uninteresting :: rich

got an interesting alumni email today:

Stanford University today announced the largest increase in its history for its financial aid program for undergraduates.

Under the new program, parents with incomes of less than $100,000 will no longer pay tuition. Parents with incomes of less than $60,000 will not be expected to pay tuition or contribute to the costs of room, board and other expenses

so a new version of applet tv software was released (it was a free upgrade for all existing owners). lots of cool new features, here’s what i like:

• version 1 required getting all your content to your computer first, then syncing or streaming it to your apple tv. version 2 can operate completely standalone and get content directly over the internet.
• movie rentals! HD movie rentals! we rented a standard def movie the other night and it was ready to start watching in 12 seconds. (btw, Eagle vs. Shark is hilarious)
• the iTunes Store…on your tv. browse, sample and buy TV shows, music, and music videos. after you buy and download to the apple tv, it syncs back to the itunes library on your computer.
• i loves me the podcasts. amazing free content. you no longer have to ’subscribe’ to them. just add them to your favorites, and stream any episode on demand. i like the “Today Show” in the morning, and “NBC Nightly News” at night.
• surfing the pics of flickr contacts (like *c*).
• youtube is enhanced so that any favorites and channels from your online account are available.

According to DataQuick, sales volume for existing homes in San Francisco fell 27.1% on a year-over-year basis last month (293 sales in January ’08 versus 402 sales in January ‘07) and fell 34.2% compared to the month prior (445 recorded sales in December ‘07). And as we’ve noted over the past three months, the data once again suggests that October’s uptick in reported sales activity was at least partially driven by a delay in September purchases/closings rather than a significant rebound in buyer activity.

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we met 4 years ago, on this day. we had coffee, she was instantly taken with me, and the rest is history.

this is a pretty huge shift. t-mobile has powered starbucks wifi for 6 yrs, but it was always priced pretty high ($6/hr, $10/day, or $30/month). today, starbucks announced that their shifting over to at&t, who will offer much more affordable prices: if you buy a drink with a starbucks card, you get 2 free hours. or it’s $4/hr or $20/month.

iphone users get free wifi access for itunes only right now, but it’s looking pretty likely that in the near future that restriction will be lifted.

wired.com - Starbucks Ditches T-Mobile and Brings in AT&T as Exclusive Wi-Fi Provider