Random Thoughts 1/25/10

• The Colts and Saints are in the Super Bowl! I'm a huge Peyton Manning fan and the best part about the Saints is that I don't have to hear about Brett Favre for two weeks non-stop!
• Boeing has redesigned the 747. With new wings and engines, the updated 747-8 is mostly intended for cargo carriers, but it's nice to see the highly-thought-of 747 get a new lease on life. The first 747 took flight in 1969. The new 747-8 may become the next Air Force One, replacing older, heavily modified 747-200's. But the Air Force and Boeing may instead use the 787 Dreamliner as the next Air Force One.
• If AT&T loses its iPhone exclusivity, expect a mass defection. We had yet another billing/customer service snafu with AT&T today and the bitter truth is that when my iPhone didn't work, I assumed it was AT&T's network not their billing department. It appears that AT&T was completely unsuited to handle the popularity of the iPhone.
• The Hobbit movie may be delayed another year, until 2012, mostly due to boring organizational issues with the studios.
• Fox seems poised to snatch up the newly-unemployed Conan O'Brien. Rumors are that they begin negotiations next week. One article I read claimed that NBC pulls in something on the order of $800 million per year on a show like the Tonight Show. Suddenly, O'Brien's $33 million severance doesn't seem quite so large.
• I'm dying to see what Apple does with their tablet announcement on Wednesday. Is this the kind of device that would replace a laptop for someone like me? Or is it something else entirely? Steve Jobs is rumored to be calling it "the most important thing I've ever done."
• KU destroys Mizzou tonight at 8. (I hope!)