The Obama campaign released an iPhone app. Its design kinda reminds me of Windows XP with the default “Bliss” wallpaper. See what I mean after the jump.

The compact disc turned 26 over the weekend. Happy belated birthday, darling!

If people referred to last year’s iPhones as “Jesus Phones,” would they call this year’s model “the Second Coming?”

People — and specifically the former mate — have asked me when I would acquire a DVD player capable of playing either Blu-Ray or HD DVD media. To date, my answer has been, “Not until there is a clear winner in the format war.” Simply put, I’m not laying down a hunk of cash for a piece of technology that may or may not be rendered obsolete shortly after purchase.¹

With Warner Bros.’ announcement late last week that they’re exclusively backing Blu-Ray, it looks like we finally have a clear winner.² That said, I’m now actually considering a Blu-Ray player purchase, perhaps even a PS3 purchase. (I could replace my PS2 and not have to buy something extra to play DVDs. Space on my TV stand is annoyingly limited.)

But what about combination HD DVD/Blu-Ray players? Nope! Too expensive. More often than not it would be cheaper to buy separate players than to buy one combo player. For example, if it were in stock I could theoretically buy a combo player from LG on amazon.com for about $800, or spend about $550 for amazon’s lowest priced HD DVD player and Blu-Ray player. But who has space for so many separate components? Not me, that’s for sure!

At any rate, I think Blu-Ray should be the clear winner for one simple reason: Blu-Ray discs hold up to twice as much as HD DVD discs, and up to 8 or 9 times as much as a standard DVD.³ Think of the space savings on DVD sets. For example, I recently got the first season of “I Love Lucy” on DVD, a seven-disc collection. Assuming the seven DVDs were full to capacity, all that content could fit onto one, maybe two Blu-Ray discs.

And if you’ve never seen the difference between a standard definition image and a high definition image, check out the comparison between the standard and HD versions of Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring. It’s a pretty convincing display, if you ask me. (link via kottke)

Update: My friend Kevin — who ran into a 404 issue with this entry when he tried to comment — sent me this by IM:

you didnt mention one shitty thing about blu-ray - the multiple profiles that have been released and the fact that the discs that use the newer profiles wont work properly on older players - also that there are no players (save for ps3) that will play the current final 2.0 blu-ray spec

• We’re prejudiced, now what?: Scientists now tell us bias toward others may be innate. But that doesn’t mean we have to behave like Bill O’Reilly. [more at Salon]
• Alanis Morissette tunes in to “Radio”: Alanis Morissette has joined the cast of sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dick’s semiautobiographical feature adaptation “Radio Free Albemuth.” [more at Reuters]
• Rosie ambushed by O’Reilly’s crew at signing: Rosie O’Donnell is certainly no stranger to controversy, but who knew she’d find her fair share during a quiet Saturday afternoon book signing? [more at MSNBC]
• Robert Goulet, 73; star of ‘Camelot’ matched idol looks with rich baritone: Robert Goulet, the strikingly handsome singer with the rich baritone who soared to stardom on the Broadway stage in 1960 playing Lancelot in the original production of “Camelot,” died yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. A native of Lawrence, Mass., he was 73. [more at Boston Globe]
• Google pitches Gphones to Verizon: Google is pitching its vaunted Gphone to Verizon Wireless, but the odds are still against the search giant striking a major deal with the second largest phone company in the U.S. [more at CNET]

AppleHound lists 68 perceived bugs in Apple’s iPhone, a few of which I’ve experienced myself. Some aren’t really bugs per se, but either documented features or user interface requests. (via Machinist)

Bonus link: There’s a bug in iPhone’s calculator

These are my links for 27 Jun:

• Why the iPhone matters (Machinist/Salon) - Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Apple’s new phone, and why it could change your life even if you don’t buy one.
• 100 Blogs We Love (PC World) - PC World’s favorite stops in the blogosphere, covering everything from high tech to low comedy and all manner of pursuits in between.

These are my links for 22 Jun through 25 Jun:

• pee and poo plush dolls * kiss & bajs | scandinavian details - The pee & poo set makes a fun, light-hearted tool for introducing your child to potty training (SSSH. It even makes a great gift for hard-to-please adults.)
• A Long Line for a Shorter Wait at the Supermarket (New York Times) - A relative newcomer to Manhattan is trying to teach the locals a new rule of living: the longer the line, the shorter the wait.
• Metroblogging DC: Maybe photography IS a crime - Wayan, Carl, myself and the rest of the DC Metblogs crew invite you out for a photo outing on what seems like the best day to do this: July 4th.
• Uncovering America: Fighting for Acceptance - Special Reports from CNN.com - From the basic desires for understanding to the complex issues of adoption and marriage, the LGBT community faces an array of challenges.
• If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers - Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion.
• Second Life Without Sex Would Be a Sad Life, Indeed - There’s nothing virtual about the anxiety felt by Second Life residents these days.
• How Dumb Can a “Wizard” Get? - How can setting up a cell phone get that complicated?
• Machinist: Tech Blog, Tech News, Technology Articles - Salon - “No drop of milk oozes from the Apple teat without a crowd of journalists gathering to swallow it up,” writes Jack Shafer, Slate’s ever-clever media critic, in a piece launching his pre-iPhone “Apple Suck-Up Watch.” Shafer is the sort who reaches for his

These are my links for 18 Jun:

• Daily Blog Tips - You don?t need to know much about SEO to realize links are the golden road to blog promotion.
• Fluther: Tap the Collective - A new twist on social question and answer sites.
• 25 Web Sites to Watch - The Internet is evolving in new and inventive ways thanks to mashups that pull data from all over the Web and to AJAX-based interfaces that give sites the same degree of interactivity and responsiveness that desktop apps possess.
• The great iPhone hunt of 2007 | CNET News.com - Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently gave free advice to a columnist asking how to get an iPhone when they go on sale: head to an AT&T store, Jobs suggested, rather than Apple’s own retail outlets.
• Mozilla exec calls Apple’s Safari plan ‘duopolistic’ - Mozilla’s chief operating officer, John Lilly, is calling Steve Jobs’ plans for building Safari’s market share “out of date” and “duopolistic.”
• Dell apologizes for remove-this-blog-post-or-else nastygram | Tech news blog - CNET News.com - A blog post at Consumerist.com offering tips on buying from Dell drew a nasty cease-and-desist letter from the company’s attorney and then, in quick succession, a chastened apology from a Dell manager.
• Microwave popcorn warning memo - Unedited memo sent out to City of Seattle employees.
• 15 Best Game Show Hosts - TIME Magazine ranks 15 best game show hosts; Bob Barker comes out on top.

• Ledo name of ‘nerve center’
• Apple reportedly angered by ‘iGasm’ ads | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
• The Evening Class: QUEER CINEMA Turner Classic Movies Broadcast of Screened Out: Gay Images In Film
• DC Metro Rider - Recording of the Old Metro Voice?
• Machines give kids lessons in food, finance

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