local electronic acts, an example

[Brian J. Parker]

You aren't still drinking reds from Australia, are you?  Shiraz is
about five years behind the curve.  Those of us who've long since
gotten bored with Yellow Tail were already exploring Chilean varietals
a couple of years ago.  Of course those really in the know have long
since moved on to whites (and I don't mean the boring stuff found in
California)-- but if you'd been following the trade publications,
you'd know this already.

Anyway, does anybody want to weigh in on the difference in specs
between the XBox 360 and PS3, and the irony when contrasted with the
use of Intel processers in new Macintosh laptops?  I got a real
chuckle from the MS/Apple flip on that.  Of course, what's much more
of interest is the way those of us who are forward-thinking about
digital entertainment can completely rethink the way we manage music
and other content, thanks to home networking with these "game
consoles" (now overblown PCs) and the way they facilitate on-demand
access throughout the household.  Don't even get me started on what
that's doing for the next gen games!... but if you read the trade
publications, you've already heard three different opinions, eh?  Heh.

Anyway, I just needed a break here, since I'm knee-deep in the new
generation of SQL Server "Yukon."  Those of us who are
forward-thinking may have been playing with betas two years ago and
really coming to understand the .NET/CLR and XML integration, but I'm
now getting interested in the way the technology is bringing data
mining to the masses in the same way Kraftwerk said "everybody can
make music."  You can have large churches or small chain stores doing
the kind of sophisticated analyses that were once the purview of huge
organizations with a large, dedicated I.T. staff.  If you're hip at
all, you realize that this has very real consequences for all of us,
given the changes in the way everyone will relate to their customers.