DailySpotlight

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction

So cool and so fresh... I'm a old school music fan that is probably the reason why I LOVE so much this song. Good job Snoop, you're already a legend. Now watch and appreciate this amazing "funky" video which sounds like a tribute to Roger troutman. Before I forget, have you noticed the strange instrument that Snoop has sometimes in his mouth? It's a talkbox which change human voice into a robot voice.

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction (lyrics)

I don't know what you think about it, but to my mind, this concept car made by Range Rover looks very awesome. More than beautiful, it is also eco-friendly since thanks to "its more compact size, lighter weight and sustainability-focused technologies" the LRX's fuel consumption is untill 25% less than the other Land Rover 4x4s and it also means reduced CO2 emissions.

But one of the most surprising thing I noticed about this nice car is inside. Indeed the LRX concept on board two touchscreens and one of which permit to "control the LRX's iPhone facility". In fact, the LRX seems to have one of the most practical iPhone docking station you can find in a car, according to the website Engadget. And it would be possible to switch on the car from the iPhone touch screen... That sounds really interesting.

If you want to know more and see this sexy 4x4 in real you should go to the Detroit Auto Show in January 2008.

Land Rover LRX concept using iPhone for more than just audio

iPhone integral part of Land Rover LRX concept

Land Rover LRX unveiled, courtesy of Auto Motor und Sport

Microsoft works on the "multitouch screens" technology since 2001... so as you can notice Apple is not the only company involved in this "touchy" trend. To tell the truth the Microsoft "Surface" table does not use exactly the same technology as the iPhone and obviously the applications are different. Anyway I'm rather convinced by this expensive high-tech table (more or less 10 000$) and I really think this another example of multitouch screen shows how going to evolve computers in a very closed future... Did not you find that exciting?

Microsoft Surface (Official website)

According to the Fortune magazine, the most important and influent personality of this year is... the Apple's CEO, and I really think they right. 2007 was clearly a historical year for Apple which get a so hudge and deserved success. If someone can be proud of this rebirth, it's clearly the charismatic co-founder of the firm, Steve Jobs. Because it's obviously the new strategy implemented by Jobs when he came back to Apple in 1997, which allowed Apple to become again a profit-making company, which now worth more than Dell in matter of stock-exchange value. After bringing a different way to think computer, "changed the dynamics of consumer electronics with the iPod, and persuaded the music industry, the television networks, and Hollywood to distribute their wares with the iTunes Music Store", this year he shattered the so concentrated and so predictive cellular telephone business with the incontrovertible iPhone.

So It seems indisputable that Steve jobs deserves to be considered as the most powerful people in business of the year 2007.

The power of Steve Jobs

The IMF and World Bank never were really popular in the developing countries. Mainly because they were considered rightly or wrongly like imperialist institutions working for the interests of the USA. So it was predictible that one day, some countries will be fed up of the world leadership of this financial institutions. What some were dreaming about, Hugo Chavez and six others South-American countries done it ; create their own regional and independant financial institution to sustain and finance their own grothw and social development. Indeed, this Sunday december 9th in Buenos Aires (Argentina), « the leaders of these seven South American nations launched a regional development bank » with the ambitious goal to create one regional currency as European union managed to do it.

For its creation, the Banco del Sur, or Bank of the South is expected to get at least $7 billion in startup capital. It will provide Latin American countries « loans with fewer strings attached than those given by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or the Inter-American Development Bank ». This agreement constitutes clearly a strong sign of unity and prove that the South American countries have understood that they have to organize together their mutual developement, to be stronger and more independant.

I really hope this brave and positive initiative will manage to reach theirs goals, because south American like African people need to find a way to boost their development and it's a good thing they take their destiny into their own hands by this way.

South American Countries Agree to Found Banco Del Sur

Sept pays latino-américains lancent officiellement la Banque du Sud

Chavez, allies create South America bank

If you are like my roomate, Miguel :-), a french music fan, you should know this website : http://chansons.ina.fr. Here you can get to know the most renowned French songs of the last 50 years and you will be able to discover or relive some of the most beautiful songs of the French pop music. Whether you are fan of Sacha Distel or you want to listen to some Jacques Dutronc or Julien Clerc, enjoy Henri Salvador's lyrics, the provocative talent of Serge Gainsbourg, or watch the strange video of Macia from Rita Mitsouko (Fred Chichin RIP), this website is your paradise. So check it out!

Place aux chansons (INA - French National TV Archive)

Each year since 2002, when music sales began to drop, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) have released pessimistic and unsurprising reports about the state of the « recording union » industry. This group, which formed in 1952 to represent the interests of the recording industry in the United States, consists of a large number of record labels and distributors who produce and distribute about 90 % of recorded music sold in the US (source Wikipedia).

Unfortunately it has become unpopular, due to its current « witch hunt » against piracy which caused more than twenty thousand lawsuits in these last years, the RIAA has argued that P-2-P is the principal reason why music sales decline and considers most web surfers as potential pirates. This institution is also one of the most active pro-DRM lobbies. However this digital rights management dramatically limits the use and enjoyment of digital songs, and therefore is clearly the main cause to why the legal downloading services don't manage to reach the growth they deserve.

To my mind and not only mine, The RIAA like most other entities which defend their national record industry, go the wrong way in their struggle with the music industry crisis. They seem to misunderstand the new trends which shatter the world music industry and certainly go after the wrong person.

As I said it in my first post, I really like Apple. But for some complicated reasons which I won't explain here (that will take too much time), my brand new computer it's a HP laptop run by Windows Vista, and you know what? If I had the choice I would prefer to buy this pretty good PC with the old but venerable Windows XP. Without a doubt!!! Indeed, I expected to be disappointed by vista after having a tried out Mac OS X and after hearing so many good opinions about the Apple's UNIX based-system. But not quiet to this extent!

I don't know why this operating system is so slow on quite a good configuration (Core 2 Duo T5200 1,60Ghz and 1Gb of RAM, Geforce Go 7400, HDD 160 Go 5400-rpm). I don't understand why it has been so unstable ever since the first day I switched on my computer and I would like to know why Internet explorer freezes all the time. Maybe I just need to update my system, but anyway my first impressions are already negative... And now I have a question for HP : why do you install so many useless and commercial softwares which are not necessary for everyone. Mainly as some of them are just demo versions and just pollute the system.

Sorry, but as usual the Apple bundle software delivered with all Macs is much cleverer and clearly more efficient than their competitors. Indeed, the « iLife family » is the best way to make multimedia creation accessible for the majority (who can afford to buy a Mac :-) without any limitations on its functions or performance.

Now I already know what I want for my birthday. I really expect that Apple will introduce a new laptop design for next year (a brand new Macbook in aluminium would be great). If any of my good friends read these lines, they know what they have to do on the 11th April 2008...

Windows XP outshines Vista in benchmarking test

Windows Vista loin derrière XP en termes de performances

Windows Vista in the worst tech products Top ten of Crave Magazine (cent)

I'm a talkative and outgoing person and I would like to make this blog my very own tribune. It has taken me much time to figure out what subjects are relevant enough for me to express my views on and how I should go about it. Now it's clear to me and I'm ready to express my feelings and ideas about various subjects which interest me. Better late than never! So in this blog you will mainly find articles about computers and IT - you should also know I'm an Apple fan, sorry for those who are keen on Microsoft. I will also talk about Sciences and sometimes you will able to read some posts about Political, social and economical issues. I'm not only talkative, but also curious and open-minded, so I hope this blog reflects that too.

As the name of this blog mentions it, it will be updated daily and you will find various information (like the top 10 albums on itunes) thanks to some interesting widgets I will implement on this blog. Obviously, you will be able to post some comments to express your point of view on the subjects which I will talk about.

Anyway, I'm going to create an attractive and original blog, or at least try to do so. As Apple states, "think different". Well, I hope I can meet the slogan's challenge and I also hope that you find my blog interesting and educational.