Month: January 2008

Steve Jobs Keynote

If you had the chance to go to someone’s keynote, who’s would it be? My answer: Steve Jobs.

Every Apple fan boy is a Steve Jobs fan, and I am no exception.  Steve Jobs has presented so many wonderful keynotes, and my dream is to attend one of those presentations. My dreams have been answered!

I am very proud to say that I will be attending the Steve Jobs Keynote, on January 15 at 9:00 AM! I want to thank a really cool web site, iPhone Alley, for helping both myself Apple Universe by getting me access to the keynote!

Press Release: Apple Introduces New Mac Pro

Apple on January 8th, 2008 introduced the new Mac Pro with eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of its predecessor. The new Mac Pro combines two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2 GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage to offer the ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and scientists. The new Mac Pro can support up to 32 GB. The standard 8-core configuration starts at just $2,799.

The standard 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

  • two 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses
  • 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM memory, expandable up to 32GB
  • ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory
  • 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm
  • 16x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
  • two PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI Express slots
  • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
  • the Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

My personal opinion on this new Mac Pro is that it’s unbelievable. When you think about Apple, you see that they really do push everything outside the box, and the keep on making things better and better. I have been playing around with the configurations, and I fully maxed out the Apple Mac Pro. Here is the configuration that I made from the new Mac Pro:

  • Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core) processors
  • 32GB (8 x 4GB)
  • Mac Pro RAID Card
  • 4 TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
  • NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 1.5GB (Stereo 3D, two dual-link DVI)
  • 2 Apple Cinema HD Display (30″ flat panel)
  • Two 16x SuperDrives
  • AirPort Extreme card (Wi-Fi)
  • Quad Channel 4Gb Fibre Channel PCI Express Card
  • Apple USB Modem
  • Apple wireless Mighty Mouse/Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X
  • iWork ’08 preinstalled
  • Final Cut Express preinstalled
  • Logic Express preinstalled
  • AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro (w/or w/o Display) – Auto-enroll

This is the most maxed out computer I have ever configured! I hope to go to the Apple Store and play with the new Mac Pros!

Tell me what think in the comments below, or drop a line at appleuniversepodcast@gmail.com

NOTE: You can find more information on the new Mac Pro at Apple’s Web site. For the information provided in this post, please visit the Apple Press Release Page.

Starting a Podcast

I have been podcasting since April of 2007, and I wanted to share my version of how to start a podcast. For purposes of this article, let’s say you’d like to start a pretty basic podcast. To start off, you’ll need access to a few items and services.

  1. You own Web site or podcast hosting
  2. A headset, or headphones and a microphone
  3. Topics of discussion

For beginners, a cheap headset will do, and you can one get for as little as about $10.00 USD (like the Cyber Acoustics Stereo Headset/Microphone). This was my second mic, and my first headset. If you want much better quality (and spend more money), you can buy podcasting kits that include a pro-grade microphone, a mixer, and some type of computer audio interface.

For recording software, you can’t go wrong with free (as in speech) Audacity. Audacity is an open-source audio recording/editing program. I used Audacity for numerous episodes of Apple Universe, and occasionally I’ll find a use for the program. (Editor’s note: For much more advanced recording and mixing than Audacity handles, try Kristal Audio Engine, a free program similar in functionality to Adobe Audition.)

Once you record and edit your podcast’s episodes, you need to get them out to the world. For publishing your podcast, you can use web space you currently have access to, or take advantage of one of the numerous free podcasting services. I started out with, and still use, MypodCast.com, a free podcast host. Their service provides you give you a home page, hosting for unlimited episodes, and an RSS feed for listeners to subscribe to. The only catch (which isn’t even so bad) is that MyPodcast will insert or append a short ad spot (somewhere around 30 seconds) at the beginning or end of each episode you publish.

Perhaps the most critical element of your podcast is the topic you discuss. With my podcast, I started out thinking I would talk about Apple news, which I still am. However, now Apple Universe is covering Apple rumors and events, and many people have been interviewed on my podcast. I stayed with one topic, but expanded the idea. If you have a topic, there is no limit on how wide you can extend it.

Podcasting is quite possibly the hottest media of today, and I hope this article convinces you to join the revolution.Head out and pick up your first microphone, and sign up on MyPodcast.com and start podcasting! There is no limit to where podcasting can take you.

Live CES 2008 Updates

With CES (Consumer Electronics Show) starting soon, those of us who can’t make it there want to know how to stay updated. Chris Pirillo is on the case, with a good list of blogs and live streams which will be covering this year’s event. Read on:

January is a magical time if you’re a geek. It brings with it many sacred holidays, such as CES and MacWorld. But what if you can’t make the journey to mecca? Be it financial reasons, or maybe you just couldn’t book a hotel. Thankfully in this web-based world we live in, it’s easy to enjoy the whole event right from your comfy chair.

I’ve compiled a list of sites who will have live coverage of CES 2008.

  • Gadgetell – They have a standalone CES coveragepage being filled with news as we speak, as well as a live Twitter feed where the whole team will be twittering news and updates throughout the week, not to mention live blogging major press events. [RSS – Twitter]
  • Engadget – Good ol’ Engadget will also be covering CES live this year. They have a dedicated CES page and will likely be live blogging events. [RSS]
  • CNET – CNET will be covering the event in the form of text and video, so you can see and hear what’s important and feel like you’re there. [RSS]
  • Scoble / Podtech – Robert travelled down to CES on a bus this year with a bunch of other bloggers and will be covering the event live over video through the Mogulus service.
  • Gizmodo – Gizmodo will also be blogging major CES updates and possibly live blogging press events. [RSS]
  • Futureshop – Futureshop, the canadian tech store, will be posting videos of the CES keynotes, press conferences and booth tours throughout the week.
  • SlashGear – SlashGear has a dedicated section devoted to nothing other than CES news and updates for the week. [RSS]
  • Digital Trends – Digital Trends will be covering all important CES updates and releases. [RSS]
  • Laptop Mag – Laptop Mag will be on scene at CES and be covering more than just laptop news. [RSS]
  • BluefoxTV – Fellow UStreamer bluefox is planning on streaming the events of CES Live over UStream.

I’ll be keeping my eyes open for CES coveragefrom these sources. If you know of any good sources that I missed, drop a line in the comments below and I’ll get them in the list. Happy CES!

Apple Universe Episode #92

As many of you readers are also Apple Universe subscribers, I would like to give you an update. Apple Universe has recorded episodes up to 93, and should record another 2 today. The reason I am recording a lot of podcasts at once, is because I am recording Apple Universe Episode #100 January 15th, 2007.

Now, Apple Universe Episode #92 has been re-recorded but the audio quality is very bad, and will have to be re-recorded once more. I once again apologize for this, and I hope to get the episode out soon.  Dave Sifry is the guest on this episode, so when Dave and I get a time straight, we will re-record.

Thank you for understanding,

Daniel Brusilovsky 

2008: The year of…..

The year of 2008 is already here. In this blog post, I’d like to discuss what I think will really emerge in 2008, and also talk about the companies that I really feel will emerge in 2008.

As we all now, 2007 was a great year for social networking and for all the new companies that emerged in the Silicon Valley. As we all know, Facebook came as probably the best social network in its class. Not only did Facebook grow, but the whole social communication network evolved. We all have a Twitter, Pownce or Jaiku account. These networks paved the way for everything else….

Moving on, the point that I’d like to emphasize here is that video is going to massively erupt sometime soon. The real question is when?

I have been pondering about this thought for a while, and I feel that 2008 is the year of the visual revolution. For streaming live video, Qik broadcasts from cellular phones in real time, with Ustream.TV and Justin.tv streaming from the desktop (among others). Kyte.tv and other related services let you upload short video clips from your phone. These services are simply amazing. They really push technology to the limits, but to me, its not enough.

Video can be pushed harder. There are phones are that are being produced that have a better camera then my Kodak, a dedicated digital camera. It’s impossible to expect what we will see as 2008 progresses.

I would like to quickly shout out to a couple amazing people. Robert Scoble: You have inspired me to do things that I would never thought of doing. Your video show is amazing, and I love everyone who you have featured on it. Also, I’d like to thank Bhaskar Roy of Qik for making such an amazing client in Qik. Qik is so amazing, I don’t know what I would do it without it.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone for making 2007 such a great year!

Thank you so much,
Daniel Brusilovsky

MacWorld 2008 Predictions

MacWorld 2008

MacWorld 2008 is just around the corner, and thousands of people are hoping for some great things from Apple. In this blog post I will talk about what I would like to happen from Apple coming up at the MacWorld 2008 Conference and Expo.Personally, I’d like to see a slimmer 12-inch MacBook, with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a hard drive holding up to 250GB. It would also be nice if Apple would come to the show with a new line of cheaper, brighter and better Cinema Displays that would include a built-in iSight camera. The Cinema Displays haven’t been updated in over 2 years, and I think it is time Apple refreshed those products.

A fellow blogger, Wesley Yendrys, wrote a great post today about what he would like to see at MacWorld 2008:

I’m hoping for an iPhone release date in Canada, either at MacWorld, or some other time between Q1 and Q2 of 2008. May is when my parents are going to allow me to have an phone, and so, I want to be able to buy an iPhone straight away, rather than waiting for Apple to release one in 2012, when the iPhone has gone through 10 generations. Although, I don’t think we’ll see an iPhone Canada release date, it’s just wishful thinking.As far as software goes, this would be around the time where iLife and iWork ‘08 would be released, but we got that last August. I do think however, we might see some iTunes updates. Maybe even iTunes 8.

There’s the scoop on what I’d like to see at MacWorld 2008. Please remember that Apple Universe will be recording LIVE during MacWorld at the Zeum from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Please RSVP at Upcoming.

Twitter: Open or Closed

When it comes to social networking, we all know and love the networks. I mean, come one now….who doesn’t have a Twitter, a Facebook or even a MySpace account? You may just think that it is a place to get connected with friends, which it is, but do you really think, when you are on Facebook, that you are “socially networking”? Being that I am a kind of person who likes to stay connected and meet knew people in the business, I am trying to be more “open”.Everyone knows that I LOVE Twitter. It is my favorite social networking, and Twittterific is the first application to start up on my Mac. For me, Twitter is a way of knowing what my friends are doing. Although I may not know all of these “friends” by face, I “follow” them. To follow a person means to request to see their “tweets”, or updates on their activities..

For a while now, I have kept my updates protected, only letting people that I know, or whom I heard of, follow me. I don’t do this to hide feelings of anything like that; I do it to stay safe on the internet. There are people like Robert Scoble, Jason Calacanis who let anyone who wants to follow them. Then that comes to me. Why don’t I let everyone follow me? I don’t write any bad tweets, or anything like that. What I do write about is new blog posts, new Apple Universe episodes, when I leave and come back, and those types of things.

That is why I wonder why I still keep my updates protected. As much as I want to open my Twitter, there is still a thought about something happening that I don’t know about. What do you think?Do you think that Twitter should be open? Should I open my tweets to anyone who wants to see them? In the end, it just brings more traffic to Apple Universe, my blog, and any other links that I add.

Please let me now your opinons – reply in a comment below, or email me at appleuniversepodcast@gmail.com.