Yes, I know what you are thinking: Yet another geek who is enamored with all things Star Trek -- what else is new?

Yeah, it's true. I'm still pretty much flat on my (injured) back for hours each day which has allowed me to watch several (many) episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation which is now available on both G4 Videogame TV (2 Episodes Per Day) and Spike TV (3 Episodes Per Day).

Stunning plot lines aside (this comment could go either way depending on your perspective) the Star Trek franchise continues to hold a very tight industrial and user experience design aesthetic in my opinion. Gene Roddenberry and his collaborators were absolute visionaries whose inspirations are seen even today with Tablet PCs, Pocket PCs and smart phones (among many other devices).

Star Trek: The Next Generation continues to be my favorite series. The Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS) user interface introduced with ST:TNG designed by Michael Okuda continues to capture my attention whenever it appears.  His designs for Star Trek (commonly referred to as 'okudagrams') have quite a following. The LCARS user interface has continued to be used in subsequent Star Trek franchises and movies since it's inception.

There is even a volunteer LCARS Standards Development Board which...

"...was formed with the specific purpose of developing a standard LCARS system. On the internet, there are literally hundreds of websites using LCARS as the navigational system, however no one has ever taken the time to develop a method of using LCARS as it was meant to be used."

I think it would be an interesting project to create a Media Center application in the Windows Vista timeframe with our new Windows Media Center Presentation Layer which uses the LCARS look and feel.

What would be fun to implement in LCARS...?

I'll be presenting various Media Center technologies, design and development at Mix06. Joe Belfiore has been announced as one of the keynote speakers. The Mix team has an RSS feed, just posted a session outline as well as agenda.

What's Mix you might ask? You might think of it as a more targeted version of the Professional Developers Conference specifically for the web with specific tracks tailored for designers, developers and business folks.

'Media Center' Puts Microsoft Ahead of Rivals

By ROBERT A. GUTH
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 5, 2006; Page A13

Microsoft, the technology industry's perennial late-to-the-game player, finally finds itself with a lead in home-entertainment software. It's up to a high-energy engineer named Joe Belfiore to keep it that way.

http://blog.mediacentersandbox.com/PermaLink,guid,817c2b05-2a9e-47ac-80c9-1c4db5b26c18.aspx

Unfortunately I injured my back over the holidays and am not able to stand or walk for any reasonable length of time (which is bad at CES because that's pretty much what you do for many hours on end).

However, I'm holding the home fort down up here in Redmond while all my colleagues are taking in the sights and sounds at CES. Matt and Aaron are there and know *almost* as much about Media Center as myself (I'll probably pay for that comment later) and they have posted their schedules so you can track them down to talk.

Anywho, I posted a Media Center News Summary from CES 2006 over at Media Center Sandbox. I'm also working on a post outlining the three developer opportunities (yes, that's THREE, not two) which will be available in Windows Vista.

Stay tuned...

I'll be at the Consumer Electronics Show January 5-8, 2006. If you will be there and want to meet send me an email.

There are lot's of you I would like to meet.

Check out the new Windows Media Center Platform Team Blog at http://blog.mediacentersandbox.com/.

There is a good thread over at Joystiq.com in Digital lifestyle from a dumb terminal? Not likely. (Xbox 360 annoyance #007). I took a moment to post a comment over there to hopefully clear the air about why things are the way they are -- it's all about consumer choice and market forces (of which a P&L statement is a part, but certainly not the whole). Microsoft is (an many ways) a conglomeration of smaller companies, which is sometimes why we don't approach the market with a singular product (we have Notepad, Word Pad and Word, all of which would allow me to type and print a letter to grandma). My comments start at number 37.

I have used H&R Block TaxCut for several years now, and always get the email reminders around this time of year to get the new version. Then I have to order online or pick up at a retail establishment. Thanks to the folks at H&R Block, it's much simpler this year based on the reminder I got yesterday...

This year, we're making it easy to get your 2005 tax software. We're sending you a CD that has everything you need to do your federal and one state tax return.

You'll get TaxCut Deluxe federal software plus one state program for just $29.95 (a $50 value).

You also get:

• One free e-file for a federal return after mail-in rebate ($15.95 value)
• Free Microsoft Money 2006 Standard after mail-in rebate ($29.95 value)
• $10 mail-in rebate for DeductionPro
• $20 mail-in rebate for Kiplinger's Complete LegalPro

All you have to do is pop the CD in your computer. From there, just follow the prompts and you'll be ready to do your taxes in no time at all.

Keep an eye on your mailbox. Your CD should arrive in the next few days. Enjoy the savings and the only software backed by 90,000 tax professionals.

That's proactive!

Matthew Fordahl of the Associated Press is out with another review of Apple Front Row (via CNN or AP). There are a couple of misleading or inaccurate statements with regards to Media Center:

"Unlike a Windows Media Center PC, however, Front Row doesn't dump you in a position where you have to leave the couch and pick up the keyboard. The machine also doesn't have the nasty habit of turning itself back on after it's been put into standby mode."

First, there are no Media Center features requiring the use of anything other than the remote control. A very few features (like search) might be somewhat easier with a keyboard, but all of those can be accomplished with the remote control (through triple tap -- think SMS text messaging on your cell phone). If you find you like to use Media Center with a keyboard (some people do actually prefer this mode) we have a wireless keyboard which works just great from the couch: The Remote Keyboard for Media Center. It's a full Qwerty keyboard, Media Center remote and integrated mouse all in one. It also lights up in the dark. You can totally remain a true couch potato with Media Center whether you choose a mouse or keyboard.

Second, we have a feature whereby you can schedule TV recordings and put the PC in standby (to save electricity, lower ambient noise levels, save wear and tear, etc.). When the time comes to record the show the Media Center PC will resume from standby, record the TV show, and then return to standby mode. A properly setup and configured Media Center PC shouldn't resume from standby for no apparent reason -- if it does for any reason other than the DVR feature mentioned here or by pressing the power button the OEM should be contacted to resolve the issue.

I'm apparently not the only one who was somewhat dissatisfied with this review. Check out The Associated Press' Matthew Fordahl blows it: incorrectly states Apple iMac G5 lacks video output. I wonder if Matthew will likewise correct the misinformation about Media Center? At the very least I hope he will give us some sort of context for his commentary, since he never brought up these issues in his in depth review of Media Center this past January.