Jan 2008
The Fate of the Union - Hooah!!
As the curtain came down on the 2008 State of the Union speech this past Monday night, I couldn't help but think that it was really the "fate" of the Union. I will refrain from saying "told ya so" (see earlier post "2008 To Suck"), but at least we can be thankful that this was the last speech to be endured by the worst President this country has ever had. As we once again heard more sugar coated rhetoric and agonizingly arrogant threats towards Congress, the American people was left slack jawed and eyes glazed over at their TV sets as the unmistakeable truth slowly seeped into our minds. We have nothing new to hope for except the faint possibility that by the end of this year a new president will be elected to take on the enormous task of cleaning up the mess that they will inherit from the current administration. Oh, and did I mention that if by some ill fated fortune we do end up with another Republican President, I will be committing Japanese hari-kari on You Tube with a dull butter knife?
While we all try to contemplate just exactly where the $150 billion economic stimulus money is going to come from (perhaps the treasury will print more money, or some unneeded Pentagon weapons program will be nixed, perhaps it will be rained from the sky like manna from heaven, but God forbid it sure as hell will not come from any vile, evil, corrupt taxes - for if it does it would be the complete and total ruin of the nation!! No, I suspect it will probably just be borrowed like everything else), take a view at this 75 year old citizen's response to President Bush's unremarkable state of the union address.
While we all try to contemplate just exactly where the $150 billion economic stimulus money is going to come from (perhaps the treasury will print more money, or some unneeded Pentagon weapons program will be nixed, perhaps it will be rained from the sky like manna from heaven, but God forbid it sure as hell will not come from any vile, evil, corrupt taxes - for if it does it would be the complete and total ruin of the nation!! No, I suspect it will probably just be borrowed like everything else), take a view at this 75 year old citizen's response to President Bush's unremarkable state of the union address.
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Macworld 2008 Recap
This past week, Macworld 2008 was held in San Francisco and Steve Jobs once again unveiled some amazing new devices and gadgets to the cheering crowds and Mac faithful everywhere. There was nothing as revolutionary or as exciting as the iPhone with the possible exception of the new Mac Book Air ultra thin laptop. But even that is probably not as revolutionary as what the iPhone has been to the telecommunications industry. Here is a recap of what was revealed:
Time Capsule: A new 802.11n wireless base station that also sports a hard drive built inside. Comes in two flavors; a 500GB or a 1TB version selling for $299 and $499 respectively. This new device allows a home or office with several Mac users to backup their computers wirelessly via Time Machine to a centralized location without wires. This is especially convenient for laptop users who have had to rely on small portable hard drives and cables to back up their hard drives.
iPhone Software Update: There was no mention of a new 3G capable iPhone as some had predicted, but in it's place was an announcement of an upgrade to the iPhone firmware to version 1.1.3 - a free download for all existing iPhone users and a $20 upgrade option for all iTouch iPod users as it added core new features previously unavailable on the iTouch. The new features include the ability for the iPhone to pinpoint your location and mark it with an indicator on a map by using triangulation of cell phone towers. This feature works amazing well and seems very accurate. The more cell phone towers in your vicinity, the more detail your location will be zoomed in on the map. Also included is the ability to rearrange the icons on the iPhone home page, add new homepages (up to 9) and web clips which are snap shots of web pages that retain their shape and zoom scale so that you can go back to it at anytime with just a single press of an icon. Very cool. Some other smaller features including song lyrics being displayed in iPod mode and an upcoming SDK to third party developers so that the iPhone can be further expanded and developed to run more new apps.
Apple TV Update & iTunes Movie Rentals: It was the year of the free software download. Steve announced a completely new software interface for the Apple TV as a free download for existing customers that will feature true 720p video qulaity and 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. No new equipment to purchase. Also, the price of the Apple TV has been reduced from $299 to $229 for the 40GB model. In addition, iTunes will begin immediately to offer movie rentals which can be viewed on any computer (Mac or PC), hand helds, iPods, or on Apple TV with content provided from all the major film studio in Hollywood. Pricing is similar to all other movie rental services and content can now be purchased with your remote from the living room couch - no computer required.
(Side Note: I found this somewhat ironic because I distincly remember not so many years past that Steve Jobs didn't think that using a computer to watch movies and videos was a very good idea. He has now come full circle on this one and has obviously changed his mind considerably on this subject. It was also interesting just this past week that when asked to comment on the new Amazon Kindle portable electronic book reader, Steve made the bold proclamation that "nobody reads anymore these days". That seems like a bit of a stretch to me - I know I still enjoy reading. I think the Kindle is a very interesting device but needs some additional design work to make it right. I wonder if Steve will change his mind on the book reader like he did on the Apple TV? How far away are we from an iBook or an iReader?)
Macbook Air: And last but certainly not least was the revelation of the world's thinnest laptop computer ever manufactured measuring a mere .16 inches at it's thinnest to a a very modest .76 inches at it's largest measurement and weighing only 3 pounds. The laptop features a full 13.3 inch LED screen with instant on capabilities and brilliant sharp graphics. There is a full sized back lit keyboard and touch pad with intelligent controls. Comes with 2GB of RAM and a 80GB hard drive, the unit does not include an optical disk drive, but can be added as a peripheral if desired. You can also use a built in software feature that allows the Macbook Air to commandeer the optical drive of any nearby Mac or PC to wirelessly install programs from a CD or DVD; and that is totally cool. Priced at $1,799 Apple is obviously not targeting or promoting this device as an econo-book, but rather as an object of total coolness and desire. How cool is it that this laptop can fit inside an envelope? Dang cool.
If you are sick of your current computer, or have had it up to your eyeballs with Windows, viruses and spyware, and are just generally pissed off with the entire world and can't wait until there is a new President in power, then may I suggest you make the switch to the happy side of the street where everything is in technicolor and in perpetual bloom. Check out the offerings of the Apple team in Cupertino - I think you will like what you see when you see what you like,
If you want to learn more on any of this cool stuff just announced at Macworld 2008, go to www.apple.com for more details. And no, believe it or not, I do not work for Apple.
2008 To Suck
Call me an ungrateful, miserable little whiner if you must, but if the first thirteen days of 2008 is any indication of what lies ahead, I am fully prepared to declare that 2008 is going to suck - and suck hard. Please spare me the lectures on positive attitudes and motivational thinking and all that do-goody-good bullshit, and let's examine the facts for just a flipping moment. I don't consider myself a pessimist as much as I do a realist and a pragmatist. Instead of wishing and hoping for a brighter tomorrow, I much prefer to stare down the oily barrel of the shot gun of reality and look my problems right in it's butt-ugly face. It might be a dangerous course of action but at least you know what you're dealing with and you will be better prepared to deal with the crushing defeat and bitter disappointments that are likely to come your way.
2008 has started off as a real jim-dandy for me with all of the stress and hypertension that goes along with starting a new job with strange new people in a strange new environment. There is no better way to start off the new year than in completely unfamiliar surroundings with people you do not know and working on things you've never seen before. Yes sir, it's been a barrel of monkeys and I really, really enjoy driving in rush hour traffic for over two hours each and every day. Things could be worse - I could be unemployed and living under a bridge and eating out of a garbage can; which will be the subject of a future post if and when that should ever happen.
But, let's not forget all the other great things that 2008 has unveiled already such as the impending recession that the economy seems to be spiraling into. This combined with the massive losses in the stock market and the sub prime mortgage debacle which has turned into a voracious black hole of poverty threatening to suck the U.S. economy into utter oblivion, has left everyone feeling vulnerable and exposed. Gas prices continue to soar with no end in sight and it is apparent that the trillion dollars we've just spent on a war in Iraq hasn't done jack-squat to ensure cheap oil for the US. Global warming continues on it's march in rendering the planet a lifeless lump of smoldering coal while our elected officials argue over whether or not human activity has had any negative impact on the environment.
On top of everything else, this is an election year with another selection of candidates that are not very inspiring or exciting and are already partaking in childish pranks, name calling, and finger pointing thinking that somehow this makes a good impression on the voting public. The only thing it shows is a lack of ideas and initiatives and in it's place we get character assassinations and revelations of sins 25 years past as though they have any bearing on a presidential election. On a side note, if Huckabee or any other Republican somehow manages to fool everyone again and gets elected to the White House, I will be forced to either move out of the country and change my citizenship to another country, or take up permanent residency at my nearest local mental asylum.
So far, 2008 has exuded all the warmth and charm of a wet, mangy dog with infected ears. I'm not quite ready to snuggle up next to it and call it my friend just yet, but there is a whole lot of time left, fortunately, for things to improve. Should things start turning around and looking up I might be able to upgrade the prognosis of 2008 from "sucking" to "tolerable". Stay tuned. The one good foreseeable thing to look forward to in 2008 is that it is the last year that "W" and Dick get to torture people in the name of national security. Praise Jeebus.
2008 has started off as a real jim-dandy for me with all of the stress and hypertension that goes along with starting a new job with strange new people in a strange new environment. There is no better way to start off the new year than in completely unfamiliar surroundings with people you do not know and working on things you've never seen before. Yes sir, it's been a barrel of monkeys and I really, really enjoy driving in rush hour traffic for over two hours each and every day. Things could be worse - I could be unemployed and living under a bridge and eating out of a garbage can; which will be the subject of a future post if and when that should ever happen.
But, let's not forget all the other great things that 2008 has unveiled already such as the impending recession that the economy seems to be spiraling into. This combined with the massive losses in the stock market and the sub prime mortgage debacle which has turned into a voracious black hole of poverty threatening to suck the U.S. economy into utter oblivion, has left everyone feeling vulnerable and exposed. Gas prices continue to soar with no end in sight and it is apparent that the trillion dollars we've just spent on a war in Iraq hasn't done jack-squat to ensure cheap oil for the US. Global warming continues on it's march in rendering the planet a lifeless lump of smoldering coal while our elected officials argue over whether or not human activity has had any negative impact on the environment.
On top of everything else, this is an election year with another selection of candidates that are not very inspiring or exciting and are already partaking in childish pranks, name calling, and finger pointing thinking that somehow this makes a good impression on the voting public. The only thing it shows is a lack of ideas and initiatives and in it's place we get character assassinations and revelations of sins 25 years past as though they have any bearing on a presidential election. On a side note, if Huckabee or any other Republican somehow manages to fool everyone again and gets elected to the White House, I will be forced to either move out of the country and change my citizenship to another country, or take up permanent residency at my nearest local mental asylum.
So far, 2008 has exuded all the warmth and charm of a wet, mangy dog with infected ears. I'm not quite ready to snuggle up next to it and call it my friend just yet, but there is a whole lot of time left, fortunately, for things to improve. Should things start turning around and looking up I might be able to upgrade the prognosis of 2008 from "sucking" to "tolerable". Stay tuned. The one good foreseeable thing to look forward to in 2008 is that it is the last year that "W" and Dick get to torture people in the name of national security. Praise Jeebus.
2(007) In Review
01-Jan-08 11:53 PM Filed in: Current Events|General Interest
2007 is now complete and marks it's place in the history books. If you survived, congratulations. Hopefully you will also survive 2008. As we prepare for yet another year of fun and adventure, I thought it would be interesting to look back at 2007 and briefly recap some of the highlights from the year just past. What a great way to reflect on the misadventures and unforgettable moments of our fellow human counter-parts while at the same time helping us to stave off the icy grip of Alzheimer's from our cerebral cortexes. Here's my short list....Please note, this short list will probably not include much of anything that was really important in your life in 2007; you will have to supply your on list for that stuff.
January 2007
Jan. 4 - Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives
Jan. 17 - The Doomsday Clock is set to 5 minutes before midnight
Jan. 30 - Microsoft releases Vista and Office 2007
February 2007
Feb. 2 - An unseasonal tornado in central Florida kills at least 20 people
Feb. 2 - The IPCC publishes it's 4th assessment report, having concluded that global climate change is "very likely" to have a predominantly human cause.
Feb. 13 - North Korea agrees to shut down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon by April 14 as a first step towards complete denuclearization, receiving in return energy aid equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil.
March 2007
March 6 - Mega Millions sets a new world record for the highest lottery jackpot of US $370 million.
March 12 - Van Halen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
March 31 - Sydney, Australia, turns off its lights for 1 hour between 7:30PM and 8:30PM as a political statement for Global Climate Change.
April 2007
April 12 - Don Imus is fired by CBS for making controversial comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
April 24 - Abortion is legalized in Mexico.
April 25 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 135.95 points to close at 13,089.89; it's first close above 13,000 in its history.
May 2007
May 4 - Tornado strikes Greensburg, Kansas, killing at least 12 and destroying about 90% of the town.
May 9 - Subtropical storm Andrea forms off the coast of Florida, the earliest subtropical storm since Subtropical storm Ana in 2003.
May 10 - Tony Blair announces he will resign as British Prime Minister on June 27 triggering a Labour Party leadership election.
June 2007
June 11 - US Senator Larry Craig, a long-time opponent of gay rights, was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct on August 8.
June 15 - Bob Barker airs his last episode of The Price is Right.
June 29 - Apple's new iPhone is released in the US.
July 2007
July 4 - The 50-star U.S. flag becomes the longest-flying American flag, replacing the 48-star flag that flew from 1912 to 1959.
July 17 - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three other men are charged with alleged operation of dogfighting ring at one of Vick's properties in southeastern Virginia.
July 21 - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney serves as Acting President for two and a half hours while President George W. Bush undergoes a colonoscopy procedure.
August 2007
Aug. 1 - The I-35W Mississippi River Bridge on I-35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota between University Avenue and Washington Avenue collapses at 6:05PM CST during the later part of rush hour, killing 13 people.
Aug. 22 - The Texas Rangers score thirty runs in one game, setting the modern (post 1900) MLB record for most runs by one team in a single game, in a 30 - 3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Aug. 30 - U.S. Air Force nuclear wepaons incident in which a B-52 flew from Minot AFB, ND cross country to Barksdale AFB, LA carrying 6 nuclear warheads.
September 2007
Sept. 3 - British troops withdraw from the Basra region of Iraq.
Sept. 6 - Luciano Pavarotti, Italian tenor dies (b. 1935)
Sept. 26 - First confirmed deaths resulting from the Myanmar military's crackdown on weeks long anti-government protests. Buddhist monks are arrested and Internet access is cut from the public.
October 2007
Oct. 20 - Wildfires in Southern California result in the evacuation of more than 1 million people and destroying over 1,600 homes and businesses.
Oct. 26 - Apple Inc. launch the sixth major release of their Mac OS X operating system entitled, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Oct. 28 - The Boston Red Sox win the 2007 World Series in a four game sweep against the Colorado Rockies.
November 2007
Nov. 3 - President Pervez Musharraf declares state of emergency in Pakistan.
Nov. 5 - The Writers Guild of America goes on strike.
Nov. 30 - Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil dies (b. 1938)
December 2007
Dec. 10 - Led Zeppelin reunites in London, England, for the Ahmet Ertegun tribute.
Dec. 16 - Dan Fogelberg, American singer and songwriter dies (b. 1951)
Dec. 27 - Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician assassinated (b. 1953)
And if you really want to know a whole lot more about what happened and who died in 2007, you can find a comprehensive list located right here.
January 2007
Jan. 4 - Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives
Jan. 17 - The Doomsday Clock is set to 5 minutes before midnight
Jan. 30 - Microsoft releases Vista and Office 2007
February 2007
Feb. 2 - An unseasonal tornado in central Florida kills at least 20 people
Feb. 2 - The IPCC publishes it's 4th assessment report, having concluded that global climate change is "very likely" to have a predominantly human cause.
Feb. 13 - North Korea agrees to shut down its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon by April 14 as a first step towards complete denuclearization, receiving in return energy aid equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil.
March 2007
March 6 - Mega Millions sets a new world record for the highest lottery jackpot of US $370 million.
March 12 - Van Halen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
March 31 - Sydney, Australia, turns off its lights for 1 hour between 7:30PM and 8:30PM as a political statement for Global Climate Change.
April 2007
April 12 - Don Imus is fired by CBS for making controversial comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
April 24 - Abortion is legalized in Mexico.
April 25 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 135.95 points to close at 13,089.89; it's first close above 13,000 in its history.
May 2007
May 4 - Tornado strikes Greensburg, Kansas, killing at least 12 and destroying about 90% of the town.
May 9 - Subtropical storm Andrea forms off the coast of Florida, the earliest subtropical storm since Subtropical storm Ana in 2003.
May 10 - Tony Blair announces he will resign as British Prime Minister on June 27 triggering a Labour Party leadership election.
June 2007
June 11 - US Senator Larry Craig, a long-time opponent of gay rights, was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct on August 8.
June 15 - Bob Barker airs his last episode of The Price is Right.
June 29 - Apple's new iPhone is released in the US.
July 2007
July 4 - The 50-star U.S. flag becomes the longest-flying American flag, replacing the 48-star flag that flew from 1912 to 1959.
July 17 - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three other men are charged with alleged operation of dogfighting ring at one of Vick's properties in southeastern Virginia.
July 21 - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney serves as Acting President for two and a half hours while President George W. Bush undergoes a colonoscopy procedure.
August 2007
Aug. 1 - The I-35W Mississippi River Bridge on I-35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota between University Avenue and Washington Avenue collapses at 6:05PM CST during the later part of rush hour, killing 13 people.
Aug. 22 - The Texas Rangers score thirty runs in one game, setting the modern (post 1900) MLB record for most runs by one team in a single game, in a 30 - 3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Aug. 30 - U.S. Air Force nuclear wepaons incident in which a B-52 flew from Minot AFB, ND cross country to Barksdale AFB, LA carrying 6 nuclear warheads.
September 2007
Sept. 3 - British troops withdraw from the Basra region of Iraq.
Sept. 6 - Luciano Pavarotti, Italian tenor dies (b. 1935)
Sept. 26 - First confirmed deaths resulting from the Myanmar military's crackdown on weeks long anti-government protests. Buddhist monks are arrested and Internet access is cut from the public.
October 2007
Oct. 20 - Wildfires in Southern California result in the evacuation of more than 1 million people and destroying over 1,600 homes and businesses.
Oct. 26 - Apple Inc. launch the sixth major release of their Mac OS X operating system entitled, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Oct. 28 - The Boston Red Sox win the 2007 World Series in a four game sweep against the Colorado Rockies.
November 2007
Nov. 3 - President Pervez Musharraf declares state of emergency in Pakistan.
Nov. 5 - The Writers Guild of America goes on strike.
Nov. 30 - Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil dies (b. 1938)
December 2007
Dec. 10 - Led Zeppelin reunites in London, England, for the Ahmet Ertegun tribute.
Dec. 16 - Dan Fogelberg, American singer and songwriter dies (b. 1951)
Dec. 27 - Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician assassinated (b. 1953)
And if you really want to know a whole lot more about what happened and who died in 2007, you can find a comprehensive list located right here.