Hank Williams, Jr.

He is probably best known today as the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on All My Rowdy Friends, and also for recording the "unofficial theme song of Operation Desert Storm", Don't Give Us A Reason, whose most well-remembered lyrics were, "Hey Ol' Saddam you figured wrong, when you thought the whole world would back down/You can take your poison gas and stick it up your sassafras.". [1] (http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/05/12/afx2024549.html). By the end of the decade, however, the hits had dried up, with his last major success being There's a Tear in My Beer, a duet with his father created using electronic dubbing techniques. NVidia have announced that they will cease production of the Xbox's GPU in August of that year, which will almost certainly mark the end of that console's production. He didn't reach the charts again until the late 1970s, with I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller), Family Tradition and Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. During the 1980s, Williams became a country music superstar known for catchy anthems and hard-edged rock-influenced country. Microsoft is expected to release a new generation of Xbox hardware, the Xbox 360, in 2005. Upon his recovery (which took two years), Williams worked with Waylon Jennings on The New South. To avoid frustrating early adopters, they offered a bundle containing two games and one controller for free to any purchaser who could provide a sales receipt showing the original higher price.

In 1975, he was severely injured in a mountain-climbing accident in Montana. Microsoft countered with a £100 price drop (and its equivalent in the rest of Europe) some scant months after launch. Moving to Alabama, Williams began playing with Southern rock musicians like Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels. With a price-dropped PlayStation 2 and a comparatively inexpensive GameCube as competition, many users were naturally reluctant to invest in the console (interestingly, the PS2 had faced similar attacks during the UK tabloids' preoccupation with "Ripoff Britain"). While recording a series of hit songs, Williams began abusing drugs including alcohol and eventually tried to commit suicide in 1974. Obviously, ignoring the GBP-USD exchange rate in the way gives the impression of a 100% mark-up for Europe. The song signalled a move to rock and roll and other influences as he stepped from the shadow of his father, and he became best known for hits like Family Tradition and Born to Boogie. As with many games consoles (for example, the PlayStation series), the Xbox was launched with a price in GBP equal to its US price in USD (in this case, $/£299), and this price then converted for the rest of Europe.

After recording the soundtrack to Your Cheatin' Heart, a biography of his father, Williams Jr hit the charts with one of his own compositions, Standing in the Shadows. Of note is the high European launch price. He began performing when eight years old, and in 1963 made his recording debut with Lone Gone Lonesome Blue, a staple of his father's career. Oceania. Born Randall Hank Williams in Shreveport, Louisiana and known by the nickname Bocephus, he was raised by his mother Audrey after his father's death in 1953. Europe. and father of Hank III and Holly Williams. North America.

Hank Williams, Jr. (born May 26, 1949) is a country singer, son of country music pioneer Hank Williams, Sr. Currently, it is believed that Microsoft compares each Xbox's serial number and hard drive serial number upon connecting to Live, and that any "unpairing" of the two will result in a ban for the user associated with the console. 2003 - I'm One of You. One theory is that there is a "marriage" of one's hard drive serial number and one's Xbox's serial number, and banning if one of those two change due to part replacement. Another is that it might check for modified files, and another suggesting that Microsoft is detecting if the unique hard drive key of every Xbox has changed. 2002 - The Almeria Club Recordings. There has been several theories on how banning in this new method is done. 1999 - Stormy. But as of November 2004, Microsoft has been taking new actions for banning Xboxes with hard drive modifications from the Xbox Live service.

1996 - AKA Wham Bam Sam. Also, most internal hardware modifications will render an Xbox unable to participate in Xbox Live which is why many modders use a switch to turn on and off their modifications to the Xbox. 1995 - Hog Wild. Modding an Xbox may require opening the Xbox case, and would certainly void the Xbox's warranty. 1994 - The Real Deal. A modded Xbox can even be configured into a computer running Linux or Microsoft Windows CE operating systems. 1993 - Out of Left Field. Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with the Xbox Media Center (http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/) software (XBMC) allowing the playing of DVDs without the $30 DVD dongle/remote and streaming of music and video files from the hard drive or from another computer over a network.

1991 - Pure Hank. This requires a modded Xbox using one of the alternative dashboards, and is used by scrupulous users to eliminate load times or leave their games in storage, and by unscrupulous users to play illegally copied games. 1991 - Maverick. Then Xbox games can be copied from the DVD to the hard disk and then played directly from the hard drive. 1990 - Lone Wolf. The original hard drive can be replaced with a larger one. 1988 - Wild Streak. This is especially attractive as the Xbox is designed to output to TVs, and high-quality controllers and arcade sticks are available for it.

1987 - Born to Boogie. This allows running an alternate dashboard such as Avalaunch, Evolution-X or UnleashX and in turn makes playing original (free) homebrew games such as Star Wars or various older games through arcade and games console emulators possible. 1986 - Montana Cafe. Software modding is much less intrusive, and only involves running software exploits to trick the Xbox into running unsigned program code. 1985 - Five-O. However, there are many reputable sites in the UK (where overall, it is still technically legal) selling pre-loaded modchipped Xboxes. 1984 - Major Moves. Hardware modding can involve anything from simply replacing the console's green decorative "jewel" with a custom-designed one to opening up the case and installing a modchip.

1983 - Strong Stuff. The recent popularity of the Xbox has inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms (sometimes in order to use the Xbox as a low cost web server), as well as to add customized design touches to the console's case (similar to PC case modding). 1983 - Man of Steel. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable just like other console technologies. 1982 - High Notes. The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and NVIDIA, whose chips power the Xbox graphics. 1981 - The Pressure Is On. Microsoft's set of low-level APIs for game development and multimedia purposes, DirectX, was used as a basis for the Xbox's hardware programming (as well as its name, which implies "DirectX Box").

1981 - Rowdy. This output selectivity is made possible by the Xbox's SCART-like AVIP port. 1980 - Habits Old and New. Numerous unofficial third-party cables and breakout boxes exist that provide combinations of outputs not found in these official video packages; however, with the exception of a few component-to-VGA transcoders and custom-built VGA boxes, the four official video packages represent all of the Xbox's possible outputs. 1979 - Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. Currently, all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", and the original version of the controller (also known as 'The Duke') is no longer sold. 1979 - Family Tradition. Another common complaint about the system was that the original game controller design was seen as too large for some people. For the Japanese Xbox launch, a new and smaller controller was introduced, a design which was subsequently released in other markets as the "Controller S", which eventually replaced the original design.

1977 - The New South. While some elements of the Xbox's design, like break-away cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being yanked from the shelf, take the size into account, it has undoubtedly hurt the system's sales to the space-conscious Japanese. 1977 - One Night Stands. Despite managing to be smaller and lighter than similar commodity PCs, the Xbox has found itself a target of mild derision, as gamers poke fun at it for things like a (overly cautious) warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" to a small child or pet. and Friends. This is largely due to the large, tray-loading DVD-ROM drive and the standard-size 3.5" hard drive. 1976 - Hank Williams, Jr. The Xbox is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries, and shipped with an unusually large controller.

1975 - Bocephus. The Xbox does not use Windows CE due to Microsoft internal politics at the time, as well as limited support in Windows CE for DirectX. 1974 - The Last Love Song. Although the Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel using APIs based largely on DirectX, it incorporates restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. 1974 - Living Proof. racing/driving games) where the music is inconsequential to what is happening in the game. 1973 - Just Pickin', No Singin'. Custom Soundtracks are often supported in non-cinematic games (e.g.

1973 - After You/Pride's Not Hard to Swallow. The inclusion of the hard disk not only serves as a disk cache for faster game loading times compared to the PS2 and repository for saved game information (eliminating the need for sold-separately memory cards), it also allows users to download and save new content for their games from Xbox Live and copy music from standard Audio CDs so players can partially or completely replace the soundtrack of Xbox games that support Custom Soundtracks, all firsts in console history. 1972 - Finders Are Keepers. However, it still uses standard console architecture. 1972 - 11 Roses. Microsoft built the Xbox around industry-standard PC hardware, unlike the traditionally proprietary design of nearly all other gaming consoles. 1970 - Sunday Morning. Several internal hardware revisions have been made to discourage modding, cut manufacturing costs, and to provide a more reliable DVD-ROM drive (the early units' drives were prone to failure).

3. The milestone of 1 million subscribers was announced in July 2004. 1970 - Luke the Drifter, Jr., Vol. This online service only works with broadband. 1969 - Songs My Father Left Me. In November 2002, Microsoft released the successful Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing subscribers to play online Xbox games with (or against) other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the hard drive. 2. Microsoft predicted that it would not make a profit on the Xbox for at least three years and that turned out to be correct; the division had its first profitable quarter in 2005.

1969 - Luke the Drifter, Jr., Vol. In much of Europe, the Xbox is currently slightly ahead of the GameCube, but is still far behind the PlayStation 2. 1969 - Luke the Drifter, Jr. The Xbox has not sold well in Japan, due to the Japanese people's poor acceptance of non-Japanese consoles, limited Japanese developer support, few game choices and the large size of the hardware itself. 1968 - My Songs. While some critics were initially concerned that the Xbox would allow Microsoft to extend its dominance of the PC software market to consoles, as of February 2005 estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is only comparable to the Nintendo GameCube and far behind the PlayStation 2. 1967 - My Own Way. The Xbox was initially developed within Microsoft by a small crew including Seamus Blackley, a game developer and high energy physicist.

1966 - Country Shadows. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing. 1966 - Blues My Name. The price is currently 149 USD, 149 EUR, 99 GBP, 200 CAD, 249 AUD, 290 NZD and 1200 NOK. 1965 - Ballads of the Hills & Plains. It is Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, after having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console. 1964 - The Era of Hank Williams. The Xbox is Microsoft's game console, released on November 15, 2001.

1963 - Songs of Hank Williams. NZ$249 (2004 Q4,2005). NZ$299 (2004 Q2). AU$249 (2004,2005). NZ$349 (2004).

AU$299 (2004). NZ$399 (2003). AU$349 (2003). NZ$499 NZD (3 October, 2002, Launch Price).

AU$399 AUD. AU$699 AUD (26 April 2002, Launch Price) (Quickly dropped to $399 to compete with launch of Nintendo Gamecube). £99 (August 27, 2004). €149 (August 27, 2004).

£130 (2003). €199 (2003). €249 (August 30, 2002). €299 (Launch Price (Rest of Europe) and Ireland April 26, 2002).

£299 GBP (Launch Price March 14, 2002),. €479 (Launch Price (Ireland) 14 March, 2002),. CAD$199 (March 29, 2004). US$149 (March 29, 2004).

US$179 (2003). US$199 (2002). US$299 (November 15, 2001, Launch Price). Approved by Microsoft for wireless gameplay with Xbox.

Logitech 2.4 Ghz wireless controller. Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball) do not support this accessory as a cheat prevention measure. Note that some recent games (e.g. Memory Unit: An 8 MB removable solid-state memory card onto which game saves can either be copied from the hard drive when in the Xbox Dashboard's memory manager or saved during a game.

The white and black buttons are located below the ABXY buttons, and the Back/Select buttons are similarly placed below the left thumbstick. Once the standard Xbox controller in Japan, it was released in other territories by popular demand, and eventually replaced the standard controller in the retail pack for the Xbox console. Controller S: A smaller, lighter Xbox controller. The black and white buttons are located above the ABXY buttons, and the Back/Start buttons are located between and below the d-pad and right thumbstick.

It is considered to be bulky. Standard Xbox Controller (AKA "Controller O"): The normal Xbox controller for all territories except Japan, this has since been replaced in Xbox packs by the Controller S, and due to its increasing rarity, is believed to have been discontinued. It also allows users to upload pictures in JPG format (to create slide shows) as well as audio in WMA and MP3 format (for karaoke or a game's Custom Soundtracks feature) from a Windows XP machine running the Xbox Music Mixer PC Tool (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/musicmixer/pctool-overview/). Provides a music player with 2D/3D visualizations as well as basic karaoke functions.

Xbox Music Mixer: A utility software bundled with a microphone that connects to an adapter that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. Although there is nothing to prevent the Xbox from acting as a progressive-scan DVD player, Microsoft chose not to enable this feature in the Xbox DVD kit in order to avoid royalty payments to the patent-holder of progressive scan DVD playback. By selling a DVD remote separately, Microsoft was able to bundle the cost of the DVD licensing fee with it. DVD playback was not included as a standard feature of the Xbox due to licensing issues with the DVD format that would have added extra cost to the console's base price.

DVD Playback Kit: Required in order to play DVD movies, the kit includes an infrared remote control and receiver. It can also be used for DVD playback. Xbox Media Center Extender: A kit that allows Xbox to act as a Media Center Extender to stream content from a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC. This functionality is similar to Sega's DirectLink for Sega Saturn.

System Link Cable: A Cat 5 crossover cable for connecting together two to four consoles, for up to 16 total players. The headset can in fact be replaced with most standard earpiece-and-microphone headsets; headset specialist Plantronics produce various officially-licenced headsets, including a special-edition headset for Halo 2. Xbox Live Starter Kit: A subscription and installation pack for the Xbox Live service, as well as a headset (with monaural earpiece and microphone) that connects to a control box that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. While the official Wireless Adapter guarantees compatbility with the Xbox, almost any wireless bridge can be used.

Xbox Wireless Adapter: a wireless bridge which converts data running through an ethernet cable to a wireless (802.11b or 802.11g) signal to connect to a wireless LAN. Ethernet (Xbox Live) Cable: A Cat 5 cable for connecting the Xbox to a broadband modem or router (note that there is no "official" Xbox Live cable; any PC ethernet cable can be used). As Europe has no HDTV standard, no High Definition cable is currently provided in those markets. Advanced SCART Cable: The European equivalent to the Advanced AV Pack, providing a full RGB video SCART connection in place of S-Video, RCA composite and stereo audio connections (composite video and stereo are still provided by the cable, through the SCART connector, in addition to the RGB signal), while retaining the TOSLINK audio connector.

Also provides analog RCA and digital TOSLINK audio outputs. High Definition AV Pack: A breakout box, intended for HDTVs, that provides a YPrPb component video signal over three RCA connectors. Advanced AV Pack: A breakout box that provides S-Video and TOSLINK audio in addition to the RCA composite video and stereo audio of the Standard AV Cable. RF Adapter: Provides a combined audio and video signal on an RF connector.

European systems come with a RCA jack to SCART converter block in addition to the cable. Comes with the system. Standard AV Cable: Provides composite video and monaural or stereo audio to TVs equipped with RCA inputs. Dimensions: 324 × 265 × 90 mm (12.8 × 10.4 × 3.5 inches).

Weight: 3.86 kg. Controller Ports: 4 proprietary USB-based ports. HDTV Support: Yes, 480p/720p/1080i (see game boxes for supported resolutions). PAL TV's have less than 600 horizontal lines.

Note: NTSC (Non-HD) TV's have less than 500 horizontal lines. Maximum Resolution (2x32bpp frame buffers +Z): 1920(vert.)x1080(horiz)