John Hesch

Apple has a new website, looks a lot like iTunes on the web. Pretty cool. I also noticed that the Safari browser, formally only available to MAC users, now comes in a Microsoft version.

1. Blazing Performance - 2x Faster - Safari is the fastest web browser on any platform.
2. Elegant User Interface - Safari’s clean look lets you focus on the web — not your browser.
3. Easy Bookmarks - Organize your bookmarks just like you organize music in iTunes.
4. Pop-up Blocking - Say goodbye to annoying pop-up ads and pop-under windows.
5. Inline Find - Search any text on any website with the integrated Find banner.
6. Tabbed Browsing - Open and switch between multiple web pages in a single window.
7. Snapback - Instantly snap back to search results or the top level of a website.
8. Forms AutoFill - Let Safari complete online forms for you, automatically and securely.
9. Built-in RSS - RSS tells you when new content is added to your favorite sites.
10. Resizable Text Fields - Resize text fields on any website: Just grab the corner and drag.
11. Private Browsing - Keep your online activities private with a single click.
12. Security - Apple engineers designed Safari to be secure from day one.

CBS just released their premiere dates for the fall TV lineup. I have added the shows to my public Google calendar. The calendar is now complete with premiere dates and times for ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. Enjoy.

NBC Just released their premiere dates for the fall TV lineup. I have added the shows to my public Google calendar.

If you’re interested in when your favorite TV shows will premiere this upcoming fall season, I have created a public Google Season Premieres Calendar (All times are MDT). This calendar lists all of the primetime shows that have firm premiere dates. So far, only Fox and ABC have announced fall premiere dates but as the others make their announcements I’ll update the calendar.

The RSS feed is located here. If you want to add the calendar, you first need to have a Google calendar. Then you can add my 2006 Fall TV Premiere Dates calendar to your account.

You can also click here if you have a Google calendar account already set up.

If you haven’t seen the new fall schedule, Metacritic has a very nice layout of each day of the week with show times.

Canadian music artists including Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, Dave Bidini of Rheostatics, Billy Talent, John K. Sampson of Weakerthans, Sloan, Andrew Cash, Bob Wiseman, a co-founder of Blue Rodeo, and the Barenaked Ladies recently launched the Canadian Music Creators Coalition.

One of the purposes is to lobby for music fans rights including the right not to be harrassed by the music industry. The coalition has identified three simple principles that should guide copyright reform and cultural policy.

1. First, we believe that suing our fans is destructive and hypocritical. We do not want to sue music fans, and we do not want to distort the law to coerce fans into conforming to a rigid digital market artificially constructed by the major labels.
2. Second, we believe that the use of digital locks, frequently referred to as technological protection measures, are risky and counterproductive. We do not support using digital locks to increase the labels’ control over the distribution, use and enjoyment of music, nor do we support laws that prohibit circumvention of such technological measures.
3. Third, we strongly believe that cultural policy should support actual Canadian artists. We call on the Canadian government to firmly commit to programs that support Canadian music talent. The government should make a long-term commitment to grow support mechanisms such as the Canada Music Fund and FACTOR, invest in music training and education, create limited tax shelters for copyright royalties, protect artists from inequalities in bargaining power and make collecting societies more transparent.

AMEN!

One Voice, the debut album from Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices, won the Grammy for Best Gospel Choir Album this afternoon at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

Since the January 2005 release, One Voice has remained in the top-40 on Billboard’s Gospel charts for the better part of 52 weeks. In the first week, the album soared to immediate success and snagged the title of Billboard’s #1 Hot Shot Debut and landed at #9 while it simultaneously shot to the #1 Gospel Album and #2 Inspirational Album on iTunes.

Created and directed by Knight, the Saints Unified Voices, is a matchless gospel choir consisting of more than 100 members from several cultural backgrounds whose mission is to build faith while breaking down cultural barriers. From the energetic, gospel classic “Pass Me Not,” to the moving duet, “Did You Know,” with John Fluker, One Voice offers uplifting and inspirational musical insight.

Other nominees in the Best Gospel Choir Album category were the albums, I Speak Life by Donald Lawrence & Company, Live at the Fellowship by VIP Mass Choir, One Church by The Choir of Life (Japan), The Choir of Life (USA) & The Kurt Carr Singers, and 20/85 The Experience by The Love Fellowship Choir.

For more information about the Saints Unified Voices please visit www.suvchoir.org.

“Imagine 2006,” a benefit concert to support the arts in local charter schools will host some of Utah’s finest recording artists Saturday, January 28 at 8:00 p.m. at the American Leadership Academy (1172 Del Monte Rd., Spanish Fork, UT).

Among the line-up of musicians are such favorites as Alex Boye, Jenny Jordon Frogley, Providence, Julie de Azevedo, Greg Simpson, and George Dyer.

Tickets are $9 and are currently on sale at Deseret Book stores in Ft. Union, Orem Parkway, University Mall, American Fork, and Spanish Fork as well as online at www.deseretbook.com under the link for tickets.

An iPod is basically a hard drive with built-in software, and just like your PC hard drive your iPod needs to be defraged to keep it in tip top shape.

Here’s a pretty good article explaining how to send the videos you have on your video iPod to your TV.

Santa was nice to me this year and brought a 30 gig Video iPod for Christmas. This is my first iPod and so I’m pretty excited. One of the first things I noticed is how minimalistic the iPod controls are. Pretty cool, but takes a little getting used to. The other thing I noticed is Apple doesn’t provide much instruction on how to use the iPod so I went looking for cool iPod stuff on the Internet.

I’ll try to remember to pass along the cool stuff I find.

First stop is a support section of the Apple website called iPod 101. It’s a series of tutorials explaining everything you want to know about operating an iPod. Here are some of the topics.

• iPod Anatomy - If you’re just starting out, these beginner courses introduce you to the physical side of iPod, as well as its innards (in the software sense). Discover all the wonderful things you can press, plug, scroll, and slide while navigating your iPod controls and menus. Plus, learn how to charge the battery and update your iPod and iTunes software.
• Crank Up the Tunes - Ready to put your ’Pod into play? These lessons introduce you to iTunes and show you how to fill your iPod with songs, podcasts, and audiobooks. Learn how to sync iPod with iTunes, play audio files, create playlists, subscribe to podcasts, add album art and information, rip music from CDs, set preferences, and more.
• I Need More Music - If your collection of CDs and music downloads just won’t do, you can shop for more music, purchase music videos and TV shows, and buy audiobooks from the iTunes Music Store—and you don’t even have to change out of your jammies to do it! Get the complete tour of the Music Store, find exclusive stuff, download free tunes, and more.
• Show Me My Photos and Videos - If you have an iPod with a color screen, you can load up your portable player with your own pretty pictures—even videos on certain iPods. These lessons show you how to sync your photos and videos to your iPod, view images and videos on your iPod, and even show them off on your TV.
• Maximize My Experience - iPod is more than a digital music player. You can put it to use as a portable disk drive and personal data assistant (if your iPod has a display). Find out how to sync contacts and calendars, play games, use the stopwatch, set clocks in multiple cities, and add notes. And for all iPod owners, learn how to optimize your iPod battery life.
• My iPod is Sad (or Alarmed) - Sometimes things don’t go quite the way you planned. Sad iPods, exclamation point-stamped folders, or even your computer’s refusal to acknowledge your iPod’s existence can drive anyone nuts. For those times, this section will help you troubleshoot common issues and dispense tips to keep you and your iPod happy.

If you’re new to the whole iPod experience be sure to check the iPod 101 site out.

Here’s a good article for all my readers who are Lost fans.

It was pretty exciting to see Lost win an Emmy for best drama series last night! JJ Abrams also won an Emmy.

One of my favorite TV shows from last season was Lost. A group of people are stranded on a tropical island after their plane crashes 1,000 miles off course. Season 1 teased viewers with the possibility that these people are not alone on the island and that there is something extraordinarily wrong with the island.

One of the hints given about the hatch is

What’s in the Hatch? Hint: In a way, it’s something you’ve never seen before. But in a way, it’s something you see every day and are probably seeing right now. Okay, another hint: It begins and ends with the same letter.

Some say it’s a window or an eye. A window makes sense as the hint was given online and to be online you would need to be looking through a window (monitor). An eye also makes sense as Locke told Jack that he had looked into the eye of the island, and it was beautiful.

Season 1 releases on DVD Sep 06, 2005. Season 2 begins Wednesday, September 21st at 8:00 PM MDT, and I heard a rumor that one of the main cast members will either not be returning or be killed early in the season due to wage disputes. We’ll see.

Shelly, two of my sons and I went to see Dan Truman and Jason Deere perform Joseph: A Tribute to the Prophet. Jason is an amazing talent and has written and produced one of the best CD’s that has come out of the LDS market in years. The CD features such amazing talent as Jason Deere, Diamond Rio keyboard player, Dan Truman, David Osmond, country stars Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, Dan Cahoon, Mindy Gledhill, Jimi Westbrook, and Dale Murphy.

Tonight’s performance included just Jason, Dan and a couple other guys from Nashville. I’m pretty familiar with the CD since I’ve had it playing on KZION for almost a month now. When the program began the chills started and didn’t end until I was almost home. I have such a newfound respect and admiration for Joseph, Emma, Hyrum, Porter Rockwell (Joseph’s bodyguard) and the others portrayed on the CD.

I missed the CD release concert a few weeks ago so I feel pretty lucky to of been able to see the performance tonight. As you might expect, there is a country feel to the music but country and non-country music lovers alike, will enjoy this music.

I didn’t get a chance to visit with Jason or Dan after the show¹ but you guys were awesome. Thank you so much for the spiritual lifting this evening and for taking time from your busy schedules to come to St. George.

If you want to purchase a copy of the CD go to any Deseret Book store or online here.

1. The performing arts center was packed for this performance. It would of taken forever to get through all the people lining up to meet the performers. [back]

Last weekend Shelly, Josh and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp. I’m not much of a Johnny Depp fan but I did like him in Secret Window and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He’s currently filming the next Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

I’m not sure what to think about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was weird, funny, enlightening (We learned about Willy Wonka’s childhood), and dark. I don’t think I’ve ever read the book, but I read that this version of the movie is more true to the book than the original version. Even though I thought Johnny Depp did a pretty good job, I think Gene Wilder was a lot funnier and more sinister. Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka seemed disturbed and odd.

Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Nicolas Cage and Michael Keaton were all considered for the role of Willy Wonka. Marilyn Manson also badly wanted the part.

I’ll probably buy the DVD when it comes out but I wouldn’t go see it again in the theater.

Yesterday we saw The Island. What a ride this movie was. Starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, The Island was non-stop action that kept me gripping the sides of my chair. The special effects were amazing and there was plenty of humor. I’m a huge fan of action/drama/thriller movies, and The Island is one of the better movies I’ve seen in this genre in a long time. It’s unfortunate that the writers felt it necessary to add one “F” word which, as with most bad language, was totally unnecessary. The violent and intense action scenes should of been plenty enough to get the coveted PG-13 rating. I will definitely buy this movie on DVD, but will edit the one word from my copy.

I will probably see this movie again in the theater. It was pretty awesome on the big screen.

Shelly and I went to see War of the Worlds last Saturday. The special effects were simply amazing but I thought the story line was lacking. I couldn’t help being drawn in by the intense drama but when it was all said and done, I was left thinking this movie could of been much better. This was a typical Steven Spielberg movie where everything is bigger than life. Tom Cruise was Ok but I thought Dakota Fanning was spectacular. She is such a talented young lady.

I also saw Saving Private Ryan for the first time. It was on the TNT station which caught me off guard because I expected it to be edited for TV but they showed it uncut. I was blown away by the horrific scenes of war with the most realistic battle scenes I have ever seen. I got a little teary eyed when Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) was killed, I wasn’t expecting that. I’m glad I saw it this weekend. I spent four years in the military but my patriotism needed a little boost. I think the war in Iraq is getting to me.

Today we saw Batman Begins, again. It is definitely my favorite movie of the summer, so far. Although I’m looking forward to seeing The Fantastic Four.