Goodbye Desktops?

Just read the blog article post from Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com/5301401) and I was wondering why in the world the desktop PC has vanished out of consumer home? After a few minutes to lament, I came up with a few conclusions and possibilities on my own. (Beyond the obvious laptop argument)

1. Home entertainment advancements. Now that every device has Netflix built-in, Slingbox, AT&T U-Verse and a bright future for IPTV, Blu-Ray, and all-in-one media centers, it is hard to compete if you are a desktop. The desktop was an entertainment hub because of the three 'I's: interaction, information, and Internets. Desktops could be and probably were likely used as a entertainment center before the modern-day advances in home theater, but now a desktop is likely an antique according to Moore's law standards. Now, from the comfort of one's loveseat or recliner, can rent a movie (Netflix, Apple TV, most digital cable and satellite carriers), watch home-movies (built-in memory card readers on most high-end HDTVs, YouTube-enabled sets), communicate (CES 2009 unveiled Internet-enabled TVs), and gaming consoles, the home entertainment market has surely done away with the need to gather around a small monitor in comparison.
2. Wireless. With the introduction of 802.11 standard, the desktop became threatened, and now with the introduction of 3G networks a few years back and continued bandwidth upgrades and a plethora of smartphone devices supporting such, the trend is to be ultra-portable. iPhone, Blackberry, and other high-end smartphones retrieve anything you would request out of a desktop to a phone. The iPhone has 32GB storage, plenty for about 5 movies and 600+ songs and the capability to make a phone call all the more solidifies its place as a desktop killer.
3. Other than the simple fact of the laptop, the actual technology inside the laptop has also caused decline in the desktop sales. Dual core processors are available for both a desktop and laptop, and comparable other specifications come about the same price tag, when you include a LCD monitor, keyboard, and mouse in the mix. It is amazing how much manufacterers have squeezed into a single laptop enclosure to make a complete computer, not a halvsie, and thus the fall of desktops.

It is no surprise that desktops have declined the past several years, simply because there is no way to improve them over laptops. Sure, the monitors can get bigger and cheaper, but nothing can compare to portability - anywhere computing is the wave of the future, and unfortunately, desktops cannot comply.

Reasons why Shaq will have more impact OFF the court

1) He has led two of the all-around best players in the game (Kobe and Dwyane) to Finals victories. He has helped young and coming players succeed. Altough it took Kobe 7 years to get a ring without him, Shaq helped mature and grow Kobe. Dwyane has benefitted just as much, and with less time with Shaq. LeBron should be more mature after he faces Shaq in the locker room before and after games, because Shaq is a presence, and he can't be ignored.

2) Shaq cannot be the #2 guy anymore. He will be the muscle, the rebounder, the blocker, the everything-else-but-score-20-per guy. LeBron needs a guy like Manu is to Timmy and Tony - Tony is easily the first offensive option while Timmy is your defense, although his offense is still good. There has to be a sixth man on that team, or even a third man behind Lebron and Shaq that can be a threat both ways. Shaq will be #4 or 5 at the offensive end. LeBron will be 1,2, and 3.

3) Shaq will stay within 10 feet of the basket at all times. He cant shoot and will rely on good position underneath. He will have to show off impressive passing and court vision to lure a defender and watch for LeBron at the rim. LeBron cant make it to the rim when Shaq and his man is there, or should I say it may be slighty more difficult.

4) Shaq is old. But there should be improvements with this team.

Why the endtimes are near

Donte Stallworth. Here is one lucky guy. First he is faced with 15 years for manslaugter yet pays out enough of his money to the family of the victim to receive only 30 days in prison. That will hardly be prison time, he will be locked in a county facility with no hard time, and will probably be out a week early. All throughout the case, the DA and Stallworth's attorney praised Stallworth for his actions of responsibility and how he was man enough to call police and remain at the scene of the crime.

Congratulations for fufilling a responsibility of an American citizen. Thank goodness we have people like you.

America has become a nation that rewards responsibility. When I was a kid, I never got an paid to do what I was told around the house, it was the direct benefit of my actions that became my reward, alas cleaning my room gave me a ... clean room. Thus, citizens who take responsibility and do as they should do are rewarded with the simple fact that they did so. When you make a mistake, your responsibility as a moral person is to admit and face the consequences. The justice system of America, however, greatly rewarded a man who was not responsible when he made the decision to drive after drinking well over his fill, then struck and killed a pedestrian.

How many of you get rewarded for calling a cab? Is the government sending you a job-well-done check stating how responsible you were for not driving after a long night at the watering hole? No, you were rewarded by making it safely home, not getting a DUI, and not killing someone else.

Stallworth did the right thing after he did the wrong thing, but the right thing in this case was not an act of heroism. There are soldiers overseas serving our country, taking their responsibility to the point of heroism, yet there are still those who do not think to honor them, or even those who have fallen, Mr. Josh Howard, yet we allow a man who took the life of another through a far-from-manly decision and walk in and out of prison.

Responsibility should never be an option, which is why it is called responsibility. Responsible citizens should be recognized, but the great reward is the act in and of itself, and not the acclaimation one receives for such responsible acts.