Cholesterol news and I need MP3 player advice!

[sarea]

First, I wanted to say that I am completely and insanely envious of gnrationfo, who is now getting phone calls from Billie Joe Armstrong. Next time, I want you to not pick up the phone and instead let your machine get it. Then you can play it for me when I'm there, and it'll be the next best thing to seeing Green Day in concert.

Second, I wanted to impart a couple of pieces of news -- one good, one ... I can't decide.

#1: I had my bloodwork done the other day (a year since the time I found out I had high bad cholesterol), and the results came back with good news! Hmm, so losing 14+ pounds really did make a difference. Guess that means I have to try to stick w/ a healthier lifestyle (though I've already deteriorated a lot from late last year).

	HDL in mg/dL (good cholesterol)	LDL in mg/dL (bad cholesterol)	Triglycerides	Total Cholesterol	Weight
Recommended Guidelines	Low: < 40 Optimal: > 60	Optimal: < 100 Near optimal: 100 to 129 Borderline high: 130 to 159 High: 160 to 189 Very high: > 190	Optimal: < 150 Borderline high: 150 to 199 High: 200 to 499 Very high: > 500	Optimal: < 200 Borderline high: 200 to 239 High: > 240	Optimal: 104-125 pounds
2004 test	46	140	116	209	139
2005 test	63	112	67	180	115
2006 test	65	122	76	201	??
2007 test	--	--	--	--	--
2008 test	46	139	96	204	132
2009 test	--	--	--	--	--
2010 test	50	--	--	213	154
2011 test	48	107	109	177	158

So I'm still not under 100 for LDL, but at least it's near optimal now, instead of borderline high. YAY that this means I won't have to go on cholesterol-lowering medication.

#2: So, re: the iPod. They don't have a replacement, which I find unsurprising, because how many 20GB iPods are you going to be able to find at that price? So they're going to fully refund my money, and provide a UPS label for me to ship it back, etc. Which is cool -- they have been really great to deal with so far. But, of course, now I'm torn about what my next steps are. Do I invest in another iPod, because those who have them really love them, or do I invest in a different MP3 player, for the reasons I've gone over before (lower price, more space, etc.)? I would really, REALLY love to get your experience/opinions on this. The more, the better. I should have probably done this earlier.

What MP3 player are you using? What's been your experience with it so far? What are the things you love most about it, and what drawbacks (if any) have you encountered?

Comments

[seldon.livejournal.com]

Yay for cholesterol! And I guess losing all those pounds makes you smile whenever you see a mirror - at least that's what happened to me!

My list of pros and cons:

+ Looks cool
+ Clickwheel
+ Supports MP3, AAC, WAV and Apple Lossless
+ iTunes - a very easy to use yet powerful interface
+ Ripping/importing is done with a couple of clicks
+ Acess to the iTunes store (songs from the iTunes sotre, BTW, can be burned into CDs and re-ripped back into the format of your choice, a feature not all the stores offer).
+ Small
+ Does anybody really needs more than 20GB of HD? (I have a 40GB but I'll be the first to admit I could live with only 4GB).
+ Newest models have very, very good battery life
+ TONS of accesories and add-ons, for the stilysh and/or practical guy/gal. Check www.ipodlounge.com to see some of them...

- There are players with more space out there at the same price
- No .wma support (and that means no Wal-Mart/Microsoft/Yahoo/Naptser store...)
- Radio, voice recording, etc. has to be purchased separately
- You *have to* use iTunes to clssify and copy your music into the iPod
- You can't import songs from the iPod into your computer (at least not without 3rd Part software. Hint, hint ;) )

All in all, I'm a techie, and I'm very happy with my iPod. The fact that you have tons of .wma could be a problem, but iTunes can import those songs into MP3 if they aren't copy-protected. Or, if you have them in CD, iTunes can rip them for you very quickly with only a couple of clicks.

Anyway, a word of warning if you don't go for an iPod: beware of Sony MP3 players. Until very recently (that is, until a couple of months ago) they couldn't play MP3: instead they re-rip your songs into a propietary format (ATRAC, IIRC).

[seldon.livejournal.com]

Ah! Some things I forgot to mention... If you want this for use in your car, maybe you'd like to see if your stereo can accept a direct line-in from your MP3 player - both casette tape adaptars and radio transmitters represent a significant loss of audio quality, which means that unless you use a direct line the difference in audio quality between different models might not be that important.

Second, if you plan to use this to exercise in a non-stationary device (i.e. jogging) then you'd be much better investing into a non-hard-drive-based device, like a Discman with MP3 support, minidisc player or a flash memory based jukebox.

Third, if you want to use this in your car, maybe a CD player and some CD-RWs might be a cheaper and more practical option ;) I use an iPod because I walk a lot, but whenever I drive I find a selection of 10 rewriteable CDs are more than enough because, really, how often do you switch playlists during mid-drive? (Although 24 hour cross-country driving marathonw are another story altogether...)

Fourth, no matter what model you get, buy a case to protect it from scratches *and* drops. It's the best investment you can make! :)

[selinakyle47.livejournal.com]

your stereo can accept a direct line-in from your MP3 player

Is this a feature on non-factory-installed stereos? I don't recall seeing this on my car stereo (which came pre-installed). I use a casette adaptor and am looking for something that works better.

[seldon.livejournal.com]

Is this a feature on non-factory-installed stereos?

Yup. Some factory-installed stereos also have it (usually it's hidden in the back), but most don't. It really depends on how cheap practical your car dealer is...

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

This is fabulous info. I'm sure that my stereo doesn't have a direct line-in, but like you said, I don't often change playlists while I'm driving (even if I wanted to, it'd be a bit dangerous), so my CD player and rotating CDs should suit me just fine.

If I did exercise w/ the player, it wouldn't be jogging. I hate running of any kind. ;) I'd mostly be walking, which it sounds like that would be safe to do?

Mostly I want it for when I'm traveling, like on a plane, or in a car ride when I'm not driving.

Yes, a case is a must!

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

See, the fact that you're more tech oriented really does speak well for the iPod, since you're recommending it .... but I guess the thing is, with the cost consideration, I really want a compelling reason to get the iPod over something else. So far, most of the arguments for iPod have had to do with aesthetics (if they've even said anything other than, "I love it!" <g>), and I'm afraid I'm just not finding that compelling enough. And everyone KNOWS I'm someone who loves accessories/style, so for me to be unconvinced purely on that front, well ... I guess it does show that when it comes to electronics, I'm more about the functionality.

Does anyone really need 20gb of space on their MP3 player? Probably not. ;) But it's nice to know it's there, in case the day ever comes when I do. I mean, I said the same thing about my 19gb hard drive three years ago, and it turned out to be nowhere near enough. So you just never know!

I really appreciate all your thoughtful pros/cons, and the extra info (like about Sony, ugh). Obviously it all bears consideration. I think what I'm going to do is go to Circuit City or something today and check out non-iPod players, see what they look like (if they're really hideous, fine, style before functionality), if I like the interface, etc. Then I can narrow it down further, and maybe have a better sense of what my preferences are. (Or I'll just confuse myself even further, wheee!)