It’s been well documented on how I hate PureTracks, and how they screwed me with my first purchase. Now Napster has come to Canada (check out their oh so clever Flash animation that proclaims “I’m proud to be a Canadian, now pass me another beer. I’m proud to be a Canadian, now pass me the lumber jack.”).
Napster just kind of saddens me now though. It’s like your old friend who was the coolest guy in high school, did all the bad stuff, was the guy that your parents didn’t want you to hang out with. He went off to college, where you heard he did even WORSE things, and got in trouble with the law. He vanished for a few years (rumour had it that he was teaching English in Japan), and then he came back, and now he works for the bank, he has a wife and kids, and a vaguely vacant stare. When you look deep into his eyes, you realize that he’s already checked out, and all that’s left is the shell of the man that once was. Sure he still wears the tie-dyed t-shirts, he’s got a beard (but it’s neatly groomed), and he can still out-drink you, but really, there’s nothing there.
That’s what Napster is now.