Like wine? Consider yourself high-tech? You can have your, er, Shiraz and drink it, too, with WineAlign, a tool that helps Ontario wine drinkers make more informed decisions at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) stores. Here we chat with the WineAlign prez.

NBC’s Today Show did a segment on smarthomes today — and guess who was their tech expert? Yours truly, that’s who! We chatted about the various solutions out there, approximate costs and who they’re for. OK, so I’m only on for a few seconds, but who’s counting? Do you have a “smart home” of some kind? Any high-tech automation or remote monitoring going on? Think it’s a trend or the way of the future? Do tell.

Microsoft demos real-time voice translation.

What will the future bring? Tech enthusiasts can expect some wild innovations over the next 20 years — such as teleportation (at the particle level), as well as brain implants, quantum computers and blazingly fast computers and networks. Cisco’s chief futurist Dave Evans offers up his 25 tech predictions.

We’ve all been there before. You’re calling your TV provider, bank, airline retail giant or government and you’re stuck in “voicemail hell.” You know, that never-ending phone system menu with touchtone or voice-activated prompts that could drive you crazy. Toronto-based start-up Fonolo has a free “deep dialling” solution, and now an iPhone app, too.

Dollar Daze, a regular feature on Sympatico’s Sync blog, profiles a recommended gadget from your local dollar store. If you want to prevent the “Are we there yet?” from the backseat, consider this $1 gadget.