I have had which I had only heard about. A really ‘meh’ day, or to be more eloquent - a ‘blah’ day! I guess I am just going to chill out in front of the one-way-meant-for-boobs tube and read some of the latest on ContentSutra and UX Magazine.

I hardly run across a software project that really excites me. But when it happens, its euphoric. For the longest time I have been a proponent of the Xbox Media Center (XBMC). Whether its against the AppleTV or Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 (forget the Wii for media), its stood its ground. I even read an interview of good ol’ billionaire Bill Gates praising this open source piece of work. Ever since I have become the proud owner of Jobs’ Macbook I haven’t looked back and had to sever my ties with all things Redmond.

But I just ran into the OSX XBMC Project and I feel like a kid again. I am planning on supporting this development in the small way I can (thank you paypal), so if you want and can, please do! They have just gotten video working and I can’t imagine a consumer release taking more than a few weeks.

Sure I have Perian on Quicktime, YFlicks, VLC, iPhoto and iTunes to take care of all my media needs. But I want to do it all and more under one hood. It’s not really possible and unless Lord Jobs updates Front Row on Leopard with the new Apple TV firmware, XBMC doesn’t even have a real competitor.

My favorite Media Player on my favorite OS! Thank you Elan, Cayce and Scott.

Update: The guys over at OSXBMC just released a full package for v.0.1. Check it out.

Wordpress.com just upped the bar for blog platforms. They did it once when SixApart dropped the ball with Movable Type years ago and I, for one, have never looked back. They rule as far as open source blogging platforms go and basically are a really solid CMS. But now that they have gone beyond the call of duty and given us a free 3gb hosted solution, its a very compelling argument to switch. It’s not just about the technology (a debate in which Wordpress is the clear winner for the majority of us), but about a real rich online experience. Post all sorts of media and host files for your community without paying up those hard-to-find benjamins. Unless Blogger and SixApart come back with enough ammo, they will be left behind, google’s support notwithstanding. Besides, their software simply rocks. Phenomenal support, great development and a dedicated community.

I wish I owned some equity shares in Automattic right about now.

Erick Schonfeld over at Techcrunch.com details the Venture Capital funding for 2007 based on a report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and National Venture Capital Association. It’s been the craziest year since 2001. Ok, so it may not be a bubble as far as this report goes, but I find myself wondering about its existence in India. Lot of hype, lot of trades, not many revenue models - that’s a bubble right? Some interesting facts:

• $4.6 billion in internet deals -> + 12% y-o-y
• $5.27 billion in software - biggest sector
• $7.2 billion or 1267 deals - first time financings
• $6.3 billion or 1410 early stage deals -> + 11% y-o-y
• $12.2 billion or 1168 later stage deals -> + 41% vs. 37% in previous year
• Study represents 480 venture capital and private equity funds
• $2.2 billion in clean tech - fastest growing sector

I just read this blog post over at Weblog Tools Collection which quotes the Compete.com stats for 2006-2007 Winners and Losers in terms of traffic.

A few interesting trends are revealed:

• The web has yet to reach its “Social Peak”
• Online daters would much rather be subjected to ads than a checkout form
• New Social Networks still have a chance…as long as they find their niche
• People place a high value on peer opinion

[via Compete.com]

The overall trend is towards video and networking. Linked In is showing some significant growth, but is it too little too late? They are going the Facebook way as well with opening up their system, but will they be able to capture enough market share is to be seen. The blog sites have shown great positive growth as well - Wordpress.com and SixApart.com. Personally, I am glad to see my favorite blog Techcrunch.com in the greatest gainers’ list.