If you’ve been looking to switch Cell phone carriers but wanted to keep your current cell phone#, the wait is almost over!

Wireless Number Portability is coming to Canada by March 14 of this year (2007)!  Read the CRTC news release from Dec.20, 2005 here.

This would be just in time for the Apple iPhone coming out in June!

There, I have said it.

I want an iPod.

I have hated Apple for the longest time, trying to resist being assimilated into the rest of postmodern culture of iPods (and MacBooks/iBooks).  But my strength has become weakened by the world which keeps pushing and pushing me succumb!

Dang it–it’s an iPod!!!

Just about everybody has an iPod and those famous white earphones!  Sadly though, I would have to use their monopolizing hardware+software package iTunes with an iPod (I have already succumbed to iTunes since I need it to get the Passion07 podcast)… and since it does NOT play WMAs natively, I would have to re-rip all those CDs I’ve on my computer as wma files (or waste endless hours converting them).  This non-supporting of WMAs is the biggest negative for me… I guess I’ll just have to re-rip CDs that I’d want to listen to stinking MP3s, bummers.

~sighs~

Specifically, I want an iPod nano.  I’ve had my big old Dell DJ (1st generation) for like 4+ years now (it’s still working!), but I’d definitely like to switch to something much more portable.  Since my ESV mp3 Bible at 64kbps requires about 2gb of space, I need at least a 4gb player.  The 4gb is $229 CDN.  Interestingly enough, there is a PRODUCT (RED) nano available: $10 from every 4 or 8gb RED nano will go to the Global Fund, to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.  So basically, buy an iPod nano - support a worthy cause. 

If I were to get one of these babies right now, it would be a 4gb iPod (RED) nano… (I just cannot afford the 8gb, the extra space would be a waste).

As a bonus, if I buy from the online Apple Store, I can get free laser engraving.  But I gotta order the laser engraved nano by 12/11/06 if I wanna get it by Christmas/before I leave for Urbana.

So in summary…

PRO’s:

1. It’s an iPod!  enough said
2. And it’s pretty
3. and small
4. And I can have it in RED, my fave color!
5. And if it’s RED, I’d be helping fight AIDS in Africa.
6. I can plug it into fancy iPod compatible speakers & cars!
7. Did I mention that it’s an iPod… and a nano!

CON’s:

1. It can’t play WMAs
2. More expensive than similar non-iPod MP3 players
3. I have to use iTunes
4. Attracts thieves

Oh man.. I want a RED iPod nano for Christmas!!

Please, Santa, please–I have been a good boy this year

This post is submitted from the new Windows Live Writer beta, installed on my Acer 1694WLMi running Windows Vista beta 2 build 5472.  Download it here!

WL Writer is a desktop blog publishing program that publishes WYSIWYG to any blogging platform!

I soo want a Mac now…. a MacBook Pro would be just great!  Graduation present, hint hint
Check this out tho, just freaking amazing:

^^That’s in Microsoft’s Mac Lab… displaying 50 machines at a time!

^^And a few Mac Minis….well, 150 to be exact!

Click here to see a tour of the MS Mac Lab

So, the other day, after hearing about how the new Microsoft Office 2007 Beta-1 Technical Refresh released a couple weeks ago was putting a huge server load on Microsoft’s beta server, I was thinking what in the world is so special about this release that ALL the beta testers are getting it immediately!  So curious me, went abouts to download this myself…and first installed it on my desktop to makesure it’s not totally buggy…it wasn’t, and when I ran it for the first time, I was completely amazed by the new Ribbon UI.  (I never installed the original Beta-1)  

If you haven’t tried out the new “Office 12″, you should definitely give it a try (ahem, download it illegally)…the new UI is just amazing… soooo koool!!! LOL  People say it’s hard to learn how to use it, for everybody who’s used to the old “File/Edit/Insert” menu….but I gotta say, once u get used to where everything is on the Ribbon UI, it’ll be so much easier and faster to use Word / Excel / etc… Another kool feature I like is when u highlight some text that u wanna make bold/italics wutever, a mini floating menu fades into view at ur mouse pointer with the basic bold/italics/etc u use often; so intuitive & convenient, with one click and no need for Ctrl+B or dragging ur mouse up to the top menu for bolding!

I then went abouts to install it on Magalene, my laptop–and lo and behold, I’m not enjoying Office 2007!  Considering it is a beta, and I still have a few papers to finish before graduating, I probably shouldn’t be using this for my schoolwork…but what the heck!!  Seems pretty darn good to me, I’m not worried, and taking every precaution just in case something does happen.

So right now, on my laptop, I’m running 3 pieces of Microsoft Beta software:

• Windows Live Messenger (I’m a “managed beta” tester for this! whatever this means!  If u need an Invite to use the new Messenger, email me, I’ve got some left)
• Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview (Tabs system is IMHO better than Firefox’s, and the RSS feature in their “Favorites Center” is soo functional–i use it everyday along with the feeds I read thru my live.com homepage!  Double dose of RSS feeds!)
• Office 2007 Professional (Very very sexy interface, very usable, but not publically available yet)

Along with my slick Vista-like Windows XP theme, I’m pretty proud of my shweet M$ setup…nice n functional, and doesn’t look like a Mac!  Oh, and of course, I use www.live.com as my homepage, and using Custom Domains to host my at sixsteps dot org email (still waiting to get transitioned from their hotmail servers to their mail.live servers).

Check out the screenshot below of my beta toys!