We get our movie rentals from the local Blockbuster mostly because it is just a couple of blocks away and convenience is a great thing. Also, when Sarah suggests we get a movie, it usually means that I will watch the movie while she catches some zzzz’s after watching only part of the movie. This is not a bad thing except we try to catch up on recent releases which are usually a 2-day rental and once in a while we incur some late fees because I forget to take the movie back on time.

We have been talking about signing up for a movie rental service and Netflix was the logical choice until the recent Blockbuster media blitz made me think more about this. I am still thinking Netflix, specially after today’s announcement to deliver movies directly to the pc, but it would be nice to have the option to exchange a movie at the local store for those rare days we want to watch more than one movie. I would be interested in finding out other’s experiences with either Netflix or Blockbuster’s TotalAccess service.

We are starting off the 2007 season with the Copper Cup tournament this weekend with only after a couple of scrimmages to get ready. We have a couple of games on Saturday and one on Saturday. Hopefully we can make it to the Monday play when the semifinals and final takes place.

This weekend also marks one year since we ran the P.F. Changs marathon and half-marathon. A few friends are participating this year but unfortunately the tournament does not allow me/us to go cheer them on. However, the sunday schedule allow us to meet up with them for lunch and celebrate their accomplishment without feeling the pain of running the miles.

The only bad thing about this weekend, at least Saturday, is the weather forecast. We have a cold front moving in which is cooling down the whole state and will make for a very chilly Saturday morning game. At least it appears as though rain will not be a factor so we just need to bundle up.

update: well the tournament didn’t quite go like we expected as far as results goes. At least I got the temperature thing correct and it was cold, apparently the coldest Phoenix has been in sixteen years. As far as the team goes, we tied our first two games and lost our third game against a team we’ll see again in league play. Instead of playing on the semi-finals on Monday morning, we had to play Sunday night and settle for our only win of the tournament on the consolation game against a team from New Mexico. At least, the tournament gives us a few games to work out the kinks before league season starts next week.

Apple Inc. announced today a series of new products and some updates during Steve Job’s keynote for Macworld. There is plenty of coverage about the new products, most probably with far more insight than anything I could offer here. However, I do have some initial thoughts on the new products that are as good of an excuse as any to update this blog.

Apple TV looks great from an entertainment point of view, the perfect companion for your Tivo or preferred DVR. Apple TV provides the interface to your own digital library. All those photos from your last vacation or your music library will now be easily available within your entertainment center with the ease of a few clicks.

Airport Extreme this is probably the one piece of hardware that that has received the least amount of attention, yet it is a great improvement over its previous version. Some will see it as a high-priced wireless router, I am not sure that I would run out to get it today, but it provides a high-speed router with a great visual design and the ease of use that only Apples seems to come up these days. Probably the feature that I find the most interesting, is the ability to simply plugin an external hard-drive or printer (or both using a USB hub) and share it within your network. Great for that central location you need for your music library, your computer backups and anything else that needs to be accessed by multiple machines within your home network.

iPhone this is probably the one product that will be discussed the most over the next few days and yet the one that we know the least about. I love the features presented during the keynote but I cannot see myself spending that much money for a gadget. I know that if you combine the price of an iPod plus a smart phone, the price gap is not that much but I just can’t see myself standing in line for one of these devices. I wish you could buy the device sans the phone features and the 2 year contract from Cingular. Also, given the historical battery performance for the iPods I would like to see some figures before jumping on board.

However, although I might not be the first one to own the iPhone among my friends, I will be the first one recognize the risk Apple is taking with the new touch-based interface and context-aware user interface. A risk that is very much worth taking since most user interfaces used in today’s phones tend to fall short when you jump from application to application. By moving toward a more dynamic UI, Apple has the flexibility to provide the best interface for each individual application and motion sensors provide further information about how the user is utilizing the device. Combine these two features and you can start providing an improved experience for your user.

Stealing the title from the ESPN front page celebrating the University of Florida National Championship over Ohio State. I was partial to either team and although I have friends that are die-hard buckeye fans I wanted to see a close game. I thought it was going to be hard to match last year’s USC-UT championship game but that first play sparked all of our expectations and raised the bar for the rest of the game.

We kept expecting OSU to spark its offense after a couple of defensive stops but that never happen. The Gators were the better team tonight and they deserve to be called Champions, despite all of the great side stories and effort from the OSU players. Florida had more speed and desire tonight and just seemed like they had a better game plan.

Another season is over, a new team is crowned, let the BCS controversy talk and the countdown for the next season begin!