mic input

does anyone know more about the mic input jack in the back of my powerbook? is it line level or mic level? are there 2 channels (stereo)? and finally, could some kind of xlr adaptor jack be fashioned to connect microphones into it? i've seen a 1/4 inch one for guitars, but that makes me think it has to be line level. anything already out there for something like this? thanks.

 

that's what i was afraid of. i was kind of assuming it was basically the opposite of the headphone jack, but was hoping it could be more.

ideally i would like to get something like a digidesign 002 with 8 xlr inputs that interfaces via the firewire jack, but i was just looking for an quick and cheap alternative to tide me over while i saved up and figured out what exactly it is i'm saving up for. thanks.