@drifterlee - your tale is one of woe, it makes me want to do less business with CP.  I can't abide by the new law of business today.  There used to be a time when the customer was always right and businesses would bend over backwards to keep your patronage.  Nowadays it seems many businesses are just as quick to tell you to go to hell.

On a related note, I always buy things from their original source.  Most of what CP posts is from here or RDNA.   Two fine companies who have never wronged me.

@Darkedge - I have trouble with the whole Poser vs Daz issue.  First, I don't know how much of it is true and how much of it is user implied.  Everyone, everywhere wants to fight for their winning team, it seems.  To me it's like Coke vs Pepsi or GM vs Ford or Lakers vs Celtics or Christianity vs Judaism.  It's all warmongering at best.

Still, that said, I also have a deep distrust of corporate politics.  I've worked in too many offices to know the behind the scenes of bean-counting vs quality.  I fear for the immediate future of Poser.  I'm no Daz lover, but Daz has never done me wrong.  I've always been at least somewhat satisfied with their products (minus Daz Studio - but that's a personal preference more than a hard comparison).

I would really like to see these two entities get along.  I think a cooperative attitude would do the end users much more justice.  I like the idea of the next generation of Daz figures working seemlessly in the next version of Poser.  I want Carrara and Bryce to have seemless interfaces with Poser.  I need these corporations to get along.  It is important to me on a personal level (hobbywise) and on a professional level.

As far as the Male vs Female characters, stick with doing Male characters.  There is a growing number of women in this community and there will always be men and women interested in something beyond the next sexy female fantasy pin-up.  My complaint with Male figs has been a glaring lack of detailed clothing.  The women's clothes are generations ahead of the males.  I am trying to put together an animation with many male and female characters, and I continually am on the look out for natural quality male clothing.  I'm using almost all the male figs, btw for variety's sake. 

(Put Kelvin and M3 in a scene together with some of the best texture packs around and it's like some virtual cinema magic!)