Vive la France

What can I say? It's been a bit of a hectic couple of weeks as we've moved out of our house and ultimately left the great land down under. We arrived in France yesterday and picked up our little Kelpie (iconic Australian dog) from the pet transport company - thanks to Swissport Import and Eric over there - brilliant people. 

There are a few things that have immediately hit me as I settle back in to European life, and here's a sample

1) Oh my God its f***ing cold!

2) It feels like Christmas here, the weather, the decorations

3) People are a lot nicer than I remember

4) The TGV and Eurostar is the best train experience ever

5) Central heating rocks 

But, as it all starts coming back to me, as I watch BBC breakfast News (eat your heart out Kochie) and I hear about all the news from this great continent of hours, well....it feels great to be back.

Normal service will resume soon, Tinternet Treats, Video of the week and my usual observations on all things digital.  Off to London for some interviews and meetings today, so if anyone fancies meeting up, ping me!

 

Throwing one last shrimp on the barbie

Less than a week until I leave the Harbour City and as I mentioned in my previous post, I have complied a list of all the things I’ll miss and the tings that I won’t. I have to ay that if I didn’t limited the lists to 10 each, then the “miss” one would have been much longer, while I struggled to finish the “won’t miss” list. At the end of the day, Australia has been very good to me and my family and I have experienced so much in the three and a half years I’ve lived here. Hell, if Australia was just next to Europe I’d probably never leave.

Miss
1) Mateship – you can meet a bloke in a bar and the next minute he’ll invite you to stay at his beach house over the weekend and enjoy a few cold ones and a bit of fishing
2) A spade is a spade – they don’t mess around, it is what it is!
3) The weather and the surf – They’ve got more beaches than you can poke a stick at
4) Thongs (flip-flops) – the are listed on the “appropriate attire” list for flying on Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Air Services)
5) Stubby holders – someone was thinking when they invented that
6) The open road – jump in your car and head out of the Sydney and you get to see some of the most beautiful country on God’s green earth
7) Get up and go – There’s no sitting on your ass in this country!
8) The Harbour Bridge – one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen, I still get goosebumps when I go over it
9) She’ll be right – There’s still a bit of the Wild West out here, so you might just have to make do with a few things
10) Pride – I have never met an Aussie that isn’t proud of their country

Won’t miss
1) TV – Get foxtel or die, the TV here is damn awful
2) David Koch – hands down the most annoying man ever to grace a TV set
3) Baby names – everything gets a “baby name” here – breakie, Chrissy and so on – we’re not 5 years old you know
4) Both barrels but no back-up – it’s not uncommon for an Aussie to give you a piece of their mind and then scamper off before you’ve had time to retort
5) AFL – what is the point
6) The Australian Cricket team – hands down the most arrogant sportspeople on the planet…I’d have gone fishing too if I was Andrew Symonds
7) News – If it doesn’t happen in Australia, it doesn’t get covered – we live in a little place called Earth people!
8) Christmas – it’s just not the same in 30 degree heat
9) Distance – it’s a long way to anywhere else
10) Water shortages – I cleaned my car 3 times in the entire time I had it

So, my fair Australia, here’s to you and yours and all the fun I’ve had, the beers I’ve drank and the mates I’ve made.

All aboard the banter wagon

The London Olympics is a fair way off, and as a Brit heading home from Australia I found this viral by Bullseye quite funny. I’m actually looking forward to seeing the greatest show on earth (sorry Madonna, it’s true) in my own fair (and damp) country. But apparently there are sections of the UK press that have gotten their knickers in a right twist about this, calling it "distinctly odd and morally dubious".



As a pom (POME/POHM - Prisoner of Mother England/Prisoner of Her Majesty) as British expats are referred to out here, I’m quite often at the receiving end of a fair bit of sporting banter, but you don’t moan about it, you play the culture card…. to which I often get the response “what’s that then, warm beer”…thank you Miss Yanco. Or you could point out a few other facts, take you pick:

1) The Wallabies haven’t beaten England in any MEANINGFUL game since before the 2003 World Cup….which we (the poms) won in your backyard
2) The English football team (the game you call soccer) has missed only a handful of World Cups since the comp began, The Socceroos have featured in just two
3) Great Britain finished fourth in the medal tally at Beijing, compared to Australia’s sixth place
4) We won’t mention the cricket……..

My Take - A bit of banter between the Brits and the Aussies is healthy and fun, so I say to the British press – don’t get mad, get even! I seem to remember a certain UK tabloid driving a truck around Sydney with the slogan “where the bloody hell were we? Above you in the medal tally”. It’s a bit different when the shoe is on the other foot isn’t it. But please, I beg you, stop the whining….we’re already referred to as whinging poms.

Tinternet treats: 11:12:08

Hello Thursday, I’m afraid the weather has let you down….I’m normally more excited by your presence, but, well……meh. To today’s treats. First up, it’s the bracelet that every man needs to own. Gizmodo brings us a survival bracelet made of parachute cord, perfect for those moments when we need to rappel down the, er….garden fence after a night out. Second, news from Lifehacker (via TechCrunch) that Chrome will eventually leave beta – better fix the picture editing problems with Blogger then…. Third, Kotaku give a nod to the legend of gaming that is Doom, which turns 15 years old. Last but not least is a solid gold Vertu phone for barons or something. It’s my leaving drinks tonight, so I imagine Friday isn’t going to have its usual appeal either. Anyone based in Sydney that wants to pop down, it’s at the Firehouse in North Sydney

Gizmodo:
Survival Bracelet Made of Paracord For Emergency Rappeling Anytime, Anywhere
Lifehacker:
Google Chrome To Leave Beta Soon
Kotaku:
Fifteen Years Of Doom
Engadget:
The solid gold Vertu Boucheron 150 makes us hate humanity

War games or bore games?

Obama and gaming seems to be a good combination. A while ago I wrote a post about the Obama campaign advertising in-game to entice earlier votes, now I’m writing about a game called “Commander in Chief” that let’s you have a shot at running the USA. The game, which hits the shelves the day Obama is sworn in, lets players make decisions about everything from budget through to health, military and diplomatic.

Produced by Eversim, the game is played out on a 3D world map and even lets you pick your own cabinet. To top it off, you get information from the likes of the United Nations, G7, OPEC, NATO and NAFTA to help you make the right decisions such as invading foreign countries (fail) topple unfriendly regimes (fail) and plot assassinations (fail?). The game is yours for a mere $US39.95, for which you get the play God with the entire planet.

MyTake – sims are always hugely popular, I remember getting hooked on Command and Conquer when I was at University. But do people really want to play a game about running the US? Yes, I think they do. The chance to run one of the biggest modern empires is going to appeal to a lot of people and given that it’ll probably be available on PC, the uptake should be good thanks to the huge install base. The question is – will people be trialling Obama’s decisions to see how they pan out?

Tinternet Treats: 10:12:08

Wednesday, aka hump, aka the point in the week at which we stop hating the week. What have we got today then? First up, news from Gizmodo that Google now has the entire back catalogue of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines available for our perusing. Second, Skype has launched its 2.5 Beta for Windows mobile with improved stability and quality, according to Lifehacker it’s a free service when using the WiFi function on your phone. Third is a bizarre cuckoo clock-inspired loudspeaker clock featured on Engadget that actually pops out it’s loudspeaker a la Cuckoo clock style. Last, probably the best news ever for arcade fans (even better than finding an old-school SEGA GT rally with bucket seats) is that Guitar Hero is coming to an arcade near you. Enjoy your Wednesday - I am in a fairly chipper mood because I spent last night watching Indiana Jones on my mate Greg's 42 inch, 1080p Sony Bravia - nice.

Gizmodo:
Browse the PopSci and PopMech Archives On Google Books' New Magazine Search
Lifehacker:
Skype For Windows Mobile 2.5 Beta Includes Quality And Stability Improvements
Engadget:
Cuckoo clock loudspeaker kicks out the jams, you out of bed
Kotaku:
Guitar Hero Arcade Coming In February

Tinternet treats: 09:12:08

I spent most of yesterday clearing out the remaining crap from my old house before we officially moved in with our friends in fabulous Clovelly, as such there were no treats for you yesterday. But today, Tuesday’s treats were a bit hard to come by, I have to admit. First up we have a gaming helmet that lets you experience blows to the head while playing WWE or some other boxing/wrestling related game. Second is news that Vodafone is allowing customers to recharge their phones through PayPal – very handy. Third, news that PlayStation Home is a mere 9 days away – close your mouth, your drooling over your keyboard. Finally, there’s no stopping those guys and gals from Nintendo as they announce 800,000 Wiis sold in the US last week. Exactly one more week left in Australia before I head back to Europe…more posts to come on that.

Engadget:
TN Games HTX Helmet lets you feel those headshots
Lifehacker:
Vodafone Allows PayPal For Prepaid Phone Recharge
Gizmodo:
PlayStation Home Coming in 9 Days?
Kotaku:
Nintendo Sold 800K Wiis In The US Last Week

Video of the week: 04:12:08

I had a few contenders for the video of the week, including a few very funny ones from the Fail blog, but this one won out in the end. Why? Because the guy is messaging around with a multi-million dollar piece of military hardware – otherwise known as a Harrier Jump-jet…which just happens to be British….. I also love the way that there’s what appears to be a battalion/unit of troops just hanging around waiting for him to do it. You know what, if I had a Harrier, I’d probably do the same. “Permission to buzz the tower….negative ghostrider, the pattern is full”

Tinternet treats: 05:12:08

Hello Friday! Where have you been all week…. Right, what have we got then? First up is a rather nifty piece of work done by the guys at Cake PR in London. Ever been to London, seen the lions in Trafalgar Square? Well, imagined if they actually chatted back to you…. Second Engadget’s second go at the Nokia 97, iPhone killer, really?? Third is Lifeshacker letting us know about the new Opensource t-shirts, I’ll probably get one…. Last, Kotaku brings us new of a new product from Tap Tap in the form of imusic. That’s it, enjoy your Friday…be kind to your neighbour…unlike that French stiff that lives behind us

For Fuks Sake:
The Lions get a bit Lippy
Engadget:
Nokia 97 hands on part II
Lifehacker:
Opensource t-shirts available at the all new Mozilla community store
Kotaku:
Tap Tap transforms from igame into imusic

Tinternet treats: 04:12:08

Thursday….the only day that’s better than you is Friday…and Saturday…well maybe Sunday as well…but only the morning part. Today’s picks are mostly quirky little inventions and gadgets, but all worthy of the Tinternet treats section. First up is a series of paper water bottles from design company Brandimage, Lost at e minor report that they are completely recyclable and can be re-used a few times as well. Second, we have another bookcase, this time from REK and I have to say that it looks more useful that the one we covered yesterday. Third, Lifehacker reports that Windows 7 beta is apparently due in January 2009. I was speaking to a few pals about this last night and as you can imagine, there’s a fair bit of excitement building. Lastly and perhaps my favourite, is an inflatable outdoor projection screen brought to us by bb gadgets. Have fun, happy Thursday and I hope like me you are looking forward to a few beers after work…no, wait, I have the dentist…damn it!

Lostateminor:
Paper water bottle
Gizmodo:
The REK bookcase to accommodate your growing collection
Lifehacker:
Windows 7 beta coming in January 2009
Boing Boing Gadgets:
Inflatable outdoor projection screen

The fight for Christmas begins: Xbox 360 Vs PS3

The biggest rivalry in gaming hardware is between Microsoft and Sony, with the Xbox 30 up against the PlayStation 3. Now, the Xbox 360 was in the market a whole year earlier than the PlayStation 3 and they were incredibly astute at marketing the console. They learned a lot of lessons from the original Xbox, but one thing they didn’t forget was how to scrap when it mattered the most. According to news recently release by the guys and gals at Xbox, the Xbox 360 experienced what it called “record-breaking consoles sales” during the Thanksgiving weekend I the US with an estimated 25 per cent increase in sales from the previous year.

This is significant, because the guys at PlayStation have been chasing Xbox for a while now and for all intense and purposes, it seems that the Xbox team is beating them at their own game. The PlayStation 2 was still in the market when the Xbox 360 was released and was hands-down the most popular console in the market, shifting some serious numbers and well and truly beating Xbox 360. Now, admiittadly, the PlayStation2 was significantly cheaper, had a larger install base and a greater number of titles, but isn’t that what’s happened here? The Xbox 360 is now in line with the Wii over here in Australia and has a great install base and a raft of titles, people know and understand the Xbox 360, therefore will they be more comfortable buying in to it as the prices get lower and the number of titles increase?

The other great thing that Microsoft did with the 360 is that they built it with add-ons in mind and to some extent, followed the iPod model with new models like the Elite. Therefore, they have a “fresh” console on the market on an almost regular basis. But what about the PS3? They have blu-ray, the legacy of the PS1 and the PS2. All of this is true, but the old exclusive franchises that they used to have are no more and although they’re a lot of hope and hype surrounding Sackboy, will he deliver? The could-be-killer-blow for PlayStation was that the Xbox 360 was released first and has had acres of ground to get to a pretty commanding lead. But, you can never underestimate the guys at PlayStation, they have been redefining the gaming genre for decades and will surely be taking the fight back at Xbox 360. The DVD market is likely to move on next year and with an in-built blu-ray player, will the PS3 steal some ground?

MyTake – So many questions. It’s a tough one to call this, you have to wonder how far off the next generations of consoles is and just who will get the first the get one in to market. One thing’s for sure, if it’s Microsoft, you have to think that it won’t look good for PlayStation. On the flip side, all you need is one killer franchise for PlayStation and the whole thing could get flipped on it head. It’s a cliché, but the ultimate winner is the consumer. Get out there and get gaming.

Tinternet treats: 03:12:08

Ah Wednesday, you’re like that chipper old bloke on the train that says hello, so polite and good mannered. Anyway, today’s treats are an assortment of the weird and wonderful, the useful and the downright stupid! First up, Pink Tentacle has some brilliant pictures of customised trains in Japan, featuring everything from Manga designs to sports teams. Second up is Momspit – now this is brilliant, it’s a wash that requires no water whatsoever, letting you wash yourself on the go, just like your mom did with a bit of spit and an old hanky. Third, more news on Google’s domination of every last bit of information ever as they buy 20 million archived newspaper pages. Last, probably the most useless thing I have ever seen, but quirky non-the-less, it’s the Platzhalter bookshelf that actually splits and moves apart to let you store more books….just buy another bookshelf – IKEA people……

Pink Tentacle:
Decorated trains in Japan
Boing Boing Gadgets:
Wash your face in Momspit
Lifehacker:
Google buys 20 million archived newspaper pages
Gizmodo:
Platzhalter bookshelf splits to store extra books

Rockin' in the real world

I’m a gamer and as such, I’m pro-gaming across the board. So, I was thrilled to see some new research out of the UK that shows that playing games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero has encouraged up to 2.5 million kids to learn to play real musical instruments. You constantly hear the doom and gloom merchants bashing gaming on the head for distracting kids from other activities, but here we have a story about gaming encouraging kids to take up music for real. The research, conducted by UK charity Youth Music, shows that this relatively new genre of game is the inspiration behind this revived interest in musical instruments.

In addition, guitar stores around the country have reported increased sales of instruments featured in the game and music teachers have reported an increased number of requests for lessons. In an interesting twist, many of the kids are asking to learn what we would now deem rock-classics such as numbers by Alice Copper and Birmingham’s finest, Black Sabbath, because they are featured in the games. With Wii now in on the act, the number of kids looking to take-up musical instruments for real will surely increase, especially on the back of the success already had by the guys and gals at Xbox 360.

MyTake – Yet another reason why gaming is good and actually enhances and enriches lives. We constantly hear about the shrinking number of kids taking up the more traditional pastimes and hobbies, yet despite all efforts by society to reverse this, it’s gaming that actually gets the job done in the end. Look at the impact of other games such as the Brain Training products from Nintendo, the Viva Piñata from Xbox 360, yet more examples of the positive impact gaming can have on our kids. I guess for some people, the world is still flat and that’ll never change….shame, they’ll never get to enjoy the delights of Pro Evolution Soccer!

Tinternet treats: 02:12:08

A bit late with this today, but I think I’ve just made it for the morning. Today’s offerings will appeal to the big kid in all of us and the serious sports fan and beer drinker. So, first up we have the evolution of the Nurf atomizer gun from bb gadgets, perhaps you’ll learn how to make your own. Second, we have the ezGear Wii Music pack featuring a veritable smorgasbord of instruments for the serious Wii Musician…no didgeridoo though. Third, Engadget brings probably the best home bar invention the world has ever seen – a beer dispenser with an inbuilt TV, perfect for State of Origin or the FA CUP. Last is news from Lifehacker that Joost is now streaming TV, movies and music videos to your iphone…I guess I’ll have to get an iphone then. Enjoy and happy Tuesday.

bb gadgets:
A NERF gun’s revolution
Gizmodo:
ezGear Wii MusicPack Rocks Entire Orchestra of Wiimote Peripherals
Engadget:
Micro Matic v-POD weds beer dispenser and LCD TV
Lifehacker:
Joost Streams TV, Movies to Your iPhone

Tinternet treats: 01:12:08

Ah Monday, the least loved day of the week, the only joy felt on a Monday is when it’s over. Though, this morning when I was on my way to work the train driver was very chatty, pepping us all up with a few comments at every stop – thanks chirpy train driver, you got my Monday off to a good start.

Well, what do we have for today? First up some cool Lost t-shirts brought to you by the guys at Cool and Stuff. Second is a massive geek fest, but also a rather well edited piece of UGC, showing us who would win between Star Trek and Star Wars, courtesy of Gizmodo. The third link is something close to my heart as I am currently moving – declutter your home with the suitcase test – the idea is that if you only had a suitcase, what would you take with you? Lastly some rather retro costumes for everyones favourite hero, Sackboy. Enjoy….and say something nice to a friend today, after all, it’s Monday…

Cool and Stuff:
For all you Lost geeks
Gizmodo:
Star trek Vs Star Wars – The final battle
Lifehacker:
Declutter your home with the suitcase test
Kotaku:
Street Fighter Sackboy costumes OTW

Video of the week: 28:11:08

Another new idea for the blog: Video of the week. Again, through a variety of social networks, email forwards and pure boredom, I come across a lot of videos that tickle my fancy.

The first is a viral entitled "Hatfield Hotdog Launcher Documentary" which immediately made me think of my friend Ed ...mainly because he's American and wears white socks with his sneakers.....and deep down even though he's very well educated, smart and sophisticated I know he'd be standing in the crowd screaming for a hotdog with a target painted on his T-shirt.....It's the white socks, see, they just give it away. Anyway, enjoy

Tinternet treats: 28:11:08

Today we have everything from Gizmodo’s gadget gallery, which will apparently feature the Flux Capacitor – you guessed rights kids, the one from Back to the future - right through to a food preparing robot featured on Pink Tentacle. My other two picks – Engadget’s “crap gadgets” selection which will help us avoid putting a few duds in the stocking this Christmas and last but not least, Lexy Klain’s post on the links between social media and emos – not Nemo or Elmo.. though I'm sure they are both avid Facebookers

1) Gizmodo:
Reader Meetup and a Back To the Future Delorean
2) Engadget:
Crapgadget: thanks for nothing edition
3) Pink tentacle:
Motoman industrial robot cooks okonomiyaki
4) Lexy Klain:

Is social media responsible for the emo movement?

Heading home

Apparently July 31 2005 was a pretty cold day in Sydney, but for a Pom that had just got here (Australia) from the UK, I thought it was practically a heat wave. My mate picked me and my partner Malin up from the airport and took us for a tour of Sydney – the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Kirribilli and Bondi…. I’d never seen a beach like it in my life. Over the past (almost) four years, we have fallen in love with Australia, even got into Rugby League and developed a bit of an Aussie twang. So, it’ll come as a surprise to some that me and Malin have decided to head back to Europe.

What’s behind this decision then? Well, we have decided to expand our family and after having one kid in Australia on our own, we thought we might need a little bit more support this time around. To put this in perspective, in the two and a half years since we’ve had Freja, me and Malin have had a total of one night off as parents, now we love our little bundle of joy, but the odd grandparent’s baby sitting session wouldn’t go a miss! And that’s the other big thing, being so far away from our families.

We’re heading off at the end of the month and it’ll be both a happy and a sad moment for us, Australia has given us so much – especially our little girl Freja. My friend Ed, who also recently left Australia to return home (to America) has inspired my to post this on the blog and I’ll probably be adding a few more posts like this over the coming weeks as the clock count down – things I love about Australia and will miss. So, for the first one – State of Origin. Now, as a Pom I have been spoilt with the English Premier League and the soccer World Cup, but I can hand on heart say that I have never seen a more emotional, intense rivalry in any sporting event. Despite living in NSW for my entire time in Australia, most of my friends are from Queensland and the friend that picked me up from the airport is a born-and-breed Brisbane boy, so from the start I backed Queensland – and thank God! It’s not often that a pom backs a winner!

People like surfing the web on their mobile...this surprises some people

They first started talking about this when I was still at University, they called in WAP…but WAP was CRAP. Fast forward ten years and we finally have a device and an interface that is capable of providing us with a positive mobile Internet experience…. even if we don’t have the data plans in some countries….big island in the southern hemisphere *cough*

But, news is that mobile Internet use is going through the roof while traditional PC access is slowing, at least that’s what the guys and gals at Nielsen say. I think this is UK data, but according to the findings over 7 million people jumped online using their mobiles during the latter half of 2008, representing an increase of 25 per cent for mobiles compared to a teeny-tiny 3 per cent increase for PC access. Another interesting fact is that 25 per cent of mobile surfers are aged 15-24, while the same age group accessing the web via a PC is just 16 per cent.

MyTake – is this really surprising? No. I remember wanted to surf the net in the WAP days, but found it excruciatingly painful, so I gave up. Then again when 3G was launched, but the limitations around the browsing capabilities again put me off. Having seen the likes of the iPhone, it’s a much more positive experience that doesn’t have the drawbacks of its not-quite-there predecessors. This is exactly what people want and they are taking to it in droves.

Tinternet treats: 27:11:08

I've decided to introduce a new idea (for me) to the blog. OK, it's not a new idea, but I come across so many things on the "tinternet" that I think are cool that I have decided to share the best of them on (an almost) daily basis. So, here's today's offerings:

1) Engadget:

Digital sales overtake CDs at Atlantic Records, music pie in general shrinks

2) Gizmodo:

Optima Prime T-Shirt, Font Transformed

3) Lost at e minor:

Fuel Cell Stickers

4) Cool and Stuff:

Like cup cakes? Got an iPhone?

Facebook turns ornithologist...finds whale

News is that Facebook is interested in a little birdie….Twitter. There a lot of news doing the rounds out there and the apparent valuation on Twitter is US$500 million, but Biz Stone has refused to comment on the issue so far which would add more fuel to the acquisition fire. The most reputable source so far is the Financial Times in the UK, who have apparently got confirmation from two separate sources.

There’s been chatter about this proposed tie-up for a while now, so the Twitterati won’t be surprised by this talk. What is surprising are the values being placed on companies such as Facebook and Twitter, with the former having a rather lofty valuation slapped on it when Microsoft acquired a part of them earlier in the year. What will happen to our little birdie pal should Facebook snap it up, more importantly – what will happen to the Fail Whale? Well, rest assured my fellow Tweeters, the one thing that Biz Stone did say is that they want to remain an independent messaging service.

MyTake – this is probably going to happen, there are obvious synergies between the two companies and Twitter is approaching the tipping point, so Facebook will want to catch it just before. Living in Australia, Twitter has yet to get the same kind of following it enjoys in the rest of the world, mostly due to the way the telcos charge us for our mobile plans, but it’s still popular and I could see a move like this thrusting it into the limelight.

Earth is....connected

When I started school, we had those old Victorian style wooden desks with the lift-up lids and holes for ink wells – I’m not kidding. It wasn’t long after that it was out with the old and in with the new (plastic) and progress was being made. Another thing that we didn’t have when I started school was computers. Sure, we had an old Atari at home and a BBC Micro machine, but IT wasn’t being taught at school until I got to secondary school (12 – 18). When I got to University, we were all still on dial-up connections that would work on the odd occasion that it felt like it and the most you could do was check your email.

When I finally got to work I experienced the wonder of high-speed Internet and proper email, but still the majority of our communication was done through fax and phone. So, when I saw this new video from Facebook today, It really made me stop and think how fair we’ve come in such as short space of time, after all, I am still relatively young….cough….

The video features a program that actually visualizes the activity taking place on the Facebook network including everything from status updates, friend requests, pokes, posted links and so on. Named Project Palantir, the program displays the activity on a 3D globe complete with a sun and was developed at Facebook Hackathon XI by a Facebook engineer.

MyTake – What a thing of beauty, to be able to see something like that demonstrates how connected we are all. Go back to 2000 and remember how worried we were about the Y2K bug, or accessing the net using dial-up and now think of this, eight short years and we can map the connected state of the world through a social network. Brilliant

MySpace gives us Chinese Democracy

I’m back, I’ve been “sicky-woo” for the past week, but unlike our bumbling Facebook friend, I actually was ill with tonsillitis. Now, reviewing music is really not my thing, I tend to leave that to my mate Mat and his crew over at I’m with the band. Having said that, two things have led to this post, the first is my childhood infatuation with Guns N Roses and the second is the fact after 14 years in the making, their new album Chinese Democracy is now available and is streaming on their MySpace page. Another reason is the fact that the Chinese government is offended at the title and will probably block Chinese web users from logging on to listen, but anyway….

As I already mentioned, reviewing music is really not my thing as I tend to be somebody that hears something on radio and takes a liking to it – sorry Mat, I’ve let you down, I know. Having said that, I did have a listen to the album on the band’s MySpace page and thought I’d post up a little review. So here goes. Overall I thought that there was some really good stuff there and the Guns N Roses sound is still there, especially Axl’s vocals.



It’s a bit hard to pass judgment on an album that has been this long in the making after listening to it through a pair or PSP earphones via my PC (nothing wrong with PSP earphones or PCs – I love you both) but I will say that my favourites out of the bunch include: Better, Street of Dreams, Catcher in the Rye and Prostitute. One thing I thought it lacked though, was a kick-ass G’N’R anthem, you know the likes of Sweet Child O Mine, Paradise City, Live and Let Die or November Rain. But, having said that, maybe I just need to buy the album and listen to it really loud on a kick-ass stereo like the old days

MyTake – This is either going to be an act of genius by one of the most prolific song writers in the world, or it’s going to be an unfortunate foot note in an otherwise glittering career. I think that I am going to grow to love this album and like most average punters, as soon as I hear one of the tunes on the radio I’ll love it. Great move by the G’N’R boys for streaming it on their MySpace site, can’t wait for the promotional band wagon to role out the rest of the party

Super Obama World... just like Mario, but without Mario

Gaming is more often than not about doing things you normally wouldn’t be able to do, like fighting aliens, scoring a goal against Man U or, in this case winning the US presidential election. A new game by ZenSoft called “Super Obama World”, which is based on a certain old school game staring an Italian plumber, is available online now for Obama fans to play. The game is apparently going to be released in installments, with the first chapter seeing President-Elect Obama taking on Sarah Palin in the ever-charming state of Alaska.

Imaginative is too poor a word to describe the enemies in this game, with foes such as hockey moms, Russian soldiers and pitbulls with lipstick….Genius. But it doesn’t stop there. The game also features the stores where Palin went on her questionable shopping sprees and you also have to avoid being run over by Palin on a snowmobile. For the icing on the cake, once you’ve completed a level you get congratulated with a screen proclaiming "Level completion we can believe in!"



MyTake – Brilliant, I thought that all the online fun was going to dry up after the election but then this comes along. I have had a quick play of the game and it’s very funny. It’s interesting to see that the “victory dance” of the online generation manifests itself as a game. But then again, they had a lot of material to work with, didn’t they. My mate Ed should play this game, he'd love it

Fake New York Times hits New York....Real New York Times decides it's a fake....

It’s not often that traditional print media is current, in fact the majority of time it’s already out of date by the time it hits the stands. However, the residents of New York got a rare “glimpse” into the future when they picked up a copy of what they thought was The New York Times, with the headline on the front reading “Iraq War Ends”. Other stories included "Public Universities To Be Free", the catch? They were spoofs.

The “special edition” paper was dated July 4 2009 and was actually an elaborate stunt by a group called The Yes Men.According to reports out there, up to 1.2 million copies of the newspaper were distributed with a website also promoted. The stunt was organised via the web and most of the people involved were volunteers. The Yes Men had wanted their involvement to remain secret, but a few emails that have surfaced appear to prove they are behind this (genius) stunt. I particularly like the quote from a New York Times spokesperson: “This is obviously a fake issue” – ya think, genius!

MyTake – Clever stuff and it must have taken a hell of a lot of organization. My interpretation of this is that the old establishments such as the New York Times are never going to be able to cover the news as fast as their online cousins, and the raw truth is that online has been telling print what to write for about ten years now. Great stunt, got me talking about.

Google comes to the video chat party…..forgets to bring nibbles

That’s right, Gmail (which I think is still in beta) has a brand new party outfit – video chat. I remember signing up for Gmail about five years ago mainly because of the huge amount of storage space it offered at the time. For a while, it was my preferred email host until I discovered the wonders of a combined .Mac email, iChat and .Mac page (now MobileMe) and I’ve hardly used. But, will this make me take a second look?

The one big thing that the Gmail version has over its competitors is that it doesn’t require any additional software, running alongside the Gmail web app. Another big plus, it works on both PC and Mac. As with iChat and Skype, users can chat via video and instant message each other at the same time….not sure why you’d do that, but hey.

MyTake – I’ve used the MSN version, Skype and iChat and I have to say, iChat wins hands-down. I haven’t seen this of course, but it’s going to have to do a lot of hard work to beat the boys from Apple. Being late to the party is not good for Team Google, especially as the verb has been taken – “shall we Skype?” Also, not everything has to be a web app – a little bit of software is good. Having said all this, how many things has Google got wrong? Check it out, I’m going to.

Let me entertain...me

According to analyst reports out last week, people are starting to think about games in a whole new light. So much so that gaming will become the most popular form of entertainment in the UKover the coming year. The boffins are predicting that games sales will rise by a whopping 42 per cent to the dizzying heights of £4.64bn. Compare that to the total predicted sales for music AND video at £4.46bn and I think you’ll find that we have a new king of the castle.

Now, I love music, but I also love gaming (probably love gaming more) so I don’t want to be giving the music industry a hard time – but the figures don’t lie. Apparently the video games industry has more than doubled in the last 5 years while music sales have struggled. You might be thinking that the ongoing issue of online downloads has caused problems for the music industry, but the same figures show that downloads only represent 4 per cent of totals sales. Want to know what the big growth area for the music and video industry has been? Online sales of DVDs and CDs – go figure.

MyTake – Video games aren’t cheap, costing you around about 3 or 4 times the amount that a CD would cost you, so the more popular gaming becomes the more substantial the sales figures will be. But, you can’t take this achievement away from the gaming industry, it’s been in the pipeline for a long time. The interesting space to watch is what the “multitasking entertainer” is going to be doing in the coming years. We may only have one set of “eyeballs”, but we’re consuming up to 3 different types of entertainment at one time and that’s probably going to get even more intense.