well that is an insanely relevant link! thanks again.
heh yeah, I need a funky layout that works for both UMK3 and the standard Capcom setup. There are dedicated MK sticks out there, but I wouldn't want to invest in one because the layout would render it useless for the Capcom games. The X-arcade basically gives you a Capcom layout plus a "run button" (I just use "Strong" for MK's block, it felt more natural than I initially expected it to). It's the only stick I've really seen that gives me that best-of-both-worlds scenario. And with the bulk of my MK and SF activity gradually shifting to the Xbox 360, something must be done!
If you check that diagram in my previous post, there are also a couple of other layouts you can achieve with that button setup. LT,A,LB,B gives you an SNK-style layout. RT,LB,B gives a Virtua Fighter layout. You even get a Golden Axe layout with the triangle formed by LT,A,RT.