2010 BMW 535i Gran Turismo Mini-Review

2010 BMW 535i Gran Turismo

Every so often a car comes around that leaves such an impression on the auto industry and the buying public that it changes the course of automobile design, perhaps even moving things in a whole new direction while still embracing timeless elements from the past. The BMW 535GT (Gran Turismo) is most definitely NOT that car. It was clear right from the beginning that BMW was hoping the GT would usher in a new era of the classic “estate car”, but in fact the GT has been anything but.  Not that it could have even come close with the 7-Series size and the looks that make you wonder “what were they thinking”. Ultimately the GT is a grand affair with subtle yet distinct lines, a huge pile of the latest BMW technologies, all combined into one of the hardest-to-like packages yet seen from the German automaker. Needless to say, I was less than impressed with the results.

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Tweet No Evil

So I was catching up on that latest news and saw this. Yea, seriously. Who cares if you manage to fire off a tweet from an iPad? For those who don’t care to click on through, the story basically is that Steve Jobs got his panties in a bunch over someone using an iPad to send off a tweet asking if anyone thought “it looked cool”. As silly as this all seems, and yes, it is very very silly, it got me thinking. How do you know if something you tweet about is over the line? I mean, can you really know if something is going to send someone into a tizzy or that last tweet about how much you hate work ends up making the rounds at the water cooler. I for one have always kept a close eye on what I post online, including stuff that ends up in places that I consider private like Facebook but I can really see how folks might get themselves into trouble with something like twitter. So, I decided to round up some great examples on why everyone should “tweet no evil”….
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About That New Look & Why 2010 will Rock Tech

Ok, I know. I have been neglecting this blog for far too long. But that’s all about to change starting right now with a whole new look for Daily Techno-Babble! The old look was sooo last decade and with so much having changed it was way past due for a complete redesign. So, in with the new, out with the old and I hope you all approve!

Now that we are looking to the future let’s talk about what 2010 holds for the world of tech. Well, there is this new gadget from Apple called the iPad, virtualization is still changing data centers everywhere and social media has (and still is) redefining where things are at with online services. All of these things are great but that’s not why I am personally excited about the upcoming year in technology. Nope. I see something else setting a new standard, and it only begins with devices like the iPad/iPhone and the upcoming Dell and Lenovo tablets. I call it “frictionless computing” and you are going to be hearing much more about it before 2010 is over. Trust me.

Don’t Call It A Comeback…

Yes, I know. It has been a while. A whole summer even. But like all good things (and some bad) its now time to get back into the game with all new rants…err I mean *interesting* content! Over the last few months a lot has changed in the technology industry; the very successful launch of the Apple iPhone has greatly reshaped the cell phone market, the popularization of virtualization technologies complete with the almost dot.com era VMware IPO has made many IT managers stand up and take notice, and the meteoric rise of an entire new broadcast medium in download-able TV shows and movies all are just begging for a post or two. Although it was great to have some time to pursue other interests over the summer I can’t wait to jump back into the fray again with new content and some fresh views on the latest in technology. As always, I will tell it like it is and get right down to what matters the most to folks who not only like technology but need to actually use it daily.

So light the fires and kick the tires….

New Parallels 3.0 Sports Sexy New Features

Just when you thought things could not get any better with the most popular virtualization software for the Mac a whole new version announcement just pops up in your mailbox! A recent email sent to current customers announced the upcoming June 6th release of version 3.0 states that among 50+ new features this version will include 3d support for Windows applications. Upgrade price is about right at $39 for pre-orders and $49 for those who wait till after June 6th to pick up a copy.

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Yet Another Reason Why eBay Is A Total Joke

I can’t believe eBay is still in business considering the huge number of scams that seem to pervade the site like flies on you-know-what. Just this past week I attempted to use eBay to auction off two notebook computers and quickly discovered that this was an impossible task thanks to all the scammers who now appear to have almost complete control of the site. Yes, you heard that right. Complete control. The way these scammers work is they send you an email asking to purchase your item outside of eBay, then when you won’t bite they hose your auction using a hacked account effectively preventing you from making a legitimate sale and at the same time sticking you with huge sellers fees from eBay. Don’t believe me? Here is the proof.

Technorati Tags: auctions, ebay, fraud, phishing, scam, scammers, security

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5 Sexy Cell Phones You Can Buy Today

After reading yet another review of a cell phone that I won’t be able to own anytime soon I decided it was time to write up a list of 5 sexy phones you CAN buy right now. Yes, these phones are just as interesting as those sexy phones from overseas and can be purchased today (some even unlocked!). So if you think you know what cool is, or you just don’t think your current phone is going to bring sexy back then check out these 5 sexy phones you can actually own!

Technorati Tags: cell phones, fashion, motorola, nokia, review, shopping, Sony Ericsson

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Woot Is A Hoot

One of the more interesting blogs (if you could call it that) I have run across over the last year is this very unique site called woot.com. Love to shop for tech goodies and gadgets? This site is just for you. Each day they feature just a single item with one major feature, an incredibly low price! As you might expect, some of the items can be a bit cheesy at times but not always. Once in a while they have something really good, like a bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo or some other neat gadget. Where Woot really shines in when they have a “Woot Off” or they put up something called a “Bag of Crap”. The bag, aptly named is basically a mystery prize which could be just about anything (someone once got a 60 inch plasma TV in their “bag”). The Woot Off is a time period where they sell something until it is gone then they put up another product, in a rapid fire type of process. All things considered I think Woot is a great idea and a great use of the internet in a way that plays right to its strengths vs. all the sites which seem to always try to mimic offline stores.

So if you are looking for some cool tech gift this holiday season make sure to check it out, you never know what they might have…

Thanksgiving Traditions For Geeks

As many of us sit down for our Thanksgiving meal let us give thanks for all that has been good to us over the past year and also to take a moment to consider several honorific geek traditions commonly observed during the course of this day:

Thou shall not watch sports. At no point will anyone watch anything even remotely resembling sports on the television. Football? What’s that? Don’t even consider it and if someone tells you to change the channel from your X-Files marathon just bid them a fond farewell and show them the door!

Thou shall proceed with the ritual drying out of the turkey. Just because you paid over $1 per pound doesn’t mean you can’t dry it out just like Mom used to do with the $0.29 cent version. For added effect, use additional additives in your stuffing such as coffee grinds or the dust you find at the bottom of the cheezit’s box.

Thou shall forget to call anyone. We already know you need to level up so you can get your “epic”. You don’t need to call and tell us about it, we won’t care since we too are spending our day questing (how do you think we dry out the turkey!) for that elusive rare drop which requires you to kill the same mob 200 times or more.

Thou shall play Quake at least once. It’s DM6 or bust and you know you’re the best so have at it, just don’t lord it too much over any guests lest they whine like babies about how you are camping the rocket launcher (you would never do that….)

Thou shall complain about Star Wars Episode I at least once. Sure we waited almost a generation for that movie but what’s not to love? Plenty, and now is the time to air it all out while everyone can’t escape from the clutches of your lack of faith in George Lucas and your hate of all things Jar Jar.

So there you have it, some traditional Thanksgiving day activities for geeks. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Windows Vista: A Critical Update?

Thought this would qualify as Friday humor for those who maybe just can’t wait for the next “critical update”. Of course I can’t help but speculate that maybe Microsoft is considering this as a possible option when most folks skip the Vista “upgrade”!