noam's blog.a.lish

I'm a huge Jennifer Aniston fan and when I heard that she was taking some "tasty" pictures for GQ I had to find those images... well here you go...

p.s. You're welcome. Call me Jenny.

I've been looking for a little b'day gift for myself and I saw the Netflix Player by Roku and got kind of excited about it. For 99$ you get a nice little box that connects via HDMI to your LCD, with built in wireless internet connectivity I thought it was a done deal. So I asked around and got a really long thread going on about what to buy. Here is a summary of the main points in said thread:

• If you have an xbox you already have built in support for Netflix streaming so you don't need to buy anything.
• If you have a spare PC* you can just hook it up to your TV, if you're cheap and you don't mind having a PC* in your living room.
• If you have and xbox you can still get the Roku for a different room. Not a bad idea IMHO.
• Wait for Tivo, ps3, mac* support.
• You can use your PS3 plus networked PC for only $30 with playon.
• If you have PlayOn you can also watch Hulu shows.
• Get on of the new Bluray devices with build in Netflix streaming.
• Even if you have xbox you need Xbox Gold LIVE membership.
• Roku does not stream HD, this is a huge point, but is said to have an firmware upgrade sometime in the future for this.

A lot of good points to consider, and I will, but then I ran into this article which discuss exactly the same points!! Here are the key points from the article:

I've spent the past couple of weeks comparing the Netflix experience on Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console, on LG Electronics' BD300 Blu-ray disc player and on a set-top box from Roku called the Netflix Player.

The devices suffer from a relatively skimpy selection of videos on the Netflix Internet service. Netflix has more than 100,000 titles for rent on disc, but about 12,000 titles for viewing through its Internet service at the moment, and there's often a months-long delay after a movie's release before it shows up online. Television shows generally turn up more quickly, with a handful, like NBC's "Heroes," watchable the day after they air.

Wi-Fi

with the Roku device, the only one of three products that comes with built-in Wi-Fi (it worked well in this mode). People who want to use the Xbox 360 with a wireless network will have to spend $70 or so on an external Wi-Fi adapter. LG recommends people use only a wired home network to connect to Netflix from its player, including adapter kits that cost about $100 for transmitting data over home power lines.

Interface

All the devices require you to create a list of movies you want to watch from a computer, just like Netflix subscribers set up "queues" of DVDs to be delivered by mail. The Xbox 360 offered by far the most elegant-looking interface for browsing through videos in my Netflix queue... In contrast, the Netflix menu on the LG Blu-ray player and Roku device were more static, making it more awkward to navigate the expanse of titles.

Quality

The quality of most of the videos on Netflix is, to my eyes, about DVD quality... HD titles were available for viewing only through the Xbox 360 when I was testing the service. Roku and LG say they will make software updates available online this month that add HD support to their devices.

LG Sucks

I experienced the most serious glitches with the LG Blu-ray player, which occasionally dropped the video signal to my television set as I was watching a movie. The LG Blu-ray player also took the longest of all the devices to install software upgrades from the Internet.

Conclusion

But if what you're after is primarily Netflix movies, and you've got room near your TV for another box, the $99.99 Roku product is the best value.

Interesting. So the * next to the PC and MAC are there because Netflix just released a beta version of it's streaming player for mac users... check it out here.

Ran into this funny little promo the other day, man Palin has a hot bod as a cartoon...

p.s. I guess comedians around the world are hoping Obama looses, that will just dry up the political scene for them won't it...

Since some people complained that I didn't post about sports (except for my Lakers...) here is a little hat tip for you baseball fanatics, especially you Philly Phans...

Philadelphia Phillies fans can still dream of their team winning its first World Series since 1980, but Los Angeles Dodgers fans can officially stop believing for 2008.

The Phillies are returning to the World Series for the first time since 1993 after riding ace Cole Hamels to a 5-1 win over L. A. to take the best-of-seven NLCS 4-1.

L. A.'s surprise playoff run, sparked by the late summer arrival of Manny Ramirez, crashed to a halt amidst the wreckage created by another poor NLCS start from Chad Billingsley and three fifth-inning errors by Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal.

Furcal had made only four errors in 36 games this year.

But with runners on first and second and his team behind 3-0, the 31-year-old could not handle Pat Burrell's ground ball.

Saw this live on TV the other night and got a good laugh too, it just amazes me how you can find pretty much anything on YouTube these days.

p.s. I'm guessing Ernie had something else on his mind...

I thought this was really funny, especially after watching the debate.

p.s. Comedians might have material post Bush after all.

Sure there have been a lot of posts about this deal, and now that I have time I read most of them. It doesn't surprise me that Google looks at this deal as "good for competition" and it doesn't surprise me much that Yahoo! top exec's rushed to agree on this deal due to the implications of giving up their "baby" (search). That said, out of all the articles I've read about this deal this following post has my favorite take on things:

Here's what I think of this deal - it stinks. Microsoft isn't marrying Yahoo, they're just getting her pregnant, setting her up in a nice apartment and telling her not to talk to any other guys.

Forget the flowerly language about how this deal "strengthens Yahoo's competitive position" (Yahoo press release) or "is good for competition" (Google blog post). Both are flat out lies. The deal crushes any notion of a competitive search advertising market and turns Yahoo's search and search marketing efforts into the undead.

Bottom Line

Yahoo has pissed off shareholders and a looming meeting - they can't ignore reality much longer. And reality says Yahoo's future is bleak. They continue to lose market share, they have serious brain drain and morale has never been lower.

I can't help but wonder what the digital advertising playing field would have looked like had Yahoo! taken the (first offered - they had the opportunity to buy DoubleClick before Google or Microsoft were even involved) DoubleClick Deal. Would that have given them the boost they needed? Would that have forced Google to compete against Microsoft in a bidding war to acquire Yahoo! ? Or, perhaps most realistically, would that have created a more even digital advertising war between the, then 3 now 2, major players in the industry.

I couldn't be happier to see my team back in the finals after a hiatus of 4 years (that year was harsh as they lost to Detroit in 5). The Lakers made a couple of great decisions this year in trading for Pau Gasol and getting veteran point guard Derek Fisher (D-Fish). With Kobe receiving his first MVP award he has a chance to do what only Michael Jordan did... win MVP, win the NBA Championship, and win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic games. I'll be happy with the first two...

A very senior exec at my office mentioned he might take me to a Celtics vs. Lakers game if it happened... let's keep our fingers crossed... and Michael, if you're reading this, start making some phone calls!

Watch out Bar, Miri is right behind you... The 25 year old model from Tel Aviv is one of many up and coming Israeli models. She finds men who cook very sexy... good luck.

A little something for JK.

Israel is officially 60 years old today. The last couple of years have been tough but Independence day is always a day of optimism, a day where the Israeli people remember what they went through to become an independent state and what challenges await.

Sunset over The tower of David in Jerusalem

A tiny country with endless talent, constant turmoil, and a full history celebrates today. Happy birthday!

Google Israel

It has finally happened. Mr. Bryant has been recognized as the most valuable player in the NBA after 12 long years. Kobe holds 3 titles as a Laker has been elected to every All-NBA Team from 1999 till last year, has been featured in the last ten NBA All-Star games, 7-time All-Defensive Selection, 2-time NBA All-Star MVP, 2-time NBA Scoring Champion, 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Champion and 1996 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. This guy is a basketball god and he now holds the most prestigious individual award the NBA can award (playoff MVP is a close second) and he is leading his team to the Western conference finals.

I have been a die hard Laker fan since the early days of Kareem and Magic. The Lakers dominated the Western Conference this year and are dominating in the post season. I think Kobe deserves this title and I hope he will lead the Lakers to another championship!!

I love playoff time, 40 games in 40 nights!! Kobe is killing Utah right now in game 2 and the crowd has not stopped cheering loudly since the end of the regular season.... "M.V.P. M.V.P." they got what they wanted... now it's Kobe's turn to deliver.

Hancock is Will Smith's new movie scheduled to be release July 2nd, 2008. The official site is here. I am a big Will Smith fan and I think this movie has some potential.

Can't wait for LOST tonight!!!