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Number nine, number nine, number nine …

09-09-09. For numerologists and the superstitious, the date means more than
just the day between Sept. 8, 2009, and Sept. 10, 2009.

For fans of the Beatles, it's a great day. The band’s music catalog has
been remastered and re-released. Not only that, but for those who like to
sing and play along (kind of) there's the new Rock Band game featuring the
Beatles (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/). Apple Corps Ltd., MTV Games
and Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games and a part
of Viacom’s MTV Networks teamed to make the game available today. (Game
sellers expect to see game players come together in stores for weeks to
come.)

The Beatles remastered box set is available at many music retailers for
just less than $500. So, love isn't all you need, after all; you’ll require
a pocket full of greenbacks to bring it home. (Your love gives those
retailers such a thrill, but your love won’t pay their bills ... )
Nevertheless I'm sure Fab Four fans will feel plenty of love as they listen
to the tunes.

Apple wasn't finished today with the music announcement, as Steve Jobs,
fresh from his liver transplant and back on the job, unveiled a new iPod
nano with video capture. The Apple site (www.apple.com) has three short
videos shot on the newest member of the iPod family, and the quality is
pretty remarkable. The 8 gigabyte model is $149, with the 16 GB version
selling for $179. Jobs also showed off the newest iPod Touch, priced at
$199, and Apple released a revamped iTunes interface — iTunes 9, naturally.

(Sadly for Beatles fans, nines notwithstanding, there was no promise that
“Revolution No. 9” or any of the rest of the Fab Four’s catalog would come
to iTunes. The long-rumored Beatles/iTunes announcement failed to
materialize again.)

If you need more fine nines, check your local movie listings, as the new
film, "9" opened today. There's bound to be a screening later tonight, say
around 9.

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