Looking at Vista Build 5270

By now, I'm sure that everyone know that Microsoft's next OS, Vista, is currently in its beta stages and they call the current one build 5270. I don't know how they come up with that number, but it is what it is. Bentuser put up a great side-by-side comparison of this beta with Windows XP, and the clearest thing in all the pictures is that Microsoft is taking a note from Apple and trying to make Windows more user-friendly and slicker. For example, minimizing and maximizing windows in XP is pretty drab compared with the same operation in Mac OS X Tiger. Now you can see previews of windows before you restore them, and when you want to alt+tab through your windows, you can see them in three dimensions thanks to Windows Management Features(WMF). Is it really all necessary though? Some of it is, like the ability to quickly search through your start menu rather than having to skim the list for your program of choice (for most of us, programs stop being added in alphabetical order after a while). In areas like Internet Explorer though, it has caused a lot of instability, and in Windows Media Player 11, it had caused it to look pretty hideous. Granted, this is still a beta, but XP came out in 2001, so what the Hell have the been doing for nearly five years?! I think a lot of the stuff mentioned is what we should already have in our OS and not a whole lot that Mac and Linux users aren't already accustomed to. I think their biggest focuses should really be security and stability, because that will get the most monkeys off their back. At least they're trying to make things easier to use, but I hope the trade-off isn't too steep (some things got harder to do between Windows 98 and XP).

BusinessWeek has a neat editorial about how the media has really become very pro-Apple in recent years and the announcement of the Intel-based iMac even spurred an AP NewsAlert. I just think it's kind of funny, but I wonder if it's because it's easier to associate someone passionate about Apple with it (Steve Jobs) than someone passionate about Microsoft (Bill Gates is no longer the posterchild he once was). Some news organizations have questioned Google's intentions in recent months, and The Economist claims that they're working towards a machine that will pass the Turing test. This test, for those of you who don't know, claims that AI is truly AI when it could be mistaken for an actual person in a conversation. It's an interesting guess, but I don't think they're old enough to make a truly educated guess quite yet. Some people aren't too thrilled with how Google Video looks, and I'll admit that I, too, am disappointed that they didn't revamp the layout. For a company with so many brilliant minds they sure are short-handed on good designers! Volvo isn't though, and I just had to share this video with you of the C70 hardtop convertible retracting the top. I'm so getting another Volvo when I graduate, even if it's used. If you're looking for new music to listen to, you must go to this site. It's an amazing mapping of the "music genome" that creates music stations just for you. Lastly, Nikon has killed off its line of film-based cameras. I can't believe it's actually happening: digital is taking over!

I personally like this new teaser poster for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which goes with the teaser site, having been a fan of the series as a child and I'm really curious as to how serious or kiddie a CG movie would be. The original was so campy that it's funny to watch though in case you haven't seen it. It's no secret that I love Batman, so I have to report any rumors I encounter. According to one slightly cryptic scoop, Rachel Weisz may be in the running to play Talia (fans will recognize this character as Ra's Al Ghul's daughter), and they're looking at Johnny Depp to be the Joker. How freaking cool would that be?! The main man in Superman Returns, Brandon Routh, spoke with Sci Fi Wire and said that this movie gets Superman in touch with his more human side, which reminds me a lot of the progression in Smallville, which just started up again tonight. Rumors are surfacing that David Fincher may be slated to direct Torso, which is the film adaptation of a graphic novel following Eliot Ness solving a series of murders where human torsos are dumped in the river. He could probably have a lot of fun with that one. Steven Soderbergh told Coming Soon that he wouldn't do Ocean's Thirteen unless everyone comes back, which is good news because it'll have to be really good for everyone to agree to return. Just a couple of trailers left. Outkast is finally starring in a good movie, or so it seems, called Idlewild with an interesting trailer. Lindsay Lohan is returning to the big screen with Just My Luck, which sounds pretty stupid, but I'm only plugging it because it features one of my favorite Rilo Kiley songs.

Now for the 3x Thursday meme:

I grant you 3 personal wishes (these wishes are for you and not anybody else!)! What are they? Explain in detail.
3. More free time to explore my social pursuits.
2. No more cluttering.
1. An internship at Apple.

Bonus Question: Okay, one world wish. "The world would get this wish: ______"
An end to the war in Iraq. Too many people are dying, and dying sucks.