My 2011 Christmas Wish List

It’s just not possible that we're coming to the end of another year. Sadly I have not kept up with my blog this year as much as I would have liked. Call it lack of creative juices if you like. Honestly, I think I’ll blame it on Twitter. That darned thing has become a mini blog for me as I share my thoughts on a daily basis there. If you’re on Twitter, feel free to follow me at bundyman and you’ll see more of my uncensored thoughts...along with a lot of Montreal Canadiens chatter.

But that’s not what this is about. As I have done the last couple of years, it is time once again for me to sit down and compile my annual list of items I would love to have on my Christmas Wish List. If past years are any indication, Santa obviously doesn’t have enough room in his sack for most things.


Traditionally the Bundy Wish List has included items of a more unrealistic or even humourous nature. These gifts range from a slight possibility of receiving to no chance in hell of seeing under my tree. It’s more of a “Not in Your Wildest Dreams Christmas List”. Of course there are a few which could legitimately find their way into my possession and in fact some on past lists have...just not the really really expensive items.

So, let’s have some fun shall we?

Western Digital Hard Drive - 2TB
Cost: $210


iPad 2 - 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G
Cost: $849


Photoshop CS5 (Mac)
Cost: $800


Nik Software Plugins Suite
Cost: $600


Apple Time Capsule - 2TB
Cost: $300


Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro Lens
Cost: $1000


Nikon 600mm f4.0 VR II Telephoto Lens
Cost: $11000


Bose Lifestyle V35 Home Entertainment System
Cost: $3800


Sharp AQUOS 80" 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV
Cost: $5000


Win $50 Million Lotto Max Jackpot
Cost: Price of a Ticket


Rendezvous with Blake Lively & Alice Eve
Cost: A Guy Can Dream Right?


2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sports
Cost: $2.5 Million


2012 Bentley Continental GT
Cost: $200 000


Lakefront Home in Canada
Cost: $2.5 Million est.


Waterfront Home in Florida
Cost: $4 Million est.

So there you go. Not everything made the list but I only have so much time and room to post it.

Of course, these are just things and the most important items are having a healthy and happy family and good friends. No price tag could be put on them.

I hope all of your Christmas Wishes come true and may you have a Merry Christmas.

Apple iPad an Apple iDud

Yawwwwn!

After the much anticipated hype and build up to the big announcement this past week, Apple's big press conference revealed little more than old technology wrapped inside a slightly bigger package.

The Apple iPad was announced leaving many people thinking to themselves, "Huh, so what!"

The new and improved product from Apple is neither new or improved...just slightly larger. I describe it as an iPod Touch on growth hormones. It's like Barry Bonds after he went on steroids. It might be a bit bigger, but it's still Barry Bonds inside.

When company chief Steve Jobs made the announcement on Wednesday, he described the iPad as a device that would plug the gap between laptops and mobiles. I beg to differ. It's not even close to being a real computer and it doesn't come with a phone so it's neither a laptop nor a true mobile.

Quite simply...the iPad has failed to live up to the hype. Everything you can do on it, I can already do on my iPod Touch. The big difference being that I can actually put my Touch in my pocket. It won't support multitasking, will only run one application at a time and won't run Flash files...just like the Touch.

The name is also taking a beating with many making the link between "iPad" and the common feminine hygiene products. That's right...the "iTampon." And for an extra $100 you can get your "iTampon" with "wings". Some people have even gone so far as to suggest that at certain times of the month, the "iTampon" will become irritable and not work as efficiently.

If you're someone who is going to make the switch to reading books using technology similar to this, you would be better off to use the Kindle.

The biggest issue for me that truly shows how this is anything but a gap filler for a laptop is the fact you can only add applications using iTunes. This means that unlike other laptops and netbooks which allow any type of external software to be downloaded, with an iPad users will only be able to get hold of software after it has been approved by Apple and added to the App store.

As well as lacking any card slots, the iPad comes without a USB port – making it extremely difficult to transfer documents and information from an external drive on to the device.

Instead of a USB port, the iPad has an iPod connector, meaning that users will have to purchase one of the many adapters on sale in order to use a non-Apple product with the iPad.

A spoof video on YouTube shows a scene from the film "Downfall", which shows Hitler's last days in a Berlin bunker, with new subtitles.

The video shows Hitler shouting at his subordinates after he discovers the iPad won't support multitasking or have Flash support. There have been many different videos made using this tirade but it never fails to entertain. You can see the video below.

In conclusion, the Apple iPad is a complete waste of money to anyone who already owns an iPhone or an iPod Touch. It was hoped Apple would release a true tablet computer (which may eventually happen) that would be used for many creative uses such as photo editing. The iPad does not meet these needs at all.