This program is being interrupted due to technical difficulties!

I woke up on the weekend to my laptop making gurgling sounds almost trying to converse in baby talk which then escalated to sounds of a plane taking off from a runway. NOT GOOD! I had replaced the hard drive last year but it was obvious that the laptop was on its last breath so I began the tedious task of backing up all my files before it officially dies on me. Immediately my mind starts thinking of a replacement and I begin doing some research for a new laptop. Lo and behold I come to you today writing from my new baby the Sony Vaio VGNSZ220P . Its strange how attatched I was to my old computer tho and it felt so familiar and now its a whole new "getting to know you" process going on with the new laptop. This all got me thinking about technology overall and different ways that it has a big part in my everyday life.

Back in the day before I had a PVR/TiVO if I was going to miss a game it was like oh well I will watch it game in an hour format or watch the highlights but now I can just PVR the game and watch it like its live later on that night or the next day. Chances are though, the longer I wait the less chance there is that I will get to watch the game without knowing the outcome in advance either. Back in the day that was a lot more easier controlled but now all it takes is an MSN nickname "RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN! RAPS WIN!" and all the suspense is gone. In general though there have been a lot of advancements in technology that enhance or improve the experience for a sports fan. With a little bit of research here are some you might want to look into...

HDTV: Sunday Football was forever changed when I watched my first NFL game in HDTV and reverting back to anything less would be a sin. Over the last two years most cable companies have started offering all the major channels in HDTV and almost all sporting events in north America are now broadcast in HDTV. If you haven't had the chance to watch a game in pure crispness (hrmm is that a word?) I advise you do so ASAP 'cuz you are definitely missing out. Before I had experienced it I didn't think it was going to be that much of a difference (kinda how the introduction of progressive scan on DVD players was)but HDTV has been one of the best new advancements made to enhance the home viewers experience of a sporting event. As the prices continue to drop and more people begin to experience HDTV it will become the norm in watching your favourite team from the comfort of your own home but the feel of being at the game. (Addon: just found this article about the linkage between sports fans and HDTV)

SkyBOX: Vivid SKY has come up with a technology which can change the experience of a fan at a sporting event for ever. Their tagline... "Because the game waits for no one". I first read about the SkyBOX in this USA Today article and did some research into the product. Do not have any first hand knowledge of it but it seems interesting to give the sports fan a way to interact while attending a game. A few clicks away on this handheld device would be the slugging percentage of the batter at the plate or you could check laptimes compared to another car at a NASCAR race. It will add a dimension into the game that our generation is already very in sync with. Its all about stats and crunching information and with the www at our fingertips at home we can access all this information and this SkyBox is aiming to give you that feeling of access and more at any live sporting event you attend. If this product can reach its potential it will change the live sporting experience forever.

Satellite Radio: Sirius Satellite radio boasts the largest variety in sports programming and XM Radio offers listeners a healthy dose of sports. Satellite radio hasn't caught on as fast as some might have expected and that has a lot to do with the cost (reasonable I think) but people are not used to paying for radio a service that has been free for as long as I can remember. Living in Canada I was previously pretty much stuck listening to local broadcasts but with satellite radio I get the chance to listen to ESPN radio or catch out of market games. This has helped people who are fans of a team outside their local listening area and are able to get broadcasts of any game they chose and to boot listeners have to sit through fewer commercials on satellite radio.

Slingbox: Slingmedia has come up with a solution to something I have been struggling with for a while now. I travel a lot and at times for several weeks at a time and I hate missing a Raptors or Eagles game. The slingbox allows you to connect it to your pvr and control it from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection also it transmits the TV feed to your computer anywhere in the world. Earlier this year I was in Dubai and they have limited sports coverage and so I resorted to buying NBA audio league pass and stayed up all all hours of the night to catch a live raptors game. With the introduction of a slingbox I can essentially have my PVR record raptor games and when I get a chance get online connect to the box and watch the game at my own time as if I was sitting in my den in Toronto. Sounds insane and hard to believe eh? I actually know someone who has been using this unit for a couple of months and has nothing but good things to say. So if you are one who wants to have access your TV from the road or your office this might be something you want to look into.

Besides the few advancements I mentioned above there have been others implemented that I now cannot live without. Youtube and Google Video both offer clips of sports highlights, videos made by fans, bloopers and all sorts of gems. Google video also has a deal in place with the NBA and you can watch a complete game by paying 4$ the next day of the game. The leagues have jumped onto the bandwagon as well taking control of most of their media. You can become a Red Sox insider and for a flat fee for the year you can get all red sox games online through MLB.tv . The NBA also has audio and video options for their fans to watch out of market games or when you may be on the road and want to watch your team. Most of the offerings through the MLB, NBA and NFL cost more than a fan might be willing to pay but I believe in time it will level out. I also figure I should mention Podcasts and shows like ESPN, Sports bloggers and other sources are putting up shows online for you to directly download to your iPod's for free and listen to them on the go.

Thought I should throw this in... an article I found basically trying to question the role of technology in sports.

All this said... Its an exciting time to be a sports fan!!!

Would you pay for a music video??

It's hasn't been long but the infamous group known as the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is back in the news and they got something NEW to whine about.

"Viral video sharing would not have been an issue just 18 months ago, when the labels still viewed music videos as a promotional tool for selling albums. But today videos are a rapidly growing money-maker for the music business. The RIAA estimates that sales of music videos topped $3.7 million in three months, after being introduced in October"

Are they freakin kidding me? Music Videos have always been a form of advertising and a way for us consumers to want to buy an artists album. From my knowledge a great deal of the videos are paid for by the artist with a budget they have been given. The RIAA will probably spend way more in legal fees trying to get the likes of Youtube and similar sites to stop allowing these videos to be shared but this will only hurt the artist. Have you turned on MTV or VH1 recently?? Can you remember the last time you saw an actual music video playing on there?? ... Me Neither. Sure there is TRL but in general these stations have turned to the craze of reality TV and more lucrative offerings. Music Videos have helped album sales for decades and now people are sharing them with the rest of the world. Someone in China who may not have seen the newest Shakira video but now that its on Youtube is able to enjoy it this can in turn help him/her decide to buy the artist's album. Now the RIAA want to be compensated essentially for the world giving their artists a boost by advertising their music on the net?? In essence they want us to pay for commercials and/or pay for the right to show commercials... Pure ludicrous.

To me a music video is the equivalent of a TV commercial... with a purpose to hype up the product to get you to buy it. Advertising on TV has been one of the strongest ways to get consumer awareness of a product and music videos were just telling the fans that there is something new out there. How about TV remove all the stupid commercials we are forced to watch through our favorite shows. They should implement this RIAA theory too and make us pay for them or else watch TV commercial free!! Taking it further maybe the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) should take a lesson from this and stop showing us the movie trailers. They give away most of the good parts anyway so they should stop showing them on TV and maybe then we will actually want to see a movie that hasn't been ruined for us in a 2 minute preview!!!

I understand that the artists were losing money from pirated music but really... would u pay $1 to download a music video so you can watch it once or twice? The public is helping the artist by sharing the music video and bringing it to people who may not see it elsewhere and really do you need to see it more than once its not like some classic movie or even porn. Sometimes its nice to be able to get your hands on an old video that doesn't get airtime and it might remind you of an album and you might want to go buy it. They are stupid to be fighting this... music videos on the net is one of the best free advertising an artist can get but because the RIAA has no control over it they don't want to give the artist that luxury either??

No matter how hard the RIAA's of the world try and no matter how much money they throw at their problem, they will never stop determined people from obtaining their content for free. Groups like this will always be reacting to the proactive.

On that note just because I can...

Speechless?? Not for long...

Its been a while but there is just so much going on with me in the last couple months that I haven't had time to really sit down and write complete posts... I began some and never completed them and now they don't seem as relevant . Thanks to all of you who wrote me asking if all was well... Life is good, I just haven't had the motivation to write as of late or it was more that I didn't want to put whatever was in my head out there but that all has passed so let today be the end of my bloging hiatus. To kick of the new year and a new start I decided to change up the lookaround here, but I am still toggling with the colours and whatnot so bare with me on that one.

2005 has come and gone and I have decided to kick of the new year by looking back at the top 20 sports stories from my point of view. So much happened in sports in 2005 that i could write a different entry for each pro sport but that might get boring so i decided to mix it up and give u the top 20 that came to my mind. Following this, I will be back later this week with the top 10 things to look forward to for the upcoming year. (No pictures this time around going to keep it short, just easing my way back) In no particular order here goes...

Reflections: 2005

• The NHL made its way back onto the ice after missing a complete season due to a lockout. With this new NHL came a new face and a poster boy for the future of the league by the name of Sidney Crosby. He is no Wayne Gretzky just yet but hopes are high...


• Kobe Bryant single handedly outscores the entire Dallas Mavericks team by the end of the third quarter in a game late in the year reaching the 62 point mark.


• Danica Patrick goes against all odds and ranks 4th in the Indy 500 breaking down barriers for women in the world of auto racing.


• The new CBA for the NBA is completed which included a new minor league system and a new age restriction. To boot the NBA has now introduced a dress code for the players which requires sport coats if you at the end of the bench and no exposed chains, no hats, throwback's n sorts pre and post game at the arena.


• Larry Brown leaves a championship team to return home and coach his hometown team the New York Knicks. One of the greatest coach in the game has a huge task ahead of him as the underachieving and overpaid Knicks might make him question his decision to leave Detroit...


• Baseball took a big hit as the abuse of performance enhancing drugs came to the forefront and made its way to the supreme courts. Big names like Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi were put in the spotlight which has now led to more severe penalties set for offenders of the drug policy.


• The Chicago White Sox were able to join the ranks of the Boston Red Sox as they brought to and end their drought of 80 + years with no championship as they came away victorious in this years World series


• Hurricane Katrina swept though the Gulf coast and devastated thousands. The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans hornets were moved to play in Oklahoma City and the question still remains when will they be able to return? The sports in this story are secondary to what happened to the people of New Orleans and even today people are trying to pick up the pieces. In efforts for relief a large number of professional athletes stepped forward to help out in any way they can which was a great thing to see.


• Pat Riley wiggled his way back to the court as he now strides along the sidelines as the head coach of the Miami Heat after the "voluntary departure" of Stan Van Gundy


• Phil Jackson aka the Zen Master returns to the coaching ranks with the Lakers and the countdown begins towards when we will see a blowup between him and his star Kobe Bryant who he called out in his book.


• Wayne Gretzky is back on the ice but this time barking out defensive assignments to his players as he gets behind the bench as the new head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.


• The likes of Mark Messeir and Jerry Rice walk away from the game ending memorable and definite hall of fame careers.


• "Monday Night Football" shuts its lights off after almost 4 decades. ABC says farewell to one of its highest ranking TV shows of all time.


• Steven A Smith almost pops a blood vessel on draft day when the Toronto Raptors selected Charlie Villanueva from UCONN for their 7th pick. Sure a lot of people were surprised but that reaction to ruin a young mans dream day was totally uncalled for!!


• The New England Patriots successfully created a dynasty by winning their 3rd NFL championship in 4 years and in this era of salary caps and non guaranteed contracts that is a commendable feat.


• The Spurs can be help up there with the great dynasties ... It would help if their franchise player showed a little more emotion and the team didn't come across as utterly robotic. Congratulations either way for winning and becoming one of the most underappreciated dynasties in professional sports.


• Ron Artest returns to the court in a pacers uniform... only to a month later ask to be traded! this man needs to understand he plays a team sport and get with the program. In the world of the "tru warrier" the drama never ends.


• "Black Monday" it was a crazy Monday right after the last few regular season NFL games were played as we witnessed a flurry of firings around the league as 6 head coaches were fired and one retired.


• Steve Nash was awarded the NBA's highest honor as a player receiving the MVP award at the end of last season as he put up Stockton like numbers and led the suns to the biggest turnaround season in the history of the league. Barring anything out of the ordinary he should once again be in the running for this year as he leads the league in assists playing without their franchise player and losing 2 key role players.


• I saved the best for last ... The saga that became the Philadelphia Eagles. It began early last year with some screaming and pushing along the sidelines but Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens put it aside and along with the rest of the team strode into the Superbowl. It got ugly from there with off-season finger pointing, a one week suspension from training camp, locker room battles and it ended with the decision to sit the star wide receiver for the rest of the season. Following this drama the star quarterback and star running back go down to bring an end to one of the most drama filled seasons for a NFL in recent memory.

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision" - Muhammad Ali.