Blogworthy

Must See TV

2006-03-22T00:26:00.000-05:00

I am contributing to a great television blog by Chris Huston. Read about all that is right and wrong with the world of television and let us know what you think!

First Look: The New DIRECTV DVR

2005-08-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's been a little slow going for me lately. Good thing my reader base only stretches to two people. But this is cool. First word on the impending release of the new DirecTV DVR and what TiVO will be up against come October. By the looks of this review from TVPredictions.com , it should be a battle right off the bat. Coolest feature may be an "active channel" that will allow you to watch/preview multiple channels at once.

That might be nice for you NFL Sunday Ticket holders.

Bitch Dog

2005-08-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

I've been there. Taking heat from a customer on the wrong end of a suppport call. I may have even uttered a "non-nicety" after the conversation. But if you consider yourself a professional, you take a deep breath, realize it's not personal, and take the next call. You don't change the customer's name to "Bitch Dog" and send it out with her next bill.

Get Ready for GoogleNet

2005-08-16T08:52:00.000-04:00

Will I soon have the option of choosing Google as my ISP? And will it be free? Business 2.0 has an interesting look at what Google may be up to behind the scenes. The least of which is gobbling up fiber-optic cable all over the country, acquiring tons of cheap bandwidth from dying telecoms. Add that to their keen interest in a small startup that is pushing free Wi-Fi in major cities, and we may be seeing the beginning of a technological world coup.

Living on Tulsa time

2005-08-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

This one goes out to all my T-Town buddies. Hard to imagine Tulsa being the innovators of the aerial passing game in college football, but I guess it's true. Too bad everybody else started passing as well, because the Golden Hurricane haven't been good since have they? The Gus Frerotte years notwithstanding.

DirecTV About to Pull Plug, TiVo Battling

2005-08-12T08:20:00.000-04:00

Slow goings for me this past week, as I've been caught up in some other things and have not been too interested in the tech news of late. I may have to start branching out some more....

Ars Technica has a nice commentary on the impending hammer that DirecTV is about to drop on TiVo and their DirecTivo users, and what that means for each company's comsumer base. It's failry subjective, as most opinions tend to be, but pretty right on ...in my opinion.

The Pentagon’s Chatter Box

2005-08-04T22:55:00.000-04:00

From the Red Herring: The Pentagon apparently is tired of all this "human translator" garbage and low-end computer translation software and desires the "Holy-Grail of human language technoglogy".

These people are so stupid. Umm, 3-PO anybody?? Lucas figured this out like 30 years ago. Geeze.

Robot Claw Handles Heaters...as in Fastballs

2005-08-04T22:45:00.000-04:00

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a robotic hand that can catch a ball hurled towards it at speeds up to 300km/hr...or 83 meters/second !!! Isn't that amazing? What? You don't know metrics from geo-nuclear physics either? After using an online conversion tool I figured it out to be 185mph. Yeah...that's bringing it. Robot be like "Playuh Please! Is that all you got?"/End Stuart Scott impression. Reporters did however find traces of stanozolol in the robot's wiring.

Check out the video here.

Dont' Mess with Porcupines

2005-08-03T00:05:00.000-04:00

So have you seen the pictures of the bull terrier who tried to throw down with a porcupine? I don't normally feel sorry for dogs who attack other animals (or humans), but this is just painful to see. It's hard not to feel a little sorry for the loser of this fight. See for yourself. I guess that bitch got what was coming to her.

The Apple Mighty Mouse

2005-08-02T23:58:00.000-04:00

Well, unless you have been locked in a closet with no access to the internet, or perhaps only surf "non-techie" sites, you probably have heard that Apple finally introduced a multi-button mouse. Dubbed the "Mighty Mouse"(not the most original name, but at least they didn't name it "iMouse") it doesn't actually have any buttons per se, but it does have multi-button functionality. It can be used with Mac or Windows, but has greater functionality (there's that word again) on a Mac. It's cool...but it's not wireless, and it's $49. Of all the sites and blogs talking about it, Ars Technica has the best review of it.

Trades (Are) Dead-line

2005-07-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been a bore on the tech front, so I thought I'd turn to sports, and specifically MLB and the trade deadline. In my 24 years of following baseball, of which 20 I was old enough to know what a trade deadline was and 15 I actually cared about, this has to be the biggest dud of them all. The biggest mover was Matt Lawton! I figure I could do a post on the "Winners and Losers" and know that it would be a short one. With that said, here they are:

Winners

Boston Red Sox. Why? Trading Manny Ramirez would have been the best thing Boston could've done...if you were a Yankees fan. And being one, when I heard that Ramirez was seriously being rumored to move for Mike Cameron and others I got excited. Evidently, Theo Epstein saw what everyone else did; that Boston wouldn't be any better after this trade, so they stayed put with Ramirez. That crazy Manny!

Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, I guess. Atlanta added much needed relief to their bullpen by adding Kyle Farnsworth, and Baltimore added an outfielder in Eric Byrnes from Colorado.

Losers

Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto BlueJays, and Texas Rangers. These are your bubble teams. All within striking distance of the AL frontrunners and all just needing that extra bat or arm to get them over the hump. And nobody moved. Minnesota has been in need of a bat all year and now more then ever with Tori Hunter going down, yet despite rumors of going after Alfonso Soriano (which would've added a bat and a 2B to replace Brett Boone) they stood pat. Baltimore added Brynes, but they really needed an arm. Same holds true for Texas. They ALWAYS need arms and they go and deal Chan Ho Park for Phil Nevin. Go Figure. If you're ever going to get over the hump, you need to make some moves and take a chance. Do Something!

Office Guns

2005-07-27T18:09:00.000-04:00

Bored with your office job? Why not build a gun out office clips? These guys from Norway have come up with a way to make office life a bit more exciting. Just don't point these at um...anyone, unless you intend on maiming them. This is altogether too funny.

This is Not a Fake Photo

2005-07-26T00:38:00.000-04:00

Jenny Finch and Danica Patrick. Two pretty attractive women in sports, right? I mean...really attractive, right? Check out this picture of them at together at the ESPY's. Talk about your mind-benders! I'm not sure how to process this one...Is Jenni Finch 8 feet tall? Did someone photoshop this? Is Patrick a midget? I think Jenni is going to eat her.

I can't stop staring at this picture...it's like a car crash...can't..turn ..away.

Um..This is Funny.

2005-07-26T00:05:00.000-04:00

Need a good laugh? Check out this "PG-13" commercial spoof.

Why Isn't My Car Starting?

2005-07-25T23:49:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, I didn't pay my bill. A car company in Florida is bypassing detailed credit checks on consumers and using this little black box that will actually prevent your car from starting if you are five days late with your payment. Nice! I like being accountable and everything, but geeze.

Especially fun are the progressive reminders that lead up to the fifth day of non-stop beeping. They literally want to drive you insane to pay your bill.

Yahoo Buys Maker of 'Widget' Applications

2005-07-25T11:09:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! has bought Konfabulator, the original maker of widgets I had posted about last month. In the ongoing battle with Google, which I must admit is fun to watch, Yahoo is hoping that widgets are just the thing to get a leg up. We'll see. The Knofabulator which previously sold online for $20 will now be free. Definitely worth checking out at that price.

Odds and Ends

2005-07-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

I'm just now recovering from a brutal hard drive crash, in which nothing survived, hence the lack of posts for the two of you that read this. Here are some quick shots:

The UK (and US alike) are looking into this scanner technology that can see through your clothes and detect bombs, knives and anything else a whack job might be carrying.
Gizmodo has word of this human washing machine.
The mobiBlu is the world's smallest mp3 player. And it's just now available in the States at Wal-Mart of all places. It's apparently selling like crazy as many of the models are sold out. This thing is MUCH smaller than the iPod Shuffle, and comes not only with a display (that you need a microscope for) but is USB 2 compatible, and comes in Shuffle-like 512mb and 1 gb sizes. Nice.
If you're interested in "computer antiques", you can bid on an original Apple I computer from the late 70's. Encased in a walnut veneer, the machine comes with a 9" b&w monitor and apparently still works. Asking Ebay price: $20,000.
The xbox is still losing money for Microsoft.

If There's a Place You Gotta Go, I'm the One You Need to Know

2005-07-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

I'm the Map. I'm the Map , I'm the Map, I'm the MAAAAP! Off the wall references to somewhat disturbing Dora the Explorer characters aside, this post is about the latest internet maps. If you haven't checked out Google Maps, you need to. Initially a program obviously aimed at competing with Mapquest and the like, Google Maps went a step further by adding satellite images. These are fun but on maps not terribly useful. This weekend they added a hybrid feature that puts street names and landmarks on the satellite imagery. Very Cool. But for those that really want the best, go see Google Earth. I can't stress enough how cool this is. Go check out the Kremlin, Area-51, or do a flyover the Grand Canyon. You will waste time with this and you will like it. Or don't waste your time, use it like you would MapQuest. It'll give you directions and then let you do a flyover of the route it recommends you. Good times.

MSN Virtual Earth debuts on the 25th. It actually was available today for a bit before Microsoft took it down. Here is an image from MSN VE.

"And It Shall be Named...

2005-07-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

Windows Vista. Ta Daaa! Click the header link above to check out the "naming announcement" of Microsoft's next big OS release. Or don't. Code named "Longhorn", Microsoft has formally announced the name of their next OS to be "Vista". Check out the new Vista web page and see for yourself.

AppleInsider | Motorola plans media event, Jobs likely to attend

2005-07-20T08:37:00.000-04:00

I guess it might actually happen this time. The long awaited announcement of the iTunes enabled cellphone looks to take place on uly 25th. Except instead of it being an "Apple event" it's a Motorola shindig. Which is alright, except that I wouldn't expect any new Apple announcements at a Motorola engagement. The news though should be of some interest to anyone out there who happens to like Motorola phones, uses Cingular and likes iTunes...which would be me. AppleInsider also has a possible mockup of the phone here.

The Sling Box and TV Placeshifting

2005-07-19T17:02:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard of the Sling Box, chances are you will soon. The Sling Box is a set-top device that takes whatever it is you're watching on TV in the living room and shoots it to any computer in your house or on the road...or at work. It can connect to your TV, your cable box, dvr, TiVo, and just about anything else. It has an ethernet out, and can connect to your home network be it wired or wireless. The idea is pretty cool. You could be in California and catch a Tivo recorded episode of Alias three hours early from your home in New York. Or just be in your hammock out back and catch the game on your laptop.

For an inside take check out this interview with Sling Media's CEO Blake Krikorian on Engadget. Though there is a lot of good stuff to be excited about, in the end the product still has to deliver. And even before the Sling Box hits the streets, there are those who aren't very impressed.

Dude, You're Getting a Deal

2005-07-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

Need a new computer, low on cash? If you only have interest in the simple things, say internet, email, music and the like, check this deal out from Dell Home:

Base Model Includes:

-Intel® Celeron® processor at 2.40GHz
-Shared9 DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
-17" (16.0"vis) Monitor
-40GB5 Ultra/ATA 100 Hard Drive
-Integrated Intel® Extreme 3D Graphics
-90-Day Limited Warranty6 and At-Home Service

It's definitely not your gaming rig, but not too shabby for $300.

The iPod Shuffle Keyboard...Sort of

2005-07-14T08:13:00.000-04:00

Engadget has some pics on this new keyboard from Matias. A company recently known for their Mac tactile keyboard. Apparently it has a USB 2.0 dock right on the top front, that creates a pretty cool spot for your iPod Shuffle. Sounds like the idea of calling it the Shuffleboard was shot down by Apple, but the concept is pretty cool, even if it's just placing a USB port on top of the keyboard.

RoboCup 2005

2005-07-13T22:50:00.000-04:00

RoboCup 2005 is on in Osaka, Japan. RoboCup apparently is not just a symposium, but an event where the most highly advanced robots of the world come together and play soccer. You know, like the World Cup...only with robots. Most of what you see here is nothing totally out of the ordinary. Except that these little robot dogs (the Sony Aibo) and other humanoids are actually playing soccer. Kicking, passing, scoring, defending, even faking injury like most soccer players do. Ok I made that last part up.

Check out Akihabara News for lots a pics, and information. One robot in particular will be of particular interest. She's the woman sitting in the photo above.

The Face Only A...

2005-07-13T22:24:00.000-04:00

Sweet Mother!!! Don't go showing this one to the kiddies at home, nightmares may follow. This poor wretched mutt won the "World's Ugliest Dog Contest" again, for the third time in a row, to no one's surprise. Yeesh. I once said that all dogs were cute in their own way, but this one isn't. In any way. "Sam" could put Gollum in People's Most Beautiful People issue. I wonder if other dog owner's take their dogs to this thing, and then turn around and leave after seeing Sam. I bet dog and owner alike walk away feeling a little bit better about themselves too.

Download Movies from Netflix?

2005-07-12T17:11:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately I wasn't invited to the "Netflix Exposed" press conference, but I figured it was worth mentioning anyway. The website HackingNetflix.com has a post about a possible glitch in their website where one user noticed a section for a Netflix Player, where the account holder could register the player with an ID. Also noticed was a new genre of downloadable movies. The "glitch" is no longer viewable, but it does make you wonder if something is in store for Netflix junkies sooner rather than later.

Read here for more info and about 67 other links to the same.

The RocketMan and the Greatest Single Season Ever

2005-07-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

Check out this line:

46 IP 24 H 1 R 1 ER 15BB 44K 0.20 ERA

That is Roger Clemens season this year, away from the home-run happy park that is Minute Maid in Houston. His home stats really aren't that bad either, and his first half overall lays credence to the thought that Clemens will take home another Cy Young award this year, at the tender age of 43. Rich Lederer writes more about the surging Rocket in this great article over at Baseball Analysts.

It is a great segue into another article (just scroll down that page) that tries to determine the greatest single season performance by any one pitcher. Clemens has had a few, and this year's could be his best. But are any one of the best ever? Cyril Morong uses sabermetrics to find out here.

Cingular has massive problems?

2005-07-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

Though biased, this "report" from the Inquirer will sure raise some eyebrows. If you are a Cingular user, pay a little more attention to your phone...it may not be working.

Your Cell Phone Can Do So Much More

2005-07-08T12:01:00.000-04:00

Saving us from the "mundane, everyday use" of our mp3 playin, picture takin, web surfin, cell phones, are these two technologies that provide a little convenience and mischief.

First is this test run in Japan where cell phones are being used to open doors, and presumably, to lock them as well. No word on how exactly, but some sort of wireless activity would seem to be involved. Not a bad idea, I don't think, but horrible if you can't also use a card or some sort of key as well. The cell phones I've had don't seem to last too long when I drop them on pavement.

In France, a company is marketing two different Nokia phones as spy phones. Say you are at an interview for a job, or a sales meeting. You make your pitch, and then leave to go to the bathroom. While you are gone, you can silently activate your cell and it becomes somewhat of a transceiver, allowing you to listen to what's going on while you are away. Very cool. Very shady. As of now the technology does not work in the States.

The (Near) Future of Broadband 101

2005-07-07T22:51:00.000-04:00

Broadband Reports has a very informative interview with an "industry reporter" on everything that is broadband in the here and now and later. There is a lot going on out there, but what it ultimately comes down to is everyone trying to keep up with Verizon and their fiber rollout. Pretty much all flavors of broadband are covered from FIOS to VDSL2 to Sprint to Adelphia. Take a few minutes and um...get your learnin on.

Military Drones Seek New OS

2005-07-07T12:02:00.000-04:00

You may have heard that there are unmanned military drone planes flying over Iraq and Afghanistan. You may not know that they run on different operating systems. Darpa, a pentagon research branch is in the process of creating a common operating system (COS) that will enable these drones to communicate to one another and enable the transferring of data and information between them. One of the big benefits of the COS is battle management. A clearer picture of the battle zone, management of the weapons array, including when to fire and what to fire at, and balanced interaction between the drones and actual manned craft. Read more about it here and here.

No word on the actual name of the COS, but my money's on "Skynet".

Google Toolbar for Firefox

2005-07-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

If you use Firefox as your main browser (you should) and also use Google to do just about everything else, you'll want the release of the official Google Toolbar for Firefox to be released tomorrow. A number of good Google-like toolbar extensions are out there for Firefox users, the best being the Groowe Toolbar, but for some there's nothing like having the "real thing", and Google is delivering theirs with a couple of Firefox-only extensions as well.

Google Suggest is a feature already available in regular Web search that auto-completes search queries and suggests refinements. Starting tomorrow this function also will take place in the query box within the Firefox toolbar.

Google Send to Phone, only available in the United States, lets users quickly save Web information to mobile phones.

Mmmmm....toolbar.

See Earth, Google Style

2005-07-06T08:05:00.000-04:00

Broadband Reports has a thread running where users of Google Earth are posting their findings from using the free tool. People are cruising and grabbing everything from a burning oil field in Kuwait to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you too have too much time on your hands, check it out.

Buy a Song From iTunes, Win iPod(s)

2005-07-06T00:13:00.000-04:00

Apple has started the countdown to 500,000,000 downloaded songs. And every 100,000 they are giving away prizes. The lucky one to download the 500 millionth, gets 10 iPods of choice, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs, 10 more gift certificates of songs each, and tickets for four to see Coldplay in concert. Not too shabby. Beware though, watching the countdown can be addictive.

Probe Crashes Into Comet, Africans Still Poor

2005-07-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Without question, the two biggest stories over the Fourth of July weekend, other than the Yankees winning a 1-0 game, were Deep Impact and Live 8. Deep Impact was a success on all levels, and I would agree with those invloved that the project was highly impressive. As someone said, it was like hitting a bullet (albeit a big one) with another bullet. A dryer-sized probe sent 83 million miles away to hit a comet belived to be millions of years old. The goal was two-fold. To have the probe and another craft deliver pictures never before seen, giving scientists insight as to how the solar system was formed. And to give scientists insight as to how they might stop a comet were it to threaten the Earth's existence (even though one never has, unless you include the movie Armageddon, in which case we have Bruce Willis). All this for only $330 million big ones.

Live 8 as you know was a hastily organized, "concert to end all concerts" organized by Sir Bob Geldorf to raise awareness for the poor and hungry in Africa. By all accounts it was a rousing success. A million or so people attended the free concerts worldwide and millions more watched on TV. And as further proof of the success, AOL scored record numbers with their streaming broadcast, at one point streaming to 175,000 people simultaneously. Indeed many people were aware. But nobody gave.

I don't mean to be cynical here, and I do realize I know not fully of what I speak, but does anyone really think that we are going to learn how the earth came into existence based upon the polaroids of a comet? Yes, the advance is great for science, and I "get" the importance. But I can't help but think that in 6 months we're going to hear something to the effect of "We can confirm with almost certainty that the comet is actually made of not one layer of dust and gas, but two layers of dust and gas!!" And then basically, more educated guesses of the higher variety will abound about what that means to Earth and our existence.

So now, when Africans read about Live 8 are they going to be relieved to hear that millions of people are going to be sending them... raised levels of awareness? How did we not take advantage of the fact that millions of people had an opportunity to give at/with/for this concert and have their awareness raised at the same time? After Live Aid was over, there were some who felt the money went for naught, other reports that the millions raised was only able to take care of about ten days of debt relief. So I guess the solution to that problem then... is no money at all?

I guess I am being cynical, but when I'm told over and over again that my $2 a month will fund a child's education in Africa (or any other third world country)for 7 months, and $5 will buy them medicine for a year, does it not strike anyone else as a "bit out of whack" when we throw $330 milllion at a comet and organize millions to watch rock bands in an effort to just raise awareness? So what if the money didn't seem to do what you hoped last time. Why not spend more than a month organizing this thing and make sure you know where the money's going to go? Look, I applaud the efforts, and for some of these artists, I know their heart is in the right place. It just seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity.

I don't think my blank check of awareness and comet crash .jpegs are going to do much for these people. Let's hope I'm wrong and the G8 powers get it right. And then if they do, we can thank Live 8 and Bob Geldorf...allegedly.

New iTunes Phone?

2005-07-05T08:02:00.000-04:00

Engadget is purporting that the new and much ballyhooed and awaited "iTunes phone" is a re-made Motorola E398, newly labeled as an E790. Theories abound as to whether this phone with a reported 128mb of transflash memory and iTunes interface is really the phone or just a production sample for testing.

It should be noted that this product is primarily a cell phone first with iTunes software on it. Not an "iPhone" from Apple.

Deals II

2005-07-02T00:43:00.000-04:00

Canon PowerShot S2 IS 5Mp Digital Camera is $364+ tax with free shipping at Dell Home. Price is $499-15%. Use coupon code D20R71CMG68QTR [Exp 7/7, 5000 uses] to get $60 off $500. "Yeah, but it's not $500." Add Dazzle 8-in-1 USB Media Reader/Writer $12 - $5 rebate [Exp 7/15] = $7 extra to your order. The camera goes for $499 retail as it was just released 3 weeks ago. I jumped on this deal myself and was lucky enough to get it before it sold out. Ship dates may be long.

100pk BenQ CD-R's 52x is $9 at Meritline.com.

Western Digital 200GB ATA 100 Hard Drive is $49.99AR from Outpost.com.

FLASHBANG

2005-07-01T16:58:00.000-04:00

Worth Reading...flashBANG: How I Got Over Myself is the debut book from newbie author, producer, comedian, founder and CEO of Steelehouse, Mark Steele. Mark's first book looks to be a hilarious, intelligent, and often poignant attempt to find truth, and purpose in one's life through their own mishaps and mistakes. To help promote the book, Mark has unveiled the Flashbangbook website where you can read the first chapter, download wallpaper, read reviews, and even watch some video or listen to some of his past stand-up routines.

If that isn't enough, there is also the flashbang blog, which is worth reading, even if you dont read the book. All in all, very blogworthy.

flashBANG: How I Got Over Myself goes on sale July 26th.

Trouble Brewing in the Bronx?

2005-06-30T08:20:00.000-04:00

With trade rumors flying around and the seemingly imminent release of two previously trusted relievers making news in Yankeeland, this web report is sure to surface in the very near future.

On June 20, after a throwing error from Jeter to Rodriguez handed the Yankees a 5-4 loss to the last-place Tampa Bay Devil Rays, a TV producer says the sluggers came to blows in the clubhouse.

A ballclub "insider" goes on to say that now you have a clubhouse divided, with teammates taking sides between the two stars. Tough to say how much of this is true, and how much has been exaggerated, but even if that is the case, stories like this usually stem from some kind of incident and the attention it's sure to get can't be a good thing.

Despite the spin I'm sure we'll here from both players, you know this is going to be talked about ad nauseam for the remainder of the year, especially if the Yankees continue to struggle.

Update: Stanton and Quantrill were released this afternoon. 7.00 ERA's and all.

Baseball

2005-06-30T08:16:00.000-04:00

Have your favorite team's free agents panned out? A reader of the Dodger Thoughts blog has taken the biggest free agent signings of the last off-season and determined their value by measuring their salaries against their WARP, a statistic described as "the number of wins this player contributed, above what a replacement level hitter, fielder, and pitcher would have done, with adjustments only for within the season."

Interesting in and of itself, but also what it reveals. Who's been a bust, and who's been a steal?? Find out here.

Deals

2005-06-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

RiData 1GB SD memory card is $58 after $10 rebate at Newegg.com. Great high-speed card for digital cameras.

iPod Shuffle 1GB is $105 after rebate with free shipping from Buy.com. Use $10 off $75 in-store coupon.

Western Digital 160GB hard-drive $37 at Bestbuy.com after rebates. Be sure to use all three.

Great deals here if you can stand to wait 2 months or longer to get your money back.

Google Goes 3D

2005-06-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

Google has released its beta version of Google Earth, a 3D satellite imaging program that combines aerial satellite images with it's Google Maps technology. Google Earth is the fruit of the Keyhole acquisition that Google made months back. You really need to check this out. I used Keyhole a while back and was very impressed. The Google version is free of charge, though there are optional subscription versions available. One that will let you download GPS data to your PDA or cell if so equipped. Currently Google Earth is only available for PCs...Macs not yet invited.

Check out this positive in-depth review here.

iTunes 4.9 Available

2005-06-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Apple released their latest version of iTunes today, version 4.9, ahead of an anticipated "media event". The new release's biggest enhancement is the addition of "podcasting". Donwload radio shows, listen to them later. The early release lays the groundwork for the anticipated iTunes cell phone which could end up being the "big product announcement" at their upcoming media event.

"A Love Letter to All Psycho Ex-Girlfriends"

2005-06-28T00:34:00.000-04:00

This is a post from Scott Long, a co-reporter to the baseball blog The Juice found in the Baseball Toaster blog-ring. It is apparently an actual set of letters between an ex-couple, having nothing to do with basbeball, but everything to do with all things funny, and is a must read.

Kong is King

2005-06-27T23:57:00.000-04:00

If you weren't able to see the teaser trailer for Peter Jackson's King Kong simulcast this evening on NBC and it's affiliates, catch it here it all it's Quicktime glory.

Wow. This is definitely not your great-grandfather's King Kong.

Apple to Announce New Products

2005-06-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

You have to hand it to Apple, if they are good at anything, it's PR. And they are great at it. They just know how to play the game, always keeping themselves in the spotlight, or at the very least on everyone's minds. According to any number of websites, Apple is planning on a media event to announce new product announcements on or before July 7th. A run through message boards has Mac users giddy about everything from new iPods and Shuffles to updated Mac Mini's and even speculation that Jobs will drop a bomb and release a Intel based Mac. Now that would truly be shocking.

FWIW, I expect updated iPods (it's time) a new Shuffle, and the release of iTunes 4.9 (podcasting). Anything else would just be gravy.

Hollywood Wins, Technology Loses?

2005-06-27T11:44:00.000-04:00

On a highly anticipated day of rulings and announcements from the U.S. Supreme Court, the one that held the interest of most tech geeks out there was MGM v. Grokster. Reversing a previous decision by the lower district courts, the Court ruled unanimously, 9-0, that Grokster and the like can be held liable for the use of their P2P software and networks.

"One who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright ... is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties using the device, regardless of the device's lawful uses," Justice David Souter wrote in the ruling."

So basically, anyone with a copyright can sue these P2P developers (or any software developer for that matter) if they feel that the product being developed was created to aid in infringement. The Court has sent this case back down where I'm sure a pandora's box (in the form of more trials) will be opened. From the ruling it doesn't seem like any clear definition has been given to the "object of promoting". In other words, how can you say for certain that Company A made this software to promote illegal copying and distribution?

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for the crack-down on software piracy, illegal song file swapping, and distribution...but this does seem to stifle the advancement of technology a bit doesn't it? Now every developer will have it in the back of their mind that they could be sued if someone they don't even know finds a way to use their "product" illegally. And maybe that's the point. But a similar battle occurred 22 years ago between Sony and Universal Studios when Sony was being sued for essentially distributing a product (betamax) that contributed to the infringement of copyrighted material. Universal Studios never sought legal action against consumers who bought Betamax recorders to copy movies, but they did seek compensation from Sony. Fortunately, Sony won a narrow decision, and although the Betamax died, it opened the door to a superior (?) product in the VCR.

I'm not saying Grokster is Sony by any means, but I hope today's decision doesn't squash the advancement of a great technology.

Turn Your Windows into a Mac for only $19.95

2005-06-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, not really, but you can make it look like a Mac. If you've read or heard anything about Macs lately, then you know about widgets. Widge ts are basically cool little applications that perform basic functions for you right on your desktop. Anything from simple clocks and weather reports to an RSS reader, iPod player or your latest comic strip. So how do you get them? Check out the Konfabulator. Created for both Windows and Mac by Pixoria, the Konfabulator can be downloaded for $19.95 .

Take the time to read a review of the Konfabulator:2 over at Ars Technica for an in-depth look.

Wireless Headphones for Your iPod

2005-06-24T15:10:00.000-04:00

Two companies, Logitech and Wi-Gear have released wireless iPod headphones based on Bluetooth technology. The Logitech phones have a 30ft range and 8 hour battery life and will work with your iPod or iPod Mini. The Wi-Gear iMuffs have an estimated battery life of 12 hours and the advantage of being able to work with your bluetooth enabled cell phone if you are so equipped. Both have integrated controls for controlling your music and neither are cheap. The Logitech phones list at $149.99, while the iMuffs can be pre-ordered for $179.99. That's a lot of coin to not have that cord bumping up against your arm.

Yankee Love

2005-06-24T10:11:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the awkward, "didn't mean to get that close to you" congratulations shot between two athletes. You just know there was this moment where the two of them were thinking "Umm..this is weird."

Too bad it would be the last time during the Tampa Bay - Yankee series that they would be congratulating each other at all, as the D-Rays rattled off 3 out of 4 from the Yanks. Impressive considering the Rays had only won 4 games all year on the road before this.

Jurassic Kong

2005-06-24T00:34:00.000-04:00

Catch the 1o second trailer of the trailer (yeah that's right) for King Kong. The Peter Jackson ape apparently gets into it with a T-Rex...or something.

Quicktime is needed for Kong.

If You're Single, Head for the Mountains

2005-06-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

Looks as though the best place to live if you're single is Denver, according to this "report" from Forbes. Methodology for determining the results includes jobs, un-attached single people, nightlife, cheap beer, and um...coolness. The criteria goes downhill quickly.

Border's Coupon

2005-06-23T12:19:00.000-04:00

Print this coupon out for 30% off any book at Borders or Walden Bookstores. Offer expires 6/29.

Digital Camera Buyer's Guide

2005-06-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

Arguably the best digital camera site out there, the Digital Camera Resource Page, Jeff Keller gives his picks for cameras at all different price levels. If you are looking to upgrade or make that first leap, this is the place to begin your research. FWIW, I bought the Canon S2 last week and love it. It is a great camera.

$99 Laser Printer

2005-06-22T23:53:00.000-04:00

Dell has unveiled the sub $100 laser printer for the masses. Pretty wild considering the last time I looked into buying one they were around $400. Right now, no one is close to this pricepoint, and with Dell pricing their toner cartridge at around $65 (for 2,000 pages) one has to wonder if the others (HP, Lexmark, Epson) will follow suit. Think about it. 2,000 pages? I haven't printed 2,000 pages in the last two years, and yet I swear I've spent around $7,000 on black ink-jet cartridges alone. To say Dell is being aggressive is an understatement. Charles Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Co. said it best

Dell is going to screw everybody.

Indeed.

More from CNet here.

Katie and Tom Sitting in a Tree...

2005-06-22T23:50:00.000-04:00

S-c-i-entology! Amid the hub-bub and hoopla so to speak, over the Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise lovefest, are 16 days of Katie's life that no one can seem to account for. A FOX News story reports that after Katie flew to LA on April 11th to comiserate with Cruise about a possible role in MI:3 (Mission Impossible 3; a role she did not get by the way), she apparently "disappeared" for 16 days. No one can seem to account for the time she was gone, during which she apparently fired her longtime manager, fired her agent, completely lost touch with a childhood friend, and grew quickly in love with a bonafide movie star who's a gung-ho scientologist. Newsworthy? Not really, but it is a little interesting given the strict Catholic upbringing of the Batman Begins co-star.

Tom Cruise. Scientologist Brain-Washer...allegedly.

My first post and it's about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes! Good grief. Thanks to my buddy Jeff for the link.

Read it or not, here I come

2005-06-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

I've contemplated creating a blog for about a year now. Choosing not to most often because A) I'm cheap and didn't want to pay for one, and B) I hate 99% of the blogs that are out there and didn't want to be like them.

So what this will not be, is a running journal of my life. This will not be a place for me to just wax poetic about whatever floats my boat because I think my prose alone will keep "loyal readers coming back". Those are the blogs I hate.

What I hope this blog will turn into is a place where information can be found, deals can be had, the occasional point of view is expressed and the topics are of interest. I guess the idea is, if I find something that's interesting enough for me to email my friends about, I'll probably post it here. And hopefully over time, it can prove to be beneficial, if not entertaining, to you or maybe even to me. For whatever it's worth...