3-seashells

Fifa World Cup 2014

2011-12-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

Check out the promotional video for FIFA World Cup 2014 - Brasil.

"Democracy lessons for Fidel Castro"

2011-12-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

I came across this Al Jazeera piece today and I thought that I would share it.

It's called "Democracy Lessons for Fidel Castro" written by Journalist Belen Fernandez.

Check it out and feel free to share your thoughts.

Hottest Fans: South Africa World Cup 2010

2010-06-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be a working list.
I'll be posting some of the best pics that I find of some of the hottest fans and you make the decision. And we'll see if there is a co-relation between performance of teams and the sexiness of their fan base.

Enjoy!

South Africa 2010 - Theme Song

2010-06-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

With only 8 days left to go, I wanted to share the official song of the World Cup 2010 with you. For those of you who have seen it already, it's great to watch one more time. For those of you who will be viewing for the first time, enjoy!

K'Naan - Official World Cup 2010 song

Another Version para mis amigos espanol
.

Update:
So I also found this song by Shakira, also said to be the anthem for this year's World Cup. Check it out.

Waka Waka - Shakira

Apple's Latest Innovation - The Garden Retail Store

2010-04-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Apple Inc is continuing its innovation in the business world. Arguably the most innovative technology company in the world, leading the way in mobile phone business, Apple has now been formulating plans to revamp retail stores.

The new store design is indeed really impressive. “The facade will be entirely transparent at ground level, vast skylights will flood the store with natural light, and trees will grow inside, fed by the sunlight from above, according to a proposal submitted to the city's architectural review board.”

Apple has redesigned every square inch of the store. The new store design will include trees on the inside. Nice! I think this is a brilliant concept - on that will resonate with everyone especially around the summer months.

The new historic store is set for the Convent Garden in London as reported by The World of Apple

Apple's new iSomething

2009-08-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

Remember this...

This September Apple will (probably) be releasing a new version of something. Lots of analyst have predicted it to be a tablet PC of some sort. Some have gone as far as saying it's going to be a 6-inch screen device and a second one with a larger screen (9to5mac). Others have guestimated the price at starting around $679 (BusinessWeek)There are even moc images of what the device will look like.

Some of those enthusiastic persons may be close to the whatever it is as some of them have been right in the past. But knowing how ultra secretive Apple is we all can only guess what what this new thingy will be.

We hope that's it's not going to be just a big-ass iPod Touch. And even if it were, it would still be friggin awesome. We're not expecting something revolutionary but something extraordinary (hopefully). While the earnings potential and and cult following of this device all hangs on what exactly it is, we're all anticipating something super cool. Look out for it. Apple's new iSomething, coming very soon.

Beginning of the end of AT&T iPhone exclusivity?

2009-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

So you all know that I've hated the idea of the exclusivity deal between Apple and AT&T ... infact any exclusivity deal between cell phones and carriers. But Apple's deal with AT&T is especially upsetting to me for several reasons of which I will mention a couple.

First is the fact that AT&T service plans suck. Plain and simple. Customers are charged too much for services that other carriers are providing for much less. AT&T remains the longest running carrier in the US and one would think that at this point they would be able to offer such services at much more competitive prices. But no. An average iPhone bill, as understood, runs about $100 a month. The other carriers offer much better plans (many more minutes, more texts, more data....even unlimited in some cases) and they do it for much less. If they can do it, why can't AT&T?

Secondly, I think this exclusivity with AT&T is actually hurting Apple sales of the iPhone, and ultimately their profit margin. Had it been open to any carrier of course the maker of 'the Jesus phone' would have had a lot more sales. Why they chose to partner with AT&T and limit their sales numbers may have probably been to keep the phone an exclusive item, but that does not hold, totally. AT&T may have been the ones to bend the most to their demands and so they beat out the other potentials. Why else?!

But here comes the good news. Along comes war hero - John Kerry. Kerry, chairman of the Commerce Subcommitee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, along with Roger Wicker, Byron Dorgan and Amy Klouchar are taking up the case for consumers and questioning/challenging carrier-cell phone exclusivity deals. Hearings will be occurring soon to discuss such alliances and their harmful, anti-competitive nature.

Oh Happy Day

Not just yet. We still have to wait and ride the matter through...and we all know how long the political system takes. But of course ultimately this is great news for the millions of us who want to get the iPhones and/or Palm Pre's but can't because that would mean we would have to leave our current carriers to migrate to those who have exclusivity offers of those phones. Often such transfers involve an increase in our monthly bill alongside a reduction in actual service we receive.

But to be fair to the matter - we don't necessarily hate other carriers, we chose our current carriers because they offer what we want at prices we can afford. Tmobile service is not for all, Verizon service is not for all and likewise AT&T service is not for all. But they are for those they are for. We don't want to have to leave our current carriers and switch over to another when we don't want to because there is a particular phone that we really want. We just want to buy any phone we want, and we want an iPhone, and be able to use it with our current carrier. Plain and simple! Cell phone-Carrier exclusivity deals not very competitive and not consumer friendly. We deserve better.

Story posted on 9to5Mac. Read article here.

Thank you for taking this step John Kerry, Roger Wicker, Byron Dorgan and Amy Klobuchar. Let's get this going.

Update: 7/6/09
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Department of Justice has launched a review (not an investigation...Yet) into the exclusivity deals of telecoms. At this point the review is focusing on AT&T and Verizon.
[Read Article]

"The Department of Justice has begun an initial review to determine whether large U.S. telecom companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. have abused the market power they've amassed in recent years, according to people familiar with the matter."

Let's hope the best comes out of this.

On a particular system

2009-01-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

We as human beings seem bored with ourselves. We no longer seek the true pleasures of life and living in real harmony with each other, in love, and with our physical and natural environment. Rather we spend our time, efforts, and resources on just trying to get more and more for ourselves. And the very nature of our system, which reveals its failures from time to time, which some proponents discard as 'market failures', serve only to reinforce the self-perpetuating nature of that existence, whereby our every action and thought is directed by the need of gain in order to live...to survive...to remain 'relevant.'

"Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains." Self-betterment is fine, living a life simply to spend and acquire material possessions brought on / forced upon by a social system and all its many negative consequences, to me, is a deprived, incomplete and sad one. It seems we remain in chains even as we try to get out and attain some semblances of freedom.

I ask, am I too hard on capitalism? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's short-comings are what I protest against.

25 Years and counting ...

2009-01-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Virgin unveils next-gen broadband

2008-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

In a story by the BBC News - Virgin unveils next-gen broadband we see the first step in higher speed broadband connection being brought to the consumer.

"Virgin Media has launched its new 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) domestic broadband service."

This has implications on the net neutrality issue, where we have already seen early backers of neutrality - Google, Miscrosoft, Amazon - back away from it and in favour of a more tiered system. Even the tech advisors to Obama who supported neutrality early on are gradually singing a new tune.

I like the idea of higher speed broadband connections and think that much of today's limited use and integration of the net at home has to do with the horribly slow speeds that cable and internet companies provide. Not any company specific speed but the general download/upload speed of the internet.

If a certain company who's name is that of a fruit, were to implement such a high speed broadband, utilizing it with its full range of products would be, well, truly wonderful. Not that it would limit content from others, but rather because of synergy with it's products and those meeting standard and similar specifications, means that such could flow at far higher speeds than delivered today, outside of Virgin.

Movie downloads/streams, game streams, large chunks of data between universities and other institutions of learning, specific b2b content....all can be done quicker and more secure.

Phone calls on your iPod Touch

2008-12-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

As reported by the BBC "Wireless Turns iPod into a phone" and confirmed from the website, Truphone now has technology that allows 2nd Gen iPod Touch users to make calls to other iPod Touch users and Google Talk users over wi-fi - for FREE.

There's no phone bill or over the limit fees. Their aim is to make the software able to make calls to land lines, skype and other type of services within weeks. This could mean massive savings for persons who use their mobiles heavily and are constantly going over their limits. It could also mean huge savings if this software allows us to make international and long distance calls as well.

"There are a slew of new features we're rolling out for the iPod Touch that will let users call landlines, Skype users or send instant messages. We're talking weeks, not months, before these go live."

So no having to wait months for this. This would mean that this is just as good as having an actual iPhone. Well, with the one limitation that you need a wi-fi connection to be able to use this service. But it's impressive nonetheless. Though I have not tried it out yet, I think the question remains as to the quality of those calls. Is it just as good as making a regular call using the cell towers and other technology or is it choppy and bad like you would expect from most software of this type in their early stages? Let's see.

Truphone is software that you can download freely from their website and install on your mobile device which helps you save on calls by routing them over the internet. Similar to skype, let's wait to see if the voice quality is just as good. Amazing stuff. Another challenge to the phone companies. Now let's just wait for Apple to deleverage themselves from AT&T and we should be good. For now.

iTunes Free Open University

2008-12-06T06:19:00.001-08:00

More Free Stuff on iTunes. Learning lessons for FREE!

Thanks to the guys at 9to5Mac for bringing this one to our attention. The iTunes store now has a free open university where you can go download amazing informational stuff. It's great. I checked it out and have downloaded a few myself, all within my first 5 minutes.

Linux on the iPhone

2008-11-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

Linux has been installed on the iPhone. Check out the vid.

2008-10-25T19:29:00.001-07:00

MacBook Wheel and iMac Wheel!!

Is this Apple's latest product? It's just One Button! It knows intuitively what you want to do. No Keyboard...No Mouse...Just One Button!

iPhone IM with Multiple Platforms

2008-09-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the guys from 9to5Mac for this story.

"The award-winning IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger for chats within AIM / iChat, MSN / Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk and MySpaceIM from any iPhone and iPod Touch.

iPhone/iPod touch PwnageTool 2.0.3 ships

2008-08-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the guys at 9to5Mac for first publishing this story on their blog.

The PwnageTool 2.0.3 for the iPhone/Touch is now available for jailbreaking but not unlocking the new iPhone 3G and the iPod Touch.

"PwnageTool 2.0.3 is available," the developers reveal on their blog. "This version provides support for iPhone/iPod firmware 2.0.2 5C1, it has an updated Installer.app beta (b6) and contains a new .de localization for our large amount of German friends."

Read the rest of the article here at 9to5Mac.

an iPhone for-the-rest-of-us: the Nuvifone

2008-08-25T01:21:00.000-07:00

Apple did it wrong by partnering only with AT&T with the iPhone. AT&T's pricing plan is a pure rip-off, if you ask me. Their plan cost is totally unjustifiable...poor AT&T customers. Just a mild comparison $39.99 with T-Mobile gives you 1000 minutes with AT&T for the $54 you get 450 minutes.

But along comes the Touch Phone for the rest of us. And by the rest of us, I mean those of us who don't want to go through the troubles of 'unbricking' or 'jailbreaking 'or 'pwnage tools' any of those other crazy tech terms, to use our phone.

Nuviphone

The Nuviphone is the new touch-screen phone, with some similar features (3-in-1 device) to the iPhone by Garmin, the guys who bring us our GPS service. So far the camera, a 3 mega pixel camera, is better than that in the iPhone, plus it includes a built-in video camera. Although full details have not been given out yet, neither the cost, the Nuviphone does hold plenty of promise.

See the article - Who Dares Call Garmin's Nuviphone an iPhone-Killer? - for more info.

So far I have seen a few benefits of this unit over the iPhone:
1. a GPS service brought to you by the guys who do GPS best.
2. "Where-am-I" feature which lets the user know their exact latitude and longitude co-ordinates... among others.

Let's wait and see how this new promise unfolds.

Jailbreak new iPhone 2.0

2008-08-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Pwnage 2.0 Jailbreak

A Cause of the world food crisis

2008-04-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am sure you have heard by now the fears voiced by both the IMF and The World Bank about the massive increase in poverty numbers around the world sue to the rise in food prices.

There have been riots in several countries already. An approaching problem...we see it coming. We see it clearly.

In the BBC article Castro in new biofuel attacks,and recently updated, making mention of a second paper written by Fidel Castro, he talked of one of the causes of the rise in food prices. Biofuels. In the paper, as mentioned in the article, he criticized the US policy on biofuels and said such a policy would contribute to the rise in food prices for instead of using the production to feed the worlds poor and hungry, it would go instead to make energy. The sale of this produce would directly compete with the need to feed the world's people and so drive up prices.

So said, so done. In a recent article - "World Bank echoes food cost alarm" - the rise of food prices have been partially attributed to biofuels. Similar reasonings have been echoed by the sister organization - the IMF.

""Less insular biofuels policy in advanced economies would help relieve some pressure"" IMF chief economist Simon Johnson.

Update: July 6-2008
In an article about a Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis highlighted by the Guardian talks of the rise in global food prices and the cause of the of the current food crises is the result of the drive for bio-fuels by the EU and the US. This report was carried out by "an internationally-respected economist at global financial body."

"Senior development sources believe the report, completed in April, has not been published to avoid embarrassing President George Bush."
...

Of Worthy note I find from the article are among its findings that the drive for biofuels are responsible for the rise in the global food crisis, raising food prices up by 75%. This confirmation of what others have been saying, and have been ignored, should be addressed and we need to know how the findings of this report will be used.

"Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian."

With the number of global poor persons being increased due to this crisis means that it has already caused a set back in the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). How long have we been set back remains to be seen? How long will it take the authorities to react to this report also remains to be seen?

"Rising food prices have pushed 100m people worldwide below the poverty line, estimates the World Bank, and have sparked riots from Bangladesh to Egypt. Government ministers here have described higher food and fuel prices as "the first real economic crisis of globalisation".

This leads to the question: did they seriously consider the side-effects of such an initiative? While this is a very good attempt to combat climate change, if the strategies are not well thought out they may actually do more harm than good.

The article concludes of bio-fuel approach "said Dr David King, the government's former chief scientific adviser, last night. "All we are doing by supporting these is subsidising higher food prices, while doing nothing to tackle climate change." In the meantime "people in poor countries cannot afford to eat."

iPhone SDK

2008-03-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Watch the video and see for yourself the wonderful and amazing things to come from the iPhone.

New MacBook and MacBook Pro

2008-02-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the heads up by MacRumors, as reported Apple has released their latest updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pros with the new Intel Penryn Chip. These new models include the Multi-Touch technology featured in the iPhone, Touch and the new MacAir.

MacBook:

$1099. Macbook 13" 2.1GHz / 1GB / 120GB / Combo / White
$1299. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 160GB / Super / White
$1499. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 250GB / Super / Black

MacBook Pro

$1999. Macbook Pro 15" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 200GB 5400RPM / 256MB Vram
$2499. Macbook Pro 15" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram
$2799. Macbook Pro 17" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram

The new models are now available at the Apple Store.

Format War is Over: Blu-ray Triumphs

2008-02-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

According to an article from Mac Rumors - Toshiba To Stop HD DVD Player - citing Reuters, HD-DVD has stopped production of their HD-DVD player, symbolizing their throwing in their towel in the battle of formats.

As most of us have suspected - it's Blu-ray!

With announcements by Warner, support by Wal-Mart and Netflix for Blu-Ray means that that format has effectively garnered enough support to make them the dominate format. And with the porn industry going for blu-ray over HD the winner seemed obvious from then.

In addition, "Apple has been a member of the Blu-ray consortium's board of directors since 2005, but has not publicly announced their Blu-ray plans." Silently throwing its support behind Blu-ray and with the war practically over, we can expect to see Blu-ray players in future Mac products.

Apple outdoes Phone operators

2008-02-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

"...the best recent advance in the mobile telecommunications user space came not from a mobile telecom company but from Apple Inc. — the iPhone."

EETimes.Com

Once again we see that where-ever the genius of Apple Inc. decides to tread they will do much better than those who have been there for years. Can you imagine the millions in R&D those other guys have spent in that area already? And Apple just entered the arena and have in the first move, out done them. Leads me to question, what the hell have those guys been doing?

Be careful that Apple does not enter the dating scene as well 'cause there will be a sudden surge in demand for singles bars. I'm telling you...

MacBook Air Ad

2008-01-15T16:15:00.001-08:00

My Highlights from MacWorld '08

2008-01-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

*Airport Extreme with Hard Drive
- 500GB: $299
- 1TB: $499
- ships in February
- works with Time Capsule: the cousin to Time Machine
- can be used to back up all macs in the househol ... wirelessly

*New Apps added to the iPod Touch:

Maps, Mails, Notes, Stock and Weather. These are cool apps that take the Touch steps closer to being an iPhone. I'd definitely consider getting an Touch now and keeping my Blackberry iPearl.

*iTunes Movie Rentals
Steve announced iTunes movie rentals, confirming the many rumours. Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOx, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony all on board. All of the major studies seem to be onboard which is great news.

Movie rentals can be played back anywhere - PCs, Mac, Ipods as well as the iPhone - within 30 seconds for those with broadband connections. That's remarkably fast.

New movie releases cost $3.99 while existing library titles cost $1 less ($2.99). Over 600 TV shows at $1.99. The renter has 30 days to start viewing a movie, once started, it can be viewed for up to 24 hours.

iPhone Updates
Customizable screens
GPS location
Support for lyrics
Multiple SMS
Chapters, subtitles, Languages

iTunes Movie Rentals launces today

*Apple TV Take 2
The latest version of Apple TV - dubbed Apple TV TAke 2 - does not require a computer. Movies are rented straight from the unit and are all DVD quality and HD + Dolby 5.1

Apple TV Take 2 features
- no computer required
- DVD quality and HD + Dolby 5.1
- Podcasts (audio and video)
- photos
- syncs with iTunes
- HD rentals: $4.99
- movies can be previewed
- mild social aspect where you can view the rentals of other persons who have rented that movie.
- Allows purchasing of music
- You can watch YouTube Videos directly on your widescreen
- Price drop from $299 to $229

*4th Thing: There's something in the air
MacBook Air - "The World's Thinnest Notebook"
So thin it fits in a manila envelop.

Some Features:
- only 3lbs
- 0.16"
- 13.3" widescreen
- Multi-Touch trackpad
- backlit LED display
- built-in isight
- macbook like keyboard with ambient light sensor
- standard 80 GB HD
- 2 GB Memory
- 1.8"Hard DRive
- 1.6 GHz standard: 1.8 GHz optional
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 1 USB 2.0 port
- Micro-DVI
- 45 Watt MagSafe
- 802.11N + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR
- 5 hours of battery life
- Price $1799

...ships in two weeks.

Bill Gates' Last Day at Microsoft

2008-01-14T17:09:00.001-08:00

Stock markets almost crash on news that Bill Gates was stepping down from day -to-day operations as chairman of Microsoft.

Check out the vid.

Mac Ad: Time Machine

2008-01-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

UN praises Cuba's ability to feed people

2007-11-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

In an article by By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer, dated Wed Nov 7, 12:14 AM ET, the author brings to our attention the facts found by Jean Ziegler, the UN's Independent Investigator on the right-to-food.

photo taken from news.yahoo.com

Cuba is one of 32 countries that include the "right to food" in their constitutions, and fewer still — including Brazil, Latin America's largest economy — meet pledges to provide food to all their citizens, he said.

Read the full article here --> UN praises Cuba's ability to feed people

Mac OSX Leopard Tour Guide

2007-10-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Apple has posted a video tour guide to the soon-to-be-releazed Mas OS X 10.5 aka Leopard on their website.

Check it out - tour guide.

With only 6 days left till official launch, you can pre-order yours today.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

New Mac Book Pro on Friday?

2007-10-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Rumour on The Street is that Apple will be releasing a newer, sleeker version of the 15" MacBook Pro along side the launch of the new OSX - Leopard on Friday, October 26th.

Check out the video clip.

You heard it here second.

New Yahoo Mail

2007-10-11T21:03:00.001-07:00

I logged in tonight, like I do every night, to check my mail. When I got to my Yahoo mail, I was surprised. Yahoo has updated their mail program and it looks really good.

From initial preview it seems more organized and looks better than the previous mail that they offered. One of the new features in this upgraded mail program is the ability to chat with windows (msn) users right from within your mail window. This feature can be seen to be similar with Google's chat program except that Google chat only allows you to chat with Google chat users.

Bringing the founder back was indeed a good move by Yahoo. Not only has the mail been improved, but so has their aggression towards paid ads on their site. This means that their earnings will only go up.

In a BBCNews article "Google dominates world search" shows Yahoo in a distant second place at 8.5 billion searches behind Google's 37 billion. Expect these numbers to be closer together at the next posting of these search results.

There is life yet in Yahoo.

Remembering Che, 40 years gone and still lives on...

2007-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Video originally posted on Guerrilla News Network. Thanks.

Check This

2007-10-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

2007-10-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Valued Exposure: Argentinean born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara during the battle of Santa Clara. 8th October marks the 40th anniversary of execution in the Bolivian village of La Higuera. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

Image taken from BBCNews.com

Tribute to Che

2007-10-08T12:14:00.001-07:00

The memory of Latin American Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara is being honoured in Cuba 40 years after his capture and summary execution."

This is how the BBC article opened, reporting on the ceremony celebrating the life of the Argentine-born, honorary Cuban Revolutionary Hero. His face is the most widely and easily recognizable face on print and is able to sell anything from buttons, to mugs to t-shirts.

The ideals and the fantasy of Che has indeed captured and inspired the hearts and minds of many people, both young and old, for many years now and continue to do so even to this very day. An ideal of standing up against oppressors in a fight for the common man.

Some of the countries celebrating Che Guevara are Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela. The Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez referred to Che as an "infinite revolutionary" while in a message from Fidel Castro he was described as an "exceptional soldier."

The revolutionary hero / freedom fighter was killed in Bolivia during an attempt to liberate that country. His death marked the end of a brand of being that is yet to be seen today. His body may have been stopped short, but his ideals and image lives on. I am reminded by the line "a missile is not invented that can kill an ideal" ... neither is a bullet.

Che Guevara

Blu-Ray inside...Really?!?!

2007-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

9 to 5 Mac reports that blu-ray discs are finally available for Macs. The lines supported include MacBook Pros, iMac Intel, iMac G5, Mac Mini, PowerBook line iMacs among others.

However, this does come with a $1000 pricetag attached...chi-ching. A disc almost the price of the the 15" iMac. I don't know. But we'll see how desperate consumers are to have blu-rays units to cough out that price.

The units are being offered by Fastmac, who are offering options of 50GB discs, and not by Apple themselves. This leaves questions of warranty issues up the air, for now.

New iPhone Ads

2007-10-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

Click on the links below to see the three new iPhone ads posted today by Apple.

Doug "Mankind"

Elliot "Meredith

Stephano "One Thing"

Hacking the iPhone

2007-09-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

My hacked iPhone doesn't work anymore

2007-09-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, you were warned. The latest iPhone update 1.1.1 to iTunes release has indeed rendered the many hacked iPhones unusable, as reported by BBC News

The resultant in-operability of your iPhone thus voids the warranty under which it exists. However...there is a way. As reported by 9to5Mac, a loop exists for you to get Apple themselves to fix your iPhone. All you have to do is lie! Lie? But we were always told that was wrong. According to 9to5Mac there is a flaw in the IMEI destruction software that destroys AT&T's GoSIM's IMEIs as well.

Read the article: You've Bricked your Hacked iPhone and Want to Start Over? for more information.

Mac Office '08 Unveiled by Microsoft

2007-09-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

The latest version of Office for the Mac was unveiled today by Microsoft.

The software comes in three versions:
1. Home & Student Edition Price: $149.95 (Full version)
2. Standard Edition Price: $399.95
3. Special Media Edition Price: $499.95

Check out the article at MacRumors.

Warning to UnLocked iPhone'rs

2007-09-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Apple released a statement earlier this week saying that iPhones unlocked using SIM Unlock causes irreparable damage to the iPhone which voids it under Apple Warranty.

The soon to be released latest version of the iTunes software threatens the many already unlock iphones. It holds that the update would render issues with iPhones unlocked using SIM unlock.

Update:
In a small article posted on Guerillanews, Steve Jobs promises to fight iPhone Unlocking Hacks.

Excerpt

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs responded to a question about stopping unlocking hacks:

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” said Jobs. “We try to stay ahead. People will try to break in, and it’s our job to stop them breaking in.”

Facing the certainty of lost revenue, AT&T has threatened legal action.
See Unlocking Your iPhone is Legal; Distributing the Hack, Maybe Not.

Jobs acknowledged, “I’m not sure if we are the cat or the mouse.”

Hack your iPhone

2007-09-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

There is software that allows you to hack your iPhone, and allows you to install and uninstall apps to your new iPhone.

Because Apple has the the structure locked it's not easy for other apps to be installed on the iPhone. The current method right now to use apps other that what Apple has installed, is to do so via the built in browser.

This new app called installer.app allows you to hack the iPhone and install software apps right onto the iPhone over. wifi.

32 Countries, 69 Carriers and counting...

2007-09-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the unlocking software made available earlier this week the iPhone is now able to be used in 32 countries and over 69 carriers, reports engadget.

Most of the phones features are available so far, including SMS, Edge, calling In/Out, etc. One noticeable and obvious exception is the visual voice-mail. Well, that's until someone figures that out too.

Thanks to the iPhone hacks for making this possible for the rest of us...especially the guys around the world.

Apple promised to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year, and with the availability of the software (one that Apple legal has not approached) combined with the price drop of the iPhone means that Apple is well on it's way to meeting its mark.

9to5Mac reports of a released GUI to unlocking the iPhone. 10 Steps to your unlocked phone.

You can download the application from there as well.

iPhone Unlocking Now

2007-09-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

There is an iPhone unlocking tool available for free by iPhone Dev Wiki.

Gizmodo is providing mirrored links to the sites with the downloadable instructions.

So now iPhone buyers can now use their iPhone with T-Mobile as well.

iStruck, iMShocked, iPod iTouch

2007-09-05T22:32:00.001-07:00

Thunderous applause today as Steve Jobs aka Steve Jobs, synomous with Apple, announced the line up at what was titled “and the beat goes on”

Honey, my iPod Touch is here!

Unleashed were the following

* iPod Shuffle
 * iPod Nano
 * iPod Classic
 * Ipod Touch
 * Wi-Fi iTunes
 * Discontinued 4GB iPhone
 * 8GB iPhone price reduction
 * Partnership with StarBucks

So above were some of the things that interested me and I’m only commenting on those that did. First off, the iPhone Touch (video above) seems to be the much awaited for Video iPod. I noticed that it was still not called the “Video iPod” and I am tempted to think that Apple is yet to unveil that device. Remember the iPod with video some claimed was the video iPod?

iPod Touch Tech Specs
Price: 8GB $299; 16GB $399

Display
* 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch display
* 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 pixels per inch

Audio
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video
* H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Wireless data
* Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)

Battery life:
Audio: 22 Hours; Video: 5 Hours

This is an amazing device as you might have well realized. It’s the iPhone but without the Phone. I won’t go into too much details about it as you can read from the tech specs (above) and see from the video what exactly it does and is.

One thing I notice missing was Google Maps from it. I don’t know if this was something Steve Jobs missed or if it’s something that’s going to be added in later. But it has everything else. The Starbucks partnership is a great deal. The ability to preview and download songs - up to the last ten - played at a particular Starbucks is a nice idea.

I take issue with Apple. I think they have too many very similar products. It makes it very hard for me to choose which product to get. Like, I really want to get an iPhone, but now the price has dropped to $399 for the 8GB model - the only model they will be making and selling from now (4GB are still being sold but discontinued....get yours while supplies last). That’s a similar price I would pay for the 16GB iPod Touch. Granted the Touch is not an iPhone and can’t make calls...but it does basically the very same things the iPhone does plus it’s twice the capacity. So which do I choose.

In addition the iPod Classic is similarly price but has a 160GB capacity - that’s 80 times the capacity of the iPhone..granted it does not do as much. I’m saying why can’t we get a 30GB Touch?

Now now, we all know it would be hard to sell the one over the other if the lesser of the devices had features that made it stand out over the better, but with those devices possession such simiilar features and with prices so close, makes the decision hard. At least for me. I think there should be distinguishing features that makes each one stand out over the other.

Apple stock went down at the end of the day after the keynote address. The stock to me is greatly undervalued, for several reasons. One is that, as announced, Apple’s iTunes is the number one in online downloads in 22 countries where it operates. The partnership struck with Starbucks which has “over 44,000 stores world wide and growing at rate of 7 stores a day” (ceo and founder of Starbucks Howard Schultz).

The iPhone has greatly increased the revenue base of Apple who is scheduled to ship 1M iPhones by the end of this month..and thus far the iPhone is only sold in the US. Deals are being struck in the UK and France for possible carriers of the iPhone which means that the customer base,, and hence sales of the iPhone will only increase, i.e. more money for Apple.

Plus, the iPod Touch, which is very much an iPhone without the phone functions, ships worldwide from the end of the month.

This means that for those customers who badly want and can’t get an iPhone can now get a Touch which does practically the same thing. With just these few things in mind, it’s clear that Apple Stock (at close of the day - Sept. 4 - was $136.74, down 5.15%) is clearly undervalued and will only go up.

Mark these words, analysts are going to raise their share price estimates of the company come end of the week.

I’ve been waiting a long time for an iPod with a screen this size and now that it has the touch technology I’m even more excited. I’m getting mine soon after it starts to ship.

Here is some information from the other iPod lines released today

iPod Nano 
Price 4GB $149; 8GB $199

Overview
An anodized aluminum top and polished stainless steel back. Five eye-catching colors. A larger, brighter display with the most pixels per inch of any Apple display, ever. iPod nano stirs up visual effects from the outside in.

And it’ll wow you for hours. Play up to 5 hours of video or up to 24 hours of audio on a single charge.1 All that staying power and a wafer-thin, 6.5-mm profile makes iPod nano one small big attraction.
taken from Apple.com

iPod Classic 
Price: 80GB $249; 160GB $349

Overview

With 80GB or 160GB of storage,1 iPod classic gives your music and video room to move. It also has plenty of energy (up to 40 hours of audio playback2), good looks (a sleek, all-metal design), and a great personality (a brand-new interface with Cover Flow). In other words, iPod classic makes an ideal companion. Why not get to know it better?
taken from Apple.Com

UnLocked iPhones? - it's confirmed...

2007-08-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

According to a post in MacRumors today, iPhoneSIMFree has software that would allow you to unlock your iPhone freeing you up to use your novel device with any carrier.

Yes, so you can keep your TMobile SIM, even Rogers in Canada, instead of switching to AT&T ... and use your iPhone with that current service and plan.

According to this same article iPhoneSIMFree will start selling the application to unlock the iPhone next week.

Engadget has provided some screen shots of this. Check them out. Leave your thoughts...

Update:
BBCNews also posted an article Teenage hacker unlocks the iPhone with the hacker who was able to unlock the iPhone.

"Some of my friends think I wasted my summer but I think it was worth it,"

This hack however involves soldering as well as software manipulation but the young hacker is trying to make it an all software process. Visit his blog for instructions on how to unlock the iPhone: Finding JTAG

CNBC Interview

What does this mean? Well, increased sales for Apple, that's for sure. This definitely does not affect the price of the iPhone. AT&T on the other hand will suffer a reduction in new accounts, as users are now not required to transfer existing accounts or sign new ones with them in order to get an iPhone. APPL share price and revenue goes up, ATT goes down.

The future is here and it's not an iPhone

2007-07-25T05:27:00.001-07:00

This is a really funny parody by the guys at SarcasticGamer.

Check it out. It's a big Ass table

Cuba Trains US Doctors

2007-07-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

The BBC has published the story of 8 US students who graduated as doctors from a rather unlike place - Cuba.

Fidel Castro, in an agreement with members of Washington Congressional Black Caucus, allowed 6 US students to study medicine at Havana University, one of the best medical schools in the world. The Caucus has to approach and implore then Secretary of State Collin Power to lift the US ban on travel to allow the student to travel. Thank you Mr. Powell.

After 6 years of study the students are now full fledged doctors and have now graduated. What did this cost and who, how much? I assume it was all Free! Hard to believe that a 6 year medical degree could be Free when in the US the same could run you well into the hundreds of thousands.

What is Cuba doing differently - that a poor, small Caribbean island could train people in a high demand and highly expensive field for Free? questions...questions. they're obviously doing something right.

As part of the agreement, the 6 young Doctor graduates are to return to their community to provide low-cost healthcare. Low-Cost health care in the US?

According to US officials right now there are over 80 US students studying in the the island nation. But some are already saying this is a propaganda coup by the island....but what else could it be?!

Read the article here

Congratulations to you Graduates. Well Done!!! Well Done!!! Go forth and...um...heal.

Where it all Began - the iPod

2007-07-23T17:44:00.001-07:00

Apple Record Label?

2007-07-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Going around the rumour mill since April 2007 is that Apple is about to embark on a "super label" run by rapper Jay-Z and Beyonce.

According to Moli.com an 'industry insider' said that "it's a done deal."

[Jay-Z and Beyonce] will move to Apple to run a new music division. It sounds rather incredible: [Jay-Z's] already got a pretty good job, running Def Jam, and [Steve] Jobs may be too smart to get into the tanking recording business (as others have said). Of course, if it is true, my guess is this would be a new, revamped record biz, one based on digital distribution, not boring old physical products.

What would this mean? Well I can see a whole new money source for Apple. They may be setting a whole new area for music and recording artists. Gone maybe the days of mass CD promotions and ushered in here is digital music, led by a "super label" - not of of new comers, but of two highly successful, young and seasoned persons within the industry. It's a very smart move and is being led by one of the greatest and youngest leaders in the industry right now. Jay-Z is currently at the head of Def-Jam records and has artists such as Rihanna who has been topping the UK charts with her recent single "Umbrella."

Keep in mind that this is still rumoured, like all things Apple. I'll be posting more.

iDream about the iPhone

2007-06-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

In my dream last night I saw the iPhone. I saw it in all it's majestic splendour. And what's more I saw the unseen right side and what it has.

In my dream the right side of the iPhone has a small slit close to the top where the SIM card or a Card or some sort is inserted.

It's a small rubbery covering that can be easily flipped back to allow access to removing or inserting the card. It was of the same colour as the Mac or MacBook. I remember browsing the net with Safari and how seamless and quick it was. Typing on the new keyboard was a breeze after a few minutes. How everytime I pulled it out, some of the hottest chicks would stop, glance and throw a smile my way. The iPhone gave me studded power.

I walked and looked at the long lines, people queuing up from the day before. Waiting in line...anxiously awaiting their hands on their own iPhone. But there are no pre-orders....even Jesus wants one and has to wait in line. So you know it's a must have item. Jesus risks losing his job and being returned to Mexico..but he waits. We admire you Jesus.

It was a short dream, but I remember dreaming it.

Blackberry Ban

2007-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

One strike for the BlackBerry

This past week the French government has banned the use of the Blackbery device in the President's and the Prime Minister's offices amidst concerns that the emails and other valuable information can be intercepted and hacked by Americans. This is so because the data is transferred through American and UK servers.

However the maker of the Black Berry RIM has responded saying that their device is one of the safest there is, even safer than some online banking networks.

So what does this ban mean really? Well, from one speculation it's the raising of concerns of security that has faced such devices. It also opens up an interesting debate which I will be following and posting on.

You can read the artice: Blackberry ban for French elite

The Secret of the iPhone's Right Side

2007-06-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

For any of you, or the many of you, who have noticed that in every photo and even in the "iPhone: A Guided Tour" - the right side of the iPhone has never been shown. In the Tour video the presenter mentions the left side, the top and the bottom, but omits the right side.

Most all smart phones, even the not-so-smart phones have function buttons on the right side. What is on the right side of the iPhone?

Today I had a chat with an Apple rep. and I posed the question to her. Her response, "we'll just have to wait and see." What do you think is there?

If any of you guys who are reading this know, please fill me in.

iPhone Battery Promises the Best Performance

2007-06-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

In the article iPhone Delivers Up to Eight Hours of Talk Time Apple revealed that the iPhone now has
* 8 hours of talk time (4 hrs nearest competitor),
* 250 hours of Standby Time.
* 6 hours of Internet Use,
* 7 hours of Video Playback and
* 24 hours of Audio Playback.

This shows that the battery life of the iPhone is much more resilient than expected. Some people said that this would be one of the flaws in the much anticipated iPhone, but this release lays those concerns to rest. Hell, it puts it to rest all together. And it could only get better from here.

In addition the article goes on to compare the iPhone with some other smart phones like the BlackBery and Palm Treo and the specs completely outshine those other smartphones.

From the looks of things Steve Job's modest target of selling 10Million iPods by end of 2008 is far short of what demand is expected to be. Reports show that there are over 19Million people expressing the desire to obtain the iPhone at the stated $500 and $600 price tag.

The iPhone coming to an AT&T and Apple Store near you June 29th, at 6pm Eastern Time.

iPhone Specs

2007-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here are the specifications for the iPhone, courtesy macrumors.com

• System requirements
- Mac or PC
- iTunes 7
- Internet access is required, and a broadband connection is recommended
- Mac: Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later
- PC: Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2)
• External Controls
- Volume Up / Down
- Ringer / Silent
- Power / Lock
- Sleep / Wake
- Menu Button
• Dimensions
- 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm
• Weight 4.8 ounces / 135 grams
• Input Method - Multi-touch
• Operating System - OS X
• Screen size - 3.5 inches
• Screen resolution - 320 x 480 at 160 ppi
• Storage - 4GB or 8GB
• GSM - Quad-band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)
• Wireless data
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
• Camera - 2.0 megapixels
• Battery
- Lithium
- Up to 5 hours - Talk / Video / Browsing
- Up to 16 hours - Audio playback
(Battery life varies by use)
• Connectors and other input & output
- 30 pin iPod connector
- 3.5mm jack includes audio and mic support
- SIM tray
- Built-in speaker
- Built-in microphone

iPhone Release Date

2007-06-04T02:52:00.000-07:00

Apple has finally announced the date for releasing the iPhone in the US. June 29 is the magic date for this most anticipated, long awaited, most desired product from Apple.

There are waiting lists as long as the blocks in Manhattan of persons trying to secure their unit. Reports go that there maybe too few phones to satisfy the demand from the initial batch. Think Sony PlayStation. So folks maybe camped outside AT&T and Apple stores the night before with the hope of getting their hands on one.

But the release day is Friday so some people are going to be skipping out on work. So employers be prepared.

Check out the article here.

Microsoft's the Surface Computer

2007-05-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

Microsoft unveils the Surface Computer. I must say that this is the first product of real promise that I have seen from Microsoft since Windows 98. In the video clip I posted, I noticed that Microsoft is going the Apple way by having their CEO, Bill Gates, introduce the product. But from all initial views the product does look promising.

Also Surface uses touch technology similar to that found in the iPhone. But being a table computer, it's frightening to think of the especial care which has to be taken with it. No drinks at the table - ever.

It's obvious that microsoft is just still copying from Apple. They said that this product was kept a secret. Need I say more?

But despite the obvious attempts by microsoft to copy Apple in all possible ways, check out the product. It looks good. Visit microsoft's site and also "More Hidden Details..." for more information on this product.

Check out the video clip below.
The Surface Computer

Apple TV

2007-05-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm excited that Youtube videos, including all the subscription channels, will be available on Apple TV. [read the article] But it's disappointing that there are no hi-def content available on iTunes or YouTube for the Apple TV. So much of the ability of this device is not being used.

Another thing I'm excited about is the fact that the Apple TV will be coming with a 160GB hard drive. Yes, it's going to cost you $399 but that's only around $100 more from the first Apple TVs, but then those only came with a 40GB hard drive.

Joost Goes Online

2007-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

I just read through the BBC Article "Joost Opens Online, that Joost has finally been released to the general public today May 1, 2007.

While before there were only a limited number of invitations that users could send out, with its release means that users now have unlimited invitations. However, getting Joost can still only be got through invitation.

In my last post I mentioned the fact that I finally got Joost to use but I didn't have a Mac running on an intel chip to work it. I have since bought an iMac which should get to me in a couple days. As soon I do this is the first program that's going on there so I could finally get to check it out.

For those of you who have an expressed an interest in me sending you an invitation, let me know, I will be happy to send one your way. Just let me know the email and what platform you use - Mac or Windows or Linux.

A number of programmers seemed to have shown an interest in Joost. I believe that it has great potential and I am still trying to find that hack for the Apple TV that I heard about that allows streaming through it to the Television. With the high programming through Joost, it should be amazing to view this back on a television using the Apple TV.

Joost for Mac

2007-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get an invitation for Joost for a while and finally got one recently. I got the latest beta version for the mac. But sadly I can't install and check out as yet because it only runs on the intel macs. And that's not the mac that I use right now.

I planned on getting my MacBook Pro, but not for a couple more months because I am waiting for Apple to release their new OS first. So now I am a bit torn.

For those of you who have not heard about Joost. It started off as The Venice Project by the guys behind Skype and Paypal. It's the latest technology that merges tv and the internet. It allows people to view television right on their computers and it looks really good with transparencies making the whole interface look really good. I've lately started hearing more about Joost in the media so expect it to be a big thing. It allows the viewers to rate the shows that they are watching and also to send messages back and forth to other users. These are just two of the many features that Joost has. The new mac version, comes with functionality that allows users to use the Apple Remote to control the player. That's a great thing.

I recently heard about a hack for the new Apple Tv that allows users to watch streaming tv through the Apple TV. This is great because Joost can be streamed from the computer onto the television screen. There's lots of potential with this software.

But I may get my mac sooner rather than later so I could test this out.

Apple Tv Ad

2007-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the new Apple Tv Ad. This ad has not been posted to their website as yet, but was captured and is available on Youtube.

Apple Delivers BIG!!!

2007-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

Apple Delivers BIG!!!

"From this day forward we're going to be known as Apple, Inc. We've dropped the computer from our name."

Today, Tuesday January 9 2007, is a day to remember. A revolution witnessed by few but to be experienced by all. A revolution on the front of cell phones. Something that’s sure to change our ideas, perceptions and wants in a cell phone – from this day on. Mark it down. Remember it. Today Apple again revolutionized our technological lives and the world.

Another milestone set!

What am I talking about really? Today, Steve Jobs introduced the world to the new age cell phone – the iPhone – or the Apple Phone. I followed the expo – even while at work (but don’t tell my boss) from beginning to end on engadget. Thank you engadget for that. I was just all over the place when the iPhone was announced. For those of you who have read my previous posts, you know how long I’ve been waiting for this device. One phrase comes to mind” We’re not worthy…we’re not worthy!.”

Here are some initial specifications on the iPhone - an iPod, iPhone and internet mobile communicator. I will give you a guys more detailed one soon.

The unit comes in two sizes a 40GB model costing $499 and an 80GB costing $599 on a two year contract with AT&T Cingular, whom Apple has partnered with.

Specifications
Hardware features:
• Built in Camera: 2 megapixels
• A headset jack, 3.5MM
• Sim tray, sleep-wake switch
• 3.5-inch screen with the highest resolution ever shipped by Apple 160ppi
• 11.6MM thin (thinner than the Motorola Q and Blackberry)
• WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0
• Quad Band: GSM + EDGE
At the bottom:
• Speaker
• Mic Input
• iPod Connector

Software features:
• iPhone runs OS X
• Uses Safari browser
• iChat like interface with multiple SMS session support
• has everything we need: multi tasking, networking, Power management, , graphics, security, video, audio core animation
• all media including Music, Video, Contacts, Calenders, Photos, Notes, Bookmarks, Email Accounts
• Absolutely no buttons: uses a new multi-touch technology patented by Apple which is supposed to be “far more accurate than any other interface ever shipped”
• “We've also got some stuff you can't see -- 3 advanced sensors. It's got a proximity sensor, bring the iPhone to your ear and your display shuts off and toushccreen shuts down. Ambient light sensor -- adjusts brightness, saves power. Third thing is an accellerometer, it can tell whether you're in landscape and portraid. Let's turn it on."
• "It connects to any POP3 or IMAP email -- Yahoo Mail, MS Exchange, Mac Mail... POP3: Gmail, AOL mail, and most ISPs... let's highlight one, Yahoo mail. Today we are announcing Yahoo will offer free push-IMAP email to iPhone customers. This isn't just IMAP, this is push-email, same as a BlackBerry."

Also announced today was the Apple TV which is going to cost $299. Not much emphasis was placed on this device, however, but it is a remarkable one.

For a more detailed review of today’s Expo visit engadget’s link Live from MacWorld 2007

Apple Phone?

2007-01-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

So the rumors are continuing – what should we expect at tomorrow’s MacWorld in San Franciso.

In a BusinesWeek article titled Apple’s Wireless Effect” [dated January 8 2007] the author mentions the “music-playing phone”. It seems that tomorrow’s Mac Expo is set to reveal a few new products, some rumoured about for years, that’s sure to set the financial flow of Apple and Apple stock holders alike.

I’ve watched the share price jump from a little over $84.00 to a little over $86.00 in a short space of time. All this in anticipation of what’s to come.

So what is to come? The rumors go that we should expect an Apple phone with iPod capabilities built in. This Apple phone will be unlocked and so can be independently purchased and used with any carrier. That’s a sure good thing.

Another device is what Apple Insider calls the vPod – the true video iPod with wifi capabilities among others.

The final version or an update of the ‘iTV’ – this time with its true name, because the title iTV was just a placeholder – will also be revealed and offered tomorrow.

And on of the final things, the “but wait, there’s more” thing to be unleashed on us Apple fans would be a major update to the son to be released Apple OX Leopard

Here are a few links to news and rumors of what’s to come.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2360

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/special_reports/20070108theappleec.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story

http://www.macrumors.com/

Security Project Focuses on Apple

2007-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

I read this article from my trusty BBCNews titled Security project focuses on Apple where two hackers planned to publicize bugs found in Mac OS X.

The hackers, Kevin Finisterre (founder of security startup Digital Munition) and (handle) LHM, will no doubt get mixed reactions from Apple users and supporters alike. But I believe this is a worthy project, however one that Apple insiders themselves should have undertaken and not external groups. There are obvious benefits of these external groups who are more objectionable in their approach and more likely to find more bugs than an insider would. So I look forward to seeing the bugs that they find.

One of the bugs found, is a said flaw in the QuickTime software – and QuickTime is one of the constants of all reported Mac OS bugs – allows for users to potentially install malicious code on their machine. But be noted that the user must give permission for the program to be installed. Nothing is installed automatically on the machine. (see paragraph 9 of the article)

The results of this project will be posted on their blog. I’m not sure if we’re going to get a continuous update of their findings or be giving just a final report. But I will be checking it out every day and posting any reported findings. Let’s see what this project turns up.

Intel Quad Core Processors

2006-11-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Intel has announced that their quad core processors are set to be released later this year.

Click Here for The Article

Does that mean that we may soon see the new Apple line of computers - Mac Pro, Mac Book Pro, Mac Book and the iMac - go from the Core 2 Duo to quad core processors?

Zune Problems

2006-11-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

In a BBC News article "Zune problems for MSN customers" the Zune-to-be-released MP3 player by Microsoft already seems to be meeting with problems. The problem explained here is with music purchased from the Microsoft MSN Music store which is supposed to rival Apple's Music Store.

The Zune player does not support music bought from MSN Music store because of Microsoft's Plays For Sure initiative (as compared to Apple's Digital Rights Management) which is not compatible. Music bought from sites like Napster and AOL will also not work on the Zune. Keeping in line with true Microsoft we're seeing compatibility issues already. This could be a big problem as the MSN Music Store is supposed to function for the Zune in much the same way that Apple's Music Store does for the iPod. However, Microsoft will redirect customers from the MSN Music Store to a Zune store to purchase compatible tunes.

"Zune owners can buy individual tracks using a points system - 79 Zune points equals 99 cents which buys a single - or subscribe to the service monthly, giving users access to two million tracks." [see article - Zune goes head to head..."]

But in spite of this, already we see problems arising and the product has not even been released. The Zune player is supposed to be a portable MP3 player and an issue like this could mean a big downside for it.

The Zune is capable of playing music in AAC format, so it would be rather interesting if users could buy and download tunes from Apple Music Store and play it back on their Zune player.

The article also shows the possible colours that the Zune will be appearing in which includes Pink, White and Green. Pink?

In question to the Zune's success as a serious competitor to the iPod in the MP3 player arena, the article ended by stating "it could take a long time for that success to become apparent."

Apple Home Movie

2006-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is a funny Apple Mac Ad: Better Results

Microsoft Making Moves: Zune, Vista & Linux

2006-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Recently I read two articles that mentioned some of the latest initiatives by Microsoft. One of those initiatives, which I have previously commented on here, is the so-called iPod killer - the Zune player - which is scheduled for release on 11.14.06 at a retail price $249.99. So it is here zuner than we thought.

I went to a talk by author Steven Levy at the Apple Store in SOHO on his new book "The Perfect Thing." (Sorry I have no stills or video of this event - wish I did.) However, he had a Zune player with him - a brown coloured unit. Brown? And this is the cool factor that's supposed to compete with the iPod?! Yeah right! Steven briefly, well it was way shorter than a brief, more like a sentence or two - talked about it. And one of the features which is supposed to give the Zune an edge was the WiFi capability. Users could use this feature to transfer files and songs between devices. There is a limit to this transfer of files in that they can only be played 3 times or can be stored on the unit transferred to for up to 3 days, which ever comes first. This is not to cancel the Zune out altogether. On the contrary, it still however has very good potential and will surely be an area that "mister softee" (thanks Ken Ray) is going to pursue aggressively.

The date for the release of the way overlong delayed Microsoft Windows Vista, microsoft's new O.S., was announced earlier this week. The date is set for 11.30.06. Wow-wee!! So we're seeing the release of two new products by microsoft both in the same month. This version promises, much like the Zune player, to be an imitated version of an Apple product - Apple OS X Tiger. Definitely no B.A.S.F. here. But Vista does look impressive and promising. Why wouldn't it being a surfaced xerox'ed version of Tiger. For those of us who are not developers,magazine writers or techno-critics and so never got a pre-released version, we wait to see exactly how Vista performs and how it fares against Apple's Tiger.

Another initiative and sort of a first for Microsoft is its deal with Novell (makes of Suse Linux). In a New York Times article titled "2 Giants In a Deal Over Linux" (Friday November 3, 2006), it was suggested that this was a strategic move by microsoft in response to the recent Oracle-RedHat deal. This also comes in part, as analysts suggest, by customer demand and consideration.

What Does This All Mean?

With these 3 latest moves by Microsoft we can see them positioning themselves to compete more aggressively on increasing fronts. Should they be a force to fear on those levels? Not for another few years as those initiatives take time to have effect.

We end-users welcome Microsoft into the race. With this increased competition means more variety and increased choices, greater innovation and price wars leading to cheaper/better priced products. Maybe we may finally see the release of that long awaited true iPod Video and iPhone. Company's now cannot wholly rely on brand loyalty by customers, especially if the next guy has a better product. The whole reason we love the iPod so much is because it is a much better product than the others out there, not because it was made by Apple. They now have to better the next guy to retain loyal customers and to avoid defectors. And for Apple that means enough little twerks and querks of the iPod Nano already - how many Nano's can we have? - and give us something new already! We, I certainly, look forward to iTv, the iPhone, true Video iPod and the many other new products that you took out patents and are diligently working on.

Microsoft is expanding, continuing to grow and is a legitimate threat to any arena it enters. Just look at the game consoles. They are becoming even more formidable as they forge alliances, add products and services to their arsenal. We no doubt should expect and brace ourselves for greater products and developments from "mister softee". Shareholders are the ones to benefit as well as share-prices are positively affected, and in the process attract even more funding to their projects.

Journalists help spread propaganda

2006-09-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

I was alerted to an article from a post on one of my favourite and regularly read blogs Citizen Against Lies, hosted by Shelly. I recommend you check it out - it's really good, unless you're a hard core Republican. The blog post is about journalist from Miami who were paid by the US government to spread lies and propaganda about Fidel Castro and Cuba. For Shame. For shame I say.

Those journalists worked as regulars and freelancers for Radio and TV Martí - two "U.S. government programs created to promote democracy and freedom in Cuba." Their programs are not broadcasted in the US but in Cuba because of U.S. anti-propaganda laws. How could they allow them to sordid the good name of Marti by spreading their slanderous, propaganderous filth?

There are several things wrong with this. Firstly, it's against US law to spread propaganda in the U.S., yet still they would fund and finance activities which they find clearly illegal and unconstitutional. Ask yourself why. Then this brings to question if they can infiltrate and manipulate these journalists, who else have they gotten to? Have all those reports that we have seen and heard on those other media also sawyed by some blind or rather hidden hand? Has what we heard all along true and accurate?

Among those mentioned are Alfonso, Connor, Cancio, Cossio, Montaner, Cao, Remos, Claro, Ferre and Crespo. For shame - how could you sell out that way?

You can read the article here 10 Miami journalists take U.S. pay

Only two of these journalists have been fired. They should all be fired. We trust that the news and reports these guys and gals deliver and fair, true and unbiased, but this brings this to question.

What else has gone on? Who else has been paid to feed us mis and wrong information?

Attack on iTunes

2006-09-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have read a couple articles online where different services are all being launched and launching an attack on Apple's iTunes, all in an effort to gain some of their market share. Apple currently has about 70% to 80% of the musical digital download market and all these new start-ups are trying to steal some of this away.

Among those products are MySpace teaming up with Snocap, AOL who teams up with SpiralFrog.com, Microsoft with their Zune (the 'iPod killa) - I don't even know why the Zune is nicked the iPod killler when it doesn't come near to threatening the iPod, not in hype or functionality. What does remain true and could merit the use of the word iPod in any reference to the Zune is that once again microsoft has copied on the innovative design and look and attempted the feel of the iPod. The other products which will compete with iTMS is Samsung, Nokia which will utilize the serivces of loudeye which it bought on Aug. 8; Yahoo and realnetworks.

Some of these competitors are using different models other than Apple's tried and proven pay-per-click model and some are using a dual models of pay-per-click plus subscriptions, all in an effort to gain customers.

The most impressive of those is MySpace, by far. In a BusinessWeek article, MySpace's Musical End Run, announced today that it will let bands sell music on the site straight to fans. Through their connection with digital music company Snocap which was founded by the creator of Napster, one of the first peer-to-peer file sharing programs Sean Fanning, muscians and bands can sell their music directly to fans.

One of the things I like most about MySpace's offer, and which is different from the other new competitors is that this service comes without the digital rights management (DRM) enabling playback on any device, including Apple's iPod, MP3 phones (set them as your ring-tone), the to-be-released Microsoft Zune (bump that iPod killa name - just ain't gonna happen); and also Helio devices. This I believe is the edge that'll make this model and make MySpace's launch a successful one. Already MySpace has Helio, which seems to be an amazing device which can do it all. I am in the market for a Helio device, by the way. As soon as I get one, I will let you guys know how it works. This integration would give MySpace a great advantage and put it in the most favourable position to compete with iTunes. However, from all reports as from what I've read, those new services won't be making any considerable cuts into Apple's market share anytime soon.

To go off on a tangent just a bit: While the option to have your songs play back on multiple devices is what drives customers to a particular service, how many customers actually do use more than two devices to play back downloaded songs? Most people use just their MP3 player and their computer and occasionally a friend comes over and borrowers some files.

To combat, or rather in keeping with their true self - the reason why they are number one and have the greatest market share, Apple is rumoured to release some new products and services on Tuesday, September 12th. That's next Tuesday. Among those new services would be the iTune's movie download along with a true video iPod. This will only propel Apple further away from the competition and earn them even a more greater percentage share of the digital download market. So while the competition is just coming up with ways to compete with audio, Apple is taking it to the next level - video. Truely they remain the innovators while the others are mere immitators.

Another rumoured device and one that I am kinda looking forward to is the Apple iPhone. An article from the Apple Insider seems to confirm this rumour. I am kinda sceptical about all these rumours because for those of you who very well know, these are rumours that have been around for a while. And everytime the announcement is supposed to be made, we are disappointed. But the iPhone is supposed to be great. One feature I would like to see in this unit, and I hope mr. Jobs is reading, is a feature much like that found in Helio, where we can have access to our social networking site. Direct, instant contact it what I'm looking for in this device in addition to making and receiving calls and listening to music. That would be an ideal device for me. I would give up my current crapy phone immediately.

If I'm disappointed once again by the annoucements this Tuesday, I'm gonna mad, I might even spit and curse once or twice. But I'll still be an Apple fan. So Steve, once again I told me friends about the new stuff - 'don't make a fool out of me, man!...don't make a fool out of me."

I will be updating this post periodically, so please keep checking.

Materazzi talks...

2006-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

The world cup has been done for about 2 months now and just as long since we talked about "The headbutt felt around the world"

There were lots of questions and little to no answers as to why Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi of Italy in what turned out to be the final game of his (zidane's) career.

In a BBC article today - Materazzi breaks Zidane silnce - Marco Materazzi finally gives a little insight into what was said. He said: "I was tugging his shirt, he said to me 'if you want my shirt so much I'll give it to you afterwards,' I answered that I'd prefer his sister." [quote from BBC article]. With a name like Marco, what else could we expect.

Zidane today has still not said exactly what was said to him which forced this action from him. But we still wait for his word...maybe another two months...maybe.

"Cubans are the last hope for many..."

2006-08-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

I want to direct your attention to an article once again from the BBCNews website, as you know that's where I get my most widespread news from one. This article "Cuba doctors popular in quake-stricken Java" is about Cuban doctors staying on in Java long after other humanitarian and relief aid persons from other countries have left.

But this is only part of it. Cuban doctors are providing free medical aid to many countries all over the world and we hear nothing of it. The article states that "Cuba currently has about 20,000 doctors working in 68 countries across three continents..." There's hardly any print of it in the newspapers and definitely none of it on television - especially definitely not in American media - the medium through which millions depend on their news and necessary information. But whenever they drop off a case of medicine or a box of bandaids we hear about it for weeks on end. Don't get me wrong - their help, aid and support is still in great measure, goes a very long way and is very much appreciated. But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the media's lack of coverage of such amaible and humantarian works by Cuban doctors.

I think it's really wonderful the work that the Cuban doctors are doing in providing FREE medical treatment to victims who otherwise would simply die off without such assistance. While American and other foreign drug companies, like Merck and others, charge to provide their drugs which would ease the sufferings of many and drastically cut down on the loss of lives, Fidel Castro has made it a point to provide the sick, poor and dying with the best medical treatment and to provide it at a cost they can all afford - free. It seems almost that they (Cuban doctors) are on stand-by, ready to be deployed to hurting areas - from hurricane victims to earthquake-shattered regions. When the rest of the world has pulled out and gone back home the Cubans are indeed "the last hope for many..."

They even offered and were prepared to help Katrina victims in New Orleans....but their help was turned down. [read the article from MSNBC - Katrina aid from Cuba? No thanks, says U.S.] Why? Why would you turn down free medical treatment for your people?

In a future posting I will present the findings of some research as to the extent of the Cuban medical aid provided to countries around the world and will post it here. I invite you to read and if you are a member of one of those medical teams please forward me some information as to your operations - it would be greatly appreciated.

How I got Screwed by PayPal

2006-08-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

I recently heard on Diggnation how this Russian guy lost around $1200 or $2100 on the sale of a MacBook with the 'aid' of Paypal. I say 'aid' because it was the action of Paypal that caused the loss.

I had a horrible experience with Paypal myself some time ago. I was auctioning off this software which I listed on eBay. When the auction ended and the sale done, having been a Paypal member for a while, I offcourse continued to use and rely on their services in fully realizing this transaction.

The money was received - around $83.00 I think it was - and I packaged and shipped off the software. The buyer was a guy in the U.S. and I will not mention his eBay name only because I do not remember it, but no doubt he has a ton of negative ratings by now. But I will refer to him as "mr. cheap-software-buyer" because he did get the software for very, very cheap.

Anyways, at the time I was in the C'bbean and so I mailed off the package through the local post-office: regular mail. Now anyone who has ever mailed off anything via regular mail knows there is no tracking number. We all know the only time you get a tracking number is when you ship via an express courier like DHL or FedEx - definitely not regular mail. The package was not big enough for that - and besides it would cost me too much to ship it that way. Hey I was trying to make a profit here!

I made a near full withdrawal from my a/c a few days after I shipped off the item to recoup for the packaging and shipping cost and also because I already had other stuff to get. Soon afterwards I get an email from Paypay saying that a dispute has been filed against me by "mr. cheap-software-buyer" and I need to confirm shipment of the package. Now I understood his concern when a day or two went by and he did not see the package. I emailed him and told him it would take at least 5 days to get to him - it takes a bit longer when it's shipped from outside of the America.

Paypal sent me a page/link to resolve/rectify this dispute but the stupid page only has 3 options and I had to check one - one of which was proving a tracking number. That was it! There was no area or place where I could insert a comment or explanation where I could tell them 'look, the item was shipped regular mail and I did not get a tracking number because no post office provides a tracking number for items shipped via regular mail.' How dumb is this dispute resolve page !!! No area to insert an explanation! Anyways, I sent them several emails spanning months explaining this very thing to them. I never received any responses other than the same stupid email notification thing asking me to rectify and provide confirmation.

After a while Paypal debited my Paypal account and refunded mr. cheap-software-buyer. By the time they did I am almost sure that the asshole got the software and never bothered to cancel the dispute. Why would he? He got some very expensive software and he got all his money back.

Now remember I told you earlier that I had taken nearly all my money out of my Paypal account to do some other stuff. With Paypal's debit to the account meant that account now had a negative balance because there was not enough in there to cover their debit/refund to the customer. So now it meant that I owed Paypal and also was out of my software. Now I'm on the losing end. I kept of sending them emails explaining the situation to them - none of which were ever responded to...and then bump trying to call them - wasn't happening. They eventually suspended my account and kept sending me emails and letters now saying that I owe them. I refused to pay because I did mail the item off to the S.O.B. who no doubt is enjoying it right now - I hope it brings a plague on your PC and causes it a horrible crash, even though it will not happen because it's Linux software.

To You Paypal I say...

[This was not fair at all. Where's my restitution? I should be able to file a complaint for non-payment of a shipped and received good. Shouldn't I? Not with Paypal, baby.]

Could this get any worse?

The bastards at Paypal then submitted this information to a collection agency. I refused to pay. This then showed up on my credit report and offcourse you know that messes up the credit score and all sorts of woes accompany this. It's gonna stay there for 5 years because I'm not paying this crap. Hopefully within that time they would crash and go out of business. I'm going to see a "going-out-of-business-sale' in their windows - you know, like the ones you see in Chicago, Boston and some New York City stores.

I can't tell you how upset I was that they submitted the info. to some collection agency and then the shit showed up on my credit report. Especially after I tried so hard to explain and rectify the situation. Their system was just not set up to fully rosolve disputes and as a result I got screwd. This now seems to be a legal issue as it filtered over and ruined my credit. They never provided adequate dispute resolution.

So now there's only direct payments for me. And I won't even get started on eBay. I'm looking forward to Google's payment service - that's what I'll be using. Let's hope it's easier on dispute and resolution claims as no doubt there will be guys trying to get 'free software.' Looking forward to their working out better than paypal.

Post Post:
Since I've written this I got an email or two from people who have also had bad experiences with Paypal and some with eBay. If you have some stories of your own please post it here as a comment or email it to me and I will put it on for you.

Mac OS X - Leopard: Initial Thoughts

2006-08-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is just a short - somethings that I noticed with Leopard.

First thing is my concern with the iChat feature that allows someone to browse your computer and where they can copy and alter files. This is potentially a security problem.

Another thing is with Spaces. This is not a problem, but more so an observation. I've been using Linux for a while and one feature that's native there and which I love is the desktops feature. This feature allows you to set up multiple desktops in a single session where you can have programs running in each but sectioned off from the others. You can group your applications in each window according to what you are working with.

The Spaces feature in Leopard seems to resemble this somewhat. Apple makes it look better because of their smoother, nicer looking GUI...but the functionality remains the same as Desktops for Linux.

Time Machine:
First off, this name is not entirely accurate as a Time Machine is one that can take you back to the past and also send you into the future. Time Machine on the Mac only sends you back into the past and back to the present. Wouldn't it be cool if they could send us to the furutre to retrieve those files we are going to download later and bring it to the present!

But anyway, I'm not sure if this feature is activated by default, but this functionality saves every bit of history on your computer. That includes those files you deleted and maybe don't want anyone to know you had. You know the ones that I'm talking about - that porn flick you downloaded, and those photos you got off the internet from that chat with sexylucious, bianca123 or georgewellhung. As was said "we back up Everything...we can restore Everything..."

One cool thing would be for Apple to have this feature customizable where you can select specific folders you want to have backed up...and not the entire system.

Where's My iPod Video?!

2006-08-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

No one seems to be mentioning the fact that Steve Jobs failed to introduce the new Video iPod. I've been waiting for months now for the release of this model and was kinda expecting Apple to make the announcement at the WWDC 2006. But it never came. We were also expecting an upgrade to the iPod Nano. That too didn't happen. In fact I don't think any mention was made of the iPod. Where's my iPod Video?

There were other disappointments also. There was no Apple iPhone which was highly rumoured to be released. How good are those rumoured websites anyways? Lately nothing they forsee or rumour to come true does.

We all heard of talks with Apple's Steve Jobs and motion picture execs on possible deals for Apple to sell movies on I.T.M. So the rumours about the true video iPod was very credible. So I am disappointed that it was not released and now wonder how long will I have to wait. Where's my iPod Video? How long will I have to wait Steve? I told lots of people that we would be getting a true video iPod. "Don't make a fool out of me man...don't make a fool out of me!"

I still wait...

WWDC 2006 - Not Fully Satisfying

2006-08-08T05:30:00.001-07:00

Still a little giddy and googly-eyed (not to be confused or connected with google at all) from the keynote presentation at WWDC 2006 I thought I'd try to write.

I checked out Steve Jobs' keynote presentation at WWDC 2006 and I was left both happy and saddened at the same time. Even though this was the largest conference thus far, with 4200 in attendance, I can't help feel that many of those left not wholey satisfied. For one thing there was the absense of that trademark 'one more thing' surprise from Steve. Everything was great, but I could have used a little more cow-bell.

But what left me disappointed from a consumer stand point was the fact that there was no upgrade or release of a new iPod. I was fully expecting to see Steve pull out a true video iPod and stun us all - but that didn't happen. Many of the rumours which were surfacing before WWDC fell through. These include the Apple Phone or t he ability to call telephones using iChat.

Here are some of the most exciting things to come out of the conference: "Let The Photocopiers Begin":
Prince drops no Apple Cinema Displays. The 20" (now $699 down from $799, 23" (now $999 down from $1299) and 30" (now $1999 down from $2499) prices have been slashed by $100, $300 and $500 respectively - that's great.

The preview of the new OS X Leopard was wonderful with some amazing features as Time Machine, Spaces and cool new features to Spotlight, iChat and Mail. This is friggin' amazing. One concern that I have is the feature that allows someone you're chatting to peruse your desktop and negotiate files. This could be a potential security problem as it is prove a hole for some malicious activity. However, I'm defintely looking forward to Leopard.
Steve said that some of the novel and most amazing features of Leopard will not be revealed yet because as we know the photocopiers are running...and with due reason.

New Pro line replacing the Power macs with quad core processors. I'm not going to get into the technical details (you can view them here), but it's friggin' hott.

You can check out reviews of the keynote presentation from anywhere on the web, just do a google search. But you can check out the video stream at Apple's website

So what does this mean for Apple's stock price: I say 'not much'. The price is not going to shoot up because there was no amazing product released or one more surprise to make investors rush to the buy; neither was the news disappointing to make them sell. There will be moderate and consistent trading of the shares till we are Wowed or disastified....until then, for those of you who do have shares, I say trade on, for those of you who don't - what are you waiting for?

Fidel Temporarily Hands Over Power

2006-08-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

I just found out that Fidel Castro has undergone intestinal surgery because of "an acute intestinal crisis with persistent bleeding." This was suffered due to a hectic schedule during an Argentine visit just weeks before he celebrates his 80th birthday.

In a statement made and read by his personal secretary, fidel has temporarily transferred power over to his brother Raul Castro. Read the statement here: Statement

Raul Castro

Read the BBCNews article here: Castro Steps Aside After Surgery

I saw a news clip where they show Cubans in Miami dancing and being merry in the streets. As I would normally feel support for the ousting of any tyrrant I cannot share in this celebration one bit. I feel that the media has and is only showing just one aspect of life in Cuba and mediates/tells the story of just one set of Cubans - those are unhappy with the government. By so doing we who watch the news get just one idea and image developed of the country. In their vile attempt to show and nuture the mentality of a weakened Castro, even the photos they choose to use to show the leader, are ones where his prowess and strength are not showing. Media manipulation that's what it is; in their attempt, however succesfully with many people, to brainwash us.

Miami Celebration.

However, Fidel is in a hospital in Cuba recovering from this operation. Already there are speculations about his death. But that has not been confirmed; and as there is little reason to suspect such we should dispell with this thought altogether.

This is the very first time that Fidel has ever handed over power since he came into power in 1959. As it seems the government system will continue under the temporary leadership of Raul. I know that the US is already planning something inspite of the played down remarks which have come out of Washington. For now we wait and see what happens.

Fidel Castro: A Revolutionary Hero

2006-07-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to say something about Fidel Castro for ever now it seems but was never sure where or how to start. So to get the ball rolling.

This is one leader that I admire greatly. His resolve, determination and charisma are all traits to be worthy and admirable of.

Born in the caribbean island of Cuba he fought against imperialism and brutality of a terrorist dictator Fulgencio Batista, eventually ousting him in 1959. A revolutionary war known as the 26th of July Movement is what started his march to the top.

The entire history up to this point is very interesting. And if you have not yet, I suggest to read a bio of Fidel or the revolution in Cuba. I'll be posting up some short and interesting facts here myself in due time.

What's alarming and concerns me now is the $80M that George Bush has pledged to a Cuban Democracy Plan. He has outrightly said that he will fund this plan. If you don't believe me then visit this article from the BBCNews - US in $80m 'Cuba democracy' plan - 'they have a whole set of other intelligence.' And they're doing this in light of the fact that he's going to celebrate the 80th anniversary of his birthday in about 3 weeks. They're already planning his demise.

How blatant is that? If some other world leader made a pledge like that how do you think the Americans would react to that? To-date I have not heard of anyone condemning this action.

26th of July

2006-07-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the 26th of July - the 47th anniversary of the overthrow of the Batista regime in Cuba by the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and named the 26th of July Movement.

I thought I would take some time to give you some highlights, courtesy of wikipedia.com, of the history of this movement. Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader and hero, is someone that I admire, and so I try to read up and know as much about the mindset of this persona as I can.

The 26th of July Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 26 de Julio) was the revolutionary organization led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista regime in Cuba. Its name originated from the attack on the Moncada Barracks, an army facility in Santiago, on July 26, 1953. The movement was re-organized in Mexico in 1955 by a group of exiled revolutionaries (including the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, and the Argentinian Che Guevara, numbering a mere 82 people). Their task was to form a disciplined guerrilla force ready to overthrow Batista. Some members of the movement remaining in Cuba carried out acts of sabotage and tried to stir up political discontent there.

On December 2, 1956, 82 men landed in Cuba, having sailed in the boat Granma from Tuxpan, Veracruz, ready to organize and lead a revolution. The early signs were not good for the movement. They landed in broad daylight and were attacked by the Cuban Air Force. Most of those who landed died after being fired upon by the Cuban Air Force. The landing party was split into two and wandered lost for two days, most of their supplies abandoned where they landed. Of the 82 who sailed aboard the Granma, only 12 eventually regrouped in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. There they encountered the Cuban Army. Guevara was shot in the neck and chest during the fighting, but was not severely injured, and continued to give first aid to other wounded guerillas. This was the opening phase of the war of the Cuban Revolution, which continued for the next two years. It ended in January 1959 after Batista fled Cuba on New Year's Eve. The movement's forces marched into Havana.

That's the short of it.

In Her Jeans

2006-07-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

I had to write this down as it felt kinda strange for me. This morning I found myself walking to the stride of this lady in front of me. I saw her walk up the path in the subway and she happened to be walking in the same direction I was, so naturally we were in the same steps. And when she turned around and headed up that ramp – wow!!!

She was dressed in almost the perfect fitting jeans (and may the maker of the jeans rest in peace!) and they were hugging her just the right way. They were the tight fitting straight leg type (yes I know my jeans), kinda dark blue and she wore them with heels. Sunglasses over her hair like the movie stars do, blue sleeveless top and hand bag under her left arm. She had long legs and an upright posture. My eyes, while not glued to her posterior, well somewhat, were drawn to her body like a magnet.

She looked really good in her jeans and for some strange reason I found myself walking to her beat. She arrested my attention and seemed to hold it hostage as I was almost helpless in turning away. It was like there was no one else around and things just slowed down with each long, graceful step she took. I watched and studied the curve of her hips and the cup of her butt in the jeans. With each step, left…right…left…the up and down motion of her derriere had me hooked. It was like a hypnotist swinging his clock back and forth in an effort to hypnotize a patient. And so too was the very effect her steps had on me - with every up and down.

It was not lustful. She was just a thing of beauty in a pair of jeans that I saw this morning. It was not lustful. I just had to preserve and posses in my mind that which I was drawn to look at. She reminded me of someone I once knew – beautiful. What a way to start my day. And she has no idea the effect that she had or that she was the reason for my smile this morning.

The Internationale

2006-07-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is the introduction to a topic of major interest to me. I happened to watch a PBS special (they have the most educational show, I mean it) on the tele tonight. this show was about the song 'The Interntionale.' Unfortunately I tuned in too late to get much information on the history/origin of this song but early enough to catch some pretty interesting information. This song seems to be the anthem of the oppressed and revolutionaries and was sung from way back when in the days of early wars, socialism and communisim to the students in China's Tiananmen Square.

Original English (translated) Lyrics

Arise, ye workers from your slumber,
Arise, ye prisoners of want.
For reason in revolt now thunders,
and at last ends the age of cant!
Away with all your superstitions,
Servile masses, arise, arise!
We'll change henceforth the old tradition,
And spurn the dust to win the prize!
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.

2nd Verse
No more deluded by reaction,
On tyrants only we'll make war!
The soldiers too will take strike action,
They'll break ranks and fight no more!
And if those cannibals keep trying,
To sacrifice us to their pride,
They soon shall hear the bullets flying,
We'll shoot the generals on our own side.
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.

3rd Verse
No saviour from on high delivers,
No faith have we in prince or peer.
Our own right hand the chains must shiver,
Chains of hatred, greed and fear.
E'er the thieves will out with their booty,
And to all give a happier lot.
Each at his forge must do their duty,
And we'll strike the iron while it's hot.
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.

Here's a little history on this courtesy of Wikipedia.
The Interntionale (L'Internationale in French) was written in 1870 by Eugene Pottier (1816-1887) who was a French revolutionary socialist, poet and transport worker. Being a revolutionary it's no wonder that this song has all the makings of an-oppression and has become the anthem of socialist movements from since the days of it's writings.

The lyrics and the song have since transcended the mere socialist conditions that it was written about and can now be applied to every individual life and the oppression that it endures. From personal problems to more serious ills, this song has a place in all our hearts. My new favourite, an anthem I sing and a new source of revolutionary strength and meaning.

Below are links to the English, French and Spanish versions of this song. Please check it out and listen. Read the lyrics and see how it applies to you.

English Version
French Version
Spanish Version

If you have any memories or stories surrounding this song, please email them to me or place it in the comments as I will be composing for a later rant your stories. So please share them.

Zidane Apologizes To Fans

2006-07-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

"I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched," Zidane said.

Those were the words of Zinedine Zidane on French TV station Canal Plus. An apology was made but still no clarification on what Materazzi said that ignited this aggressive reaction from the lengendary player. But Zidane did however contine to hint that what was said was serious enough to evoke that action. And he made no apologies for it: "I can't regret what I did because it would mean that he (Materazzi) was right to say what he said". Of note should be the fact that he apologized to his fans for his behaviour but not the for his action and definitely not to Materazzi who in return sticks to his story that he did not insult Zidane's mother but did however say something insultive.

The French Team Welcomed Home

Look closely you can see that Materazzi is hiding something. First he says that he did not say anything insultive to Zidane then he says that what he said (meaning that he did say something) is something that's said many times on the pitch and that "It's true, I shot back with an insult."

So Zidane we're still waiting to hear exactly what Materazzi said.

Rumour has it now, and not so rumour coming from the source, that Fifa is investigating the head-butting incident and may strip Zidane of the best player title. But this coveted title was decided on by an independent group and not by Fifa, so it would be interesting to see how this fares. But I have every reason to believe that Zinedine Zidane will keep his title.

I can't say that I am all too pleased simply with just an apology from Zidane and neither are you reading this right now. I for one was at least hoping that Zidane would have revealed what Materazzi said to him that made him go off like that. But again I wait, we wait... But Zidane, come on and say what was said to you already! Gosh. Right now most of us don't really see what the big deal is - but why the secrecy?

So Zidane we heard your apology and we forgive you. Carry on! You legend has not been tarnished by your courageous decision, albeit foolish at the same time, to stand up for something that offended you and would be offensive to any of us had it been directed our way. We do not approve of your course of action - the way you chose to fight - but we do understand your reason for it. Somewhat at least. Well, some of us.

Read the full article - Zidane makes apology for headbutt - on BBCNews.com

Or Read the interview session.

Even as the light of attention seems to settle on the Italian celebrations on wining the World Cup 2006, one seems to be still shining, however fading, on the Zidane incident and indeed on the sport itself.

July 13th
Update: Zidane For President!
I just wanted to add this bit of information that I received not too long ago. In an article in the Wall Street Journal dated July 13th, 2006 says that a ruling party parliamentarian in France is demanding that Zidane be given a Legion d'honneur, France's highest decoration. Pretty soon we may be hearing the call for "Zidane For President." So let me be the first one to say it: Zidane For President! Zidane pour Presidente!

In addition to the honneur a French lawyer has declared yesterday that he will 'go to court to try to get the World Cup final invalidated on the grounds that Mr. Zidane's expulsion was illegal.' He wants to have the match replayed to prove the fact that with Zidane still playing, the game would have been won by France. I remind you of my chant at the opening of the game: "Zidane, Zidane he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!"

How crazy would that be if it were to happen. What do you think? Do you think that the game should be replayed in light of the fact that may have been an illegal expulsion? I think Italy won - the best team won that day. Let's just deal with the issue of Zidane and Materazzi and move on already.

Please feel free to leave me your comments and thoughts on this.

The Head-Butt Felt Around The World

2006-07-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is the latest update that I have for you on this head-butting incident. And just like I thought something highly insultive and offensive was said to Zidane which forced this reaction from this cool guy. And to those dumbass anchor men (pardon my French) on tv and writers who don't know jack about the man let alone the game, who say with disgust 'how could the organization award the best player trophy to this man?' I say to you to be quiet. The sum of Zidane's collective efforts, his legend, in this entire tournament, nay his entire career does not boil down to this single incident. The man is a legend, the man remains the most outstanding player in this World Cup and without question he commanded the respect of the fans and fellow players - and that's most important, Mr. Prompt-Reader and Johnny Literature. But to stay on track here are some clippings from another BBC article "Materazzi denies terrorist insult", one I read today about the incident. [Read the BBC article to get the full story].

"I held his shirt, for only a few seconds," said Materazzi, who had scored Italy's equaliser after Zidane put France ahead from the penalty spot.

"He turned towards me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance,up and down.

"He said 'if you really want my shirt, you can have it later.'

"It's true, I shot back with an insult."

This is the part that struck me the most from this article:

BBC Radio Five Live asked for help from a deaf lip reader, Jessica Rees, who read the words phonetically to an Italian translator.

She deciphered the insult as being "you're the son of a terrorist whore" - a translation also carried by many national newspapers in Britain on Tuesday.

The BBC's Ten O'Clock News also called in experts to study the television footage of the incident and determined the following:

Materazzi's first word to Zidane was "no" before he then told him to
"calm down".

He then accused him of being a "liar" and wished "an ugly death to you and your family" on the day the Frenchman's mother had been taken to hospital ill. This was followed by "Go f*** yourself".

So make of it what you will. But stay tuned for the full story, the truth of what happened as told by Zidane. I don't think I'll be posting any other speculation articles on until the Zidane himself says what has happened. And as I suspect he will be vindicated.

Zidane Nooooooooooo !!!!

2006-07-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

That was the yell heard two floors up and one floor down in my building sending my neighbours in alarm. I apologize, but all is well. We all saw the game. We know that Italy won in penalties 5-3 after the extra time. But that which stands out most and will be remembered above all else in that game was the solid headbutt Zinedine Zidane landed in the chest of the seemingly innocent Materazzi which sent up flying off his feet landing hard on the pitch. This act rightfully won him the red card and an instant ejection from the game and the tournament. Hearts dropped like rocks as the red card went up, almost in slow motion, into the air! A seemingly sad end to a great career.

However, the question that remains and lingers on the minds of everyone is 'was he provoked?' Those who are quick to dismiss this as a mere act of aggression by a frustrated player would undoubtedly say 'no.' But for the rest of us, the more reasonably minded would venture to say 'yes' or even 'quite possibly.' As I watched the match and saw Zidane react that way my instant reaction was that he was provoked...something "very serious" must have been said to provoke this world class player in the final game of the most prestigious competition and in the final game of his career for him to even risk something like that, let alone to do it. So what was said? My thoughts were that Materazzi must have insulted Zidane's mother; others, along with me, thought also that he must have made some racist remarks. Coming from the tensions with the Spain game where Spain's coach was fined for racist remarks which he still has not apologized for against team-mate Thierry Henry would be a sensitive spot for the captain of the defending World Champions.

So the speculations continue and with no word yet from the captain as to the provocation only lends fuel to the growing speculation. And added to that Materazzi's silence only gives credit to the assumptions that he did indeed provoke the captain with some insultive remarks. And what he did say only made him more guilty: " "It is absolutely not true, I did not call him a terrorist. I'm ignorant. I don't even know what the word means," the Italian news agency Ansa quoted Materazzi as saying..." This is an excerpt from the recently publiched BBC article - Zidane blames Materazzi insults - about the headbutting incident. Oh. My. Goodness! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Can Materazzi actually expect us to believe that he doesn't know what the word terrorist means. He has either been living under a rock in a hole somewhere, incredibly stupid or very insultive of all our intelligence, individually and collectively, if he expects us to believe he does not know the meaning of the word terrorist. That statement alone lets me know that he is guilty of something. And for those who might say otherwise this is a direct quote from an Italian paper by an Italian who questioned him in Italy. [Read the BBC article for the full story]

Like the article says we should be getting some more news on this next week. So for now we wait and in the meantime we speculate. Already it's amazing how many articles have been written condeming Zidane's actions, ridiculing the man and the player. Those are the very same ones who will get their foot in their mouths when the true story comes out and they are wrong - too quick to judge.

But despite their rapid praise to criticism, inspite of the red card Zidane, the most hopeful to lead his team to victory with the most consistent thumbs up, won the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's Best Player.

For now I'm agreeing with those who say that he should have reacted differently, no matter what was said to him. Very little justifies acts of physical aggression towards someone else especially in a regulated and friendly zone as the football pitch of the worldcup finals. But if it turns out that Materazzi did make racial slurs or offensive remarks I hope the light of judgement and the sharp forked pencils and tongues of those many writers who are quick on the tip aim this light at the true culprit of this incident and highlight this act for the rest to know what it really is.

The life's lesson here, as my friend's mom pointed out, is that you could be on the top and have everything going for you with the world cheering you on and in a minute it could all just fall apart from one silly spur-of-the-moment judgement-call/action. These were not her exact words but it is to the effect what she said.

Was this the act of a man who acts aggresively or was this the stance of a legend, a conscious man standing up? Let's wait to find out. In the meantime let's get back unto the pitch and play ball.

World Cup Finals France vs Italy

2006-07-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

So with World Cup 2006 about to end and the final game between France and Italy only a few hours away, I thought I'd come on and post one of my last thoughts on the games so far. First off, I'm supporting France - experience and skill over all other. But as a Friend pointed out to me, we really shouldn't support any team that puts out Brazil - our team - and any team that puts them out is the enemy. Hahaha I so agree with that! So the enemy plays Italy today. But the odds and the stats so favour France in this final, and if there's a team who is going to win or should win, statistically, it's them, France. So instead of saying that I support France - I say that France is going to win - but I hope they get beat for putting out Brazil.

So on to my predictions! I predict France takes it in 2 ... by 2 and one goal is going to be scored by Zidane. Because you know that "Zidane, Zidane, he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!"

By now you may have heard, or not, the allegations of match fixing and rumours of sells. The Greeks have recently been baned by Fifa for just such acts. And more rumours seem to be surfacing, so as I get hold of them I'll let you guys know.

So enjoy the game today!

Which World Cup Team Has The Hottest Fans?

2006-07-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have checked out several photos on flickr, bbc and else where of fans from the different countries taking part in World Cup 2006. And many of them seem incredible. But from what I have seen Brazil and Argentina seem to have the hottest fans. And if I had to chose between the two I'd go with Brazil. To try to help me decide and for you to understand why I chose Brazil below are the postings of 6 fan fotos; 3 Brazilian and 3 Argentinian. And then there's this bonus Brazilian fan foto that I just had to put on there (thanks alexpn for the great eye). So my list of top 5 hottest fans are as follows:
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Sweden
4. Trinidad & Tobago
5. Germany.

And Oh My Gosh - The Swedish fans are so Poppin!!!

Brazil Fans

Who Is She?
,

Bonus Foto

Argentina Fans

,

It was indeed a very hard decision. And I think I'll make an album of the hottest 3 fans from each country and ask you guys to vote on it. But feel free to let me know what you think of my current picks. Aren't they just freaking hott!

World Cup 2006 Blues

2006-07-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

How well it fares that my very first blog entry is a mild rant on the world cup remains to be seen, but I just needed to as that was the very last thing of interest impressed upon me. I'm talking particular of the games yesterday: England vs Portgual and Brazil vs France. Both upsets and disappointments, not just for me but for many fans out there. My predictions for this world cup was a final between England and Brazil. Well as you can tell my abilities to predict the furture of world cup is not very on point. But it was not all without merit.

Both of the teams I thought would make it to the final round lost and in the same day. The most disheartening was the lost by Brazil to France, not so much England. That's because I felt that England has not been that impressive through-out and were basically riding on luck which ran out yesterday. And now Beckham has quit as England's captain. But Brazil, the World Cup hopefuls, the ones that so many critics, futurists and psychics had predicted, much like myself to win, lost. Kudos to France they played a great game.

So now I am trying to figure out who's going to make it to the finals. An all European finals is ont one embraced by many people but does not matter much to me because the best teams will be the best teams and the ones who make it to the latter rounds. But there's already talk of major irregularities and cheatings in this cup, espcially with the lost by Argetina to the Germans. There's talk of the Argetinian goal keeper being passed a paper just before the pentalies. What was written on this paper I do not know know, by the talk seems to be in the direction that it was brief stats. on the kickers. I would assume it's information on the side they would likely take their shot, giving the goalkeeper an advantage. But so far it's all talk.

So now with Brazil, the team with the hottest looking fans, out most of us have to try to find another champion. For me both France and Portugal have played impressively. I'm not too sure of Italy, though some seem to feel that they are right up in there. But we'll see.