End of 24

The end of an era is amongst us - the current season of 24 will be the last. My reaction was a very loud 'WHAT?!' It's a very sad day when great shows get cancelled/finish -the great like Firefly or The Wire, or to a certain extent The Bill!

From the Beeb entertainment article where they have announced today that this will be Jack Bauer's last outing - in his own words - the star of 24 Keifer Sutherland said:

"This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible." 

A longer rant/look back at the show will be following this later on this week (when I finally get teh interweebs up & running in my new house) but for now - so long Jack - we will miss you & I can't wait to see how this show finishes, but as you repeatedly say...dammit!

Muse-musing

Having recently watched the H.A.A.R.P. DVD by the mighty Muse for the first time in ages - it's the recording of their 2007 Wembley 'Black Holes & Revelations' tour concert (which I was lucky enough to see live!) & it showcases the quality of their performance.

Muse are a band that are very difficult to dislike - there is a mix of sound & when live their showmanship is quite something to behold. Watching their lead singer / guitarist / pianist (+ frontman / legend) Matt Bellamy is like watching one of the masters of guitar; Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Mark Knoffler, etc.or the more recent upstarts like; Slash, Kirk Hammet, John Fusciante or Jack White. The way this guy plays guitar is really something else - check out their video for Plug in Baby from the H.A.A.R.P. DVD & you'll see what I mean:



I strongly suggest checking these guys out if you haven't already - they've been round the world many times, released fantastic songs, have played festivals like Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, V & even played to a sold-out Wembley (the pinacle for UK bands as far as I'm concerned) twice (so far)

....the mighty MUSE we salute you

Out of Control(lers)

OK there's been a lot of talk about the next big thing in gaming. The response from the gaming industry has been not (yet) been the development of new consoles, but instead look at new controller systems. So here's what's going on with the 3 big console companies:

Nintendo (Wii) were the first to release a motion controller. Thier first controller was the wireless Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device using optical technology (very similar to remote controls & has a big receiver bar placed on or in front of the TV) and detects movement in 3 dimensions.They also have a 'Nunchuk' which works along side it (again with 3D movement) creating in total a 6 axis control mechanism. Their new controller is the Wii MotionPlus & this is a method of sharpening up the movement detection - critically without the need to purchase a whole new set of controllers. This is different & arguably better, because it's a 'snap-on' addition, not a whole redesign. However, I'm not convinced of the Wii as a 'gamer's console', but as a family-based entertainment console - that is hard to argue against.

Sony (PlayStation 3) released a 6-axis controller with the PS3, but so far all the games released which are compatible (surprisingly few) have been more gimmicky than functional or natural (I'm thinking of you 'Lair'. The design is nothing new - it's a little new tech under the hood (sixaxis & bluetooth wireless) but the design is the same as the dualshock controller from the original PlayStation (circa 1997). What Sony decided to to was (arguably) use a 'similar' idea to the Wii's controller - called Move. Now to me, this looks just like a smaller Wii Remote in black rather than white. Time will have to tell on this one, but it appears that this is just Sony attempting to break into the 'family' area of the gaming market. Further reading on Xplay

Microsoft (Xbox 360) have once again done things a little different,ly. The Xbox 360 had redesigned controllers in either wired or (bluetooth)  wireless versions, in a variety of colours. The controllers are my preferred choice out of all the major consoles (biased but it's OK - it's only my opinion!) & I hoped that they would not go the same way as all their competitors & do something that looks suspiciously like a jumped-up TV remote! Well what they did is to create Project Natal which at first glance looks very odd, when you first see what it does it looks like a grown-up version of the Live Vision/Eye. The idea is that it's smart  version of motion capture - once you're 'captured' you can "control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands, or presented objects and images" (thanks Wiki!). Again it's not out yet to consumers, but the industry insiders & testers (mostly from Lionhead Studios - the crew behind the award-winning Fable series) are saying good things. I'll wait to give a full account as to what this means for the 'average' gamer...

But here's my issue with the whole controller 'revolution' (especially Natal) - they all depend, to varying extents, the dexterity & mobility of the individual players. Therefore you could argue that if you have a lack of those dependants - you could well be scuppered with the new mostion controllers/sensors. I think this is a problem which keeps some consumers away from the Wii (mostly the more hardcore gamers) generally, but I think that it's a limiting factor & not one the industry is taking a great deal of notice of...we shall see.

...we continue

3D Cinema - does it make any difference

So I watched my third 3D movie on Saturday night (also the third with Maddie!) the rather brilliant Alice in Wonderland & it got my brain thinking about the whole 3D cinema (& forthcoming Sky TV) move in 2009/2010. It's not the first time that the film industry has tried 3D - I researched a bit & they existed even in the late 1800's - it's not a new idea. However in 2008 there was a small number of releases in 3D, then in 2009, there was a resurgence of 3D entering the mainstream - there were at least a dozen last year, of which I saw 2: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs & Avatar.Now in 2010 they're everywhere! So below are my thoughts:

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - was my first foray into 'the world of 3D cinema' (yes I'm aware of the 'I wish everything was in 3D' gag - I keep spreading it after all!) & it was immediately apparent that there was something different about the presentation of the film - the screen seemed more alive than ever before.It was quite bizarre to see Manny's tusks & trunk (he's the Mammoth don't you know!) pop out of the screen - bizarre but good. Also because 3D is effectively messing with your perspectives & depth perception, it took a little while for my eyes to adjust. One thing that I thought was useful for this was one of the adverts (for Real D, the 3D glasses company) which had a dog with a ball which he chased round the screen - nice.

Avatar - simply stunning in 3D - there's lots of depth perception & it's a great movie...& so it should be, with a supposed budget of around $500m, I would expect excellence! It was subtle in the most part - fireflys & sparks/ash outside the main screen, pieces of scenery flying towards you - it was magical stuff. I'll wait till I get it on Blu Ray (end of April) & think on it again, but a definite winner in my book! You definitely get a sense of the fabric of the universe that Jim Cameron was trying to create. As with all films there are elements of plodding at points, but the general progression of the film was of the most epic of scales. You could tell it was in 3D but it was subtle enough but even from some of the earliest scenes (with the main protagonist coming out of cybersleep) show the huge depth & lengths that the director went to 3D pretty much everything. It's the highest grossing film of all time (so far)...I think I know why, but is it the 3D element or not - that's to be seen when the Blu Ray appears next month.

Alice in Wonderland - a very good film, but the 3D element was almost unnoticeable (apart from the traditional & necessary running through the trees clip). However, the film was (pardon the obvious pun) wonderful. I'm vaguely familiar with the source material (I must have seen Disney animate version at some point in my youth) & knew some of the characters. I also know that the author was based in Oxford. However, it was exciting to see a fresh take on everything & Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat was brilliant. All the characters seemed authentic & magical and it really did feel like a dream most of the time. Jonny Depp was his usual mad self (sorry!) as the Hatter & Helena Bonham-Carter was great as the selfish Red Queen. I think it's definitely worth watching, but I'm not sure that the 3D element was essential, as it's difficult to see where it was used. However, this might well be the beauty of the medium.

For further reading: this BBC article looks at the current trend of fast releases for home use (Blu Ray & DVD) - an interesting read.

And while the debate about DVD release windows goes on, a further element in the mix is the dawn of 3D television.3D sets are already on sale in the US, and manufacturers hope to launch their products in the UK and Europe over the next couple of months. Sky rolls out its 3D service to customers later this year."3D in the home is coming," says Mr Cooper, "but those TV sets are going to be a bit more expensive than the standard top of the range 2D HD TVs - and if people want to watch 3D films it is a question of buying into a 3D enabled Blu-ray player."

The debate continues...

Friday roundup

So it's Friday, I'm packed & ready to go down to Canterbury (in fact by the time this has autoposted - I will be on my way!) & I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Madd one again.

It's been a funny old week - either super-busy or super-quiet at work (currently the latter) - which gives me space to look at my project work. Me & Madds went up to Woking to surprise her mum for Mother's Day (she had no idea - it was genious!). I got a real short haircut, hung out with both my mother & little brother & generally had family being exceptionally nice. Also very nearly moved into the new house - the only minor hitch struggling to actually get my sofabed indoors!

However, throughout this week there was a strange sense of lonliness - I'm not sure I can pinpoint what that is - possibly just moving somewhere new (out of the 'family home'). I think the fact that I've been offline for a week or so hasn't helped, but going to see some friends & Madds this weekend will help enormously.

The weird thing about being offline (no internet/online gaming) is that I seem to be missing from the online community of gamers within my clan - weirdness.

One could argue that it's good to disconnect & to some extent I agree - but when the dust settles on my housemove - I'm going to need something to occupy myself & stop me spending unnecessary money - things are going to get more complicated soon & with rent & household bills to pay for the first time - everything matters!

Right enough random ranting for now - we continue

Updated Blogger

I will be playing with this site over this week to try to give it a fresh look - so if it keeps changing on you - it's because I'm playing with the formatting (also the fundamental flaw of Live updating on teh interweebs).

We continue...

UPDATE: I've also shifted a few apps & created an about page - enjoy!

UPDATE 2: I've also just (not-so-automatically) imported all my old Brainshare posts - there really weren't that many & have added them, including original comments to this blog - nice housekeeping job!

Personal, but no bad thing

I've been meaning to blog again, but once again life has been a little hectic so here we go again.

The main reason I missed the last couple of weeks has been a massive shift in my concentration - I've been focusing heavily on helping Madds in Canterbury, moving into my new house & also heavily involved in my research project in work. I'll fill you in on a few of them.

Madds let out a cry for help [a couple of weeks ago now] - I answered that call & brought her back from to be with her family. This has caused me to pay much closer attention to her & listen very carefully to everything from the tone of her voice, to the words she uses when we talk. What has made me think & reflect a little is the fact that I knew in my heart I had to go & I think God was active in making it happen. If we need proof - the fact that she's not in hospital works for me.

In a less serious, but still rad way my house-move is so nearly finished - everything is there, apart from about 1 box of belongings, a sofabed & a suitcase of clothes & I'm in! All I have to do is get my services over - this is now operation 'Get up & running' [not to be confused with anything to do with exercise!] sorting out bills & services etc.

In a more work related way, I've finished my first epic project in my job - creating a map of which local authority [LEA] uses which Virtual Learning Environment [VLE] provider. Next up I have to redesign the old FAQ intranet site which is definitely going to be a long old project - but definitely something to keep me occupied during holiday periods.

There's so very many new things going on that hopefully regular updates will be happening...hopefully!

We continue...

OK GO!

I just had to post this - it's everywhere at the moment [tagbacks to Youthblog for the original lol]. This video is so well made it's insane & the effort they made to make it was truely inspiring. Check it out below:



Also just for fun, here are some of their older videos the treadmill & the old school classic dance video.

Great stuff