Chris Ullrich @ micro dot blog

Apple, the name you know.

The Government of Canada introduced legislation today which would authorize same-sex marriage throughout the country. Same-sex marriage is already legal in the majority of provinces because of a series of court decisions (which all concluded that restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples is unconstitutional).

The Conservative Party, which is the Official Opposition in Parliament, strenuously opposes the legislation, This could make things difficult for the governing Liberal Party which does not hold a majority of the seats. Do they know something we don’t? My Liberal Canadian relatives won’t let me hear the end of this I’m sure.

Closer to home, it seems that I could be going to my local Aston Martin dealership in Van Nuys if I need my regular Starbucks fix but the line is too long at my store. Now isn’t that convenient. And, keeping the Starbucks flow going, ho many of you realize that when you drink that Frappuchino, you’re drinking three cheeseburgers worth of calories?

That doesn’t come as a surprise, right? (FYI: The Strawberry and Creme Frappuchino, venti sized with whipped cream has 770 calories, 19g of fat and 122g of sugar.) Want more bad news about the stuff you drink? Check it out.

Hey, I just go for the coffee. I’m not a Frappuchino guy. Now Pizza on the other hand . . .

No wonder my Powerbook order was “delayed”. Good gravy, new Powerbooks are here! Some specs: faster G4 (yes, no G5 yet) processors with speeds up to 1.67GHz, 8x SuperDrives, standard with 512MB of memory and a 5400-rpm hard disk drive up to 100GB in size. Not bad. I like the 12" myself.

But she did. And so did quite a few others it seems. Although, not without a fair share of problems. But still, people voted. Most, for the first time in their lives. Now, the counting begins. I wonder who will win?

And, this kid is screwed. The judge felt bad for him and only gave him 1 1/2 years in prison. I don’t know about you, but that still seems like a long time. I don’t ever want to spend even one hour in prison. I can’t imagine spending a year and a half. And really, look at him. He’s in trouble. Poor kid. It’s not like he’s some bad-ass, dangerous criminal or he killed anybody. He’s just some poor kid without any friends who was lonely and wanted a little attention. Give him a break.

But she did. And so did quite a few others it seems. Although, not without a fair share of problems. But still, people voted. Most, for the first time in their lives. Now, the counting begins. I wonder who will win?

And, this kid is screwed. The judge felt bad for him and only gave him 1 1/2 years in prison. I don’t know about you, but that still seems like a long time. I don’t ever want to spend even one hour in prison. I can’t imagine spending a year and a half. And really, look at him. He’s in trouble. Poor kid. It’s not like he’s some bad-ass, dangerous criminal or he killed anybody. He’s just some poor kid without any friends who was lonely and wanted a little attention. Give him a break.

Every year, this website does this. I have to question some of the choices but, as they say, to each his (or her) own. Physical appeal alone does not secure a spot in the Top 99. The women on the list are there because they possess a combination of looks, intelligence and personality that set them apart. Or at least that’s what it says on the website. I don’t know everything, but most of these women on the list (ok, all) are really good looking.

But i’m sure they are all really smart too. And funny.

But this guy has me beat. Although, with the state of the Star Wars franchise these days (“Phantom Menace” anyone? Thought not), I’m not sure I would do this. Maybe for “The Empire Strikes Back”. Now that was a kick-ass movie.

And, regarding the deadly train wreck Wednesday here in LA (Glendale to be precise), the LA Times reports that the way that southbound commuter train was configured – a locomotive pushing passenger cars from the back, instead of pulling from the front – may have made matters worse. Not all engineers agree on this, however.

And, the Navy has posted some photos of the USS San Francisco, the submarine that went aground in the South Pacific where one sailor was killed. Amazing photos. Here’s a little background on the story as well.

I am writing this from Burbank while in nearby Glendale (a scant few miles), a deranged asshole caused a Metrolink commuter train to derail, killing several people and injuring hundreds more. How, you ask? He placed his car on the track, in an apparent attempt to commit suicide. Then, didn’t have the balls to go through with it and jumped out of the car, leaving it on the tracks.

The asshole, identified as Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25, of Compton, CA, apparently got out of the car in time to watch the train hit it, derail and then hit another Metrolink train and then crash into a parked Union Pacific train. So now, instead of ending his own pathetic excuse for a life quietly at home in the bathtub with a toaster, he will most likely be charged with murder and probably end up with life in prison.

Sorry if I seem harsh or uncaring but this kind of shit really gets to me sometimes. I’ll try to walk it off.

Have a nice day.

Apple Computer, one of my favorite companies but by no means, infallible, quietly lowered the price of memory upgrades for the new Mac Mini. It didn’t make much sense to me that you get a Mac Mini for $499.00 and it only comes with 256MB of RAM (not enough to really run OSX well) and then it cost you another $475.00 to get a 1GB RAM upgrade from them.

They also made the computer very hard to open (although I have seen one open) so it makes it near impossible for consumers to get RAM elsewhere for less money and put it in themselves. It’s not a violation of the warranty to open the case to put the RAM in. They don’t go that far. However, if you crack the case or something while opening it, you warranty is voided and tough luck for you. That doesn’t seem like a good way to treat customers.

I question the wisdom of touting the new, less-expensive Mac Mini and then forcing people to shell out almost the cost of the computer again for enough RAM to make it work like it should. For a modern OS like OSX, 256MB just isn’t enough to get the job done. It’s enough to boot the computer and run a program or two but for people who want to get any real work done, and not see the spinning beach ball all the time, more RAM is a must. If 256MB is enough, why have a RAM expansion slot at all?

Now, at least, its more affordable. Having dropped $100.00. Although, at $375.00, I would not get it for any reason from Apple. In fact, I never do and encourage others not to as well. Not when I can get the same thing from a place like Crucial Technology for only $226.00. It’s the same spec and most likely comes from the same manufacturer as the Apple brand anyway so why pay more?

Obviously, Apple felt like they were charging too much for the RAM upgrade and has acted accordingly. I applaud this step. I only wish I didn’t still have a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like it when one of my favorite companies looks like they are trying to take advantage of their customers. I know that Apple is a business and it needs to make money. It is also a business that thrives on word of mouth and a high level of devotion from its core group of users (myself included).

People who use the Macintosh are not stupid. So please Apple, don’t treat them like they are.

The Bush Administration, the Christian Coalition, and the record and movie industry filed briefs yesterday with the US Supreme Court advocating that peer-to-peer file sharing networks like Grokster, and Morpheus should be liable for copyright infringement happening on their networks.

Defenders of the right to swap have until the end of February to respond. The court is considering whether to overturn the 20 year old precedent in Sony vs Universal Pictures that made the VCR possible despite its potential for use in copyright infringement. At stake, not only the future of file sharing networks, but many consumer electronics devices like CD and DVD recorders, Tivo, and more. This will be a very important decision which will define what it means to own a movie or a cd or anything of that nature.

And, in similar news, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently announced its Endangered Gizmos List, which includes devices that are heading towards extinction due to digital rights management and the like. Some of the devices include TiVo, digital to analog converters and things like the iPod. Take a look. And, here’s an interesting perspective on why the Tivo hasn’t really gotten much better than when it first came out. And, also another point along the same lines.

Cheers.

The Mac turns 21 today. So, take your good friend out and get him drunk. He deserves it.

Not too much new to report. Things are good. Working quite a bit. Good start to 2005. Having a good time, wish you were here. That kind of thing. I haven’t felt the need to rant about politics or bad drivers or all of the other things I usually rant about. The problem is, I feel pretty good right now and am not really angry about much of anything.

Some people may think not being angry is a good thing. And for most, it is. For me, I sometimes need my anger to get things going. To motivate my lazy ass, in other words. So, when its not there, I sometimes loose focus and become less productive. One example of that is my gap in posting here. Believe me, there are many other examples (just ask the wife).

On a positive tip, I’m sure that someone in government will do something stupid any minute now or I will be cut off by a jackass in a Mercedes on the 405 freeway crossing three lanes to get off at Sunset Blvd. any time now. (plan ahead, moron) So, I will be right back to my old, angry, self. Until then, enjoy the silence.

Happy Sunday all.

I can’t believe I failed to mention this . The US has given up on the search for WMD’s in Iraq. Really? I appreciate going through the motions as much as the next person but come on, did anyone really think Iraq had WMD’s in the first place? Not me.

And, George W. Bush took the oath of office to start his second term as President of the United States today. Even as I type this, I’m still having difficulty believing it. How did he get elected to a second term again? What are you people, on dope?

Money quote from the speech: “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.” I guess that means we can just go around invading whomever we wish in the name of peace? Well, that philosophy sure worked perfectly in Iraq so four more years of that please. Where can I sign up?

I’m surprised it took this long. The computer hasn’t even shipped yet and already, there’s a video showing how to take it apart. And, for those of you who just want to see what’s inside, pictures of the Mac Mini already open.

Lastly, an interesting article comparing the Mac Mini to a cheap Dell PC. An interesting read with some good points (of course, I have always been a Mac user so I’m probably biased).

Cheers.

A crack has finally been seen in a country with one of the most repressive regimes in the world, North Korea. The first known visual evidence of dissent from a video shot in a North Korean factory.

The 35-minute video clip, said to have been taken in November, was posted on the website of an opposition group based in South Korea. It shows a poster of Kim scrawled over with the words: “Down with Kim Jong-il. Let’s all rise to drive out the dictatorial regime.''

Good for them.

Thousands marched today all over the country to celebrate the life and dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. You can also read his Letter from Birmingham Jail. If you have never read it before, take a few minutes and do so. President Bush had this to say: “His faith and courage continue to inspire America and the world.”

I wonder what Mr. King would have to say about President Bush? I wonder what he would think of the War in Iraq and our “alleged” plans to move on Iran, what with all the “alleged” survaillence and all. His views would most likely be very interesting, to say the least.

Enjoy your day off (if you got one).

Well, it finally seems to have stopped raining here in LA. I can’t believe it. I thought for sure it would rain for the next month or so and that would be it. Waterworld. Sorry, had to use a movie example. This is a showbiz town after all.

But, everything seems ok now, at least for the moment. Things are starting to dry out here, even our roof at home. Sadly, as it does every year, our roof leaked. Not quite as bad as a few years ago but still, kind of a pain in the ass. Although, I feel a little guilty complaining about leaks after what happened in Asia. But dammit, the water almost hit by big screen tv so you can see why I would be upset.

I am at my usual table at the Studio City Starbucks and celebrity sightings are in full effect. Although, perhaps I should use the word “celebrity” in quotes to describe who is in here. I’ll say who they are and you can make the call. First, seated not five feet from me, the beautiful and blonde Natasha Henstridge. She looks great as she gossips with an unnamed girlfriend (i’m sure she actually has a name, I just don’t know what it is).

Next, over at the table by the window, former teen heartthrob Richard Grieco sips what is most likely his second tall coffee of the day. And its only 11AM. He like is caffeine, what can I say? Lastly, a man who, to me, will always be the voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles Fleischer. I’ve spoken to him once or twice and he seems like a nice guy. He’s also a very talented cartoonist in his own right as evidenced by the drawings he is working on at the moment.

In other news of a more national or international nature, it seems that a “hacker” penetrated the T-Mobile network and had access to it for over a year. While inside, he was able to monitor U.S. Secret Service e-mail, obtain customers' passwords and Social Security numbers, and download candid photos taken by Sidekick users, including Hollywood celebrities (no quotes) Demi Moore and (quotes) Paris Hilton. Great, I just switched to T-Mobile a few months ago. Who knows what pix of me will start showing up on the ‘net.

And, in response to a scathing “Rathergate” investigation, CBS has decided to clean house. Among those sacked include Senior Vice President Betsy West, who supervised CBS News primetime programs; 60 Minutes Wednesday Executive Producer Josh Howard; and Howard’s deputy, Senior Broadcast Producer Mary Murphy. The producer of the piece, Mary Mapes, was also terminated. The Bush Administration could learn something from CBS. When they make a mistake, people get fired. Nice idea.

Finally, CNN has decided to cancel “Crossfire” and not to renew the contract of “dick” Tucker Carlson. You remember Tucker, he’s the one John Stewart said was “hurting” America during his now infamous appearance on “Crossfire”. Here’s the money quote from the US Chief of CNN, Jonathan Klein, when asked his feelings about the situation “I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp”. I don’t know Mr. Klein, but I like him.

Cheers.

Mac Mini:

iPod Shuffle:

Without further talk, here’s the new Mac Mini and the new iPod Shuffle:

Back with more from the Keynote later.