I’m going to talk about Apple and its comforts. Being a geek for a while now, you first-off worry about your comforts before you boast about RAM to your mates. Well, if you disagree then let’s put it this way…I’d rather have an average machine that I can sit at for hours and get very little wrist strain, than have a Beast that can fly itself to Mars. This product fails to make me feel like I’m relaxing in an armchair. I know that most men want a fancy engine, but at the end of the day, it’s about the car’s seat you put your behind into (or keyboard you rest your fingers on…)

Does Apple match up to this ergonomic standard of mine? I don’t think so. They’re too obsessed with having a smaller piece of technology to brag about. In their defense, they’re not nearly as big as Microsoft was (pre-iPod days), and so they can’t possibly start persuading other companies to ‘make a better keyboard than us’. Why? Well, because then they’d be going against their OWN branding of keeping the product elitist, company specific, slightly expensive, and damn uncomfortable.

Let me grace you with the wonderfully white and sexy keyboard. It’s been prematurely chiseled from a chunk of hard plastic and steel, and I’m sure it’s damn-near hard to break. This is because I’m used-to my keyboard at home that I punch like gorilla into. (Okay it isn’t an ‘apple’ product, although it’s still lasted me a good three years and counting.) Now if you’ve bothered to try out an apple keyboard for anything longer than a few days…so you’ll start to notice the horizontal bruises on your wrists. This is because…although the keyboard looks amazing, the wrist support is as gentle as telling a woman in high-heels to run a marathon. Now don’t let this chase you away ladies! If you’re in love with the graphics an apple can churn out, you could always spend the extra money on buying non-apple peripherals for about half the price. They’ll last you the same amount of time. (The only reason that the apple keyboard may last you a shorter amount of time is because apple – given its history – would’ve brought out a new keyboard with a retinal scanner, and you have to buy or die!)

Apple (for the most part) is very hard to break physically, and electronically. Unless you’re an over curious technician, or someone who suffers from the occasion keyboard rage…it should suit you fine. Allow me to continue down the path of destruction…and onto the mouse!

The old apple mouse (with the big ‘down click’) was a nuisance. I don’t like the peripherals because they are mostly white. Yup, you heard right. So the slight shade of grey that may be lurking on your finger today will be proudly imprinted on the mouse tomorrow. This isn’t the best of things to brag about to the mates, I’m just simply looking at the facts a salesman won’t always see (or tell) you. Let’s look at the positives, well there aren’t many. That little rolling ball at the top might’ve seen small and convenient, although when you think of it…most of your finger slime sticks to it, and ends up causing scrolling problems. Looking at the wrist side of things, it’s equally awful since there’s no ‘natural arc’ for your hand to follow. A proudly-Microsoft mouse (even in its early days) could feel a lot more warm and cozy.

The new apple mouse (dubbed ‘the mighty mouse’) is overly sexy. Apple went the other extreme and decided to shrink it down. The new mouse has a more ‘natural’ curve for your hand to follow (provided you have Down’s syndrome or a petite girlfriend to use it for you). Remember smaller technology may be faster, but it’s often hard to clean, hard to find, and nearly impossible to repair by yourself. If you give me something slightly slower I’ll grit my teeth (while I wait for the RAM to catch up) but also feel mentally at ease when it decides to break. Most people I know will call five family members to come help them before the technician arrives to solve the problem.

Most of the ‘new’ mouse’s brilliance is targeted at the fact that there is no wheel on it. Yup you heard me, zero, zippo, zilch, nada. Although does this make it hugely better? Well it’s impressive to all the hardware developers out there, although practically speaking, not at all. The reason is because in a few months (with this being a ‘family’ machine) you’ll have a trail of brown finger-marks on its back. The reason we came up with the wheel (was to keep all your scrolling and dirt in one place). Now I’m talking about the traditional Microsoft wheel that was on a single axis, and continues to rotate in only two directions.

Don’t forget it’s wireless! I’m afraid this means you don’t have to worry about the distance of it from the screen. Is this better? Unless you want to look like a thirteen year old Chinese boy, I don’t think it makes a helluva difference. Apple comes out with larger screens, although the resolution doesn’t change (this would adversely affect the graphics if it did). This means even if you have a 30 inch whopper, you’ll still be squinting to read the subtitles of a movie, or the title of your pdf file.

To finish off with the most important man question…

Do the nuts and bolts make a difference? Do the internal organs outperform Windows? I’ll disagree with this aswell. Even though I spend my days as a salesman at an Apple store, I’ll disagree. It’s true that you don’t need to upgrade an Apple as often. It’s also true that they are fitted with the latest hardware at the time of making it. However, your apple will only last you about two years longer (compared to a windows machine that has had little upgrading done). Although you may be buying a bit of time financially, you will still have to bite the bullet in the long term and buy the poor bugger a whole new brain. So this isn’t a creature of comfort (if you want to be loyal to apple).

Be prepared for a more technical edition in the future

PhilosopherPoet

Here’s some interesting quotes i came across on the web. Feel free to to leave a comment if I’ve misquoted someone

PhilosopherPoet

Source: http://www.fiction.net/tidbits/religion/predictions.html

“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”

Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”

Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.”

The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

“But what … is it good for?”

Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”

Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”

Western Union internal memo, 1876.

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would payfor a message sent to nobody in particular?”

David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.”

A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”

H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.

“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.”

Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”

“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.”

Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”

Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”

Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this.”

Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads.

“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’”

Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer.

“Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.”

1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard’s revolutionary rocket work.

“You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can’t be done. It’s just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training.”

Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the “unsolvable” problem by inventing Nautilus.

“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.”

Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

“The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.”

Admiral William Leahy, US Atomic Bomb Project.

“This fellow Charles Lindbergh will never make it. He’s doomed.”

Harry Guggenheim, millionaire aviation enthusiast.

“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.”

Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.

 ”Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.”

Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.

“Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.”

Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television.

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”

Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.”

Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the instrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.”

Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873

I’ve got a morbid fascination for all of the darker human behaviors in life. I call it morbid, because most of the time your dinner conversation can’t be about the most brutal murder you’ve ever heard about. You see we’re taught (in Western culture) to be polite as much as possible even if it goes towards the point of being a little fake. Rather be more polite and honest, and this is what leads up to the road of most treacherous religions. Bury the social taboo, and then maybe people will find you more believable. Seal those dead bodies in a heavy layer of rituals, prayers, social events (and if you’re especially lucky) a book that tells you what’s the right way to do things, just in case you have your OWN ideas.

Back to the bodies, before I’m ranting on about religion again. I was watching a program on women killers. Again…here’s something we all tend to ignore. Ever since Women’s Rights have seemed to mean something, most of the time we only think of men as strong and sophisticated killers. Some of us are even hesitant to mention that women might have a dark side, because then we’ve become chauvinist (or gender-specific, depending on how politically correct you’re feeling at the time). I came to learn that many killers (male and female, although I was watching a show on so we’ll keep them in the hot seat for the time being) are victims of childhood abuse.

You have to have a sense of brokenness inside of yourself to be able to burn up other children and family members with little remorse. So if you ever decide to study serial killers you’ll pick up that down the line they suffered a period of physical (and often sexual) abuse. Whether it was some uncle who liked to do some molesting on the side; or a husband who liked to get drunk and pummel his wife to pieces. Both stir up a gut reaction in me…because I’m always voting for the underdog. What I’ve also come to learn about many killers is that the key motives are often power, jealousy, revenge, and greed. I said ‘power’ first because I think that it’s the primary influence to torture someone else’s way of life. You do this normally because you feel jealous about something, and you get a release doing it (which could be seen as greed or revenge.) Relying on more specific results of the case would give us an idea of which is more relevant.

There’s a very strange need in people to crush the tormentors that brought them so much psychological harm. I was a victim of bullying as a child and I even though there have been a few years of therapy between all of it, I still have a very human fantasy of standing over someone who gave me a very raw deal, and watching them squirm. If you do decide to partake this as a hobby, you simple have to consider how much squirming you want the people to do. Let’s not forget to have to weigh up how much the squirming will effects you, and if you want to see more people squirm under your hands. I admit that I’m being a bit vague, but I don’t want to delve into unnecessary psycho babble about death when I don’t need to…

Going back to the power issue, I find it incredible the lengths people go to watch others squirm. I forget the name now, but I remember that there was a woman in Ohio in the early 1920’s that went about poisoning her whole family with arsenic. The criminal profiler that was interviewed mentioned that the killer today might have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder today, but then psychology was hardly available to the general public, since the quacks of the time were still learning new things in psychology and psychiatry.

So we have this housewife who was abused as a child, and then went straight into a abusive relationship with a husband. He obviously took advantage of her mental illness and beat her up, time and time again. After his death, she goes to the pharmacy, and buys arsenic to plant in everyone’s food during a family get together. She manages to kill off one of her relatives, and then make the rest violently sick. After that she takes up a very clever strategy of nursing some of her family back to health, while at the same time, slipping them poison in their food.

Apparently arsenic can either be administered immediately in a large quantity, or be done over time, so that eventually it accumulates in the system and makes the body shutdown. I can’t think how much more fucked in the head you have to be, to sit next to your dying relatives and ensure their death. To my knowledge…she ended up killing off around a dozen of her family members. Eventually she ended up being sent off to a reformatory for women, where apparently she was a great deal happier. I think real life got too complicated for her, and especially with the condition she was in…it made her feel trapped. Being in a prison-type place I think showed her a certain amount of respect that she was looking for. After she was released at the age of 79, she went back to the prison the next day, because she was terrified of the outside world, and what it’d do to her.

It’s a harrowing story, and I’ll be sure to look up the name of this woman, when I get the chance. The point I wanted to make is that most of the time we react in a violent way because we’ve buried ourselves in a taboo (or our own system of lies). It’s often very difficult to wriggle free from it, because you’re sowing your own behavior into yourself. People react when they are challenged by something they haven’t talked about in a while (for a very good reason). So if you want to avoid the urge of killing people make sure you a) have a shrink b) are prepared to think for yourself and to forgive and c) you don’t take yourself seriously as a result.

Otherwise there much just be a bigger body count on CNN sometime soon

PhilosopherPoet

Here’s something I found while trawling the web again.

Enjoy…

PhilosopherPoet

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102304277.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Tony Bradley, PC World
PC World
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:19 AM

Now that Windows 7 is here, the three out of four users who have rejected Windows Vista and clung to the tried and true Windows XP can breathe a sigh of relief and consider moving to the new flagship operating system.

Upgrading or switching operating systems often comes with some trials and tribulations and the Windows 7 upgrade is no exception. Microsoft has tried to provide the tools users need to make the transition as easy as possible, but you may hit some snags. Here are five things you should be aware of as you upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.

1. . Unfortunately, Microsoft has not provided Windows 7 with the capability to upgrade directly from Windows XP. The explanation is that so much has changed between Windows XP and Windows 7 within the operating system kernel itself, the Registry, the drivers, etc. that trying to get from Point A to Point B just won’t work. That isn’t as horrible as it sounds. Frankly, although in-place upgrades are convenient, experts always recommend doing a fresh install when moving to a new operating system in order to ensure the best performance and overall experience. Just think of it like Microsoft did you a favor by forcing you to do it the right way. You’re welcome.

2. ?? You can’t get from Windows XP to Windows 7 directly, but there was a little known operating system that came out between the two. I know you have blocked out that part of your memory to avoid horrible Windows Vista flashbacks, but surely you could make the switch to Windows Vista if its only for an hour or two. Windows XP users can work around the upgrade issue if they have a copy of Windows Vista. It doesn’t even have to be licensed since you won’t be activating it and won’t have it loaded for more than a few hours– well within the 30-day trial period. Just upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, then upgrade the Windows Vista system to Windows 7. I make no assurances that this will go off without a hitch. I will add a disclaimer: refer to the first tip where I reminded you that it is recommended that you do the clean install.

3. . If you bought your printer when Clinton was still in office, or your graphics card when Michael Jordan was still ruling the NBA, you might have a hard time finding software updates and drivers to make them work with Windows 7. Thankfully, Microsoft has an app for that. Microsoft created the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor tool which scans your hardware and software and identifies any known compatibility issues. It provides guidance on how to resolve identified issues, and makes recommendations for what you should do to ensure a satisfying Windows 7 upgrade experience

4. . Whether you do the clean install or some sort of crazy work-around to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, arguably the most important part is making you’re your data and personal preferences stay intact. That’s where the Windows 7 Easy Transfer tool comes in. The actual file is You can find it on the Windows 7 DVD under First you run it on your existing Windows XP system to migrate your user profile(s) to some external storage. Then, after Windows 7 is installed you run it again to import the user profile(s) to Windows 7. One small caveat. If you have 32-bit Windows XP and you are taking the opportunity while upgrading to make the switch to 64-bit Windows 7 you might run into some problems. I was unable to transfer user settings from a 32-bit to a 64-bit system using this tool during a previous upgrade.

5. . If you’re running Windows XP I assume you have invested in some security software– antivirus, antispyware, personal firewall, etc. Because of changes that Microsoft has made to protect the operating system kernel, those Windows XP-era security programs will most likely not work in Windows 7. The good news is that the Windows 7 firewall is significantly better than the Windows XP firewall, and Microsoft provides adequate security protection for free with Windows Defender and the recently released Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus program. You may still want to explore alternatives and install more robust protection, but these tools should provide sufficient protection for the time being without costing you any money.

If you don’t want to spend all that time alone, maybe you could throw one of the Windows 7 parties and you and all of your Windows XP friends can have ice cream and cake (or pizza and beer) while you make the transition.

Of course, you might better off to simply invest the extra money and get a whole new system with Windows 7 already installed. If you have held on to your computer hardware as long as you held onto the Windows XP operating system then you are really skewing Moore’s Law and its time you upgrade.

Free Fall

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Nowadays we’re living with a huge amount of noise. This is a very loose way of saying that we’re bombarded with technology, and let’s not forget the advertising and subcultures that go with it. It’s hard and confusing, but if you can master the technology of today, then you and I are open to endless possibilities.

Ever since the iPod and various other media devices became a norm, people have been obsessed with music and now anyone from a teenager to a middle aged father is listening to music. It’s a great thing to know that you can carry your whole cd wallet in a little pouch that is lighter than your actual wallet where more crucial information is stored. But also your wallet has become a little less relevant to how you want to feel about life. Your wallet has now become a product of the noise of our generation.

Balancing noise and narcissism

A while ago I was talking to a Doctor at my work. He told he doesn’t like technology at ALL. He told me that it’s made us removed from the world and with what’s going on. Although he’s not entirely correct, I’m forced to wonder how much of what he’s saying is actually true. One tragedy about an iPod is that it can cause us to introvert. One out of every ten customers I deal with, I don’t approach and ask them for help since they’re glued to the music on their belt, and simply want to waft in and out of the shop, in their music and their own thoughts. It gets on my nerves because I’m unsure if they want help, or they want to just be left alone instead.

I also understand them, because I’m a natural-born metal head and some days I enjoy the idea of simply plugging into a great album and forgetting about everything else for a while. So is this Noise (in the positive sense of the word) or blind Narcissism that’s provoking us?

It’s both to be honest. I don’t see life as an ultimatum, because that would be cruel and unfair to my own morals. The Greek legend of Narcissus is still a powerful one, so here is the story:

“[Narcissus] in Greek mythology, the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leiriope; he was distinguished for his beauty. His mother was told that he would have a long life, provided he never looked upon his own features. His rejection, however, of the love of the nymph Echo or of his lover Ameinias drew upon him the vengeance of the gods. He fell in love with his own reflection in the waters of a spring and pined away (or killed himself); the flower that bears his name sprang up where he died. According to another source, Narcissus, to console himself for the death of his beloved twin sister, his exact counterpart, sat gazing into the spring to recall her features.

The story may have derived from the ancient Greek superstition that it was unlucky or even fatal to see one’s own reflection. In psychiatry and especially psychoanalysis, the term narcissism denotes an excessive degree of self-esteem or self-involvement, a condition that is usually a form of emotional immaturity.“

- Narcissus. (2009). Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.

In short we have a man who is forced into a period of water-gazing because of external factors in the environment. Our fallen hero has now become blinded by what he sees. In my opinion you could replace the harmless bowl of water, with an iPod, for our generation. It would seem absurd to argue that an iPod could actually kill someone. I won’t even make that statement for fear of living with the consequences and court cases. It is a strong example of how too much of a good thing could be detrimental to what we are unaware of.

An iPod at best can make us look antisocial, angry, happy, relaxed, meditative and internally engaged with ourselves. How then can we listen to music without breaking social barriers? My advice is to keep your life (and what you listen to) to two big containers.

The Two containers

The first is labeled ‘Online’ and the other ‘Offline’. These terms can be translated as Public and Private Life. Although society may try and merge these two categories, I think that is important we keep them (for the most part) separate.

So when you are at home, or in your car, or any other private space, that would be a good time to listen to your iPod. Although if you are in any kind of public place I would suggest that you whip it out of your ears, and engage with your external environment. This may seem like a massive shock to an introvert who is terrified of talking to people, although I still think it’s important. The only small exception I’ll add to this list is if you use an iPod for exercise. So if you are running down the road or going to the gym with an iPod plugged into your head, you should keep it there so you can continue pumping iron and jogging. If you don’t (when you’re in a public space) and you keep listening to a song of yours, it may seem fine, but you would be missing out on an opportunity to talk to your external environment.

Next you get the internet which is an equally vital part of our culture. So should we allow ourselves to become Offline with regards to the internet? Well, I’m afraid that the ball is in your court on this one. With software like Facebook and MySpace, we feel a great deal safer to be open about what we think and feel. Tread with caution, for once you have stuck your feet into the electronic river of information, is virtually impossible to get away from it.

If you are, like myself, addicted to burrowing into the corners of the internet, then for goodness sake research exactly what you are burrowing into! I have a very active mind, and I’ve always made it a habit of mine to investigate my own behaviors. For example in high school I started listening to heavy metal, much to the horror of my parents, and from then on I decided to read numerous articles on the internet. Some would be album reviews, while others would look at metal as a whole (from its birth with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) right up to the present day (with names like Metallica, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth and Korn) swarming the charts.

On the same topic I’ve read books and articles on the blogging and Facebook so I feel satisfied with what I’m getting into. If in doubt of what to do next, research your subject in question.

The River of Creation and Chaos

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus argued that you cannot step into the same river twice. The reason is that he argued that river is in flux. So try to picture the Greek symbol for infinity which is our numerical symbol for 8, which has been pushed on its side. The river, like the symbol for infinity, is never-ending…hence the word ‘flux’. The river we may swim in may last longer than our existence on earth does. The reason for this is because that’s just the way it is. It’s a form of energy that never stops.

What does the saying mean then? Well, every time you dip your foot into the river, you are in different particles of water, because the river is constantly flowing. You can then argue that we experience the river differently every time we immerse ourselves in it, because some time has passed since when we last dipped our foot in, and at the same token, we may be older people (if even by a few minutes) compared to our initial encounter with the river. Now consider the internet…

In philosophy there are three questions we start off asking ourselves, to stimulate our minds.

- Why are we here?

- Where have we come from?

- Where are we going?

It’s a tough one to consider; now if you ask the internet those same questions (by replacing ‘we’ with ‘you’) then the outcome is equally flabbergasting. The internet is an unknown river to most of us. We will just find one small spot where we enjoy swimming and make use of it! So as an ‘iPod generation’ I think that we should choose to embrace this river that, like it or not, we’re bound to come into contact with.

It may not always be what we’re expecting, but it gives us a sense of peace and solace in a strange way. So even if you haven’t read up on the river you’re dipping into, and are feeling a little nervous about it, just be aware of it, and a little research is always a good idea.

PhilosopherPoet

When You Say

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/arts/television/21emmylist.html

COMEDY SERIES

“30 Rock” (NBC)*Winner*

“Entourage” (HBO)

“Family Guy” (Fox)

“Flight Of The Conchords”(HBO)

“How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)

“The Office” (NBC)

“Weeds” (Showtime)

DRAMA SERIES

“Big Love” (HBO)

“Breaking Bad” (AMC)

“Damages” (FX)

“Dexter” (Showtime)

“House” (Fox)

“Lost” (ABC)

*Winner*“Mad Men” (AMC)

MINI-SERIES

“Generation Kill” (HBO)

*Winner*“Little Dorrit” (PBS)

TELEVISION MOVIE

“Coco Chanel” (Lifetime)

*Winner*“Grey Gardens” (HBO)

“Into The Storm” (HBO)

“Prayers For Bobby” (Lifetime)

“Taking Chance” (HBO)

VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES

“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)

*Winner*“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)

“Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS)

“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)

“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

REALITY COMPETITION

*Winner*“The Amazing Race” (CBS)

“American Idol” (Fox)

“Dancing With The Stars” (ABC)

“Project Runway” (Bravo)

“Top Chef” (Bravo)

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jemaine Clement, “Flight Of The Conchords” (HBO)

Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)

Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA)

Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)

*Winner*Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)

Charlie Sheen, “Two And A Half Men” (CBS)

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “New Adventures Of Old Christine” (CBS)

Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” (ABC)

Sarah Silverman, “The Sarah Silverman Program” (Comedy Central)

Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)

*Winner*Toni Collette, “United States Of Tara” (Showtime)

Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” (Showtime)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

*Winner*Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)

Hugh Laurie, “House” (Fox)

Michael C. Hall , “Dexter” (Showtime)

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)

Simon Baker, “The Mentalist” (CBS)

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters,” (ABC)

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)

*Winner*Glenn Close, “Damages” (FX)

Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC)

Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men” (AMC)

Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace” (TNT)

ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOVIE

Kevin Kline, “Cyrano de Bergerac (Great Performances)” (PBS)

*Winner*Brendan Gleeson, “Into The Storm” (HBO)

Ian McKellen, “King Lear (Great Performances)” (PBS)

Kevin Bacon, “Taking Chance” (HBO)

Kiefer Sutherland, “24: Redemption” (Fox)

Kenneth Branagh, “Wallander: One Step Behind” (PBS)

ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOVIE

Chandra Wilson, “Accidental Friendship” (Hallmark)

Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel” (Lifetime)

Drew Barrymore, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)

*Winner*Jessica Lange, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)

Sigourney Weaver, “Prayers For Bobby” (Lifetime)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Kevin Dillon, “Entourage” (HBO)

Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)

Rainn Wilson, “The Office”

Tracy Morgan, “30 Rock” (NBC)

Jack McBrayer, “30 Rock” (NBC)

*Winner*Jon Cryer, “Two And A Half Men” (CBS)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

*Winner*Kristin Chenoweth, “Pushing Daisies” (ABC)

Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Kristin Wiig, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock” (NBC)

Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds” (Showtime)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

William Shatner, “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Christian Clemenson, “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)

William Hurt, “Damages” (FX)

*Winner*Michael Emerson, “Lost” (ABC)

John Slattery, “Mad Men” (AMC)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Rose Byrne, “Damages” (FX)

Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)

Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)

Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Hope Davis, “In Treatment” (HBO)

*Winner*Cherry Jones, “24” (Fox)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOVIE

*Winner*Ken Howard, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)

Len Cariou, “Into The Storm” (HBO)

Bob Newhart, “The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice” (TNT)

Tom Courtenay, “Little Dorrit” (PBS)

Andy Serkis, “Little Dorrit” (PBS)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOVIE

Marcia Gay Harden, “The Courageous Heart Of Irena Sendler” (CBS)

Jeanne Tripplehorn, “Grey Gardens” (HBO)

*Winner*Shohreh Aghdashloo, “House Of Saddam” (HBO)

Janet McTeer, “Into The Storm” (HBO)

Cicely Tyson, “Relative Stranger” (Hallmark)

REALITY HOST

Phil Keoghan, “The Amazing Race” (CBS)

Ryan Seacrest, “American Idol” (Fox)

Tom Bergeron, “Dancing With The Stars” (ABC)

Heidi Klum, “Project Runway” (Bravo)

*Winner*Jeff Probst, “Survivor” (CBS)

Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, “Top Chef” (Bravo)

DIRECTING, COMEDY SERIES

Julian Farino, “Entourage” (“Tree Trippers”)

James Bobin, “Flight Of The Conchords” (“The Tough Brets”)

*Winner*Jeff Blitz, “The Office” (“Stress Relief”)

Millicent Shelton, “30 Rock” (“Apollo, Apollo”)

Beth McCarthy, “30 Rock” (“Reunion”)

Todd Holland, “30 Rock” (“Generalissimo”)

DIRECTING, DRAMA SERIES

Michael Rymer, “Battlestar Galactica” (“Daybreak, Part 2”)

Bill D’Elia, “Boston Legal” (“Made in China/Last Call”)

Todd A. Kessler, “Damages” (“Trust Me”)

*Winner*Rod Holcomb, “ER” (“And in the End…”)

Phil Abraham, “Mad Men” (“The Jet Set”)

DIRECTING, MINI-SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Susanna White, “Generation Kill”

Michael Sucsy, “Grey Gardens”

Thaddeus O’Sullivan, “Into The Storm”

*Winner*Dearbhla Walsh, “Little Dorrit”

Ross Katz, “Taking Chance”

Philip Martin, “Wallander: One Step Behind”

DIRECTING, VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES

*Winner*Bruce Gowers, “American Idol”

Chuck O’Neil, “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”

Hal Grant, “Real Time With Bill Maher”

Jim Hoskinson, “The Colbert Report”

Jerry Foley, “Late Show With David Letterman”

Don Roy King, “Saturday Night Live”

DIRECTING, VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL

Roger Goodman, 81st Annual Academy Awards

*Winner*Bucky Gunts, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

Don Mischer, Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl Halftime Show

Glenn Weiss, “The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration”

Marty Callner, “Will Ferrell: You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush”

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

James Bobin, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, “Flight Of The Conchords” (“Prime Minister”)

*Winner*Matt Hubbard, “30 Rock” (“Reunion”)

Robert Carlock, “30 Rock” (“Apollo, Apollo”)

Ron Weiner, “30 Rock” (“Mamma Mia”)

Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock, “30 Rock” (“Kidney Now!”)

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, “Lost” (“The Incident”)

Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men” (“A Night to Remember”)

Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton and Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men” (“Six Month Leave”)

Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men” (“The Jet Set”)

*Winner*Kater Gordon and Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men” (“Meditations in an Emergency”)

WRITING FOR A MINI-SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

David Simon, “Generation Kill”

Michael Sucsy and Patricia Rozema, “Grey Gardens”

Hugh Whitemore, “Into The Storm”

*Winner*Andrew Davies, “Little Dorrit”

Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl and Ross Katz, “Taking Chance”