More Predictions

The New Year may have begun long ago, but some Robert Cringely hasn't announced his predictions for the year until now, and they actually sound pretty realistic for the most part. He only got 2/3 of them right last year, but I think a few of his new ones because pretty obvious will boost his accuracy this year, like that Google won't create its own PC. One of his more interesting ones is that whatever we might think Google to release could just the same be created by Yahoo since they've been operating under the media radar for the past several months. I disagree with him in saying that PS3 will release with a dearth of games just because the silence we've heard from that front may hint at secret development. The fact that Sony has waited another year shows that they're not going to rush now that they have no one to race. One of his better points is that Apple will make some sneaky inroads against Microsoft, and another is that Sun will continue to run itself into the ground. They're starting to run out of that money they made in the 80s and the more I learn C++ (and, hence, hate Java), the less sympathy I have for them. I don't think there will be another service pack for XP, but I can totally see Microsoft delaying Vista or no one caring about it like people did about XP, which was only because Windows 98 was so horrendously unstable. I also wouldn't be surprised if Google did sell more stocks because I'm sure that they're looking for some new projects this year. I guess now we just have to see what happens.

One of the things he mentioned was that Apple will announce the stuff it didn't talk about at MacWorld, which may sound obvious, but it's because the media expected him to discuss more. One of the reasons, according to this scoop, was that Intel wasn't stocked with enough Core Duo chips and something especially cool should've been released. He says that it's better than a 17" MacBook, but what could that be? Another reason is likely their legal battle with Burst.com. You can take a look at what they did release, the MacBook Pro, in this hands-on video with a MacWorld prototype. A trademark filing from Apple is leading some to wonder whether they're going to release their own iTunes enabled phone in the wake of the release of the Rokr E2, which is sans iTunes. Given that people have been expecting an iPod Shuffle replacement, this wouldn't seem like too crazy of a replacement. A ZDNet blogger questions the pricing of .Mac, which is something I was actually thinking about during the keynote as well. It would make a lot of sense for them to have a free, lower-tier service (like they used to) and let you buy more bandwidth and space. Hopefully, it's more than just wishful thinking. Sorry, there's just been a lot of Apple articles today, and the last one I have on them is regarding a study that reveals that proportionally few iPod users download illegal P2P programs. That's probably biased data, but it can't be too far from the truth since iTunes is so easy to use, it's pretty, and $1 a song is pretty damn cheap. Lastly, if you're a Linux newbie and you ever need to use one, this command list will save your butt.

A few trailers came out today. The most fast-paced one was definitely for Ultraviolet featuring the lovely Milla Jovovich, which almost makes me feel like she's been typecast. It looks like it's probably more fun Aeon Flux (which similarly has a female lead kicking butt, of course), so maybe this will be the year of good action movies. BET put up a trailer for 16 Blocks, which has Bruce Willis and Mos Def (a phenomenal artist) and is about Willis transporting Mos Def 16 blocks to a courthouse even though tons of cops want to kill him. Again, year of action movies (though this is more of a thriller). JoBlo shamelessly plugged a sponsor's teaser trailer: Final Destination 3. It has some scenes from the old movies, but it still oozes campy horror movie goodness. IGN has a clip for another horror movie, but this one is called Tamara and sounds like a new take on Carrie (which I still haven't finished reading). Lastly, Tim Robbins appears to be interested in a film adaptation of 1984, which I think would be a pretty good idea.

I thought I'd post a postcard that may serve as some advice I should follow this semester:



I'm going to go with the Friday's Feast meme

Appetizer
Name one chore you don't really mind doing.
Vaccuming. I just feel cleaning walking around my place when I see those parallel lines on my carpet from the vaccum cleaner and no stray pieces of trash.

Soup
How many times have you moved homes in your life?
Well my parents moved houses when I was like 3 or 4, I moved into my West Campus apartment in 2004, and last year I moved into my Far West apartment. These apartments are really just temporary homes though.

Salad
How old were you when you had your very first kiss?
*blushes*

Main Course
What time of day do you usually feel your best?
Later in the night when I can look back on my day and say, "wow, I got a lot done!" It's also great because it's close to sleep time and I can look forward to a new day. Plus, I always crave breakfast before I go to bed.

Dessert
Using three words or less, describe your current local weather.
Warm and uneven.