2008 University at Albany Great Dane Football went undefeated in conference play with a 30-11 win over Wagner at home in the final game of the regular season.

With the win the Danes now own the longest active Division I FCS conference streak with thirteen straight wins in league play.

The Danes (8-3, 7-0 NEC) have now won consecutive Northeast Conference championships and will host the Jacksonville Dolphins in Dec. 6 Gridiron Classic at University Field.

Jacksonville (9-3, PFL 7-1) touts the 14th nationally ranked scoring offense with 34.7 points per game and are coached by former University of Florida professional quarterback Kerwin Bell.

Bell played in one NFL game in four season, scoring one touchdown, for the Indianapolis Colts, and throwing two passes for over 20 yards.

The Dolphins RB Rudell Small was awarded the offensive player of the week in week 11, has 15 touchdowns on the season and is averaging over 112 yard per game, according to an UAlbany Sports Information Press Release.

Small is a powerful back who cuts well and excels after contact. Small runs high enough for big linebackers like Dave Niccomini, 6-3, 230, to stick him after short gains. However, Small is a threat as a reciever and in the open field.

www.chickdowntown.com now has a great section on their website just in time for the holiday season!  www.chickdowntown.com now offers gift guides for holiday shopping!  They have a Holiday Gift Guide, and a Party Dress Gift Guide!  These new flip books are a great way to find just what you need for the holiday seasons!  The party dress flipbook is my favorite, it shows you so many different looks for the Holidays and the Perfect Dress for Your New Years Bash!  When your Viewing the Gift Guides, don’t forget to check the left side of www.chickdowntown.com for all their amazing sales and savings!

www.chickdowntown.com has an amazing sale going on Right Now!   Their Black Friday Sale is running Early, Save 50% off Everything you purchase(Some designers Excluded)!  Why not get some of your christmas shopping done and out of the way with this amazing sale and save big with code BLACK50 at Checkout!

Tis the Season to shop and share all your amazing finds with your friends and loved ones!  www.chickdowntown.com has amazing new designers coming in all the time, so start your holiday shopping now and make someones holiday gift a perfect fit and save 50% on your purchase!

http://heile.deviantart.com/

Things just can’t come easily
when you struggle to survive.
But I bet you already have freed
your soul and your mind.

Because I never felt the evils
from the glances of your lies.
And I know you fear no illness
from behind your shaddy eyes

And you may find you lost
everything you’ve got.
And you got all the reasons to wave
yourself goodbye.
For tragedy and drama
was left behind.

To sane your mind.
To taste the meal.
To heal your soul.
Be safe for real.

To be in sintony finally.
We became family in sinergy.

So I wish you well
as I ring the bell.
Now you show and tell
what have you hidden from yourself.

How hard have you judged the world?
Warmthfully embracing their gold.
You know you won’t carry any of those
Can you ever say you wasn’t told?

To sane your mind.
To taste the meal.
To heal your soul.
Be safe for real.

por Jack of Spades

I got a new phone to replace my crappy Motorola Razr.  Now, I have the Samsung Instinct, which is basically an imitation iPhone. 

The Instinct is a touch phone, but its less user friendly.  You cant touch it any way you like, like the iPhone.  You have to touch it in a certain way.  I guess I’ll have to get used to it.  I wanted to upload my music, pictures, etc, but i found out its not compatible with Macs, so for the momemt I’m using the ever-slow Bluetooth.  I’m gonna have to get an SD card reader.  Why doesn’t Samsung try to appeal to all buyers by making it Mac compatible?  This sucks.

The SD card is the tiniest thing I’ve ever seen.  Its less than the size of a pea.

Micro SD Card

I felt kinda wierd signing a new contract with bell for another 3 years.  They’ve been giving me all kinds of shit during my life, but Francois, the salesperson said that its because I was going to a franchise store rather than a corporate store.  That makes sense, I guess.  I hope I wont be disappointed.

Many devotees here in the Deity Worship course are pujaris in various temples worldwide.  When we had our first “Aarti class” yesterday it was interesting because we began by doing an exercise where devotees had to explain what each item represented and what was its purpose in the aarti ceremony.   There were lots of interesting answers and the conclusion was that oftentimes devotees don’t actually know why we are offering items in the aarti.  We thought that it might be helpful to list what each item is and why it is offered. 

Aarti-Srila Prabhupada defined aarti as a reception for the Lord

1.  Incense (dhupa)- Creates auspiciousness and provides a pleasant aroma

2.  Ghee lamp (dipa)-  Fire represents knowledge.  It removes all darkness within and without

3.  Water in conch (arghya)-  The purpose of this item is widely misunderstood.  It is NOT meant for bathing.  Please remember that the Lord is dressed and ornamented, so why then would we bath the Lord with clothes on!  Arghya is the highest form of reception offered to an honoured guest (according to Srila Prabhupada) and it is water for reception.   It is offered to the hands of the guest so that they may sprinkle it over their head.

4.  Hankerchief- Another widely misunderstood item!  This is not meant for drying the Lord (as he has not taken a bath!) but is a gift of new cloth.   If one attends a very high class function in India the host will give new clothes to the guest. 

5.  Flowers (pushpa)- Symbolic of offering oneself to Krishna.

6.  Yak fan (chamara)- Meant for driving away flies from the body of the Lord.  It is also a sign of royalty.

7.  Bell (ghanta)- Symbolizes all music (kirtan)

8.  Blowing conch (sankha)- Drives away all inauspiciousness in the atmosphere.

It should also be noted that all of these items are representations of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

Until December 31, new Bell Mobility clients who sign a three-year contract can choose between three Smartphone Combo Plans, starting at $45 per month. All plans include conference calling and call waiting.

Smartphone Combo 45
For $45 per month, subscribers get 250 minutes of anytime local calling, unlimited evening and weekend local calling and the choice of either: unlimited incoming calls; nationwide Fab Five for unlimited calling and texting with five favourite contacts across the country; or an extended evening clock for unlimited local calling starting at 5pm. Clients also get 500MB of data for personal email, Instant Messenger and Internet use.

Smartphone Combo 70
For $70 per month, subscribers get 500 minutes of anytime local calling, unlimited evening and weekend local calling, the choice of either: unlimited incoming calls; nationwide Fab Five calling and texting; or an extended evening clock for unlimited local calling starting at 5 pm. Clients also get unlimited personal email, Instant Messenger, Internet surfing and text messaging.

Smartphone Combo 100
For $100 per month, subscribers get 1,250 minutes of anytime local calling, unlimited evening and weekend local calling, unlimited personal email, Instant Messenger, Internet surfing and text messaging along with call display and message centre express voicemail.

For more information on Smartphone Combo plans from Bell Mobility, visit bell.ca/wireless.

Customers lined up this morning in front of Verizon stores waiting to purchase the new BlackBerry Storm.  After months of waiting, Verizon Wireless has finally released the BlackBerry Storm from Research in Motion. The phone retails at $199 with a two-year contract.  Check out the Verizon Storm Center for more details and photos.  Telus and Bell have not yet released an official sale date but we expect it to be between Dec. 5th and Dec. 10th.

During my last trip to Norway I went to Kongsberg to see a dear friend who is 96 years old. She lived on “my” street (Kragsgate) and used to baby-sit me when I was younger. She is an amazing artist and I always try to stop in on my trips home.

After our visit I decided to drive back to “my” street, as I always do. (I’ll post some of those shots later.) Then I drove past “my” church. Not that I really spent that much time there, but I was baptized there (as if I remember that), took confirmation classes there, sang there when I was in the youth choir, my best friend got married there and I’ve also sat through some amazing Christmas services there. If you have a chance, Christmas is by far an amazing time to go there!!! For those of you that don’t know this church, it can seat 2400(!) people and there is even more standing room. It is the biggest baroque church in Norway and has the most beautiful paintings. It is old and pretty much all the stairs squeak when you walk up or down. Here is some more history about “my” city.

Before I get too lost talking about the church, here’s my wild story. I stopped in the parking lot and took a couple, alright - probably ten, shots of the outside. There’s a whole floor I wasn’t even able to fit in my lens. Should have brought a point-and-shoot I guess. I absolutely need a wider lens!!! Hey, Christmas is right around the corner. It’s officially on my list.

Anyways, this is a beautiful church from, as you can see, 1761. I believe the first church was built in 1624(?), but unfortunately burnt to the ground. Okay, so hopped in my sister’s car and drove off. I figured the church was closed and didn’t even go check the doors. I happened to turn my head and saw two people entering the church. The car was parked and I was on my way over to the church with my camera around my neck. Besides borrowing my sister’s car, I had also borrowed her cellphone and it was rang. It was my mom. We chatted for a minute and then a guy peeked out from the door and yelled: “You better come now, because I’m locking the doors”, so I sprinted for the door. He pointed to the stairs and when I got to the top I realized what was going on. There were a bunch of other people with cameras around their necks, bags, lights and even tri-pods. I quickly explained that I was not part of this group and sorry for the misunderstanding. Before I could even think I had been invited along with Kongsberg Kameraklubb to take pictures inside the church. They had the church to themselves, and the best part, they were going up in the bell tower next.

I quickly took this shot before heading up, up, up. Note how the pulpit is up on the wall. I would always pay close attention to the door to see when the pastor would walk through for the sermon. I never did catch him coming or going through that door, he was too sneaky! I guess I’ll have to come back for a service just to make sure I see that. Right above the pulpit is an amazing organ that I have never heard played. It sat unused for about 100 years(?) before it was restored just a few years ago. I was too excited about going up to the bell tower to remember to get shots of it. Next time! : )

This is the window you see in my first picture that is right over the year on the church. 

This looked like a great background for a poster or something…

Note how the enormous hook has made a grove in the wooden door. Besides a wider lens I wish I had a person standing next to it, just for reference. HUGE, that’s all I can say.

I rounded the corner of the door and almost fell out. Not really, but on top of my excitement of even being there I got this amazing view. My day was absolutely a good one!

The other stairs were as I mentioned squeaky. This one was squeaky AND wiggly. You can tell by the wear that it has been used for quite a few years.

I also wish I had someone standing next to the bell. It was enormous! You can see the stairs behind for some kind of reference. I’m sure it pretty much fills the space of the green doors you see in the first shot.

Here’s the look up into the bell.

The monogram you see is for one of Norways Kings, Christian the 7th. The detail in the wreath and the crown is just amazing!

More details on the bottom. 

Finally on top of the stairs I got a top view of the bell. I made sure I tested the railing on the bottom right before I leaned on it. Which I didn’t. It was very wiggly. As you can see in my next shot you’ll get hurt if you fall off that landing.

That same wiggly railing was also what kept me safe from “flying” out of this door. I carefully leaned out a little. Again, check the first picture to see how big these doors are. 

Another view.

The very nice man (sorry, I didn’t catch his name) that opened up the church also said it was okay to go up into the clock room. 

Happened to catch this red house through a hole in the clock window. The dial is covering the bottom part of the house.

I  moved to the other side to see one yellow tree in between all the green ones.

A wider shot. The clock is so big you could easily stand in there. 

There were keys by each clock. Nat. = Night and Dag. = Day. No chance of loosing those keys! Not quite sure what function they have, but it obviously has something to do with morning and night.

The mechanical parts. You can faintly see someone in the back taking pictures. That’s how BIG this was. I guarantee you, it will NOT fit in a wrist watch!

On my way down this was my view out another one of those green doors. Wow!

I headed downstairs and almost to the bottom came across these old leather buckets. Yikes, I sure hope they have a back-up plan in case of fire. Seriously, these were very old buckets and each of them had a name beautifully painted on the front. 

Down on the main floor. The top box is reserved for royalty. 

A detail from above the pulpit. As far as I know most of the decoration is painted wood.

The ceiling is an amazing piece of art. The whole center has been painted with amazing detail and color. 

I wanted to get a shot of the whole ceiling but as I have mentioned I need a WIDER lens. I was almost laying on the floor for this shot.

Another shot of the pulpit.

These old leather chairs are beautiful. I’m sure they were there and in use when I was baptized. I bet they still use them today.

There are three chandeliers in the church. They are each put together of hand blown glass and when they are lit they add to the magic during Christmas service. During World War II they were disassembled and hidden in the mountains for safety.

Leaving. I could have stayed for a long time. 

This shot makes me think back to when as a young teen I would on one occasion stop outside in the cemetery with some of my friends. We would tell each other scary stories or ponder on ‘what if: a grave suddenly opened or a ghost came walking…’. We had already seen too many scary movies. : ) 

I wish I would have had that wide lens. Did I mention that? I guess a tilt-shift lens would have been good as well. Oh well, there’s always next Christmas. : )

This was a little bit of “my” church. I hope to come back and do more shots soon. 

Thank you sooooo much Povl and the other members of Kongsberg Kameraklubb that let me tag along. It was fun chatting with you!

I am going to be doing some thing new today. I will be bell ringing for the salvation army. I wanted to do it as a new experience. I will probably have 1 or 2 different places to work. I am starting at the Walgreens near my home. I have an 8 and a half hour day today. It should be interesting to see how many people come up to me, especially on my first day. It is the only store around, but can get busy just the same because Walgreens is a busy place. It will be busier around the holiday times, which is now. It will be a long day, but if I can get help for people, it will be worth it. This is the first year I have seen Bell ringers advertised in the paper. I applied as soon as I saw it.

Remember when Fiddy sued Taco Bell? the time they called for him to switch his identity to 79 Cent, in a attempt to advertize their taco meals? Well, 50 did not think the bid was amusing…so he sued them. Now, Taco Bell has opened fire in reply and their opposer. Check out this info from one of our sources!

Taco Bell beefing 50 Cent

Bell’s peeps tried to blast 50’s credibleness, stating his work “falls in the subgenre of hip hop music titled ‘gangsta rap,’ a title associated with city-born street gangs and defined by violent, tough-talking braggadocio.” They also lay claim that Fiddy just lodged the lawsuit to “gloss his gangsta rapper image” — ’cause nothing builds street cred like a lawsuit.

Supporters of network neutrality have suffered a setback with the CRTC ruling in the case against Bell over Internet throttling.

The communications regulator denied the Canadian Association of Internet Providers’ (CAIP) request that Bell Canada cease the traffic-shaping practices it has adopted for its wholesale services.

However, this is turning out to be just the first round in the battle over network neutrality. The CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein acknowledged that:

The broader issue of Internet traffic management raises a number of questions that affect both end-users and service providers. We have decided to hold a separate proceeding to consider both wholesale and retail issues. Its main purpose will be to address the extent to which Internet service providers can manage the traffic on their networks in accordance with the Telecommunications Act.

As part of this process, the CRTC is holding a public hearing next year to look at how service providers manage traffic on their networks. As Michael Geist notes about today’s CRTC ruling:

The decision is not a total loss for net neutrality supporters as the Commission made a clear commitment to addressing the issue of net neutrality and network management in a formal proceeding in July 2009.  Indeed, it is important not to lose sight of how much has changed in the past year.

The question of network neutrality could become one of the big technology issues of 2009. In the US, president-elect Barack Obama has expressed his support for the idea of the net as a neutral platform.

In Canada, the SaveOurNet coalition has already launched a campaign to lobby the CRTC over its decision.

(Via Newslab.ca)

The decision is in and it’s not good. The CRTC has decided to rule against wholesale ISPs in their throttling dispute with Bell:

“Based on the evidence before us, we found that the measures employed by Bell Canada to manage its network were not discriminatory,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein in a release. “Bell Canada applied the same traffic-shaping practices to wholesale customers as it did to its own retail customers,”

But this doesn’t end the issue. As expected, the CRTC is going to launch a larger investigation into throttling:

“The broader issue of internet traffic management raises a number of questions that affect both end-users and service providers,” von Finckenstein said. “We have decided to hold a separate proceeding to consider both wholesale and retail issues. Its main purpose will be to address the extent to which internet service providers can manage the traffic on their networks in accordance with the Telecommunications Act.”

This of course has Internet users in Canada mad as hell. Just take a look at this thread from DSLreports.com to see the level of anger this decision has produced. The same DSLreports.com article points this fact out:

“Finckenstein appears to not understand either the definition of discriminatory, or how throttling wholesale ISPs (not just resellers) kills off Bell competition on multiple fronts. Bell’s decision effectively eliminated the right of independent wholesale ISPs to offer an un-crippled connection if they’re willing to pay for the bandwidth. It also gives Bell Canada’s un-throttled video store an unfair advantage over Canada’s more limited field of competing P2P Internet video services.”

The CRTC seriously needs to be slapped here. They really don’t get it at all. In the meantime, Internet users in Canada are given the shaft because of their stupidity.

UPDATE: The CRTC decision in full can be found here. The CAIP response can be found here. Another thread on DSLreports.com with angry Canadian Internet users can be found here. Many of them are cancelling their Bell services in protest.

Alguns designers parecem dominar o mundo silenciosamente. É o caso do saudoso norte-americano Saul Bass. Você pode não conhecê-lo, mas certamente conhece seu trabalho. Sua obra pode ser vista na televisão, DVDs, aeroportos, supermercados, revistas, esquinas, toda parte. Sua genialidade está impressa em pôsteres de cinema, créditos de filmes clássicos, logomarcas de empresas multinacionais e postos de gasolina. Fora os muitos imitadores de sua arte. Conheça ou relembre um pouco da obra de Saul Bass:

Saul Bass ficou conhecido primeiro pelos pôsteres de filmes. Este aqui é de O Homem do Braço de Ouro (1955), de Otto Preminger. Como o filme trata de um personagem viciado em heroína, o cartaz foi um pouco chocante para a época, pois a figura do braço, associado à droga injetável, não disfarçava nem um pouco o tema da história.

Pôster do filme Um Corpo que Cai (1958), de Alfred Hitchcock, freqüentemente apontado como um dos melhores cartazes de todos os tempos.

Outra outra-prima dos pôsteres de cinema: o cartaz do filme Anatomia de um Crime (1959), de Otto Preminger. Com trabalhos assim, Bass ajudou a criar a identidade visual dos anos 1950.

O pôster de Amor, Sublime Amor (1961), de Robert Wise. Os créditos de abertura do longa, que mostram a ilha de Manhattan vista de cima, também foi concebida por Bass.

Saul Bass gostava dos ângulos e linhas retas (ou quase), mas também sabia usar as curvas, como neste pôster, do filme Amigos São para Essas Coisas (1971), de Otto Preminger.

A fonte utilizada em muitos dos pôsteres de Bass, hoje chamada de Hitchcock, também é uma de suas marcas registradas, presente neste cartaz de Bom Dia, Tristeza (1958), de Otto Preminger.

Este pôter de Bass para O Iluminado (1980), de Stanley Kubrick, não é tão utilizado quanto o que mostra o rosto de Jack Nicholson, mas é igualmente marcante e menos óbvio. A parceria de Bass com Kubrick começou em Spartacus (1960), filme cuja seqüência dos créditos iniciais é assinada pelo designer.

O cineasta Otto Preminger gostou tanto do pôster que Saul Bass fez para seu filme O Homem do Braço de Ouro (1955) que o convidou para desenhar também os créditos iniciais do longa. Acima, você vê parte do resultado. O trabalho é simples, elegante e provocador - as linhas brancas penetram a tela preta como agulhas, uma referência ao vício em heroína do personagem principal. Clique aqui para assistir!

O diretor Otto Preminger foi um dos mais freqüentes parceiros profissionais de Saul Bass. Aqui você vê imagens dos créditos de Anatomia de um Crime (1959), inconfundíveis, feitos por Bass. Assista aqui!

A cena inicial de créditos criada por Saul Bass para o filme Intriga Internacional (1959), de Alfred Hitchcock, mostra uma série de linhas paralelas, que depois se revelam desenhadas a partir da fachada de um edifício moderno, espelhado, que reflete os carros de uma rua com tráfego intenso. Clique aqui para assistir!

Antes de Saul Bass, quase ninguém prestava atenção aos créditos iniciais de um filme. Em muitos cinemas norte-americanos, as cortinas só se abriam para revelar a tela depois que os créditos já tivessem sido exibidos. Saul Bass mudou isso com sua genialidade. Ele fez dessa cena inicial uma possibilidade de expressão estética e uma introdução relevante à história, criando climas ou transmitindo idéias. É o caso da abertura que ele fez para Um Corpo que Cai (1958), filme de Alfred Hitchcock, dramática, cheia de suspense e com referências à vertigem de que sofre o personagem principal. Veja aqui!

Os créditos que Saul Bass fez para Quanto Mais Quente Melhor (1955), de Billy Wilder, transmitem, logo de cara, a leveza do filme que se inicia. Relembre aqui!

Nos créditos iniciais de O Segundo Rosto (1966), de John Frankenheimer, Saul Bass mostra closes de orelhas, olhos e outros detalhes de um rosto, em referência a um dos temas do filme, a cirurgia plástica, e também para mostrar que, de muito perto, o ser humano é feio. A distorção das imagens pretende refletir a distorção da mente de quem pensa em alterar completamente sua fisionomia. Assista clicando aqui!

Saul Bass inovou em A Volta ao Mundo em 80 Dias (1956), de Michael Anderson. Para esse filme, ele criou uma seqüência de créditos para ser exibida no final, tão graficamente rica que ninguém conseguia ir embora do cinema antes que os créditos tivessem sido exibidos. O recurso era inédito e é copiado até hoje por muitos cineastas. Essa seqüência de Bass resume o filme inteiro apenas com desenhos, que chegam até a esclarecer algumas situações. Assista aqui!

Os créditos iniciais de Psicose (1960), de Alfred Hitchcock, são indissociáveis da música tema do filme, composta por Bernard Hermann. Toda a movimentação na tela é casada com a música. Clique aqui para assistir.

A participação de Saul Bass em Psicose foi muito além da cena dos créditos. O designer simplesmente concebeu a maneira como foi filmada a clássica cena do chuveiro, desenhando-a inteira em storyboard antes das filmagens. Bass chegou até a divulgar por aí que foi o verdadeiro diretor da cena, informação menosprezada por Hitchcock e questionada pela atriz Janet Leigh.

Saul Bass também se notabilizou pela criação de logomarcas que se tornaram célebres. Acima, você vê algumas delas: 1 - Quaker (1971); 2 - Kleenex; 3 - United Airlines (1973); 4 - Warner Communications (1972); 5 - Bell (1969); 6 - AT&T (1984); 7 - Continental Airlines (1968); 8 - Avery International (1990); 9 - Minolta (1978); 10 - United Way (1972).

Saul Bass também é o responsável pelo design dos postos de gasolina Esso/Exxon, onipresentes no mundo inteiro.

TRABALHOS INSPIRADOS NA OBRA DE SAUL BASS:
O design de Saul Bass não apenas fez história, mas também continua sendo admirado e imitado em toda parte. Abaixo, seguem apenas alguns exemplos mais famosos de peças de design assumidamente inspiradas no mestre:

Pôster do filme Irmãos de Sangue (1995), de Spike Lee

Pôster do filme Nó na Garganta (1997), de Neil Jordan

Pôster do filme Jogos, Trapaças e Dois Canos Fumegantes (1999), de Guy Ritchie

Pôster do filme Queime Depois de Ler (2008), dos irmãos Joel e Ethan Cohen

Site de The Key to Reserva, maravilhoso comercial do vinho Freixenet dirigido por Martin Scorsese. Não viu ainda? Então clique aqui para saber mais detalhes e ver, porque é incrível!

Abertura da telenovela A Favorita (2008), de João Emanuel Carneiro. Clique aqui para ver!

The day that Internet users in Canada have been waiting for is finally here. The CBC is reporting that the CRTC is finally going to rule on Bells throttling of independant ISP’s on Thursday at 9AM eastern time. But regardless of which way the ruling goes tomorrow, this issue isn’t over:

“A decision against CAIP may not necessarily close the door on the throttling issue, however. CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein this summer said a decision on the Bell-CAIP case will be limited to whether the company has violated its wholesale agreements with the smaller providers. A more detailed CRTC probe into whether throttling should be allowed in a general sense will likely follow, he said.”

So Internet users in Canada should buckle up and stay close to their browser. The fireworks are about to begin.

I took at look at Canadian wireless broadband plans and compared them to plans in other parts of the world.   We priced out a 3GB,  2 Year Contact with USB dongle.  No surprise, Canadian plans are more expensive than comparable plans in the UK and the US.    Not sure I understand why a “911” service fee is requried on a mobile broadband plan…

(not ranked in order of importance)

Coming soon to Bell and Telus

1.       Stereo Bluetooth - 3.5mm stereo headset capable.  This is a great feature that delivers awesome sound quality

2.       Touch screen that provides physical feedback.  The BlackBerry Storm’s clickable touch screen allows users to feel the motion of depressing and releasing the keys. This makes typing on the touch feel similar to that of the regular physical keyboard.

3.        Expandable Memory.  The device comes with  128MB of RAM and 1GB of onboard memory but can top out at 16GB.

4.        Digital camera & Video Recording.  Comes with full 3.2 MP camera capable of recording video.   This includes variable zoom, auto focus and continuous flash while recording video.

5.        Tethered modem.   The Blackberry Storm will allow you to tether your laptop for HSDPA speed internet, providing fast broadband when you need it.  You can also beam your net connection into your PC or MAC with the Bluetooth capabilities.

6.       Display- Trouble Bubble.  One unique feature is the dome, that makes the 3.25in touch screen seem like it’s sitting on a bubble.   When you touch an icon, the Storm will highlight it but will only activate when the screen is pressed down. This prevents accidental activation, which is common on other touch screen devices.

7.       Voice Memos. Note to self: use my new Storm to record this meeting.

8.       Corporate e-mail Integration.  Tight email integration continues.  The Blackberry Storm Works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for Microsoft® Exchange,® Lotus® Domino® ,Novell® GroupWise®. As well, the Storm integrates with existing enterprise, personal and optional new device accounts.  

9.       Easy access to view and edit corporate documents.   Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files can be viewed and edited from the device.

10.    Cut & Paste. While not a new feature, this capability is something I could not do without.  

“The initial lawsuit claims that Apple and AT&T misrepresented the speed of the iPhone on AT&T’s 3G network. The suit claims insufficient infrastructure of the network and the fact that so many phones have been sold that it can’t handle the volume of phones trying to use it. “Due to the overloaded 3G network, it is quite common for iPhone users to only be on the 3G network for a few minutes before being bumped to the slower EDGE network despite being in geographical areas allegedly rich with 3G network coverage,” reads the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial where they are asking for statutory, compensatory and punitive damages.”

An important decisive factor for SMEs is the level of support provided by ISPs: 85 percent stated that the level of support was the most important criteria when choosing an ISP while the highest number of respondents, 80 per cent, considers UK based support to be very important. Some ISP providers have been criticised for taking telephone support overseas and cutting staffing costs.

Just over half of those asked, 55 per cent were happy with their current supplier and were unlikely to change, 45 percent are unhappy. and 68 per cent had not changed ISP in the last year but   13 per cent are considering changing ISP at present.

When they do, it’s mainly when there are issues with reliability, quality of service, cost or for higher speeds. It was found that 72 per cent of SMEs said they would change provider because of unreliable connection, but note only 40 per cent would change to save money.

98 per cent of SMEs consider reliable Internet access to be critical to the needs of their business. 71 per cent of SMEs thought it was important that their ISP was business orientated, as 80 per cent use the Web to locate suppliers and 76 per cent use it for purchasing activities.

The much anticipated Blackberry Storm will soon be available from Telus and Bell.  Although there are rumours ciculating about when Rogers will be carrying the new device, Research and Motion’s “Where to Buy” webpage lists Bell and Telus as the two Canadian partners. 

Ayer tuvo lugar la función del turno T de Le Nozze di Figaro. La producción ya fue comentada a raíz del ensayo general de forma que hoy nos centraremos en los otros aspectos y en su globalidad.

A pesar de contar con un buen elenco estas Nozze no acaban de dar todo lo que se podría esperar de ellas. Se supone que esta ópera es una comedia y la verdad es que la comedia se asomó, y tímidamente, en contadas ocasiones en la escena. Para mí se trato de una comedia sosa.

Esta producción no tiene pizca de chispa. La escena no fluye como debiera. Se nota que hay algo que no acaba de encajar. Una ópera así debería de ser seamless, sin costuras, la que vimos tenía algunos costurones. Los recitativos no debieran notarse, la escena debe continuar sin discontinuidades. No sé si esto es más imputable a la dirección escénica o a la dirección musical; yo lo achacaría más a la primera.

Tampoco el reparto ayudó a que realmente viéramos las bodas de Fígaro; en esta producción los Condes de Almaviva ganan por goleada. Tanto Ludovic Tézier como Emma Bell fueron unos estupendos condes. Sus escenas fueron las mejores y de las más aplaudidas. La voz de la Bell, muy grande y agradable, despunta sobre el resto.

Foto: GTL / Antoni Bofill

En cambio los protagonistas de las bodas Fígaro y Susanna me parecieron más flojos, en comparación. Ofelia Sala me parece poco adecuada para el papel de la astuta Susanna aunque hay que reconocerle un excelente Giunse alfin il momento del último acto donde ha explotado al máximo sus recursos.

Kyle Ketelsen no me convenció en el primer acto donde mostró problemas en la zona grave aunque en el último acto ofreció lo mejor de sí.

Sophie Koch nos ofreció un creíble Cherubino pero que tampoco consiguió que me entraran ganas de aplaudir.

Quiero mencionar especialmente la Barbarina de Eliana Bayón con una bonita y fresca voz que me parece que hubiera podido ser una estupenda Susanna.

La orquesta, que tuvo algún titubeo en algunos pasajes, bajo la dirección de Antoni Ros Marbá nos ofreció una versión pausada y poco ampulosa. Al final de la representación recibió algunos abucheos.

En definitiva, una función que no conseguirá desplazar de la memoria otras funciones del mismo título.

Mañana, 18 de Noviembre, a las 20:00 tanto Radio Clásica como Catalunya Música retransmiten en directo Le Nozze di Figaro desde el GTL. Ver Retransmisiones.