Hello, I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC

Alright - nerd alert - tonight was a highly historical moment in the computing world. And really, maybe it's not just for nerds anymore - 'cause really what happened tonight was a historic moment involving two people who have probably ta one point or another touch everyone's life. Today at the All Things Digital conference, for the first time in around 20 years, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs appeared on stage together. Now I haven't read the entire transcript yet - but the general conversation between the two was in my opinion very respectable.

I mean, basically, it showed that neither one could deny the success of the other - which I'm a huge advocate of. When it comes down to it - if I had to choose one computer, it'd be a Mac. But like they said in they're interview, it's not a zero sum game. There are things that make a Mac better than a PC and vice versa.

Jobs and Gates conducted themselves very well. Of course if either had behaved badly it would've have reflected bad on their own company - but still, from what I've read so far - the respect seemed genuine. Of course, they disagree on topics - that's what makes their companies so different from each other - but again, neither could deny their counterpart's success, and neither could deny their roots.

Their was some video I watched a while back featuring the VP or something er rather of Microsoft dissing the iPhone. I found it pretty stupid, and I guess that's why that guy isn't the CEO of Microsoft.

Although Steve Jobs can be a pretty viscious person, there's a certain modesty that seems to come across when you're at the top and it seemed to come across during this interview. Kind of like when you meet a truly talented musician versus someone who's just getting good. Basically what I'm trying to say is that there's a lot of people even within the companies themselves that are so one track minded that they basically think it's one company or no company. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, two people I highly respect and the two people responsible for these companies as they are, seemed to have a different light, which only drives my respect for them higher. Check out the transcript here:

http://d5.allthingsd.com/20070530/d5-gates-jobs-interview/

Thanks for reading.

Well Done Microsoft

Ok, so up until this very moment - the only real computer company that has been able to blow my mind wide open has been Apple. From their iPod, to their 8-core Mac Pro, to their 30-inch display, and iPhone - really there's so much they've released that has completely blown me away.

That all changed today. After so many years in the industry, and after flooding the market for so long - Microsoft has finally been able to truly impress me with something their introducing at the conceptual stage today: Surface Computing. Yeah, yeah, multi-touch has been done before on an iPhone, but check out the wireless syncing, and check out the sheer size at which multi-touch is operating! Seriously, check out this video:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

Well done, Microsoft. If you can just focus on coming out with more stuff like this, you might be able to compete with Apple when it comes to industrial design. Thanks to popular mechanics for the behind the scenes look. And thanks for reading.

Top 10 Video Games of All Time

Alright, so I'll admit it, I sat down to type a blog entry today and completely drew a blank. And anytime I draw blank, I decide to come up with some random Top 10 list. Not that these are throw away blog entries, but they're definitely not as long or as story-telling as the others. But nonetheless, Top 10 lists always seem to spark the most interest, and the most comments, and such. Now, Top 10 Video Games of all time - this one is tough, really tough. I'll admit, in the last 5 years, my video game playing has declined significantly, so this list might be a bit dated - but then again, this is a list of "all time", so it might still be applicable. There are so many factors that go into my decisions on this one - replay value, overall impression, memorable moments, experience etc., etc., etc. So without further a due, here is my Top 10 Video Games of All Time

10. Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD)
9. Tiger Woods Golf (PS2)
8. Guitar Hero II (XBOX360)
7. Resident Evl: Code Veronica (Dreamcast)
6. Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast)
5. Contra (NES)
4. Soul Caliber (Dreamcast)
3. Super Mario World (SNES)
2. Daytona USA (Arcade)
1. Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action (PS)

The Ultimate Driving Machine

Alright, so a while back I had a posting about the annoucement of the new BMW M3 - although specs were amazing at the time - let's actually sit back and think about it. This is a car that's about $100,000 CDN and competes with the likes of a Ferrari F430! A V8 engine in a car the size of an accord coupe! Not to mention the most perfect stylings I've seen in a long time. How about the carbon fibre roof! Geez, seriously, if you haven't checked out this car, head over the www.bmw.com right now. This car is seriously gonna kick some ass. Along with the Audi S5, I'm pretty sure this will be my favourite car of the year. Ultimate Driving Machine? I think so. Thanks for reading.

My Life of Music is naNo More

Well, that's it - the little pocket sized machine that supplies the soundtrack to my life is no more. No more music as I walk the streets of my city, no more music to work to, no more music to take my mind off how much time is left in my workout. It's really amazing how much music I listen to in life.

My iPod Nano started acting up the other day. And like I said in one of my previous blogs, yes I tried all the usual fixes. Still no solution. I even got it restored and everything, and still my problem was persisting. I decided the only way to truly reset it would be to disconnect the battery. A while back, say a couple of months, I managed to fix the fuse in my lamp (refer to one of my early, early posts), and I even opened up my Powerbook and replaced its hard drive. So I was feeling pretty good with my handiness and ability to fix things.

Thus, I decided to open up my little nano and peak inside. After poking around, I managed to crack open the thing and take a look inside. However, despite all my efforts, in the end, I had to rip the wires that were connecting the battery - and boom, end of my nano. If I can solder the wires back, I might be able to get it to work - but it's a tiny area to solder. Plus, I don't have a soldering gun.

I've had the thing for a year and a half - so I really have no justice to buy a new one quite yet. Hopefully Apple will release a new one soon to justify me spending some moolah on it.

Either way, life's gonna be a lot more boring now that I have no soundtrack to it. It's kind of depressing when I think about it. Ah well, life goes on. Thanks for reading.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Yes, there is. There truly is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I'm sitting here just having finished my dinner. I hadn't eaten since breakfast so I was starving, and I didn't really feel like cooking anything. So I decided to stop at Subway on the way home. I ordered a Chicken Teriyaki, 12 inch, Double stacked sub. Now for those of you who haven't stepped into a subway recently, you can now double-stack the meat on any sub you order.

The funny thing is - this is not the first time I've done this. The first time, I ordered a Subway melt 12-inch, double stacked. And at that time, I thought it was way too much meat. But I also thought that it was because it was cold-cuts that made it not so great. I thought for sure the double-stacking would be good with the chicken teriyaki.

Nope. It's just way too much meat. By the time you get down to the last quarter, or even last half of the sub, you kinda feel gross and you're just shoving meat into your mouth and not really enjoying any of it. And this is coming from a guy who is essentially a carnivore. I love my meat, but double-stacking a sub at Subway just isn't good.

I'm open to maybe double-stacking a six inch sub - 'cause that's basically a 12-inch with less bread, but as it stands now, I'm highly against the double-stacked 12-inch subway sub. Thanks for reading.

Casey's Mix of the Moment 2007.05.26

Well, my iPod has finally joined the masses - it's officially on the fritz. It's kinda sucky because it's still functional, but just can't be synced, and it keeps draining battery. And before you all start replying, yes, I've tried the millions of solutions to try to fix it. But despite this, I think I've actually got some new music for a new mix of the moment. It'd be so long since I've found new music - and although a lot of this isn't the newest, it's still something. Anyway, enjoy and thanks for reading.

1. Outside by Aqualung
2. Falling Slowly by The Frames
3. Ache by James Carrington
4. Great Balls of Fire by Teitur
5. Wicked Little High by Bird York
6. Dear Me by Mike Schmid
7. Everything by Craig Cardiff
8. Lover's Side of Town by Joe Purdy
9. Maybe I by Mere
10. The Way we Get By by Spoon
11. Garden of Love by Aqualung