Archive
Mini film review: Moon
Impressive sci-fi. An excellent idea – very well done.
Highly recommended.
• Empire Online: Moon review
• Total Film: Moon review
Nodalities: a call to arms
The latest issue of Nodalities magazine is less technical than usual but there are a couple of interesting themes that run through the different articles. They are a real rallying call to the semantic web community. The first is how governments could benefit from a web of Linked Data – both to give people access to the information they want (increasing transparency) and the possibility of cost savings as a result of bringing the data together (increased clarity). The second point is how to get the idea of the semantic web and its benefits across to the wider (and less / non technical) audience.
Worthy ideas…
Review: Pompeii (audiobook)
This audiobook took me a long time to get through, mainly because I didn’t want it to end – it’s the best audiobook I’ve ever read (heard). An exciting story, brilliantly performed.
I get the impression that in this case the audio version will be an easier read than the book.
Stunning and highly recommened.
Kurzweil predictions for 2020
Ray on 2020: augmented reality in your glasses; cheap, abundant solar power; major improvements in healthcare treatment…
• Top futurist, Ray Kurzweil, predicts how technology will change humanity by 2020
iPod Mini upgraded
I’ve been mulling over buying an iPod Touch recently to replace my trusty and well loved iPod Mini, which after four years was finally suffering from knackered battery syndrome. The battery would last a few hours at best, but otherwise it was in good condition, having been protected admirably since the day of purchase by a silicon cover.
The Mini has been a constant companion in all that time. For me it is just the right size, and although 4gb storage meant that I am always swapping around the contents, it holds plenty of tracks and podcasts. Even so, the iPod Touch was proving a big draw – an iPhone without the phone seemed ideal.
Until I started thinking…
Would I actually do anything new on the Touch? The bottom line is no. I’m always doing things when I’m listening, so I don’t want to watch video on it. I could surf the web on it, but would need wifi, and when I have wifi there is usually a bigger screen around. The web on the move would be good, but that would ideally need an iPhone, and I don’t have the need that frequently. If I did, I would have one already (though a new phone will happen at some point, Android and Blackberry are big contenders for me too…). I also hate the idea of having something hanging around the house that is 95% in working order – if I’m happy enough with a device I normally only replace it when the damn thing breaks. The Touch is too big to lug around, despite all the new whizz bang things I know it can do. I’d still be listening to my trusty podcasts most of the time…
So, in a nod to the climate conference going on this week, I decided to upgrade… and if the battery needed changing I would increase the storage too (only plan on opening it up once.) I got one of these and one of these at a grand total cost of £30 and found a few good instructions and runthroughs of how it is done. The battery came with the necessary tools, and within half an hour it was complete.
The result? Everything is working great. The iPod Mini is a little more scratched up than before, but not too much. I can now get basically all I want on there – 8gb of space seems a luxury (16gb would’ve been too expensive and unnecessary for my needs). But the most impressive thing is the battery life – wow, the thing seems to stay on forever. You soon realise how much you looked at the screen just to see if the battery was going to die on you soon. Pure bliss…
The only real risk is that I find the screen or the scroll wheel packs in through wear and tear sooner rather than later. If that happens, then I’m off to the Apple Store for a Touch, the battery will go on Ebay for a few quid and the compact flash card will be used elsewhere. Otherwise, it will keep me in business till the absolute killer phone comes out that I just cannot resist.
Kevin Kelly on What Technology Wants
Flicking through the latest edition of Wired, I came across an article where Kevin Kelly is discussing life and his new book. Kelly has been writing a wonderful series of articles on his Technium website that will form the basis of the book, so I got all excited, thinking that it would be out in the next few months. But this is not to be – he has announced that it will be more like October 2010. Still, he has started talking about it… Check out:
TEDxAmsterdam: Kevin Kelly from TEDxAmsterdam on Vimeo.
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