Note to Self:

1. Throw it away and start all over.

2. Stop wondering about the past.

3. Don't trust so easily.

4. Look out for number 1.

5. Just keep on keeping on and it will get better.

6. Get a haircut.

7. Pick up some beer.

Give it a try!

Section A:First, recommend to me:

1. a movie:
2. a book:
3. a musical artist, song, or album:

Section B: I want everyone who reads this to ask me a questions. Ask me anything you want.

Section C: I want you copy and paste this on your site, allowing your friends to ask you anything.

Hide and Seek

I came home and Angus was playing Hide and Seek. He's not very good at it, he always chooses the same place over and over again. Someplace cold and with lots of good beer (same place I wish I could hide).

Man my fridge really points out the fact that I'm single huh. Water, Coke, and beer.....that's all I have in there. But I guess it's all I need!

Flexible LCD

Samsung has unveiled the next step in LCD technology in the form of a flexible 7" screen. The display is not the first ever, but is the largest available, with others including a similar offering from Samsung that is 5". Using non-brittle plastics and a very thin construction, the LCD is capable of being configured in a variety of situations, and is the largest of its kind. These differ from standard LCDs, which typically consists of hard plastic or glass sheets to organize the array.

"Samsung said the plastic LCD module is designed to maintains its thickness uniformly even when it bends as well as enabling higher-definition quality than the firm’s five-inch products, the biggest one up until now."

A few years ago the first roll-up keyboard was demonstrated, and as aesthetics play an increasingly important role in the realm of computing and technology, flexible LCDs sound really great on paper, and will probably be even better once in our hands.

Terabyte home storage

Iomega announced the release of their Desktop Hard Drive XL Series, a small form factor drive enclosure for four hard drives, with a storage capacity of 1 Terabyte. The new device touts 4 250GB SATA drives internally, with a default configuration of RAID-0 for 1TB of fast storage. It connects via Firewire 800/400 or USB 2.0/1.1, although to really make any good use of the available transfer speed, Firewire 800 is your only option. USB 2.0 and Firewire 400 are both limited to a transfer rate that is well under what a single modern HDD can achieve. The device is pretty small, at 6.42x7.99x12.52 inches, making it easy to put anywhere as an addon storage device or a backup unit. It joins a growing crowd of other high-capacity multi-drive portable storage devices, and of course is geared primarily towards home theater and video enthusiasts, as well as home file storage.

"Projects like video editing push the limits of today's storage drives, particularly as the market shifts towards high-definition video, so Iomega created the XL Series to erase the bottleneck that a single drive represents in terms of power and performance," said Lee Williams, Vice President, Product Generation, Iomega Corporation. "Whether it's editing and managing digital video, photographs, music or work files, the Iomega XL Series hard drive takes advantage of today's fastest interfaces and most advanced storage technologies to deliver a uniquely powerful device for the next generation of applications."

It is already available, retailing at around $900. It lists compatibility with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS 10.1, and features disk imaging and archiving software as well as compression.

Tending the farm

Dad has gone hunting for the weekend so I am feeding the ducks and geese while he is away. Dad has his own dog but he has taken over my dog Aspen. Mom and Dad live next door and dad is retired so he takes my dog with him all over the farm and has actually started to train him to help with the cattle. He even has Aspen treeing squirrels.



It's very scenic around here and sometimes I forget how great it is to live out in the country.

This is my dad's dog Prissy, she's the "farm dog". Small but fiesty, she loves to smile, very loyal and very independent.

Aspen runs all over the place, chasing the geese and being chased by the geese.

Well, that's all for now. I'm helping my sister move into their new house so off I go.

Checking up on the 360

Angus and I was checking out what the world had to say about the Xbox 360's release and here is something interesting.

Xbox 360 'Overheating' Problems EmergeThe forums today include some irate Xbox 360 owners who are experiencing overheating problems, likely to do with the hard drive. One owner claimed Microsoft had stated it had "received numerous calls".Here's what they had to say. We're awaiting a response from Microsoft."I play Kameo (interesting game) for about 30 minutes and the 360 crashes!!! Ugh.... Power adaptor goes from solid green to a flashing orange.... What next? Well, shoot off an email to MS, get one back not too long ago, find out that the flashing orange means that Xbox has overheated! ""I just received my Xbox 360 today. It was freezing cold so I let it sit for about an hour. Plugged everything in got it up and started playing COD 2. I completed training and while it was loading it just went to a black screen. I waited for awhile and nothing happened so I turned it off, let it sit and turned it back on. I turned it back on to 3 red flashing lights. The top left and the two bottom. "I found out that it's the hard drive. They said they have received numerous calls already. I unplugged my hard drive and it worked fine. Put it back on my box and red lights again.""All five of the games I bought freeze up after a few minutes, I am assuming because of the 360 heating up. It gets unusually hot, the game discs as well are red hot.

I think I'll wait a while, let MS get some of these problems worked out. I knew they would be some problems, and shelling out a few hundred bones for a system that runs like this is not on my list of things to do.

This is me.... PISSED!!

Yeah it's 9:00PM on Thanksgiving and I had to respond to an alarm at work. False alarm at that! I love my job, I love my job, I love my job. Now it's time to go and get some beer!

20,000 Hits!!!

Wow! Over 20,000 hits, I guess people actually take the time to read my mindless rambling about technology and the occasional insight to my life. Thanks to all my readers!

So I'm finally home after dicking with that whole false alarm issue at work. I went ahead and filled the fax machines with paper and distributed the orders that came in since yesterday. I took a moment to check my email and it looks like Monday is going to be a bitch of a day.

I think a pay raise is in order. I live the closest to the office, so I am the one who gets called when the alarm goes off. Sometimes at 2 in the morning! Granted it is always a false alarm (ADS sucks ass). Look people, I started my career in the security industry and I know alarms. My last job was doing this kind of shit for jails and prisons, so I know the security business pretty well. The upside to my professional background is that if I ever go to jail, they HAVE to put me in a maximum security cell (which means I have no bunk mate). Give me 1 minute in a regular cell and I be out of that bitch in no time!

On another note, I have a few new opportunites at my current job and I am really considering one of my options. I can stay where I am at for as long as I want. Or, I can transfer to a different location. My first pick is Brantford Canada; I can move up there and do international sales for a while and maybe move into the European market.

Meeting of the minds

The real kicker is that the little asian guy is actually the robot. We preserved Einsteins head so we could bring him back as a Honda Humanoid.

BlackBerry 7130e offers CDMA EV-DO

Verizon Wireless has introduced the BlackBerry 7130e. Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service on the company's CDMA EV-DO is available to a BlackBerry for the first time. The device delivers all the e-mail and other functionality available with the BlackBerry wireless platform, and can also serve as a modem. The company claims that when used as a modem, the device can download large documents to a laptop at speeds averaging 400kbps to 700kbps. The device also includes support for "push-based" wireless e-mail, Web browsing, text messaging, personal organizer and other corporate applications. It also features a SureType keyboard technology from RIM, and can integrate with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise.

Sprint Nextel Buys Largest Sprint Affiliate

Sprint Nextel announced an agreement to acquire former Sprint affiliate Alamosa Holdings for approximately $4.3 billion. Alamosa provides Sprint PCS services in 19 states, serving approximately 1.48 million direct wireless subscribers, making it the largest Sprint affiliate based on number of subscribers. With this acquisition, Sprint has announced agreements to acquire more than 2.3 million Sprint PCS affiliate customers. The deal is expected to resolve pending litigation that also involves AirGate PCS. The acquisition is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval, and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2006.

Full Story...

XBox 360 Supports XLink

XLink is a framework that allows local multiplayer gaming devices like the PSP, XBox, and Nintendo DS to emulate a local network over the Internet. The result? Instant on-line multiplayer without having to invite 20 of your friends to roll in every weekend. Saves on chips and beer, basicially.

Apparently the folks at XLink tested Halo 2 and Perfect Dark Zero, two XBox games, and both run on the 360 perfectly. This means that you won't have to pony up the $8 a month for XBox Live. Luckily, MS isn't as crazy as Sony about shutting out deviants and perverts who dare attempt the sin of Fair Use, but keep your eye open for a security patch.

TeamLink [XLink]
Play Xbox 360 Online Without Xbox Live [GamingHorizon]
Be notified when Xbox 360 is in stock [Amazon]

Albums on Flash Drives

In what appears to be a first-ever attempt, a music group is opting to replace the CD with a 128MB USB Flash Drive for distributing their next album. Costing at around $30, the re-usable flash drive, for its first album release, will tote 29 songs in mp3 format along with having photos, album art, video clips and apparently more. It seems that 128MB might be incorrect, as squeezing 29 mp3 songs along with other content would be very difficult on a size that small, but the very idea of releasing an album in this way is completely novel. Based on whether or not it is DRM'ed beyond usability might make this become the saving grace brick and mortar music sales. The popularity of online downloading is only increasing, but with a gadget like this, smaller than a CD and more functional, it's definitely piqued interest.

I would buy more albums, if they came that way. You can never have too many thumbdrives and it would be a cool way to add extra items like wallpapers and bios from the band.

BAD ANGUS!!!!!

HEY HEY HEY! I know you like the beer but I think you're taking it to far!

I can't say it enough. Thanks Lex

So I'd like to plug a site of a friend of mine K-Ray you know you're missed, and please keep in touch. We sometimes get so caught up in life, that we forget some of the people who made us who we are today.

"Life is what happens while we are making other plans"
John Lennon

Strange Neighbors

Every day for the last few days no matter what time I come dragging in, my neighbors are in there car with it in reverse and the minute I park and get out they leave. Maybe it's a coincidence but odd nevertheless. I new something was off about them when the husband sleptwalked his way out of a window..... no wait, let me rephrase that to what he actually did. He dove out of the fucking window in his sleep! He cut himself all to pieces leaving a blood trail that looked of a violent murder scene and walked to the front door and knocked for a while.

Anyway Angus found another one of his relatives in Canada, turns out he enjoys beer as well.

Obviously they are distant relatives, Angus would never drink Coors Light. At any rate Angus was happy to see a relative. His name is Rat Bastard and Angus had to get a closer look.

Hello RB, greetings from Alabama!

I Heart my new monitor

I received my 19" ultrasharp yesterday and put in place. WOW! I may have overdone it a bit. Going from a 17" CRT to this monster is unreal. I really didn't have a space issue with my CRT, because I have a corner desk where the monitor sits in the corner, but it made a difference in the look thats for sure.

After hooking everything up, I played some Doom 3 to check out the quality and I am impressed indeed. So I think it was worth every penny.

To 360 or not to 360 (right now, anyway)

There isn't any doubt as to if I am going to get a 360. The real question is, do I wait until the first release comes out and wait for the masses to test to the next-gen console and maybe give MS some time to work out the bugs.

I already have a buyer for my Xbox and I could wait in line for 3 hours and may get lucky enough to get a voucher to obtain one at the stroke of midnight. The word is, every retailer has a very limited number in stock, and I know this to be true because of some inside sources at different retailers.

I'm anxious like a kid, wanting to dive right in and get one, but I would hate to get one, only to find a lot of bugs and end up wishing I would have waited.

Perfect Dark Zero Tops Most Anticipated Xbox 360 Game List

According to GamerMetrics, which is used by IGN Entertainment to track the tastes of about 25 million gamers, according to their press release, Perfect Dark Zero tops the list of most anticipated Xbox 360 title. It tops ours too - we haven't seen a review build of it yet. We should be getting it today, though, so stay tuned for a review.



Here are some of the most wanted games:

Perfect Dark Zero
Dead or Alive 4
Call of Duty 2
Kameo: Elements of Power
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Peter Jackson's King Kong
QUAKE 4
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Ridge Racer 6
Condemned: Criminal Origins
GUN
Amped 3

Nintendo Revolution to feature parental locking system

The Nintendo Revolution will feature the ability to give adults more control over which games their children are playing, thanks to a new parental locking system that the company has introduced. Parents will be able to adjust the console's settings and choose whether to block games with higher PEGI ratings. These settings are, of course, password protected.

There are five different ratings - 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+ - and each piece of Revolution software will include a code which indicates the game's rating. The feature will be included in every Revolution worldwide.

In making this move, Nintendo has confirmed its commitment to producing family-friendly hardware and software. The company believes that even although most Nintendo games are appropriate for all ages and the game ratings are clearly displayed on the front of every game package, the option for parential control is still required to ensure a family-friendly gaming experience.

Video Game awards

Reuters- Capcom's "Resident Evil 4," "Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie" from Ubisoft and Oscar-winning actor Charlize Theron were among the winners at the 3rd Spike TV Video Game Awards held in Los Angeles on Friday.

A partial list of winners from the awards follows:

Game of the Year: "Resident Evil 4"
Best Game Based on a Movie: "Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie"
Best Action Game: "God of War"
Best Individual Sports Game: "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland"
Best Team Sports Game: "Madden NFL 06"
Best Fighting Game: "EA Sports Fight Night Round 2"
Best Military Game: "Call of Duty 2"
Best Driving Game: (Viewer's Choice): "Burnout Revenge"
Most Addictive Game: (Viewer's Choice): "World of Warcraft"
Best PC Game: "World of Warcraft"

Continued ...

So we lost

No surprise there, but hey I had a good time. Angus McRatty met some distant relatives of his. Check it out.

I guess Alabama blew it for this year, and looking at their line up, I think it'll be a while before we have a good team again. I did watch Stealth after the game. That was a pretty good movie. If it can hold my attention for the duration, then it's worth recommending.

Iron Bowl 05

Today is the day.

One of the most watched games of the season is today (especially in the South). It's Alabama VS Auburn. I am an Alabama fan, and besides their loss to LSU last weekend and their questionable offense, the Iron Bowl is always a game that is undecided until the end. No matter how good the teams are going into this game, any team could win. I would never bet money on the Iron Bowl, but I have to give it to Auburn this year. Alabama's defense will be worked hard today and if they want to win I think the defense will have to win it for them.

So I'm getting the housework done and getting ready to head over to a friend's house to watch the game. Eat some good food, drink a few beers and have a good time, no matter the outcome.

Angus McRatty is ready for the game as well, I'm surprised he's a fan. He'll be hanging out with us this afternoon.

ROLL TIDE!

Angus McRatty

So after realizing that my new found friend was in fact Irish I decided to name him Angus McRatty.



Besides fighting over my beer, we get along pretty well. He just hangs around the house and begs for time to time for some Guinness, but I think he has embraced his Irish Heritage.

Cyber gamers vie for world glory

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - More than 700 computer game enthusiasts are gathering in Singapore to take part in the world's biggest competition for computer and video games.
Players from 67 countries will compete in about 1,000 matches at the World Cyber Games on Sunday, hoping for a share of $435,000 in prize money. For 19-year old Michael "Chocoyote" Opree from Germany, winning is a matter of form and preparation rather than luck.

"There is no real secret. You have to be on form on the day you play," he said. "Go have a lot of sleep so you can concentrate on the day and really look for (your) challengers. Get to know something about them, how they play, their game-style, their crosses, their tactics."

Austrian Verena Vlajo, the only female participant, told a local newspaper she was not worried about the gender imbalance.

"It's cool to be the first and only woman here, but I'm just a gamer like everybody else," Vlajo, 24, told The Straits Times.

Michael "Method" So, a 21-year-old representing Team 3D from the United States in the Counter Strike finals, said the games were a natural step in his gaming career. "I picked up gaming just by playing for fun. As I kept playing, I found out about these tournaments. And I just kept going to them and I was winning."

Started in South Korea in 2000, the games were held in San Francisco last year. Event organizers International Cyber Marketing said Singapore was chosen this year because of its good Internet connectivity, efficient transport system and supportive government. Singapore -- which has one of the world's highest Internet penetration rates -- wants to boost its computer games industry and has organized a host of gaming activities and courted game developers to set up shop on the island.

RIM Service Will Continue

RIM CEO Jim Balsillie promised that Blackberry service will continue even if the court issues an injunction against the company. RIM has developed a work-around using recently announced server software that will allow them to continue mail sync without violating any of the disputed patents. Although the workaround is referred to as a software upgrade, it is not clear if it is just server software, or if devices will need to be upgraded as well. The company has not yet implemented the new solution because they are still confirming it does not violate NTP's patents, however they are preparing to switch if an injunction is issued.

Full Story

T-Mobile Expands

.

In addition to purchasing new spectrum in next year's auction, T-Mobile may acquire smaller carriers to expand their network. When Deutsche Telekom confirmed they would be keeping T-Mobile, they re-affirmed their promise of $2 billion to the subsidiary for new spectrum. Yesterday a T-Mobile executive said the company may add acquisitions of smaller carriers into the mix. CFO Thomas Winkler says growth through both means is almost assured, and that the carrier now has to decide how best to divide their budget between acquisitions and auctions.

Full Story...

My new toys

I picked up this Logitech 5.1 Surround and DAMN do they sound good!

ATI's USB 2.0 Tuner card for watching TV while online!


These SWEET Acoustic Reasearch Wireless Headphones!

And I'm waiting on my new 19" Ultrashrp to get here!


I just love electronics. Give me a few grand and 20 minutes on the web and my house will look like Best Buy in no time. My home office is where I spend most of my time, so I might as well make a place I enjoy.

So I've been Tagged

Well I usually don't go for the tags or mimi's but I'll amuse you.

"five weird habits of yourself"

1. I have to be the one to drive, I seldom let anyone else drive.

2. I curse in different languages (usually German).

3. The second I walk in my house I loose the shoes, I'd go barefoot for life if I could get away with it.

4. All of my clothes in my closets must face the same way.

5. I cannot sleep if my feet are hot.

Just a sidenote

I am starting to hate this template!

This polka dot on black design has got to go. It's starting to look like something a pyscho depressive would wear to a funeral. I need Flames!! (the whole Pyro thing)

I've looked a few options but I'm not paying someone for a piece of code just to change the appearance a little.

Anyway, so tonight at a class we had a very "cheerful" fellow subbing, class didn't last long at all. It feels nice to be home at a descent time. But get this, I go into my office and look what I walked in on.

Turns out my newest house guest from Canada loves Irish beer, go figure. Well this will not do! He needs to find his own brand or pitch in on this shit. It's not cheap at nearly $10 a six pack. Everything's cool though, He appoligized (well that's what it appeared he was doing) and went right back to his place under my Irish hat....... EIN MINUTEN BITA (yeah my German is a little rusty), this rat is not Canadian at all, he's Irish! Damn, well it looks like I will need to give him a fitting Irish name.

Any suggestions?

Finally Winter is coming!

If you hadn't already guessed it, I hate the heat. I love the cold crisp air, sitting on the front porch on a cold morning wrapped in my house coat and drinking my coffee. Here in Alabama we seem to only have two seasons. Summer and Winter. Fall seems to be a memory. Yesterday, the high was in the 70's and today the highs was in the 40's. Big jump for one day but at least my favorite season is upon us.

Maybe this year we could have some snow.

Nip/Tuck = TV crack

Man I am hooked on this show. Even when it isn't that good, I watch it every week. I don't think I have missed a single episode. At least this passes the time until 24 starts back again.

.
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

Wafian High-End HD-DVR

CineForm and Wafian will be introducing the HR-1 HD video recorder. This DVR is capable of storing up to 18 hours of HD video in either 720p or 1080i/p. This rack-mountable media center contains two hard drives in a mirrored or striped RAID array. It also has an integrated touch-panel LCD, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, FireWire and has HD-SDI and DVI outputs. This will run about $15,000 and is targeted more towards on-set filming and production and should become available in January.

Wafian HR-1 records

Using Google For Murder??

Seemingly, the words "neck," "snap," "break" and "hold" where those searched for on Google by a man who (it is alleged) shortly afterwards killed his wife. Robert Petrick is charged with murdering his wife, Janine Sutphen, nearly two years after her body was found floating in a Raleigh lake. Evidence of the computer search has been found on computers belonging to Petrick. He also apparently searched for information on lake levels, water currents and boat ramps.

A Cheap Revolution

Coming not as a surprise, Nintendo's next-gen console, the Revolution, will be the lowest priced of all new consoles being released this cycle. The XBox 360, weighing in at upwards of $399, isn't easy to swallow for some, and Nintendo has been finding difficulty competeting against Sony and Microsoft. A low price on the Revolution may give Nintendo the advantage they need.

"Value has been a key card for us this generation and we'll continue to play it," Fils-Aime told me. "Do I expect us to be at a lower price point than our competition? Yes I do. Have we determined a price yet? No we haven't."

Nintendo also has stated that they believe consumers will want enjoyable games over flashy games with high tech features. Whether or not this is true is hard to say, as companies have shown in the past that boring, but pretty, games, can often sell well. The exact price of the Revolution isn't known, but it will probably be in the $150-200 range.

Teen's gaming binge prompts cyber cafe curfew

The tale of a worried mother who feared that her son had gone missing, when he had in fact been taking part in a 48-hr cyber café gaming binge has prompted politicians in Subanjaya to start a curfew for players of online computer games in cyber cafes. After hearing of the case, the authorities have decided to stop gamers' fun at midnight. Under rules due to come in next year, cyber-cafes will have to set up separate areas for gamers and other Internet users. Gaming areas will need a separate entertainment licence and will be required to close at midnight, even at weekends. Local lawmakers say they plan to deploy teams of officers to check on popular Internet spots.

Logitech's New Harmony Remote for Microsoft's Xbox 360

Logitech, today announced the Harmony Advanced Universal Remote Control for Xbox 360, providing gamers and home-entertainment enthusiasts with a single remote that can completely control their game console and any other components in their entertainment system. Specially designed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment console from Microsoft, the newest Logitech Harmony remote joins what has become the most popular brand of advanced universal remotes in the U.S. marketplace.

With the Harmony remote, there's no need to juggle remote controls or press a dozen buttons to set up a TV, home-theater receiver, and Xbox 360 for gaming. When people push one button on the Harmony remote, the Xbox 360 and all of the appropriate electronics components are set to the required state for game play. Special console-specific buttons on the Harmony remote make it easy to navigate the Xbox 360 interface. The remote's white finish, chrome accents, cool green backlighting and ultra-slim design complement the understated but sophisticated design of the Xbox 360.

The Harmony for Xbox 360 remote control will be available in the U.S. beginning in late November for a suggested retail price of $129.99 in the U.S. If purchased with the Xbox 360 before March 31, 2006, there is a $30 manufacturer's mail-in rebate available.

Just a thought

I've got to say I am really a little concerned about an old friend of mine. I may not know the situation that said person is going through, but I can only picture it as a dark and lonely place. I have had my moments of loneliness and depression, but I grow numb from being lonely and depression only last as long as a deep breath.

"Just deal with it" is my mantra these days and I realize that there are things we cannot change. I would love to go back in time and fix the things I've broken, and stop myself from falling, but alas, that falls in the realm of impossible and I have to simple deal with it.

Sometimes being surrounded by friends is only a way to hide the darkness that clouds our minds and hearts.

I know there is probably some way I could help. Be it a phone call or email, but here lately, the only thing I have been able to accomplish is working, going to school and the occasional sleep.

I'm not using this as an excuse; I know I should make time to reconnect with old friends.

Just know I am always around.

What's this?

Every year when it start to turn cold, mice decided to make their way into our homes. I understand, it's cold out there and they just want to be warm, but get this!

So I get this package today in the mail.

This little guy came all the from Canada to get out of the cold!


He made himself right at home and found him a place under my favorite hat. I guess I'll let him stay, at least for the winter. I can't just kick him out after such a long trip.

Thanks Lex!

This is Ashley

I'm posting from wes's cell phone.... He is such a nerd... Ha ha you know your loved.... By jesus. Yeah I know I'm mean well gotta run love ya. Ashley
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

Toshiba and NEC to collaborate

Toshiba and NEC have agreed to collaborate, working together on developing new production techniques that can reduce cost and increase efficiency, working on such projects as chip circuitry widths of 65 and 45 nanometres.

"As advances in semiconductor process technologies become more complex, time consuming and expensive, the joint development will allow the companies to share burdens and accelerate development, while raising system LSI performance and quality," they said in a joint statement.

Microsoft's Windows Defender

Currently in beta for months, a new anti-spyware program will be available in future from Microsoft dubbed Windows Defender. A part of Windows Vista, Defender will help deflect rootkits, keystroke loggers and other forms of malware.

"We believe the Windows Defender name allows us to differentiate our functionality and is more suggestive of the protection offered to our customers against spyware and other potentially unwanted software," the spokesperson said. "It describes the functionality of our anti-spyware features in a more positive way."

Users of Windows XP will also be able to get the software via an update. Jason Garms, Microsoft group program manager, said that Defender would apply to spyware threats all the great detection technology currently being used in antivirus engines.

Popular Science Names Xbox 360 Top Tech Home Entertainment Innovation of 2005

Every year, the editors of Popular Science magazine review thousands of new products and technologies in pursuit of 100 breakthroughs that merit the magazine's highest honor, the Best of What's New award.

Winning the Home Entertainment category is the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. This is what Popular Science said about the upcoming console:

The first of the next-generation gaming consoles, the new Xbox 360 is not just about games -- the 360 is poised to take over the living room as well. The 360 is the first Media Center extender that receives and plays back HDTV from Media Center PCs, and it comes with a free lifetime subscription to the Xbox Live online service.

The full list, descriptions and images of all 100 Best of What's New Winners is in the December issue of Popular Science, on newsstands November 15, 2005

UK Online provides super-fast broadband

UK Online has become the first UK Internet provider to offer super-fast broadband across the UK, providing ADSL2+ technology with speeds of up to 22Mbps. The speed, of course, depends on how far someone lives from a telephone exchange, and also on the quality of their phone line, but this is quite a boost to be sure!

"While some customers will get 22Mbps or even more, up to 24Mbps, the quality of their phone line and distance from the exchange will dictate their maximum speed," said general manager Chris Stening.

The service should be available to around 4.4m homes in urban areas across the UK, with expanded coverage in the pipeline.

Halo, Halo 2 Looks Better on Xbox 360

Bungie confirmed on their website that Halo and Halo 2 will both be backwards-compatible with the Xbox 360. In Bungie's own words:

To clarify, the "new" version of Halo or Halo 2 is simply the disk you have already. Pop it into your 360 and it'll load up just like before. You will have to log into Xbox Live to enable Halo 2's online functions, but both games will work immediately.

But here's another bonus--the hardware in the 360 can do a lot of nifty stuff, and specifically in the cases of Halo and Halo 2, it can display the graphics in wide screen, at 720p, with full scene anti-aliasing. And it doesn't look kludgy, artifacty or smeary like an upscanning DVD player. The best way to describe it is that both games look like they're running on a PC at those resolutions.
So the games will even look better on the new hardware? Great news! Go to the link above to see screenshots. And the say they have more announcements Friday so stay tuned.

US Modular Stainless Steel Mini HDD

US Modular is ready to launch an ultra-stylish range of mini hard disk drives. The Monstor Drive is a USB hard disk drive (HDD) that costs about the same as a 512MB flash drive but weighs only 16g. It fits in the palm of your hand, but packs enough memory to store more than 600 MP3 songs, over 350 photos or about 30 minutes of MP4 video.The drive is available with a capacity of 2GB, 4GB and 6GB. It promises fast, reliable, cost-effective storage for any device with a USB port. The Monstor Drive supports Windows and Macintosh, and no drivers are required.

Other features of the Monstor Drive include low power consumption, 1500G shock resistance rating, rotational speed of 4200rpm, meedia transfer rate of 52.4 to 99.6Mbit/s and a data transfer rate of 3.3 to 6.5MB/s. It also sports an average seek time of 10ms. The stainless steel drives will begin shipping in December priced from $99 to $399.

360's to move fast

Get them while you can!


Microsoft's newest media child, the Xbox 360, is expected to be no lightweight, at least according to MS predictions. They are expecting to off from 2.75 to 3 Million of the next gen console within the first 90 days of its release. The buck doesn't stop there, as MS also expects consumers will not only gobble that up but much more.

”Lee also said he expects consumers to spend $1.5 billion in the first 90 days after the Xbox 360's launch on the console and peripherals such as games and subscriptions to its Xbox Live online gameplay service.”

Retailing between $299 and $399 depending on what model is purchased, it isn't a lightweight in the pocket book either, but that aside Microsoft clearly has high hopes for the console. Before June 2006, they expect upwards of 5.5 Million sold, with new consoles being provided to retailers at a steady pace, rather than the current industry trend of large, bulk shipments, far and few in between.

LED Faucet Light

From Gizmodo

The faucet experience is so boring. Clear water, always the clear water. What if you could have a party in your faucet? Turn the water on, and the running water activates the LED, making the water look bright blue. You could also use it as an additional light source for doing sexy dishes. Each faucet light set includes 3 button cell batteries, a wire screen, 2 universal adapters. All of that for about $14.97. Not too bad for something that’ll add some pizazz to the bathroom, letting you wash in the same blue colored water that swirls around the toilet bowl. Ah, refreshing!

Faucet Light [ThingsYouNeverKnew via Red Ferret]

Living in a dry county

One of these days the self rightous assholes that run this county will heel over and we can finally go wet. It sucks having to drive 30 minutes to get some beer.
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

Nintendo to launch UK wireless game service

Nintendo Co. Ltd. is to launch a free, countrywide wireless gaming service on 25 November for owners of its DS handheld console. The scheme, called Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, to be implemented by Wi-Fi hotspot companies, will provide a DS owner within the range of a participating hotspot to connect wirelessly to another player and play an interactive game.

'Consumer Wi-Fi has finally arrived, and in a big way,' said CEO of The Cloud, George Polk. 'Now hundreds of thousands of Nintendo users can play networked games when they are out and about, while they are waiting for a train, walking to meetings, at shopping malls, at the football, and many other places.'

E-paper moves closer

Reuters - In Neal Stephenson's sci-fi novel "The Diamond Age," a young girl's companion is a book with amazing qualities -- it talks, and the words magically change with the story.
A decade after Stephenson's book was published, what was once labeled science fiction is finding its way to the real-world market.

"Electronic paper" is a display technology that makes possible flexible or even rollable displays which, unlike current computer screens, can be read in bright sunlight. But, much like when LCD displays came to the market, consumers are first likely to see the technology in clocks and watches.

The popular example of an electronic newspaper that automatically updates itself wirelessly is still years away.

Would you like to know more?

A few things to talk about

So it has been a while since I took the time to actually post about my life..... so what! It's my site, I'll do what I want to! There I said it, now I feel better.

Work has been a bitch recently. We are short one person, so the work load has increased dramatically. Getting closer to the end of the year our sales seem to have nearly doubled (which is great, but damn at the work). We just finished inventory last weekend and we were shut down for a day because of that, so we are still playing catch up.

Ok here is some good news (for me anyway). I left a family owned business to work for this company. This company (for the sake of not being "Dooced" , I'll not mention names) is a huge corporation such as Tyco, so my expectations were pretty high. My office alone carries over $7 mil in inventory. But as far as asthetics and funtion, the office pretty much sucked. Well HQ decided to drop some bones and we got a new paint job, new carpet, new office furniture and YES NEW COMPUTERS!!!!!!!!! It's about f-ing time, finally I can forget all about the horrors of Windows 98. Things are looking up indeed. The shear volume of work that comes in each day is unreal and the hamsters that run our current compuers are starting to throw in the towell. So it was past time for an upgrade, for effeciency reasons alone.

I enjoy my job and it's closer to home and college, so I'm thinking I'll hang around for a while and see where it takes me.

Next on my list is my last fortune cookie. I went to grab some take out yesterday for lunch and nothing pisses me off more than a bum fortune. I don't mean a bad one, I mean a fortune that isn't even a fortune. You know what I mean kind of like when Homer Simpson started writing fortune cookies (you will find true love on flag day) that is a real fortune, but something like "peace is found from within" THAT IS NOT A FORTUNE!. Anyway, so yesterday after eating my Beef fried rice I opened my cookie to read "If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed" WTF!!!! NO F-ING WAY, I mean these are truly wise words.... ARGHH. However I did learn how to say "check please" in Chinese Zhang-dan, which could be useful if I ever go to china.

Now for a bit of music complaints. First on my list is Shakira.

If it wasn't for the fact that she is far beyond the definition of hot, she wouldn't even be in the music business. She sounds like a bad cross between a Spanish Cher and a drunk Sarah McLachlan. Just hearing her music makes me cringe.

And what about Avenged Sevenfold.

Have they sold out? They used to be a pretty hard core metal band and a few days ago I caught them on MTV with a redux of their song "Bat Country" and it's as if they decided to change style to the more Alt Punk fad.

Have a good weekend!

Online Funeral for Girl in World of Warcraft

Yahoo News China is reporting that a young girl, nicknamed Snowly, died after playing World of Warcraft for several days straight during a national holiday. An online funeral service was held to commemorate her passing a week after her death. Another report, in English, is available here.

The screen capture is oddly moving. It must have been quite something.

I-O Data Totebag USB Key and Lock

This is the latest USB key from I-O Data. The "Totebag" is a bit different from normal USB drives though, because aside from storing either 256MB, 512MB, or 1GB of your personal data, it also will lock up your PC when removed so no one can use it. Just install the software included and your literally have a USB "key". It's been done before, but this one looks very pretty, so there's your added bonus. No word yet on whether or not you'll be able to use the locking feature with your Mac. The 256MB model will run ya $30, the 512MB model $50, and $95 for the 1GB version. Available now.

USB Key and PC Lock

Satellite dish rules altered, may speed broadband

Broadband could be set to explode as new planning regulations are to be introduced that allow householders to use a wider range of antennas and satellite dishes. These devices can be used to provide a more extensive and greater range of digital and broadband services. The revised regulations should help to increase access to digital television and broadband internet, whilst at the same time continuing to protect the environment from inappropriate development.

Housing and planning minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement: "The planning system needs to adapt to take account of changing technology. People want to get access to wireless broadband services and digital and satellite TV. These changes remove some of the red tape around new technology by updating the planning rules, whilst keeping protections for the local environment."

Blackberry's Intel Powered Beauty

Research in Motion has unveiled a BlackBerry e-mail device that runs on the Intel XScale processor. The BlackBerry 8700c (codenamed Electron) utilises Intel's PXA901 cellular processor, which is named Hermon.

Cingular Wireless will start shipping the device to customers starting Nov. 21. It will cost $299 with a two-year plan. Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth will be the only wireless carrier offering the device in the United States for a "period of months," according to RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie.

The device comes equipped with a 320x240 pixel resolution 65k color TFT LCD screen, Bluetooth, quad band, 64MB of flash memory and 16MB SRAM. It features a full QWERTY keyboard and will send and receive voice and data using EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) wireless networks.

Nokia Tests Bluetooth Music

Nokia and music label EMI have devised a way to get your tunes on your cellphone using Bluetooth. The system will also allow you to get ringtones, wallpapers, video clips and vouchers—all streamed to your handset. The test for this system will be in Helsinki, Finaland. The testing phase is free and available in three coffee shops and three record shops in the city. There's one catch: You can only get it if you've got a Series 60 Symbian phone (like the Nokia N90 or Siemens SX1) and Nokia Series 40 phones (like the 6060 or the 8800). And while the trial is indeed free, expect charges to be added if this service does come to fruition.

Music trial taps into Bluetooth

iPod Vending Machine

This is a electronics vending machine, primarily Apple related products such as the iPod and the Shuffle an other accesories. This vending machine was spotted at the Atlanta airport.

I think it's a cool idea, but I think I would be very leary about dropping 100 bones in a vending machine for an electronic device. What do you do if it takes your money (me.. I'd monkey stomp it), what would do then leave a note in the refund box??

iPod Vending Machine

Sprint Launches EV-DO Services for Consumers

Sprint today launched Power Vision, a suite of consumer-oriented services built to leverage the company's growing EV-DO broadband-speed data network. The services include the country's first streaming, high-quality live TV and first over-the-air full-track music downloads. The first two phones available for Power Vision are the Samsung MM-A940 and Sanyo MM-9000, with more to follow by the end of the year. The new Sprint Music Store, powered by Groove Mobile, offers a catalog of over 250,000 songs from EMI, Sony BMG, Warner, and Universal. For $2.50, users get access to a copy of the song in WMA format for their PC, as well as a copy in AAC+ format for the phone that downloads in as little as 30 seconds over the EV-DO network. Power Vision starts at $15 per month, which includes streaming live TV from ABC News Now, a streaming music channel from Sirius, and unlimited web and data access. Premium packages at $20-25 per month include additional TV and music channels. Sprint's EV-DO network is expected to cover an estimated 130 million people by mid-November.

Full Story...

Sprint launches over-the-air music service

An over-the-air music service has been launched by Sprint Nextel. In return for paying high per-song fees, customers will be able to instantly receive music via wireless download. The service went live Monday with a catalog of songs from EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group. The cost is $2.50 per song.

Sprint's music service is supported by two new multimedia phones, the Sanyo MM-9000, priced at $380 on Sprint's Web site, and the Samsung MM-A940, priced at $400.

The Sprint Music Store service also requires Sprint's Power Vision wireless broadband network, which the company began rolling out throughout the U.S. earlier this year. Sprint estimates that 130 million people are now in its Power Vision coverage zones.

Sprint Music Phones [Product Page]