Superbowl ready
We all knew it was only a matter of time until I took the plunge and bought an HDTV. It is sweet, and I feel like I got an acceptably good deal, so I am happy and ready to do the Superbowl in style this year!
Point Break LIVE!
Ok, Point Break was not a good movie. The plot was far fetched, almost entirely outdoors (usually surfing or skydiving), and the main character “Johnny Utah” was portrayed by Hollywood’s most unintentionally amusing actor, Keanu Reeves.
Yup, sounds like the perfect mix for a broadway hit! The part that I love most about this, is that instead of training an actor for the role, they RANDOMLY PICK SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE everynight, then he (or she!) is guided through the performace using cue cards!
The director explains, “Keanu Reeves roles demand a special kind of acting. Essentially, in every scene, you have to look like you’ve just been dropped into a room and you have no idea what’s going on.”
Yup, that pretty much sums it up nicely. I bet that play is hysterical.
Public knowledge
The news is public so I figured I would share it here as well …
I am leaving my current job for a new one that I am extrememly excited about. Now that the hard part is over (breaking the news to my boss and my team), I can look to the future and begin preparing myself for all that lies ahead.
As a rule, I will NOT write about work here, but I figured this would be an adequate exception since it deals far more with changes to my life than “work”.
More than meets the eye
Ok, I know I’m a nerd, but I can’t help it. I am looking forward to the new Transformers movie. It looks like it will have some serious action and impressive CGI effects… Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are in the trailer, as well as some mean looking Decepticons, but I’d be lying if I were to even pretend to remember any other names (I’m a nerd, but there are limits, even for me).
Bumblebee looks to be a Chevy of some sort (product placement at its best) and not the yellow bug I remember - but he looks pretty cool, so I’m willing to give it a fair shot!
Snowart
I recently picked up an old book of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons and rediscovered how impressive Bill Watterson’s imagination is. 15-20 years after they were written, they remain relevant and surprisingly witty. Well, Richmond finally is getting its first taste of winter weather, and that gives me a timely excuse to write about my favorite subplot of Calvin and Hobbes…
“Snowart” or the creative snowmen sculptures or scenes Calvin would build in the snow perfectly illustrate Calvin’s imaginative (and twisted) mind. I was going to scan in a few and post them here until I realized that someone else has already taken the time to create a snowart gallery, so go and enjoy the fullness of Calvin’s snowart.
Lost in Translation
I couldn’t believe my eyes as I read this article about the “Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” of Saudi Arabia. According to the article, a man was trying to trademark the name of a business he wanted to create that had the English word “explorer” in it. This came into question because the “x” in explorer too closely resembled a “cross”, a symbol of the pagans and infidels.
His request was denied. Instead of appealing, he “invited the commission to expand its edict to the “plus” sign in mathematics and accounting, in order “to prevent filthy Christian conspiracies from infiltrating our thoughts, our beliefs, and our feelings.”
Maybe I should drop the “C” from my name because it is so similar to the “crescent” shape that is identifiable with the Islamic faith. This is crazy.
And so many of my friends wonder why I am such a firm supporter of the separation of church and state.
UPDATE - after getting home, I decided to see if I could do some research to see if The Sun was making this up or not. While I can’t find anything corroborating this story, the first story I found about this Saudi “Commision” was even more shocking (to me) and it was reported on by the BBC, so it is legit.
Apple Inc., part II
There seems to be a slight misconception of my earlier post (from both Patrick and others who have talked to me about it) so I figured I will try to clarify…
For the record, I am not predicting doom and gloom for Apple as a company or even disagreeing with their apparent change of focus. In fact I think they are likely ahead of the curve here.
If any “doom and gloom” is likely, it actually is for “traditional computing” as an industry. I don’t know what will replace traditional computing, but I doubt that in 10 years laptops and desktops as we know and use them today will be in high demand from consumers (either due to saturated markets and/or technological advancements that eliminate the need for a traditional computer).
At that time, Apple Inc. will be stay in good shape because it will have other diversified revenue streams (music, communication, who knows what else).
Apple Inc. has taken the lead as technology’s innovators and unless someone else challenges their role as such, they will be able to steer the future of technological advancement. The only potential challenger’s I can come up with are Microsoft (known more for profit and production than innovation and vision) and Google which certainly has the innovation, but appears to have partnered WITH Apple instead of challenging them (yet).
24 tops LOST …
Yup, it’s official, 24 has replaced LOST as the tv show I refuse to miss. LOST had a good run in the top spot, but I think I am done with it. FOX tempted the American public to watch 4 hours of 24 this Sunday and Monday, and well, they hooked me.
While I will miss the mysticism and curious details of LOST (like the numbers, Santa Rosa, and cameos of other characters in flashbacks), 24 serves up the good old-fashioned, terrorist-thwarting, action-packed entertainment that proves satisfying indeed.
Punnett squares and the NFL?
Everyone who is checking this out knows that I am a big NFL fan. Sadly my team has been out of the race for a long time, so like most other sporting fans, I temporarily adopted “secondary” teams for the playoffs. Last week, there were “things that I liked” about 4 of the 8 remaining teams: San Diego, Eagles, Colts, and Saints.
Sadly, only the Saints and Colts remain. Since they are in different divisions, there is a 25% chance that BOTH will make it to the Superbowl, and then I will be happy no matter who wins. Conversly, there is an equal chance that both will lose this next round, and then the Superbowl will be Patriots and Bears (in which case I will watch the game rooting only for great commercials). And of course, there is a 50% chance that only one of the teams I am rooting for will make it.
So you see, deducing the “likelihood” that one of the teams I am rooting for is a lot like Punnett squares for genetics. If I was a bio teacher I would explain recessive traits using playoff teams right now… now that is science I could get behind.
Apple Inc?
A few years ago, immediately following the MacWorld keynote (announcing improvements to iTunes, the iPod, and a few other peripherals), I got in an interesting discussion with my coworkers about what was specifically NOT said, and it has been on my mind ever since.
We had just watched the first MacWorld that didn’t involve a “computer” announcement of some sort. No new models, no spec bumps, no price drops … nothing. That wasn’t like Apple. Was their commitment to computers waning in favor of more profitable or exciting fields like the music industry?
A year or so following that, they had a blockbuster computer announcement. They were moving from the PowerPC architecture to Intel. Say what?! They were actually giving up their hardware monopoly? Why?
This year, we witnessed another memorable MacWorld announcing the iPhone which could prove every bit as revolutionary as the iPod. Once again though, no new computers, no spec bumps, no price drops. But there was a significant computer related announcement, did you happen to catch it?
After all the hype and excitement, in the “garbage time” of the presentation, Steve Jobs managed to throw in what could prove to be a monumental announcement, yet it is the one announcement that is getting the least coverage. Apple Computer is no more. They have removed the “Computer” from their name and they are now just “Apple, Inc.”
I am not trying to sound too much like a conspiracy theorist, just someone who has been witnessing a strategic shift of Apple’s corporate focus from computers into software, media (sales, distribution, and consumption), and now even communication (cellphones).
Apple Computer’s fortunes turned almost entirely due to the iPod and iTunes. They have a disruptive technology on their hands that was bringing in an ENORMOUS new revenue stream, and getting the company back in the headlines and public eye. Traditional computer sales have become a margin business and Apple can’t (or won’t) compete with Dell and others on price. With that in mind, I think Apple has shifted its focus away from traditional computing to these other more profitable channels or ones in which they have (or can create) significant competitive advantages for themselves.
It makes sound business sense to me, but I wonder how far Apple, Inc. will go and how their fanatically loyal legion of consumers take the news if Apple decides one day to stop making “computers” as we think of them today (desktops and laptops).
Duck Hunt!
I was just looking through some old files of mine and came across a project/game I built back in college using Director 7.
Unlike that “other” Duck Hunt, my duck doesn’t “fly” in predicatable straight lines. Nope, this dude appears to “teleport” to random spots on the screen making the hunt that much more difficult. (FYI - it can be loud, so play with headphones or sound down low if you are in the office.) And don’t forget to reload…
It is simple but fun, so why not check it out?
The graphics and UI are feeble, but the functionality is all there. I built some pretty fun projects in that class, too bad I lost almost all of it with a computer crash later in college.
iPhone
It looks like the iPhone is on its way, and it appears to be an impressive (revolutionary?) product. Looking forward to getting my hands on this to give it a test drive. Too bad it is only for Cingular customers for the next couple years. By the time Verizon gets it, hopefully there will be a pricedrop as well as some competition, so that could bode well.
Some good news …
It looks like I will have a new roommate soon. He is an old friend and we had lost touch over the last few years, but he is looking to come back to Richmond, and I am more than willing to help that happen. He is a great guy and has an “easy going” personality that I think will make him a great “housemate” (its not like we are actually sharing rooms).
While he will not be bringing a huge Plasma HDTV like my last roommate, I am really looking forward to his arrival.
It’s about time …
I know, I know. What kind of “web professional” could I possibly be if I don’t even have a blog?
Well I finally drank the Kool-Aid and have spent a few hours this weekend mucking around with WordPress, and you know what? This stuff is actually pretty cool. I finally took the bait, and I am in, hook, line, and sinker…
Now I am not going to make any wild predictions about how often I will post. Writing is neither a strength nor a passion of mine, but I think part of that is that I just never do it. This gives me an outlet to “remedy” that whenever I so choose.
So check back soon, glad to have you around.