A few months back, Microsoft made waves with they announced their intentions to take on Apple with the introduction of their own vertically integrated media player. With Zune, Microsoft has clearly set it’s sights on Apple’s tightly integrated iPod + iTunes. However, what was once expected to make a big splash, is starting to look like it may only make a whimper.

Zune is expected to be more than just an “iPod killer”, but rather an entire media platform. As Engadget puts it:

The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, “connected entertainment” being the ultimate goal.

With purported features such as a large 3” horizontal screen, WiFi capabilities, and FM tuner, it was looking like Microsoft might actually give Apple a run for their money. However, one feature stood out to me as a solution in search of a problem.

Microsoft’s forthcoming Zune player is shooting to be the life of the party, allowing users to create mobile social networks and stream music to nearby friends or strangers, according to a government regulatory filing.

What?

Why would I want to do that? How much will that kill the battery? What happens when I inevitably move away… I mean, it is a portable device we’re talking about here. And if you dig a little deeper, the Zune might not be all that innovative after all, as it’s starting to look a little familiar

Microsoft’s upcoming Zune digital media player appears to be little more than a repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat player, which itself has enjoyed only marginal success, one Wall Street analyst says.

I wish Microsoft the best of luck with Zune, but they’ve definitely got an uphill battle in front of them. A number of media devices that have stood in the area with the iPod, but none have managed to bring the same balance of hardware and software integration to topple it. If anyone can actually pose a serious threat to Apple’s dominance with the iPod, it’s Microsoft. They certainly have the cash flow do fight the long fight, and with the Xbox they’ve shown that they can muscle their way into an established market. It should be interesting to see what comes of this.

Apple just announced that Google chief executive officer Eric Schmidt will join its board of directors.

“Like Apple, Google is very focused on innovation and we think Eric’s insights and experience will be very valuable in helping to guide Apple in the years ahead”, says Apple CEO Steve Job of the new addition.

One has to stop and wonder what will come of this new union…

Tim Ryan who? Good question, and quite frankly I hadn’t heard of Congressman Ryan until I came across the following video on YouTube about 5 min ago.

I wish more people had the conviction to stand up and speak out about what the Bush administration has done the United States, and the rest of the world. It’s the only way to make a difference.

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling recently. Toronto to Chicago, Chicago to Toronto, Toronto to New York, New York to Toronto… my very own international ferris wheel. Exciting, I know. Anyway, I’m actually in Chicago at the moment, and having just returned to my hotel I thought I’d let everyone in on a little ritual I have while traveling.

I’m not quite sure when it started, but every time I get in a rental car I roll down the windows (weather permitting), pop in a CD and crank the stereo. On the surface, I suppose it’s really not all that unusual, but when I travel, I carry only one CD with me. And that CD is Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

With the exception of Sirus, I don’t typically enjoy the radio. I don’t like it when I’m at home, and I especially don’t like it when I’m in a rental car - aimlessly flipping from channel to channel (or commercial to commercial as it usually is). During one of my previous visits to Chicago, I remembered that I had a copy of Dark Side of the Moon in my bag. Having made my way around the dial a few times and tiring of the crap on the radio, I fished it out and popped it in. And since then, it’s all I listen to.

Without a doubt, Dark Side of the Moon is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s one of the few albums I own that I enjoy listening to in its entirety. I’ve listened to it so many times, it makes me feel right at home. Even when cramped in a shitty rental car, attempting to find my way around a foreign city.

And to be honest, I must admit - it’s not unusual for me to sing along to every song… except The Great Gig In The Sky. I can’t touch that one.

March 21st, 2007. The first day of spring. Or, more importantly, the first day that I’m back in the saddle of a motorcycle.

As some of you might be aware, I am was the proud owner of a 1998 Triumph Speed Triple. However, that all changed about 4 weeks ago. You see, I made a critical error in judgement, and let someone else ride my motorcycle. I’ve come to realize that this is something a motorcycle owner just doesn’t do.

In retrospect, it was clearly a bad idea. I won’t name names, but needless to say I let an old friend ride my motorcycle. He wasn’t licensed, he wasn’t experienced, and now I’m without wheels.

I was reluctant at first (and actually said ‘no’ a few times), but I knew he wanted to take it for a spin, so I agreed to a quick trip around the block. It should have been a 2 minute roundtrip - but when he passed the 10 minute mark, I knew something was wrong.

Apparently there was a kid playing, and a ball rolling across the street… I say bullshit, but whatever the case, he definitely locked up front wheel, and down they went. He was a little banged up, but nothing too serious (and quite frankly, he’s lucky it wasn’t worse). The bike was a different story however. It actually looked quite superficial at first. Beyond some scratches, a broken mirror and a damaged radiator, it didn’t look all that bad. However, clutch casing was shaved right off, and fluids were draining at an alarming rate. Not good. My buddy pegged the repairs at a few thousand… my first reaction was “fuck, I bet it’s a write-off”. I wish I was wrong. At $14,000+ to fix, the repairs easily surpassed the value of the bike. Indeed, that was one expensive ride.

The bulk of the damage was focused on the engine. In particular, the clutch was impacted which in turn impacted the cam shaft (at least that’s I think they said… I can’t say I’m mechanically inclined when it comes to motorcycle engines). Not that it really matters - the engine required a significant amount of work and being a Triumph (read: “exotic” motorcycle), parts don’t come cheap. Nor does labour.

So, what all does this mean? Well, I couldn’t exactly put it through insurance (much to the chagrin of my buddy). He wasn’t licensed, so I knew they wouldn’t cover the costs. I wasn’t riding - nor was I about to claim that I was, and have that on my record. And I wasn’t about to “dispose” of it and report it stolen (you know, something about conscious and fraud…) So, my friend is going on the payment plan (or so he says… I haven’t heard from him in a few weeks now), and I’m focusing my attention on getting a replacement. But what to get?

The answer to that was actually quite simple for me. Another Speed Triple! I looked at the Ducati’s, which are nice but not the same (and more expensive!). I looked at the Honda’s, and Kawasaki’s, and Yamaha’s… but I have zero interest in them. And Harley’s don’t do it for me either. So my choices are actually quite limited… even more so when you realize that there aren’t many used Triumph’s available in Ontario. If I want another Speed Triple, it’ll have to be new.

Now, I’m actually OK with this. I mean, yes - I need to pony up some additional cash (well, close to $10,000 to be specific). But I am getting a new bike in the end, and new is better than used, right? However, Jess isn’t so happy about that, which I can respect. $10K is a lot of money, no matter which way I spin it. Regardless, she’s come around to the fact that I can’t find a used Speed Triple, and that I want to purchase a new one. And her only stipulation is that I purchase it in the spring! I suppose I can see her logic, I mean winter is fast approaching. But with the season as short as it is, I really wanted to take advantage of every possible day. In particular, I was especially looking forward to my first ride in the fall.

Some have said that I should just purchase it now, and beg for forgiveness later. Others have said that I should cut my losses, and consider something else. And a few have insisted that I give up riding altogether (sorry mom). But I can wait. I don’t want to, but I will. And on March 21st 2007, I will be riding home from my local Triumph dealer, with a huge grin on my face.

Maintaining this site is somewhat like a hobby of mine. I tweak and tinker, but it’s never really complete.

Since Jess and I moved back from California, I knew I needed to update the overall look of the site. “California Love” wasn’t really a fitting name anymore… so I’ve started the transformation.

For the time being, I’ve enabled the default theme as I work on the new styles for the site. Similarly, I’ve decided that I’m going to begin blogging about topics that are more reflective of my tastes. The original purpose of the blog was to keep everyone abreast of our west coast adventures… but now that we’re back, it seemed only fitting to change it up.

So, expect a healthy mix of politics, mac geekery, web nerdiness, and whatever else comes to mind.