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Steve Jobs announced the new Intel-based Mac mini at today’s Apple special event. Some impressive spec’s: gigabit ethernet and 4 USB 2.0 ports with SPDIF input and output. Claims that the new machine is roughly 5 times faster than the PowerPC should be taken with a grain of salt. At least that’s the case with the new Intel iMac. iLife ‘06 and Frontrow included! Check out the details here and a full transcript of the show here.

Also, a portable speaker system for iPods has been released (iPod Hi-Fi), but that’s not important. Mac mini, here I come!

Just received the following SMS:

A friendly reminder from SARS: Record your car mileage at the end of today and keep it to complete your tax return. Thank you.

They had a spot on the radio this morning too, so there’ll be no excuse for not handing in the necessary information for the impending tax return. Not my favourite time of year

Yep: some websites still reckon there is only ONE…

Instead of updating only the information, why not focus on what users are actually doing…

I was trawling around to determine the specifications of a Victorinox multi tool when I saw this:

It’s no iPod, but has some nice features: a remote control in the shape of the Victorinox logo with dual earphone sockets, a radio, recorder and portable USB data carrier – and of course the usual pocket knife, scissors, etc. Those clever Swiss have even considered that one might want to use the MP3 player on an aircraft. The blades undock from the body and a cover is provided. Various capacities are available. Check it out here.

I’m starting to be increasingly annoyed by my LOOX 720. It seems as though each time I need to activate Bluetooth to sync mail using my mobile phone, the dreaded out of memory message is displayed. That requires a soft reset and a minute’s wait…

The T830 is only a few months away

In my opinion, the PSP was made for games like Ridge Racer. It’s no secret that I’m a fan and that Ridge Racer was my primary reason for getting a PSP. But, having completed that (except for the MAX Tours), other games have to be tried.

Need for Speed: Underground Rivals is a conversion from the PC platform. Graphically, the game is slick and the effects visually stunning. Not as smooth and uncluttered as Ridge Racer, mind you. Note to self: stop comparing this to Ridge Racer! Racing either against the clock or rival cars, the aim is to win as many races as possible. Winning provides cash and points which can be used to enhance the appearance and performance of the cars owned by the player. The tracks and environments provided for furious racing action are detailed, but feature annoyingly stupid NPC traffic. To win certain races, shortcuts have to be found to gain the lead. This puzzle aspect doesn’t belong in a racing game! As with all EA games, music from well-known artists is provided. The soundtracks tend to be loud and detract from the action.

My biggest criticism is the poor control one has over the car. I don’t want to compare against Ridge Racer, but there the control action was smooth and predictable. Here, it’s very much a question of nudging the car to turn. Once in a turn, the only way to gain control is to furiously countersteer; that results in contact with the barrier or oncoming traffic. Upgrading the car does make some difference to the steering action, albeit never enough to be smooth and predictable. I had to remind myself a number of times that a PSP is more expensive than an ordinary game controller – else it would have ended up being thrown against the nearest wall.

The gameplay is rich and offers various levels of difficulty, with neat visual and sound effects. It’s let down by offering bad response where it matter most: driving the damn car!

Maybe too little too late? With the impending arrival of the Intel processor in all machines of the Apple range, the discount and trade-in offer available at DigiCape’s website is probably more a strategy to get rid of outdated kit and make room in warehouses for new goodies. Nonetheless, if you’re in the market for a Mac, you may want to consider their offer. Given that the universal binaries and applications are not all ready for primetime, the PowerPC processor still has some life left in it.

Me, I’ve decided to hold out for an Intel-based Mac Mini. Will we see it being announced on February 28?

Those geeks at The Geeks of Hazzard have given me a mention. No, not that kind of a doctor! But I wouldn’t send my kids to me either

If you enjoy some geek and alcohol-inspired humour, give these guys a try.

I’ve had the upgrade files and notes for the conversion to Wordpress 2.0 downloaded and sitting on my drive for more than two weeks.

A hard drive crash and the inability to get to all the services I need (ftp being one of them) has delayed the whole upgrade process. I was quite ready to go the whole hog and perform the upgrade manually when I happened upon the following link in Fantastico:

Single click upgrade to 2.0! How cool is that? Obviously I dumped a backup, then clicked el button – and 2.0 is here! I’ll get around to replacing my customizations to the PHP scripts soon, but this was even easier than I thought. Wordpress 2.0 has enhanced features on the backend, that won’t be noticed by readers. Some neat enhancements are the ability to change colours of the theme, a WYSIWYG editor and a new visual design and layout.

Fantastico!

The furore caused by cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper has now affected the humble Danish pastry. When in Iran, do like the Iranians do and order a “Rose of the Prophet Muhammad”, not a Danish. If these guys were true to their principles, they wouldn’t eat them at all, not just rename them. What’s even more amusing, is that the Scandinavian term for a Danish pastry is Viennese bread. Whom are the Iranians really boycotting?

With stuff like kaleh pacheh and asheh mohshalah to eat, it’s no wonder they’re desperate for some variety. Dudes: lighten up just a bit!

via News24