Apple just came out with their latest iMacs yesterday, so I took a look at their specs to see how much has changed in the last six months. I’m happy to say very little!

If I were to replace my 27″ i7 iMac today, I would get the following:

• A processor that is .13GHz faster.
• Memory that is 266MHz faster.
• An upgraded video card (ATI Radeon HD 5750) with twice as much RAM (1GB).

All-in-all, that’s not a huge bump and certainly one I can live with. This iMac is still the most insanely powerful, gorgeous computer that I’ve ever owned. I often feel unworthy to own such a pristine piece of technology, but there’s no way I’d ever think of giving it up either.

It’s Friday and you don’t want to work and you’re looking for a distraction? Well, look no further!

OldSpice has done a series of personalized commercials and posted them on YouTube. Simply go to this link and prepare to be amazed. Very funny, very clever and I have no doubt that I’ll be buying an Old Spice product very soon.

Got to go though. I have to create my new voice mail message!

Today I was knuckling down to get a couple of irritating tasks done and I was struck by how easy it was to manhandle my apps to do by bidding. I grabbed mail.app and with a simple keyboard shortcut threw it to the right side of my screen and then I threw a browser window to the left side. It’s one of those moments where you suddenly focus on something that you usually take for granted and notice just how magical it is.

The software utility that allows me to work this “magic” is called SizeUp by Irradiated Software. It’s only $13 and it’s a game changer when it comes to window management. Whenever I want to move a window to a certain quadrant on my screen I simply hit + cmd + opt and an arrow key to move it where I want it.

All throughout my day, I’m able to move windows around my desktop with the greatest of ease and all without removing my hands from the keyboard. The keyboard shortcuts are programmed into my muscle memory so that I perform the actions without even thinking about it. It’s only when I’m on someone else’s machine that I’m reminded how much I love this little app.

Irradiated Software makes a similar app called Cinch for those that prefer to use their mouse over their keyboard. So wether you prefer the mouse or the keyboard, Irradiated Software has the perfect utility for managing all the windows on your desktop.

The music is in the video below is brutally awful, but I can’t stop watching the woman doing sign language in the bottom right corner. Seriously. I can’t stop.

Maybe it’s her attitude, her facial expressions, her attempts to keep the beat, the Flashdance attire, or the delicious bouillabaisse of all these ingredients, but I can’t stop watching this video. She is absolutely a m a z i n g.

You’ve been warned.

And to live up to my reputation of providing too much information, “Donk” is a real style of electronic music. Yeah, I know. I thought the video was a joke too. There’s even a 30-minute documentary on VBS.tv all about it.

*** Spoiler Alert ***

Britain has rednecks too.

I just read a great article on Gizmodo by Peter Serafinowicz regarding the various reasons he chooses to pirate music and video entitled “Why I Steal Movies… Even Ones I’m In. It’s a pretty funny read, but it’s also very much on the nose for why I too sometimes download content through illegal means.

I recently directed the music video for Hot Chip’s “I Feel Better.” Contractually, the video had to be hosted on EMI’s official YouTube channel, which disabled non-UK users from viewing it, limiting its audience by around 80%. Frustrated, I put it up on my own YouTube channel with no region restrictions, and at time of writing is just shy of a million views. EMI then remotely disabled embedding on my version, thereby limiting its audience again. If you’re in the business of promoting a band, why would you want to stop people watching their promotional video? (emphasis added)

What I liked about this article is that it isn’t just another geek railing about how business just doesn’t get it and old people are stupid. Peter is incredibly talented and is a content creator himself — and yet he pirates his own content too!

If you don’t know who Peter Serafinowicz, then here’s a couple of nuggets:

• Played “Sctanley” in the movie Couples Retreat and “Pete” in Shawn of the Dead
• Done some great voiceover work, including Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode 1 and “The IT Crowd”.
• There’s a nice interview with him from last February on Boing Boing.
• And last, but certainly not least… wait for it… he freaking created “Look Around You“.

If you’ve never heard of “Look Around You”, then go bit torrent it right now! Just kidding. You can watch it on YouTube [link]

Over the past two years, I’ve been working on refining my workflows and making small adjustments to how I handle and process information. One of the chief areas of concern has been e-mail. I know I’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed by e-mail and one of the habits I’ve been trying to implement has been something called Inbox Zero.

It may only last a nanosecond, but I had to take a screenshot just to mark the milestone.

Granted, the purpose of Inbox Zero isn’t just about having an empty inbox. It’s about processing the information and getting it out of the inbox into something more useful. My processes have been getting stronger and stronger and today I hit zero.

Here’s hoping I stay there.