Maria Sharapova Fragrance

By Maria Sharapova

Eastern All-Stars 2009 (Part 2)

Dwight Howard (C)
Just like on the West Coast, this one was a no brainer. I would love to see him go up against Yao. They're by far the 2 best centers and both students of Patrick Ewing.

LeBron James (F)
As expected.

Kevin Garnett (F)
As expected.

Allen Iverson (G)
I had BG & Rose as my guards, but no arguments against the greatest scorer in NBA history behind Jordan and Chamberlain. AI also has point guard skill.

Dwayne Wade (G)
I'm OK with this one as well. Wade can also function as a good combo guard. At least he's from Chicago. Maybe he'll even be a Bull in 2010!

Reserves:
Chris Bosh (C)
Danny Granger (F)
Vince Carter (F)
David Lee (F)
Devin Harris (G)
Ray Allen (G)
Mike Bibby (G)

Showdown Prelude

For the first time ever, it's going to be Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Sunday's Australian Open Finals. Tennis' two best will battle it out on a neutral surface... not Rafa's clay nor Roger's grass (with the exception of Wimbledon 2008). Federer once again made short work of an improved Andy Roddick who rocketed his way to the semifinals. Federer was able to adjust to Roddick's new speed and mobility, defeating America's best in straight sets.

"“Today was one of those matches you’re going to remember a long time. In the last game, at 0-40, I started to cry. It was too much tension. Fernando was playing, I think, at his best level. He deserved this final, too.”
- Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal had a more dramatic semifinal match against countryman and rising star, Fernando Verdasco. Both guys, dressed in green, brought the same intensity to the court during their 5-hour battle. The first set went to a tiebreak that Verdasco won. It looked like Verdasco had a good chance of upsetting tennis' current #1 seed. Then in the second set, when Nadal came back 6-4, it looked like Verdasco was losing his edge, either due to the heat or stamina. Nadal went on to win the 3rd set, but in another tiebreak. Verdasco came back and took the 4th... another tiebreak! And finally, Nadal took the 5th 6-4. That will certainly make it to the Australian Open classics!

Western All-Stars 2009 (Part 2)

Here are the actual starting 5 that got voted in for the West + my reactions:

Yao Ming (C)
The fans got this one right, but it was a no brainer. I just hope Yao is healthy enough to play. It wouldn't be the same with an alternate (Shaq).

Amare Stoudemire (F)
Another one in agreement!

Tim Duncan (F)
I thought Dirk was better, but have no problems with Duncan starting. He's probably the most experienced forward in the West, has the rings and hasn't let age tamper with his career averages.

Chris Paul (G)
This was another clear choice, unless fans were looking to get 2 shooting gaurds in there.

Kobe Bryant (G)
Kobe getting in was expected. He has the stats for it, but I just don't think he's a team player. My choice, Kevin Martin would've been a great compliment to Chris Paul at point. Brandon Roy & Kevin Durant would also have been better choices.

Reserves:
Shaquille O'Neal (C)
Al Jefferson (C)
Dirk Nowitzki (F)
Pau Gasol (F)
Chauncy Billups (G)
Brandon Roy (G)
Kevin Durant (G)

Heat was no Djoke

I was able to catch the first half of Roddick vs. Djokovic last night. The new, leaner Roddick really made an impression during the first set. Djokovic was able to stay with him though. Both players sucessfully defended their serves and it went to a tiebreak where Roddick faltered a few times... enough for the defending champ to take advantage. I thought the first set was going to dictate the match. Roddick was doing great, but always a step behind Djokovic. He lost all of the long games, pulling his best moves. But it seemed like the weather conditions affected Djokovic a lot more. Roddick got stronger with each set, taking the 2nd 6-4 and the third 6-2. I fell asleep as Roddick started taking the lead in the 2nd, but really didn't expect him to win. So I'm very happy with this one. I wish it went the distance rather than retirement because he was on pace to beat him anyway. After Djokovic withdrew, Andy, being a great sportsman went up to him to see if he was OK. He'll move on to face Roger Federer who easily defeated Juan Martin del Potro. It should be interesting because Roddick has clearly improved. On the other hand, we've seen big changes to his game before, but Federer has always been able to adjust.

TAG Heuer 2008

By TAG Heuer

Starring Maria Sharapova

This one is a little different than most Maria commercials because we don't to hear her voice. She also looks weird with makeup, but that's OK... as long as we get to see her. Here it is...

Roddick, Nadal et al...

Andy Roddick easily advanced against Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday. He will play Novak Djokovic who had a 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory over Marcos Baghdatis. So this sets up a good rivalry. Back in the last US Open, the 2 exchanged words through the media about some jokes that were cracked. Djokovic is the better player, but I really hope Roddick has something up his sleeve. I don't like how Djokovic handles his interviews and the fans, so I always route against him. Roddick is America's hope with Blake eliminated (Tsonga).

Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando Gonzalez easily 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. I'm behind Nadal all the way. He's my favorite player and I'd like for him to add this tournament to his resume. It's been more exciting to watch him here because while he's the best right now, it's not a given in the Australian Open as it is in Roland Garros. There's no grudge between Nadal & Gonzalez, but I started routing against Gonzalez ever since he had that controversial win against Blake in the Olympics. I don't think I posted about that one, but in a nutshell, there was a wrong call by the ref that everyone saw. Gonzalez didn't come out and admit it. That one thing turned the game around.

Yankees Update

It's been a while since I wrote about the Yankees, but now's a good time with the Bulls on a losing streak. I'll get back to the Bulls again if they can get 2 in a row or dump Larry Hughes. The Yankees already took care of business when they signed C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Texiera. The past couple of weeks has been about the supporting cast. Cabrera (the Mike Cameron trade didn't go through) and Nady have one-year contracts. Pettitte just signed one today as well. I was sure Cabrera would be gone after a terrible season last year that earned him a trip to the minors. I never actually thought he was that good. People seem to remember a handful of great plays in the outfield when his name is mentioned, but I think he's botched an equal amount if not more that cost the team a win. I think he gave up an in-the-parker each year! I'm happy with Nady's resigning though. He was solid last year, batting over .300 and hitting 25 homers. The Yankees need everyone on the team to have .300+ averages and double digit homers to win a championship.

A lot of people are against resigning Pettitte because of his age, but I think his presence is very important. He's going to have a much smaller role with Sabathia, Burnett & Wang taking the first 3 spots in the rotation. Each of those guys needs to get 15-20 wins. If Pettite can get 10, it'd be great. I was thinking the same last year about Mussina... it turned out he got 20. Pitchers have a way of getting better with age sometimes. So Pettitte could still surprise us.

Injuries Plague Aussie Open

I wonder if it was the heat that affected all of these players. Usually, we hear about muscles getting pulled because players didn't warm up sufficiently, but in this case, maybe the heat was causing exhaustion, leading to injury and muscles tiring out. Gael Monfils withdrew in the 3rd set after a right hand/arm injury. That was kind of disappointing because he's an interesting player to watch. He's long and muscular and still very young. He could cause problems for many of the top players and possibly be a surprise in the tournament. But injury is part of the game, so he'll have to condition his body better. Serena Williams advanced due to Victoria Azarenka feeling sick in the 2nd set. Azarenka had already won the 1st set too. Svetlana Kuznetsova also advanced with a Zheng Zie (left wrist after falling back) injury. So China's best is out.

Tech Deals of the Week (1/25-1/31)

Circuit City
No fliers for these guys anymore. They announced last week that they were going out of business and just like that... they're already gone. For more information, click here.

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Geek Squad @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB PNY @ BB for $19.99
- 4 GB PNY @ ST for $12.99
- 8 GB PNY @ ST for $19.99
- 16 GB PNY @ ST for $39.99
- 32 GB Patriot @ NE for $42.99 ($20 mail-in rebate, FREE shipping) [click here]
- 32 GB Corsair @ NE for $44.99 ($20 mail-in rebate, FREE shipping) [click here]
- 4 GB SanDisk Gator @ ST or OD for $12.99
- 16 GB Verbatim @ OD for $39.99

Indoor HDTV Antenna @ RS for @19.99
Radio Shack continues to have this one on sale as the February deadline gets closer. Remember, you can fish out your old rabbit ears to get the ATSC signal. This item is just for people who have tossed their old pair.

Yip Man (Ip Man)

I just realized that it's been a while since I wrote about a movie. All my time wnt into TV shows because I tried to cover every Stargate episode and also because I threw Contender Asia into the mix. So here goes my first in a while. Yip Man is a biographical film about the famous Wing Chun pioneer and Bruce Lee's master, Yip Man. The title character was played by Donnie Yen, which I thought was fitting because he player Bruce Lee's character Chen Zhen in the Fist of Fury TV series. I was interested in this movie because we're all used to seeing pictures of an old Yip Man side-by-side with Bruce Lee. This movie covers Yip Man's life while he was in his prime... years before his Hong Kong school and Bruce Lee. It's set in the WWII era with Japanese occupation of China.

I don't know how much of the story was based on true facts, but its events were strikingly similar to Jet Li's Fearless. Fearless was also a biographical story, but it was about Huo Yan Jia (teacher or the fictional Chen Zhen). Both movies featured a high point, the title characters opening schools and arena style fights with the Japanese. The story was complete and entertaining though. Donnie Yen did a great job of paying tribute to traditional Wing Chun. The moves were kept realistic with no wire work despite it being a non-contemporary film.

Prince 2009

By Prince
Starring Maria Sharapova

Work vs. Leisure

"It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."
- Barack Obama (Inaugural Address 2009)

This one cracked me up because of what was going on in my office during the speech. Nearly everyone in the company headed down to the cafeteria and auditorium to watch the entire ceremony. The company was nice enough to set things up for 11:30am-1:00pm for this historic event. People were chatting about it all morning. They also started heading down at 10:30am to try to get a "front row" seat. The space was large enough to accommodate everyone. It's not like it was a public area or anything, but any excuse not to work is very attractive to these people. A few others and myself stayed at our desks to listen to the CNN stream while getting some work done. A desktop version of the speech was a better view than the 32" TV in the middle of a huge cafeteria and it was no further from DC!

More First Round Formalities

Continuing off from last night, Serena Williams finished off Yuan Meng 6-3, 6-2. Venus defeated Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3. Rafael Nadal destroyed Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. More new-worthy was the fact that he wore a regular t-shirt for the first time instead of his patented sleeveless. James Blake also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over Frank Dancevic. So there were no real upsets so far. The US hope is still alive with Roddick, who looks like he's in better shape than last year. Though this isn't Nadal's tournament, he has gotten better every year. Last year, he made it to the semis, but fell to Tsonga. Maybe this will be the year. I would like to see Federer vs. Nadal in this tournament not only because they're the 2 best, but because it's never happened in Australia yet. Federer has had more success here, but Nadal continues to evolve.

"Restore Science to its Rightful Place"

"We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise healthcare's quality and lower its costs."
- Barack Obama (Inaugural Address 2009)

This part of the address stood out most to me as there has been a lack of focus on science and technology. It's one of the primary things I look for when deciding which candidate to vote for. Most people running don't clash too much over this subject and usually remain somewhat neutral. Bush actually had an OK plan for NASA. This was going to be carried on by either candidate. So it ended up being a non-factor for me. But I feel great that Obama said the above today. I wish he said it sooner. I was going to vote for him either way, but would've felt even stronger about it! Space exploration is a priority because the world isn't advancing enough. We need to work together with other world powers to advance astronomy as quickly as possible. There's so much out there we don't know about and many of those things can help us down here on Earth. There's also the fact that NASA is the first line of defense against near Earth objects that could cause global damage very quickly.

The US as a nation also needs to improve its own technology as we're quickly falling behind many other countries. China gets the greatest bang for its buck out of its workers making it the most efficient nation in advancing nanotechnology. The computer industry that we started and used to own is being dominated by just about every Asian country. There's only so much that Obama can do. This one is up to the Americans to work hard, but it helps to have a President that's aware of these things.

Getting Back Into Tennis

The 2009 season began yesterday with the first day of the Australian Open in Melbourne. I'm a little rusty getting back into it this year because I didn't follow any of the smaller tournaments after the US Open. The only match I saw so far was a replay of Roger Federer defeating Andreas Seppi in straight sets. Federer was hardly rusty as he came out quickly and took the first set 6-1. The second set was much closer as it went to a tiebreak. The 3rd was also close. Federer's reaction time wasn't at its best, but I think he's going to get better as he makes it deeper into the tournament.

Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian, David Ferrer and Marat Safin also won their matches. Nadal will play today. On the women's side, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic won their openers. Maria Sharapova will not being playing due to injury. Serena Williams is playing as I write this post. So I'll be sure to post some commercials to make up for her absence!

Bulls Can't Do 3

After getting 2 big wins, the Bulls dropped the next 2... as expected. Both were very winnable too. On Saturday, they lost a close game against the Spurs. Most people would expect the Spurs to have a blowout, but it was tight all the way until 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The core guys all had good games, but they couldn't finish as a team in the end.

Today, they lost a game against the Knicks... a team they should always beat. This one was also close up until the end. The final score was 102-98. Allowing D'Antoni's Knicks to score that much meant that the Bulls didn't play their typical defensive game. Also, Gordon has an off night, scoring only 8. That was likely his worst MSG game ever. It would've been an easy win if Madison Square Gordon showed up. Deng & Rose each had 20, Thomas had 19 and Hinrich had 13. The rebounds were amazing. Noah had 18 of the team's 58! The problem is the Bulls seem to have a switch that turns off whenever they get a tie or lead. They played great when they were down, but once they got 1 point ahead, they couldn't hit any shots. They had many opportunities to take the lead and even pull away in the 4th, but failed. They need to solve this problem if they're going to go on a winning streak. They need Phil Jackson's Zen "programming!" They also need Michael Jordan!

Tech Deals of the Week (1/18-1/26)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Verbatim @ OD for $12.99
- 8 GB Verbatim @ OD for $19.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $19.99
- 4 GB PNY (2-pack) @ ST for $24.99

Hard Drive Sales
- 1 TB Western Digital Ext. @ OD for $129.99
- 1 TB Western Digital My Book @ ST for $139.99
- 1 TB Western Digital My Book @ BB for $129.99
- 640 GB Western Digital My Book @ ST for $99.99
- 1 TB Seagate Ext. @ CC for $129.99
- 1.5 TB (triple interface) Seagate @ BB for $179.99

LCD Sales
- 19" Acer @ ST for $129.98
- 24" Acer @ ST for $279.98
- 24" Hannspree (1080p) @ BB for $269.99

Logitech X-540 Speakers @ CC for $49.99
This is a pretty good 5.1 speaker system for your PC that normally sells for over $100. If you're still using a 2.1 system, this is a good week to upgrade.

Radio Shack Deals
All Radio Shack deals from last week are still valid this week.

2 in a Row... Finally

The Bulls finally got 2 wins in a row. I didn't think that was going to happen again for a while. Especially since last night's game was against the Cavaliers... the best team in the East with the best player in the NBA! It was a typical win where scoring was shared. We had 6 players in double figures led by Deng's 22. Gordon had an off night, but hit a key shot in the 4th. The most important factor in the win was defense though. It was vintage Bull's defense and the first time that they were ever successful in defending LeBron James. He still managed to score 28, but the Bulls stopped him from getting hot in the 4th quarter and having any kind of scoring run. A game like this could turn things around, but I won't get too excited yet because they have to face the Spurs tomorrow night!

Subway Tales for the Day

Virtual Trumpet
Moonwalker added something new to his performance today. This time, while he was dancing on the platform, he also pretended to play a trumpet with his hands and his voice. Naturally, with the music blasting in his oversized headphones, he couldn't hear his own voice well enough to control it properly. It was too bad his vocals aren't as good as his footwork!

Head Fake
I was standing at the end of the car so I could get a complete view of the entire place. Right in front of me was a teenage girl studying with a heavy science textbook. At each stop, she kept looking around, trying to anticipate someone getting up from their seat. Right by her was a confused looking guy that looked like he was going to get up at each stop. He was totally faking out the student each time, but not on purpose. He looked completely lost and looked around whenever the train stopped, but never got up. Eventually the student found another passenger that left for real!

Eastern All-Stars 2009 (Part 1)

Dwight Howard (C)
Like Yao in the West, there's no competition in the East for this spot. Howard is miles ahead of the next best center.

Kevin Garnett (F)
KG is the best player on the best team. He's probably the most versatile player combining offense and defense.

LeBron James (F)
No explanation needed.

Ben Gordon (G)
BG is back on my list because he's having a great year despite his team's record. His shooting is back to where it was. He's also added to his cutting game and point guard skills. He's also back to being a good clutch player. This was a tough one for me because it was also tempting to go with Carter. I think the two guys are pretty even this year, but I'm a Bulls fan, so BG it is!

Derrick Rose (G)
I usually wouldn't put a rookie in the point guard spot, but Rose really deserves it. This kid plays like a veteran and is responsible for many of the Bulls wins this year. Like Gordon, he's a great 4th quarter player. On an All Star team, he could easily cause confusion, draw double teams and kick it out to a good jumpshooter.

Western All-Stars 2009 (Part 1)

Yao Ming (C)
There's really no one else for this position. Yao has clearly been the best center in the Western conference for the past couple of years.

Dirk Nowitzki (F)
The Mavs are doing terrible this year, but Dirk is still the best man for this position. All of his stats are still consistent.

Amare Stoudemire (F)
Stoudemire is still doing great. Another tall guy that's athletic would go great with Dirk.

Chris Paul (G)
I'm splitting the guard positions this year. So CP will be my point guard. His probably the best point guard overall this year. Kidd's starting to go on the decline.

Kevin Martin (G)
This kid has been very impressive and gets better each year. I think he deserves the shooting guard spot this year.

Bulls Update

Weekend Games
As usual, the Bulls have a moment of hope, followed by disappointment as they once again have trouble putting together a measly 2 wins in a row! I was excited about their win on Friday night against the wizards. The Wizards are a bad team, but the Bulls dealt with them as they should have, leading for the entire game. All stats were up... scoring, rebounds and assists. Everyone played solid minutes. Then they turned around and blew a game against the worst team in the league, the Thunder. They had the win until everything just shutdown in the 4th quarter. The Thunder forced overtime and the Bulls only scored 4 in the extra period... inexcusable! There's no one on that team beyond Kevin Durant!

Hughes
Word is out that Larry Hughes and the Bulls want to part ways. This is great news to me. He's a good player, but as I've said before, I like the effort of the other guys much better. Hinrich will be back soon and Sefolosha needs more playing time. I think Hinrich, Gordon and Rose would make a great 3-guard set and would wreak havoc on offense. For defense, Hinrich & Sefolosha have done a great job on the star gaurds during the Bulls' more successful years. Hopefully they can deal him away for a good player in either the forward or center position.

Gordon
Whether the Bulls are playing well or not, Gordon's been the rock this year. He's been the consistent scorer, but we need more help. When the Bulls were a playoff team a couple of years ago, the scoring was shared. A different player had 30 or close to it every night... and it wasn't always a starter either. We just need one or 2 other guys to be consistent.

Tech Deals of the Week (1/11-1/17)

Flash Sales
- 16 GB Verbatim @ OD for $39.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ RS for $24.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ RS for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ CC for $17.99
- 4 GB PNY @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB PNY @ BB for $19.99
- 4 GB PNY @ ST for $14.99
- 8 GB PNY @ ST for $24.99
- 32 GB Patriot @ NE for $41.99 (FREE shipping + $20 rebate) [click here]

LCD Sales
- 22" Acer @ ST for $159.98
- 24" Acer @ ST for $279.98

Target 4-Port USB Hub @ OD for $9.99
This is a nice, compact model that's great for laptops.

Indoor HDTV Antenna @ RS for @19.99
The ironic thing about the February digital TV transition is the old signal through the air actually will get upgraded. So those old rabbit ears in the basement will have a purpose again. The UHF signal is going to gain more channels... all digital and all crisp clear. The air channels are actually of higher quality than the paid channels you get from Time Warner. The catch is... the antenna might not be as effective in Manhattan with all of the tall buildings interfering.

Stargate Atlantis 520 (Enemy at the Gate)

Things went back to normal after the wacky episode last week. It turned out that the only connection was the wraith from last week's alternate reality sent a signal with Earth's coordinates to several other realities, including the storyline the series follows. In tonight's series finale, they were able to fit in most of the major players and put closure to the story. Todd was there, every minor character had a few minutes at least and it was great to see Col. Carter back.

A lot was packed into the hour, but they managed to do it in a way that it didn't feel rushed. There were some nice space battles between the large ships, dogfights with the fighter vessels and some hand-to-hand action with a stealth team. There were also some mini cliffhangers for the commercial breaks that would've probably made great endings to the first episode of a 2-parter in the middle of the season. They made it look like Ronon wasn't going to make it and Sheppard was going to sacrifice himself.

The ending was a happy one, but also left open-ended just in case they decide to pick up the series or continue it in a movie. SciFi will also be releasing a new series called Stargate Universe, but it won't be related to SG-1 or Atlantis. I guess they exhausted everything they could think of for those story arcs and want to start fresh.

Also in the series finale, they acknowledged the passing of Don S. Davis (as Gen. George Hammond). So that was nice.

Evolution 15 Analysis

This event hasn't aired on Fox yet, but some of the fights are on YouTube already. So here's my analysis of the Contender Asia matchups:

Soren vs. Zach
I thought this one was going to be an interesting fight because both Zach and Soren have the same body type and also fight with a lot of strong Muay Thai fundamentals. All of their moves look very textbook. The beginning of each round started out that way. There were a lot of kicks thrown at long range and punch combos at close range. In the end, experience was the difference as Soren showed his skills at the end of each round. In the 2nd round, he knocked Zach down with a hard liver punch. Zach also got in trouble at the end with a flurry of punches and was only saved by the bell. In the third, Soren gave him 2 more knockdowns and eventually won the fight. Even though Zach lost, I give him a lot of credit. Soren is a much more established fighter. Zach was pretty much done after the first knockdown, but he gave a full effort and got up event though his body was already beaten.

Preacher vs. Dzhabar
This was the shortest match of the night as Preacher wasn't prepared defensively. Dzhabar came out launching his crazy hook punches. He missed wildly with many of them, not even looking as he threw them. Luckily he recovered before Bruce could capitalize on the openings. I think Bruce just played the wrong game in this match. In order to be successful against a strong puncher like Dzhabar, you have to use speed and don't give him time to throw the wild hook. It's how Wayne Parr beat Dzhabar twice. This one ended with a right hook counter attack.

JWP vs. Sean
Both of these fighters haven't lost since the last episode of Contender Asia, so it was good to get this match signed. It wasn't a very exciting one though. JWP was very impressive with his combos and speed. Wherever Sean was blocking, JWP's punch or kick would be somewhere else. He has the ability to throw a move and follow up quickly with an unexpected move. Sean got hit with a lot of hard body shots in the 2nd round and could not answer to the 3rd round bell.

Final MacWorld Expo

After all the rumors built up, nothing much really happened at today's MacWorld Expo. There was no Mac Mini update, iPhone Nano, larger iPod Touch or Netbook. Of the 4 items, I expected a Mac Mini update. Instead, they released updates to iLife, iWork, iTunes and the 17" Macbook Pro. The 17 incher, which didn't get updated last time basically got everything the 15" one got + a supposedly more advanced battery capable of 7-8 hours. Applying the usual rule would translate that to 3.5-4 hours. That's actually pretty good for a 17" notebook. This also claims to be the lightest 17" notebook, which is likely true. Most manufacturers don't make 17" models with portability in mind. So the laptop was pretty cool, but I don't think this keynote did the final MacWorld Expo justice. To me, it was a delayed update to the model that should've come out when they introduced the 15" model. Since nothing affordable was announced, it's not going to affect my spending or recommendations.

Holidaze

It was the first day back from vacation for most people in the office. Almost everyone takes the 2 weeks off because they have kids and want to mirror their vacation from school. I was in and out of the office. I had a few days to use up, but generally like working during the holidays. Here are some general holiday observances around the office:

Parties
The office holiday season kicked off with the expensive company party. Aside from the cost of the party itself, there were other hidden leaks in spending. The party was supposed to run from 5:30pm-10pm. So the idea was to leave the office at 5pm and get there by 5:30pm... a normal full work day. But what most people did was... have individual department parties for lunch. Socialize almost all afternoon, then leave before 5pm to get home and change and then go to the party. After the company party ended, different groups would go bar hopping and stay out as late as a weekend party night. The next morning, people would stroll in late because of hangovers. And, no... they didn't get to work after getting in late. Instead, they socialized some more about the previous night's events. In total, most employees used up almost an entire 8 hours of work time over the 2 days clowning around!

Extended Breaks
The local restaurants and coffee shops did lose some money from the employees on vacations, but it was likely made up for number of in-office staff taking extended breaks. Many groups took 2-hour lunches as their bosses weren't there to watch them. I made it a point to go around and make sure I wished all of my friends Happy Holidays, but made sure I made up for the time I used. the company was still paying me for full work days and not for hanging out. Here's how I look at it... I won't screw around at work and I won't bring work home to interfere with my personal life. My boundaries are clear cut.

The Return
Today was much like the day after the company party. Those who returned from vacation came in late... sometime over 1 hour late. And they spent more time walking around and socializing as if they hadn't seen everyone in years. Many who were out for the 2 weeks said they were looking forward to work. I also heard a lot of people mention that they worked from home. Both statements are total crap. These people don't work when they're in the office. What would make them work out of it?

Hopefully the recession means cleaning out of incompetent staff and replacement with more diligent professionals.

Mac Rumors

There's nothing like starting out the new year with some Mac rumors. So here they are along with my opinions on each:

Mac Mini
Ever since the first revision, there have been rumors of this model being discontinued. Those were all wrong as Apple plans to keep it alive. It's expected to be one of the items to relaunch at Macworld. So far, the word is that it will have the shape of the Time Capsule and will have the aluminum palette of the new Macbooks. It's also rumored to have a Firewire 800 port and NVidia chipset. Hopefully it has all of these things but keeps the same price tag. It's good that Apple is keeping the Mini in its family. I think it's the only affordable Mac system out there and they need it to maintain their marketshare. It still makes a great media center system since it doesn't take up space and has a lot of multimedia power.

Netbook
It's still pretty early for this one, but there have been confirmations from Taiwanese component companies that Apple has ordered "Netbook" parts. Apple claims that there will be a release of a lower cost notebook, but it will not be a "netbook" class machine. So it's up to Apple whether or not this new model is a practical machine or a bust. I can understand their concerns about entering the netbook wars. Apple isn't about low cost systems and every Apple needs substantial multimedia capabilities to live up to its name. So I wouldn't expect anything in the sub-$500 range. What they have to be careful about is releasing a useless scaled down machine. They've failed before with systems like the G4 cube and toilet seat shaped iBook. I think this system needs to cost under $800 after the specs are maxxed out in order to catch on.

iPhone Nano
There are rumors and Photoshop mockups of a smaller iPhone floating out on the Net. I think Apple is doing fine with their iPhone. There's no need to release a scaled down model. The current iPhone is already comfortable in the hand. Why release a smaller one that's harder to hold and subtract features?

iPod "Mega"
This one is the opposite of the rumor above and also has mockups floating around. This would pretty much be an Apple UMPC as it's a larger version of the iPod Touch. Hopefully this is related to the netbook rumor and not a separate device. Word is that this will sport a 7-9" screen. So in my opinion, it doesn't make sense to release a smaller notebook at the same time as a UMPC. Both will be almost the same price and the notebook will be much more powerful. They would cannibalize their own sales.

Tech Deals of the Week (1/4-1/10)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Sony @ CC for $14.99
- 16 GB SanDisk @ CC or ST for $44.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ ST for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ ST for $24.99
- 4 GB Geek Squad @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB Geek Squad @ BB for $19.99
- 8 GB Corsair @ CU for $16.98 ($10 mail-in rebate) [click here]

Samsung 19" LCD @ CU for $146.52
This is a pretty good price (shipping already added) for a 19" LCD... for any brand. The bonuses are... it's a Samsung and it can also swivel to a portrait layout. [click here]

RE: LCDs
Last week's Acer sales @ OD were a steal. I don't think we'll see prices like that for a while. The 24" model has a sale price of $279.98 this week, which is still good, but up $30 from last week.

D-Link Wireless N Router @ CC or OD for $39.99
As you can see from past posts, I don't pay too much attention to the routers because the N models are relatively new and not cheap yet. Most people can get by with B or G. But this one stood out because I'm used to $100+ price tags for these. So if you're looking to transition to N slowly and cheaply, this router is a good start.

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

Stargate Atlantis 519 (Vegas - Part 1)

I'm back on the blog and Stargate Atlantis came back to SciFi after a couple weeks break. Vegas was certainly the weirdest episode of the season. It started out at a Las Vegas crime scene investigated by Det. John Sheppard. There were a bunch of killings in the area that were obviously done by a Wraith. Woolsey was the head of the FBI team. Dr. McKay worked under him and was introducing Sheppard to facts about the Stargate, Atlantis and the Wraith. Todd was even there as an FBI prisoner. There was no sign or mention of the regular Atlantis setting that we're used to. It was in Las Vegas from start to finish, so we'll have to wait for part 2 next for an explanation. It's most likely an alternate reality episode, but could be a dream sequence as well. It'll be interesting to see how the writers end this one because it's supposed to be the series finale. Instead of an epic battle with the Wraith, it's an alternate reality setting without the usual characters.

After this first part, I'm left wondering if they're going to really close out the series or leave it open-ended for a possible movie. In just one more hour, I don't think it's possible to resolve the Wraith war, Michael's experiments, Todd's story and explain the alternate setting.