Origami = UMPC

So the Origami project was a bit of a letdown. It was a teaser campaign for the new Microsoft-Intel UMPC platform a.k.a a small Tablet PC. You can read more about it at Microsoft or Engadget.
Doesn't quite live up to the hype but interesting nonetheless. It's a lot like the OQO (which is available with the Tablet PC OS now) except for the fact that the OQO includes a QWERTY keyboard which is missing with UMPC. The only new feature appears to be the useful Touch Pack interface.

I can see myself buying a device like this (especially if it ran OS X!) if it becomes cheap enough (first models are around $1000). I like the OQO but it's too expensive for my non-needs. I can't spend $2000 on what would essentially be a cool toy! :)

There are some close up pictures of two of the devices here.

Joy Of Tech was not too thrilled with the UMPC / Origami launch.

Tax time already!

It's that dreary time of the year again when everyone's attention is on filing the tax return. Every year, the tax laws in this country seem to get a little bit more complex than they are already. The tax prep industry (yes, its big here) must do some serious lobbying at the IRS to convolute the laws more and more. I've been using TurboTax to prepare my tax return since 1999 and I used to feel it was a breeze back then. Of course, I had no deductions, no stock plans, no interest income even. The form used to be called 1040EZ or the like. Of course, I moved to the full 1040 form a while back and since then every year's prep seems to be more of a time waster than the previous one. Next year, I might just have to go to a CPA (accountant).

This year we got our TurboTax for free (legally!) because the product is made by Intuit, App's new employer! On the topic, she's really liking her new job. I think the change is doing her wonders.

So, thanks to the efforts I'll be putting in over the next week of Tax prepping, you can expect a little lull in the frequency of posts here. You don't want me rambling about tax stuff anyway. In the meanwhile, the gadget connoisseurs can check out Engadget for their awesome CeBIT coverage.

I picked up a cheap used digital camera to take along while snowboarding, so hope to come back with some pictures for y'all on monday! Have a good weekend, everyone!

Get a life, Apple fans!

Another funny Joy Of Tech comic!

Russian River Weekend

App and I had a great weekend at the Russian River Wine Road Barrell Tasting Weekend. During this last weekend, more than a 100 wineries in the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley opened their doors to everyone who bought a $5 glass and poured their current and future wines. It was a fantastic event and I'm glad we visited. We had the chance to try some great wine.

Our favourites for the wine - Bella, Siduri, Korbel California Champagne
Our favourites for the atmosphere - Lambert Bridge (live music), Battaglini (friendly folks) and Bella (a great western theme extending into the caves w/ live music!)
Most crowded - Siduri, Lambert Bridge
Prettiest - Hop Kiln (pictured)

The whole area was very pretty even though it rained almost all of Sunday. We stayed in Guerneville overnight on Saturday. Our room was not far from the river and had no TV. Very relaxing. It's definitely a trip I'd be up for repeating again in the future. :)

A month's wine - Feb 2006

A month's wine - Feb 2006
Originally uploaded by Jillako.

Here's what we (mostly I) consumed last month. I'm liking this as a catalog of some of the good stuff we've had.
You can check out the Vertigo that I devoted a whole post to, a couple of weeks back.

The Last Aussie Muesli

The Last Aussie Muesli
Originally uploaded by Jillako.

So the time has come to open the last packet of muesli from the big shipment brought by Arjun last fall! Like fine wine, I savoured every helping of Oz's fine muesli but alas, even after spacing new packets apart by opening a few local American ones in between, it is now time to devour the last one!! Farewell, Australian Muesli.. till next time. :)

The Joy of Tech comic... Apple Special Event

LOL! So Apple's "fun products" were accurately predicted by AppleInsider and didn't excite most people. The iPod Hi-Fi is hardly "innovative"; the Mac Mini gets a nice performance bump but also gets integrated graphics and a $100 price bump; the iPod leather case is ho-hum. The Joy of Tech comic has a humorous take on the whole event. :)
The next Apple Event is expected April 1st!