Thursday, 7 August 2008
Thursday, 24 July 2008
The Best Thing I've Ever Seen - Number 1
Number 1 in a random series of... um well when I can be bothered really (I'm Pretty Lazy/Busy as you can probably see).
Ok I used to think Blogger Play was really great. This shows random photos/graphics as they are uploaded to Blogger which can be played at various speeds. Some of the photos are obviously personal, some swiped from elsewhere and some graphics. If anything takes your fancy you can click on it and it takes you directly to the blog in question. I believe it was developed as an internal toy for blogger staff to play with.
Go on try it its cool.
However between them Mario Klingemann and Oleg Marakov have created something so awesome that I've officially titled it "The Best Thing I've Ever Seen (until I find the next thing)".
Take Flickr photos that are random, but not completely, as each additional photo shares a tag with the previous one. Do clever flash things so that they fade and warp into each other, as well as other effects such as zooming and scanning. Add a random Ambient soundtrack made up of a series of clever samples that work together to create a never ending song.
What you are left with is an 'Art House' style continuous film which is quite hypnotic in style.
Its called "Islands of Conciousness" and it can be enjoyed by clicking here
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Nokia N95 one year on - An assessment (Part 1)
Whilst rifling through my things yesterday, trying desperately to find some misplaced tickets, I stumbled upon my N95 documentation. Much to my surprise I discovered that today, "3rd April", is a year to the day since I first purchased the N95. I remember reading a preview of it in the Gadget Porn magazine Stuff, (it could have been T3), at the tail end of the previous year. Immediately I lusted after it as a replacement for my Sony K750i.
Without signing up to some ridiculous contract, I knew that I wanted one as soon as possible after it came out. I didn't expect it to take quite as long for it to emerge. I knew it would be a special phone, but I didn't quite realise it would change the way I use technology, and how much. The marketing term "Its what computers have become" was more than just marketing.
So looking at its features and how I've used them
Phoning
The obvious one, but it wasn't actually explained how to make a phone call until Page 93 of the manual (something at the time I described in a forum as the N95s hidden feature). I honestly probably make phone calls the least. I don't use VoIP (but don't have many foreign contacts or anything that might make me want to do this). I've never used Video calls and I'm not sure that I can try Push to Talk, nor have I ever heard of anyone doing so. I've made my own ring tones, assigned personal ring tones and played with the 3D settings etc.
Features 10/10 (not sure what else I would want)
Usage 4/10 (Indispensable but not used as much as other things)
Texting
Used a lot. Pretty good but no smileys (surprisingly). Easy to send texts to groups of people as well. A download from Nokia (Conversation) allows texts to be followed as conversations (a bit like a threaded forum). Multimedia Texts are easy as well and photos will be re-sized as needed. I also tried out an animated message application called Yoyap. Fun but most of my mates phones come from another era.
Features 8/10 (wot no smileys)
Usage 6/10 (could do more with Multimedia but I'm too lazy)
I also tried push email (I used emoze but there are others). Brilliant, but battery again is the problem.
I've settled on using more web based email services now, and the Gmail app is excellent, Yahoo Go is OK, and I also tried a Windows Live app. I tend to avoid windows. (so the Windows Live app may be good but only lasted a week).
Funnily enough you can also "just" log on to your web based email sites using the browser, but hey that would be too simple wouldn't it?
Features 7/10 (Headers/Battery)
usage 7/10 (Would beat blackberry to a pulp if the battery lasted)
Part 2 etc coming soon Happy Birthday My Little N95
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Jogku (or Run Fat Boy Run)
Phones can get you into trouble.
You know, you fancy a really expensive model for no particular reason, you buy it, and then you feel compelled to find a reason to have it.
That's how I found all these blogs
...and that's how you find all these forums
...and that's how you find and try all these amazing free applications
...and thats how I found myself weighing myself and going for a run for the first time in 20+ years.
Firstly over at Nokia Geek Matt was trying an application called Nokia Sports Tracker and came up with the idea that he should undertake Geek Fitness in order to get fit. Willpower being the equivalent of the Nokia N95s battery (short lived) it didn't last very long.
Then over at Symbian Guru Ricky, in view of his impending nuptials, announced Geek Vs Guru thinking that the two of them would spur each other on. It was working, but due to other circumstances Matt is currently unable to partake. Therefore Ricky has opened up the offer to others.
I also have Nokia Sports Tracker (out of curiosity) but thought it was brilliant. Just needed something to use it for. I also have a brilliant little application on the phone, and use via the PC, called Jaiku. This is a brilliant microblogging application (a bit like Twitter) where MunkiMatt and Ricky just happen to hang out. Several guys were talking about also joining Ricky and Matt and thats how Jogku happened.
So I'm in, have taken my first, albeit short, run and it half killed me. Still there should be more to come, if others take up the challenge (come on you know who you are). They should get better and this fattish, nearly 40 year old will either prosper, die or more likely give up.
The Weigh In
This is the bit I hated most
The First Jogku
Click here to see the Route on Sports Tracker
Visions of the future?
This is what I really am
This is what I aspire to
Saturday, 2 February 2008
There is a real buzz about this latest Symbian Application
*Warning adult themes*
Well when I said my phone can do 95 things, I never expected this...
..... Hello Kitty indeed.
Oh dear god what will they come up with next.
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Poll of Polls - Top Albums 2007 Nos 80 - 61
Part 2 of the top 100 albums of the year Poll of Polls compiled from 19 different sources
Part 3 coming soon
On the Twelfth day of Christmas.......
A graffiti artist gave to me, some Christmas accessorised stencilled graffiti.
Poll of Polls - Top Albums 2007 Nos 100 to 81
Recently to satisfy my idle curiosity I conducted a poll of polls for the top Albums of 2007. I looked across 19 different publications both UK and US, including Music Magazines, websites and newspapers. They are listed in the technorati tags below.
I looked only at the top 30 albums from each site, if there were more they were ignored, if less I started them at a higher number of points to give a closer weighting to critics top choices from each publication.
There were 201 different albums in total. I've only got time to give justice to the top hundered. The lowest scored 16 points out of a possible 570. The highest scored 354. Therefore at the lower end of the 100 you find some strange choices, but they may have come from a particular specialist publication such as Mixmag or Kerrang, but remember they would have come in the top 15 of that publication and might be worth a quick listen.
For those that are interested, scraping in at 101 (with votes from more than one publication), was Britney Spears
Without further ado I present the countdown from 100.
| No# | Artist | Album |
| 100 | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | Some Loud Thunder |
| 99 | Laub | Deinetwegan |
| 98 | Interpol | Our Love to Admire |
| 97 | Field Music | Tones of Town |
| 96 | Every Time I Die | The Big Dirty |
| 95 | Common | Finding Forever |
| 94 | Calle 13 | Residente O Visitante |
| 93 | Andrew Bird | Armchair Apocrypha |
| 92 | Aesop Rock | None Shall Pass |
| 91 | Strategy | Future Rock |
| 90 | Plan B | Paint It Blacker |
| 89 | Gogol Bordello | Super Taranta |
| 88 | The Hives | The Black and White Album |
| 87 | Oner Ozer | Kashmir |
| 86 | Maps | We Can Create |
| 85 | Machine Head | The Blackening |
| 84 | Kaiser Chiefs | Yours Truly, Angry Mob |
| 83 | The Dream | LoveHate |
| 82 | Prince | Planet Earth |
| 81 | Paul McCartney | Memory Almost Full |
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Brussels Experiment No 1 - Grand Place using autostitch
Took a whole set of very quick pictures around the Grand Place in Brussels using my Nokias Camera Function. I just made sure they overlapped. Then I just used Autostitch and voila a panorama is produced.
Clearly with a bit more effort (for example taking more pictures of the sky,putting the church in the middle of the panorama rather than at the end and standing in the centre of the square) the results might be brilliant. But as a 5 minute first effort I think Autostitch is well worth further effort.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Big Ideas (Don't Get Any) - Radiohead Revolutionise The Record Industry?
So following on from Princes revolutionary idea to give his latest album away with the Daily Mail (who would have probably pretty much hated a Black, semi androgynous, sex mad Jehovahs Witness***) another act is set to change the way we 'buy' music in the future.
Radiohead have announced they have finished their next album titled "In Rainbows" and that it will be available for Download 10 days after the announcement. It is going initially to be available in two formats:
(a) A super duper box set featuring the album on CD, an additional CD with further tracks, the album, the album spread across 2 heavyweight vinyl records, (perfect for all audiophiles, and lts of art work, lyrics books etc. (Released December)
(b) Download only with just the main album. (October 10th)
The box set comes in at a not insignificant £40 but the extraordinary thing is that the Download is operating on a pay what you think it's worth basis. This means that, subject to a transaction fee of 45 pence, you can get the album for nothing.
Many sites such as Money Saving Expert and Hotdeals are advertising this fact, and some people are encouraging people to pay nothing for the album. I think that if people genuinely think that the album is worth nothing, then why the feck do they go there in the first place?
The problem with the honesty box process is that on the web people are generally dishonest and out to steal what they can. The difference between this and Prince is that Prince was paid by the Daily Mail to be a huge advert for them, helping to sell more of their newspaper. Similarly for Prince it was a huge advert for his concerts, made him as much money as his previous album did and helped shift his vast back catalogue (A Greatest Hits compilation entered the charts, and all of the stores like HMV who moaned had a great opportunity to do deals on the back catalogue.
Radiohead, however, have worked on a 'No Logo' basis before, even resorting to a tent tour to avoid advertising. They will not make profit that way, so if we all resort to getting something for nothing, where will they get the money from?
Box Set Sales? - Maybe but I cannot believe that they will sell that many, even to a willing fan base.
Touring - Hope so, because its been a bugger to get a ticket recently. However not only do we have tour guilt for environmental reasons, but anyone who has seen 'Meeting People is Easy' will understand why Radiohead have avoided large scale tours and only tend to play small gigs when they feel like it.
Don't get me wrong, I've downloaded the new songs from tour boots, and I'm not adverse to a freebie (currently downloading all the GHP bootlegs from here). However the Band struggled for about 10 years with one of these songs before releasing it, (Nude), that was originally titled "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)". Do you think a 45P transaction fee is justified?
I now have a dilema, as I understand a commercial CD release may follow. Do I get the box set, or donate a minimal amount and buy the standard CD when it comes out. I think I'll buy the box set, and hope it might offer the chance to pre-register for concert tickets or something as good as that.
So you can order the album here.
Go on, give a little. Your honesty and generosity may dictate how artists decide to release their music in the future.
***P.S. This is not the way I see Prince. I see him as a musical genius who is carrying on the band leading brilliance of other greats like James Brown ...who might have a slight teeny fixation with sex ;-)
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