SPOT check

If you have a girlfriend who likes to go solo camping in remote places -- and I know you do -- then I would HIGHLY recommend the SPOT Satellite Messenger. I had seen adverts for it starting just last month with Survivorman's Les Stroud.



It's an inexpensive device (compared to a SatPhone, at least) that allows the user to press a button to let people on their distribution list get an e-mail saying "I'm Okay" and giving the exact coordinates from whence the message was sent. It's like a satellite-based text message. Additionally, there is a "Help" button that sends an e-mail to the same people for non-emergency assistance, and a 911 button that is sent to authorities for immediate emergency help.

And it's good for the obvious reason: If I had to go four days with absolutely no contact whatsoever from Q, I'd go nuts with worry. And the fact that she can call for emergency help if she's being eaten by a moose is also very nice peace-of-mind.

So, anyway, it's a cool thing. I may take it next time I go to Germany so I can show Q exactly where I am going.

On an unrealted note...

WAIT... NARWHALS ARE REAL?

I seriously had no idea. I thought they were a made-up unicorn-of-the-sea kind of thing.

XBox

And because why NOT post three times in 30 minutes:

Best Buy replaced my XBox with a brand new one... Because prices have come down dramatically in the 15 months since Susan first got my XBox, I was able to replace the baseline version (20GB HDD) with the top-of-the-line Elite version (120GB HDD). So that's good. And the new unit has HDMI, which certainly isn't a bad thing. The bad news is that all of my data on the old hard drive is lost. The XBLA games can be re-downloaded (and have been), so all I really lose is my game saves. Sucks, but not the end of the world. I had to restart my "Be a Pro" season in NHL '09, but I was only eight games in, so no biggie.

Four of you care. ARE YOU AMONG THEM?