Mike Nally

The Bughatti Veyron. Amazing technology. 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds. 0-150 mph in 8.6 seconds. 0-250 mph in less than a minute! And yet it rides as well as nearly anything on the road.

Price? Well, if you must ask… $1.55 million U.S. dollars. That is if you can find one.

A wonderful example of having far more power than nearly anyone needs. Owning one would be amazing. Thinking you need one, truly need it, and you’re just fooling yourself.

Which brings me to my computer. It has been nearly 3 years since I purchased my first Macintosh. It is a basic Mac Mini with a Core Solo Intel processor and 1 gig of memory.

A very basic set-up by today’s standards and yet it still performs amazingly well for it’s purposes.

There was a time when you could count on your computer becoming behind the times within weeks and nearly useless within 18-24 months. Not anymore. Why?

We’re asking our PCs to do less than we used to. The latest games? The consoles take care of those. Editing video and photos? How many of us do much more than catalog, rough edit, and use the red-eye reduction? Some do much more than that of course which is why high end systems exist but they just aren’t necessary for most of us and that has PC makers in a pickle.

Most of us want basic photo storage and viewing. Basic video editing and playback. Solid Web access and email. Give a teen solid YouTube access and a Facebook account and the modern PC is getting 90% of its mission accomplished.

My 3-year old Mac gets all of that done with ease.

More than anything else the computer industry is in need of the next high-end killer app. Something that will finally tax our old systems beyond their limits and once again have us lusting for more power.

So what will make us all run out and buy the equivalent to a Veyron for our next home PC?

Would you believe 3D television?

— to be continued

That the tabloid website TMZ.com ran a snap of Apple Holy Man Steve Jobs leaving the office yesterday shows just how far tech has invaded Pop culture.

That Steve didn’t exactly look like he’d put on much weight following his liver transplant a few months ago should be the real story for investors and fans of Apple.

Shame the source but accept the data. Steve still isn’t looking that well…

Personally? It matters. On a purely business angle? 50-50.

I’m trying to get back into eating fish as my age appears to refuse to stop growing. They tell me Omega-3 is good for the heart.

Being a fair cook, what I’m coming up with is tasty enough but something is missing…

Alive five minutes ago, a paper white Walleye fillet dipped in cornmeal and flash fried in a pot of oil next to hunks of potato and slabs of Spam on the shore of some un-named island on a Canadian lake. The Loons singing their sad song from the water while an eagle shouts at our little group for daring to use his land…

Somehow my frozen Tilapia fillets sprinkled with Old Bay and grilled until their milky proteins ooze out onto the plate aren’t meeting the standard.

No. Not Brett Favre…

Michael Schumacher is ending his retirement to fill in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

Amazing news!

What? You know… Formula One racing legend Michael Schumacher? The most amazing F1 driver of a generation? The Tiger Woods of motor sports?

Seriously?

Well Google him then!

(Sheesh… Americans)

Just had a random thought: If the video and music industries came up with a distribution format that was 3X better than anything else currently available… Amazing sound, clarity, accuracy, etc… Would you be willing to accept a new level of “uncrackable” DRM encryption in order to experience it?

Me?

Nope.

Just how much technology do I need to “experience” a C-grade third album of half-hearted sounds and lyrics or some version of a “popcorn flick” with little more than explosions, gore, and half-naked 19-year-olds to bring me and my money to the table?

Give me better “must have” contend that demands better technology? We can talk.

Until then? Dear Music and Video Industry; You’re in need of a killer app. Talk with Microsoft. They’ll fill you in.