Google Jumps in Bed With Apple

The first day of class wasn't too bad, but it was marred by my figuring out that I bought the wrong edition of my Probability text book and so I now have to buy it again and stomach the expense of the first one. Oh well, life will go on. The big news today may mark a turning point if it's as big as many of us are speculating: Eric Schmidt has joined Apple's board of directors, which could mean an implicit alliance between Google and Apple where they would help promote each other's products. I guess it makes sense since Google keeps releasing simplified online components of Microsoft Office and Apple is no doubt keeping an eye on the Zune. These companies have so much going for them that they, theoretical, could bring down Microsoft. Just think about it: Apple has the OS that probably should be #1 and Google keeps pumping out services that are winning the kind of praise from the public at-large that Microsoft probably dreams about rather than the bad PR they get (though it hasn't hurt their sales ostensibly, mind you). It is far-fetched to consider that anyone could bankrupt a company as diverse as Microsoft, but it has been sloppy in recent years where Apple has become sharp and Google has grown remarkably. Isn't it conceivable that they could create an extremely formidable technological powerhouse? Everyone likes spewing out their own speculation on this thing though, and no one knows what it really means who's willing to clue the rest of us in, so we'll have to just observe what happens next.

I was thinking of making today's topic actually center around Sony and whether or not the PS3 will be able to save them . Reading that article was actually a little addicting because it's so interesting how deep of a hole Sony has dug itself into over the years. It's a wonder that they're still around! I don't think it'll come close to saving them though and I think that it'll push them back even farther. Back to Apple for a second though, Macworld has a good editorial asking why Apple hasn't expanded its reach into airports yet. I'm sure that they're looking to do more business than just selling spare parts to forgetful airline travelers, but I'm sure that people will still wander around and buy stuff from an Apple store while waiting for a delayed flight. John Dvorak has dug up some history on Microsoft Office and how it never has been and still is not in danger of failing for several reasons including good auto-correction, menus ingrained in people's memories, and a good markup system. It's a good read to put into perspective Office as it stands today. Lastly, if you hate telemarketers then you'll love what this guy does to them.

There doesn't seem to be much good movie news today. Sony Pictures has released a trailer for Curse of the Golden Flower, directed by Zhang Yimou and featuring Chow Yun-Fat. It definitely looks like it'll be a beautiful movie, but no clue what it's about. IGN has some more clips from Jackass 2, and they're not quite as painful to watch, but they still make you wonder how stupid these guys really are. Lastly, MiraJeff over at AICN saw This Film is Not Yet Rated and didn't rave about it like everyone else, but it still sounded like a worthwhile movie. I, for one, am definitely curious as to how a movie qualifies for NC-17 status as opposed to R because it's not like there aren't already R movies that are extremely obscene.

I'm going to leave you all with a picture I took today at campus that I can never get since I never seem to have my camera on me when the East Mall fountain is on.



Now for a Wednesday Mind Hump:

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars
Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter? Harry Potter (the movies are just so enjoyable)
Internet Explorer or Firefox? Firefox (no-brainer)
iPod shuffle or iPod Nano? Nano (though the Shuffle is nice because you don't have to worry about a screen getting scratched up)
Camera phone or mp3 phone? Camera phone (for the picture mail)
Dilbert or Jon from "Garfield"? Dilbert is so much cooler

And of course, the big question

Mac or PC? I've always been a PC man, but I get pushed closer to the edge and over to the Mac side every day.