The XM and Sirius satellite radio merger may finally be coming to an end… It’s taken them long enough. Insiders are saying it looks like it may be entering the stage where the FCC is just going to push it through quickly because it’s been so long… If you are one to play with the stock market, you may want to take that as a hint. But it’s also a gamble since we don’t know for sure what is going to happen…
PC got an iPhone! ha. You have to laugh at this one…
Speaking of Apple, rumor has it they have been playing with new ideas of distributing music. First, Universal Music has approached Apple with the idea of releasing a device that contains the label’s entire catalog. Interesting. Apple has actually been trying for the past six months to negotiate with the major labels and allow a Total Music concept with the iPod. This means that you would have completely free (and legal) access to all of the major labels and their subsidiaries’ music, but the files will only work on your specific iPod device.
Coldplay has announced the name and release date of their upcoming album. It’s Viva la Vida and will street on June 17th in North America. People like to give Coldplay a hard time, but I will admit that I’m looking forward to hearing it…
You knew it was bound to happen, but people have now proposed over Twitter… ha. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it would have the same emotional effect. Not near as romantic. Wait, so maybe I’m not a geek after all? Score.
Oh, I just realized I still have last night’s episode of Lost to watch… Off I go…
So I just watched the keynote address from Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, from yesterday’s opening of Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2007. And yes, I watched the entire 90 minutes… Though there weren’t as many announcements that blew people away, I can’t help but be impressed by Apple like I am after every keynote address. More on my predictions on the company later. First, my Apple history and possible future…
I decided to take the plunge and jump into the world of the Mac back when OS 10.2 released back in 2002. That’s five years ago. I made the shift to the Mac back when pretty much every one would have to ask you to explain what an iPod was. ha, those were the days.
Anyway, it was a G3 iBook laptop. I learned the new operating system as best as I could and used it daily. I loved it. But unfortunately it still wasn’t mainstream enough for me to be able to do everything I could do on my XP machine, so I certainly wasn’t planning on making a complete switch. Then it ended up the $2100 unit was a lemon and blew up about six or seven times, but Apple didn’t seem to be too willing to replace it even though it kept breaking every single time they fixed it. So finally it broke and I really had no interest in getting it fixed… I was a little ticked off at Apple since I never could really use it thoroughly, since I knew it was going to blow up and didn’t want to put important data on it anyway. Oh the joys of being an early adopter. Or at least it was early compared to the company’s popularity and household name status now (for the record, I wanted a Mac in the OS 8 and 9 days, but didn’t have the money then)…
But I’ll admit it, I’m thinking of jumping back in again. I’ve always kept my foot in Apple’s door and have been a big fan of the company, always fooling around with their new products at work and watching the various keynotes (like yesterday). And, again, despite there not being a pile of mind blowing announcements this time (it was pretty lackluster, really), the new features in OS 10.5 Leopard (releasing in October) that were shown sure were cool. Lots of great things coming that are easy to use, very functional and useful. Plus they are very pretty to watch because of their cool animations. ha. Apple is always good at making things look pretty…
So why am I considering buying a Mac again? Well, to be honest, I kind of miss the operating system for one thing. Here’s a couple of other quick points off the top of my head…
- There are lots of really cool features (with 300 more coming in October) that are exclusive to OS X and are, again, very useful.
- OS X has always been the operating system that the artsy folk have liked… It’s for good reason though. If you are into music creation, photography, photo editing, movie editing, and anything else multimedia, OS X has a pile of goodies that are exclusive to the operating system. I’d love to get my hands on these kinds of programs.
- While I had a bad experience before, I’m confident it won’t happen again. With the new Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the operating system is blazing fast and stable.
- But what about Windows? Well, I wouldn’t make a complete change quite yet. But now you can load Windows onto the Mac with a program such as Parallels, allowing you to have a Mac program opened side by side to a Windows XP/Vista program at the exact same time. This is huge for me and something I would definitely live on. If it works the way it says it does, I may not need a PC ever again since it can run the two in one.
I have a feeling I’ll be getting a Mac again when push comes to shove. I just need to decide whether I want to buy one now or wait until OS X Leopard releases in October. The new MacBook Pros with LED screens sure are tempting right now and I suppose I could always upgrade later, but it’s still over $150 I’d be saving just for waiting and its already installed. Plus if I did decide to purchase now, I’d have to buy the MacBook Pro, the AppleCare plan (just in case I get a repeat performance), and Parallels… That’s a lot of cash that is even harder to part with since I need to pay for school this month.
Now for the prediction. While Apple is certainly gaining speed and is growing in popularity, I have a feeling this new operating system in October will be the official tipping point. Let’s be honest, the iPod saved Apple as a company and got their brand out there again, so it could be considered as Apple’s tipping point. But now with a new operating system on the way, arguably the most anticipated cell phone coming in a matter of weeks (the iPhone), plus the new ground they’ve made as a company with the iPod, the new Intel chipsets, cheaper price points, and more, I believe this upcoming operating system is going to be their most popular to date. And this will be thanks to a generation of kids/teens/young adults who are walking around with their iPods and iPhones, hearing how many problems Windows Vista is having (not to mention the smack talk in the media), and deciding to buy an Apple as their next computer because it is a brand name they have learned to trust. I believe this is going to be the operating system round that will cause Microsoft to start sweating as they’ll have some serious competition…
Anyway, so there’s what is currently circulating my brain right now. Decisions, impressions, and predictions. I guess I’ll have to chew over it some more still…
Well, my two days off have approached and officially begin tomorrow. Once again, I’ll be working on stuff for the magazine… I’m most likely going to book my flight to Nashville in the morning and then maybe look into getting more business cards printed in the afternoon. We’ll see what the day brings.
I bought my first two country CDs on Friday. ha. I’m generally not a big fan of country music, but I broke down and picked up Carrie Underwood’s debut and Rascal Flatt’s re-release of Me And My Gang (which now includes the bonus track, Life Is A Highway). I like them… It’s too bad Carrie didn’t write more on her CD though (she only co-wrote one track). Plus she didn’t even get a section in her CD jacket for lyrics or thank-yous. Poor girl. What a way to cheap out on a multi-platinum selling CD… It’s still good though.
I officially registered for school in the fall. Eek. I don’t really want to go to school, but since it is right here in town I figure I might as well do it since a lot of expenses are out of the picture. Plus I can keep working, not lose ground in the music industry, and have something to fall back on down the road…
Now for some interesting tidbits of music news from the past week or so (the majority from Billboard)…
- Linkin Park’s new CD is finally releasing in May, with the new single hitting airwaves in the first week of April… It’s supposed to be quite different. I’m intrigued and looking forward to hearing it.
- P!ink is teaming up with TrekStor to create an MP3 player based on her name, likeness, and music. Yeah, I don’t know who the heck TrekStor is either…
- Starbucks and Concord are forming a record label… Rumor has it Paul McCartney is close to signing a deal. Want a grande vanilla creme with that Sgt. Peppers?
- Wal-mart will begin to carry HD radio receivers in nearly 2,000 stores in the USA. If you’re not American and don’t know what HD radio is, hop over here. I think they are trying to compete with satellite radio a bit, even though they are two very different things… A station I sometimes listen to from L.A. broadcasts in HD, but I obviously listen to it over the internet so it doesn’t apply to me.
- High School Musical is hitting the ice. No, not hockey… Now that would just be silly. They are figure skating, of course. Tickets go on sale April 2nd.
- Microsoft wants unsigned bands to create music inspired by the Xbox 360 and its video games. Pretty cool concept… Winners will get to record with Universial Music Group.
- Kelly Clarkson finished recording her new album last month and is currently in the process of doing the promo work for it (promo shoots, videos, and so on). It will be called “My December” and is hopefully releasing in Mid-spring or summer. Clarkson describes it in her latest journal entry as “intimate, raw, personal, [and] rock (although some are very sweet and soft).” Looking forward to hearing it…
We all knew it was coming, but now it is official… Sirius and XM Satellite are merging. No more deciding which one to pick up for which channel, no more wishing this receiver went with that service, it’s all going to be under one roof. This is huge news… Sure, it was two years in the making, but it’s still a big deal. I have a feeling you’re going to see a significant rise in subscriptions once this goes through…
They are making a webcast announcement tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM… Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to listen. I’m sure there will be a recap online afterwards though.
And that’s that… The week of work is completed and now my much anticipated “weekened” has begun (Wednesday and Thursday). It was a pretty easy day at work too and surprisingly not that busy.
I also noticed a graphics card on clearance… I talked them down a couple of extra bucks (okay, so I just asked and they gave it to me) and now I have a pretty sweet setup. The only problem was my power supply wasn’t powerful enough to run it, so I had to buy one of those too (but it was a fantastic deal on staff discount). After work I tore apart my computer, swapped the supply (something I’ve never done before), and put in the new graphics card. And only one bad cut, on my index finger, came from the whole process. Score.
It’s awesome though… It’s a 512MB PCI Express card, so now when I do system tests it says my setup is in one of the top ranking brackets. It says I should be able to play any game I want to throw at it that is currently available. Sweet. I don’t play computer games really, but at least I have the option to play one or two if I really wanted to. The main reason I got the card was so I could eventually get a second LCD screen for a dual-screen set up on my desk, plus so my PC wouldn’t be using on-board video. It just so happens that it can also play games now too… ha. I’m currently waiting for my download of the demoes for Battlefield 2142 and Need For Speed Carbon to finish, the former of which is supposed to be a very demanding game. We’ll see how that runs on this setup…
It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away. Not only is it still fairly warm outside, but there is no snow out either. It feels weird, especially for Canada… You know, with our igloos and all. It’s exactly a week from today until the big Boxing Day shift too… Eek. Then it’s all downhill from there, with things completely dying down about a week or two later. Then seasonal associates go bye-bye, if not earlier than that…
I’m kind of addicted to Pink’s U + Ur Hand right now… I don’t know why nor do I have any sort of witty comment surrounding it. It’s just a fun song musically. Anyway, moving along…
Bedroom colors… I think I’ve decided to go with a light to medium shade of blue for the walls and then white for the trim, in case anyone is wondering. Then I’ll have new hardwood floor and the dark blue curtains. I don’t know if that’s technically a contrasting color scheme or not in designer’s eyes, but it looks like it’ll work to me and that’s all I care about. heh.
So CBS Corporation is launching its own label: CBS Records. Interesting. I honestly never saw that coming… They are going to start with three artists and then hope to have eight by the end of 2007…
U2 finally wrapped up their Vertigo Tour on December 9th in Hawaii. Man, it would have been a blast to have been there… There were some celebrity appearances, impromptu performances, and Larry even got the final words to the fans as they walked off stage. ha. Apparently the band is planning to have a new CD out by late next year at the latest and then they’ll be back on tour in early 2008. I can’t wait… They are still the best show I’ve seen to date, hands down…
I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m not your stereotypical guy. I don’t really dig cars, I’ve never been into sports heavily, and my examples could continue. Oh yeah, and I enjoy reality television.
Wait, hold the phone. While some guys reading this may be tripping over their skater shoes or are running for their decked out sport cars by now, just hear me out…
I’m not into some of the really extreme reality shows that inevitably suck away brain cells. The ones I watch primarily are American/Canadian Idol (hey, I love my music), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (helping others = cool), and The Amazing Race. That’s pretty much it. But honestly, they’re enjoyable shows… It’s not like I’m watching grass grow or Joanna Doe get a facelift.
Anyway, so now that I set the stage for my following comment: I’m pleased with the results of this season of The Amazing Race, which finished up tonight. The first and second place teams were the ones I’ve been rooting for since the beginning. That was a fun season… Really funny at times too. Anyone else see it?
Before the guys go completely loco on me, I have a good counter-remark. I have no idea what colors I should paint my room (one for the walls and one for the baseboards), and I only have a couple of weeks before I have to do it. I’m terrible with this sort of thing… But see? I can act like an incapable, clueless guy too. My writing looks like a monkey’s, if that counts for anything else. Go me.
Three shifts down at work, two more to go… I like days off and after a crazy weekend, Wednesday is looking mighty fine…
Okay, so here’s a joke of a story, despite that it’s actually 100% legit… Remember how the RIAA was suing illegal downloaders for copyright infringement because they were ‘looking out for their artists’? Well, surprise surprise… they have the artists’ backs alright, but by stabbing a knife in them. The RIAA has publically announced that they are seeking to lower the royalites that artists make off of ringtones and other digital recordings so they can pocket more cash for the suits… Seesh, this is so wrong and many levels. Plus it’s so easy to get your music heard by thousands, if not millions, of consumers without the backing of a major label… So if the majors don’t get their butts in gear soon and welcome the upcoming digital takeover with open arms while also treating their artists fairly, they’ll fade away…
Scientists are saying that the oceans are full of hundreds of species that were either thought to be extinct or their existance was unknown. Big surprise. The ocean is freakin’ huge…
I’ll admit it, I’m very tempted to pick up the external HD-DVD accessory for my 360. At only $199 you get one of the new high definition formats, a remote control, and a free King Kong HD-DVD movie for a limited time. It’s so tempting… I hate being a tech geek sometimes, I want to play with the new technology as soon as I can…
I’m rambling too much tonight… Time to expel some energy by playing some Gears of War online and trash talking at friends. ha.
Yesterday afternoon I had a conference call with Sylvester Stallone and a few other members of the press about Stallone’s upcoming movie, Rocky Balboa (aka Rocky VI, the final in the series). I didn’t know he was a Christian… Really nice guy. He seems to have a heart for wanting to create a family friendly movie with a good story morally, something that is really lacking in Hollywood right now he said. He’ll be appearing on the big late night talk shows and other media outlets soon to promote the film as well as to get the word out about why he’s making this film.
The movie hits theaters on December 22nd and I think I might actually go see it. You should too. What I’ve heard about it storywise from the call yesterday sounds intriguing…
So I’ve decided it doesn’t hurt to splurge once and a while on myself. I used to be really, really cautious with my money and limit myself since I’m saving up for more post secondary education. But I’ve decided that I’m making a decent amount of cash at work and I have enough saved up that I can afford to buy a few things without having to worry about the bank account. I’m not buying for the sake of buying mind you, I’m just picking up some things that I’ve wanted for a while now but didn’t want to let go of my money. You only live once, so there’s no point in missing out on playing with some new toys if you can afford to purchase them. ha.
Lately I’ve picked up a new monitor for my computer, the 360 (though the system itself, a game, and a few accessories were paid for with vacation pay), and on Sunday I finally bought extra RAM for my computer so I could run a new program that was given to me back in October. ha. I’ve gone from 512MB to 1.5 GB of RAM. Now I can run Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.5 Titanium Edition, a program my boss gave me when she came back from a conference for work. It took forever to install (it’s a huge program), but it’s awesome… It’s very professional with tons of transition effects, picture-in-picture features, chroma key features, video overlay and so much more. Now I wish I had something to edit… ha.
It’s a pretty professional program though and can even edit High Definition footage thanks to its rendering-on-the-go. I likey. It also came with a free Hollywood FX bonus disc (normally a $129.99 upgrade) that added a ton more special effects into the program… Thanks Sharon!
Eventually I’d like to pick up a new graphics card so I can stop using my integrated graphics card… Plus with a new card, I could have a secondary monitor output. Then, once I get that, I’d also like to pick up a second 19″ LCD monitor just like the one I have and get a dual-screen setup going. It would be fantastic. An external harddrive wouldn’t be too bad either since I’d be getting into more editing and what not.
I came across a funny video the other day. It’s actually pretty old, but I hadn’t seen it before. It is a spoof of Monty Python’s And Now For Something Completely Different skit only with footage from the first Halo video game for the Xbox. They use the original audio then recreate the skit in Halo… It’s amusing.
I forgot to mention something in the last entry… Some friends from the States sent me Trix cereal the other week in the mail. I was surprised and skipped with joy. But it was a manly skip, of course. I used to eat Trix all of the time, but then I went to buy it at the grocery store a few years back and suddenly it wasn’t on the shelves anymore. Perhaps one day it will return to Canada. Until then, I shall savor what little time I have with it now and enjoy it immensely… Thanks to my friends south of the border!
Oh, the Scooby Doo game I bought for the PSP game is actually quite fun, by the way. It’s nothing amazing, but the purpose of the game is that you are on a reality TV show and are trying to solve mysteries against another team. The cool this is you actually solve the mysteries by finding clues, deciphering them, putting them together, and so on. It’s great fun, especially if you are a Scooby/cartoon buff. Besides, it was nineteen bucks, how can I complain?
I forgot it was pay day today, so that was a nice surprise. Days and months all seem to run into each other now, which basically means I tend to forget the day of the week let alone which week it is. Apparently it’s nearing the end of October or something…
My (department’s) boss is gone next week, which means I’m in charge now. Hooray! She gave me the keys today since she doesn’t work the weekends, so the responsibilities begin tomorrow at 8 AM. Okay, I take back that last hooray. I don’t mind responsibility, but I’ve been so tired lately, so doing it half awake isn’t the most appealing task. Then again, we usually tag team a lot of the responsibilities anyway, so it’ll probably be fine…
Anyone watch Lost this week? Man, that was an awesome episode… I’ve heard a number of people say they were disappointed with it, but they’ve never really had a good reason when I’ve asked why. I thought it was great to learn more about Locke, see others from the hatch fiasco alive (though I knew they were), and plus we got some action with the poloar bear. The previews for next week look awesome too… I can’t wait.
I can’t help but wonder how long Lost will go on for though. As great as it is, I have a feeling it’s only going to last for maybe four or five seasons, simply because there is only so much you can do with a show like this and for so long. So I’m holding out on buying the DVDs until after it’s all said and done, because then I can buy a big fancy box set with all of them in it. At least I imagine they’ll do something like the upcoming Alias box set anyway, since it’s the same creators…
So there was absolutely tons of new PS3 information released yesterday at a “Gamer’s Day” event put on by Sony. They announced the launch titles, what comes in the box on launch day, what sort of accessories we can expect, what you can expect with their online service, and lots more. I’m getting excited. Only four weeks from today! I hope there is enough so I can get one…
Ooh, Segway scooters are being tested for use in Ontario. I wouldn’t mind trying one sometime. Apparently you can ride one at Epcot in Disney World, but you have to pay for training first and then you can ride around the park for an hour or two. That would be interesting…
Billboard.com has a front page story about life on the road with Switchfoot. It’s actually written by frontman Jon Foreman. He’s such a great guy… Always very well spoken and articulate in his article writing too.
Sony Canada has a job posting for a “Playstation Field Representative” in the Richmond Hill, Markham, Brampton, and Vaughan area. I’m pretty sure that’s the same job as the Sony rep that comes into my store with the free swag. It’s only thirty to forty five minutes south of me… If I had a car, I think I would probably apply. But alas, I don’t, so no job at Sony for me. This is when you let out a sympathetic sigh.
Anyway, I need to head to bed, so that’s all for now.
So I’ve been working quite a bit since I last posted… Let me see if I can remember what’s new since I posted last…
On Thursday (and Friday) it snowed quite a bit and actually stayed. Eek. Even in the city you could find sudden (and usually thick) snow storms… And yes, that’s a bad picture, I know. But that blurry substance by the lights isn’t fog, it’s snow and lots of it.
I found Matchbox Twenty’s debut album for really cheap at Best Buy on Thursday… But the freakin’ place is a mess and the staff didn’t know what the were doing. So after I jumped on their computer and found that they had three in stock, the guy couldn’t find it anywhere. Seesh. Not cool. Oh well, I’ll find it eventually for a cheap price (none of this $23.99 crap)…
Saturday was another weekend shift of training a seasonal associate at work. It was an alright day… The last hour or so was actually quite entertaining though. Plus I picked up a Scooby Doo game for the PSP that had just come in… I hadn’t even heard about it coming out, but it was only twenty-one bucks and it’s Scooby Doo, so how could you go wrong? But I literally just beat Spiderman 2 on the PSP yesterday and have been playing my Brothers In Arms game for the Xbox when I get the chance (which is really good by the way), so I have yet to play Scooby. I’ll let you know how it is soon though… I’ll probably give it a try tomorrow.
For this week and next week (though perhaps longer) I am working the 8 AM to 4:30 PM shift alongside my department’s boss. It’s fun, I like it… Normally I work the 11 to 7:30 midshift (except for Saturday), so it’s nice to leave earlier. It’s just an experiment for now though, so we’ll see how long it takes until I’m back to my normal shift…
I’m listening to JoJo’s new album that comes out tomorrow. Her single Too Little Too Late – which has been on the radio for what must be months now — is pretty decent, so I thought I’d check it out when it became available to me. It’s alright… It’s mostly an upbeat R&B/dance beat sort of vibe, though it mixes in some definite 80s and 90s influences too (including heavy synth at times). It sounds like her voice is almost tweaked a bit though, plus it’s not as good overall as her debut single from the album. But I’ve heard worse this year (Paris Hilton or Fergie, anyone?)… And she’s only, what, 15? Not bad considering her age. It actually reminds me of Stacie Orrico a little bit, though not as good…
So Bono has officially launched the Red Campaign in North America… Awesome. It has already raised over $10 million (U.S.) in England alone, so I was wondering how long it would take to come here. All of the products look pretty sweet, but I’m especially digging the phone, shirts, and shades. You can get the products down in the States right now, but I haven’t been in the city yet to see if we officially have them up here now too. I know we haven’t received the iPods yet at work… Anyway, the announcement was made on the Oprah Show, and you can see a four minute video from it over on YouTube.com. It includes their shopping spree stop at the Apple Store and Bono is pretty funny during it…
Alright, Heroes is coming on in a few minutes, so it’s time to run. It’s not Lost, but man is it still addictive…
So Canadian Thanksgiving… It wasn’t too bad. Sunday was spent traveling to a family dinner while Monday had one being hosted at my house. It was certainly nice to have the extra day off work (and still get paid for it), despite it being a fairly uneventful day overall.
I’m not going to lie, I’m still really wanting a new laptop. I essentially don’t have one right now, and being right across the aisle from them all day at work really tempts me. I’ve been torn with either getting a Mac again or going with a PC one this time around (I’ve never had a PC laptop), so I’m actually leaning more towards a PC. Now if only I had an extra grand to spend… ha. Either way, I’ll definitely need one within a few months.
Evanescence was the top selling album last week, even beating out The Killers. They moved 447,000 units whereas The Killers only sold 315,000. I use the word “only” lightly though, as that number is still nothing to sneeze at. Personally, I’m not much of a fan of Evanescence… You want me to call you what when I’m sober?
There has been an update to the U2 best-of CD story… It makes a little more sense now and you can read a summary over at Renown.
Today GameStop and EB Games stores in the States had a very few amount of pre-orders available for the PS3. Now sold out, people are already putting up the pre-orders they camped out for this morning on Ebay. The pre-orders for the consoles, which run for $599 US, are averaging about $1500 US on the popular action site. Dang…
Anyone else see the new episode of Lost tonight? Man, great episode. My favorite part was when Ben came in to talk to Jack at the end and showed him the TV set. It was also interesting that he was at one of those stations with all of the TV sets, like back in the hatch. It still makes you question about whether the plane crash was an accident or if it’s still part of the experiment. Plus the Others continually say they are the ‘good guys’… Sometimes I wonder if the ultimate twist at the end will be that this is actually true and we’ve been following the bad guys around for x amount of seasons…
Finally, has anyone used Google Desktop? I was looking at it a bit more thoroughly tonight but then had to suddenly run, so I never downloaded it. I think I may try it out. I’ve never been a fan of programs that clutter up the screen and just take up resources/space… But I’ve liked what Google has done in the past, so I might give it a go tomorrow.
Eek, things have been busy since the last post. Work, birthdays, and more… Sorry for not posting sooner.
So inventory count on October 1st… Things went pretty well (albeit, long). I started at 4:30 PM and we finished at about 4:30 AM, so 12 hours in total. It wasn’t so bad, really. By about the 6th hour you are getting sore, by about the 7th hour the pain is killing you, and from about the 8th hour on you’re used to the pain so you can’t feel a thing. It’s like you’re starting over again. ha.
They were also tracking our productivity for fun. I had a counting gun the longest: eight and a half hours in total. The next closest was about six hours, I believe. I also scanned the most items per hour, so I won a $75 gift card. Score. Not that I was trying to win it though, since I usually don’t win anything… I was just doing my thing, so it was a surprise. I’ll take it, as that’s a free PS3 game come next month (less than six weeks!).
Oh, I forgot to mention this before… It’s been announced that U2 is releasing yet another greatest hits CD come November 20th. What the heck? As much as I love U2 and am looking forward to having the new song, a one-disc ‘definitive’ greatest hits release doesn’t impress me much (even though I’m sure I’ll end up buying it). I can see its purpose though… The band has had a lot of new fans since the success of Vertigo and the How To Distmantle An Atomic Bomb CD, so this is a way for them to have all the big hits on one disc for the newbies. Plus it’s a stocking stuffer for Christmas… So it’s a purely business move. Well, I guess it’s also so they can have something to promote for when they play the final stretch of shows on the Vertigo tour that were delayed from early this year.
So internet juggernaut Google is reportedly in talks to buy YouTube.com for $1.6 billion (U.S.)… All I can say is wow…
Also, Apple’s iTunes and the popular coffee franchise Starbucks have teamed up. Aside from launching a Starbucks area in the iTunes store, not much else has been announced yet… I wonder what they are scheming…
Anyone see the third season premiere of Lost? Though it wasn’t the best episode of the show by any means, I still thought it was a darn good episode — especially the first ten minutes or so. Apparently not as many agree with me as last year though. There were 4.7 million less people watching this season’s first episode compared to last season’s opener. Hmm… Perhaps they need to start answering some questions and fast, or else interest will be lost (no pun intended)?
Speaking of which: have you ever wondered how they estimate how many people are watching what show and when? Well here’s an interesting bit of information for you.
Anyway, to all my Canadian readers: Happy Thanksgiving! And to everyone else… have a great weekend.
And so, after much anticipation and speculation, it has officially been announced… The Nintendo Wii will be hitting store shelves on November 19th, two days after Sony’s Playstation 3 at the low price of $249 U.S. (probably $300 CDN). We’re actually getting it BEFORE Japan, which is unheard of for Nintendo. It will come with one Wiimote, one Nunchuck, one game (Wii Sports), and Super Mario 64 and the Original Zelda right out of the box. And because of the way they designed its internal parts, Nintendo is raving that the Wii is the first console made to run 24/7 and stay connected wirelessly to its network. So you’ll always have the latest console updates, can surf the net, stay up to date with the weather anywhere in the world, and more.
The downside to all of this? Don’t expect it to look a whole lot better than the current generation of gaming (IE: the Gamecube or maybe the Xbox). They aren’t even going to try to compete graphically or horse power wise, so the system won’t be high-def (though it will have a 16:9 option incase you have a widescreen tv). So no eye candy for Wii users.
Personally, I think I’m still going to like the PS3 best for this round of consoles. It’s so pretty and the games look darn cool. I’m definitely looking forward to trying and playing the Wii though, but it’s more intriging for it’s gimicky-like status due to the controllers. My brother will probably be picking a Wii up, so I just have to decide when I’ll buy a PS3 for myself… ha.
So Hasbro has finally announced what the new Monopoly: Here And Now is going to look like. It’s a current day version of the popular game that includes new game pieces (such as a Starbucks cup, laptop, plane, or McDonalds fries), airports instead of train stations, a starting budget of two million dollars, cell phone and internet service spots instead of electric and waterworks, and all new (and modern) properties like Disney World, Hollywood, and Times Square. You can explore the new board over here. It looks cool…
And for the last item in the ”finally announced” category… Microsoft finally announced their worst kept secret: Zune, which is a pretty big iPod rip off. It’s created by J. Allard, the man who also came up with the Xbox. J. Allard is a smart guy at all, but this seems pretty deserving of a yawn so far…
I must confess, I miss having a laptop. My old one from like 2002 or 2003 finally went a while back and I miss the wireless freedom. If I need to do work on the computer, I have to become a loner and hide in my room for hours on end instead of being able to sit on the couch and be surrounded by others and/or watch TV. Plus I could get some work done on the road too, which was always nice.
So that being said, I’ve been toying with the idea of picking another one up again. But I just don’t know what I would get… Do I go for one of the pretty (and now inexpensive) MacBooks and be free of virus woes, eventual system slowdowns (PCs tend to get chuggy over time), and the like, or should I go for a PC laptop for ease of compatibility? Then, if I did go with a PC laptop, which brand do I go for? Gah, choices… Any suggestions from anyone?
I’ve also been browsing around at cars and I think I’ll go by the insurance company next week to get an idea on prices. I’ve been meaning to for a while now actually, but I think I’ll finally go do it next week. It would be nice to have a car… But if I can’t afford the insurance, then I guess it’ll still have to wait.
Well, that’s all from me for now. I’ve been crazy busy with work, Renown, and running around doing other times on my time off. It’s been an exhausting week.
My dog is lying under my feet and has the hiccups. What a weird sound…
Anyway, things have been a whirlwind still for the past while. Just when I think it’s dying down, it gets busy again. Today was my first of two much needed days off though, and I didn’t really do a whole lot. It was great. I need to go shopping tomorrow though and pick up a couple of things…
On Sunday I went and saw Superman Returns in the city on the big IMAX screens. Part of the movie was in 3D too, which was awesome. The experience was definitely a great one and the movie itself was pretty enjoyable too. Very well casted.
So changes are becoming more and more likely with Renown in the not too distant future… While it still might not be for a little while, one word might best describe it: overhaul. Hmm… But, for now, I just need to work away at it in its current state until the time comes.
Have you ever wondered why we get strong desires or become really passionate about something? I especially wonder when it is something that you really have no reason to have a desire for. For example: for as long as I can remember I have always had the strong desire to move down to California eventually. To be most specific, somewhere around the L.A. area. Why? I really don’t know… I don’t know anyone down there or know exactly what I would do down there, I just really want to. ha. Plus it isn’t like I can just pack up and move there either, as that is kind of illegal…
So that’s when the big questions are posed… Is this just some sort of human desire to have something that I don’t have now? Or maybe this is part of something bigger and is God’s way of preparing me early on? Or perhaps it is just the spaghetti I had for supper? Hmm… When it comes to things like this, I just wish I could know why the desire is there and have it laid out in black and white. ha.
Ooh, so U2 is finally releasing their ZooTV: Live In Sydney concert to DVD in September in a two-disc set. Booyah! That was such an amazing tour… Everyone here needs to go and buy it when it comes out. Now all they have to do is release their PopMart concert on DVD and I’ll be happy…
Of course, I already have a bunch of their concerts from all of their tours on DVD, both pro shot (from TV) or fanmade. But it would just be nice to have an officially released DVD from the tour… *sigh* I love 90’s U2…
Oh, that reminds me. U2 is back in the studio now recording some new songs. Bono also has received a haircut and now has really short hair, along the lines of the PopMart tour. Usually he doesn’t change his look except for a new album… Hmm…
Anyway, I should get some other things done before it is bed time. I’ll post again soon.
Well, today was another holiday for us Canadians. It was Victoria Day, where we celebrate the Queen’s birthday even though it’s not really her birthday. Basically, it’s now become just another day for the government and businesses to take the day off work. But I got the day off since we were closed and was paid for it though, so I can’t complain.
It is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday today though. His actual birthday… not a fake birthday…
So instead of work, I just did some things around the house today. I uploaded a new review on Renown, played some games with my sister, let her do some filming with my MiniDV camera, read my book, and burnt a new family DVD. Following supper the family decided to go see a movie too, so we went out and watched Over The Hedge. It was pretty funny and clean. I’d recommend seeing it. Avril Lavigne does a voice in it and I think it’s pretty safe to say she should stick with making music… ha.
My sister and I ate way too much popcorn tonight though. Man, do I feel so full and gross. Now I’m just sitting at my computer, hoping not to explode while listening to Stabilo’s new record (an awesome disc)…
So the Da Vinci Code was the big seller at the box office on the weekend. Not a huge surprise mind you, considering the controversy and promotion behind it. But apparently, according to the majority of critics and people I know who have seen it, it isn’t all that it is cracked up to be (no pun intended). I only know one person who says they sort of enjoyed it. Hmm. I’ll have to see it eventually, but it will probably be when it comes out on DVD. I’m saving my pennies for X-Men 3.
It looks like the Edmonton Oilers could very well make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs as they are winning their series 2-0. Crazy. We knew the teams would be revamped after the lockout, but who would have thought this? Imagine a Stanley Cup final series with Edmonton vs. Buffalo… We sure wouldn’t have seen that before the lock out. Either way, it would be great to see a Canadian team (besides Ottawa, heh) bring home the cup.
Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of the end of American Idol for this season. It’s the final two performing on Fox, with the results (and finale) airing the following evening. It’s going to be a fun two shows… I’m especially looking forward to seeing Daniel Powter singing Bad Day live tomorrow. ha.
Of course, things will depend on how well the contestants perform tomorrow night, but I’m still thinking my long time prediction (since the top 12 anyway) of Taylor Hicks winning is going to come true. I could very well be wrong though if Katharine’s fans pull through for her… But Taylor should definitely be the winner out of the two regardless of who actually wins.
Anyway, I’m off for the evening. I have to get my beauty sleep before work you know…
We also have a huge contest coming next moth… Stay tuned for that…
Secondly, and most importantly, is that I wanted to share with you a hot news story in the industry right now. Mute Math is suing their record label for breach of contract (being marketed as a Christian band). It was announced on Tuesday. Check out the entire story at… http://articles.news.aol.com/music/article.adp?id=20060305181909990012
It’s definitely an interesting read…
Meany says he never wanted an EP to come out on Word, a well-known Christian brand. “It was just assumed that because that’s where I once was, that was where I was always going to be,” he says. “I had no desire to be the Christian version of a real band.”
Make sure you read it all though, so you get the entire picture.
