Marc's blog

Why I’m Buying a PC

Marc — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:40:16 +0000

For those who have followed me on Twitter or those who have followed my blog know that i’m a big Mac fan. In fact, you might call me a Mac geek. I have a 2007 MacBook, the first one with a Intel processor, a first generation iPod Touch, second generation iPod touch, an iPhone 3GS and a iPad which I got the first day it came out. So you would think that when I was in the market for a new computer, I would be looking into a Mac. But for my new computer, I just bough a Dell Studio XPS 8100 with Microsoft Windows 7. Now before I start to get a rash of e-mail telling me that i’m crazy, let me explain.

First off, I still love Mac. To me, they still lead the way when it comes to the latest technology and they still create the best looking products on the technology market. They are the only technology company that I know of that have so many rumors surrounding them at any given time (Mac Rumors), and the only ones to have an actual following of people that will but things (no matter what it is, how much it is, or if they need it) the day it comes out. Windows, or Microsoft on the other hand usually are in the news with problems. Take for example Windows Vista. I’m sure that most everyone, (regardless of being a Mac person or not) can agree that it was a failure. With all the bugs and security holes, and who could forget that annoying “Windows needs your permission to continue.” message. But then came Windows 7, with the promise that it would not only fix all the issues that vista brought, but have great new features. This called for Apple to fire back:

With all the problems that Visa had, I was happy to see that Microsoft was fixing the problems that had hurt them in PC sales with vista. So naturally, with Windows fixing all the problems, I decided to give it a shot and buy it for my Dad as his birthday gift. After installing it and playing around to actually see what the program could do, I was impressed. Not only has Windows gone through with their promise to fix Vista, but they did make it better. Which got me thinking about a PC as my next computer, and probably what led me to buy a PC. (That and the price of one.)

And then their was my Mac, it being almost 3 years old it has served me well. With all of my school work and my new found interstest in web design, it has handled all of that with no problems. Sure over the years I have had 2 HD crashes and the share of problems. But I still love it. And with this new computer, I’m not getting rid of it. In fact, i’m doing the exact opposite. I’m keeping it and using it as my podcasting computer, (http://www.silvys.com/discast/) and as a mobile work computer.

It has been plenty of fun years with my Mac, and I’m glad that when I made the choice 3 years ago, I got it. It has served me well and will continue to serve me well into the future.

Disneyland Tests Talking Mickey Mouse Character

Marc — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:27:19 +0000

Via. The Orange County Register

Disneyland quietly is testing a talking Mickey Mouse character who greets guests by name and has a moving mouth and blinking eyes.
Traditionally, the masked characters who interact with visitors don’t speak, only using sign language to communicate at the Disney parks. The test Mickey’s eyelids blink and his nose and upper lip move as he talks. His voice sounds like the cartoon character.
[...]
Michele Himmelberg, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, confirmed that Disney is testing the talking Mickey. But she declined to comment about whether the character would be added to the park permanently.
For now, the talking rodent is greeting guests at Mickey’s House in Mickey’s Toontown.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyHIdr1aM7s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6k2xdtU8Wc

What are your thoughts? Is this the next generation of character greetings in the parks?

Apple unveils “The fastest, most powerful MacBook Pro ever”

Marc — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:58:15 +0000

With all the hype about the iPad in the past weeks, it’s nice to know that it was not the only thing that Apple was working on in the past months. And with the last refresh of the MacBook Pro line being more than 300 days ago, it’s something that’s long over due.

Many Mac enthusiasts have been wanting the i5 and the i7 Intel processors to come to the Mac, and they finally got their wish today as both the 15-inch and the 17-inch models include the chips. Apple also stated that the 13-inch has a “groundbreaking” built-in battery that can go 10 hours without recharging and has a graphics processor they claim is 80 percent faster than the current model’s. Apple also says that the 15-inch and the 17-inch models are up to 50 percent faster than the current models.

“The new MacBook Pro is as advanced on the inside as it is stunning on the outside,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing in a press release today. “With faster processors, amazing graphics and up to three more hours of battery life, the new MacBook Pro delivers both performance and efficiency.”
The prices as well as a full list of features for each model are as follows:

• 13-inch, 2.4 GHz: $1,199

• 13-inch, 2.66 GHz: $1,499

• 15-inch, 2.4 GHz: $1,799

• 15-inch, 2.53 GHz: $1,999

• 15-inch, 2.66 GHz: $2,199

• 17-inch, 2.53 GHz: $2,299

Built to order models are also available, for an additional cost.

And for all the geeks out there, below is a full list of features:

The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
1066 MHz front-side bus;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight® video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
SD card slot;
combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
60 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
1066 MHz front-side bus;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
SD card slot;
combined headphone/line in (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:

15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire 800 port;
SD card slot;
audio line in (analog/digital);
audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire 800 port;
SD card slot;
audio line in (analog/digital);
audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,199 (US), includes:

15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4MB shared L3 cache;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire 800 port;
SD card slot;
audio line in (analog/digital);
audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.53 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,299 (US), includes:

17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;
2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
iSight video camera;
three USB 2.0 ports;
one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
audio line in (analog/digital);
audio line out/headphone (analog/digital);
glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and
85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Verizon CEO Confirms Pursuit of iPhone

Marc — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:47:15 +0000

First off, sorry for not posting here in a long time. But that will soon change as the summer draws closer. Anyway, it seams that the rumors of the iPhone going to Verizon have some truth to them as today, the CEO of Verizon confirmed that they are trying to get the iPhone. And in another announcement, Apple is set to announce details of the new iPhone operating system this thursday. All of this comes after Apple’s iPad release this past saturday. (April 3.) The only thing that I can say is that they boys in Cupertino are hard at work on some big stuff.

Via. CBS News/AP

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg says the company has told Apple that it wants to carry the iPhone. But he declined to say when – or even if – the popular smart phone will be available for Verizon Wireless customers.

In remarks Tuesday before the Council on Foreign Relations, Seidenberg cited a recent Wall Street Journal report that said Apple is working on a version of the iPhone that would be compatible with Verizon’s network.

But he did not confirm the report or give any further details Tuesday.

AT&T Inc. has exclusive rights to the iPhone in the United States. The company has been silent about the reports on the new iPhone model.

Apple is expected to announce details on a new iPhone operating system Thursday in Cupertino, Calif.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Exclusive Pixar short featuring George and AJ, characters from the feature film Up.

Marc — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:12:50 +0000

Here is an un-released Pixar Short featuring George and AJ, the two Shady Oaks workers who come to take Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home in the movie UP. Enjoy!

Pixar Short: George and AJ

John Lasseter Discusses Pixar after Disney.

Marc — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:02:34 +0000

John Lasseter talks about Pixar after the Disney acquisition

“Their view of the world” segment for the DISCAST

Marc — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:45:54 +0000

On the DISCAST twitter feed, I recently posted about a new segment that I want to start on the show called “Their view of the world.” For those interested, here is what the segment is all about.

This will be a segment on the show were anyone can record anything that they like/don’t like about what Disney is doing. For example: you can record yourself with your views on the Fantasyland expansion, or D23, or Disney Cruise Line, etc. the list goes on and on. A few requirements, though, need to be followed:

Keep you segment clean.
Must be in .mp3 format and must be at least 2 min. long. (5 min. MAX)
Must be related to Disney.
Must be e-mailed that Thursday before a show. (Which is on Sunday.)

Other than that, do what you wish! If you have anymore questions, e-mail the show at podcast@silvys.com, DM us on twitter, or comment below this post.

UPular Remix Video And Fan Response

Marc — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:00:34 +0000

I know that by now, almost every Disney fan has seen the UPualr Remix by the Australian DJ, Pogo. But for those who have not seen it yet, or want to watch it again, here you go!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVxe5NIABsI

And for those who have not seen (or have seen) HomeStarRunnerTron crazy, dancing, and lip singing video response that was even a favorite from Toy Story 3 Director Lee Unkrich (@leeunkrich on twitter) here it is:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=po7foo75MS4

WordPress 2.9 Updates

Marc — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:17:31 +0000

Below is a video explaining the new features in WordPress 2.9, which is what this blog and the DISCAST is run on: