A few points about a Video iPod

1. People like him (tool) and him (Microsoft fanboy) lay into Apple for not releasing a Video iPod, arguing Microsoft’s Portable Media Center devices can. Boo hoo.

2. Well, you don’t you buy one and shut the fuck up?

3. Here’s a few points I’d like to raise about the Video iPod:

  1. Does the PortalPlayer reference platform that’s at the heart of the iPod support video? Kind of. It supports MJPEG, but nothing else. What I can’t find out is how big a video file it can crunch. PortalPlayer only makes mention of the fact it can play one type of video format, and no more details on that, so I’m going to assume it only has as much capability to play video as a consumer digital camera. If you had a chip that can do everything and make coffee, wouldn’t you advertise it?

  2. Where does one find legal TV/Movie downloads?

  3. It takes me around 10min to rip a CD on my PowerBook. How long does it take me to rip a DVD? (Clue: Hours. And hours.)

  4. Battery life. The new iPod Photo (which is cool, and I’d get one if it weren’t so damned expensive) can do 5 hours of continuous photo playback. I dare say decoding video requires more processing power, so how long will the battery last on an iPod that can play video?

  5. Why do people expect an Apple video capable device to spawn from an iPod? Why not a miniaturised iBook?

  6. If Apple has already figured out the distribution channels, designed a device that can do for video what the iPod did for music, and kept the price competitive, wouldn’t they have released the bloody thing by now?

4. Don’t get me wrong, I think Apple will come out with a portable video device. Eventually. And I’m sure they’re watching the sales of Portable Media Center devices very closely. But a video iPod is not going to happen until (at the very least) PortalPlayer releases a version of it media platform that is truly video capable. And there is a demand for such a device from mainstream (or great unwashed, depending on your perspective) consumers (i.e. not geeks. Or geeky people. Or people who know any geeks.) For now, if you really want a portable Apple device that’ll let you watch videos, I recommend a 12″ iBook.

Socks!

iPod Socks

1. Bugger the iPod Photo or the U2 iPod, the most exciting thing to come out of the Apple Music Event was… iPod Socks! How cute are these?

Full moon

The Moon

1. It’s amazing the sort of detail you can get out of a lowish-end Digital SLR. It’s no NASA photo but it ain’t bad for a Nikon D70 with a tripod on the roof of my apartment block. I could do with a bigger lens than the one I used (AF Nikkor 70-300mm Zoom) but it worked out alright. Bit windy up on the roof at night though.

Random selection of cars I would like for christmas, in no particular order

BMW 645ci Convertable BMW 645ci Convertable. It’s big, and comfy, and it’s got a V8.

Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione Concept Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione Concept. What, I have to explain?

Elfin MS8 Elfin MS8. Weighs nothing, 5.7L V8. Makes you wonder what would happen if you squeezed a Twin Turbo Porsche 911 engine into a Lotus Elise….

Koenigsegg CCR Koenigsegg CCR. 806 fucking horsepower! 920Nm of Torque!

Toyota Fine-N Toyota Fine-N. Interesting, lot’s of room inside, electric motors in each wheel. I don’t really want one, but the picture looks nice…

Mercedes AMG SL 65 Mercedes AMG SL65. I’ll have two, minus the girl.

Mercedes AMG SL 65 Mercedes AMG SL65. How can you go past a badge that reads “V12 BiTurbo”?

Porsche Carrera GT Porsche Carrera Gt. schhh…

Porsche Carrera GT Porsche Carrera Gt. …wiing!

Ford GT Ford GT. Sex. On. Wheels.

All pictures taken at 2004 Australian International Motorshow, by John Kung, using a Nikon D70. If you want a bigger version, just email me.

TF2. It’s not dead after all….

1. Well it seems Team Fortress 2 isn’t dead. According to this interview with Doug Lombardi TF2 is being developed on the Source engine and more on it will be announced soon. Well it’s only been 4 years since it was announced, I’m sure another 4 years wouldn’t hurt… it might even come out before Duke Nukem Forever!

Could it be true…?

HL2 Gold?

1. Could Half Life 2 have finally gone gold?

[UPDATE] W00t! November 16th!

Three more years of Howard. How fucking depressing.

1. Net gain of 8 seats in the lower house, and possible control of the Senate. Does life get any worse? Do Australians get any more stupid? I wouldn’t have thought so, but the tenaciousness with which the great unwashed grip to what’s familiar — no matter how wrong — is beyond belief. Let your true colours shine through indeed.

How-to-vote for the young and disillusioned

1. A mate on his blog raised some interesting issues about the upcoming election, and I though I’d have a go here.

Howard wants me to vote for either him or Latham, not any of the minor parties. Am I the only one left who recognises that the only reason 95% of voters vote for either of those two parties is because of inertia? If enough people decided The Greens, The Democrats or even the Smoke More Pot party should run the country, it would be so.

2. Inertia may have something to do with it, but it’s probably more accurate to say that people identify more with the major parties. If in the future environmental issues dominate the political landscape we may see the Greens rise to become a major party, but I rather doubt it. If something like that happens no doubt one of the major parties would have addressed that issue. Australians are, by and large very conservative, and don’t like discussing politics, so the policies of the niche parties tend to get lost because people don’t want to listen. There’s a real feeling that all politicians are the same, and that they are all as bad as each other. All I have to say is, these are the people who make the laws that you have have to abide by. Still think it’s ok not to pay attention to politics?

3. On a more serious note, I think there’s also a strong feeling of helplessness that fuels the apathy. After all, millions of people converged in cities around Australia condemning Australia’s involvement in Dubya Dubya 2, but Howard ran roughshod over the wishes of the people and committed troops anyway. If that many people can’t make a change, then what’s the point? All the more reason to vote, and to make your vote count, I say.

4. With regards to Howard wanting everyone to vote one way or another, I think it’s because he doesn’t want to play the preference game. If you look at the polls, Howard and Latham are pretty much neck and neck, the Greens are getting about 9 points, the Democraps 1. As far as I know the Greens are directing preferences to Labor, but that’s assuming they don’t actually win the seat in the first place. The real tie-breaker is the 9 points tied up with the “other” parties, which includes all the independents. If Howard or Latham can secure the majority of those votes, they’ll cruise comfortably to victory. Howard is probably a little worried about the Greens getting too many seats as well, since they are closer ideologically to Labor and will prove to be a pain in the arse even if Labor loses. All the more reason to vote Greens.

5. I do however feel that this is an important election for those of us in the Anti-Howard camp. And as such I do feel that if you wan to get rid of Howard then the only course of action is to vote 1 Labor. I have nothing against the minor parties, but I want to make my vote count. I would hate to think that Labor loses the election by the seats won by the Greens. The Greens will live without those seats for three years. I’m not sure I can live with Howard for another term.

6. As for what to do if one is young and disillusioned. Well, I just talk about politics a lot, in the vain hope that others in my (our) situation might take an interest (or at least pretend, to shut me up). I think this election closely follows the US Presidential race — it’s not really about who has the better policies, but who you can live with for another three years. It’s about who you would rather have representing Australia for the next three years. To paraphrase Howard, who you can trust. To take the cynic’s view — you don’t vote for who you’d like in office, you vote out the one you don’t want.

7. (vote Labor)

Frienzoo!

frienzoo.

1. http://www.frienzoo.jp/.

Manhunt banned in Australia

1. More rampant “let’s ban computer games for inciting violence” stupidity. Manhunt was banned in Australia because one clueless WA Minister complained to the Attorney General who in turn passed it back to the Office of Film and Literature Classification, who despite giving it a M15+ rating the first time, now has decided to refuse classification. Oh, the coincidence. All this, because the mother of Stefan Pakeerah, a british teen murdered by a friend blamed her son’s death on the game, earlier this year. It had been months since the blame was laid, and Leicester Police (who investigated the murder) have since ruled out any connection between the game and the murder. So why, for fucks sake, are we banning it now?

2. I detest this kind of censorship, it’s just another stupid knee-jerk reaction to a nonexistent problem. We have got to be the most socially backwards first world nation. Another good reason to vote Little Johnny and his cronies out next saturday.