MacWorld Expo Keynote

This morning featured the Steve Jobs keynote for the annual San Francisco MacWorld Expo, a favourite vacation destination of mine (I've gone 6 times in the past dozen or so years). Nothing says welcome to January like the San Fran pilgrimage by the Mac faithful.

There's no shortage of content out there regarding the transpirings of the event, so I'll be brief with my remarks. Basically, I'll restrict myself to why I don't care about what was introduced.

AppleTV: It's a good start, I suppose. A set-top box for the rest of us, to borrow a phrase. I'm currently in a position where I have a very viable system in place for viewing downloaded content on my TV. For better than 3 years now, I've had a DivX-capable DVD player which quite easily handles DivX/XviD, MPG, MPG2, etc. No WMV (thank God!), no fringe stuff (mkv containers, etc.). Just the basics, just the formats in which most downloadables are distributed. Download, burn to DVDRW, watch, erase, repeat. So, I don't need a set-top box.

720p maximum resolution... uh, what? Jobs proudly stood on stage at the 2005 (that's two years ago for those counting) San Fran keynote and declared that to be the YEAR OF HD. So... it's now 2007... and the Apple set-top box can't even do full HD resolution? Sorry, not acceptable. Amazingly enough, I've not seen this comment/complaint mentioned on any news sites I've read (maybe I'm not reading the right ones?). 1080p TVs are finally plentiful and are entering the realm of nicely priced, and Apple ships... uh, this. Okay, so my TV doesn't support higher than 540p (I don't count 1080i, which it does support) so if I were to use an AppleTV I'd get downsampled content (kinda like with a PS3, if I had one). Some might say I bitch because I can't even get the 720p offered by the device, but that's not the case. I bitch because the thing is incomplete at best.

No raw MPG/MPG2 playback? No VOB playback (yes, yes, VOBs are just MPG2 files, shush)? I can understand the lack of DivX/XviD playback due to the stigma attached to it, but come on, not all of us have video purchased from the iTunes Store. I live in Canada, by definition I *CAN'T* have video content purchased from the iTunes Store. If I buy a set top box (and wow there's no shortage of much cheaper options with much wider capabilities) and it can't play back what I want to see, then what use is it?

So much for "the rest of us."

iPhone: This is a sweet, sweet product. I won't deny that. It's so sweet, it's completely useless to me. Lack of Canadian availability aside, I dig the swiss army knife concept, but it's overkill, man. I don't want the cell phone I have now; I don't want a cell phone, period. I don't care about portable video; I'm quite content with music when I'm out and about. I have a USB flash drive if I want to carry around photos, and yes Virginia, loads of DVD players have USB ports for uses just like that. Internet on the go? I love the net, don't get me wrong, but I can go days without using it or checking my mail... I have no use for the ability to remotely see how many penis enlargement spam emails I have sitting in my mailbox.

GSM... that might be a good thing for the Yanks, but up here, at least from what I'm told, that's not a great idea. The sole GSM-capable carrier here is Rogers/Fido, and last I checked, the Rogers network was abysmal at best. I'm told the data costs on the network are also obscene. No, for Canada we need a 3G phone IIRC. Jobs in the keynote said Apple was investigating 3G handsets, but if they released such a thing, wouldn't that have an adverse effect on the internet capabilities when not in range of a WiFi hotspot (I don't actually know the answer to that)? GSM and the SIM card slot will be wonderful for the European market though, and I'm glad to see Apple at least endeavouring to make a product that can be used globally. It sucks to see cool cell phones and smartphones out there whose abilities are restricted to a given geographical region or mobile carrier.

The coolest part overall would have to be the interface. It rocks. Nothing comes close to it. I won't get into details, but for the curious, make sure to check out the video stream of the keynote to see the cool nuances offered by the interface. Oh, and the random access voicemail is very cool... but that's nothing which will be available outside the US, unless Apple/Cingular license or sell the technology to Rogers, Orange, Vodafone, whoever. That's assuming I'm getting things straight with the network infrastructure requirements for that capability.

So. One thing is severely inadequate for today's market, the other is extreme overkill. Mash the two of them together and you meet somewhere in the usability middle.

AppleiTVPhone? Nah, go with what Eric Schmidt said... AppleGoo!

802.11n Airport Extreme: While not covered in the keynote, Apple also released a draft-n spec router. Which looks just like the form factor of the AppleTV. Coincidence? Hmm. Still... draft-n. I don't own any 802.11n devices, and if 802.11b & g have taught us anything, USB adapters with wireless n capability will be few and far between for Mac availability, if we see any at all. I just bought a new router 6 months ago anyway, I don't want to spend MORE money on another one. Certainly not for $200. While other companies have far cheaper alternatives, nothing is as sleek-looking as Apple's offering. Oh, and after selling wireless routers for like 7 years or so, Apple has finally thrown in some ethernet ports on the back of the router. Way to join the party, guys.

The upshot of all this is I have zero urge to part with my money. I love Apple, but the more stuff they release, the more I realize I'm well outside their target demographic. My needs/desires are either vastly greater or lesser than what they offer.

The downside... all the stuff that should have happened but didn't. How about a progress report on Mac sales? Market penetration? Leopard progress? New displays? The options scandal? There are a dozen stories crying out to be told which weren't. Instead, we get products that miss the mark for a whooooooole bunch of people.

I love Apple, but, baby, why you always gotta make me hit you?

You waited a week to post about THIS?!

Neglect over this blog is setting in again it seems. That being said, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to post this link. The product in question, a vibrator, is apparently drawing ire from Apple, which will likely propel the product into the mainstream limelight soon.

The promo from Jonathan Ross is priceless.

Crib

So I sucked at crib today. On three separate occasions my partner got a 20 hand, but overall we only finished 4 & 4. Two of those losses were skunks. I couldn't remember the last time I was skunked before today, and it happened twice. Feh.

On a happier note, my copy of Lego Star Wars II came today. When I first saw the game I wondered wtf it was about and how it could possibly be fun... but after playing the demo, I couldn't get enough of it (so I had to buy the full version!). I shall report on it later.

Lastly, I got my second-generation iPod Shuffle on Friday last week and I've been taking it for a spin. Expect something more for a review in time, but for now all I can say is wow the thing is tiny. Freakishly so, even.

Hey, wha'haaapen?

So posts of late have been about this and that, frivolous matter after frivolous matter. I figured it was time to get something up about what else is going on. Okay ramblers, let's get rambling.

Not much is really going on with the personal life right now, hence the lack of posts with any substance. I've been lazing around most days and just wasting time following random Wikipedia links, or laughing my ass off on T-Shirt Hell, or seeing what's out there for local events listed on meetup.com. And that's really just been tonight.

I've been keeping current on what little TV I watch, and I've been trying to plow through the backlog of movies (which numbers in the hundreds, alas). I set aside a dozen flicks as a goal for this past weekend (Friday to Sunday) and wound up getting through 7 of them; one of those was a flick I didn't intend to get so it really doesn't count as I didn't watch more than 15 minutes of it.

I'm still waiting for my iPod Shuffle from Futureshop, and it doesn't look like I'll have it in time to christen it at the poker game I've got this coming Sunday. I'd hoped to have it in plenty of time so I could have it charged, loaded with tunes, and get some familiarity with its size and the secret-decoder-ring style light sequences it displays. I guess that's not going to happen since the web store says they're not getting it in until November 10th (this coming Friday); factor in shipping (since you can't pick up online preorders at stores) and there's no way I'll have it for the 12th. Thank goodness I'm getting a discount on it at least.

So, anyway, yeah, there's this poker game I'm going to on Sunday. It's hosted by Hayden, with whom I used to work at Safeway years back. He's also married to the sister of my friend Rob's girlfriend, so that's where the "It's a small world" factor kicks into play. Hayden's a fun guy and the people who organized the last game at his place did a really nice job. There were some issues I had (namely with the blind positioning when players were knocked out; the way they did it was wacky in that they had 3 blinds instead of 2 until the button passed the empty seat), but mostly it was very well-run. I don't doubt I could do better (and have done better in my estimation) but they supplied things I wouldn't, like a nice table top.

Last time at Hayden's there were 17 or so people, and we were split up between two tables. I had been told there were about 25 people expected; there was a third table set up when I arrived, but that was quickly taken down when it was known we didn't have need for it. It was a fun night, filled with mostly n00b players, but there were a few there who had a clue. I enjoyed playing against new blood as sometimes other games I attend get tedious playing with the same people every time. The thing took 5 or so hours overall, but eventually I whittled my way through the field (not that I got very many kills, maybe 1 or 2) and finished in second place overall for a prize of $90. I got lucky a few times, but everyone who wins (or finishes well) in a tournament has to get lucky now and then. My road hand for the night was pocket tens, a hand with which I never lost (and with which I survived one all-in against Ace-Eight; I was a 2 to 1 or better favourite so it was only right I survived there). In the end I got impatient when it was heads up and went all-in with Deuce-Trey offsuit vs the chipleader who had me outchipped 4 or 5 to 1. It took him the better part of 5 minutes to decide, but eventually he called with Ace-Four. The flop gave nothing to either of us, but I turned a Deuce to take the lead, and he spiked a Four on the river to eliminate me. Given I had 2 live cards there, I was about a 3-2 underdog so I had no issues with my play that hand. I went all-in expecting to bluff him, but as the pros say, you can only bluff good players -- so, the tactic backfired slightly.

I also decided last night that I needed some practice for Sunday as I've not played much poker since going to the casino a couple weeks back. I was too lazy to pull out the MacBook Pro and boot into Windows (or run Parallels) and play on Tiger (my usual haunt), so I just went with what I had installed on the iMac, which was the client for Full Tilt. Full Tilt is a very well-respected site and frankly the only one I've come across so far with actual Mac support and a Mac client. (Most suggest running VirtualPC instead of bothering with a Mac client.) I entered a multi-table play money tournament (as I have no real money there yet; I keep wanting to deposit there so I can earn points and maybe one day cash in those points for a Full Tilt hockey jersey)... it was a 90-player tournament with the top 9 places paid. I got very lucky early on and amassed a huge stack, winding up 2nd overall in chips. From there I coasted for the most part until I lost HUGE with Jack-Ten of diamonds (and J-T suited is one of my favourite hands overall) when I flopped top two pair only to have someone else flop a flush (the flop was all hearts). I got lucky the next hand by surviving an all-in thanks to a board straight, and then I climbed back up until I was sitting pretty with chips again. After almost 2 hours of playing the tournament, I was finally knocked out in 5th place.

That was a good feeling, placing as high as I did given play money tournaments are generally very reckless in my experience. Still, not quite getting my fill, I then entered a single table sit & go; 9 players were allowed with the top 3 places paid. I was back and forth in chips for the most part early on, not really caring how I fared as I was playing with winnings. Still, I eventually focused and got to heads up with the person who'd lead in chips for most of the way (though I was chip leader when we got down to two). It took less than 10 hands to take care of them and win the tournament. So, I think I got some decent practice but I'll still play a little more before Sunday nonetheless.

Anyway, the weather is now officially crappy in Edmonton. Apparently there were blizzard (or blizzard-like) conditions tonight, so that may affect the turnout on Sunday. Regardless, I'm going in expecting to do well again. In my estimation, Rob and I amount to ringers at a game like that, which held true when one considers I finished second overall last time and he finished third. I'm curious to see if it continues to hold true this coming game.

Beyond those things, not much is really happening around here. I'm still content to not look for a job despite mounting boredom and too much of the same routine. I'm hoping I can manage to get through the winter without going postal but we'll see what happens. I've been playing a fair bit of NHL 07 on the XBox 360, trying to plod through a season and/or dynasty before I get rid of the game altogether. I bought the 360 to play Tiger Woods 2006 despite the fact it was a rampantly buggy game and there were a lot of things in the game which said they could be accomplished but in reality could not (eg. some of the gamer score achievements, the number of pro shop items, unlocking gold clubs without a cheat code, etc.). I played the game to death and still have a few things to accomplish for the single player mode. I also have Tiger Woods 07 sitting here, still in the shrinkwrap. After the crap EA served customers with Tiger Woods 2006, and the problems I've read about with 07, and the problems I've experienced with NHL 07, I'm quite tempted to take my copy of Tiger Woods 07 back to Futureshop and get my money back -- and boycott EA. There are loads of issues on both the EA and XBox forums about the shoddy nature of the development work and as a consumer I'm not happy with paying $70 for a game that's incomplete and buggy.

I could go on about that for another few pages but it's best to just stop there before I get overly worked up. I think this is about where it's appropriate (too late!) to end this post.

In honour of my friend Jean-Paul who's taking a beginner Spanish class to broaden his horizons, hasta luego!

More Nerd Porn

While I await the shipment for my second-generation iPod Shuffle, interested parties may enjoy the disassembly photos for such a unit.

Other transpirings

My father, his wife, and my sister, are finally moving. It took what seemed like forever, but their new house is nearly ready. I was over there on Sunday helping to shift some boxes and smaller things that the movers wouldn't be taking. My legs and back are not thanking me for it, but it was a fun day.

My sister's iPod is dying, a little more so every time I ask her about it, so I'd mentioned to her that Futureshop was having a sale Sunday night featuring, among other things, 10% off iPods -- which was reasonably remarkable, as it seems iPods never go on sale. Couple that with there no longer being an educational discount for iPods (which would have been a valid option for Janita as she's at the U of Eh), and I thought it'd be a good time for her to pick up a replacement since her unit is unfortunately out of warranty. Alas, she'd spent the early part of the afternoon at IKEA buying various items and she maxed out her credit card, so an iPod was not in the works for her. Ultimately that might be okay, since the 6th generation, so-called "true video" iPods are quite likely to surface either at MacWorld Expo San Francisco or shortly thereafter. If her iPod lasts another few months then she'd probably be better off with the latest and greatest as a replacement.

That being said, I took the plunge and ordered another iPod for myself. My 4th generation 40GB model is going strong, but even as small as iPods are they can sometimes be cumbersome and seem huge. I've been taking my iPod to poker games and such for a long time now, and I figured that with the Futureshop sale and the sheer size (or lack thereof), it was time to grab an iPod Shuffle. The new version comes out in a week or two, so I preordered one from Futureshop. The upside is it was 10% off; the downside is that you can't elect to pick up preordered items in-store, so I had to spend $2 to have it shipped. Throw the GST in there as well and I've saved all of a buck (versus MSRP) on the unit. Still, with it being so tiny, and with the funky Autofill feature of iTunes, the Shuffle should be a great companion for me when I play poker (be it at the casino or home games), craps at Dave's, whatever. I'll post a mini-review of it when it arrives. I hope I can live with the 1GB capacity, which is very tiny given I'm used to far more space (both now and when I had my original first generation 5GB iPod). I'm thinking that since it's going to be for specialized uses it'll be okay; I doubt I'll need even the 240 (or so) song capacity most times.

I'm scared

This is an article I just read which freaks the hell out of me. The end result isn't what scares me so much as the fact such legislation can go through the various levels of government and reach Bush to sign into law. Rumsfeld as (essentially) the spot where the buck stops when it comes to (quite probable) overzealous interrogation and investigation? That guy would smile from ear to ear while pulling the wings off a fly. Something is very, very rotten with this new legislation.

If nothing else, it would be fantastically easy to whisk away a presumed "terrorist" to somewhere off US soil so that these "limitations" outlined in the legislation don't even apply (which seems to make this legislation at least partially moot!). The military could literally get away with murder (no comment as to the likely fact they already do). I can't even really bear to think about the ramifications this could have while the US remains at war, yet complacency is not the answer.

Anyway, in happier news, today Apple announced a $546M profit for the most recent fiscal quarter, with (yet to be adjusted) profits of $0.62/share. It's always wonderful to see the company succeed despite recent woes (the FoxConn iPod factory findings, the options scandal, iPod virii, etc.). I don't think I've been a happier computing type guy since I finally divested myself of my Windows PC and went back to an all-Mac setup. Now if only there was a way to score a free 24" iMac. Mmmm.... better-than-true-HD-resolution...

I, like a lot of Apple fans, was worried last year when the Intel switch was announced. However, I'm glad to say it was quite possibly the best thing Apple has ever done in its efforts to shill the Mac. That's a hard thing to say given I went through the birth of System 7, the demise of Copland (though I still have some way-cool developer materials on Copland from an old MacWorld), the PowerPC transition, the Mac OS X transition, and the death of Classic as a Mac user. More to the point, i lub my MacBook Pro. So sexy, oh so sexy, and oh so fast. Go Apple!