Seattle, WA

As much criticism as Bill Gates gets in regards to some of the statements he makes, he is actually a very accurate soothsayer when it comes to the future of technology and the effect it will have on people.

In 1995, Gates wrote in relation to TV “You’ll watch a program when it’s convenient for you instead of when a broadcaster chooses to air it”. In 1996, he predicted the decline of the newspaper and print business. 1997 he proclaimed that within 10 years the majority of adults would be using electronic mail and living a form of Web lifestyle.

With these predictions having been proven to be amazingly accurate, a slew of industry leaders have been looking hard at his recent statement about the future of television being IPTV*. “This environment will be so much dramatically better than broadcast TV, it will not be competitive”.

Few know much about this technology but with the recent launch of Joost people are starting to see how high quality streaming video straight to the computer is not that far from the mainstream.

All that one needs is a set–top box, a broadband connection and as little as $9.95 per month for access which includes on-demand features.

*Internet Protocol Television is a system where digital television is delivered using the Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure

Bill Gates, IPTV, Email, Broadband, Joost, Seattle, 451 Press

Microsoft’s Bill Gates unveiled the company’s first surface computing product, called Microsoft Surface on NBC’s the Today Show with Paul Hoffman.

Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that’s easy for individuals or small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar, just like in the real world. Surface can simultaneously recognize dozens and dozens of movements such as touch, gestures and actual unique objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

Video courtesy of NBC and the Today Show

Microsoft Surface, Microsoft, Gadgets, Seattle, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, CEO, Technology

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the company’s first surface computing product, called Microsoft Surface – an innovation that will change the way people shop, dine, entertain and live.

Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that’s easy for individuals or small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar, just like in the real world. Surface can simultaneously recognize dozens and dozens of movements such as touch, gestures and actual unique objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.

With Surface’s mapping application, you can manipulate a map and move it, shrink it and access personalized data for local sites, attractions and venues. To do this today, you’d need a paper map, books, concierge and even a bookstore to find and gather all the information. Or, with Surface’s photo application, you have the ability to sort through pictures, decide which ones you want to share, zoom in for a closer look and more. In these ways, Surface is unlocking content; making it rich, more fun and easier to use.

Future versions of Surface will incorporate a myriad of device-sync capabilities. For instance, users could set a digital camera or mobile phone on the surface and watch as their pictures spill out across the table. The Surface custom software platform runs on Windows Vista™ and has wired Ethernet 10/100 and wireless 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.

Another day, another ground breaking technological innovation coming out of Seattle. The first question is where can you get one, the answer to that is later this year and right after me.

Microsoft Surface allows users to interact with digital content through touch and natural gestures — they can stretch, share, and drag and drop digital images

With Microsoft Surface, you can share digital photos with your friends as you would in the physical world, sliding them across the table with a flick of the finger.

Microsoft Surface responds to touch, gestures and objects placed on the surface

Instantly compare items while shopping with Microsoft Surface.

Official Press Report
Executive Q&A

All images and information provided by Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

Microsoft Surface, Microsoft, Gadgets, Seattle, Steve Ballmer, CEO, Technology

Just like Frank the Tank, Ichiro some 23 days ago decided to bare it all and get down to business with a good old fashioned streak. On Tuesday he continued his pledge to the Lamda Epsilon Omega chapter at Harrison College and extended his hitting streak on the second pitch of the game. He is now one away from his personal best, set in 2001, and two away from the club record held by former second baseman Joey Cora. In the past 30 days he has 42 hits, 12 stolen bases and is hitting .353

Even though Ichiro has chosen to keep his clothes during this streak it doesn’t mean he and ‘The Tank’ don’t have a lot of things in common. I know for a fact they both love Joseph ‘Blue’ Palasky, routinely kick Godzillas ass, and enjoy the occasional tranquilizer to the jugular.

Seattle Mariners, Angels, Ichiro, Will Ferrell Seattle, 451 Press

The Seattle Mariners completed a sweep of the Royals over the weekend. They batted over .400 for the series and outscored the reeling royals 26 to 7 with Ichiro extending his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in baseball. Jarrod Washburn continued his dominance of KC at Kaufman Stadium raising his record to 5-1 and lowering his era to 2.83 in his career totals at that ballpark.

With 6 wins in the past 7 games, the Mariners played in Anaheim tonight against the first place Angels. The bats continued to stay hot as Adrian Beltre went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers and Richie Sexson added three hits and a home run to guide the Mariners to a 12-5 victory and close the gap to just 3 1/2 games in the American League West. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak in Anaheim and sent over 42,000 fans home depressed and wondering why they live in Los Angeles in the first place.

Pitching Probables for Tuesday, May 29 @ Angels Stadium of Anaheim 7:05 PM PT
SEA - Ryan Feierabend, LHP (0-0)
LAA - Ervin Santana, RHP (3-6, 6.00)

Seattle Mariners, Angels, Ichiro, Adrian Beltre, Seattle, 451 Press

Ski to Sea Champion Clipper Canoes were finally able to defeat defending champion Baron Heating who’s reign of three straight victories ended when Ian Mackenzie finished ahead of Reid Hyle by just over a minute before an overflowing crowd of over four thousand at Marine Park. In the 34th anniversary of the event, the team from BC had finished 2nd the previous three years making this victory even sweeter.

They completed the 82.5 mile seven stage race in 5 hrs and 48 min. The Ski to Sea’s seven stages are: Downhill, Cross Country, Running, Mountain Biking, Sea Kayak, Biking, and the Canoe. The race begins at the top of Mt. Baker and continues all the way to Bellingham Bay and ending in Fairhaven.

Side note: Boundary Bay won the woman’s championship for the fourth year in a row, a stunning achievement consider the Olympic champions amassed at the event.

Ski to Sea, Rowing, skiing, kayak, Mt Baker, Seattle, 451 Press

Western Washington University became the first school to win three straight rowing championships when they took top honors in Oak Ridge Tennessee this past Sunday. They finished with a perfect 20 points, a full 5 points more than 2nd place finisher UC San Diego. The top ranked Vikings won by two boat lengths traversing the 2000 meters in just over 7min and 9 Seconds. This was their seventh straight nationals appearance and they have never finished worse than 3rd.

NCAA, Rowing, Championship, WWU, Seattle, 451 Press

When was the last time you were genuinely excited over a network TV show? Some might point to the season finale of Heroes but after it aired many were disappointed in the ending, saving New York isn’t really saving the world now is it?

The ratings on the big four networks have been steadily declining since the beginning of the century, thankfully other networks have picked up the ball, those include The Discovery Channel, Science Channel, and of course HBO. But to be honest HBO has been kind of in a funk of late with The Sopranos going arty, Curb Your Enthusiasm retreading old material, and Entourage forgetting it’s actually a comedy.

The past few years viewers have been finding themselves in a place that most didn’t think they would ever end up and that is Showtime. First came Dead Like Me in 2003, that was so clever, dark, and surprisingly funny. It was a truly original premise and the casting was superb, however it was seemingly misunderstood and canceled after its second season. One of the mistakes might have been the short run of only five episodes for Rebecca Gayheart, she was fantastic, unfortunately her replacement wasn’t very likable and changed the tone of the series.

Next up was Huff, which was just as promising and at times very poignant. It had a very strong cast and its insight into what its really like to be or live with a psychologist and all the ramifications it can bring with it. The second season however ventured a tad overboard with plot lines that went to the extreme and went against what the characters were seemingly all about in the first twelve episodes. This being the Nip/Tuck effect. Good writing always beats out shocking and outrageous moments that give only momentary attention. Due to many of the things I just pointed out, it was also canceled after the second season.

Both of these shows being axed were puzzling, as it seemed as if Showtime was wasting opportunities to wedge a foot in the door in the original series department. They have always played a backseat to HBO and this was a prime example of why. Bad decisions can haunt a network for years and reputations begin to form that can have an adverse affect on the talent becoming gun shy about making a true and dedicated commitment to the material. It can also indicate that network management is meddling with the show and forcing changes to writing and direction instead of letting the show runners trust their visions.

Last year another show came onto my radar based on the books by Jeff Lindsay. The premise is a great twist on all the recent police forensic shows that are seemingly on at all hours of the day and night. However this forensic expert is a serial killer as well and focuses on the very people that have slipped under the justice systems radar.

This is not a show about body counts or which act is more horrendous than the other. It isn’t about headline grabbing ratings ploys, no it’s all about the story. The writing is key here and is all planned out well in advance, even the smallest nuances foreshadow darkness that had not yet been revealed.

The entire season of 12 hour long episodes are a stunning achievement in linear narrative. So perfect from beginning to end, one wonders how such a masterpiece was possible.

It provides hope for TV in general, that entertainment can be skewed to a decidedly adult viewer. That it doesn’t have to talk down to its audience to be successful and that subtle mannerism can say as much about a character than most anything else.

So no matter how much Heroes let its fans down, hope is on the horizon as the second season of a show that just might raise the bar on what others shows must strive for, comes back into our lives in October. Hopefully the release of the first season DVD on August 23rd will lesson the blow of having to wait five months to see what has become the finest show in television.

451 Press, city blogs, Dexter Morgan, Seattle, Seattle tourism, Seattle Traveler, travel, showtime, vacation, Washington, Washington State

I was around in 1979 when the Sonics won the NBA Championship but I was only 8 years old. True I was a fan but it wasn’t like it is today with multiple sports channels, sports tickers, and 24/7 sports radio… back then it was harder to be a fan. Rarely did the Sonics get shown on the game of the week on CBS as the Lakers, Celtics and Knickerbockers were the big markets and the ones with the storied franchises. So if you wanted to see “Downtown” Freddy Brown or Gus “The Wizard” Williams you had to get in the car and head down to the old coliseum. On occasion for the bigger games they would play in the Kingdome and the local Boys Club would send a group of kids down. This is how I first saw a game in person and even though the seats were high up in the 3rd level it was still pretty damn cool.

This week signaled a huge milestone for the Sonics just when the team looked as if it was heading out of town they bucked the odds in the NBA Lottery and snagged the number two pick. This of course means they will be able to draft either Kevin Durant or Greg Oden, two players that could have impacts the likes of what we have only seen with payers with names of Jordan, Olajuwon, or Abdul-Jabbar. Franchise players that can change the fortunes of any team and create dynasties in the process.

Luck is an interesting thing, some might have thought the team being sold to the founder of Starbucks five years ago was a great stroke of luck, that it insured team stability and added some deep pockets. Neither of these ended up being true as he never bought a pricey free agent, traded away our only hall of famer, and sold the team to an outsider from Oklahoma whom within a year would threaten to leave town.

But what a difference a week makes, now the team can go after a high profile coach and GM. And why their at it perhaps an owner not looking to put the team up on ebay. Nothing would make residents happier than sending current the owner back to Okie-ville where the men are men and the sheep are nervous.

Who knows with a little more luck they just might be ready to capture another trophy, one that this town could surely use.

With the proliferation of computers and electronics that are seemingly made obsolete on an almost yearly basis, people wonder what to do with their old computers, TV’s, and batteries. The sooner the items are no longer used we should consider donating for re-use or at the very least for recycling. These products are quite harmful if they end up in a landfill.

Some communities have introduced mobile collection that help promote the idea of recycling at various events. The Wastemobile is one such vehicle operating in the King County area. The schedule provides dates, times, and information on which items they accept.

In addition King County has the Take It Back Program that provides permanent locations that will take virtually all electronics including fluorescent bulbs and tubes.

So check that attic or garage to see if you have anything that someone else might be able to use or just needs to be disposed of in a safe and responsible manner.

Bill Simmons writes ‘I can’t shake the image of my 59-year-old father slumped against the sofa as Brandon Roy was happily shaking hands with everyone in Secaucus’.

So how did he react to this? You got on a plane and left his father when he was in need. How does he even consider himself a Celtics, Sox, or Pats fan considering that he lives in LA. A benign sports town that he chooses to live in. What is keeping him in smog alert usa? The never ending summer? Four seasons are always better and fall is simply a great time to be in the Northeast. It signals the start of everything football. What signals that in La La town? Lohan going to rehab?

He is a Clippers season ticket holder, the CLIPPERS for gods sake. He is so far removed from his hometown it’s sickening. Next he’ll move to Seattle and pay twice the going rate for a house in my hometown helping drive up the housing market even more.

He’s also real perturbed about the Trailblazers and SuperSonics getting the top two draft picks on the 2007 NBA draft, at least both of these teams can say they didn’t tank their seasons to get a better chance at Oden. However that cant be said about the Celtics, who tanked more than Bush in the polls.

myLot User Profile

Hey look its a celebrity…..blog

First off is a man that lives and breathes all things Seattle as seen in the movie ‘Say Anything’, he moved from San Diego with Nancy Wilson 25 years ago and has been there since. Cameron Crowe has an exceptional website which includes his Rolling Stone articles that have become legendary considering he started writing for them when he was just 15.

Kevin Smith and his Silent Bob Speaks blog has been well publicized and the first six months of its incarnation were really a peek inside his life, sometimes to his detriment, but over the past few months it has become just a self promoting shell of its former self that never seems to include conclusions to a lot of his two part posts.

Next up is Barenaked Ladies!!! No this is not a porn site but just a site written by various members of the band. If you haven’t seen them in concert then its quite possible that your a moron.

Batting in the three spot is David Mamet, any person who writes the line ‘Whats my name? Fuck you thats my name” is ok in my book. Plus his cartoons make me feel good about my stick figures.

And now a blast from the past, yep mister puffy pants himself MC Hammer. He gives his view on the dance culture.

In the five hole is the man that stole my nickname, I should be mad but Ive moved beyond it at this point in my life. Moby has a lot of opinions and updates almost daily which makes me wonder if he is still surfing my wake. Deeply political and leans as for to the left as one could possibly be without falling down.

Next up a man who I don’t know much about, he has a NPR show but I choose not to listen because of the social stigma involved. Douglass Rushkoff talks about some heady stuff and puts his nuts on the paper shredder from time to time and thats ok with me, a fellow balls on the shredder personality type.

And now Tom Green, a Canadian with a twisted sense of humor, a grudge with his parents and the willingness to get even.

And now the only North Korean with internet access Kim Jong Il, yep the high heel wearing dude from North Korea!! He is the only leader of a country with his own blog and he lets us into his world with the various IM chats he has with other world leaders.

To top it all off Gilbert Arenas or Agent Zero as he likes to be called, joins the group with a witty blog of his own.

There you go, a look into the fabulous lives of celebrity…..bloggers.

This town is full of activities this week and these are my recommendations for the masses:

For the ugly I recommend a bar where the drinks are stiff and the lighting is poor, this will help the opposite sex miss seeing that bad prison tattoo or the scar you got while doing time at chino.

For all the hot women who have low expectations, I recommend coming over to my place. Its right on the beach and I’m more than willing to call you a cab when you’ve worn out your welcome or when one of my wives comes home.

For all rich good looking guys I recommend looking for a palatial estate befitting your stature somewhere far away from Seattle, I hear Belize is a happening place.

For the college student I recommend staying in your dorm room and studying, you need to take your schooling seriously because working as a world famous blogger is harder than it looks.

For everyone else, go out and have a few drinks then try to pick up a person out of your league before you settle on someone with that desperate look that you see so much in the mirror. Who knows maybe that model wants to get back at her significant other because they ate the last of the Cheerios this morning and said nothing.

451 Press, city blogs, destination blogs, Seattle, Seattle tourism, Seattle Traveler, travel, travel blogs, vacation, Washington, Washington State

A World class athlete from Seattle has won the coveted title of Dancing with the Stars Champion, something thats almost as empty as the American Idol championship. This is something that should actually be taken with a grain of salt as only housewives and shut ins seem to care whom the victor was.

The second place finisher, former boy bander Joey Fatone, offered some insights into his thought process after the winner was announced “it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life”. Keep in mind this means he has never touched a naked woman or eaten a steak, so his statement does fall a little short of that of an average loser.

When asked if this somehow diminishes his gold medal achievements or disgraces the name that Apolo Creed help build, Apolo Ohno provided this reporter with nothing but silence. Maybe silent reflection is needed to understand why a talented and respected Olympic champion would soil the reputation he had spent his life building. I’m sure that he will ponder such things as he hugs his disco ball and cries himself to sleep.

MSNBC has come out with their annual ranking of the best high schools in the nation and as has become common the little state of Washington excelled once again with 3 in the top 50, 5 in the top 104, and 20 in the top 1200. The top six are from the greater Seattle area, which is pretty impressive for only the 23rd most populated city and the 15th most populated state.

This blogger is a graduate of BHS and I couldn’t prouder. I am sure the example I set in my five or six + years spent there still resonates to this day. Leaders are born and not made, and I was one of the lucky ones. Sure stunning good looks, a flawless athletic body, and an intimidating intellect are enough for some but I was blessed with far more and we are all better for it. Even though my reputation raises the bar for everyone who walk the hallways of my alma matter, I stay grounded by donating wheelbarrows full of cash to help maintain the large statue of my likeness that graces the wall of fame. While it might be intimidating for some to try to equal my achievements, others will take it as a challenge and it just might help them build dreams of junior college or a spot at ITT Tech.

Rank School
11 International School
32 Bellevue
49 Interlake
59 Newport
104 Sammamish
361 Garfield
401 Central Kitsap
591 Bainbridge
822 Olympia
850 Pasco
862 Sehome
917 Inglemoor
1047 Issaquah
1049 Lewis & Clark
1063 Kamiakin
1077 Emerald Ridge
1130 Mountain View
1169 Redmond
1195 Mount Spokane

Complete List on MSNBC

MSNBC, Bellevue, High School, Blogger, Seattle