It's that time again... the iconic Apple announcements.  This time around, there's a whole mess of 'em, none of which are "new and groundbreaking."  However, that doesn't make them any less necessary, as this current round of facelifts to the fruit-puters is quite welcome.  Here's the skinny on what's new and improved...

The Mac Pro - Now With Nehalem, Still Impossible To Afford

What fanboy or fangirl hasn't drooled over one of these impressively excessive hulking monoliths of computing nirvana?  I mean, come on... go to the Mac Pro homepage (http://www.apple.com/macpro/) and check out that beast.  It's like you're looking up at a skyscraper or something.  I think I actually lost my breath for a second.

Seriously, though, just when you thought they couldn't get any better, they've refreshed the Mac Pro line with the new Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor... which has multiple cores on a single die rather than two, improving speed.

The browser wars rage on with the new version of Safari, just released by Apple in public beta form.  I've been a fan of Safari for a long time, before people even actually liked Safari.  It just seems so tightly integrated with OS X and generally feels slicker to me.  Plus, I like syncing my bookmarks over MobileMe so I can access the same things from my laptop, desktop, and iPhone.

Now, Apple has made (one of my) favorite browsers even better.  It's not perfect by any means, and not everyone will appreciate the pretty significant changes - but I do.  Here's the short list of what you can expect from this shiny new window to the Intarwebs.

General Look And Feel: Overhauled

In my opinion, Safari 4 looks totally different from the previous version.  Most drastic change is in how it handles the tabs; they're now located at the top, ala Google's Chrome.

Befitting to the game that basically destroyed my social life for the past two months (and reviewed recently), I've put together a short list of ways that you can tell you're just a little too addicted to Fallout 3.

Remember, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

So, here goes:

#10.  You feel a sudden urge to buy swing and ragtime CD's

#9.  When you squashed that bug on your wall yesterday, you actually muttered "d@mn radroach" under your breath

#8.  You taught yourself Morse Code to find out what those towers were broadcasting, only to be disappointed it wasn't anything cool or secret

#7.  You press the V.A.T.S. button in other FPS's by force of habit, only to get fragged when you realize it isn't there

#6. Your girlfriend hates the game because she knows every time you turn it on you won't hear anything she says to you

Audiophiles and hamfest regulars concur...  vacuum tubes simply produce the best audio for your stereo setup.  Why?  I can't give you the technical explanation, I'm neither an audio engineer nor a self-labelled stereophile.  I can't say that I'm opinionated one way or another as to whether vacuum tubes sound "better" than solid state.

Why I Love Vacuum Tubes

What I will profess, however, is that tube-based electronics exude a Fallout-eque, 1940's chic and mystique that new-fangled, button-ridden solid state products simply cannot emulate no matter how hard they try.

I got turned on to tube amplifiers when I was in the home audio business, selling home theater products for a living.  I found that most of the speakers I dealt with didn't really appeal to me, and frankly, were just too expensive.  After months of searching, I finally found the love of my audio life at a rickety, disorganized audio hobby shop - the Moth Audio Cicadas.

I'd been in Vegas before, and what a crazy place it is.  It was about 5 years ago, for a nationwide manager's conference.  I was stuffed into the Flamingo like a sardine in a can with almost 300 other employees, with 4 days of nonstop meeting days and 4 nights of nonstop... studying... for the next meeting.

But let me tell you, I have never been so exhausted from a work related journey than I was after CES 2009.  Had I followed some sage advice, I probably would have been better off... but no, I lugged around that heavy bag and wore dress shoes.  My feet still hurt and my shoulders were sore for days.  I actually wore holes through brand new socks.

That being said, I had a blast and met lots of great people - and got a chance to fulfill a childhood dream (as a lifelong video game and gadget lover, I've always wanted to go to CES.)

Ahhh... CES.  The most exciting event of the year for many tech aficionados, where manufacturers tout their newest, hottest wares amidst the beauty and non-stop pace of Sin City.  You'd love to go, wouldn't you?  The folks over at boxee are giving you just that chance... if you're willing to help spread the word about this awesome new social media center.

If you're not familiar with boxee, well, you should be!  If you've ever streamed media across your network, watched video podcasts, or watched an Internet video source like Hulu, boxee is perfect for you.

From one slick, integrated interface, you've got all your media at your fingertips... your recorded video, pictures, and music  can be streamed to boxee over your network.  In addition, boxee connects you to popular Internet video sources like Hulu and CNN for endless content.  Finally, boxee keeps you connected by helping you share and discover content with your friends.

Were you ever an @?

Sounds like a silly question, unless you ever played a "roguelike" game way, way back in the day.  If you know... you know.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, have you ever played Diablo?  If so, then you've tasted the pure joyness that this style of dungeon crawling game can bring.

What's a Roguelike?

It all started with a game called Rogue, a Unix favorite.  Surprisingly simple but with incredible depth, the graphics are primitive ASCII characters... your hero denoted by an @, and monsters and items  symbolized by various letters and characters.  You were tasked with the overwhelming duty of retreiving the Amulet of Yendor at the bottom of the dungeon, and then returning to the surface.  This early graphical adventure spawned numerous derivatives, including Moria, iLarn, Hack, NetHack, and others.

What Makes A Roguelike Unique?

Almost everyone has played a role playing game at some point in their life, whether it be the super-popular Final Fantasy series or any of the dozens and dozens of different titles available.

Mentally, the local and iconic Woodfield Mall represents Apple, at least to me.  I bought my first Apple product there - an 800 MHz G3 iBook, which was my constant and never-failing companion for over four long, happy years.  I bought a 3G iPod there, too. 

I remember coming to the mall frequently, always stopping by the shiny, relatively new Apple Store and salivating over virtually everything, perusing and digging through the now-removed clearance and refurb section, hoping to find that great deal to make my credit card weep.

So I was there last weekend, after months and months of... well, not being there, and old memories flowed back to me of my first fond moments with Apple, like a first kiss or that one time I drove a BMW M3 and felt the rush of that many horses under my gas pedal.

Everybody Wants An iPod?

Walking around the mall and shopping, I overheard lots of people talking about Apple, too.

I know what you're saying, flying toys aren't necessarily "gadgets."  You can't check your email or watch TV on them, nor will they play your favorite video game.

Really, though, aren't radio control fans and gadget lovers one and the same?  Doesn't the love for the newest and hottest phones and computers translate pretty easily to high-tech remote control planes, trains, robots, and cars?

I think it does, and I have a couple recommendations for the best things on wings (or blades) to give the R/C junkie in your life.  Personally, I own every single one of these toys and love them all.  I've gone through many a set of batteries flying these around  :)

WowWee Dragonfly

The ultimate in ornithopter action, the WowWee Dragonfly is awesome indoors or out.  It flies just like a real insect, and man, is it fast.  It's a perfect introduction to R/C flight and just might get you addicted and begging for more.

My email and I have a love/hate relationship.  As much as I love keeping in touch via email, I also feel an "obligation" to check it all the time, and it can interfere with my life sometimes.  Overall, staying connected is a net positive though, and my iPhone certainly makes it enjoyable and efficient.

Mobile Email for the Non-Geek

What about the "rest of us," though?  The non-geeky crowd who might not have ever even used a BlackBerry or iPhone, clutching their Moto RAZR's and entry-level Samsung candybar phones that they got for free years ago?  The folks who really want to stay in touch with their kids and more wired friends and family members via email, but avoid computers like the bubonic plague or door-to-door pamphlet peddlers?

Especially relevant now, what about the people out there who desperately want an iPhone or other fancy mobile communications device, but want to be frugal and forego the expensive monthly plans, up-front costs, contracts, activation fees, credit checks, and other soul-selling garbage?

I'll confess... I've been a little obsessed with the news lately.  What with the recent presidential election and the ongoing financial disaster, it seems only natural to be more interested in tailing current events than ever.  It took a while for me to truly jump on board, but once I got all my RSS feeds up and running, synced with NetNewsWire, and ready to go, I'm a virtual dumping ground for all things headline. 

Tech, finance, and world news updates pour into my reader(s) faster than bailout money into AIG's coffers, and I can barely keep up.

That being said, I'm fortunate enough to possess one of the best mobile news readers around:  the iPhone.

I simply can't imagine that any other mobile phone out there can keep up.  With the selection of news apps available via the App Store combined with "iPhone friendly" websites, you've got an unstoppable combination.

I was never a movie person.  Well, I don't mean it that way, in the sense that I never watched movies or didn't enjoy them - in fact - I enjoy movies immensely.

What I do mean is that in my "adult" life (when THAT started still remains subjective) I have spent relatively little time actually carving out a few hours on a regular basis to watch movies... until now.  The extent of my movie-watching experience usually extended to dates in theaters, which as you can imagine, didn't lead to me watching the movies I REALLY wanted to watch anyway.

Now, my life has settled down considerably, and I've learned the value of just chilling out with either a new adventure or a classic favorite.  Which brings me to my hugest problem... I just don't have a lot of movies.  I've collected a few of my must-haves on DVD, but my available selection is severely lacking.

I know I'm a little late for the XBOX Live party.  I was pretty reluctant to sign up for an account, partly because I don't want to get addicted and have another monthly fee on my account.  However, I remained intrigued by the prospect of the Live Arcade, since I love indie games and would eventually be interested in downloading some.  With the recent announcements of Braid and other hot indie games, I decided to check it out.

The most interesting to me right now is the relatively recently released Bionic Commando: Rearmed.  It looks like a really faithful re-design of the original and the videos just look awesome (the metal version of the theme song is sublime, BTW.)  I haven't yet downloaded it, but I hope to soon.

I think it was an interesting choice of redux due to the limited popularity of the original, but what a good choice it was.

Like desperate, drooling canines circling endlessly for their dinners, with madness in their eyes and passion in their hearts, Mac devotees around the globe anticipated Sir Jobs' most recent announcement regarding Apple.

Most would say that they certainly did not disappoint, unveiling a much-needed upgrade to the (now) boring, flat white, plastic MacBooks of yore (read: last year).  Honestly, though, both lines really needed a refresh, and this has been welcomed by fanboys and girls searching for a new laptop solution.

As a MacBook owner myself, I'm pining over these like an unrequited love.  They make so many improvements that I am digging on.  My wallet, of course, can't support my new crush... but a man can dream, right?  Here's what I like best about these shiny new supermodels.

The "Brick" Construction

There was a lot of buzz going around about the "MacBook Brick," and the real-life implementation of the rumor is quite impressive.

I've always had a soft spot for running Linux.  How could anyone not be attracted to the idea of running a complete OS, with office suite, Internet browser, VOiP clients, and virtually everything a computer user needs... for FREE?

Well, part of the problem is that I haven't yet spent enough time delving deeply into Linux and other open source operating systems to really get a feel for how to be productive within them, and how to duplicate the functionality I get from my Mac.  That being said, I'm always feeling compelled to try out new flavors of Linux as they come along, if for no other reason, just to learn about them.

Recently, given the number of virtualization options available for Mac OS X, I decided to give Linux another try.  For those who may not be familiar, virtualization programs allow you to run an entire operating system within a window, as its own entity, safe from the rest of your system.

If you've been reading the news, active in the blogosphere, or are just into technology in general, there's no doubt that you've heard about the T-Mobile G1 - the first mobile phone being sold and packaged with Google's Android operating system.

I've been waiting for a new cellphone OS to come out for a long time, like, you know, since the iPhone was released... it seems so long ago.  Maybe I'm just addicted to phones.  Apparently, I have "iSyndrome," according to one of my closest colleagues.

But, I digress.  Since I'm really into mobile tech, I just have to weigh in with my opinions on the G1 and Android in general.  I haven't had the privilege of playing with Android in person, so everything I'm about to say is based on what I've read and seen.  I'd love to hear comments from people who actually own the phone.  I may be wrong on some of these things, too, since I haven't tested it in person :)

Yeah, I'm that guy.  That guy that has Post-It notes scattered all over his monitor and desk, of all different colors.  I'll grab a piece, jot down a note, only to complete the task minutes later and throw away the note.  I'll think of something when I get a glass of water at 2AM, jot it down on my work desk, and go back to bed.

Since I can make these notes so quickly, and I'm so obsessive about it, it really boosts my productivity.  I don't forget things nearly as often, and frankly, I have about 1,000 things to remember at any given time, so that says a lot.  My note-taking has helped me amplify my multi-tasking and prioritizing abilities, too.

See, in my opinion, you can't replace the quick, jot-it-down, in-your-face nature of the Post-It.  Whether you do it with paper, Stickies on a Mac or Vista Gadgets on a PC, or even better, through innovative applications like the Notes feature of the HP TouchSmart (which is cool, interactive, and controlled by your finger - I'm a huge fan) - they have a value that can't be missed.

You must know me by now... I love retro tech.  Anything from old PDA's, to cellphones and computers, DOS games and my 8-bit NES collection, just turns my crank.

However, not all old technology conjures up thoughts of rainbows and puppy dogs for me.

Take, for example, the lovely Casio QV-30, a fossil in almost perfect condition discovered while spelunking through old moving boxes. This fine piece of machinery was voted "Best of What's New 1995" by Popular Science magazine, and I believe I purchased it on clearance at OfficeMax in about 1997-98.  All that being said, this camera is the steamiest, stinkiest pile of image capturing plastic that I've ever seen.

Of course, it was the bee's knees in 1995, so you can't knock it for that, but I'm comparing to my brand new shiny Casio Exilim EX-Z77 (which I reviewed here.)

Here's a few reasons why retro digicam tech isn't so special:

Ever died in less than 2 seconds?  I have, and it felt great.

Even for the most devilishly difficult and challenging video games out there, death in two seconds is pretty brutal.  A novice gamer could last longer than that in most levels of Contra, for example.

But no, not in Bangai-O Spirits, one of Treasure's newest installations on the Nintendo DS.  Those of you who know Treasure, know that they are best known for their 2D shooters and beat-em-ups, ala Guardian Heroes, Gunstar Heroes, Silhouette Mirage, and others.

Bangai-O Spirits is a fine example of Treasure's work, displaying artfully rendered scaling sprites, huge bosses and enemies, and best of all - more missiles than you can shake your mecha at.

Imagine this:  the mission starts, you're barraged with about 300 bounce/homing missiles from about 20 enemies, and you explode and die within seconds.  Sounds like fun, right?

Well, actually, IT IS.

Conference calls, talking to my friends and co-workers, and a relatively small minutes plan from AT&T have led to my rapid burning-through of rollover minutes.

Seeing my stash deplete like leftover Chinese food foolishly forgotten and left unattended in the fridge, I decided to make a radical move:  get Skype.

Why was this radical, you say?  Well, I had heard that, in some situations, the quality is questionable.  In others, call drops have been experienced.  In other words, I had been hearing from all angles that the service is sketchy.

Let me tell you - for the past few weeks, it has been GREAT, and I'd like to tell you the top reasons why I'm so pleased with my first experiences with Skype.

#5.  For a geek, it isn't so bad to not have a true landline

Let's face it, I'm always on my computer.  I don't care that I have to go to my computer to check whether I received a call.