so I just realized I'm like a kid on Christmas eve, awaiting all of the presents Santa Jobs will present tomorrow at Mac World Expo: SF... I'll give a recap tomorrow

So I was just watching the stream of the Keynote from Microsoft's Bill Gates from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas... Here are the notes

Vista
- Searching across all vista computers
- Plug Xbox controllers into Vista PC, and play games
- Live Search, 3D fly through

Office 2007
- New layout, with ribbons, more features available for users
- Simultaneous Release of Office 2007 & Vista

Media Center in Vista
- Watch & record HD Television
- Sports Lounge - Microsoft & Fox Sports

Photos
- 2 Billion photos taken last year
- Photo gallery ~ edit and manage photos & videos.
- DVD Maker - built in

Ultimate ~ Flagship Edition
- Extras
- Group Shot
- Allows the combonation of several pictures to be made

into one.
- Dream Scene
- Full motion Desktop
- Set Video as Desktop Background

1.5 million devices supported in Vista
- Baackup
- Video
- DVD

Software
- Gadgets
- Search API
- Visulization, DirectX 10
- Windows Presentation Foundation

Touch Screens
Media Center

Vista PCs

Ultra Mobile
- Medion
-
Laptops
- Toshiba
- Acer
Gaming
- Voodoo
- Alienware
- Dell
Entertainment
- Dell
- Monoreal
- Sony

Windows Home Server
- Homes, Multiple PCs, xboxs
Storage available at all times
2nd Half 2007
HP Media Smart Server
Automated Backup
- Remote connectivity
- no need to talk about volumes
- Quite a bit of expandability
- Move data around in order to remedy drive issues
- Terabytes on the device
- AMD, Intel
- Great Simplicity

Connected Entertainment
- Entertainment, whenever, whereever they want
- community, share content & ideas
- Needs HW/ SW & Service

URGE
- continuing to be commited to it. 350 Partners around the

world.
- Zune Media Player
- Ship & Sell 1 million copies of zune

Mobility & Mobile Phones
- Calls
- Emails
- IM
Movies
Tv
Music
Connected Entertianment on the Phone

BlackJAck
Treo
Dash
Q
driving for Windows Mobile
- outsells blackberry

Gaming
- 200 Million Gamers
- #1 Gaming Platform
- More Powerful with DirectX 10
- Easier to use, simple
- Safer with family settings
- Hardcore Gamers, Casual Gamers
- Growing Market
- Desktop, on the Go
- Xbox 360
10.4 million
37 countries
160 HD Games
- Gears of War: 2.7 million copies, Halo Like franchise.
- 300+ Titles end of the year...
- GTA 4, Mass Affect, DDR, Guitar Hero.
- Halo 3.
Xbox Live
- 5 Million Members
- Expand Community
- Take it to a whole new level
- Windows/Windows Vista, Bring Windows to Xbox 360

Live on Windows (Xbox live)
- Just like Xbox 360 Live, compatabile with Vista
- Applies to both Hard Core Games and Casual Games
- Live on the Live Service,Summer '07
- 3 Billion hours of gaming

TV & Movies
- HDTVs were the thing to buy
- 4 Ways to get HD Movies
- HD-DVD Player, xbox 360.
- HD-DVD Format top selling

• Media Center
  
  • 80% of PCs sold as Media Center
    
  • 30 Million world wide.
    
  • network with XBOX 360, all experience you want.
    
  • from media center streamed to 360
    
  • Media Center Extender
    
    
  • Xbox Live Video
    
  • 1000 hours of content
    
  • Adding Lionsgate
    
    
  • IPTV
    
  • In Market,
    
  • AT&T
    
  • BT
    
  • DeutscheTelekon
    
  • SwissTelecom
    
  • Major part of delivery over the next 4 years
    
  • Available on Xbox 360
    
  • Available Holiday 2007
    
    More choices from consumers
    take content whenever where
    share it with their friends
    
    
    Give connected experiences 24/7
    not sure about during sleep times
    
    Connecting in the Car
    
  • simple
    
  • incredibly simple, safe commands
    
  • People spend hour and a half in their car
    
    New Sync
    
  • fully voice-activated
    
  • totally integrates, all electronics
    
  • cell phones
    
  • zuines
    
  • ipods
    
  • seamlessly
    
  • access to full capability of your phone
    
  • never having to download your phone book
    
  • every personalized setting
    
  • place, receive calls
    
  • maintain entering and exiting vehichle
    
  • text messages read to them
    
  • translates emoticons and the like
    
  • ability to be full entertainment platform
    
  • most USB storage devices
    
  • flash & zip drives
    
  • Uses Windows Auto Software
    
  • Roll it out quickly on a dozen ford products in 2007
    
  • Including Ford Edge & Crossover
    
  • Improve, capability, appeal, and value to vehicles
    
    Moving Forward in years ahead 4 or 5 years
    
  • Use voice to interface with PC
    
  • ability to have a camera to do face recognition
    
  • microsoft home of the future, new version
    
  • Knows information about you
    
  • Special offers
    
  • coupons, and store that away and use later
    
  • Browse menu and like
    
  • View through camera, delivery of package
    
  • Kitechen: Projecting images onto a surface
    
  • Uses RFID, and brings up ingredients
    
  • Brings up Recipie
    
    Bedroom
    
  • Change screen if you want, to do whatever you'd like to.
    
  • Control from Ultra Mobile PC.

The Keynote is at 9am PST on Tuesday, January 9th, in SanFrancisco... this is an hour earlier than normal...

Ok, here are the rumors thus far:

Rumor 1: An Apple iPhone

Specifications 1: Kevin Rose
- January launch date on all carriers
- Extremely small form factor
- Two batteries
- Two Models: 4GB for $249, 8GB for $449
- Slide-out keyboard.
- Possibly touchscreen

Specifications 2:
- Two Models: 4Gb for $599, 8GB for $649
- Wider than the iPod nano, yet thinner than the iPod Video
- Made of Metal
- Muliple Colors, but at least black, white, silver
- Claims Cingular is likely US carrier.
- Virtual Clickwheel
- Full screen LCD (3.5 inch)

Specifications 3:
- 3-megapixel Camera.
- 2.2 inch display
- Complete iTunes/iPod integration.
- Strictly GSM/EDGE
- Apple asking carriers to not subsidize the price of the phone

Rumor 2: True video iPod
There are too many to list.... however here's the basics
- Full Screen
- Touch Screen, on screen scroll wheel
- Larger Capacticy? I don't see why not, with the increase of storage capacities...
100GB would be my guess is that it would have this one...

Rumor 3: Increase in .MAC storage
There's a video floating out there, here. I'm not sure if this is true or not... we'll see...

Rumor 4: Mac Pro Upgrade
Possible update of the MacPros to include the Intel Quad Core processors... meaning 8 cores for processing with the MacPro.

Rumor 5: Mac Mini upgrade
- Possible upgrade to the Core 2 Duo, versus the Core Duo it currently has

Rumor 6: Blu-Ray addition
- Possibility of adding Blu-ray support to the Mac Lineup

Rumor 7: New iSight Camera
- Apple stopped selling the iSight camera, and the only way to get it is in the laptops... so a new one?

Rumor 8: New Displays
- Possible refresh of the displays, including 32" display or possibly 37" display.
- Rumored 50" display.

Rumor 9: Thin 12" MacBook Pro
- There used to be a 12" powerbook model, but that was dropped, so could they be replacing it with a 12" macbook pro?

Rumor 10: Mac Tablet
- Least likely, since Steve Jobs doens't like the idea of a Tablet

Releases we'll most likely see:
iLife '07
iWork '07
- Which might include a spreadsheet application

More Information released
iTV (name will be changed) But this is Apple's Wireless streaming devices...
- Small Hard drive for cache
- HDMI connector
- RCA audio
- Component Output
- 802.11n Wireless
- No power brick, internal power
- USB 2.0
- Ethernet
- Digital Audio output
- Works with the Apple Remote
- Front Row-like interface
- Works with iTunes PC and Mac
- $299

Next version of their operating system OS X: Leopard
- Includes TimeMachine, a new feature that allows automatic backup of files.

I've posted this week Stories of the Week for January 7th, 2007. Check them out here

So I went out and bought the HD-DVD xbox 360 Drive, the drivers work, so that means that I can read the HD-DVD Discs... I wanted to purchase the Intervideo WinDVD Software, but they're having issues, luckily their free-trial will allow me to do use the HD-DVD Player while I wait for them to return on the 4th..... so I'll let you guys know how it looks on my computer.

Reflections of 2006

Many things have happened throughout the year.... I lost the woman I loved, made some new friends, been reacquainted with old ones, seen co-workers come and go....

Exactly 9 months ago today, the woman that I loved, decided it was time to part ways... we still talk just about every day of the week. The first few months wwere some of the hardest times I've had to go through, but I persevered and continued on...

Despite having my heart broken, some people from the past came along... Ken found me on Myspace and I've become friends with him again... His girlfriend Jen W., she's a blast... she's always there when I need to bitch about something...

Jen W, introduced me to Brit and Kristen, There's not much I have to say about Kristen, since I haven't talked to her much.... now if Brit is nothing else, she's honest. She's not afraid to tell you how she feels, and she doesn't mind call you a little shit if she doesn't like what you said... She's also quite a bit more, very outgoing and obviously is the center of attention... that little attention whore... Don't change Brit.

In an attempt to move along, I met somebody who understands me as much as I understand her, it was an attempt to forge a relationship, but despite that failing I've made a friend who I wouldn't give up for the world... Thanks for being there Jen S.

I made a major purchase this year... my 2006 Chevy Cobalt... it's the most expensive thing I've ever purchased, and will purchase for some time... it's running and I can't argue with having the car... it's a great car... A couple weeks after buying my car, I bought my phone... which will eventually be replaced... probably sooner rather than later..

Next came Saramani leaving the library to work elsewhere and expand her horizons. I of course was saddened by this, but I think it was time for her to vacate the library and move on. Of course I'll never forget all the interesting debates we had... fun times...

Following Sara's exodus, I met Kim, now Kim and I have a very unique relationship... We've never met in person, only chatted online... but I think it was simply fate that two people needed each other, simply to help each other through rough times... of course we still talk, but she's almost never online anymore....

Following that I made my next major purchase... Two brand new iPods.... I had purchased a first generation iPod Nano, but I bought the second generation iPod Nano (looks like a revised iPod Mini), and a second generation iPod with Video... that was a good chunk of change...

And Now, the latest in the saga... Julieta's last day at work was today. She's off to Mexico for a vacation before starting a new job... I'm not sure why I'm so sad by this, it's Julieta's personality to not stay in one spot for very long... She's not meant to stay in the library... but I don't know who I'll get to bounce ideas off of... I'll find somebody...

There have been somethings that I might have changed throughout the year, things that I might have done differently, chances I might have taken, but chose not to... but I wouldn't change any of the major events for anything.... I wouldn't have met so many great people... and I wouldn't have made so many friends...

I'm not sure what 2007 will bring, but I do have ideas as to what I would like to see... I do have a couple of plans... The first is to buy a new computer, a Macintosh, it'll depend on what's available as to what I purchase. The next is to pay off my credit card... I would like to find somebody... but I don't know if it'll happen... but we'll see...

I've posted the Stories of the Year... if you think there's one that should be added let me know. Check them out Here

Life consists of the following

10% Luck
20% Skill
15% Concentrated Power of Will
05% Pleasure
50% Pain

Remember the Name by Fort Minor

I bought a couple things for myself this week... including a new pair of Digital headphones with a microphone for Skype. They're Plantronics DSP Audio 550's. They have extra bass if I need it, which I like. You can find me on Skype at Waynesworkshop. I also ordered the Wii Component Cable which won't arrive until after the new year... I"ll add it to my review when I get a chance to take a look at it...

I think I'll do a Stories of the Week: Year long edition. and recap all of the stories throughout the year.

Keith Olberman's special comment on the Military and Commissions act: