Do You Roku?

** Please note the following is NOT intended as a product review. This is simply to share my experience of a new gadget. Thank you for reading. **

Since 2008 I have live without cable TV. My TV viewing habits continue to survive with the help of services like Netflix, Hulu, and even YouTube. My decision to leave cable TV behind was motivated predominantly by Steve Jobs who pushed the idea that in the future all conventional medias will become obsolete. Users will not desire their content to be delivered to them by the will of a TV network. Neither will users want to deal with physical media such as CD, DVD, even BlueRay (a media dead before it was born). Or even deal with useless equipment such as PVRs. The future of TV and movies rides on copper, fibre, and open space on a series of TCP/IP packets pipped directly into our desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. And I love it!

My decision isn't without consequences. In my living room stands a Sony 46” LCD TV that has been neglected by me, cause the only time it gets lit up is when I plug my laptop to it over HDMI. And it doesn't happen often. Most of my contents is delivered to my Mac Mini displayed over a 23” Cinema Display. Until recently....

B.ll Sh.t Apple Predictions: iPhone 5 With USB 3

with the excitement of the upcoming 6th generation iPhone (5), there's been a lot of talk about what's going to look like, what CPU it's going to run with, form factor, 16:9 display, and whether or not it's going to feature Thunderbolt connectivity. i have no doubt that Apple will release an impressive next gen iPhone, but aside from my obsessiveness over storage, the one thing i'm hoping from the next iPhone is USB3 connectivity and not Thunderbolt - which i think will happen for the following reasons.

I'm Being Throttled!

i received a text from AT&T informing that my unlimited data plan will be run at full speed until i hit the 3GB speed bump.  from then on it’ll be throttled back.  i think this new policy of theirs to limit mobile user’s data by capping or throttling is bad, not just for mobile users, but for the internet services out their we use.

for example storage/syncing. we have cloud storage to supplement what mobiles devices have been limited with due to design and/or expense. services like DropBox, Box.net, and iCloud give mobile users the ability to extend the limited storage found within mobiles devices by providing them with access to cloud storage services.  as a DropBox user i find syncing files between my desktop, laptop, and iPhone very useful. but it'll suck if syncing files to my iPhone is going to eat up some of my data.

iPad3, It’s Getting My Attention

my first iPod is 3rd gen.
my first iPhone is 3rd gen.
my first iPod nano is 3rd gen.

do you see the pattern here?

Apple is at the cusp of releasing their 3rd generation iPad, and it’s getting my attention.  IF the rule of "3rd gen" prevails the iPad3 will prove to be a device worth the wait.

so far the only rumors circling the blogo-sphere is that the iPad3 will have the A5X processor, and retina display. i’m surprised that no mention of increase storage has been projected; perhaps a boost from 64GB to 128GB - which would be the ultimate deal-breaker for me.

3rd Gen, More Coincidental Than A Rule

one comment i need to make regarding 3rd gen Apple mobile devices which makes it more coincidental rather than a rule.  in all cases the deciding factor has come down this one thing - storage.  if you haven’t notice i delay buying each of these device families until one was released with the amount of storage i felt would satisfy my needs.

increased gigabytes is indicative of so much more than just storage, but all the hardware that would have to be present in order to support managing it all.

working in a high tech environment you learn things like that. when a new product that boast 2x or 4x the amount of cache memory, it’s usually complimented with increased processing power to manage it all without performance loss.

3, The Magic Number

3 is the magic number designating the generation of each Apple devices that i own.  why is this so special?  it’s probably more coincidental than anything else, but when i look deeply into it waiting for the 3rd generation of Apple products have benefited me with the most feature rich products, and future-proofing - that is to say the longest lasting, most used devices.

i have outlined three particular Apples products that i own.  my thinking behind waiting for the 3rd gen, and how proceeding generations in my mind wasn’t worth the immediate upgrade.

Steve Jobs: What he meant to me.

i don't know Steve Jobs personally. i never met him at an Apple event, or store opening. He's not the first person i think about when i wake up in the morning, or the last thought as i fall into R.E.M. sleep. he's was - at most times - a figure taken for granted; as long as he was around Apple would continue to make products that affect my life and - to some extend - my thinking.

Jesus Christ Superstar

one day back in November 2010, my work buddy John (of Musically Reclined, and no stranger to theater) persuaded me to head down to the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket R.I. to audition for a role for a Theater Works production of Jesus Christ Superstar. to be completely honest i was aware of the 1973 movie, but never familiar with any of the songs from the musical (at least that i know of). however, that same day i went down there, filled out a form, had a head shot taken, and received a white adhesive label written with the number 37.

Pandora App, What's missing

Pandora is another app deserving of being among my top 5.  i probably use this app more often than any other.  i have created so many radio stations which include artists from New Edition to Squarepusher; Expose to Run DMC; Imogen Heap to Daft Punk.  

lately i have gotten hooked into Steely Dan.  a lot of the songs Pandora has been playing base on that have been songs i've heard so many times over growing up, and some i've have never heard of before. despite that i'm really digging it.

this app keeps me company while driving to work and back, when i'm grocery shopping, or just relaxing at home.

here's the problem; i have created a lot of radio stations, but  the app - or perhaps the service itself - only allows me one QuickMix.  A QuickMix is a way to combine multiple radio stations so that you can get enjoy a greater range of music selections.  

if Pandora and i were to sit together over coffee and talk about what i think is missing in the app and/or service there's only one thing i would request for, multiple QuickMix's.  

i think it would be great to organize different radio stations into playlists or QuickMix's.  i could name each QuickMix. there would be a section just for QuickMix's for easy access. you can edit them allowing you to add new stations to them.

still - absent being able to do that - it's my among my most used app.  and well deserving of being among my top 5 app.


peace,
@riel

I had the weirdest dream the other morning...

i had the weirdest dream the other morning, and for whatever reason i felt compelled to write about it. this dream couldn't have lasted for more than 3 minutes, but it seemed as if the entire sequence could have lasted 30 minutes on if it were filmed. mind you, this dream came to me between hitting-the-snooze-button sessions.

i'm not sure how to begin this, but here it goes...

1. it starts out with me driving a car on a remote road.
2. suddenly i get pulled over.
3. somehow i find myself on my knees upright in the right rear-seat.
4. there are well dressed people standing outside my car.
5. three men, one woman.
6. one of the men is searching my car's trunk for something.
7. another climbs in the driver's seat.
8. the third is holding a gun in to my face.
9. the man with the gun is yelling at me asking "where is it?"
10. confused - i'm not sure what the hell he's talking about.
11. the man with the gun is become really aggressive.
12. the man in the driver's seat looks somewhat conflicted as to whether or not they got the right guy.
13. the man with the gun becomes impatient
14. he pulls the trigger twice.
15. the bullets pierces my chest.
16. i don't fall back.
17. suddenly i feel a tremendous amount of heat radiating from my chest.
18. i don't see blood, yet i feel wet and cool on my back.
19. i start feeling week in my legs.
20. breathing is becoming difficult.
21. i look over to the man in the driver's seat.
22. he is shaking his head slightly with a look in his face as if saying "why the hell did you do that for?"
23. i look back out through the window.
24. the woman is standing behind the man with the gun.
25. she's appears to be keeping a lookout.
26. the man searching through my car's trunk states "it's not here."
27. my legs finally give way.
28. i fall backwards as my vision goes dark.
29. next thing i wake up in my bed.

what do you think it's all about? it seems like a scene from a TV show or movie that i've seen before.

obviously weird and violent - the first of it's kind on my blog - but it's given me the idea to write short story based on the given details. a good way to spend my vacation, i suppose.

peace,
@riel

I'm not on Facebook.

this is another dated posting i pulled out of my draft box, but recently i watched the movie "The Social Network" - which i highly recommend to everyone - and felt this would be a good time to revise and post this.

its been reported by many sources that Facebook has over 500 million users on their service and counting. however i'm not among the masses that have been swept up by the phenomenon that is this social network giant. and i have my reasons. so many of the people in my life - family, friends, acquaintances - have inquired about friending me on Facebook, and i have had to quaintly explain that i'm not service as a simple form of protest.

why do i protest being part of a social network as big as Facebook with benefits such as:

1. keeping in touch with the people so close to me
2. meeting old friends from years ago
3. making new friends
4. playing games and competing with other over the web

simply put: the people who i love, care, and/or concern over i stay in touch personally. and i already have all the tools i need or could want to maintain that connection. let me count the ways.

1. mobile phone (voice/text)
2. email
3. instant message
4. Skype
5. Twitter
6. Blogger
7. Youtube
8. Vimeo

admittedly my social network is rather decentralized. however, i prefer it that way. there are no exclusivities in many of the services i subscribe to. my friends are not required to have the same cell phone provider as i do to call or text me, nor have the same ISP as i do to send me an email. neither are they required to be members of Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, or Blogger to enjoy any my contents. but to access their profile page on Facebook - just to check it out - does require me to join. not fair.

as for reacquainting myself with friends long ago, my view is this: past relationships are now a chapter in my life that came and went. its a bit of a sad truth, but if a friendship is solid enough to last then a service like Facebook is not required.

another part of why i protest joining Facebook has something to do with my time spent as a user of MySpace years ago. i was freshly divorced and looking to expand my friend base by including some internet pen-pals. MySpace seemed like a good place to meet new people. i never accumulate many friends on it. the only ones friended were people i knew personally. whenever i did receive a friend requests they were from people (mostly girls) who had hundreds or thousands of friends on their list - which meant i would have been nothing more than a number to them. also got friend requests from a few budding musicians, comedians, and web-cam porn stars. i came to conclude that MySpace was nothing more than a popularity contest. no real potential to make friends. i became disillusioned with the whole experience. i figured Facebook would be no different.

continuing my reasons for my protest was a moment where i sent someone a well crafted personal email expressing my appreciation over an event that was taking place in Worcester. this person was a city official that, along with many others, were coordinating an event to commemorate the contributions U.S. Army soldiers from Puerto Rico have made. what i got in return was a form letter from her Facebook account explaining how much better it would be for me to join to stay in touch. so... i take the time to write an email, and this is what i get in return? that really pissed me off!

the lack of enabled privacy settings on Facebook is also among my strongest protests. i've never been much of an early adopter when it came to technology. i like to sit back and see how others who have taken the plunge express their views on it. with Facebook there was a time when i considered joining, but i held off. good thing; lately there have been many reports of the lack of privacy settings enabled by default after creating an account on Facebook. because Facebook by design and intent is a social networking site, by default all (if not many) privacy settings are turned off. the motive behind this is to promote the notion that all Facebook users should desire their personal information to be open to the world no matter how private or public that information is. so there is no need to change the privacy settings ever. after all, the mission statement of Facebook is "Making the world more open and connected." yet this ideology is costing Facebook many users that are waking up to this revelation, and leaving.

another strong protest of mine is the lack of a user's accessibility to out right delete their Facebook account quickly and safely. if a user wishes to delete their account with Facebook, it takes an act of Congress to do so. a user has to really go out of their way to remove their profile from Facebook. to comically illustrate the frustration in deleting a Facebook account South Park's Stan Marsh had to enter into the Tron-like universe of Facebook and defeat his account in a game of Yahtzee. the kicker is even if you do manage to "delete" you account, it's not gone for good. it's just been made inaccessible to other users. however, all of the user's personal data remains on Facebook's servers. why? because all that data a user provides on the Facebook service - be it texts, photos, videos, statuses, etc. - becomes property of Facebook. it is part of the agreement between the user and Facebook as outlined in the Terms of Service which grants Facebook complete ownership of that user's data. that doesn't sit well with me.

lastly, but not my final protest, is that having a Facebook account would another web service i'd have to spend time managing.

to speak of the company itself, Facebook is worth billions of U.S. dollars($), but it doesn't generate any revenues. that doesn't stop investors and business partners from pouring cash into it. what allows for Facebook's financial success is the philosophy that personal information freely provided by their users is more valuable than revenue generated from advertisements. Facebook collects as much data as users are willing to give about themselves which in turns helps their business partners better understand trends of behavior. and, granted, Facebook is not alone. there are other sites such as Twitter and Google (with some exception as Google does generate some of their revenue from advertisement, but not all) that work the same way. they don't make money, yet they are worth billions. again it's all about data collecting, organizing, and analyzing.

all this being said, i do recognize the incredible impact that Facebook has made in our world, both good and bad. it have escalated itself to level of great importance that cannot be ignored, and a powerful tool of communication. there may come a time when Facebook could take over the entire communication sector. instead of AT&T or Verizon, it could be Facebook that powers future mobile devices. so in a continuous effort to live my with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: as long i draw a breath upon this e@rth the possibility and probability of joining Facebook is there, but i'm going to hold out as much as i can.

peace,
@riel

Why I won't be buying an iPad... any time soon.

this blog post is way over due, and the subject matter outdated, but in an effort to get back to writing i decided to go ahead publish my thoughts about Apple's new iPad, and why i'm not getting one. simply put i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. i can't even find a way to shoe-horn this thing into it either. but that's a personal matter.

still i can't help but wonder what Apple was thinking when they decided to release this product. they touted it as a universal device best suited for eBook reading, Internet surfing, gaming. and so forth. but when i think deeper into it, it seems to fail in comparison to devices that are designed specifically to address these areas of digital life. Apple uses words like "magical", "wonderful", and "boom!" to describe how awesome the iPad is. however during the introduction event of he iPad I could not help but wonder if anyone in the audience was actually impressed let alone marveled. after all it turned out to be a larger iPod Touch. and despite the mediocre functions of the iPad it has gone to sell millions worldwide. my curiosity can only assume those who have bought it have a far better or unique use for it than the average user.

here are some of the applications the iPad address and the reasons i feel they don't.

Reason 1, eBook reader:
one of the selling points of apple's iPad is that it servers as an eBook reader. however when i think of the ideal eBook reader the Amazon Kindle comes to mind. it's a thin device weighing in the ounces. it's large enough to accommodate the text of a typical book. it's black and white like most printed pages. it's ambient reflective background simulate as close to paper as much as possible so it's easy on the eyes thanks to it's E-Ink technology. and as a big bonus it's so good on the battery that a single charge can last it up too 300 hours.

the iPad fails in every aspect listed above. it weighs in at 1.6 pounds. and though that may not seem much, after 20 minutes it does start to put a strain on the wrist when maintaining it upright. the screen size as adequate for accommodating text of a typical book, but the LCD screen couple with a LED backlight can cause a bit of strain the eyes. lastly because the iPad is not a dedicated eBook reader but rather a general purpose device with a function to display eBooks, battery life is terrible; only 10 hours before it needs a charge.

best use of the iPad as an ebook reader is short term; perhaps 20 minutes at most. most avid readers (at least the ones i know personally) typically spend an hour reading text.

Reason 2, gaming platform:
the Nintendo gameboy, Sony PSP, hell, even the iPhone (to some extent) are typically the devices that avid gamers prefer when it comes to portable games. they are light weight, fast, contains an extensive library of games, and with exception to the iPhone, are equip with physical controllers that help add to the sensation of the game's experience.

games are being published for IPad. most of them were originally made for the iPhone/iTouch that have been adapted for a bigger screen. the problem is trying to handle the iPad while playing some of these games. i'm not entirely sure what kinds of games are being sold that would be best for the iPad, but i can't imaging that the arcade crowd is jumping on this. i downloaded Street Fighter IV on my iPhone, and though i hate the fact the 20% of my screen is taken up by my thumbs, I continue to enjoy it. to play this game on an iPad would seem clumsy considering the dimensions of this device. on top of that there's the reoccurring issue with the weight previously mentioned.

then only kinds of games that i can see passable on this platform are board games, and some puzzle games that may not required the iPad to be held up-right. in fact the one genre of games that would be quite impressive are the strategy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, or even better World-of-Warcraft. you wouldn't need to hold the iPad upright; just lay it down on the table and use the the multi-touch feature to play the game.

Reason 3, portability/versatility:
it's portability becomes an issue with me as it's not as small to fit into my pocket like the iPhone, and not as versatile as a notebook.

let say i'm in some coffee shop (i know, it's always some trendy coffee shop) i can't whip out my iPad and start surfing the web with one hand while drinking my caramel latte (mmmmm, caramel ) with the other. nope, I'll stick to my iPhone, thanks.

let say i'm working on a blog post. to type on an iPad would require me to position it at a slight angle just to type. with the virtual keyboard and the screen on the same plane one of two things suffers: 1) your wrist due to the weird angle, or 2) your eye sight from the glare off the glass. it may be possible to suffer both. one solution is use a Bluetooth keyboard.... screw that! just use a laptop. at the very least the screen won't need to be held up with you hands.

Reason 4, an internet device:
this is by far the the most impractical reason. when is comes to the internet it only comes in two sizes; large (rather the full rendered web page) and small (the mobile version of the large size). that's what makes the notebook and mobile phone devices perfectly suited for this task. on top of that to sit and hold onto the iPad to read a web page... well see Reason 1 and 3. in contrast the iPhone (despite its screen size) can be palmed, and though navigating a web page with a thumb does require some practice, at least it's completely efficient.

Is there anything the iPad is good for?
the iPad suffers the same problem as most tablet computing devices; it's a niche device. however, I do believe the iPad can serve several functions. consider the following:
Any job that utilizes a clipboard:
take as an example a hospital setting where the ipad can be used in place of paper medical charts. the doctor walks into a room and the patient's charts appear instantly on the device.

Visual creation:

an electronic easel is an ideally suited application for the iPad. i've seen video of artists draw incredible works of art right on the iPad. very impressive.

Music creation:

people talented in the ways of music have used the iPad as an electronic instrument, part of their DJ'ing equipment, mixer. i mean there's all kinds app out their to help make music.

in an effort to live my life with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: i will not discount the possibility of owning iPad completely. as i've said before i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. after all despite the stated reasons, it is a pretty neat device, but completely useless to me at this time.

peace,
@riel

Memories of Mountain Park, Holyoke

"This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down."

this quote is from the book "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien. it's a riddle posed by Gullom to Frodo, who responded frantically with "I need more time!" TIME being the answer.

I open this blog entry with this because over the summer - during a week vacation in the month of august - I made a pilgrimage to Holyoke, MA to bask in the presence of a childhood memory taken away by the hands of TIME. that memory was an amusement park called Mountain Park.

Mountain Park (MP) [1, 2] was once situated on the side of Mount Tom, Holyoke. it opened in 1890, and it had been there nearly 100 years. but due to financial difficulties, and perhaps a lack of interest in keeping the park operational, then owner, Jay Collins, decided to shut MP down in 1987. that was my freshman year of high school. not once did it ever occur in my mind to think that it would ever be closed for good. in fact the decision to close was quite fast and without any warning.

during the mid to late '80s MP wasn't the most elaborate amusement park around compared to other amusement parks like Whalom Park, Canobie Lake Park, Rocky Point, and Riverside (known today as Six Flags New England). but it wasn't without its charm. MP was decorated with aging art and decor from the early life of the park (circa 1897) to designs from the late '70s ~ early '80s.

the park's carousel - dated from the earliest years of MP - carried with it beautiful artworks that would serve just as well as framed paintings in a museum.

after the closing of MP, the carousel did survive extinction. it was moved to the town center of Holyoke where it operates to this day as one of the oldest carousels in the U.S. now known as The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round.

most of the coolest (and darkest) artworks, during the later years of MP, were found on two specific rides; the Pirate's Den, and the Dinosaurs Den.

these rides are (or were) called "dark rides"; a completely enclosed passive coaster ride that moves slowly along a track from one darken room to the next, bumping through double doors, taking left or rights turns. the riders would observe spooky animatronics and visual effects over haunting soundtracks.

i grew up always having an over-active imagination. the hellish and dark images depicted on the outside of the buildings that housed these rides were enough to keep me from riding, but not enough to keep me from standing outside fixated on the artwork with my curiosity wondering what i would see inside.

both the Pirate's Den, and the Dinosaurs Den were two of three rides i never rode until the final days of the park. in the summer of 1986 when i was 12 years old, i finally decided to ride them both. i remember feeling pretty anxious simply because i didn't know what to expect during the rides. it turned out to be quite fun, and i can't remember how many times i went back on each ride.

another ride i waited too late to truly enjoy was the main roller coaster, the Mountain Park Flyer [1, 2].

a wooden roller coaster that stretched alongside of the park. as a kid i had a fear of heights that kept me off the Flyer, but in the end i managed to get over it. getting on the Flyer that first time would begin of my love of roller coasters.

most of the rides in MP were pretty standard rides you'd find anywhere else, even today. recently i visited Canobie Lake Park, and was surprised to see a hand-full of the same kinds of rides that i remembered as a kid at MP still employed today.

though MP is gone, it seems that it may make something of a come-back. Eric Suher, a native of Holyoke, and owner of the Iron Horse Music Hall, the Pearl Street Nightclub and the Calvin Theater in Northampton, bought the property of MP and wants to "bring Mountain Park back to what we remember it being." i'm not sure exactly what that means, but the current plan is to hold outdoor concert venues [1, 2] there. i guess time will tell as to whether or not this memorable mountain site will ever be rebuilt to its old glory, though i'm sure it won't have the same charm i remembered as a kid.

the land where MP once stood - what little trace of the amusement park that once existed - has now been cleared and renovated to accommodate these concert venues. but before the bulldozers and the hardhats, all that remained of MP was nothing more than a desolate land [1, 2]. a ghost town with the remnants of corroded lumber and rusted steal beams of building structures hardly recognizable. vegetation's growing with the dominating force of nature within areas where concrete once paved the way from one enjoyment to the next. the tall iconic skeletal frame of the Flyer torn down succumbing to the will of gravity as its coaster carts once did.

my pilgrimage to the land of MP was short lived due to the construction activity. but from the little i was able to see the only thing that was left was a sign posted on one of the utility poles at the parking entrance. it was difficult to read the faded words "The Great Slide Show". the paint had very little life left.

"This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down."

this quote is from the book "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien. it's a riddle posed by Gullom to Frodo, who responded frantically with "I need more time!"

TIME being the answer.

the very TIME that faded Mountain Park into our memories. :(

peace,
@riel

The Screwdriver: My Motive, My Opportunity.

when i was a kid i used to break my toys to see how they worked inside.

• all of my G.I Joe and Transformers toys would last for about a couple of months before i started to take them apart.
• i remember owning one of the earliest video game systems. it was a TV game console that resembled like a late 80's cell phone. it had games on it like Tennis (Pong). i was fascinated with the knobs and switches so i took it apart.
• my dad came home with a CB Ham radio. in minutes i was on taking to a truck driver. four hours later i tore it apart curious about the insides.
• i took apart my Atari 2600. luckily i was able to put it back together again, and work. i wasn't going to mess with that.
• one of my early BMX bikes was constantly being taken apart and put back together just to enjoy the pure mechanics of the process.
• i added speakers to a clock radio in my room.
• from Radio Shaq i bought mini lights and switches to illuminate a storage cabinet i attached it to.
• i wire up the cable box to all the TV's in the apartment using a selector switch.
• i used to own an early Sony MD deck until the disc drive got stuck. i opened it up and temporarily got to work again.
• i've taken apart all of my computers to study the board layout.

above are just a few examples i can remember off the top of my head.

i blame my curiosity as it consequently caused many of my toys to not fully recover, or at all. however it is not without it's conspirator.

the screwdriver was my motive, and opportunity. it allowed me to explore the insides of my curiosities. it helped me to get through the shells, the barriers to the wonders of electronics, wires, and mechanisms. it was the one toy i could never get inside.

peace,
@riel

Microsoft Needs To Simplify

up until now have written entries regarding my joys and pains of Apple and their computers. i have yet to write about Microsoft, and the truth is i have been a Windows user since the days of MS-DOS6.22/ Windows3.1 way back in 1993. since then i had made every effort to learn about computers; how they work, all of the hardware that makes up a computer, and using tech lingo such as, "you have to modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS file." remember that? actually that last part didn't come in handy until two years later when i started working for a multimedia retail store called Media Play. ah, those were the days.

over the years i have moved up from Windows 3.1 to 95 when i made the transition from a Packard Bell 486SX to an HP Pavillion with a Pentium 133MHz, from 95 to 98 when i made the trasition from the Pavillion to a Gateway with a Pent-3 running at 450MHz, and finally leap-frogging over Windows ME and upgrading to XP Pro with my Gateway.

anyway, the point is before i became Mac, i was Windows, and still am thanks to Parallels Desktop.

i never had any major issues with Microsoft except for one; their insistence of marketing multiple versions of Windows with every release. this wasn't such a big deal with XP. three simple and self-explained choices; Home Edition, Profession, and Media Center. but with Vista it became a little more complicated with 4 versions which broke down the Home version into Premium & Basic. instead of having a Media Center edition, Microsoft included media center functionality with the Home Premium version. and the Home Basic is just the core functioning O/S of Vista - stripped down - to address the lack of hardware support some user's systems didn't have for Home Premium and over. and it seems that Windows 7 will be broken down into these versions... again.

**sigh**

for tech geeks this isn't a major issue, because we can handle the unexpected; if any issues arise, we know where to find support and information. but the average user isn't a tech geek (not in the truest sense anyway). they are made up of consumers who expect technology to work as designed and function flawlessly, but it isn't always the case.

Microsoft has a history of "copying" Apple, with respect to the user interface. why don't they "copy" Apple's marketing approach to selling one version of their operating system? the "one size fits all" approach. sell the Ultimate edition only, and during the installation have a function to determine how much stuff can be installed based on the system's hardware profile. or simply sell the Professional edition and open up a Windows Market Place. allow user to pay and download extra features - much like the iPhone App Store - such as the media center or additional security functionality.

i don't blame switchers who complain about their troubled past with Windows, or any users who thinks Microsoft is too big for itself; so big in fact that it's ability to maintain a high level of product quality and customer satisfaction to their retail consumers is anything but high. case in point: Windows Mobile 6.5 not being completely ready prior to its release.

i will give Microsoft big props for allowing all users to play with Windows 7 as a release candidate for a year prior to the official release to work out any real-world bugs. it gives us users a chance to see what Windows can really be and do, and gives Microsoft plenty of feedback from user's experiences. this approach is very smart as it will give them time to correct as many issues as possible assuring a gold level release when the time comes.

i downloaded Windows 7 RC and began running it via Parallels Desktop, and i have to say Windows 7 is fast. real fast. so far my personal user experience with 7 is much better than Vista.

the only thing that would ruin this is another multi-version marketing approach that will do nothing but confuse the average consumer, who will scratch their heads and wonder which version to buy.

Microsoft, if you're reading this...

SIMPLIFY; SELL ONE VERSION OF WINDOWS 7!!!

trust me, users will love and/or appreciate you for it.

peace,
@riel

17 Years of Absence... I Have Returned.

back when i was 12 years old (1986), i discovered the joys of bmx riding once i mastered the art of bunny-hopping. i was able to clear side-walks, small obstacles, or just simply hop in one place to see how high i could go. it seemed just a simple concept, and yet not many of the neighboring kids could do it. the most some could do was lift the front tire up. then, one day that summer, a group of guys rode through the neighborhood on these wicked cool bmx bikes pulling some amazing tricks. it was called flatland freestyle, and i was hooked. i tried to emulate those tricks, and as a result of constant stress on my bike's frame it cracked completely.

my dad realized how much i enjoyed bmx riding, so for my 13th birthday he bought me a Colombia Freestyle bmx from Toys R Us. i knew back then it wasn't a "real" freestyle bmx bike like GT or Haro, but my dad couldn't afford one of those. no matter. the bike was well equipped, and i was looking to start freestyling right away. so during my high school years i rode throughout my neighborhood and around town doing street and flatland tricks, i made a few new friends in the process, and always thought i'd never get out of it. i went so far as to upgrade from the Colombia Freestyle to a GT Aggressor in 1990 after saving $500 working at McDonald's after school, weekends, and during the summers.

but after graduating high school, joining the military, attending college (then dropping out), joining the workforce, getting married, and going back to school, i found myself with little time and/or little to no motivation to pursue my enjoyment of bmx. i did make an attempt to get back into it after selling the Aggressor and getting a GT Tour 2 in 1999, but it wasn't long after purchasing it the bike ended up in the basement collecting dust.

these days i'm still working full-time and attending school, but now i'm divorced and living on my own. this school semester will end in a matter of weeks. the summer approaches and i need an out-door activity to enjoy the coming of sunny days, and not spending them within the confines of my apartment. i have seen 80's films on bmx (Rad, BMX Bandits) and watched tons of videos on YouTube of old-school and todays bmx riders. it's these reasons i decided to return to bmx for nostalgia and as an activity.

at the risk of embarrassing myself, i have shot and edited a video of one of my practice sessions. i'm so rusty, but i have to start from somewhere. this video will serve as my base-line. i can only get better from here.

17 years of absence since my last good session, but i have returned, and i have a lot of catching up to do.

peace,
@riel

Getting (needlessly) picky with Apple.....: The Mac Mini, Part 2

WHAT THE HELL, APPLE?!!!!

$599 and the Apple Remote is not included anymore?

you cheap bastards!

>:(

@

Getting (needlessly) picky with Apple.....: The Mac Mini, Part 1

first off let me apologize for my absence. i have been not been updating my blog for quite some time due to the fact that i have started the spring semester at Quinsig - doing my best to keep up with my studies.

that said, i want to begin with the recent announcement of one of Apple’s latest products. by now the world knows about hardware updates made to the entire Mac line-up, including the Mac Mini (MM). being an owner of two MM’s, i was very impressed with the updates Apple made to the MM line-up such as:

• faster front-side bus
• higher capacity memory
• faster Core 2 Duo
• the addition of an extra USB port
• a better graphics processor

to name a few.

it would seem that Apple made some real progress with the MM, except for one confusing thing; why did they include a mini DVI port connector along with the newer mini DisplayPort? that does not make any sense to me?

when the MM progressed from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo, it would have seemed like the best time to ditch the full size DVI connector in favor of the mini DVI port. this way they could have squeezed an extra USB or Firewire connector. the iMacs and Macbooks at the time included a mini DVI port, so why not the MM? well, it seems that Apple’s MM is late to the trend. the latest iteration - which contains the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated video chipset - includes both the mini DVI port and the brand new mini DisplayPort. both ports are active allowing the MM capable of dual displays. which is really cool. yet for some reason having these two video ports together seems really tacky.

looking at it purely from a practical view, it does not make sense to pair up a newer display connector with an older version especially when Apple has been pushing for this mini DisplayPort as a industry standard. they have included the mini DisplayPort in all other products including the Mac Pro. none of these products - specifically the MacBooks and iMacs - utilizes the mini DVI anymore, or at all in the case of the Mac Pro. if Apple is successful in pushing the mini DisplayPort as a industry standard, that will mean future displays from other vendors will conform to it. and why shouldn't’t they? the mini DisplayPort is ideal for all notebooks and desktops alike. it’s less time spent having to screw anything down.

why include the mini DVI port with the new MM?

i don’t see any advantages of including the mini DVI port. from what i understand the mini DisplayPort can do everything that the mini DVI can do. in fact they are identical with respect to the digital signal scheme. the only difference is their physical appearance.

what about those adapters?

Apple manufactures adapters to connect a VGA or DVI monitor to the mini DVI port. they make similar ones that connect to the mini DisplayPort. so either way you're covered. but here's a slap in the face for users of the previous generation iMacs or MacBooks; what they don’t or have yet to manufacture is an adapter to connect a mini DisplayPort enabled monitor - such as the 24” LED Cinema Display - to the mini DVI port.

if you're covered either way, why remove the mini DVI port?

if there is currently no such adapter to connect a mini DisplayPort enabled monitor - such as the 24” LED Cinema Display - to the mini DVI port, then having dual mini DisplayPorts on the MM gives a user the added advantage of connecting - you guessed it - two mini DisplayPort enabled monitors. can you imagine driving two 24” LED Cinema Displays on a MM? i know that would be overkill, but having dual 24” does not make it any less sweet; just the opposite. if the MM is capable of handling them both, then why not? you’d think Apple would go with this if it could mean additional sales of their LED Cinema Display. plus if you look at the mock-up below, there’s enough real-estate back there for Apple to squeeze in another USB or Firewire 800.

why am i being so picky over this?

i guess it’s because i sometimes don’t get Apple’s reasoning over their design strategy, or the features they decide to add or take-away with every new revision of their products. in this particular case it's natural progression of technology; you know, going from 2GB to 4GB of memory, from DDR2 to DDR3, from 667 to 1066MHz FSB, from FW400 to FW800, etc. i figured Apple’s take on the MM to be all about progress; completely ditching all current standards in favor of something new and fresh, the latest and greatest.

bottom line?

if you’re going to make a point of promoting something as "new", why continue on with something old?

peace,

@riel

A Few Thoughts On My Mini

ok, the only thing aside from my enjoyment of anime, sci-fi movie, Final Fantasy, and Ralph Bakshi films (to name a few things), are gadgets. for the past couple of years i became somewhat enamor with my mac minis ever since i got the first one back in May 2006. so much so that i could not be satisfied using my 17" Gateway monitor featuring a Sony Triniton (near flat) CRT in the beginning. a month after buying my Core Duo 1.66Ghz, 1GB system i went out and got the 23" cinema display - a purchase worth more than my mini.





now i have always admired Apple's product from afar, but with this mac mini i would truly begin my love-affair with Apple. now, i'm not a mac-head by any stretch, but this little thing, with all the apps a user could ever need and want, was just the perfect little package. after learning of its technical specs (ever since the days of the PowerPC G4) i felt impressed how this squarely shaped laptop (without a keyboard, mouse, video display, and battery) can pull the necessary weight to run some pretty hefty media projects.

though the mac mini is marketed as a desktop CPU, underneath the hood lies the layout of a laptop. think about it. all the components inside are all laptop grade - the processor, hard drive, memory modules, the cd-rom, and the video processor are in line with Apple's MacBook (without a keyboard, mouse, video display, and battery of course). and yet amateur video editing can be accomplished with ease and simplicity.

to be fair, perhaps, the mini isn't a big deal. these days even budget laptops PCs you can pick up in Wal-Mart can perform video editing and other multi-media tasks on par with the mini. so there's more to it than the hardware aspect. after all, todays Macs are built using an Intel architecture, so ipso facto Macs are PCs despite the Apple logo.

both of my mac minis came with Mac OS 10.4, Tiger, and for some reason every app that operates under this O/S feels so much better than their MS Windows counterparts. for example, i run Handbrake on my minis to convert my DVD collections into movie files i store on my home file-server. Handbrake is about the coolest app to use and it runs so beautifully. i loaded Handbrake to my bother's new HP laptop that he got from Best Buy a week ago. thinking that the Windows version was just as easy to run, much like it does on the mac, i found that it didn't work right. at first i couldn't get it to read the DVD-rom. then, when i thought i figured it out, it caused the system to freeze. i don't pretend to know what happened, but there it is. now i'm sure there's a good reason why it didn't work, but who cares. it runs great on my mac, and my brother is just going to have to learn enjoy his movies off his DVDs.

during the course of editing "Dyson's Revelation" i used the installed iMovie HD 6. the rough cut of the video was so much better than i first imagined with respect to editing and piecing other aspects of the video together. the initial experience was rough, but after some time i learned of better techniques, and corrected the mistakes i was making. in the end the process became smoother and manageable allowing me to concentrate on the project itself.

i had hoped that someday i would graduate from working on iMovie to Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4), but before that would happen i felt it necessary to get a better system. in August 2007 i made a new purchase for a Core 2 Duo 2Ghz,2GB memory mac mini. following that on November i bought FCE4. to my surprise my 2Ghz mac mini ran FCE4 well enough to edit the final version of my video. however i have yet to fully experience FCE4 in with all of the settings set to high. i have had to cut down on the real-time playback feature in the canvas screen to 1/4 frame-rate, and the video quality to "Low". this made reviewing my video, prior to exporting it to a movie file, though do'able, rather annoying. i truly enjoy working with FCE4, but on a mac mini without a real GPU with its own dedicated video memory, it's just not enough.



if you're wondering what happened to my 1.66Ghz mini, it's enjoying a good life as my new media center in my living room attached to a beautiful 32", 720p, Sony Bravia LCD, and wirelessly connected to my home network thanks to my Airport Extreme.

so i'm looking on Apple's store site and checking out the macbook pros (MBP) under their refurb area, and i must say they have some pretty impressive deals on 2.4Gh with 2GB of memory, and an NVIDIA GPU equip with 256 MB of dedicated video memory for less than $1700. it looks like i'll have to work some O/T to get one, but it's about time i got a laptop, and if i'm going to get one it might as well be a MBP. like iMovie to FCE4, it's time to graduate to something better, and add it to my list of enjoyments.

peace,
@riel