Calgary Water Cooler Talk Thread - Page 13

Ramsayfarian · #**241** Posted **Oct 21, 2009, 10:05 PM**

Any mac fans here?

Check out the new iMac, 27" of must have.
http://www.apple.com/ca/imac/

Bigtime · #**242** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 1:37 PM**

So who here is putting up Christmas lights?

Yesterday night I put up the first string along the top of my balcony railing. I'm thinking of having some hanging down behind the glass also.

I'm also toying with the idea of wrapping a string around the column in our condo also.

Here is a pic of our "Christmas Tree" last year with the balcony lights in the background (they are big bright white ones for this year):

Ayreonaut · #**243** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 2:00 PM**

Dude, it's not even Halloween!

Actually I'll probably get up on the roof when I get home, before it gets icy.

Bigtime · #**244** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 2:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayreonaut

Dude, it's not even Halloween!

Actually I'll probably get up on the roof when I get home, before it gets icy.

I know I know! I haven't turned them on, just getting them installed when it is nicer out is easier (that wind can get mighty cold 26 floors up!).

I was cleaning out our storage unit last night, and it just made sense to bring the lights up and start setting them up at the same time.

I probably won't turn the lights on until mid-November. Although I can already see two balconies over at Bromley Square that have them on!

lubicon · #**245** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 4:10 PM**

I'll be putting ours up next warm weekend we get, but they don't get turned on until December 1. I've noticed a few houses over the past few weeks that DO have them on at night, and no, they are not haloween lights. I also noticed yesterday morning that some of the balconies on the 5 West towers have theirs on too.

It's way too early.

You Need A Thneed · #**246** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 4:22 PM**

apparently, some Sikhs have turned on lights for Diwali (sp?) There were 6 or 7 houses near mine that had lights on.

freeweed · #**247** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 5:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayreonaut

Dude, it's not even Halloween!

Hey, I found a shop in Banff that sells Xmas decorations in JULY!!

The horror!

Sorry, the griping about "it's too early for Xmas blah" has always baffled me. Like there's some set schedule when it's "OK" to start selling/displaying Xmas stuff.

Personally, I'm going green this year and not putting up vanity lights. ie: I'm being lazy.

Innersoul1 · #**248** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 5:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Any mac fans here?

Check out the new iMac, 27" of must have.
http://www.apple.com/ca/imac/

I just wet myself! I am officially in love!

Ramsayfarian · #**249** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 6:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I just wet myself! I am officially in love!

There's an app for that.

Bigtime · #**250** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 6:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

There's an app for that.

Rusty van Reddick · #**251** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 7:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Any mac fans here?

Check out the new iMac, 27" of must have.
http://www.apple.com/ca/imac/

Love it, but sad to see still no blu-ray.

Ramsayfarian · #**252** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 7:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

Love it, but sad to see still no blu-ray.

If it's to keep the cost down, they should have at least offered blu-ray as an upgrade option.

Rusty van Reddick · #**253** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 7:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

If it's to keep the cost down, they should have at least offered blu-ray as an upgrade option.

My understanding is that there are issues b/t Apple and the OEM (Sony?), so no blu-ray on any apple product :-(

Policy Wonk · #**254** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 8:00 PM**

The word from Jobs is "Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt."

Ramsayfarian · #**255** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 8:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

The word from Jobs is "Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt."

I googled Steve Jobs + blu ray and found this article:
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/10/14/jobs-says-no-blu-ray-again

In a Q&A session after the launch of Apple’s new notebooks today, Steve Jobs called Sony’s Blu-ray a “bag of hurt” and stated that licensing the standard for Blu-ray hardware and software is currently too complex. Jobs then remarked that Apple is waiting for Blu-ray to “take off in the marketplace.”

However, the company was quick to point out that it supports HD video -- as long as it's not on a disc. Speaking after Jobs, Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of marketing, noted iTunes already has the "best" HD movie and TV options. Apple has spent years developing products that incorporate streaming media, such as Apple TV and iTunes libraries.

Schiller’s comment highlights how Apple defines the “best” in entertainment. It's not the technical particulars relating to screen resolution and sound, but rather the immediate ease and accessibility of the content. Apple TV’s HD quality is certainly not equal to Blu-ray, but Apple clearly would rather its customers have access to cheap and accessible HD content of slightly lower quality, rather than the physical media model, which delivers higher-quality pictures but comes with several disadvantages -- namely, higher cost and limited selection.

Posters on professional video forums have complained in the past about Apple's lack of support for the industry standard in HD physical media, but posters on general entertainment tech forums today seemed indifferent to the lack of Blu-ray drives on the new Macs. Blu-ray hardware and software support have been conspicuously absent from Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacPro lines as well as OS X and Final Cut Pro, even though Apple originally “supported” the format three years ago

Ramsayfarian · #**256** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 8:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

My understanding is that there are issues b/t Apple and the OEM (Sony?), so no blu-ray on any apple product :-(

If you really want Blu Ray on your iMac there are after market drives available. Personally, while it would be a nice to have, I can live without it.

freeweed · #**257** Posted **Oct 29, 2009, 8:40 PM**

On a piddly 27" screen, regular DVD has more than enough resolution to keep your eyeballs saturated.

And blu-ray is the spawn of the DRM devil anyway.

Blader · #**258** Posted **Oct 30, 2009, 12:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

On a piddly 27" screen, regular DVD has more than enough resolution to keep your eyeballs saturated.

And blu-ray is the spawn of the DRM devil anyway.

And other issues aside DRM is the main reason why I won't buy Sony.

Vascilli · #**259** Posted **Nov 15, 2009, 8:45 AM**

If anybody would like some free, homegrown music, may I refer you to Holy Yetti's brand new EP launched by yours truly just twelve minutes ago, Holy Yetti Live at Cantos Music Room. It's a free download, so don't feel guilty that you're stealing from some poor saps just trying to get by. (Free money is encouraged nonetheless) Audio is at 320kbps, but was recorded in the extremely loud Music Room by a lowly Zoom H4 with the internal microphones, so quality is lower than it could be. Get it below.

http://www.filedropper.com/holyyettiliveatcantosmusicroom

And check out their Myspace and Facebook pages too.

Innersoul1 · #**260** Posted **Nov 15, 2009, 3:36 PM**

Crazy video taken from the tip of the spire at the Burj Dubai. INSANE!

• Video Link