Jason Bryant Blog

My last post was a big bashing of Microsoft. So today, just so you don’t think I’m just a Microsoft hater, this news that Silverlight 2 is just around the corner. I posted about Silverlight before. Our sports network here in Canada, TSN, is using Silverlight for it’s online video and it works great on the Mac. In case you don’t know, Silverlight is Microsoft’s answer to Flash.

Microsoft recently announced they will increase openness and interoperability. That’s a good thing, if they follow through. I would use more Microsoft products, if they worked with the Mac and were innovative.

There. I feel better now. I’m not just being a Negative Nancy.

Toshiba is not the only big loser in this battle for the future of HD media. Make no mistake, this was a stunning defeat for Microsoft.

Roughly Drafted has it all here. I found it via Digital Bits.

Microsoft has been posting some big profits the past year, but they really only come from their lock on enterprise. Because people have to use Windows at work, they buy a P.C. for the home because that’s what they are familiar with.

Every other business they have entered, other than Office or the OS they are followers; advertising, web portals, Zune and Windows Mobile (iPhone already has a larger market share than all Windows Mobile devices combined, and that’s after only one year!) For most Microsoft products, I can name a better version that someone else makes.

Some examples:

Hotmail – I use Google’s Gmail. Much better.

UPDATE…From Robert Scoble’s Twitter Feed…

Scobleizer: I’m switching all my email over to Gmail. Gmail is so much faster than Hotmail it isn’t funny. about 3 hours ago from im

Robert’s full post on the big email switch is here.

Windows Mobile – I use BlackBerry because I don’t want my phone to crash. The iPhone is also a good choice.

XBox 360 – I bought a PS3, because of Blu-ray, the advanced processing power, the built-in features and long term, the games selection will get better.

Windows Vista – I use Leopard on the Mac. I don’t have to install drivers, edit the registry or scan for viruses and spyware (and use up 30% of my CPU cycles in the process).

Zune – Seriously, iPods are better in every way. The new Zunes are an improvement over the first gen, but come on, they are what the iPod was three years ago.

Windows Live – I use Google Reader, Docs, Calendar, iGoogle, Maps. All superior products.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. It’s what works best for me. Use whatever product works for you. I’m not saying that the hundreds of millions of people that use Microsoft products are wrong, or made a bad choice. I just prefer other solutions.

And a final thought on the XBox 360. As the RoughlyDrafted article points out, XBox is considered a success, but danger lies ahead.

360 shipments also fell 33% year over year as buyers shifted their attention to the newer Nintendo Wii and PS3. The Wii outsold the 360 in 2007 and the PS3 came within a stones throw of matching its sales [update: the PS3 has also eclipsed 360 unit sales as it enters its second year]. Going forward, there is no reason for thinking 360 sales will dramatically turn around, as sales growth fell this year despite the arrival of major hit new games.

I would add that the spectacular failure rate of the units and the fact that they use a DVD instead of Blu-ray drive means games are severely restricted due to the low storage capacity compared with an HD disc. This will become more pronounced in 2008 as games become larger and larger in size.

I have not purchased a Microsoft product since fall of 2002 when I bought a copy of Windows XP. I don’t see that changing in the near future.

It’s the end of the HD format war. On Monday, Toshiba is expected to announce that they are dropping their support of HD DVD. Reuters has the story here.

This is a very good development. Nobody benefits from a format war. I had decided that Blu-ray was the way to go with the purchase of my PS3 last August. Since then I have purchased a few Blu-ray titles including Casino Royale, Blood Diamond and The Harry Potter Collection, among others.

I’ve always thought Blu-ray was the better format given the larger capacity. Some people say nobody cares about buying movies in HD, but I beg to differ. Once you’ve seen a full 1080p movie on a great television, you can’t go back to regular DVD. You even start noticing how badly compressed your 720p HD signal is from your satellite or cable provider. Cable HD is poor compared with a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

I can’t wait to finally watch Transformers and The Bourne Ultimatum on Blu-ray!

Winter in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada has a quiet, peaceful beauty.

It can also be unrelenting, harsh and downright depressing. Winter before Christmas, with the snow and warm fires is charming. Winter in mid-February, however really does your head in. It’s dark, windy and cloudy most of the time and very, very cold. We usually get a cold snap in January and we did, but this year it’s lasted until now. Many other places are experiencing a harsh winter. Toronto, the East Coast, even further south into the U.S., so we’re not alone. We don’t even have as much snow as we sometimes get. But it has been cold. For me it’s not so much that December and January are cold, it’s that from October-March (and sometimes even April and May) it is cold and miserable. So that leaves the end of May and June as our best months. July is often too hot and dry to be enjoyable. August and September can be nice, but that can’t be counted on.

But then again, where can you count on the weather these days? California burns and shakes, Vancouver rains a lot and it’s not that warm in the winter (although much warmer than here), Toronto is humid and prone to winter “lake-effect” snowstorms, the southern U.S. has too many tornadoes now, the mid-west is dry, so maybe northern California is my perfect spot. Perhaps, Palo Alto or San Mateo. The big problem with that plan of course is the lack of several hundred thousand in cash lying around to buy a small piece of that California paradise. I watched the Pebble Beach golf tournament over the weekend in HD and it looked so nice I tried climbing into my plasma T.V. Maybe I should just sell everything and move to Hawaii and live the surfer life. Hmm.

I’m sure the flu-like symptoms I’ve had for five days; the hot flashes, sniffles and slight cough are adding to my misery. But there’s no question Canada in the winter is a very tough place to live. Not to mention the complete LACK OF LIGHT. The days have been getting longer since the winter solstice but eight hours of light a day is not enough. Summer is great for the opposite reason, the sun gets up a 4am and sets at 9pm. I love that. This year I bought a LED light. This helps simulate some of that lost sunshine.

Last June, The Canadian Cancer Society announced a new Vitamin D recommendation. Among the studies findings…

“Where a person lives is one important factor in how much Vitamin D they can produce from the sun. Because of our country’s northern latitude, the sun’s rays are weaker in the fall and winter and Canadians don’t produce enough Vitamin D from sunlight during this time.”

Research findings announced today add to the mounting evidence in this area. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that taking Vitamin D supplements and calcium substantially reduces all-cancer risk in post menopausal women. Specifically, the researchers found that the higher the levels of Vitamin D in the blood, the lower the relative risk of developing cancer.

So the point I’m making is I’ve had it with winters in Canada. I don’t know how many more I can do. They are too long, and too cold. And I’m not getting any younger. I know the weather will get better soon, but I can’t live half the year hanging on by a thread. I suppose that’s why most people here book Mexican vacations in January and February. I’d rather live at the beach year-round.

Rumors about Microsoft buying Yahoo have been around for years and now they’ve made a bid. My thoughts immediately went to my beloved Flickr. What would happen to it? Would Microsoft ruin it like they so often do? Dr_lopbot imagines it might look like this…