Today I finally managed to check out one of Toronto’s most beloved and well-known comic book stores, the Silver Snail. Located on Queen Street West, just before Spadina Avenue, it was high time I finally decided to wander inside, considering I’ve passed it by quite often over these past couple months. At the very least, a quick venture inside would perhaps serve to increase my “geek cred” – a term which my good friend Emily never quite lets me forget.

First and foremost, there’s a reason the Silver Snail is one of Toronto’s most respected comic book shops – it has everything. Even for someone like myself, who’s a relative newbie to the world of graphic novels, could appreciate a great deal of what was held inside. Numerous issues of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman were off to a corner, albeit, out of order, while the latest issue of DMZ sat alongside Action Comics and other contemporaries. Both are graphic novels that I’m itching to start, having heard nothing but great things. This is assuming I don’t die before finishing Transmetropolitan – long, fevered reading sessions usually mean I forget to eat sleep, and perhaps even breath when it comes to Warren Ellis’ impressive creation. I’m sure I’ve skipped a few heartbeats as well, the byproduct of fierce concentration.

Yet, when it comes to comics and graphic novels, the one thing that appears to set the Silver Snail apart is its huge back catalog of issues. Practically any comic you can think of, from almost any time period, is probably in stock. Of course, some of these issues, both vintage and rare, can fetch quite a commanding price; the thirty-second issue of Adventure Comics, apparently dating back to the mid-thirties, was prices at $5400.

What amused me most about the Silver Snail is that, despite what the name might imply, it is not simply a comic shop. In fact, the shop has what is probably the largest collection of old, obscure, and geeky action figures I have ever seen. It’s jarring, at first, to see $400 busts of Yoda, or Ridley Scott’s Alien adorning the top of the comic-filled shelves. Yet, a little closer to the ground, within reach of us mere mortals, are the real gems – 12” poseable figures from Stargate SG-1, a Wesley Crusher action figure, of ST:TNG fame, and even obscure, import Japanese transformers. It’s all a little overwhelming, but really makes me wish I was a kid again, an arsenal of action figures at my disposal.

While my first trip was a relatively short one, it was a treat to see everything the store had to offer. Make no mistake – as soon as I’m finished with Transmet, I’ll probably be headed right back to the Silver Snail to see what else I can dig up for my comic-reading pleasure. Though, be forewarned; I might even come back with a Richard Dean Anderson action figure of my own.

The amount of good press Windows 7 has recieved is, frankly, quite surprising. Consdering the rate at which people villified Vista, you’d think people would already be sharpening their RTM pitchforks in anticipation of 7′s fateful release. But things are definitely different this time; Microsoft seems to realize the stakes are higher, and they’ve fine-tuned accordingly. Even my own experiences with Windows 7 have been nothing short of enjoyable, to the point where, in the back of my head, I keep wondering when Steve Ballmer is going to crawl out of monitor and reveal the entire affair to be a farce.

And yet, just when I hoped Microsoft would make things right this time around, they go ahead and announce a grand total of six editions of Windows 7.

As Ars Technica and other outlets are reporting, Microsoft finally revealed the release scheme for their latest operating system earlier this week, bringing with it fond memories of a Vista-past. Considering how much Microsoft is touting the simplicity and ease of use associated with its fancy new UI, you’d think they’d try to mirror that approach with their release scheme. Alas, consumers have the following to look forward to…

• Windows 7 Starter
• Windows 7 Home Basic
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Ultimate
• Windows 7 Enterprise

While the list does look daunting, it is, in fact, a lot better than it appears to be. Starter will only be available from manufacturers themselves, pre-installed, while Home Basic will be relegated to lower-end machines – perhaps even ultraportables. This leaves Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate from which consumers must choose. In a sense, it’s more reminiscient of the old XP days, as the differnces between the editions is much less muddled than in the past. That is, unless the average consumer develops a need for “seamless connectivity with corporate networks,” Home Premium should serve just fine.

Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t improvements with the system this time around. Aero is present in three most prevelant editions previously mentioned. Considering the system requirements between Vista and 7 have remained essentially unchanged, it seems likely that Windows 7 will be gaining quite a few standard features that may not have been offered on Vista’s past, inferior editions.

Yet, there’s one issue with this announcement that’s recieved considerably less attention, and its name is 64-bit. From the sounds of it, not only will consumers have to decide between Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate, but the need for 32-bit versus 64-bit as well. While this was far less of a problem upon Vista’s release, sales of 64-bit capable PCs and operating systems has increased exponentially. The number of systems sold these days with 4GBs of RAM is staggering, for example – and you can bet those systems are being sold with 64-bit copies of Vista.

So, to the regular consumer, you can imagine how things may get just a little bit messy. Those who are capable of running 64-bit editions may continue buying 32-bit simply out of habit. Or, there’s bound to be the consumer that unwittingly buys 64-bit – because, afterall, a larger number is better – only to find it won’t function on their 32-bit capable machine. Overall, it’s just another issue that Microsoft has to work feverently to educate the public, or else they may risk even bigger headaches than what Vista entailed.

If only Microsoft could make the 64-bit switch sooner.