Yup, second OneNote.

If you can find an edition of OneNote 2010 (Technical Preview, currently), it's even better. OneNote 2010 has equation editing similar to that of Word 2007, which, if you've actually used, you'd realize has all sorts of Latex-like features, just that it's transcribed on the fly.

You can type

\int_-\infty^\infty 5xdx

or whatever, just the same way. Matrices are a bit different, but very much possible;

\matrix(1&0@0&1)

Creates a 2x2 identity matrix.

That said, don't pirate software. :D

Microsoft is finally getting bit by cultivating and preying on the culture of Good Enough. XP supports current hardware, runs current apps, ISVs are still writing for it. Users are comfortable with it, it handles games well (hey, check out the number of Big Name Games that require DX10), and while it's a security nightmare, most competent shops know enough to be able to keep their machines STD-free.

Vista is a host of new problems, support issues, and sucks on the same hardware XP zips on. Windows 7 isn't officially out yet... and when it is, most IT shops are going to wait. They'll poke it with a stick, sniff it like a dog, and rather it's a genuine improvement or not, they're not going to hop on it until they have to.

I'm not sure. I recently installed XP onto my Vista-happy computer since I needed a 32-bit version of Windows for some application (I had installed 64-bit Vista a few weeks back).

XP needed me to install audio drivers, graphics drivers, motherboard drivers, fingerprint device drivers, ... all told, I had to manually put in at least 20 things in Device Manager before it would be happy. Vista had 2 missing: fingerprint and mouse.

Of course, that's just anecdotal evidence. But also consider that 64-bit Windows doesn't have as many drivers built-in and that the XP didn't pick up my tablet immediately while the Vista installation did... I'm pretty sure for the end-user experience and installation, Vista is far superior to XP. But that's just anecdotal evidence.

Keep redundancy away from Creative, though: mein leben!

Note: I own many Creative products, including soundcards, and they have yet to fail on me. (:

Or, alternatively, these things.

Actually, speaking of these things... why'd they name a robot Stair when it can't even climb stairs?! ... Unless the pivot wheel is just a distraction from the folks at Stanford. *scrutinizes image.* Perhaps to prevent us from thinking it's Skynet-brood, as noted by parent...