Five things on Friday #24

Things of note for the week ending June 15th, 2012

1. Stunning Stained Glass
I’ve had the page up of these stained glass watertower images for nearly two weeks now; returning to them almost daily just gently bliss out and take them in.

It is a beautiful piece of art.

2. #361Live
I blogged about this awesome event a little while back. Well, part one is now up and live so you should go and listen, yeah? Go on then.

3. The Indecent Proposal
The second event of note from last week was ‘The Indecent Proposal: should bloggers blog for love, or money?‘. It was certainly an interesting evening, with great panelists from different blogs and agencies, debating the above. The (perceived) authenticity of blogging and, in turn, bloggers, allows for a difference of interpretation and opinion when it comes to the reporting of certain things (ie: the truth). So when money changes hands, well – that’s a grey area.

However, one thing came to light that was just mental.

Yes, that’s right.

Apparently, there are brands out there that are paying £10,000 for blog posts. THIS IS INSANE. We, as the audience, of course, GASPED, and then probed and questioned further. More came forward: another blogger was reported as being paid £8,000 per month for their ‘advocacy’.

There. Are. No. Words.

Now look, while there is no law against paying for blog posts (see this quote from the Office of Fair Trading):

“Online promotional activity, just like any other promotional activity, must clearly identify when promotions and editorial comment have been paid for, so that consumers are not misled.”

Which means, any paid-for blog posts must be clearly marked. Right? Right.

TEN THOUSAND POUNDS IS A JOKE.

4. What if Pixar did DC?

They probably never will. Given that Pixar are wholly owned by Disney, who in turn also own MARVEL. So yeah, that’s out. BUT – if they did – then it might look a little bit like these awesome images by Daniel Araya – via iO9

5. 22 Storytelling Tips from Pixar
This one is pretty much what it says on the tin. So y’know, go read them.

—

Whatley out.

Seen Prometheus? Let’s talk

There be spoilers here. Non-spoiler review also available.

DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN PROMETHEUS

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Still here? Right. Let’s do this –

Continue reading “Seen Prometheus? Let’s talk”

Five things on Friday #23

Things of note for the week ending June 8th, 2012

1. Game of Thrones

This image has been kicking around the ‘net for a little while now and it is all kinds of awesome. Game of Thrones season 2 is at an end now. It was epic. Peter Dinklage has been killing it. Good work sir.

And if you’ve not got ’round to watching this show yet, what are you doing? GO!

2. Fan boy theories
I came across this thread on Reddit (via Super Punch) the other week and it is, as one follower called it, a monstrous time vacuum.

Covering off such topics as ‘Why Rugrats is completely imagined’, ‘Who Sean Connery really is in ‘The Rock”, ‘Why it’s actually quite plausible – up to a point – that R2D2 was Luke Skywalker’s father’ and finally, my personal favourite, ‘Why The Bride doesn’t actually kill Bill in ‘Kill Bill”.

Seriously mental stuff. Click through, and be prepared to lose HOURS of your life.

You have been warned.

3. Xbox SmartGlass

I did have a massive write up in my head about just how awesome Microsoft’s new ‘SmartGlass’ is shaping up to be (and I might just save that for another day, perhaps as a follow up to my other 2screen post).

But today, instead, I’m going to link to this TechCrunch article that explains it all, and then, while you’re reading that, I’d also like to post this excerpt from a post I wrote about ‘the importance of ecosystems‘ back in September 2011.

But the key part here for me is Xbox. The one thing everyone seems to be overlooking: The Xbox. There are 53.6million of these machines worldwide – already sat under televisions. Of those, 66% are connected [or at least registered] online via Xbox Live. Include in that another 10million Kinects [the fastest selling peripheral of all time] and you have one hell of a home entertainment system / internet ecosystem.

If anyone wants to hire me as a technology trend-spotter, please feel free to get in touch…
#justsayin

4. Sydney Opera House Projection Mapping
Project mapping, you either love it or you hate it – The electric car from Toyota, is awesome. I saw some live once, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, that was cool too. Then, Madonna absolutely nailed it at Superbowl 2012 and now, in my opinion at least, it’s all a bit passé.

Keeping that in mind, I thought that this effort – via the Vivid Sydney light festival at Sydney Opera House – was simply beautiful.

Talk about a building MADE for this kind of work. Just.. Wow.

5. Mad Dreams

Yeah. I should really lay off the cheese.
…for what it’s worth mind, Conan and I had a blast.

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Bonuses – the best response to ‘What does it feel like to be the CEO of a start up‘ will make some of my friends cry; a month old article written by Avengers star, Tom Hiddleston, on why Superheroes are important; and just a quick link to a new mobile-technology focused podcast that I’ve started with a friend, entitled ‘The Voicemail‘ – more on this, soon.

Trimming in Public – Part 2

I’m publicly sorting through my RSS feed, ten feeds at a time.
Background (and part 1) posted last week.

Next ten, here we go –

501st TK Project
We’re into part two and we hit the first of my geeky/arty subscriptions that help connect things in a different way. The 501st TK Project is, believe it or not, an entire blog dedicated to Stormtrooper Helmet mods. No, no really. IT IS AWESOME. Well, it was. The last post went live on Christmas Eve 2010 and there hasn’t been one since. I’ve no idea why. Sad really. The blog is still live so you’re still able to check out the community submissions however, for the purpose of this exercise, it’s time to cut.
Decision: Remove 

76square
Ha! Hilariously this is the ex-tumblr of one Stefan Constantinescu – the chap that originally inspired this series of posts (and someone with whom I’m now podcasting – more on that, later) God knows when he stopped tumbling, but it looks like the blog is dead. So… even though it started out well… it’s time to say goodbye.
Decision: Remove 

:: gia’s blog ::
Gia Milinovich is a lovely woman. I first met her at the original Tuttle club (or maybe perhaps through Seesmic, I forget) and the soft, warm american drawl had me at hello. These days, she’s known as Mrs Brian Cox (something she’s written about also) but having worked on everything from X-Files through to Indiana Jones (and a fair bit inbetween) her blog is quite frankly, excellent.
Decision: Keep

a binary life (aka ‘the typing monkey’)
The blog of my friend Ana Bee. Ana and I met on the now-defunct (but fondly remembered) Finnish social network, Jaiku. A former Londoner who now lives back in her native Poland, Ana’s distinct point of view on the world is one that I quite enjoy. That as well being quite bonkers means that her blog gets to stay.
Decision: Keep 

a Brilliant Blog
Brilliant by name, brilliant by nature – I met Jeb Brilliant at Mobile World Congress several years back. We’ve met up several times since then, even managing to work together on both Mobile Geeks of LA + Las Vegas, and he’s a great guy. A massive mobile head, like me, his opinions often jive with mine – so I like to read them.
Decision: Keep 

A smidge of what I fancy
I love Peter Hay. The end.
Decision: Keep

About Foursquare
When I was working at the ‘heads (and constantly getting my inner creative technologist on), being on top of the latest and greatest developments across multiple social networks was part of the game. About Foursquare, the unofficial source for all things related to the location-based service, was one of my tools (and it helped). Lately, it’s mainly been about badges and promotions but, that aside, it’s still a good way to keep an eye on what brands are doing in this space. It’s rare that anything gets missed, and on that basis alone, it stays.
Decision: Keep 

Adam Greenfield’s Speedbird
Futurologist, ex-Nokian and author (of the fantastic ‘Everyware: the dawning age of of ubiquitous computing’), Adam Greenfield is one helluva smart guy. I saw him speak once, at Nokia Open Labs 2008, where he discussed how the line between man and machine will continually blur over the coming years and used the humble contact lens as his example. While he doesn’t blog that much these days, he’s still an engaging writer and, when he does put e-pen to e-paper, I’m all ears / eyes.
Decision: Keep 

adliterate
The blog of Saatchi & Saatchi strategy director, Richard Huntington. I like it.
Decision: Keep 

AdVerve
Creative inspiration from Darryl, Bill and Angela. I found this blog after following Darryl there after he left his switched from Brandflakes for Breakfast (another great source of interesting advertising stuff). There’s a whole bunch of cool stuff that gets chucked out several times a day. Good to keep an eye on what’s going on out in the industry. Especially good for ‘Yeah, been done’ conversations.
Decision: Keep 

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Part two finished. Part three coming at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, while we’re sharing, do have any suggestions for blogs I should be reading?

Let me know.

Muchos gracias.

 

Review: Prometheus

Spoiler free.

To say I’ve been a little bit excited about this film coming out would be perhaps somewhat of an understatement. I am a huge Ridley Scott fan and of the efforts he has made in the genre of science fiction, both films are in my all time top fifty*.

What with experimental Twitter campaigns and a whole bunch of different trailers (some perhaps giving away a bit too much for my liking) – excitement was at fever pitch. The question is: did it live up to the hype?

I think I can quite safely say, for me at least: Yes. It did.

However, Prometheus is not perfect. Not by any stretch. In fact, at one point in the film (after probably the most intense scene of 2012 to date) I let out an audible ‘WTF?’ when something pretty major just gets brushed to the side without question… Just, mental. But, as an immersive return trip to the shadowy world of the Weyland Corporation and everything around and therein, Prometheus wins.

We’ve been too long without a decent return trip to this universe of morally ambiguous androids and engineers. Admittedly, seeing the film in 3D at Britain’s biggest cinema (London’s BFI IMAX) definitely helped, but Scott’s hand and vision is clear throughout and we, the audience, benefit for it. Much has been lauded in the past about Ridley’s attention to detail, his penchant for creating actual things that exist in real time and space (as opposed to leaning too much on the sometimes clunky and too easy to spot CGI), and rightly so. Fans will be pleased to hear that, in Prometheus, that reputation continues unabashed.

Everything from the space suits (SUIT UP!) through to the choice of spatulas in the mess kitchen (no joke) has been thought through and it shows. That’s not to say that the film is CGI free, of course it can’t be, however, when employed, it too excels.

That’s the visuals taken care of, what of the cast?

Michael Fassbender is perfect casting as the ship’s resident android, David. Cold, quiet and utterly believable – it’s actually really hard to put a definition on what it is exactly that he does that nails the dead-behind-the-eyes, only-human-in-appearance robot. He’s part H.A.L., part Pinocchio and very, very well done. Good job.

Noomi Rapace, as the conflicted scientist and Ripley heir apparent, Dr Elizabeth Shaw, is also brilliant and shines here in her first (proper) English-speaking role. Shaw’s story-arc is probably the best and most interesting of all and, after one particularly harrowing scene, the entire theatre was on the edge of their collective seats – myself included – just waiting to see what she would do next. Arresting stuff.

Charlize Theron does well also, as does Idris Elba, but special mention must go to Brit-actor-playing-an-American number two, Rafe Spall. I had no idea he was in Prometheus so it was a pleasant surprise to see his face pop up out of cryo-sleep 15mins in. I’ve seen him in stuff before and I am a fan; his comedy grin helping him steal the short scenes that he appears in, wonderfully.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STORY, JAMES?

Well, yes. Quite.

The tagline ‘The search for our beginning could lead to our end’ is pretty spot on. There are obviously Alien elements throughout and, when the film closes, there is no doubt left as to where we came from and, maybe more importantly, where the eggs are laid for the Nostromo and her crew over the years ahead. Yes, there are a couple of gaping plot holes (and some really dumb ass character decisions), yes some of the scripting is on the clunky side but, oh my, there are some fantastic elements to Prometheus and I am bloody glad I saw it in the way I did.

In fact, I’m actually quite tempted to see it again.

And, while it doesn’t have the depth of suspense or the over-arching wrapper of horror/fear as its predecessor (as it will of course be forever continually compared against), Prometheus is a rather good sci-fi film and – faults aside – is one I would definitely recommend you go see.

Whatley out.

*I’m a filmy. I don’t do top tens or top fives. It’s top fifties all the way.

 

Review: ill Manors

Arresting, harsh and, at times, harrowing. ILL MANORS is no easy watch.
But oh my God, is it worth it.

A spoiler-free review - 

The directorial debut of Ben Drew – aka Plan B – and featuring a cast of relative unknowns (many of whom were from the streets where ill Manors is set), this is a film with a message: your surroundings define who you are – but there is always a choice.

Stark, intimidating and dirty against such hopeful (yet faded) iconic landmarks of the future; first, the former Millenium Dome, once a sign of development and symbolic of the hopes of East London, left dying by the government (until the o2 conversion). Then second, the stadia of the forthcoming Olympics; again a herald of hope. Again, an uncertainty around what happens afterwards – the symbolism here will not be lost on many. London has never been more real, or more frightening.

Drew, who not only *wrote and produced*, also provides the soundtrack to our journey into the East End of London; narrating the back story of each and every lost soul we meet along the way. And what a journey it is.

The stories told throughout Manors are multiple; twisting and turning, entwined and continual. They swing in and out of their own timelines as each new character enters our view and, slowly but surely, we find out their past – with our poetic narrator in tow – before the car crash of the present day slams back into vision. Messing with perspective, showing the same scene from multiple, time-varying points of view, Manors is smart and surprising. There’s darkness in (nearly) everyone and, as the madness grows, and the tension-wrought second act comes to a close, you wonder where Manors will take its residents next.

Think GO. Think Eyes Wide Shut. Think Pulp Fiction. Think Requiem for a Dream. Think Ben Drew. This is a man of a generation: telling the story of a lost generation. And he tells it incredibly, frighteningly well. Both in displaying the raw underbelly of what lies East of our capital city as well as in the deftness of his craft.

This is his debut. His first time.

I was lucky enough to catch Ben speak, so eloquently, at the Tedx Observer a while back. He was engaging and open about the causes of London’s riots last summer and, watching Ill Manors, you begin to see what he was getting at. Run down city streets, limited resources to inspire the youth of today and gang culture everywhere – the message here is clear: our kids need saving.

Manors is not without its faults, admittedly, but most can be shrugged off as the mistakes of the yet-to-be-honed technical skills of a film-making newbie. In a summer of mental movie blockbusters, Ill Manors is like a cold bucket of water over the head. Refreshing, cold, awakening.

See this film.

And Ben, if you’re reading… Please, make more.

Plan B goes on general release in the UK on June 6th, 2012.

Five things on Friday #22

Things of note for the week ending June 1st, 2012

Summer is here

1. Good times
Writing this blog throughout the week as I do (picking up links throughout the week and saving them to WordPress on the fly), means there is often a close kind of overlap with some of the awesomeness out there. As I type this particular segment, it’s 9:30 on Sunday May 27th and the sunshine is GLORIOUS.

Yesterday was the first picnic of the year and, as well as hanging out with friends and generally having a laugh, there was Frisbee (see above), Lasagne and then later, EUROVISION. Which, thanks to Twitter, was actually quite bearable.
Note to self: add this to your ongoing 2screen case study collection

As the girl quite perfectly put it: super fun time

2. Love this from Steven Sanders

First, I found this from one of my new favourite tumblrs, and second, I have a soft spot for awesome-pencils-on-white-backgrounds because they totally work with my blog theme (thanks again Vero).

Oh, and I just really love the picture too.

3. Awesome Brothers
I have an awesome brother. Fact. Having this guy as a brother would be awesome too. For his sibling’s birthday not only did he go out and find a pair of Iron Man bracelets (if you haven’t seen Avengers Assemble yet, you won’t know how awesome these are) but he also drew this pic of him using them. AMAZING.

I guess that’s what happens when your brother works at Pixar.

4. Empty Underground
I like to take photos of the London Underground when there’s noone else around. I’ve blogged about it before, others have too. There’s a hashtag and a Flickr group but it’s just a hobby more than anything else, and it’s fun. Anyway, this one is from last week. It’s one of mine and it’s probably top five favourite all time Empty Underground shots.

You get a coffee on me if you can guess where and how I took it.

5. Amazing comic book people are amazing
I admit it. I cried.

http://WFXT.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=190702;hostDomain=www.myfoxboston.com;playerWidth=525;playerHeight=296;isShowIcon=true;clipId=7317802;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=false;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=overlay;galleryType=wnstory;galleryId=18597572

If you can’t bear to sit through the 30second ad at the start (sorry – can’t do anything about that),why not go read the story instead. Either way, it’s a lovely piece of good news to sign off with.

Bonuses are all long-form pieces again this week; How to Spot the Future, via Scroggles, is very similar to Where Good Ideas Come From in its nature, but still worth a read all the same; Beating the anxiety of online reading; and A Guide to Influence(rs) Chapter One has made me want to write my own guide on how to engage with communities.

 

Trimming in Public – Part 1

Where do I start?

About three years ago, a good chap I know decided he’d ‘become a better blogger‘, by cleaning out his RSS reader in public. I can’t remember how far he got (Did you actually finish it, Stefan?), but I remember reading avidly.

For those that don’t know, RSS, is a really easy way to consume web-based content. Imagine every site you look at, every blog you read, has a hook attached to it. That’s its RSS feed. Every time new content gets published, a new hook is added. Simple. An RSS reader is your fishing rod; trawling the internet looking for new hooks. You add a website’s RSS feed to your reader and, whenever a new hook appears, the reader picks it up, and brings the content attached, to you. I use Google Reader, but other readers are available. Also, Stefan’s original post has a fairly decent guide to RSS as well.

Where was I? 

That’s right, I’m taking out the trash. Ever since Google Reader went from being awesome to just ‘OK’, my intake of cool stuff has dropped a fair bit. To continue curating and preening, I’m going to publicly air my laundry – aka ‘trimming in public’ – hopefully making some room for more feeds and generally sharing the wealth of content that I’ve picked up over the years.

As Stefan so eloquently puts it –

With 293 RSS feeds and only 24 hours in my day, I desperately need to trim this sucker down. I used to be able to “hit zero,” also known as reading all my RSS items, but lately it has been impossible. I could have done this in private, during my own time, but one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. By going through my entire list of 293 RSS feeds, 10 feeds a day, I hope that I can point you to some new sites and services you may have never heard of. I also have a strong ethos regarding sharing. If I find something interesting, awesome or worthy of attention, I share it with my friends and with the world on my Twitter account. I expect people to do the same and at the end of the day we, as a people, will put an end to boredom.

And I’m all for it.

I’ve got 279 (so not too dissimilar).
10 feeds an episode (that’s around 28 blog posts).
Numbers through letters (1-Z).

Let’s do this.

1000heads | Socialcast Activity Stream
Back at the ‘heads, we used Socialcast as our internal social network of choice. Very similar to Facebook (and Jaiku, actually) it was a great way to share information across the company. I don’t work at 1000heads anymore, so the internal RSS feed of all goings on should definitely go.
Decision: Remove

1000heads: The Word of Mouth People
Still with the ‘heads as we make our way through the numbers, this is the blog of my former employer and, from time to time, it’s still a bloody good read. Molly, Riccardo, lately Patrick, and sometimes even Robbie, all (semi-)regularly contribute to pull different insights from in and around all things word of mouth. An interesting nexus of offline, online, social media and experiential ideas; this relationships agency blog is a keeper.
Decision: Keep

101 Things to Do in London
I met Ben Wallace back in April 2011, on the Transmongolian Railway – and I honestly could not have asked for a better travel buddy. There were four of us all thrown together that month, but Ben and I giggled and laughed like a couple of long lost best mates the whole way through (sometimes, with hats). 101 Things to Do in London is his attempt at trying to complete the Timeout 101 things to do in London before the Olympic games. Boldly assisted by his other half, Fliss, 101TTDIL is not only quite a fun read but also a handy guide to what is and what isn’t, worth your tourist money here in London town. Ben hasn’t got long left, so I’m staying tuned.
Decision: Keep

101 W*nkers
I am massively disappointed that this site has stopped publishing. From the looks of the page now, the URL hasn’t been renewed either (and has been bought by ads asking me if I’m into wife-swapping – ooer). What 101W used to be a catalogue of the insults and comments Guardian journalist, Dawn Foster, had shouted at her whilst riding her bike (the older and out of date 101W Tumblr site is still around, for reference purposes). I don’t know why she’s stopped writing, but now the site is gone I guess my choice is easy.
Decision: Remove

14sandwiches
Martin Bryant is a smart chap. He’s sharp and I like his writing but I guess being Managing Editor at The Next Web is kind of a busy gig, as this blog hasn’t been updated since July 2009. Definitely time for some RSS house-keeping here… But, hang on, having a kick around Martin’s profile on TNW and I’ve found his new blog – MartinBryant.net. Guess I’ll be subscribing to that then. In the meantime however, 14sandwiches can go.
Decision: Remove

25 lttrs n th alphbt
The blog of a senior planner bloke from advertising agency, DARE. This very occasionally updated blog provides rants, moans and sometimes even insights around all things advertisingy. That aside,  Nick Emmel is a lovely chap, and once wore my indian headress.
Decision: Keep

(365) Things That Make Me Happy
Back in my SpinVox days, Chris Funderberg was one of the badasses that worked down in the IT room. The man got stuff done, and rarely took any prisoners. I remember having a few interesting chats with him over the two years we spent working under the same roof together, on a myriad of subjects, and his tumblr blog is a definite fave. Initially setup as a 365 project (blog one thing that makes you happy, for every day in the year) he’s now dropped the 365 and has continued posting his happiness for a good couple of years. Great imagery, quotes and druidism.
Decision: Keep

3mobilebuzz
Defunct blog of an ex-employer’s ex-client’s community.
Decision: Remove

4 Fuks Saké
A relatively new addition to my Google Reader, I’ve not read enough to make an informed decision. Although if Jim’s last post ‘Hey Guys, I’m A Bit Uncomfortable You Made A $1bn. Let’s Have A Diet Coke And Talk.‘ is anything to go by, it’s a keeper.
Decision: Keep

4squick
Without doubt the best Foursquare app to ever grace a Symbian mobile phone, 4squick is a gorgeous piece of software. Alas, a few things are working against it staying: First, the developers have a fair bit on their collective plates (babies and new jobs and all sorts), second, I no longer have a Symbian phone (that I use regularly) and third, the Symbian platform is on its way out.
Decision: Remove

Part one complete. Part two to come when I get ’round to it.

Five things on Friday #21

Five things of note for the week ending Friday May 25th, 2012

1. Amazing post-Yugoslavia monuments

There are 25 of these monuments (all different, by the way) scattered across the former-Yugoslavia. Built during the 60s and 70s to immortalise battle sites and concentration camps, these relics of remembrance are as varied as they are stunning. Melancholic yet engaging, spend some time looking them over and hey, if you’re ever in the area, seek them out.

2. A whale, in a forest
The work of Argentinian artist, Adrián Villar Rojas, this forest-beached whale is a sight to behold; even just digitally.

Sad, confusing and yet somehow deeply compelling; the life-sized mammal so out of place in such a way is a sight hard to forget. This is a rare occasion where I really wish I could be there in person to see this work.

3. Assassins Creed II – aka ‘playing with Desmond’
I’ve been a huge fan of the Prince of Persia games for ages and ever since the last decent round wrapped, I’ve been looking for a suitable free-playing replacement. The Batman: Arkham Asylum/City games came close (and actually win out in many respects), but I still missed that parkour-esque freedom. That was until, at long last, I finally dived into Assassin’s Creed II.

Thanks to recommendations from Rob (and I think Sweena too), I skipped the first one and went straight to the sequel (a fact I’m kind of regretting now) and I am loving it. If you’re an Xbox* owner and haven’t played these yet, they’re available to download now via the Xbox Marketplace at fifteen quid a pop. Not bad at all.

*other consoles are available.

4. Railroad-based awesomeness
First, this video – found via Mr Siminoff – of a group of mates creating a purpose-built railway go-kart – aka ‘The Rail Rider’ – is just awesome. I can’t watch it without grinning from ear-to-ear.

While you’re still smiling, take a deep breath in, scroll down, and breath out.

Nice and slow.

— —

5. Keep C.A.L.M.
The campaign against living miserably is a charity setup to combat male suicide – aka: the biggest killer of young men the UK today.

I first encountered them just a little over 18mths ago and have been a big fan of their work, and what it is they’re actually trying to achieve, ever since. This past Thursday night I finally met the whole team and am looking forward to supporting them further over the coming weeks, months and years, in their ongoing mission. Expect more on this, soon. In meantime…

If you’re a man (or if you know one) who doesn’t want to admit that things are pretty crap right now, or is really struggling to keep things together or, worse yet, doesn’t feel like they’ve got anyone else in the world to turn to.

It’s OK. You’re not alone. I promise.
And you can talk to CALM.

 

 

Whatley out.

;