Why Microsoft Will Trump the iPod When Pigs Fly

I'm finally getting the hang of office politics at work, but it's not so bad. I think I know how to dance around it. I was hoping that my topic would turn some heads because I couldn't think of a better topic than that. I've mentioned more than once before that there are extremely good odds that Microsoft is working on an mp3 player to compete with the iPod this fall, and after reading this article I've realize that there's probably no way it's going to beat Apple's hottest product. That guy is trying to point out what M$ needs to do to succeed, and he brings up some great points, but I believe that because Microsoft is so unlikely to follow them that they'll fail miserably. For example, when has Microsoft kept anything simple (his first tip)? Even the packaging for their products looks crazy, let alone their software itself! As for their music portal, it hasn't managed to turn many heads and it doesn't even work in Firefox. Given their latest controversy over Windows Genuine Advantage, do you really think they'll lighten up on DRM? I won't even bother going on, because you get the picture. Their method of doing things is averse to all the principles that would put them over the top against Apple. I don't want anything to think that I'm rooting against them, because I think it's high time that someone put real pressure on Apple. However, I just find it unlikely that Microsoft will overcome their tried-and-true weaknesses to pull it off. Maybe they'll try changing their backwards way of doing things?

No new news from Apple to contrast with that, but Kensington is releasing an iPod transmitter/charger that will transmit track information to RDS-enabled car stereos for just under $100. It's not a bad idea, but it's rather pricey. We do have real news from Microsoft though: Bill Gates is 80% sure that Vista will be ready to release in January, and hopes are high for Office to be ready in December. I guess that it doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but at least he's not going to release a product with serious bugs still intact. Things are going really swell over at the Mozilla camp, which now holds 15% of the US browser market, and has pushed IE below 80% across the globe. Firefox has finally released beta 1 of Firefox 2.0, and it sounds pretty neat, but probably not as dramatic a change as some fans would have hoped for. If you do decide to pick it up, read this to find out how to enable all your extensions since it may claim some to be incompatible even though they really are (assumed incompatible if the authors don't specify outright that they are). If you own an HD television set, then you'll find this article extremely useful. I personally do not, so that's all I have to say on it. I do like maps though, so I will say that I'm glad that Google Maps has implemented your mouse scroll wheel as a hotkey to zoom in and out of maps. It makes things much more intuitive and quicker to use than having to go off to the side and mess with that zoom bar. If you think you'll ever find yourself behind a UNIX machine and are unfamiliar with using the shell, you'll want to print/bookmark this page. It's definitely a great crash course in what you absolutely must know. Lastly, if you're still wondering why Zidane headbutted Italian soccer player Materazzi, then you'll want to read what lip-readers are claiming. If what they say is true, then I'd say it's pretty justified.

I haven't said anything about Crank because I previously didn't care about it, but after seeing the new trailer I actually think it could be a really fun little action movie. We also have select scenes from the trailer for The Prestige, which I think will be amazing. The setting and plot sounds kinda similar to The Illusionist (magicians in a more historical setting), except that it has a better cast and director, and the scenes I just saw actually look good. We all know Vince Vaughn for his comedies, but it looks like he's teaming up with Paul Haggis, of Crash fame, for a movie called Against All The Enemies. Isn't he too entrenched in comedy to pull off a serious role though? What's weirder is that a Dracula prequel is being made called Dracula Year Zero. Does anyone else think that this is a play off of the success of Batman Begins, which is loosely based off of Batman: Year One? Speaking of which, the sequel to that movie may be called The Joker given some comments made by Caine, but I think he meant to say a movie based on the Joker. Lastly, Rosario Dawson has revealed that she's pretty sure that Angelina Jolie will be in Sin City 2. We have no clue in what capacity, but she believes that production on it will be delayed due to her pregnancy.

Now for the Tuesday Twosome:

1. Do you avoid watching TV or reading fashion magazines because they make you feel unattractive? If so, why do you feel this way?
Not really. I've already gone through enough dieting and jogging to get my body to where it is now. I feel that I work out enough to keep myself in shape, and I don't really feel inadequate just because my muscles don't bust out of my shirt. I know that my face isn't as good-looking as a lot of other guys, but there's nothing I can do about that and I'd rather not be inappreciative of what God has given me.

2. Name two people that you know love you for just being you and nothing else:
My brother and my parents. I guess that's one too many, so I'd probably choose my dad over my mom just because he shows he always cares even when he's pissed at me.

3. Name two people whose inner beauty outshines their outer beauty:
What? That's an awkward question to answer. I'm going to go with my brother's fiance (I find it deplorable that anyone thinks anything wrong with her physically) and my cousin Warren, who isn't ugly or anything but has a bit of a ponch though he's a caring and funny guy.

4. Name two people you have prejudged wrongly before getting to know them:
My friend John, who I initially thought was an arrogant prick but definitely do not anymore, and my cousin Karen, who I initially thought was a lame bitch, but I now know that I was the real jerk at the time.

5. Name two people that have greatly positively influenced your life:
My old debate coach and my LAT 506 teacher. My debate coach taught me a lot about standing up for what you believe in and how to argue well, and the latter just, I don't know, was a great teacher and inspired me to write my Latin program.