply store - I now have two of them - one for my desk at work and one for my desk at home! It works perfectly - the angle is great! I wouldn’t recommend it on an unstable surface, but for most of the time it is perfect).

-When connected to the device from your computer, you can’t interact with multiple directories at once. For example, I was copying over a large video file and wanted to recategorize images in a separate folder. I was not able to do so until the video had finished copying.

-I had hoped that there would be a setting to auto-rotate portrait orientation photos so that they would automatically show up sideways (thus making better use of the viewing area on the screen) but haven’t found this feature. Instead, I manually rotate each picture.

-Deleting photos is not easy and intuitive enough for me to be able to hand the device off to a client. Overall, it’s just not a robust enough photo viewer to reasonably plan to use it as a proofing device as I had hoped.

-There may be a way to do so, but so far I haven’t found any easy way to quickly check what time it is on the device. Instead you have to go into the date/time submenu.

A couple other things that would have really put this over the top if they’d been able to successfully pull it off, but that I didn’t really expect:

-Two headphone jacks, with one on each side for when two people are watching a movie together. We bought a splitter and that worked OK but a jack on each side would have been much easier and neater.

-AM radio tuner

-Slightly thinner body

-Inputs for other memory cards than Compact Flash.

Despite some minor complaints, I’m extremely happy with the device and strongly recommend it to anyone, especially anyone who uses a camera with a Compact Flash card.

Product: Bosch 33614-2G List Price: $364.00 Average customer review: Amazon Price: Too low to display Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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What can I say? a Bosch is a Bosch! It oozes power and quality. It’s a bit heavy for smaller hands, but once you’ve used it, there’s no going back. The battery lasts and lasts. I’ve driven dozens and dozens of 2.5 inch drywall screws into studs on a single charge without a sweat. I can’t imagine needing the 18-Volt version unless your going through concrete. Also, the fact that the chuck locks (won’t spin freely in reverse) when the drill is off, means you can lock the bit into place without using 2 hands - sweet. This drill is for anyone who recognizes quality and appreciates an extremely well-made tool. If your happy with Sears Crafstman, don’t bother getting this drill - you wouldn’t appreciate it. If you want the best; Get Bosch, get this drill.

When my Craftsman 16.6 conked out, I almost bought a DeWalt 18.8, but luckily noticed this drill. Positive locking, extra life batteries with 30 minute (fact) charging, half-inch chuck, free-as-a-bird swivel ring for hand guidance, reasonable weight, Bosch feel — did I mention half-inch chuck?

And it has all the torque I could ever need, including making holes in hard wood — But don’t believe me, YOU try to stump this drill. (Lotsa luck)

Aside from not having a hammer drill, this is all the drill I could ever want.

By the way, Amazon is about $50 less than any other supplier on this product — along with free shipping.

It’s a no-brainer.

Good power and torque, but battery life could be a bit better