Tag: 2007

Which color do you like?

My parents are getting a new vehicle in the next month or so, and I think I have convinced them that the 2007 Honda CR-V is the way to go. They liked the Pilot, but it’s a little bigger and a little worse on gas. Anyway, they are trying to decide on colors, so how about some help? Which of these do you like:

  
  

They are: Royal Blue Pearl, Glacier Blue, Tea Green, Nighthawk Black Pearl & Whistler Silver, Tango Red, and Borrego Beige. You can see a few more photos here.

I like the Borrego Beige, Glacier Blue, and Tea Green myself.

I realize the photos look kind of desolate (the weather kinda sucked in Edmonton today) but let’s be honest, my parents live in Yellowknife – it’s like that all the time! Heh, just kidding, it can be a very nice place, as you can see here. Just think how sharp a CR-V would look in that shot!

So, which do you like?

Read: 2007 CR-V Photos

Northern Voice 2007

Post ImageI finally registered for Northern Voice 2007 today. The annual conference has become a tradition for me, and this year the timing is perfect as it falls on the tail end of reading week. The organizers posted the schedule yesterday, and even though it is still a work in progress, it looks good. I don’t see a keynote however – perhaps it will fill the time gap from 9:30 to 10:15?

If you’d like to attend Northern Voice, you can register here.

Read: Northern Voice

Bill Gates at CES

Post ImageFor the tenth time, Bill Gates delivered the Sunday keynote at CES in Las Vegas. I watched it tonight using the live feed supplied by Microsoft. He said he’ll be back to keynote again next year, and said future years are up to the CES organizers as it’s likely he’ll talk “more about infectious diseases than software.” The theme of the keynote was “connected experiences”.

Here are some of my thoughts (for much, much more see Engadget):

  • The first demo was Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Windows Live. The full motion desktop feature in Vista is pretty cool. I think this was the first time anyone has seen “Ultimate Extras” from Windows Vista Ultimate too.
  • A new feature on Windows Live lets you fly through virtual maps using an Xbox 360 controller plugged into the computer – totally sweet!
  • As expected, Bill Gates announced Windows Home Server. Too bad they cut the feed due to “intellectual property” concerns. He did mention that the goal is simplicity, with features such as automated backup (it will find PCs on the network and back them up). The product will launch in the second half of this year.
  • Robbie Bach talked about entertainment. I love that they highlight Windows Games…I think their strategy here is brilliant (Windows + Xbox). Apparently they sold 10.4 million consoles, exceeding their target of 10 million.
  • Halo 3! Halo 3! That game is going to kick so much ass.
  • Apparently Xbox Live now has 5 million members…and it’s coming to Windows. The demo was kind of interesting – too bad they didn’t have a more hardcore game than Uno to use as the example.
  • They also demoed IPTV on Xbox 360….pretty sweet. Too bad it probably won’t be in Canada anytime soon.
  • The stuff coming from Ford and Microsoft sounds pretty neat, and Ford must be happy to have a one year exclusive deal.
  • The final stuff Bill showed, with the bus stop, the kitchen counter, and the bedroom, is wicked. Projecting screens, smart surfaces, etc. I keep telling Dickson and my other friends that it’s gonna happen. It’s only a matter of time.

Some cool stuff for sure!

Wishes for 2007

Post ImageInstead of predictions for the coming year, I’ve decided I’d rather just post some wishes. Lots of my predictions from last year were wishes anyway! So here they are, in no particular order.

I wish…

  • …the Edmonton Oilers could once again go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final after some truly impressive trade-deadline maneuvering by Kevin Lowe. And I hope they win this time!
  • …the Xbox Live Video Marketplace would come to Canada.
  • …that I could graduate and not have to go to school anymore!
  • …my parents would come to Edmonton for a bit in the summer!
  • …Spider-Man 3 could become the top box office movie of all time, eclipsing Titanic. Seriously, it’s gonna be a kick ass movie!
  • …that Podcast Spot could become the number one podcast site on the net.
  • …that I could get a MacBook. And a new desktop with Vista.
  • …Microsoft would release Halo 3.
  • …that Microsoft would fix Outlook 2007!
  • …that by the time August rolls around I’ve found a good apartment downtown.

This will be a “living” list, which means I intend to come back and add to it later.

Wikiasari Search Engine

Post ImageThe Times of London is reporting that Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, is planning to launch a search engine next year in collaboration with Amazon.com. Dubbed Wikiasari, the search engine will allow users to rank web pages in an effort to create more accurate results (via Techmeme):

“Essentially, if you consider one of the basic tasks of a search engine, it is to make a decision: ‘this page is good, this page sucks’,” Mr Wales said. “Computers are notoriously bad at making such judgments, so algorithmic search has to go about it in a roundabout way.

It appears the big selling point of the search engine will be that it harnesses the wisdom of crowds. Google already does this, with PageRank, but in a less direct way. I am not sure if the new idea is going to fly – how many people really want to rank pages when they search? Usually you just want the results immediately. I’d bet most people won’t want to invest an extra few minutes to visit and rank the results.

I really have no idea what Amazon.com has to do with this project, but recall they too have their own search engine, A9.

Read: Times of London

Northern Voice 2007

Post ImageFebruary is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s short, classes stop for an entire week, and in Vancouver there’s a great little event called Northern Voice. The 2007 edition of the conference was announced a while ago, and today I see that registration is officially open:

Frankly, all of us Northern Voice organizers have gotten behind the eight-ball a bit on this years conference. We all keep getting busier-we’re approaching some kind of busyness event horizon where we’ll just cease to exist. Regardless, our ducks are back in a row.

Such an honest group! In addition to opening registration, they have extended the speaker submission to Friday, December 1st. If you’d like to register for Northern Voice, you can do so here.

Read: Northern Voice

2007 Honda CR-V

Post ImageIt’s not often I blog about vehicles, but I just love the brand new 2007 Honda CR-V. And as far as I can tell, it’s not yet available in Canada. I think it’s a damn sexy SUV, and I really like the marketing campaign too – “something new to crave” is catchy and works well given the cryptic model name. Here’s the little blurb from the website:

The all-new 2007 CR-V has been dramatically transformed, with a sleek new exterior and amenity-rich interior that are unlike anything else you’ll find in a crossover SUV. As always, the CR-V is big on safety with new features including Advanced Compatibility EngineeringT (ACET) body structure to help you feel secure. Pamper yourself in the EX-L and you will get leather-trimmed seats and the available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation SystemT to help guide the way. Get in to the all-new CR-V-it’s the SUV you’ve been craving.

I’m craving it! If I was going to buy an SUV, I’d seriously consider the new CR-V.

Read: Honda CR-V

Old School 2

Post ImageOh man, I just can’t believe this. Well that’s not true, I can, I just can’t wait! Via Sharon, I got this link to the IMDB site with an entry for Old School 2! Yes, a sequel to one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. There information there is sparse, but Wikipedia has the goods:

Old School 2 is the announced sequel to Old School. This film will be made by DreamWorks SKG and will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is scheduled to be released some time in 2007.

That’s just the description though. The real goods are in the cast list they provide: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Steve Carrell, Elisha Cuthbert, Kathy Bates, and Christopher Walken.

Is that even possible? The Wikipedia entry has a warning that sources have not been cited, so take that list with a grain of salt, but still! That would be absolutely amazing! IMDB has the movie listed for a 2007 release. I hope it is correct.

Black van of death, Frank the tank, and all the other greatness that was Old School. Just imagine!

I wish IMDB had RSS feeds for movies, then I could easily see when the cast is updated.