Online Window Shopping: A New Macbook!

When it comes to technology at the office, I feel like the smallest child at the table who looks around for scraps and grabs whatever the big guys didn't take already. It may not be the best stuff, but it gets the job done.

My cubicle consists of two computers - one six-year-old desktop Mac (Dual G4 450), and a Dell laptop which likely has some kind of hardware defect that has the hard drive make a random clicking noise every few minutes or so. Similarly, each Blackberry I've had, since my first one in 2002, has been taken from someone who left the company, for whatever reason. Even the cell phone number I feature here on the site is one that used to belong to someone else. When I took it away, I simply e-mailed everybody and asked them to update their address books, but even today, after using it for 18 months, I get his calls.

That being said, I think it's time to make an upgrade - to a new laptop that works well on both Mac OS X and Windows. There's no need to be tethered to a slow, clunky, desktop, and no need to have two machines. Keeping our tradition of online window shopping, I headed to Apple.com to design the machine I want - now, and yes, I admit to choosing design over speed. I simply want a black one, and only the consumer level lets me do so.

The full setup, including 2 GB of RAM and a 120 GB hard drive, sets me back just over $2,200, plus tax. It's enough to make me buy it and issue an expense report, if only I knew it would be approved... see below.



Listening to ''Twin Town (Nick Warren Mix)'', by Ian Wilie Vs Timo Maas (Play Count: 3)

Top Ten Artists Not Hyped on the Blog Yet

(It's time to introduce some new music...)

1. Ferry Corsten
2. Gabriel & Dresden
3. M83
4. Röyksopp
5. Ulrich Schnauss
6. Cosmic Gate
7. Snow Patrol
8. DJ Icey
9. Robbie Rivera
10. Purple Haze

In Blogging, Everybody Writes Straight to Copy

During my Junior year at UC Berkeley, I acted as a reporter for The Daily Californian, the school's student-operated free newspaper, and covered crime, among other things. While on most days, this meant rounding up the occasional assault, alcohol overdose or wallet theft, there were times when sirens would sound, and we would go bounding off to find a dorm fire, a massive student protest or more dramatically, a potential homicide.

One fall night in 1997, I heard the sounds of gunfire, literally blocks away from my home apartment in Southside Berkeley, and flipped on the police scanner (on loan from the paper) to learn what was happening. It turned out that an unknown assailant had gunned down an older couple out walking their dog. The scene was nearby, so I grabbed my notepad and pen and ran toward where I had heard the shots. I arrived to find myself  only feet from from the paramedics and the victims, who were laying motionless in the street. I held my ground and remained nearby, even as the police put up the bright yellow caution tape around the scene, with me inside.

Somehow avoiding being kicked out of the yellow tape zone, I interviewed neighbors who had left their homes to investigate, and managed to get quotes that no other papers, including the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune, would get, because I put myself in line to get the information.

Afterwards, having surveyed the scene and spoken with the police and witnesses, I was sure I had enough for a story. Hoping I could put the piece together quickly in time for the next morning's paper, I called our editor in chief, Ryan Tate, and finding the paper had already gone to press, offered to post the piece directly to the Daily Cal's online site, that night. But Ryan responded with a statement I probably won't ever forget, "Louis, nobody writes straight to copy." Everybody had to get edited, no matter how hot a story or how good they thought their writing skills. Though Ryan and I didn't always agree about everything, he was absolutely right.

In the blogosphere, this practice has turned on its head. Last night, when I was reading "Naked Conversations", co-authored by Robert Scoble, formerly of Microsoft, and now doing well at PodTech, this issue was brought to the fore, discussing how with blogs, you don't look for edited pieces that have gone through the PR and Marketing engines, but instead for first-person-led conversations that flow freely. Now, everybody writes straight to copy. While for some, they clearly need a good editor, others have flourished, being able to rapidly publish and get the word out.

The world of citizen-led journalism has changed the media, presumably forever. I don't get a newspaper because by the time it's there, it's old. We don't watch the nightly news because the pieces are often too short to get real information, and we don't really need to see a TV reporter live from the scene where something uneventful happened six hours prior. Our news comes from the Internet, from My Yahoo! and from RSS feeds and from blogs. The keywords I want and the sources I am looking for keep me updated all day long. That's due greatly in part to bloggers who write straight to copy - taking you straight to the story from their perspective.

Evening Notes: September 27, 2006

More in an irregularly occurring series...

Fresh off of their division-title clinching win, the A's put up a laugher of a lineup, so that their supposedly hung-over stars can rest up for the playoffs ahead. Yet somehow, early on, they are maintaining a 3-1 lead over the same Mariners, despite the B-squad acting as fill-ins.

We're also playing the role of B-squad fill-ins at Athletics Nation, running the threads tonight. In other self-centered blogosphere news, we noted on Sactown Royalty that free agent Bonzi Wells could be days away from heading out of town. All signs are pointing to Houston, Texas as his next stop.

Another day, another Apple rumor. Or is that the denial of one? New York Times columnist David Pogue says not to expect the long-rumored iPhone any time soon. As he says, "I think cellphones are as ripe for a radical rethink as the online music store was when Apple set up iTunes. But let’s not go all wiggy every time someone passes around an iPhone rumor on the Web."

In other tech news, HP's recently-departed chairwoman Patricia Dunn is now arguing that she was unaware of the pretexting and other aggressive investigative methods used at the company to root out leaks. Given all the hubbub around the company and her role, she comes off as believable as the tobacco and oil executives. I hear Enron and Worldcom are hiring...

Meanwhile, Om Malik speculates that with Rupert Murdoch's tremendous purchase of MySpace, the next logical step is to migrate the power of the blogosphere to traditional media. As papers like the New York Times, Chicago Tribune and others are trying to find a place for themselves in a Web-connected world, he argues a shakeup is needed, and Murdoch just may be the guy to kick it off.

Listening to ''Are You Ready'', by Ferry Corsten (Play Count: 6)

The Evolution of Transparency in Job Seeking

As recounted on this blog a few times, my first entrance into the real world job market was one where I didn't come in with the knowledge necessary to appropriately state exactly what I wanted to do or how much I felt I deserved to be paid. Green behind the ears, and not yet holding a college degree, all I knew was that I wanted to work in technology in the Silicon Valley, and hoped I would be paid enough to cover rent, food and transportation.

Even after changing jobs twice, and seeing my salary increase to a level I was happy with, it became apparent that I still wasn't working with a full deck of cheat sheets. No sooner was the ink dry on one contract but I inadvertently learned from the HR manager that I had signed below the range they expected to fill the position, and the range extended a full $30k higher. Before even finishing my first week at the new job, I knew I had undersold myself once again.

As years have passed, the tools available to job seekers have dramatically ballooned, with professional networking sites like LinkedIn, focused job services like MktgLadder (for those of the marketing persuasion), Salary.com, to give the range of salaries for those with similar titles in your zip code, and now, an open search engine from indeed.com that without requiring any paid subscription, returns average salaries for titles and City/State combos.

Now, instead of walking in with a 2-page resume and hope, you can walk into an interview with a 2-page resume, a host of online references and a raft of business connections, and a very precise expectation of what you'll be asking for - based as much on the salaries of your peers as your previous history. Makes the potential for being laid off in a Valley where nothing is guaranteed seem that much less scary.

Listening to ''L.E.F'', by Ferry Corsten (Play Count: 6)

Oakland A's: 2006 AL West Champs

Athletics Nation Game Recap Here: The Long Road Ends... And Another Begins

Listening to ''L.E.F'', by Ferry Corsten (Play Count: 5)

Apple Innovation Forces PC Market To Follow

In 1998, when Apple introduced the iMac, they made two major changes to the computing world - besides using colors and a new shape - the company was the first to standardize on USB, and in a big shocker, to dump the ubiquitous floppy disk drive. The world was in pure shock that Apple could have done that - and many were sure that all in Cupertino were daft. But as the years passed, USB itself grew market share by leaps and bounds, and that daring leap Apple took by axing the disk drive looked tame. As the Internet grew in popularity, people learned to e-mail files as attachments and avoid sneakernet, while floppy disks just about disappeared into the vault of antiquity.

With the introduction of the first-generation iBook, and its accompanying partner, AirPort, Apple ushered in the era of wireless networking, and though others, like Intel (Centrino) have capitalized on this trend, Apple was first to the table. Apple's foray into new technologies with Gigabit Ethernet, hybrid CD-R/DVD-R burners (SuperDrive), hard-disk MP3 players (iPod) and even faster wireless (802.11n), continues to be a good indicator as to what will come next from the broader industry.

While the common analyst response is to downplay a new technology, then offer lukewarm acceptance, nodding approval and finally adoption and praise, Apple commonly doesn't look for wide acceptance before taking the leap - and every once in a while, it gets it wrong. But not often enough that Cupertino can be ignored.

For instance, with ThinkSecret's news today that Apple's yet to be released iPhone would be native to Cingular at introduction, speculation has risen that Apple will push GSM standards forward in the US, after the technology has had significant foothold overseas. GigaOM speculates, as we have outlined above, that Apple just might be the standard setter after all. Not bad for a company everyone thought was dead just a decade ago.

Listening to ''Somebody Told Me'', by The Killers (Play Count: 8)

These Are the Times That Try Fans' Souls

The Oakland A's have been "on the verge" of clinching the AL Western Division title for the last several days now - starting with this last Saturday, when they didn't come through. Following a second loss to the Angels on Sunday, the ballclub headed north to Seattle to take on the Mariners, who had lost 15 straight to their green and gold opponents, expecting a cakewalk against a rookie pitcher making his first major league start.

But it was not meant to be.

Though the A's vaulted to a 9-3 lead early in the game, and expected to pace themselves to victory, the Mariners continued to battle back, reducing the margin to 9-6 by the pivotal 9th inning. A's closer Huston Street, usually infallible, was torched, giving up the three runs needed to tie up the ballgame, and send the contest to extra innings, with the score knotted up at 9-9.

With the Angels having won their ballgame, the A's simply faded away, as the last-place Mariners scored the winning tally in the bottom of the tenth to seal the victory, and keeping the A's on the outside looking in, instead of celebrating in champagne and rock music. For the third consecutive night, we had started the day off expecting to relax and look to the playoffs, and instead, saw our hopes dashed.

Tonight, as this is written, the A's are trying to turn the tide. In Anaheim, the Angels are down 5-0, and the A's, looking to reverse the curse, are up 5-0 in their game. If the scores hold, it's celebration time tonight. If not, more doom and gloom. It's what being a fan is all about - living, and dying, with the team.

Listening to ''Deep Love", by Mandalay (Play Count: 5)

Arnold's Army Playing Dirty Early

It seems we can't watch a single show on cable these days without seeing "Governor" Arnold Schwarzenegger's ads to Join Arnold through defeating Phil Angelides in California's gubernatorial election. Now, the GOP faithful have branched out in their negative ad campaign that hasn't yet said one good reason why Arnold should be re-elected.

This evening, our home answering machine was blinking. Could be an important message, for all I thought. Something from the vet? Family? Reminders about upcoming doctor or dentist appointments? All wrong.

Instead, a gruff man with a gravely voice left a message. "Attention all November 2006 election voters, please stay tuned for an important announcement!" Then a pause, as if they were going to update you on where  your precinct would be... followed by "Phil Angiledes supports abortion on demand for minors. You must vote..." blah blah blah.

Great. Way to play on the fears of parents who are afraid that by electing a Democrat to California's highest seat, that their daughters are going to go out and have sex, get pregnant, and then need an abortion, which they can get without parental consent. Or at least, that's the idea. That's not "an important announcement," that's fear-mongering junk emblematic of what we can expect from a party who has lost its way and can't rally behind their own accomplishments.

Listening to ''Bruce Lee - Dobropet'', by Underworld (Play Count: 15)

New Sactown Royalty Profile: Doug Christie

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

Continuing the site's run of profiling the greatest Sacramento Kings in franchise history, Doug Christie rings in at #12, primarily for his dominant defense, and consistent offense on some very good Kings clubs. During his stay with the Kings, Christie ushered in an era where the team was more aggressive on both sides of the court, and made the playoffs every year during his tenure.

Christie also gained notoriety for what is an increasing rarity among sports stars - being faithful. He and his wife have been praised, mocked, criticized and more for their very public adoration of one another. In fact, the pair will soon be chronicled on a BET reality show called "Committed: The Christies".

More at Sactown Royalty: The Sactown Greatest, #12: Doug Christie

Watch Every Episode of The Simpsons Online - Free

Now I'm sure that this isn't exactly honoring Fox's copyrights, so we'll see how long it stays up... but a site called AllSimps.com has acquired Flash episodes for every single Simpsons episode ever - from Season 1 through Season 18.

As Napster did, AllSimps.com claims they "don't host any videos of the Simpsons or upload them", but they do act as a conduit for those who do. If you haven't yet purchased all of the Simpsons' seasonal DVDs, or memorized every line in syndication, then this site could be a good distraction for you.

http://www.allsimps.com/

ANtics Episode 2.30: Throwing Lumber A's Style

The topic of throwing bats, especially who did it and when, has been the subject of much discussion lately. But have you considered just how the bats are thrown? The A's have made this a new tradition, and it's spreading in the clubhouse. Some of the trendsetters show us how to throw lumber, A's style.


Click to See Larger Comic

Also: Take the Poll: Who had the most memorable toss this season?

2005 Comics | 2006 Comics |  All Comics | Poll

Fortune: Google Finds Success Among Chaos

Steve Rubel's Micro Persuasion pointed me to a fantastic article on Google's aggressive, often-chaotic approach to business, innovation and out of the box thinking, which has been a primary driver behind the company's continued success. While other, larger and more inflexible, companies are often tied down by quarter to quarter P/L targets and bureaucracy, Google has run at full-speed, spawning a host of products so plentiful that the company's CEO, Eric Schmidt, says even the most ardent of Google fanatics would be unable to name them all. But the main focus is still, as it always has been, on the search engine and its associated advertising platform.

For those interested in the backgrounds of successful companies, or whether you're looking to duplicate Google's so-far unique trajectory, make sure to read it. Google has managed to run as Apple's Macintosh off-shoot did two-plus decades ago, flying a pirate flag - yet they continue to win.

Listening to ''Sex 'n' Money'', by Paul Oakenfold (Play Count: 5)

Dear Cal Football, We Apologize

To: The Entire Cal Football Organization
CC: Athletic Director Sandy Barbour, Head Coach Jeff Tedford
From: Louis Gray (and wife thereof)

As 2006 Cal football season ticket holders, we recognize we have an obligation to attend every home football game, regardless of other activities, and recognize that by purchasing full season tickets, we have indicated our strict attendance. We further recognize that you and the organization have funded and prepared for each Saturday to deliver the best possible fan experience, and that for us to not attend the event, without having canceled in advance, is both misleading on our part and lacking in respect that you and the university deserve.

With today marking the first Pac-10 conference game, against the nationally-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, we expected Cal to be challenged, and were uncertain as to the game's eventual outcome, given the team's occasional shakiness, especially versus top-tier competition. Yet, even as we so rudely did not show our face in Memorial Stadium, it is ever so clear now that you were prepared. After all, winning the game in blowout fashion, 49-21, after a half-time score of 42-14, is more than any fan could have asked for. Upon learning that quarterback Nate Longshore threw for four touchdown passes, the defense scored twice and the special teams once, we know that we missed a tremendous contest worthy of such a prestigious school and tradition.

So, as we see what has transpired, we apologize. We had instead made a decision to attend today's A's game against the Angels, in hope they would clinch the division, and they did not come through, losing 6-2. We had expected more of them, and they let us down. The team we should have counted on was a few BART stops north, in Berkeley. We hope that as the playoffs loom in the near future for the A's, that we do not find ourselves forced to make such a woeful decision as we did today - to choose between one team and another, and engage in such risky uncertainty. We have already proven that we cannot be relied upon.

Congratulations on your fabulous win today, on your 3-1 record (1-0 in conference play) and we wish you continued success. We hope to be back at Memorial Stadium, in our rightful places, at the soonest opportunity. Thank you.

Listening to ''Mama Konda'', by Orinoko (Play Count: 4)

A's Scutaro Hits Walk-Off To Doom Angels

Last night was huge. With the A's having an opportunity to eliminate their division rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by simply winning two games in the three-game series, it was crucial they get started on the right foot. With Barry Zito on the mound against rookie phenom Jered Weaver, it was assured to showcase outstanding pitching, with each team's offense challenged to get on the board. The ensuing battle, which went into the twelfth inning, saw the A's come out victorious, thanks to a clutch hit by light-hitting backup infielder Marco Scutaro, who has made this effort one of his trademarks.

The game, which lasted three and a half hours, and was followed by a fireworks spectacular, drew a sellout crowd of more than 35,000 to Oakland, us among them. Zito and Weaver traded zeroes early, until the A's got on the board thanks to Kendall hustling home from first on a double by Mark Kotsay, and later, an Nick Swisher home run to make it 2-0. After the Angels battled back to tie it, Chavez and Bradley each hit home runs to give the A's a 4-3 lead.

It wouldn't last, as due to a ball falling just in front of A's outfielder Jay Payton, the Angels struck to tie the game in the top of the ninth, hushing the crowd, who had been egged on by the antics of Krazy George and "The Banjo Guy", among others. Extra innings saw fireworks from Bradley, who unhappy with a strikeout call from the homeplate umpire, was livid, and looked as if he might want to decapitate the man in blue and ship the results to his next of kin. But the biggest outburst was to await us in the 12th.

Bobby Kielty reached base with a pinch-hit double, and went to third on a ground-out. With Mike Scioscia taking one outfielder into a seldom-used five-man infield, Swisher was intentionally walked, bringing up Scutaro, who ran the count to 0-2 before striking - first foul, and then fair, as his deep fly went untouched, and Kielty trotted home to mass jubilation. Scutaro, after touching first, tried to evade his teammates congratulations, as the "petite" Venezuelan displayed a grin from ear to ear, and the Coliseum erupted with cheers. The A's reduced their magic number to 2 and the Angels, with heads hung, walked off the field.

This afternoon, the A's could wrap it up. We will be there.

Listening to ''Mmm Skyscraper I Love You'', by Underworld (Play Count: 6)

Afternoon Notes: September 22, 2006

More in an irregularly occurring series...

As HP's pretexting scandal continues to grow with new news every single day, the company's chairwoman, Patricia Dunn, gave her immediate resignation today, amid rumors that CEO Mark Hurd was aware of or even endorsed the aggressive policies the company engaged in to root out leakers.

Even had HP been acting within the law, you simply can't win the war of public relations when you're doing unsavory activities that target the very reporters who are there to cover you. It's a recipe for disaster. As a colleague said, they now have their "pound of flesh" in Dunn, and she may not be the last to fall. Hurd has now acknowledged he was aware of the inquiries.

Following an annual internal company meeting at Microsoft, the anonymous blogger, Mini-Microsoft, says that the software being used to power Zune is still "under construction", and that CEO Steve Ballmer stubbornly refuses to back down when the company is losing a market share battle, and will not fold. More on Mini's always-interesting blog.

Closer to home, TiVo is rumored to be working with Amazon to bring the company's Unbox service to its DVR customers. As Unbox has gotten horrible reviews since its unveiling, it's unlikely that we would be interested, but its good to see two innovative companies trying to find new ways to entertain customers by combining forces.

Discussion: (GMSV: http://blogs.siliconvalley.com/gmsv/2006/09/well_this_ought.html and MacRumors: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=236399)

And we simply couldn't have a single day without more Apple rumors, right?

AppleInsider says that the company is timing their entry into the cell phone market, rather than forcing their hand. Meanwhile, the New York Times' David Pogue turns back the clock a decade to "When Apple Hit Bottom".

Listening to ''Dance 4 Life (12" Mix)'', by Tiësto feat. Maxi Jazz (Play Count: 4)

A's Aiming to Clinch Title On Home Field

Although I understand the need for weekday daytime baseball, so that visiting teams can get an early start on their travel plans out of town, for those of us at the office who actually work for a living, there are really only two choices - give up one's fandom for a day and look back wistfully on the game you missed, or surreptitiously sneak glances at the contest throughout, admittedly impacting your productivity. That was the struggle yesterday, as the A's took on the Cleveland Indians in the 4th game of the series, featuring the return of would-be ace pitcher Rich Harden, who has spent the vast majority of the season on the disabled list, unable to play.

With the A's "magic number" at five, Harden took the mound and exhibited an authority unlikely from any veteran who had missed as much times as he had, made even more remarkable by the fact that Harden remains a very young player, who has yet to see his 25th birthday. On a strict pitch count of 60, Harden made his way through three innings, striking out seven, and giving up only a solo home run.

While we continued our work efforts, a quick peek at Athletics Nation showed those with more flexible time were going completely bananas over Harden's return. On an otherwise hum-drum Thursday, the news of his start and its in-game success spawned more than 1,100 comments and four game threads, where other game would most likely see 500 and two respectively.  The excitement was palpable, as baseballgirl started the day off with a "WHEEEEE!" and added on shortly after, HARDEN IS BACK!!!! A million pitches through 2, but he's striking everybody out."

After Harden exited, the A's rallied to take the game from the Indians 7-4, and the series, three games out of four. With the victory, the A's further reduced their magic number to four, with their rival Los Angeles Angels coming to Oakland to start a penultimate series this evening. If the A's take two of the three games on the weekend, they are the champions. We will be there tonight, and though we also have tickets for Cal vs. Arizona State tomorrow, we are hoping to be at the Coliseum Saturday as well, to see the A's players and fans alike erupt in pure joy.

Listening to ''Blue (Da Ba Dee) [Radio Edit]'', by Eiffel 65 (Play Count: 7)

Jail Time for Chronicle Reporters Is Bad Practice

It's been a long-held tenet of the journalism field that anonymous sources were to be protected by the reporters who worked with them, and that anonymous sources needed to trust their identities would be safe, even under threat of legal action. This high-scale drama has played itself out time and again as ink stained wretches have pledged they would rather go to jail than give up a source. In most cases, it can be said the threat of going behind bars is a scare tactic that has little chance of happening.

In the last year, a few notable cases have highlighted this struggle - from the Valerie Plame scandal, where Robert Novak refused to give up a confidential source, but was not threatened with being in the pokey, but Judith Miller was, to the ever-unfolding story at HP, where reporters' phone records were surreptitiously obtained. Now,  Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada of the San Francisco Chronicle have been jailed for refusing to testify on who leaked grand jury testimony around the Barry Bonds BALCO steroid scandal, which formed the basis for a series of high-profile articles, and later a book.

Regardless of how I feel about Barry Bonds and his sullying of the game of baseball through reliance on pharmaceuticals, it is my belief that reporters serve a critical role and that they should be able to utilize anonymous sources - so long as they work with their editor and can ascertain the data being reported is factual. If reporters either believe that the company they are reporting on (like HP) or the government (see Bush, George) can gain access to their phone records, or that they could later face jail time for working with anonymous sources, and this impacts their willingness to break stories and tell the truth, then the medium is in very serious trouble.

Instead of throwing Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada in prison, they should be applauded for getting the truth out there, and bringing to light one of the biggest sports stories of a generation - one that otherwise might not have had the awareness, and certainly not the detail, that this does. I sincerely hope that cooler heads prevail and recognize that they were serving a higher purpose - one that needs to be respected.

Related Links:

ESPN: Reporters who refused to reveal BALCO leak get prison

ESPN: Outcome for Chronicle reporters means we all lose

Listening to ''Sibeling'', by Depeche Mode (Play Count: 11)

Apple's iTunes Store Database Needs Cleanup

As previously noted, the Apple iTunes store is by far my #1 source for new music over the last three-plus years. Though the store initially launched with a very limited number of artists I found interesting, Apple has continued to add new artists, albums and songs every week, and it's getting harder and harder to find songs I'd like but the iTunes store doesn't have - even for those who listen to music on the fringe, as I do. However, as the store database becomes more cluttered with millions and millions of songs, I'm noticing that inconsistent variations between artists or music genres makes obtaining new music that much more confusing.

For example - one of the world's best electronic DJ's is DJ Tiësto, from Holland. His last name being what it is (Tiësto) means that if you search for Tiesto, you find one set of music, if you search for DJ Tiesto, you find another set, and lastly, spelling DJ Tiësto exactly as so gets you a third grouping.

Even worse, when multiple artists choose to join forces, a listing is created that highlights the pair, rather than displaying the work in the listing for each, individually. That seems silly. Again, Tiësto is a great example. Earlier this month, the DJ collaborated with Maxi Jazz, the lead singer for Faithless, on a great track, "Dance 4 Life". But you won't find it under DJ Tiesto or Faithless. I was lucky to stumble upon it at all.

Apple isn't perfect, but in order to best serve its loyal customers, in my opinion the company needs to put as much attention into the back-end database for the iTunes Store as they do in the way the application looks to ensure highest satisfaction.

Listening to ''The Tube'', by DJ Tiësto (Play Count: 3)

A's Reduce Magic Number to Five

It's looking more and more like the A's will have an opportunity to clinch the American League West division title against their rival Los Angeles Angels this upcoming weekend when they come to Oakland to take on the surging green and gold crew. Tonight, like yesterday, the A's fell behind early 2-0, closed to within a run on a home run (tonight it was Milton Bradley, yesterday Eric Chavez), and opened up the game in the later innings. As with yesterday's ballgame, a starter who has given us scares earlier in the season came up big - as Esteban Loaiza went into the eighth inning and gave the A's the chance for the victory, as Kirk Saarloos did yesterday when he battled through five innings and garnered 11 strikeouts.

With the victory, the A's reduce the "magic number" to claim the division title to five, as any combination of A's wins and Angels losses totaling five will mathematically clinch their first-place position and make our playoff tickets worth something more than the paper they are printed on.

Aside from the strong pitching, team MVP Frank Thomas continues to hit at a torrid pace. With the game tied, the Big Hurt came up with two runners on and clubbed a double to deep center field, giving the A's a 4-2 lead, all they would need in the eventual 4-3 victory. In a year when we thought it would be amazing for him to reach triple digits in games, Frank has realistically thrown his name into the ring as a legitimate league MVP candidate by powering the A's with 38 home runs and well over 100 RBI. Every time he steps to the plate, time stops and waits for him to inflict serious damage. It is a joy to watch him hit.

We're getting oh so close to October. I can almost taste it. Go A's!

Listening to ''Block Rockin' Beats'', by The Chemical Brothers (Play Count: 4)

Radio Show Callers Should Get to the Point

Often, while in the car to and from work, or when driving home from A's games or Cal football, we have our radio dialed in to local sports talk stations, hoping to gain some insight on the just-concluded game, or hear how other fans are speculating the team will do in the next contest. Yet, annoyingly, it seems that very few of them understand how to act on the air once they get there. Quite invariably, the vast majority of callers, seemingly almost all men, would rather appear "cool" than get the point, preferring to make small talk with the hosts, who themselves sound quite fatigued by the practice.

For example, on your typical radio call-in show, the host will "go to the phones" to "Bill in Alameda". Bill, upon being introduced, will say, "So, how's it going?" or "Hey guys, what's up?" and the host, who has already been talking for the better part of an hour or more on exactly just "what is up" has to quickly go, "Hey Bill, how's it going?", to which he responds, "I'm good. Now, I wanted to talk about the (fill in team name or player or situation here)."

It's not as if the caller really has no idea "what's up" or "how it's going" with the sportscasters. After all, even in the odd chance they weren't listening to the show to begin with, they probably had to listen on the phone when they were on hold, and have some idea. So for all of us listening for some tidbit of info or helpful discussion, we have to wade through the forged pleasantries - and start the routine again with the next brain-dead caller. It's almost enough to put in a CD or flip to the FM dial rather than listen. Just thought I'd mention it.

Listening to ''Know You Can (Rick Pier Vs Dav'', by Whatever Girl (Play Count: 7)

Mac OS X Software Must-Have: X-Assist

It's interesting how easy it is to grow accustomed to software and its functionality, to the point you don't even think about it, except in the rare situation where you find a computer where it's not installed. For me, a small utility for Mac OS X called "X-Assist" is the very definition of this - as it's the first application I'd go out to the Internet to find to install on any clean, new, Mac OS X machine.

When Apple moved from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X in the 2001 timeframe, users lost a feature known as the "Application Switcher", where you could go to the top-right corner of the screen and select open apps, and move between them. Also - the application you would be using would be represented by its name and icon. While it could be argued the "Command-Tab" functionality replaced this to some degree, to me, it's not as flexible as X-Assist, which does all of this and more, including listing recent applications and gaining one-click access to control panels.

Unlike most pieces of software, which make incremental point upgrades on a semi-regular basis, X-Assist met my needs right away, and hasn't needed a new version for three years - last being updated in November of 2003. A lot has happened since then, even as Apple moved from Mac OS X 10.2 to 10.3, 10.4 and is now previewing 10.5, but X-Assist continues to be an integral part of my productivity, and the program has integrated seamlessly with each new generation of the OS.

While Steve Jobs and the Apple team have done a fantastic job introducing greater simplicity to the Macintosh over the years, the wholesale elimination of functionality isn't always a good thing. Lucky for us, independent software developers are often there to help to fill in the rare gaps.

Listening to ''DJ Urban - Jack Your Big Booty'', by Dave Clarke (Play Count: 5)

Kielty Grand Slam Reduces A's Magic Number to Six

It's often said that with every new baseball game, you see something you haven't seen before. Although we experienced tonight's A's game at home on TV instead of at the Coliseum, we rode the lows of an early 2-0 deficit, and the near-euphoria of seeing the red-maned Bobby Kielty turn a 2-1 game where the A's were behind to a 5-2 contest with one swing of the bat, when he cleared the bases with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw. It was his first career grand slam, but not the first time we have seen the A's snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in this incredible season that almost assuredly has them in the playoffs - and potentially going deep.

Yesterday, we received a very special FedEx package, which included a pair of post-season strips for all potential A's games, from the American League Divisional Series through the World Series. The seats, in section 114, row 28, seats 5 and 6, are the same we've held in our partial season-ticket package all year, at field level near the first-base side. With tonight's victory, the A's reduced their magic number to six, meaning that any combination of A's wins and Angels losses adding up to six locks up the American League Western Division, and puts the A's in the post-season for the first time since 2003. That year was significant not just because it was the year my wife and I were married, but also the year where the A's managed to take a 2-0 lead in the divisional series against the Boston Red Sox and throw it away, continuing their unprecedented streak of post-season futility.

With the crack of his bat tonight, following an impressive five-inning, 11-strikeout performance by pitcher Kirk Saarloos, Kielty turned the game around and put the team back on track after a one-game slump Monday night. On Friday and Saturday, with the Angels back in Oakland to do battle, we will be back in our seats, with the potential to see the A's celebrate on our field. To help us get there, the A's have to continue winning, and each day may bring a new hero. Tonight, Kielty's jog around the bases is the whole story - a night he may never forget.

Listening to ''I Feel Love'', by Kluster (Play Count: 7)

Soapbox: Redmond, Start Your Copiers

Apple has famously taunted Microsoft during the company's Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) the last few years, using lines including "Redmond, Start Your Copiers", in the mindset that whatever new features and products Apple was to introduce would soon be absorbed into the Redmond, Washington-based software monolith in short time. This year, Steve Jobs went so far as to withhold some of the newer features of Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), in part due to fear of co-optation from competition. But recent developments have shown that Microsoft isn't solely focused on Apple for ideas to borrow - er... steal.

Just a week or two after Microsoft imitated Apple with its announcement of its Zune line of MP3 music players, tomorrow, Microsoft is slated to introduce a service called "SoapBox", which mimics the extremely popular YouTube, in that it will allow users to load videos and share them for the Web. While it's currently in lock-down mode, open only to a select few, the doors will be opened to the general public soon, and I don't expect they'll be all that overwhelmed.

If Microsoft were to focus, they could make some amazing software. They have some of the brightest minds in the business, and more money than God (I checked, he's overdrawn...), but their idea of innovation is imitation - whether it was the Palm PC copying the Palm Pilot, Internet Explorer knocking off Netscape Navigator, MSN aimed at AOL, or most recently, the introduction of Live Search (copying Google), Zune (copying Apple) and now SoapBox. Surely, consumers are smart enough to see right through the smoke screen.

Given how Microsoft stock (MSFT) has been relatively flat for the last twelve months, twenty-four months, or even five years, the idea that this is a growth company has been absolutely shattered. You'd have been better off taking your cash and putting it in a low interest rate savings account than aiming to support the leader in imitation. This story is spread so thin, it's got holes.

Listening to ''Dangerous Power'', by Gabriel & Dresden (Play Count: 1)

Site Outage - Sponsored By Register.com

From approximately four p.m. this afternoon through near 7:30 this evening, all of louisgray.com was unable to be accessed from the outside world. While I noted the globe did not spin off of its axis, it was a minor issue for those on Athletics Nation who didn't understand why this week's ANtics was a 1x1 grayed-out pixel (that's not very funny...), and others looking to see my commentary on iTunes and Apple from external sites instead were confronted with time-outs.

In a situation like that, at the office, and unable to make calls to check in on it, I was sure it was my fault. Maybe the wrong credit card was the wrong one on the file... maybe some government agency didn't like my questioning of today's voting systems... or maybe somebody had hijacked the system?

Of course - it wasn't any of those things. In a chat with a support rep from Register.com, whose service powers the site, I was told, "We are running an emergency maintenance of our web hosting service," and that a "Lot of our web hosting customers are facing this problem." When asked how long it would be down, the first answer was "It will be done very soon," followed quickly by "We expect it to be done within a few hours."

Yeah... so "very soon" does not compute with "a few hours". And I haven't seen any notes of refunds or anything of that nature. Is 24/7 hosting too much to ask? Are hiccups to be excused? Good thing this site doesn't hold my main line of business or we'd be a little short of cash tonight!

Listening to ''Chasing Cars'', by Snow Patrol (Play Count: 3)

Political Rhetoric Heating Up in Time for Fall 2006

The political landscape in the United States has been completely incapable of consensus and compromise for the greater part of the last decade, seen dramatically with the impeachment of President Clinton, and the two highly questioned, litigious, divisive, general elections which resulted in George W. Bush taking the helm. Bush's policies have widened the controversy, as despite record low opinion polls, he and his cronies have pushed forward on an aggressive, radical agenda with mediocre results which may actually have made the economy weaker and the world less safe - and certainly has sullied the American reputation abroad.

As Electoral-Vote.com is showing, this fall's senate and House elections could put Democrats in the majority, if races go the way they are expected. There is a significant anti-incumbent, anti right-wing backlash that has catapulted previous unknowns into powerful swing positions for the party.

But while we see these challenges at the local  level, there continues to be white hot discussion around whether you can even trust the results of any election - as allegations of fraud and simple ineptitude are rampant. Unlikely source Rolling Stone magazine has delivered one of the most in-depth investigative news pieces into the discrepancies of the 2004 general election I've seen. Their conclusion? Widespread fraud and manipulation gave Bush the election over Kerry - especially in critical swing states like Ohio. Meanwhile, others, including The Washington Post, are saying that major problems at the fall polls are expected, as mandates to eliminate "hanging chads" are resulting in even less-trustworthy electronic voting machines, which have been proven extremely hack-worthy.

With all that said, the anger and frustration over the current administration has delivered an almost-nostalgic fondness for the Clinton/Gore years, when the economy was roaring, when our budgets  were balanced, and war was not on everyone's minds. While Bill Clinton can't run again, and Al Gore has repeatedly said he doesn't see it happening, they remain a huge political presence. With the success of "An Inconvenient Truth" and an upcoming book, planned for release in May called "The Assault on Reason", Gore has gained significant chutzpah, unseen in his uninspiring 2000 bid. Meanwhile, the UK's The Observer says that Clinton will become even more active in protecting his legacy from those who love to trash it, to rebuild his role as global statesman, and set up the opportunity to be the first "First Husband" in the White House, should Hillary go all the way.

Unfortunately, we can't go back to the Clinton/Gore years, and Bush's impact on the globe is both far-reaching and long-lasting. But we can at least hope that we have the opportunity to regain the simple trust that our democratic process is working and that our votes are counted - something we took for granted growing up and cannot even fathom now that things have slipped so far.

Listening to ''Ecstasy (Clubb Mix)'', by ATB (Play Count: 7)

Why Is Apple Asking Mac Users to "Get A Mac"?

It's no secret that I use an Apple Macintosh at home and at work - as often as I can. I've been a Mac user since I started using computers, and the debate was between the Apple IIGS and the Mac LC, and have followed the company through several generations. Knowing that, why is it that I continue to see Apple's "Get a Mac" ads on prominent Web sites that I visit? With Web tracking technology what it is, every Web advertiser should know what platform I am on, what browser I am using, and similar Web sites I frequent. With that said, why can't Apple have its Web ads shown only to non-Mac users, to increase their success rate?

If the idea is to get Mac users to upgrade to the latest Intel Macs, that makes sense, but use a different message.

If the idea is to let Mac users know that Apple has an ad campaign out there to increase market share, that's quite another message, but it's my feeling that the computer company could be more effective with their ad targeting, and save money while reaching more potential switchers.

Just thinking out loud...

Listening to ''Gabriel & Dresden (Continuous Mix)'', by Gabriel & Dresden (Play Count: 1)

ANtics Episode 2.29: It Hurts So Good

Deep into the September stretch run, something very big is different about this year's A's team. Something about 275 pounds big... with 38 homers and 105 RBIs big... which is why as the team and its fans get fired up in plans for October... "It Hurts So Good."


Click to See Larger Comic

Also: Take the Poll: What's your greatest fear as playoffs near?

2005 Comics | 2006 Comics |  All Comics | Poll

Is It Time to Upgrade our TV Experience?

For as much time as we sit behind the boob tube, whether it be watching A's baseball, laughing along with Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart, or enjoying the drama of House, CSI and 24, we sure have made do with substandard equipment for some time - and with technology advances over the last few years being what they are - I can't help but think it's time to review where we sit and what the options are.

Currently, in our home, we have two televisions - nothing fancy. One is a 25 or 27-inch (can't remember) in the living room, connected to a series 1 TiVo DVR and an ancient DVD player. The DVD player was purchased for about $79 or so more than five years ago, and the TV is similarly old, made worse because it has a scratch on the front of it that impairs the clarity of every single show we watch. It'd be incredibly annoying had I not grown used to it in the years after it was first damaged (when it fell over on its face in a U-Haul truck as I moved from Belmont to Palo Alto).

The TV itself is fine (aside from the scratch), but the DVD player is trying to kill us. Every single DVD we watch from NetFlix or other sources tends to skip and then stop, necessitating the disk be taken out, cleaned, and started over at its point of interruption. Meanwhile, our cable box doesn't always cooperate with the TiVo, sometimes false-start channel changing, which makes the TiVo record a channel it hadn't been asked to. This means we run significant risk of missing show premieres every time we expect the TiVo to do its job. And the TiVo, though very reliable, doesn't have all the whiz-bang features introduced in subsequent releases of the TiVo series 2 and new series 3.

The second television is a smaller 17-19 inch in the bedroom, which for some odd reason doesn't get anything on cable past say channel 13. We've never resolved it, and hadn't made it a high priority. Now, with a new television season upon us, we're seriously investigating a full "rip and replace" of both sets - provided we have the available funds and time to make sure all goes well.

In my head, both televisions absolutely need to be flat-panel, and ideally would be placed on the walls of both the living room and bedroom. Ideally, the living room set would meet or exceed 42 inches, while the bedroom set would exceed 27 inches. The thought is we could move our Series 1 TiVo to the bedroom TV, and get a second DVR and new DVD unit for the living room. But while we've prepared to stomach a jump in cost to the new sets, the fact that TiVo is now asking $799 for its Series 3 unit, in addition to unprecedented monthly service fees, is a big punch to the gut. We've also seen online reports that TiVo is having issues meeting customer demand.

Beyond this, we have additional options to further gouge our wallets, should we decide TV is a worthwhile investment. We don't have an HD set, but understand that's the way to go looking forward. We would also have to ensure our cable was transmitting HD content. From what I understand, HD content, especially for sports, is one of those things you never want to walk away from. Once you've made the move, you don't go back. And while we haven't looked into DirecTV or adding Comcast's OnDemand, we can see their occasionally being interesting. While staying at a friend's place a few weeks back, we had the chance to experiment with OnCommand, and found the ease of ordering movies for $4.99 quite simple. The ability to pause, and rewind the films also was very handy.

I'm ready to make the move, and will be scouring everything from Shopzilla to Best Buy and Amazon to make sure we've got the best deal out there. If we do join the rest of couch potato America in embracing our inner sloth, we will be sure to let you know the outcome.

Listening to ''I'm Getting Closer'', by M83 (Play Count: 5)

iTunes In Trouble? I Don't Think So...

As popular as it is or once was to trash Microsoft and all things related to the Redmond software monolith, Apple has recently received its share of potshots from people eager to see the company's leadership in online music sales and MP3 players erode. A recent doomsday-like article out of the BBC says that the iPod has lost its cool, now that they are as ubiquitous as MySpace pages, "Digg This" buttons and Google AdSense. The article goes even further saying that the average iTunes user is avoiding the iTunes store, and that the average iPod user has only purchased a few dozen songs.

This is derived from the overly simplistic math that with 1 billion-plus songs sold on the iTunes store, and 60 million iPods floating about returns a iTunes/iPod ratio of about 20.

Now, while I may be on the lunatic fringe, my own iTunes spending habits have been fairly regular, ever since the store opened in early 2003 (around the time I got married). In fact, the major impacts on any lulls in purchasing can usually be tied to:

* New music or lack thereof from tracked artists
* Willingness to spend money (especially when funds are tight)
* Available time to look at new artists or music

My iTunes library reports that I currently have 3,495 songs, of which I purchased 1,179 songs from the iTunes store, a 34% rate. The overwhelming majority of other tracks were ripped from CDs I already owned, or from DJs who make their music available online for download.

From April 28, 2003 to June 30, 2003, I purchased:  114 songs
From July 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003, I purchased: 69 songs
From January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2004, I purchased: 136 songs
From July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004, I purchased: 285 songs
From January 1, 2005 to June 30, 2005, I purchased: 129 songs
From July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005, I purchased: 181 songs
From January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2006, I purchased: 236 songs

And since July 1 of this year, I've purchased an additional 29 songs. Okay, maybe I'm nuts. But if you look at my buying history, you see consistent purchases since the introduction of the store, and I know I'm not alone. Even if I may be in the higher echelon of iTunes customers, it would take a million people just like me to bring the store to a billion tracks purchased.

It's a lot of fun to target the leader - and expect Apple will be brought down by music-playing cell phones, by Microsoft or Sony, or even Google, but nobody has yet found an integrated inexpensive, simple way to enjoy your music the way that Apple has. And honestly, it's not a Mac vs. PC thing. It's simply a better way to do things altogether. That's why nobody else is taking away Apple's throne.

Listening to ''Reach Out (Technikal Remix)'', by Elemental (Play Count: 6)

A Tale of Two Games In Two Cities

Today was the first time our owning season tickets for both the California Golden Bears and the Oakland A's were in conflict. The A's, battling for a playoff berth, took on the Chicago White Sox at 1:05, and a scant two hours later, the Bears were set to kick off play against the Portland State Vikings, in what was sure to be a laugher of a contest. To give both contests their due, we opted to stay through the first six or so innings of the A's game, through 3 p.m., and then leave to take BART and head north to Berkeley, hopefully before the game got too far out of hand.

I can say we had a great deal of fun, but not having seen 100% of both contests definitely had its drawbacks.

The A's game started off auspiciously, as supposed-ace Barry Zito couldn't find the strike zone, walking a career-high seven, and being hit by a two-run home run off the bat of potential league MVP and former A Jermaine Dye. The White Sox extended their lead to a 4-1 margin, and by the sixth inning, as we made plans to take off, it seemed the A's were not going to be victorious. But in our final frame, Frank Thomas put a "Big Hurt" on his former team, with a 2-run homer himself, which closed the gap to 4-3. After that, we really, truly, had to go, but were feeling better about the team's chances, as we changed allegiances in mid-stride.

We dashed out of the Coliseum, and to the parking lot, where I exchanged my A's hat for a Cal alumni cap, and traded an A's sweatshirt for a Cal sweatshirt. We also tossed our A's ticket stubs and picked up our Cal tickets. The transformation was complete. Then we grabbed our BART tickets and set off North toward Berkeley.

On the BART train, I tried to follow along with the A's game we had just left, and saw them challenging back. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, Mark Ellis tied the contest 4-4 with a single. Then the wheels fell off for the White Sox, as walks started to pile up, giving the A's two free passes with the bases loaded, including one to the aforementioned Thomas, making the game 6-4. Then, as an exultant colleague called from her seat in the Coliseum, Jay Payton made the crowd roar with another single, making the game 7-4, its final margin. As she put it, we "missed all the fun". But we knew the team was in good shape, even if they played better without us. (AN Recap by Baseballgirl)

After arriving at Berkeley and making the traditional uphill walk to Memorial Stadium, we found the Bears up 21-3 against their overmatched foes. As we approached our seats, leading rusher Marshawn Lynch, a supposed Heisman Trophy candidate, busted out a 71-yard scamper, making the game 28-3. By halftime, the Bears had tacked on two more touchdowns, and the Vikings tried to stay close with two scores of their own, making it 42-16.

While we had visions of continued offensive mayhem, and pretty scores in the 80s, it was not to be. Surprisingly, as Cal had put in their second string players and swapped quarterbacks, there was no scoring the rest of the way by either team, making the halftime score the eventual final score. All told, we had seen the Bears only outscore Portland State 14-13 while in our seats, though we stayed for the final three quarters. Tack that on to the 4-3 deficit the A's had when we left the game, and our heroes only matched their opponents 17-all while we watched, while both won handily. Makes me think we weren't exactly a luck charm.

With that said, we enjoyed the two-sport, two-city march to victory, and hope to await similar challenges in the future, as the A's look increasingly likely to challenge in the playoffs, and those tickets should be here any day now. It's a tough life being an East Bay sports family.

Go A's and Go Bears!

Listening to ''Kyru vs. Albert - Velvet Morning'', by Armin Van Buuren (Play Count: 4)

Marco, Marco, Marco

Tonight, a colleague and I saw the A's challenge the Chicago White Sox at the Oakland Coliseum, and come away winners, 4-2, reducing their "magic number" to 11 - effectively representing the combined number of wins from the A's and the number of losses from the Angels required for the team to clinch the AL Western division. On a somewhat brisk evening that saw a steady breeze, more than 26,000 filed in to see Esteban Loaiza shut down the Sox bats - allowing only three hits and two runs, one which came on a home run and the second on a sacrifice fly.

But beyond Loaiza's pitching gem, the A's won largely in part due to the team's perky shortstop fill-in, Marco Scutaro, who chipped in with his first career 4-hit game. Though he came into the game with a .571 lifetime batting average against the White Sox starter, Jon Garland, manager Ken Macha chose to hit him ninth in the batting order. This didn't phase Scutaro, who had singles in his first three at-bats, and finished up his unprecedented evening with a late-inning triple as fans chanted, "Marco!" and others answered back, "Scutaro!"

Though the A's did not humiliate their opponents through an offensive onslaught, they managed to do just enough to win - even though things were made dicey in the 9th inning, when closer Huston Street allowed a walk to big basher Jim Thome, bringing the potential tying run to the plate in the form of Paul Konerko, who himself was a 30 home run, 100-plus RBI guy, and could, with one swing of the bat, force Oakland's standing, cheering fans to shush and spend more quality time on their kiesters. Instead, Street struck him out, winning the game and bring cheers throughout the ballpark, helping the A's maintain their five game lead in the division.

Marco Scutaro is not a notable name for SportsCenter viewers or the mainstream media, but he has played admirably in the absence of 2004 rookie of the year Bobby Crosby, who has missed a significant portion of the 2006 campaign - and virtually every season he's been a part of. Scutaro's 4-4 day this evening makes the missing Crosby even less necessary in Oakland's pennant race plans, and while that can't be good for him, it's a great thing for A's fans, who are eager to get the team back into the playoffs after a two-year hiatus.

Listening to ''Te Quiero [Darren Emerson Mix]'', by 108 Grand (Play Count: 5)

Evening Notes: September 15, 2006

More in an irregularly occurring series...

We're on the verge of kicking off a sports-filled weekend, with the Oakland A's back in town to take on the World Champion White Sox, and the Cal Bears also home to take on Division I-AA quasi-power Portland State. Being good season ticket holders, I'm going to aim to be at all three games this evening and tomorrow, but there is certainly some overlap on Saturday that could make things dicey, especially if the A's haven't blown out the Sox by the early innings...

On the technology side of things, It still seems to be all about Apple all the time. Apple's iTV announcement and enhancements to the iTunes Store to include videos continues to make waves. Interestingly, one of the quieter announcements was that Apple's moved to reduce the 30 gigabyte iPod to a pricepoint of $249. This apparently has hurt Microsoft's big rollout of Zune this week. While unveiling the music players, Microsoft did not announce a price at all - which some are saying is a direct result of Apple's price cut. Fun to have the Redmond giant on the wrong side of volume discounts. In addition, TechCrunch reports Amazon is the next giant expected to deliver feature film downloads, which explains their frustration with studios that have sided with iTunes.

And even though Apple just held a big media event, everybody seems to be yearning for the next big thing from Cupertino. ThinkSecret now says the long-awaited Apple iPhone will hit in the first quarter of 2007, and a contributor to GigaOM claims that Apple will enable consumers to run Windows Vista in a virtual desktop as part of the company's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard rollout. Also in the same vein, Storage Mojo is very intrigued on Apple's future plans to help consumers store and backup their downloaded feature films, which could take gigabytes apiece.

Stepping away from Apple for a second, it's said that the pretexting scandal at HP is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. The company's chairman, Patricia Dunn, has been summoned before Congress, where she will no doubt be harangued by politicos who love to see themselves on C-Span making non-enforceable threats, shaking heads and wagging fingers. Or maybe I'm just cynical?

Listening to ''Until You Love Me'', by 4 Strings (Play Count: 11)

More Court Time for Artest

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

In his forty games as a Sacramento King during the 2005-2006 campaign, Ron Artest led the team in time on the court, averaging 40.1 MPG. Now, a pair of lawsuits have surfaced that ensure Artest will see even more court time this year, regardless of how well he shoots the rock.

The first lawsuit stems from the infamous 2004 brawl between the Pacers and Pistons, where Artest played a starring role and soon became a household name, for all the wrong reasons. A fan in the stands that day, Michael Ryan, claims that Artest and Stephen Jackson assaulted him when they rushed into the stands. His lawsuit also says the Pacers were negligent in signing Artest and allowing him to play given his history of violence, repetitive bad conduct, and unfitness as a professional basketball player. (Source: Click On Detroit)

With that logic, he may as well sue society at large for our enablement, right? And what took him two years to realize he'd been slapped around a little?

In a second, unrelated, case, Artest has himself filed a lawsuit to gain custody of his son, saying that his ex-girlfriend is denying him access to his child. In fact, he's discontinued paying monthly child support due to the dispute. Of course, the lady's lawyer has a completely different opinion on the situation, saying that due to Artest's "history of psychological and anger-management issues, his request borders on frivolous." (Source: New York Daily News)

We know Ron-Ron is a fighter. We've seen that. We know he can juggle a few things at a time. Heck, TZ noted his new album is coming on Halloween night. But it could be scary, not just for the little trick-or-treaters, but for all Kings fans, if one of the team's key cogs on both sides of the ball is spending more time in court wearing a suit than on the court in a Sactown jersey.

Showtime: Steve Jobs Is Magic Again With "iTV"

On Tuesday, September 12th, while the rest of the Mac world was sitting with jaws agape, anticipating Steve Jobs' every breath, hand gesture, slideshow and demo, I was working. Though I was vaguely aware that Apple was very likely in the process of introducing new iPods and iTunes, with Disney-branded movie downloads, I was forced to resort to the highly unsatisfactory method of getting the news through the Blackberry browser, where in text, I tried to absorb the real-time feed from MacRumors, and visualize in my head every shiny gadget and GUI.

Not until this evening, when I finally had the time to sit down and watch the Showtime event's keynote stream from the Apple Web site, did I get to see Jobs do what he does best - unveil incremental updates as if they were must-haves, and try to find new ways for me to distribute my money to Cupertino. But, as with nearly every one of Jobs' keynotes, I again came away impressed, not entirely so with the products, but with Jobs' capabilities.

While most marketeers, CEOs and PR lackeys tend to want to crowd every product feature and bullet into a never-ending slide deck, Jobs managed to introduce new products every five minutes (no exaggeration) for the first half hour of the event - moving crisply and quickly, but not skimping on substance. 5 minutes into the presentation we had a new iPod. 10 minutes in, a new iPod Nano, and 15 minutes in, a new iPod Shuffle, featuring a built-in belt clip. Next up was iTunes 7, and here we were seeing a new GUI, including CoverFlow, and the addition of "one more thing" - movie downloads.

For Jobs, though he peppers his speeches with words like "beautiful", "amazing", "great" and "outstanding", he isn't the one doing the selling. Instead, he lets the products sell themselves in such away that you find yourself thinking of what you need to do to make room for this new product in your stable or your workflow. And, in a step unusual for Apple, they took a big risk by announcing a new box (code named iTV) to interface between your computer and your television, which aimed to bring the media (movies, TV shows and music mostly) to your home theater. By showing a slim white box with all the necessary ports, and a slick GUI, he has the Web buzzing about adding yet another device to the already crowded living room, most of which feature televisions, stereos, a DVD player, a DVR, and a cable box at the very least.

iTV is supposed to marry your digital computer media to your TV. But with TiVo grabbing the shows I already want to watch (for free) and my gaining access to DVDs cheaply with NetFlix, and the Airport Express already shuttling my music to my stereo, I can think of a lot of reasons where I don't need iTV - yet. Over the next few months, as its release date draws nearer, I may go out of my way to try and find good reasons to pick one up. But I would need to have a significant change in how I manage my entertainment and my budget. With full-length feature films nearing 1 GB in data to download, even at the fastest of connections, it will be an enormous network hog and capacity hog. On my 80 GB laptop, I've got about 16 GB available, and I'm not about to spend $100+ to download the Disney library and fill it up. But, as Steve knows, some people will, and in months, we may very well be looking at another hit on Apple's hands - whether I'm along for the ride or not.

Related Links:

BBC: Apple video move divides industry
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5342408.stm

Wired: New UI Showdown: Apple vs. TiVo
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71774-0.html

AppleInsider: Apple's living room strategy a multi-year venture
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2045

Listening to ''Take Me Away (Into the Night)'', by 4 Strings (Play Count: 29)

Is That a Prius Lane?

Each of the last two days, I had the "pleasure" of driving between Sunnyvale and Burlingame and spending way too much time on Highway 101 on the San Francisco Peninsula - a trip that according to Google Maps and Yahoo! should take only 30-plus minutes but in actuality ranges between an hour or an hour and a half. Spending so much time in a car over the last two days - there and back, there and back, made me think a lot about the quality of life, and whether I'd be best off just sitting on my rear and telecommuting everywhere.

But another thing struck me - to my left, in the carpool/commuter lane, I wasn't passed by a series of partnered businesspeople looking to save gas and time, or a family's minivan, but instead by Toyota Prius after Toyota Prius, with the occasional Honda Civic Hybrid thrown in for variety. As these high gas mileage hybrid cars have the option to drive in the carpool lane, I was continually mocked for continuing to drive my boring old 118,000+ mile 1998 Mercury Tracer, which gets a cool 25 or so miles a gallon itself. As I sat, admiring the dirt on my windshield and debated whether my back speakers were blown out or just falling apart, on my left, I would see Prius, Prius, Civic, Van, Prius, Van, Prius, Civic, Prius. And I'm jealous.

The only question is, if I were to plunk down $25,000 that I don't have on a car I don't yet need, how long would it take to make up the money on saved gas and saved time? It's time to break out the calculators - or I'll never know.

Listening to ''That's Right'', by Blank & Jones (Play Count: 5)

ABC Needs a New, Professional, Bachelor

From the e-mail today... despite the fact I'm married. Should I go for it?

Dear Louis ,

ABC Television’s hit reality television show, The Bachelor, is searching for its next star. After viewing your profile on LinkedIn, the casting producer has selected you as a potential candidate.

ABC is using LinkedIn to find its next Bachelor because this time around, they’re looking for an accomplished professional. LinkedIn is about your professional life instead of your personal life, so we don’t know if your marital or relationship status qualifies you for the show. However, your professional profile fits the bill.

If you think you’d make a great “Bachelor,” please let me know by reply, and I will contact you regarding next steps. LinkedIn respects your privacy and will not release your contact information, so you must reply to the email above for us to pass you along as a candidate.

If you know anyone else that would make a great “Bachelor”, feel free to let us know about them – ABC will pay a $5,000 reward for any referral that leads to the next star.

Wishing you continued professional success,

David Sanford
Assistant to the CEO
LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bigsanford

Late Night Notes for September 11, 2006

More in an irregularly occurring series...

Unfortunately for me, I'll be away from the computer for most of tomorrow (but of course latched to corporate e-mail like I should be via Blackberry). This means that while every other techno-geek, media reporter, and computer nerd is finding out all they can about Steve Jobs' plan to extend world domination to online video downloads and quite possibly much more, I won't be participating. Sad story, huh?

Well, don't let that ruin your fun. While Mac rumor prognostication used to be carried on by a select, and unwashed, few, it's now a role everyone else is eager to take on. Now even the mainstream bloggers, including TechCrunch and GigaOm are on the Apple rumor bandwagon.

The current expectations for the special event on the 12th include iTunes 7.0 (with movie downloads), updated iPods and iPod Nanos, and what some are calling a "TubePort", which will enable wireless transmission of videos from your computer to the TV. MacRumors weighs in by saying "Movies will be available as either a smaller iPod-format (which will cost $9.99 per movie), or as a larger, streamed movie to be streamed to your TV via TubePort. This cost $14.99 per movie. To purchase an iPod-formatted movie and a streamed version of the same movie, it will cost you $19.99."

As always, I'm more inclined to say it's not something I'll jump to, but we'll see. I usually tend to get fairly suckered in after watching all the glitzy demos.

On a completely other note, you haven't lived until you've consumed the original "Numa, Numa" featuring Gary Brolsma, an overweight teenager from New Jersey who rocketed to Internet fame when his lip-synching and chair-dancing to a little-known Romanian group went viral. After years of hiding out in relative obscurity, he's back with a vengeance, ready to capitalize on his fame, with the "New Numa". The official site is at http://www.newnuma.com, of course, or you can watch on YouTube. I guess if you can't beat them, join them...

If you're still not ready to dance around to some goofy kid, a much more serious video that helped us revisit a darker time from five years ago was unveiled today - as a woman living a few blocks from the World Trade Center for the first time introduced her documentarian chronicling of that day without analysis or soundtrack - just raw video, emotion and genuine fear. You can try and watch it on their site or download the full thing. It's 134 Megabytes and runs for more than 20 minutes. Humbling.

Revver.com: September 11: What We Saw

Listening to ''Live at Aria Montreal (11-06)'', by DJ Tiesto (Play Count: 4)

What September 11th Meant to Blogging

On the morning of September 11th, 2001 the chaos of that day presented a new challenge in a Web-connected world. As major news media sites, like CNN.com and the New York Times became inundated with user traffic, their domains became overloaded, and either didn't respond to requests, or reverted to text-only and headline pages, rather than their full multi-media. In their wake, those searching for any kind of news unavailable from one of the major news networks had to turn to unheralded news delivery systems.

At the office, we turned to the The Drudge Report, who offered any number of links to real-time data. For others, the earliest blogs rose to prominence, and people who usually focused on technology and the Web tried to take on history as it unfolded in front of their eyes. As covered in Wired's "9/11: Birth of the Blog", "When the world changed on Sept. 11, 2001, the web changed with it."

Among those Web pioneers chronicling the tragedy was Dave Winer of Scripting News. Lucky for us, his pages, unlike other prominent bloggers, have stayed live for the ensuing five years. You can see (in his bottom to top chronology) how what was supposed to be a very ordinary day was shaken off of its axis.

Years later, personally-authored blogs often break the news before the mass media can take hold of it. For some, blogs carry a higher level of veracity and community virtually impossible from an offshoot of Time Warner. For the next world-changing event (though hopefully of a different nature), we can expect how we obtain news and information to be vastly different. As I displayed with my e-mail to my father in a post from last night, there was always a willingness to share information and express personal feelings, but blogging has offered a new medium to reach more people, more quickly, than ever before.

9/11/2001 - Five Years Later: A Look Back

Rather than try to summarize the day and the ensuing five years, I thought I would slip into the e-mail archives to show my response to that day in a message to my father that evening. That's one benefit of holding onto e-mail like this - a stamp in time. Only names of specific people have been removed.

Today I woke up at 5:30 for the second day in a row (rougher for me than you), so that I could get into the office by 6:45, to prepare for the Web seminar by 7, and hold the two sessions at 8 and 10. By 6:10 I learned of the first jetliner crashing into the World Trade Center, and watched CNN live as the second jet flew into the second tower, much to my bewilderment.

I of course assumed that both planes were empty, outside of a rogue pilot and crew, but could not fathom that they were hijacked commercial liners, full of people. That was unbelievable. As I still intended to get to the office on time, the plethora of news began to billow - two more planes unaccounted for, an explosion at the Pentagon...

I got in the car, and listened to KGO 810 as the news unfolded. Traffic was usual for that time of the morning, but it seemed everyone was doing as I was - listening to the radio, staring blankly ahead. There were fewer lane changes, and our speed seemed steady, more so than normal.

Getting to the office, I set up camp in the conference room and tried to contact this morning's presenters in the UK, to no avail. All lines were blocked. I talked with Global Crossing, our conferencing provider, and learned that our conference calls would not be allowed - that all lines had been allocated for the US government and emergency services' use. I had no choice but to cancel both sessions, and e-mail all 150 registrants of our decision, kissing $35,000 of our eMarketing promotion budget away with the seminars' cancellation.

Following that, I tried to stay focused on work, communicating with (NAME) regarding our product demonstration Flash piece, but little else got done. A TV was set up in one conference room, and executives and peons alike stopped to gander at the horror that was New York. (The Company) was eventually closed by 2, in a surreal day that saw ZERO calls to our front desk, and Web traffic similar to that of a holiday such as July 4.

That day coincided with what was supposed to be a big marketing effort for us, so beyond the horrific human element, I had tried to push forward as a good corporate citizen and do the best I could. Though we recognized the disaster, we didn't recognize the scope of it until the conference provider flat-out denied us use of the conference lines needed for the seminar. Though we were at war with an unknown enemy, we didn't see the full  impact until the towers themselves fell. Even our Web designer, in San Francisco, stopped taking calls from me after he was forced to evacuate the city. It was a day we'll not ever forget, even though were removed 3,000+ miles from the bloodshed.

Listening to ''Another World'', by DJ Shog (Play Count: 5)

ANtics Episode 2.28: Dome and Domer

While firmly entrenched in the lead in the AL West, the A's have headed East to do battle with the Devil Rays and Twins. Both teams feature indoor stadiums, which we have seen can have some interesting effects on a ballgame. With that in mind, the ANtics present "Dome and Domer".


Click to See Larger Comic

Also: Take the Poll: Should the A's new stadium be a dome?

2005 Comics | 2006 Comics | Poll

An NFL Season Without Real Fantasy Football?

In 2001, my boss and a co-worker asked me to join their fantasy football league, saying they needed two new people to fill out the 12-team roster. I of course declined. After all, baseball's the sport I really follow, and any attempts I would make to follow the NFL would undoubtedly see me out of patience and eventually out of money. But they were persistent, and as the eventual draft day drew nearer, I agreed, knowing the $50 I put in to get into the league would be money I'd never see again.

Surprise of all surprises, the fact that I didn't follow the league and hadn't pledged my allegiance to any specific team actually gave me a leg up on the hardened regulars. Rather than rooting for my favorites, I could subjectively look at the numbers and the matchups to project who would do well, and somehow, after it was all said and done, I had won the league title, as a rookie, winning both the regular season, and the playoff round (by a single point). (See League History)

2002 and 2003 saw me flounder a bit. The team nose-dived in 2002, which I blamed on my being otherwise distracted in courting my eventual fiancée. 2003, similarly, was my first year married. But as with all marriages, you eventually settle in and find your role again, so by 2004, I won the regular season, and finished second in the playoffs. In 2005, I made the playoffs for a third time in five years, and took home the trophy for the second time, giving me bookends in the bookshelf that spoke to my fantasy football prowess.

But the gravy train looks like it has come to an end. At the conclusion of the 2005 year, the commissioner begged off, claiming family time was much more of a priority. In the wake of that announcement, and barring any true leadership from the peanut gallery, the league disbanded. Now, a group of six players from the original league have started what's called a "Next Generation" site on Fox's Fantasy Sports page, but it's just not going to be the same. No money is involved, and the site auto-drafted, eliminating some of the most fun parts of fantasy football - the trash talk and the one-upmanship at draft day - not to mention no trophies.

It's the end of an era. And on the first full day of NFL games, when recliner chairs and couches across the US are getting their full workout, we're not feeling like celebrating.

Listening to ''Moogwai'', by DJ Lithium (Play Count: 8)

Scandals Raising Ire On All Sides

It'd be hard to completely ignore a few of the biggest scandals out there right now.

The first deals with HP's chairman of the board hiring private investigators to use less than ethical methods to spy on reporters and gain access to their phone records in an attempt to ferret out leaks. This Bush-like breach of privacy is the first of its kind in Silicon Valley and has got the worlds of technology and media alike on edge. Some publications are calling for the director's head on a platter, and reporters are more than justified in their exasperation over this breach of confidence.

The second is on a planned "documentary" by ABC on the events around 9/11, and their cause. The show inaccurately portrays the Clinton administration in a light that directly contradicts the 9/11 commission's report, and even as its airing nears, it's said that edits are continuing to be made to bring the piece further in line with accuracy - although disclaimers have been added to say it is not intended to be fully factual, but more in line with a historical drama. Unfortunately, it's been shown that we have a lot more people in the country who are plenty comfortable with watching TV, but not focused enough to read a congressional report, and they'll remember the one they saw when holding the remote and sitting in a recliner. Lawyers for former President Clinton have gone so far as to recommend ABC cancel it altogether.

On that note, with the 9/11 anniversary coming up soon, the Washington Post has said we were on the heels of capturing Bin Laden at the end of 2001, but the trail went cold, and military strength was subsequently redirected toward efforts in Iraq rather than on capturing the initiators of the terror strikes. Oddly, this falls completely in line with what Senator Kerry argued over with Bush during the 2004 debates, and was so roundly denied. Not that anybody can align the administration with the side of truth these days...

Listening to ''Underwater Love'', by Smoke City (Play Count: 8)

Welcome Back, Cal Football

I can safely say we're once again more than a one-sport household. While the A's were battling on the East Coast in an eventual 9-6 defeat at Tampa Bay, the University of California Golden Bears returned home to Berkeley and the Memorial Stadium to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and hopefully find some good news after their week one walloping at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers. Of course, being the good alumni we are, my wife and I were there as well, ready to cheer on the Blue and Gold, the band, and Oski.

Since my graduation from Cal more than 7 years ago now, many things about Berkeley have changed and a great many more have not. It's always a delight to come see Cal football and wish for the best, even though we've experienced the worst. As Cal fans who suffered through a myriad of one-year coaches on the gridiron, and have seen the basketball team on probation for NCAA violations, not to mention the team's on-field troubles, we're often surprised when things actually work out well. Today, amid the tradition of the Cal band and the cannon - which shoots off with a bang after every Cal score - and the cries of "Take off that red shirt!" from the faithful, we saw a once-tentative team roar back to defeat the Gophers by a final score of 42-17.

After the Cal offense debuted with a "three and out" series, followed by the defense giving up a few big plays and the inevitable touchdown that followed, we found ourselves down early 7-0. And shortly after battling back to take the lead 14-7, the Gophers responded on the ensuing kickoff, running it back for a game-tying touchdown. The more bitter around us (myself included) made rumblings of beating the traffic, or noticing we had the lead for all of 17 seconds. But that would be the peak of our troubles. The team ended the first half with a 28-17 lead, and the Gophers were held scoreless in the second half, as the darkness and East Bay fog settled in to weigh down their hopes.

Approximately three hours after the game had started, the clock ticked down, the cannon sounded one last time, and Cal picked up its first victory on the season, evening their record at 1-1. And the victory was made even more sweet having already known that Stanford, the school's arch-nemesis, had lost a close contest against lowly-regarded San Jose State, 35 to 34. Even in Cal's triumph, the failure of their future foe was a wonderful thing.

Football is back. Gold and blue will rival the green and gold through the baseball playoffs, and we just may have to find a way to support both teams to the best of our ability. Both the next two upcoming Saturdays offer us the first time to conflict with the A's and Golden Bears schedules, where we are needed in two places at once. It's a rough life, but I am sure we can figure it out. Go Bears!

Listening to ''Tribute'', by DJ Shog (Play Count: 20)

Electoral-Vote.com To Track 2006 Senate Races

In 2004, Electoral-Vote.com burst onto the scene by graphically tracking the presidential campaign by state, and indicating trends by state or nationally - as tracked by a host of national and local polls. Updated daily, the site would give you a snapshot of how many more states had to go Kerry's way or Bush's way to cement the nomination, and indicate the true battleground states.

With the 2006 senate races coming to a head with votes being cast in only two months, the site is back in action, prepped for what should be a close battle to see if the Republicans can keep their hold on the Senate and House chambers, or if the resurgent Democrats can ride the wave of anti-incumbent fever and tip the balance their way.

Today's score: GOP 52, Democrats 48. Should be an interesting few months.

Listening to ''Assorted Trance Volume 17'', by DJ Irish (Play Count: 3)

New Apple Patent Applications Keep Fans Guessing

For a mega-brand such as Apple, there's little you can do without anybody noticing. With an army of hundreds of thousands scouring your Web site on a daily basis to uncover any hidden clues as to future products and features, or writing on their blog about directories that don't go anywhere (http://www.apple.com/movies) or domain names that don't mean anything (http://www.iphone.org/ and http://www.mammals.org), when you actually do put a tidbit of information out there, it gets devoured and digested more quickly than a pair of hot dogs in front of Takeru Kobayashi.

Today, in separate "findings"...

It was first revealed that Apple had filed patent applications for a multi-functional hand-held device, aimed to act as any or more of the following: a PDA, cell phone, music player, video player, digital camera, handtop, Internet terminal, GPS or remote control. Though the sketches are well... sketchy, it of course reinvigorated discussions that Apple would move beyond the iPod and go after the market it initially forged with the Newton. The application detailed a device that could potentially forgo traditional keys in exchange for touch-sensitive keys that would make room for full-screen viewing.

In a second discovery, it's now said that Apple may be trying to bring back the famous "Cube" which didn't do so well the first time around, priced too high and lacking standard features for upgradeability and accessibility. When high-profile cracks began to appear in the otherwise flawless-looking mini-desktop, Apple put the machines on ice, but suggested they might some day return. Now, a new patent application says the Cube form factor is back on the board. Of course, being laptop centric, I don't think we'll be getting one now either.

Listening to ''Brown Paper Bag'', by Roni Size/Reprazent (Play Count: 2)

With September Here, TV Becomes Useful Again

Aside from the daily ups and downs of Oakland A's baseball, it's been a long, lonely summer for our TiVo. Without new shows each week from any of the networks, we resorted to the occasional late night show from Conan O'Brien or Jon Stewart, and took a liking to the syndicated Arli$$ from ESPN Classic, but can't say we've been satiated without the standard fare from Law & Order, CSI, 24 and the rest.

Now that September is upon us, the fall season premieres are just beginning to debut and give us hope. After some dark days which had seen us whittle our TiVo WatchList to less than one screen (TiVo owners know what I mean), we should soon be arriving home each day to new fares, and hopefully soon get to struggle not with finding anything to watch, but to instead, pick which show to watch. My wife and I had a conversation of that type just yesterday when we got home.

"What do you want to see when we get home," she asked. "Arli$$ or House?" "Both!" I answered.

So we did - somehow trying to get used to a kinder, gentler House who no longer finds himself addicted to painkillers and a cane following last season's dramatic conclusion which had him shot and on his deathbed. Arli$$ on the other hand was up to his usual tricks, and doesn't seem any better for it.

With the new season upon us, I grow wistful of those who may never grace our screens again - the West Wings and Convictions of the world who some mucky-muck decided had either run their course or never were to be allowed to forge one. But somehow, I think we'll push through and become acceptable TV viewers again, as we did before when we lost NYPD Blue, or even further back, when The Cosby Show and Family Ties said their farewells. Instead, we look to the future and welcome back War At Home, welcome back Jack Bauer and Gil Grissom and the crew as they go about their business. And our TiVo will once again love us back.

Listening to ''Assorted Trance Volume 16'', by DJ Irish (Play Count: 2)

Morning Tech Notes: September 6, 2006

Normally, Tuesdays are the days you can expect a plethora of news releases. Coming off of a longer Labor Day holiday, many companies opted to put their big announcements out on Wednesday instead.

As mentioned previously, many rumor sites had anticipated Apple would introduce new iMacs and iPods alongside an iTunes movie service as part of a special media event this upcoming Tuesday, September 12th. But the Cupertino computer maker surprised the bloggers by debuting the new iMacs a full week earlier. As anticipated, the new iMacs feature the latest in Intel processors, and the top-line version expands to a 24-inch screen, which should dominate just about any desktop. Apple's Mac Mini lineup also received a performance bump with the latest Intel processors. Seems like having a new CPU partner is doing Apple some good. (MacRumors  | Think Secret)

In more Web-focused news, it looks like the Silicon Valley may finally have found a wireless partner to blanket the region with ubiquitous high-speed Internet access. As I've always said, anywhere with air, food, water, a place to sleep and high speed Internet is where I call home. Luckily, it now appears I don't have to move to make that happen, as a consortium led by Cisco and IBM aims to offer wireless internet to the more than 2 million residents in the area. Businesses looking to utilize the network or gain increased bandwidth would have to ante up and buy additional equipment. Matt Marshall at VentureBeat says despite the news, it may be a long time before we can boot up from the park. (Mercury News | New York Times)

If it does indeed take a long time to roll out, then future historians can chronicle the planning on a new service from Google that has organized news articles from the past five-plus years, and is aggressively looking to span the last few centuries or so. The company's new archive search can come in very handy if you are looking to see how a company or product is covered over time. For more-popular items, you can delve into specific years or months to gain more granular data or read specific stories.

Examples: Segway in 2005, iPod in 2001, Bin Laden in 1998-1999

9/11 Conspiracy Theory Embarrassing

It's one thing to allege that the administration has done a poor job helping US citizens prepare for a second potential  terror attack, or to say that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been trumped-up exercises that have seen thousands die unnecessarily and have benefited the most elite of corporations. It's quite another thing to say that the entire 9/11 episode was manufactured by the government, and that, with the help of some edge right-wing groups, the government conspired to bring down the World Trade Center, all in the name of promoting war in the middle east. Yet, somehow, that's the theory reached by a group for academics, who say that all the horror of that day was generated by an "inside job".

As someone who enjoys a good conspiracy theory now and then, and has seen the administration, in concert with right-wing splinter groups, accomplish a great deal of harm in the country, not even I can wrap my head around this one. The fear and fumbling of the administration on the day and days following the attacks was very real, something they aren't capable of manufacturing in an historic coverup.

As the UK's Daily Mail reports:

They believe a group of US neo-conservatives called the Project for a New American Century, set on US world dominance, orchestrated the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to hit Iraq, Afghanistan and later Iran. The group says scientific evidence over the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon is conclusive proof. Professor Jones said it was impossible for the twin towers to have collapsed in the way they did from the collision of two aeroplanes.
He maintains jet fuel does not burn at temperatures high enough to melt steel beams and claims horizontal puffs of smoke seen during the collapse of the towers are indicative of controlled explosions used to bring down the towers.

The 9/11 commission's report, following detailed investigation, ruled out any of the mega-conspiracy theories, yet that doesn't mean they will simply fade away. Just like Elvis, they're still out there. The National Ledger follows on to this line of thinking with a survey that shows a small segment of the country believes 9/11 was a conspiracy "orchestrated by government officials".

More than a third of the respondents stated their belief that it was either very likely or somewhat likely that “people in the federal government either assisted in the 9/11 attacks or took no action to stop the attacks because they wanted the United States to go to war in the Middle East.”

There is no doubt that some who see these results will jump to the immediate conclusion that these are leftist anti-Bush liberals who believe in such dreck, which instantly devalues any legitimate concerns we actually do have, and have made clear over the 6 years these guys have been running things. But it's not true. As a group, we are all furious over the administration's response to the attacks, the misguided march to war, and the ineptitude around every facet of our maintaining safety. But we don't believe they had the planning capabilities and tenacity to pull this off. A few dozen extremists "living in a cave" had more foresight.

Cal Collapses Under Weighty Expectations

If there were anything I learned during my time at UC Berkeley, a.k.a "Cal", it's to not get overly excited about the sports teams every year, for no matter their start, no matter the pre-season hype, they will always, always let you down. Whether it's a fourth-quarter fumble or interception, a missed field goal, or a significant injury to a key part of the team's offense, Cal fans have seen it all. Even in my ten-plus years of being a Cal junkie, I can surely give examples for each. As the 2006 college football season started off this past Saturday, Cal was ranked higher than I can ever recall previous to the season getting under way. Many publications had ranked the Golden Bears in the top ten in the country, and the team was favored in their quest to vanquish the also-Top 25 Tennessee Volunteers.

I could have told you how this was going to end before it started. (And I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't do it already)

As nearly everyone knows now, Cal stumbled to a 35-0 deficit after three quarters of football, and managed to put up some points against the Volunteers' second string, only to lose 35-18 when it was all said and done. In the big, bad world of college football, every game is critical, as teams threaten to go 11-0 or 12-0 every year, and the difference between being 10-1 and 9-2 can mean millions for the school in bowl appearances. But to set what are really an untested group of 20-22 year old kids with expectations that they are a top ten team in the land before they've even strapped on their cleats in competition is just plain silly. Sour grapes aside, it simply doesn't make sense to rank teams before the season is underway, especially as the rankings play such a huge part in the game itself.

Especially disappointing as a result of Cal's malaise is that this once again cements the beliefs of those that say the style of football played on the West coast, in the Pacific 10 conference, is somehow easier and less aggressive than that played on the "superior" East coast. ESPN, typically leading the way in its thick-headedness, claimed as much after the game's cheers faded.

From ESPN the Magazine's Bruce Feldman:

After seeing a Tennessee offense, which ranked 101st in the nation in scoring last season, post 35 points in a little more than two quarters, I doubt anyone will take Cal very seriously again for a very long time. Overreaction? Maybe. But I think if the Bears could knock off USC, they probably still would not get back into the top 15. And of course, this blowout has big-picture meaning. Whenever folks talk about the Pac-10 being soft, this Cal-Tennessee game will always come up first. It will live in infamy out here on the West Coast.

Had Cal somehow pulled off the improbable, and won, I might be singing a different tune, but the whole idea that teams are assigned rankings before a single game is played is as silly as declaring a presidential nominee the victor before a single ballot is cast. This even extends to the post-season award process, as for the first time in my memory, a Cal player is being promoted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Marshawn Lynch, a fantastic running back, even has a site dedicated to his Heisman legitimacy. It's like campaigning for MVP in Spring Training. Silly.

Saturday's game isn't going to make us give up our Cal season tickets. When they take on Minnesota next Saturday, we will be at Memorial Stadium, ready to yell "Go Bears!", if we can somehow shoe-horn it around our Saturday A's game. Life is rough when you're devoted to East Bay sports. If only they were as devoted to us, and could promise victory.

Listening to ''Live @ DI.fm 2005-11-11'', by DJ Irish (Play Count: 2)

Let the Apple Speculation Begin Yet Again

I swear, if Steve Jobs sneezes, it's bound to hit the Mac rumor sites. I'm surprised if stevejobssneezes.com isn't there with live coverage, a streaming chat site and user forums - all claiming inside information from his general practitioner. Hot off of WWDC, the Apple rumor mill is again abuzz - with suggestions that Steve and the rest of the Apple crew will unveil some "insanely great" updates on everything from the iMac to iPods, their AirPort wireless base stations, and as usual, a kitchen sink of mystery offerings - including the long-rumored, much-anticipated iTunes Movie Store, and even a video streaming device that would interface with your television set.

While Mac aficionados always expect for every single product in the lineup to get an update, plus a surprise, it doesn't really make good business sense for Apple, or any other company, to do away with their entire suite of offerings in one swoop - with inventory, supply and demand issues all being key. Instead, Apple typically updates two products at a time, and alternates their introductions. While WWDC saw updates to the Power Macintosh line, the new mysterious September 12th media invite would focus on iPods and iMacs, and a third, unnamed event later this year might see updates to their line of laptops. It just makes sense.

But here we go... the contest of the rumor sites to one-up the other.

Think Secret, with one of the better track records in this informal business, says new iPods and a new iMac are due on the September 12th event. Think Secret expects higher capacities (as always), and new colors for the iPod Nano. Their expectations for the updated iPod line are less extensive, as the long-rumored touch-screen iPod isn't expected until early 2007, barring an early release to trump Microsoft's warmed-over Toshiba Gigabeat, which they've called Zune. Think Secret also says the iTunes movie store has been postponed, for unknown reasons.

This of course conflicts with AppleInsider's expectations. With some instances of success, AppleInsider is typically more aggressive and fanciful with their expectations from Apple. The site once expected "strawberry" pink G3s, and has expected handhelds or Apple cell phones every few months for the last several years... but they try.

AppleInsider also expects new iMacs and iPod Nanos. But they take things further by expecting that Steve Jobs and Apple have even bigger plans than anyone has anticipated - video streaming of iTunes movies to television sets in customers' living rooms - extending the functionality of Airport Express, which now offers streaming to home stereos (including mine).

They also claim that rumored delays of the touchscreen iPod are overblown. But only one of these sites can be right, which will be seen next week. We'll be watching, of course.

Listening to ''Hymne & Sail'', by DJ Armin van Buuren (Play Count: 5)

ANtics Episode 2.27: The Mind of Ken Macha

Some days, the lineups are baffling, the pitching moves keep us guessing. Role players rot on the bench. Starters stay in too long - or not long enough. It's all part of being an armchair manager. But one guy, Ken Macha, gets to do it for real. This week, we investigate "The Mind of Ken Macha".


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Also: Take the Poll: Who should be 2006 AL Manager of the Year?

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Hate the Wave? It Started in Oakland...

During today's otherwise forgettable Cal vs. Tennessee college football game, the legendary Joe Starkey remarked that the 25th anniversary of "The Wave" was coming up, and that its origin dated back to the 1981 playoffs between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees, when "Krazy George" Henderson first successfully encouraged fans to stand and sit in unison to create a rolling wave effect.

Though I deplore the wave and refuse to partake in it for a variety of reasons, I thought the wave's origin was worth investigating, especially following the allegations it actually started in the Oakland Coliseum!

While some at the University of Washington would like to take claim for The Wave's creation, the events of Oct. 15, 1981 are not in dispute.

Joe Garagiola, former NBC sports commentator who called the game that day in Oakland, recalled the experience in a Nov. 15, 1984, article in The Dallas Morning News:

"I remember during the game that all of a sudden the fans started getting up then sitting down," Garagiola said... "As I remember, it looked the same or better than what they're doing now. Our producer, Don Ohlmeyer, was trying to get the cameraman to catch the wave, but he was always one sections behind. He (Ohlmeyer) kept pounding on him saying, `Get it. Get that thing.'

"I had never seen anything like it before. It was super."

Krazy George, or so he prefers to be called, had quit his teaching profession to become a full-time cheerleader. With the prospects of a full stadium and a national television audience, he seized the opportunity when the Yankees came to Oakland in 1981. Knowing the first attempt would fail, he told fans to boo each time it failed until they had a successful wave.

'I knew the concept because I had done it at high school rallies and hockey games,' he said. 'But [at the baseball game], nobody had seen it, so I had to get everyone organized. I could only yell as far as four to five sections so I told everyone, 'Once it starts, it will die. And when it dies, I want everyone to boo.'

'The first time it went about eight sections down, and I had about four or five sections booing. The second time we started and stopped, and a huge boo went out. By the third time we tried, it went all the way around once, everyone stood up and applauded and then stopped. I had to explain to keep it going. The fourth time, all four decks did it and it kept going.

'It was a great feeling. It's so powerful.'

The wave has expanded beyond its initial roots here in Oakland worlwide, to international soccer matches, and of course, more baseball. One article on the wave says Cuban dictator Fidel Castro tried it but stopped with his hands half-way up, likely because he was wearing a bullet-proof vest. The wave also had been unofficially banned from Chicago's Wrigley Field as the San Diego Padres fans mercilessly repeated the wave throughout the 1984 playoffs. The Padres eventually won that series.

So, go ahead, hate the wave. I know I do. Despise the Southern California mentality of the wave and beachballs on the field. But now you know where it all started.

Related Links :

* Topix.net: 'Wave' goodbye? Hardly
* Oklahoma State: Still 'Krazy' After All These Cheers
* Krazy George - Professional Cheerleader - The Inventor of the Wave!
* Wikipedia: Audience Wave
* Wikipedia: Krazy George Henderson

Listening to ''Refined Intricacy '99'', by Dave Seaman (Play Count: 2)

Delayed Dentistry Kicks Me In the Teeth

As seemingly every other nerdy non-sports-playing, spelling bee winning youngster did, I was subjected to the childhood role of wearing bright metal braces for a significant portion of my elementary school career. Whether for braces tightenings, checkups, or other random maintenance, at one point I was seeing our dentist every two weeks, and just had to remember after school to take one bus rather than the usual route home. In junior high and high school, we maintained less-frequent visits but stayed within a standard deviation from the normal target of twice a year, without too many incidents.

But this changed once I got to college, and now in the workplace. Whether as a result of a series of moves in the Bay Area, lacking a single contact for all things teeth-related, through sheer apathy and annoyance to the dental profession in its entirety, or through too much time consumed by work and other activities, the regular checkups turned to irregular checkups, and then... no checkups. As I didn't think I had any issues to speak of, there wasn't any need to go in every six months just to satiate the ADA's mandatory need for cash. After all, what's to stop them from deciding we should all go three times a year instead, as a ploy to increase revenue?

My somewhat-intentional dentistry boycott all backfired on me starting last Friday, when while snacking on Skittles at the office, a wayward filling popped itself out of a back left tooth, leaving a hole in its place. That evening, my wife set me up with her dentist for an appointment this last Tuesday to get it taken care of, plus X-rays and cleaning while we were there. Made sense.

Tuesday: I headed to the dentist's, got introduced, assessed the situation, and we took X-rays. My hopes of a quick 1-hour procedure were shattered, when he felt the filling's ejection indicated the tooth it was attached to was in a state of rebellion, not due to any lack of hygiene on my part, but because the filling, placed by my old dentist a decade or so ago, had outlived its usefulness and attacked the tooth. Great. So much for trusting the whole field. In fact, the new dentist recommended I replace all my existing metal fillings. So, we did a quick cleaning, and scheduled to now investigate putting in a crown on that tooth the very next day. I went home more annoyed than ever, and still had a hole where my tooth should have been intact.

Wednesday: Back to the dentist, to start the crown. Or so I thought. He did "deep cleaning" on the left side of my mouth, and drilled away at the offending tooth, eliminating decay, and shot me up with all sorts of painkiller. While that was fun, at the end of it all, he announced that he had changed plans altogether, had not started the crown at all, and instead had done fillings on that tooth, and those neighboring it, as a preventative measure. He said he didn't want to start the crown if my tooth were to rebel further and necessitate a root canal. Uh-oh. So, he sent me off, said to watch for later pain, and to come back the very next day to see if they could start the crown. At least the hole in my tooth was gone.

Thursday: Third consecutive day at the dentist's, so I started off plenty sullen. More painkiller. More shots in the same places as before, already sore, but this time, they cut all around my tooth and fitted it for a temporary crown, while a third-party lab would make me "the perfect fit", which I wouldn't get for two more weeks. The hygienist put in a temporary which would fit in very well in Pirates of the Carribean, as it's gold and, at an angle, is only half as high on the exterior side as the interior. Arrgghh Matey!

But they weren't done with the marathon. It was suggested I come back the very next day to "deep clean" the right side. You wouldn't want to have one side clean and other not, or so I was told. Apparently the Earth was about to spin off of its axis and I would be responsible. Sigh.

Friday: 4 days, 4 visits. I took my place in what I consider "my chair" now, and readied for the deep cleaning. But they then said I was there for deep cleaning and a filling. What? They never mentioned that before. I guess another "change in plans". Cute. I was told it was again, preventative, and that  the whole field of dentistry had moved to a doctrine of preemption. Chalk another victory up for the Bush doctrine, I guess. Whatever. What was I going to do? Leave? Argue? So I got more shots. More pain killer, but on the right side this time, not the left. More drilling. More thumb-twiddling. But it really didn't take that long, leaving my words slurred and seeing me exit the office with a gold tooth on the left side, fillings on both sides, and somehow trying to favor both sides of my mouth when I eat, so you can guess there are a few things off of the dinner menu for a few days.

Two weeks from now, we go back and get the crown finished, or so I've been told so far. Given this week's nonsense, I wouldn't be too surprised if I walk in and had been asked to be fitted for false teeth, the implantation of a diamond stud, or to once again, get braces, as a preemptive measure. And everybody who knows I took a self-imposed dentist vacation says this is all my fault. If you ask me, I shouldn't have had all these metal fillings put in there if they weren't supposed to stay. That's silly, and now I'm at the stage of getting a crown because the last dentist didn't know his work was going to mess me up.  Arrgghh Matey!

Listening to ''Escape Velocity 015'', by DJ Irish (Play Count: 2)

The "Big Hurt" Blasts the A's to Another Win

In baseball, it's often said that leading the division or the league in April, May or June is meaningless. Historically speaking, seeing your team in first place doesn't amount to a hill of beans until Labor Day, and even then, until your team has mathematically clinched the division and eliminated all challengers, there will always be doubts if you can pull it off. Baseball players, managers, coaches and fans are among the most superstitious and snake-bitten people out there, period.

Today being September 2nd, the Oakland A's now enjoy a comfortable lead in the American League West division, spotting an 8 and a half game margin over the Los Angeles Angels. The A's just wrapped up the best August in the majors, with a 21-6 record, and have been nearly unstoppable since the All-Star break. A significant amount of that credit has to go to the team's designated hitter, Frank Thomas, who led the team to victory again last night in dramatic fashion. Thomas, who was picked up for a song (or a hill of beans) in the off-season, blasted his 29th home run, a two-run shot, which gave the A's the eventual margin of victory, as they charged back from being down 4-3, to win 5-4, on a night when every other AL West foe had already been defeated.

As usual, my wife and I were in our assigned seats for the game, and though down early, we didn't fret. We've seen the A's charge back from early deficits all season, and with a power like Frank Thomas who can put a charge into one at any at bat, we knew we had a fighting chance. After an error allowed Milton Bradley to reach ahead of Thomas, I turned to my wife, and said, "Are you ready to erupt when Thomas hits a bomb here?" She said, "Of course," and not but a few pitches later, the Big Hurt sent a moon shot sailing into the left-field bleachers as the aforementioned Bradley and he trotted home, turning a potential loss into a probable victory.

After a slow start to the season, Frank Thomas has approached his decade-ago MVP days, and has put the team on his 6-foot 7-inch frame as the A's push hard toward making the off-season again after a two-year absence. While the cautious side of me wants to say it's too early to start preparing for post-season matchups, the team has been in the most comfortable position they've seen in a long time, and we have Thomas to thank for much of it, as he has shown a resurgence in getting on base, in picking up speed, and maintaining home run power. Every at bat of his is a real show, as he marches up the rungs of baseball history, passing hall of fame greats with every big swing. It is a pleasure to call ourselves A's fans and we wish to continue seeing Frank's frame in the batter box this year and beyond.

Listening to ''Melodica (Original Mix)'', by Paul Oakenfold (Play Count: 5)

That's a Big Dog: Iorek Invades Sunnyvale

So what do you give to an overgrown ball of fluff who has everything? How about a surprise trip to Sunnyvale and all sorts of new smells?

Dog-sitting for a friend this weekend, Iorek, a young samoyed weighing in around 60 to 70 pounds of lean, mean white fur, took a trip back to Sunnyvale with me after the A's game and soon found himself king of the manor - or at least our living room.

You can also see him as he tries out our love seat, and finds he is simply too big.