The above was a 1982 demonstration program that could be run on the newly introduced Commodore 64 computers to show off their then amazing 64KB of system memory and 16 color displays.

I found a good use for the media sharing capabilities of Microsoft’s Zune and XBox 360 during the family gathering for Christmas this year: musical slideshows.

I have a Zune with the monthly subscription that allows me to play unlimited music from Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace. However, if you also have an Xbox 360 connected to the same network as the system you have the Zune software loaded onto, you can play downloaded subscription music remotely through the 360 media player.

Additionally, you can share photos from the same system, so I had a slideshow going of old family Christmas photos on my HDTV in the family room, while a multi-hour playlist of Christmas favorites played through the home theater sound system. It made for a nice bit of background while we spent the holiday together.

There should be some celebrating going on in Columbus, Ohio tonight as my sister just received official word that she will promoted to the rank of Major in the US Air Force in the coming year. She previously won Public Health Officer of the Year in 2006 and continues to receive outstanding reviews from the Air Force.

Of course, now the race is on for my brother, a Captain in the US Army who became a commanding officer in South Korea in 2006, to reach Major prior to the next time he sees her. Otherwise, she’ll be SURE to make him salute her.

I’m writing this post using Windows Live Writer, one of the utilities recently released by Microsoft as part of Windows Live, a collection of services and software products created by the software giant to allow users to create and share content, among other features.

The software is extremely slick, automatically detecting that I’m using Wordpress for my blogging software, and even going as far as importing the theme I use for the site and making it part of the preview window as I make this entry.

The Live software team marks a change in development for Microsoft, in that they do things differently: They release software early and often, compared to the rather slow moving operating system and productivity departments.

For an example of the faster release schedule, take a look at the current Windows Live Beta collection.

Here’s video of the Geek Squad entry into the annual Light Up Louisville parade that takes place in Kentucky on the day after Thanksgiving.

Do you have any technology-obsessed individuals on your shopping list?

I have two quick suggestions for the geeks on your list:

• ThinkGeek.com for the fun side of tech.
• USBGeek.com for a wide range of USB-based gadgets.