In January, following a trip to the East Coast, I complained that the in-flight film selections left a lot to be desired. It seemed then that any tripe that had Ashton Kutcher, Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell would bubble up to the TV screen on my United flights, and, as a captive audience, I would be forced to watch it. 

Yet, it already seems that things have improved, just in the last few months, surprisingly. In May, during my trip to Chicago, we were treated to King Kong. This last week, we saw Ice Age 2: The Meltdown on the way to Chicago, and Mission: Impossible 3 on the way back from Chicago to San Jose. All three of those films were potentially on my list to catch that I hadn't yet seen, for whatever reason, on the big screen.

Now, I have to admit that each of the three aforementioned films likely lost quite a bit of their luster through being displayed on what couldn't be more than a 13-inch screen, and during the showing of Ice Age 2, we particularly had to look through some sort of pink film that didn't give the graphics their due. But it was much better than being stuck in front of some horrendous tripe like Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, or something of that sort.

I don't know if this is just coincidence that we've seen an uptick in film quality since the beginning of the year, if the sample size is too small, or if the future months will return to previous depths, but if it is a real trend, I applaud it, and wouldn't mind taking calls from United or others on just what I personally think should be on their list in the future. After all, my cell phone's listed up in the top right corner of the site. I'll await your call.

Listening to ''Into Your Eyes'', by Armand Van Helden (Play Count: 5)

In the heat of a playoff race in the middle of a 162-game season, wear and tear and fatigue can dramatically impact a team. Into the dog days of August, the ANtics takes a look at how the A's players keep up their intensity all season long.


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Ever since the debut of the iPod, and through Apple's sustained market share growth, critics have said the company cannot maintain its significant lead in MP3 players, or in the online music sales arena. But quarter after quarter, the company's piece of the pie has held steady at the 80% level, despite competition - real and imagined, from those like Creative Labs, and the biggest names in the business - Sony, Microsoft and Google.

Microsoft made significant headlines in July, with the pre-announcement of Zune, which in theory would present the biggest impact to the iPod lead, a hard-disk MP3 player, tied with a brand-new online music store, and anticipated features including video and photo playback, and even wireless access - something Apple's not yet debuted in its iPod line.

But, as is typical with Microsoft products, features have fallen out, even before the debut. Engadget now says that Zune may not launch with video support. According to the site, "Microsoft called up some content providers and said the video portion of its Zune device... was being delayed."

And Microsoft's not alone in its struggles. Google, long rumored as the potential big fish in the pond, has now come out and said they have no interest in selling music online, and competing with iTunes. With Apple holding a nearly three and a half-year lead in the space, it will take some amazing introduction (or a reversion back to illegal, free downloading) to knock iTunes off its pedestal.

For years, critics and observers have eagerly awaited any potential slip-ups from the Cupertino company, hoping that its iTunes/iPod market share would follow the two-decades old story with the Mac, dropping down to eventual single-digit marketshare. But they have confused different markets in a different time with different leadership, and continue to not recognize the momentum and comprehension shown by Apple in a very competitive space. Maybe it will take some high-profile failures on the part of Microsoft and Google to bring that home.

Listening to ''Spin Spin Sugar (Armands Dark'', by Sneaker Pimps (Play Count: 6)

Conventional wisdom has it that traveling West to East is harder on the body than going East to West, but for the large part, I find the reverse to be true. Often, I overcompensate for the time shift by staying up into the wee hours while on the East Coast, with 1 and 2 a.m. bedtimes being common. Last night, following the conclusion of the A's game, which wrapped up around 1:00 Boston time, was no different.

For me, the struggle comes after the coast-to-coast travel when I arrive home. Today, that was exacerbated by our being forced awake at 5:30 East Coast time to just barely make our flight, which means for those of us in California, I've been up since 2:30 a.m., not a good thing. And my body has never taken to sleeping on flights, so while others dozed, I read and listened to the iPod.

Upon arriving home, the travel and lack of sleep caught up with me. After unpacking, we found the A's on TV again, for a 1 p.m. start. But I couldn't make it through the fourth inning before my body gave in to the jetlag, and I zonked out on the couch, eyes fluttering awake only to see the final score, and Huston Street shaking hands with Jason Kendall to close out the 5-2 win over the Mariners. Funny how even subconsciously, I wanted to be sure the A's had won.

This isn't the first time the East to West travel has caught up with me. On other business trips, I've come home, only to struggle through the 10 o'clock primetime of CSI or Law and Order. Makes me look like a wuss. But it's just the way it is.

On the flip side, it is amazing, even in this modern age, to have seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes, in the same day. Flying from Boston to Chicago to San Jose will do that for you. I'm still in awe with some of the modern amenities we all take for granted.

Listening to ''Shivers'', by DJ Armin van Buuren (Play Count: 12)