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Archive for December, 2006

Fords may soon have more Windows

One can look at this move in a few ways. Here’s the move: Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft are rumored to announce a new version of Windows called “Windows Automotive” to run inside of Ford Vehicles.

The new “Sync” software package will bring drivers hands-free cell phone use, downloading music, and possibly check e-mail.

The announcement is planned to be made at the North American International Car Show in Detroit next weekend and at the Consumer Electrics Show in Las Vegas a day earlier.
The roll-out will start with the Ford Focus and Ford 500, both models geared at the “youth market”. All Fords are expected to have this option in the 2008 model year.

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System of the Lego- Chop Suey

Here’s a cool Lego video taking on System of the Down’s Chop Suey.  Not the best Lego stop-motion I’ve seen, but defiantly a cool choice in music.

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Costco uses Zune box as table for iPods (pic)

Here’s a classic that needs no explaination:

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Yellow Bird Merlot - 2004 (1/5)

This could quite possibly be the worst wine I’ve ever tasted. Usually there is not an alcohol taste in the glass when you’re sipping a red wine…not in this case. When I first tasted this I felt a need to glance back and see if there was anything wrong with the bottle…not in that case either.

I picked this up because there was a pretty good sale on it at a wine shop that opened up in my area. Although I have faith in the shop, I don’t have any faith anything coming from this California winery.

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Why your IT Department will not upgrade to Vista…yet

The version of Windows Vista for businesses has been out for about a month now. But industry analysts are saying that IT departments are not ready to upgrade to the new OS.  There are a number of problems why this is happening, but it’s not the OS itself.

For one, Microsoft is not releasing patches (software fixes) until early next month. This can prove fatal if a bug, virus, or any other program gets into the system. This is evident with the release of Internet Explorer 7 earlier this month. Patches immediately went out for Windows XP and Server 2003, but not Vista.
Another reason is software. The only thing right now that runs natively on Vista is Microsoft’s Office 2007. Businesses that run anti-virus or VPN (virtual private networking) software are out of luck, for now. The reason why this is the case for those two “genres” of software is due to Microsoft’s reluctance to release the code for Vista to vendors creating the software.

The move to Vista will not happen until early 2008 for most businesses. Some (including myself) are predicting that the switch for consumers won’t happen until PC makers start installing the OS into their new machines. When will that happen? Nobody knows.  The system requirements for all editions of Vista would require a fair number of hardware upgrades to run it, or a new PC.

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Visual Acoustics

This one may have to wait until you get in the office.  Why?  Who wants to waste time at home with this site?  Visual Acoustics lets you create music and show you a picture/movie while it’s happening.

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Anchor gets chocked up over Saddam

By now you may have heard that Saddam Hussein was hanged yesterday.  This clip shows an MSNBC anchor chocking on live TV while Saddam awaited execution:

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Blogger auctions off laptop given by Microsoft

Over the past few days there have been reports by some bloggers that Microsoft has given away several laptops loaded with Windows Vista. One blogger has decided to auction off his Acer Ferrari 1000 laptop on e-bay.

The blogger at laughingsquid.com has decided to give the proceeds to the Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF). Why that group? Early reports on Vista have said that there is little security in the new OS and less privacy for the end user. There are also heavy DRM (digital rights management) elements in Vista as well. The EFF has been around for 16 years fighting for online right. You could think of them as the ACLU for technology.

There was no explaination by Microsoft why this or any other blogger received the laptop with Windows Vista Ultimate pre-installed.  Well maybe except all the free publicity.

The auction will end on January 4th. At the time of this post the bidding is up to $3050.00. Retail value for this laptop (without Vista) is about $2,000.

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BBC: 100 things we didn’t know last year

The BBC has compiled a list of 100 things we didn’t know last year.  Here are some of my favorites:

  • 2. There are 200 million blogs which are no longer being updated, say technology analysts.
  • 12. The Pope’s been known to wear red Prada shoes.
  • 31. The Mona Lisa used to hang on the wall of Napoleon’s bedroom.
  • 57. The word “time” is the most common noun in the English language, according to the latest Oxford dictionary.
  • 69. Humans were first infected with the HIV virus in the 1930s
  • 100. In the 1960s, the CIA used to watch Mission Impossible to get ideas about spying.
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Top 10 Albums of 2006

Here’s another list of albums from this year.  This is not based on spin count, but on artistic merit.

1. GNARLS BARKLEY - St. Elsewhere
2. MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD - Yell Fire!
3. ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND - Colorblind
4. THE HOLD STEADY - Boys & Girls in America
5. PEARL JAM - Pearl Jam
6. JOHN MAYER - Continuum
7. BEN FOLDS - supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp
8. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
9. BECK - The Information
10. BOB DYLAN - Modern Times

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