Tretakoff Musings

I'm listening to Cnet's great Buzz Out Loud podcast, and they just mentioned in passing that Hulu is rumored to be coming to Netflix's $99 Roku box. That's news to me; anyone else hear this? If this is the case, it's absolutely a complete no brainer, and changes Netflix's valuation in a huge way. Instead of being a DVD rental service, it vaults them into the realm of DirecTV and Comcast. Sounds promising...

Let me just say, I'm a Chrome kinda guy. If you don't know about chrome, it's Google's own web browser. Yes, a web browser: like Firefox or even (gasp) Microsoft Internet Explorer. Why do I like Chrome? Simple: it's fast and powerful. It loads within a second of clicking it, and pages seem to fly up on the screen. I'm also a Google kinda guy, so I like anything that gives them a platform to build on. However, Chrome and I have a checkered relationship, like getting back together with a psychotic ex-girlfriend after years where she says she's "much better now." At first, you are amazed: it's all the good stuff, and none of the craziness; you question why it never worked out. Then, one day, innocuously, something happens, and it just flips. And welcome back to Psycho Town. You grab your shoes, and run for the door. Welcome to my Chrome world. See, Chrome started off great, but I noticed I couldn't use my scroll wheel on my Logitech TrackMan...

The hell with the Xmas season for movies; give me Spring! We have not just one, but two incredible epics coming to the silver screen. First, the latest trailer for the Watchmen has been released. With every trailer, my amazement grows: the graphic novel that everyone said could never be turned into a movie (including me, as late as yesterday) looks to not only be true, but simply fantastic. See for yourself: The other is J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise, with a prequel taking place at the Academy. The first real trailer has been released for the film, and it is...breathtaking: Now, I know purists of TOS (that's The Original Series, for those not familiar) will no doubt have significant issues with several of the elements in this trailer (the Enterprise being built on Earth? Spock as a violent Sylar-like combatant?), but this looks freaking awesome . 2009 is already shaping up to be a magnificent year for films!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present for you the former candidate for Vice President of the United States, sipping Starbucks and giggling, as she remains unaware of the darker side of the turkey grist mill behind her. Yep, she's that clueless.

Well, it was sure a painful wait, but today Apple released the long-rumored 2.2 update for the iPhone. Unlike past updates, which were mostly fixing bugs, this one adds some excellent functionality, including updates to Google Maps (Street View and the option of non-driving directions), as well as the unbelievably overlooked ability to download podcasts over the air. I don't sync with my work PC (except via Exchange), so I'll be installing 2.2 goodness tonight. Let's hope it's not an all night affair again!

One of the more innovative uses of Twitter has been by NASA and JPL: they established a Twitter account for the Mars Lander, Phoenix . What was so revolutionary was the use of the first person perspective: Phoenix was "tweeting" as it made its discoveries. As a result, the Twitterati became enamored of it, and treated it like a friend. Thus, as Phoenix's mission ended and the Martian winter robbed it of it's necessary light, it tweeted it's quasi-final message, as seen in the picture to the left. And today, we get a glimpse behind the curtain of the wonderful "voice" of Phoenix, and how she came to develop the character, as a combination of whimsy, timing, and the limitations of Twitter. An absolutely fascinating read.

Gizmodo points out that, in all of the other high profile CA state issues that went down to defeat, one victory was lost in the shuffle: Proposition 1A, which lays the groundwork for a bullet train between Southern and Northern California. I am a huge fan of any rail transit, but this one simply makes sense. Kudos to the supporters for making this excellent video which dramatically demonstrates the allure, the benefits, and the real expectations for what could be a monumental day of change for rail travel in this country.