Blu-ray Springs Forward

I know I say this often to no avail, but I really have to make this post as short as I can since I have a CS 310 final tomorrow morning that I still think I need to work more towards. There's a lot to talk about today though so I'll get right down to it. In the midst of word that Toshiba is delaying the introduction of the HD-DVD once again, due to delays in AACS, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) gave an update on the status of the BD-ROM format and it's looking good. Not only will Blu-ray players be backwards compatible with DVDs, but they'll support MMC and may even support the download of trailers and stuff. Plus, they make claims of even more interactivity in menus. In other words, they're trying to impress everyone to the level that the DVD format initially did, and I think it's working. I'm not saying that the HD-DVD is out of the running, but it's just lagging behind at this point. I'm sure they can come up with some impressive stuff as well, but we're closing in on Q1 2006 very quickly and promises made earlier will be called into question. The deciding factor will be who follows through on them.

Another controversial topic today was an article that highlights a debate that has developed in the past year or so: the discussion over whether or not Java is dead. I think that other formats have definitely smacked it around a lot with better functionality, but I think that its use in businesses is too deep-rooted to be so easily disposed of. I'm personally not a big fan of it though. The East has been ahead of us in technology for quite a long time now, and one luxury they've had is watching TV on their cell phones. Phillips is working on bringing chipsets to the U.S. that would make such a thing feasible to us. They still have to work on the business model, but it would be great for if you're at a Longhorn football game but you want to see if anyone is beating USC yet. I encountered a blog post where a System Administrator listed the ten most common problems he's dealt with, and it's actually really useful so I highly recommend it. Lastly, one blogger posted his best guess for Nintendo's big surprise for the Revolution that they've hinted at, and he thinks it's a relatively unknown technique called displacement mapping. It's a good read if you're interested in Nintendo at all.

I have been intrigued by Munich since I first caught wind of it, and now Hollywood.com has a little featurette on it exploring the vision behind the film. I wonder how it will play in people's minds against the current "War on Terror." IGN has an exclusive clip from Hostel that is intense and a little gruesome so view it at your own risk. I think this has the makings of a great horror flick. I was least impressed today with the trailer for Poseidon, but it is a Wolfgang Peterson movie so you never know. AICN got a first look at V for Vendetta, and all they can do is rave about it. I guess Natalie Portman didn't shave her head for nothing! Superhero Hype has discovered that Adrian Lester from Hustle and Flow will be in Spider-man 3, and supposedly he'll be "[curing] the baddie." I don't know who that would be, but the only doctor I can think of is the Lizard. Lastly, the Golden Globe nominations are now online and remind me of just how few new movies I watched this year.

Since the start of my week is marred with the agony of studying and other matters floating around in my head, I thought I'd post an equally deep PostSecret postcard (though I do believe in God):



Now for the Ten on Tuesday meme:

10 Things You Want for Christmas
10. Any Frank Miller graphic novel
9. Angels & Demons
8. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
7. Get Born - Jet
6. Spider-man boxed set
5. Any Rilo Kiley album.
4. More nice clothes (like business casual stuff)
3. Devil May Cry 3
2. Any of the Family Guy seasons
1. An iPod (any kind)