Only- Electronics

And you thought I had forgotten all about the Warner Brothers announcement, tisk tisk. Seriously though I’ve received several emails asking why I hadn’t commented on the announcement and it simply boils down to waiting for the other shoe to drop, (read other studios following in kind) but it seems as if Paramount and Universal are holding steady (at least for now) so here it goes. Firstly this was a huge win for the BDA, no two ways about it; this was very likely the decisive factor in the format war. I’ve said for quite some time now that Warner’s loyalty was worth its weight in gold, I still believe that but in the weeks since the announcement a couple of things have been gnawing at me. Someone else summed it up best at lunch a few days ago with the comment “if they (the hardware manufacturers) were just going…

How a White Shoe Law Firm Disputes a Bill. “Electronic discovery, the phrase that refers to the mountains of electronic…

SAN FRANCISCO

Apple releases the new Macbook Air (http://www.apple.com/macbookair/) - The world’s thinnest notebook.

The new year – the time for change – the time for resolutions – the
time for the latest announcements from MacWorld in San Francisco.
We oohed when Steve Jobs pulled the first iPod Nano out of the small
pocket in his jeans. We counted the days until we could feel the
new iPhone in our own hands. And just this morning, we marvelled
when the world’s thinnest laptop was pulled out of an envelope.

Weighing just 3 pounds, a remarkable 0.16 inches at its thinnest point
and merely 0.76 inches at its maximum height, the MacBook Air was
born. Typically as laptop computers have become smaller,
sacrifices to the size of the screen as well as the size of the
keyboard had to be made. Miraculously the new MacBook Air did not
suffer on account of its weight loss. The design includes a 13.3
inch widescreen display using LEDs that consume less power and still
provide a sharp picture. And forget about cramming your fingers
while you’re typing, the MacBook Air has a fullsize, backlit keyboard
as well.

But naturally size alone is usually not enough to impress us. Along
with the features and programs we would expect to find on any new
Apple computer, the coolest new addition is the multifunctional
trackpad. Of course we’re used to Mac’s two-finger tap and
two-finger scroll trackpad features. What excites us here is that
multi-touch innovations created for the iPhone have been adapted for
MacBook Air. The new and improved trackpack allows users to pinch
(increase or decrease text/photo size), swipe (three finger gesture to
scroll through multiple pages) and rotate (photos).

For this new year, if one of your resolutions, like always, includes
getting thinner, the new MacBook Air could have you covered. The
world’s thinnest notebook has arrived – and check out apple.com/hotnews (http://www.apple.com/honews) for the complete list of MacWorld 2008 announcements. By Andrew J Wiener

Text messages are shortcut for investigators in teacher-student cases. “Private text messages between lustful school teachers and their student paramours…

We reported earlier this month about a study on DVR usage by Palisades MediaGroup and The Nielsen Company. Here’s some more findings from the study.
The study found, on average, DVR owners watch almost 75% of all programs recorded within 24 hours. The company analyzed Fall 2007 Nielsen Company data, finding that less than half of [...]

This week’s podcast looks first at the growing problem of global electronic, or e-waste. Then, to India to look at the launch of the Tata Nano, billed as the world’s cheapest car. Also, an in-depth look at how the internet is changing the way people buy, or don’t buy, music. And finally, we step back in time to look at the old school technologies that go into making cymbals. Too cool. I can’t believe we give this stuff away!

LAS VEGAS

That title should have actually read: My HTPC Could Wake the Dead, but its getting much quieter. It’s been quite a while since I’ve discussed HTPC’s (mine in particular) so I thought a quick re-cap and update of where I’m at with my system might be in order. Late last summer I picked up the idea of building a HTPC (for the third time) and finally followed through with it. However one aspect in particular wound up quite different than what I had originally intended, the operating system. Back in August I indicated that I had no intention of using Vista in my HTPC but my version of MCE (circa 2004 as far as I can tell) just wasn’t operating as smoothly as I’d hoped, so with that and against better judgment I tried Vista. I’m really glad I did. Yeah I’d heard all the horror stories, the wailing and…

According to a report by Palisades MediaGroup and The Nielsen Company, the Top 10 Most DVR-recorded Primetime Programs for October 2007 are:

Bones (FOX)
Friday Night Lights (NBC)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
My Name is Earl (NBC)
Office (NBC)
Prison Break (FOX)
Reaper (CW)
Smallville (CW)
Survivor: China (CBS)

Broadcast primetime 9/24/2007 to 10/21/2007, adult viewers age 18-49.
Smallville and Survior: China ranked the highest for [...]