I see some rumors out there that I'd like to make a prediction on.
Variety is reporting that Fox and Apple are signing a deal to offer movie rentals on iTunes. Their reported price is $2-$5 per rental for a 24-hour period.
If that is all there is to the deal, then it seems destined to be lackluster. They should be aiming at the $1-per-day DVD rental market, and not the cable on-line rental market -- that's the real competition out there.
Play to win, Apple; play to win.
Isn't it amazing when you listen to a piece of music, and subtly feel what you did in the past when listening to that same piece of music? My brain just amazes me at it's capability to do that. It's like the emotions creep in first, and then your brain nags at you to remember that time in your life.
I just dug out a couple of old pieces of music, thanks to the miracle of iTunes and that I have my entire old CD collection converted to an always on-hand digital music library. I was listening to Christmas music today, and it reminded me of a song in the movie Toys from 1992, "The Closing of the Year". Don't bother looking on iTunes for it, as that soundtrack isn't part of their collection -- the closest they have is this. It's the same song, for the most part, but by totally different singers. I had to check, but it's the same composer, Hans Zimmer. Funny to find a song from a non-so-successful movie on an operatic Christmas album - "A Gala Christmas in Vienna". Ha!
Anyway, I was thinking about this song, didn't quite know why, but after I started listening to it, I remembered what I was when first hearing it. I had lived in Texas for about 6 months at the time -- almost exactly 15 years from today. I spent a lot of time listening to CDs back then. I just love how music can shape or enhance your mood. You have to let it in, but it's such a great release. BTW, the song "Happy Worker" from Tori Amos is also on that CD is quite good as well.
I'm very impressed by how this video was made. The whole video was done in a single continuous shot. Pay close attention to the beginning and ending, and you'll see how cool that is. It's all over the place now, thanks to Apple using it in the iPod Nano TV spot.
The Video
The Making of the Video
Now this is an Amp I'd like to plug into...
And, of course, a crash course in how to build one here.
I just got done watching the commentary track of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, and I was just reminded of how similar the creative process is. Whether you're creating a movie, music, book, or software, nearly all creative endeavors go through the same processes. They also run into similar difficulties, such as funding, or finding the right support.
It's also a terribly exhilarating experience.
For those who are keeping track on our website, I've been regularly posting our progress on the kitchen via photos. We still have some finishing touches left, but the final product isn't hard to see from here. We made it this far on Friday, and spent the weekend enjoying the fruits of our labor.
I have to say -- the $45 in under and over cabinet lighting that Alexis found at Big Lots really makes this room pop. It is also infinitely useful, and provides more light in just the right areas -- even seems to make the counter space feel bigger.
We've finally gotten to the backsplash phase of our kitchen remodel. This one has taken time to plan for, and get the right materials. Since we updated the counter tops, those had to be in place first and the last pieces of it arrived today.
When we took off the old tile, wall and all, I was a bit nervous we'd never get something back on the wall. I'm glad we did it, though. We got the chance to do some electrical work to allow for under and over cabinet lighting, which I think is going to really be nice in the kitchen.
Justin has been such a help in this. I've really been relying on him for 'how-to' advice, and it helps that he's just as picky as I am. We went through a lesson today on tiling, and he walked me through it. The tile is in place for the island now. We will probably do the rest tomorrow, and then find time later to grout and seal it.
The Wii proved a good distraction from blogging, however the real reason I haven't posted much here was another project going on. We're currently remodeling or kitchen. You can check our progress here.
