digitALLSTARS Web Crawl Blog

no signs allowed

2009-06-08T14:57:00.000Z

Why Twentytwentification is sport's quick fix

2009-06-08T12:34:00.000Z

via guardian

"It's not cricket" is more than an aphorism. For the ham-and-eggers in the Lord's Pavilion who will take their blessed places there, nonetheless, during the Twenty20 World Cup, it is the waning death call of the disengaged as the game's new bastard baby grows healthier by the day.

To be fair to the old guard, many of them have stopped groaning. The evidence of packed grounds, exciting games and – most persuasively – the financial monster that is the Indian Premier League has convinced most of them that the Twentytwentification of cricket is not a flickering mayfly. So successful has it been, we are witnessing something more profound: the Twentytwentification of sport.

For television, and their advertisers, quick is good. Across sport, the rush to diminution is catching on, changing forever the way we watch games as administrators seek to convince an audience pulled in so many directions that their product will take up less of their precious time. It's not as if the nation has been struck down by an ADHD virus, but attention spans have definitely contracted.

On Friday and yesterday, a short-form international city-based polo tournament at the Hurlingham Club attracted 28,000 spectators. On a reduced pitch, with simplified rules, teams from London, New York, Moscow and Buenos Aires competed in the first World Polo Championship. According to an event spokesman, this was a move away from "wealthy blokes looking to polish their egos" and towards "the brave new world of sports professionalism".

Money changed rugby union forever when shamateurism gave way to the real thing in the 1990s. The process has gone at full gallop since – but rugby has not had to wrestle with a shortened form of the game in the way cricket has. It is not just the brevity of sevens that is proving attractive, as Mike Miller, chief executive of the International Rugby Board explains.

"Sevens will live alongside the 15-man game," says Miller, who is leading the campaign for sevens to become an Olympic sport from 2016 onwards. "It's different to the cricket issue. There you've got five days against a couple of hours, whereas we don't just have one sevens game; it's not 14 minutes versus 80 minutes. It's a couple of days versus 80 minutes.

"It works very well for television. You can have a break every seven minutes. It gives you a chance also to get in replays, statistics. Also, there are a lot of matches, up to 24 in a day. There are a lot of countries playing at the same time, so you hit a lot of different markets on the same day. For the people who are there, it's a festival as well as a sporting event.

"Sponsors like it. Obviously television likes it because it's fast, furious and exciting, and easy to understand. There isn't as much complexity as there in the 15s game.

"Sevens has been part of rugby for more than a hundred years but has really taken off since the game has gone professional. The IRB World Series is 10 years old, with eight events around the world. We've seen the emergence of teams such as Kenya, who always bring huge support, Fiji, who have been hugely successful. We've also had five Sevens World Cups. And this year for the first time we had both a men's and women's tournament. The qualification process involved 87 countries for the men, and 84 for the women."

China is on the radar. Expansion in the United States is imminent. For rugby, less does mean more.

There is another rugby experiment in the offing: Twenty12, an idea put forward by the former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones. The aim is to increase commitment from 12 players for 20 "power minutes", as he puts it, in each half. A trial is likely to be included in the Shute Shield in Sydney in August.

The hub of all non-football sport is the Olympics and, with seven sports bidding for the two additional places from 2016, minds will be concentrated as to what constitutes the most attractive format for not only the International Olympic Committee, but the television executives who want to cram in those ads.

Mike Lee, of the International Amateur Athletics Federation, says: "We have worked with the IRB in the campaign to get rugby sevens in the Olympic Games and all sports are looking at ways of improving their broader appeal. Television is naturally a part of that. That's the way you reach more people, and bring more money into the sport. I think there have been some concerns from broadcasters across the world about the length and format of the traditional athletics meeting, for instance."

Athletics is a sport that badly needs an injection of excitement, as anyone who has stood around a desolate track all day in the rain will testify. At Cardiff International Sports Stadium on Wednesday, a "Super 8" competition will squeeze 10 events into two hours. There will be teams from six provincial cities and two from London, no false starts, and just seven attempts in high jump, pole vault and the throwing events.

Ed Warner, of UK Athletics, says it could be the start of something big, so to speak. "The conventional athletics meeting lasts several hours," he observes, "and the feeling is that it stretches the patience of both the spectator and the competitor, particularly young kids. What we're attempting to do also is borrow from the glitz and glamour of Twenty20 cricket.

"This is a one-off, a pilot, to see if it works for the athletes in terms of their performance. A lot of people are watching it with great interest. You can conceive of this rolling off internationally. Why could we not have something that had a European flavour to it, for example? Can you arouse passions by some sort of identification with a city? We want people to walk away saying: 'I saw some great stuff there, but also I didn't get pins and needles.' "

Other sports flirting with shortened forms include: netball, whose world series in Manchester in October will feature games reduced to 24 minutes, with double points for scores from outside the goal circle and new "power play" quarters; modern pentathlon, whose world championships at Crystal Palace in August will be under the new four-event format, with shooting and running combined; golf, that word "power play" again, the nine-hole game invented by the former British amateur champion Peter McEvoy two years ago, with an extra flag on each green to offer a choice of difficult putts; and snooker, which has a "six red" tournament in Bangkok next month.

Even boxing is getting in on the Big Shrink. Barry Hearn's innovative Prizefighter series, in which eight boxers compete in (literally some times) a knockout leading to a final on the one evening, has captured the occasionally fickle imagination of the fancy. It reduces the sometimes tedious process of finding a champion to a couple of hours of mayhem.

MATT DAMON in rugby film

2009-06-01T16:44:00.003Z

New photo of "MATT DAMON" as South Africa rugby captain Francois Pienaar in the Clint Eastwood film "The Human Factor"

The film is a look at life for Nelson Mandela after the fall of apartheid in South Africa during his first term as president when campaigned to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup event as an opportunity to unite his countrymen.

New Imogen Heap Ablum Name

2009-05-18T21:58:00.001Z

Imogen's new album will be called 'Ellipse' and is due to be released in August 2009.

Imogenheap.co.uk

Spin.com

2 Many DJs (soulwax) at BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND 2009 SWINDON perform Dizzee Rascal "Bonkers"

2009-05-10T22:52:00.003Z

2 Many DJs (soulwax) at BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND 2009 SWINDON. A MyLifeOfGlamour special will be available soon featuring all the bands we saw at this years Radio 1 Big weekend but for now here is a clip of the amazing 2ManyDJs. Watch in HD by going to youtube Enjoy

What do you do when you get a backflip on a tricycle so wrong that you can no longer see? Try it again, of course.

2009-05-10T16:46:00.001Z

Video: Animal Collective Play "Summertime Clothes" on "Letterman"

2009-05-08T21:35:00.001Z

via pitchfork

Animal Collective played "Letterman" last night! They played Merriweather Post Pavilion's "Summertime Clothes", which seems like a good song to be pushing since the season is finally here. Dave makes a funny joke (Letterman, not Portner), there's some weird dancing going on behind the band, and the tables of gear are done up all fancy. (via I Guess I'm Floating)

Flight of the Conchords: top 10 clips

2009-05-08T20:18:00.002Z

The best show on TV is back in the UK this Tuesday on BBC 4. Check out the Guardians choice of top ten clips from the New Zealanders

True Friendship

2009-05-08T10:31:00.000Z

radio soulwax online

2009-05-07T22:50:00.000Z

Soulwax brothers David and Stephen Dewaele are taking their Radio Soulwax concept to the next level this summer as they are set to bring their craft to web radio, reports Clash Music. Radio Soulwax is a live show composed of the live band Soulwax followed by a DJ set by the two brothers under the 2ManyDjs moniker. Last year’s documentary “Part Of The Weekend Never Dies” helped shed some light on who these insanely talented individuals are. This radio show idea is the latest in a string of creative outlets Soulwax is giving themselves.
Clash Music has the details:
“Crafting together brand new mixes, special guests, themed hours and a unique visual element Radio Soulwax is unlike anything you have heard before. Free to air, with no ads or sponsors, the shows are being broadcast for the love of music.
To launch the new radio shows, 2ManyDJs are set to tour the UK. Featuring live 2ManyDJs production for the very first time, these are set to kick start the summer with a party those who attend will struggle to forget.”
Announced UK tour dates:
5 Oxford O2 Academy
6 Manchester Academy
7 Newcastle O2 Academy
10 Leeds O2 Academy
11 Bournemouth Opera House
12 London Brixton O2 Academy (Sold Out)
13 London Brixton O2 Academy
Keep it locked on soulwax.info for more details as they emerge.

via http://www.rocksellout.com

soulwax at radio 1 big weekend

2009-05-05T20:07:00.003Z

I'm off to BBC Radio 1 big weekend on saturday. I'm seriously getting excited about seeing 2 Many DJ's. I will be reporting back with a My Life Of Glamour video special. Check out this clip from Soulwax interview on BBC's The Culture Show in 2008

Penalty shoot-outs betray rugby's soul

2009-05-05T11:20:00.002Z

Bear-baiting used to have its admirers, So, too, cock-fighting. good artical from The Telegraph on this weekends rugby euro cup semi. The first to be decided on a penalty shoot out

Is this Apples next big thing?

2009-05-01T11:15:00.002Z

via cult of mac

Do you have Swine Flu?

2009-05-01T11:05:00.000Z

Swine flu pandemic? It feels like a phoney war

2009-05-01T10:53:00.002Z

Bit of a Guardian love in today

Dr John Crippen is the pseudonym of an NHS doctor who writes a popular medical blog. This is his account of the view from the GP's surgery

Oh! God, now I know it is serious. The Health Protection Agency has sent me an algorithm to tell me how to deal with swine flu. It arrived today in an email with one of those red exclamation marks at the side. An algorithm, for those who don't know, is a "finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem". It is very complicated. I do not understand it. Fortunately the primary care trust has also sent me a red exclamation mark email with instructions I can understand: "The main message remains: always use a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, throw away used tissues and regularly wash your hands."

I can relate to that. Trouble is, it makes me giggle. I can't get that old jingle, from somewhere in early childhood, out of my mind. "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, trap your germs in your handkerchief." It has rhythm. It is best recited in a "Mail train" monotone. Lovers of Tony Hancock will want to sing it to the tune of Deutschland, Deutschland über alles.

Doctor, you're not taking this seriously. Actually, I am. We have all read our way through the mountains of circulars that have arrived. We are having a daily practice meeting. We have one partner designated to take all the "flu"-related calls so our advice is consistent. Yesterday we had two such calls: a patient just returned from Turkey who had diarrhoea and wondered if it could be flu, and an elderly lady wanting advice about her husband who has respiratory problems. Should he be started on Tamiflu? Simple answer: No.

Today, so far, there have been no calls at all. We have 15,000 patients and are close to one of the larger airports in England, but have not seen a case of flu. We have not had a single patient worrying that he or she might have flu. It feels like a phoney war. We have seen two patients with heart attacks, three acute asthmatic attacks, and a child who had swallowed an implausibly large piece of Lego. Such is general practice.

We met at lunchtime, not to talk of heart attacks and Lego, but of flu. There have been deaths in Mexico. There has been one in the US. Our Indian partner said: "There were 2,000 deaths, mainly children in Africa and Asia, yesterday."

Our medical student looked shocked: "I didn't know swine flu had reached that part of the world." "It hasn't," said our partner. "I'm talking of deaths from malaria. But that isn't news, is it?"

We were silent for a while. Time to get things in proportion.

nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com

Why you need a Slap Chop

2009-05-01T10:34:00.000Z

I want a Slap Chop! This really is shopping channel TV at its best, even if not exactly how the marketing god intended...

Rap Chop is a remix of the Slap Chop product demo, and by the end I really was starting to think about how good it would be for sandwich fillings and stir-fries. Keep an eye out for the over-the-shoulder chuck - it's really rather smooth.

via The Guardian

BIG NEWS STORY Popeyes Runs Out of Chicken in Rochester, NY

2009-05-01T10:24:00.002Z

Theres a swine flu pandemic and a global financial problem. But the big news is "Popeyes Runs Out of Chicken in Rochester, NY"

"I was trying to feed my family!" complained one disgruntled would-be punter. Maybe try feeding them something that isn't rancid?

via The Guardian

London's Underground Uncovered

2009-04-30T14:23:00.001Z

London has the oldest underground transportation system in the world. What happens when the last train has left the station and the escalators stop?

via wired.com

Stupid American sports and extreme golf

2009-04-30T13:22:00.003Z

Nascar is a bit nuts - only in America could you have lots of fast cars that just go round in a circle with a brick wall on the outside to crash in. The only reason to watch is the crashes, like this one.

Here's the last lap, last corner of last weekend's Nascar race at Talladega (the fastest circuit in the series). These two toasters collided while racing for the lead. Carl Edwards had the wit and wherewithal to get out of his burning car and recreate the finish of the film Talladega Nights. Seven spectators were hurt when the car hit the fence, but none badly thankfully.

Carl Edwards Talladega Crash 4-26-09 (HD)

Here's another crazy American sport. Ice Hockey. Basically boxing on ice. Here's an ice hockey player attempting to set about a spectator with his stick. "Let's take the glass out and see how tough the fans are!"

Extreme golf, anyone? Padraig Harrington plays an 830-metre par three which requires a helicopter to get to the teebox.

via Guardian sports blog

Where The Wild Things Are

2009-04-29T22:26:00.002Z

Where The Wild Things Are" It's directed by Spike Jonze who has done some of the best music videos and short films as well as the features "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich"

See the Trailer

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

2009-04-29T13:42:00.002Z

Gary Go will perform with an iPhone as his backing band at Wembley Stadium.
The 24-year-old Go, born Gary Baker, will open for boy band veterans Take That in July. He’ll stand in front of thousands (90,000 if it’s a full house) with only his device for some tracks, a live back-up band for others.

“The fact we’re going to see someone playing an iPhone at Wembley is something I don’t think even Apple thought would happen,” said Stuart Dredge, of industry site Music Ally.

“The software started out as a gimmick, but now we are seeing real musicians producing real music with it. Of course, you still need talent, but the phone means you can make and record anywhere.”

(Unfortunately, none of the stories I saw on Go mention which virtual four-track app he used to write his songs, some are lush ballads far from the brittle synth-pop of yesteryear.)

“My biggest worry is that my phone will ring mid-song,” Go said.

Via Evening Standard and Cult of Mac

A great use of Flickr

2009-04-29T13:38:00.001Z

Very cool use of Flickr

Chairlift "Evident Utensil" OFFICIAL ISSUED VISUALS!! WATCH IN HD!!!

2009-04-27T15:09:00.001Z

Don't you dare watch in Normal Qual! click on "WATCH IN HD" to WATCH IN HD, which stands for "HOLY DATAMOSH!"

Or enjoy the video in its purest form:
http://www.court13.com/Chairlift-Evid...

And check the How to!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYytVz...

Video directed by Ray Tintori
Cinematography by Rob Leitzell
Datamoshery by Bob Weisz
Shot at Maison du Z, July 11th, 2008.

South \africa to leave SANZAR and Super 14?

2009-04-24T15:17:00.003Z

South Africa look set to leave Sanzar and the Super 14. Australia and New zealand are talking about having japan and P.I. in their place. This could be the best thing for rugby in a long time in my view as it will finally force Australia and New Zealand rugby to get Japan and the Pacific Islands on board

www.iol.co.za/index.php?from...

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...

BBC RADIO 1 BIG WEEKEND - I WON TICKETS!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH

2009-04-22T22:44:00.004Z

I'm excited - I saw Soulwax the band back in 2002 I think. Going to see 2 Many DJ's at Radio 1 Big Weekend - check out this clip to get an idea.

Basement Jaxx, Friendly Fires, doves, Florence and the Machine but mainly 2 Many DJ's A.K.A. Soulwax - COME ON!!!!

Will report with video on this website. Takes place on 9th March in Swindon.

NEW METRIC VIDEO - "HELP, I'M ALIVE"

2009-04-20T17:56:00.001Z

Via Stereogum

We first heard Metric's excellent single in acoustic form, soundtracking a montage of confessional interviews with singer/songwriter Emily Haines. In the video, posted on the band's site last fall, we learned Emiliy had been on a soul-searching sojourn in Buenos Aires (go Boca Juniors) after contemplating quitting writing altogether. "I just felt like I didn't want to write that script again for myself, of like, how complex can things be?" she explained (sort of). "It was like I took it as complex as I could. My life sucked." :( The songs eventually composed in Argentina were among "the simplest and clearest writing" of her life, though, and "Help, I'm Alive" with its vulnerable refrain ("If I stumble/ They're gonna eat me alive/ Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?") was the first completed. "It pretty much sums up the state I've been in since I came here, I guess since I was honest with myself and accepted that like I'm really scared. And I don't know where my life is going. And I don't know what I'm doing." You've already heard the new wavey full-band version (and perhaps the whole album). Now "Help"'s got a music video and dancey remix (courtesy of The Twelves).

British and Irish Lions

2009-04-20T17:48:00.002Z

Tomorrow sees the squad selection for this years British and Irish Lions rugby tour to South Africa. The Lions are made up of the best players from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and only come to together once every 4 years.

Check out this John Bentley's great try in 1997 For the Lions vs Gauteng Lions at Ellis Park. Classic.

Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon do rugby!!!

2009-04-19T20:21:00.001Z

Photos have surfaced from the set of The Human Factor, the Nelson Mandella biopic directed by Clint Eastwood that is currently shooting on location in South Africa. The pics show co-star Matt Damon outfitted as Francois Pienaar, captain of the 1995 South African rugby team that took the World Cup and “capped Mandela’s miraculous 10-year effort to bring 43 million South Africans together in an enduring bond.” Morgan Freeman, who is co-producing with Eastwood, will play Mandella primarily during the years following his 23-year imprisonment, in which he served a term as president after the fall of apartheid. Set for release in December, the film is based on the book Playing the Enemy by John Carlin.

Flame and citron

2009-04-19T19:34:00.001Z

Copenhagen 1944. While the Danish population hopes for a swift end to the war, freedom fighters Bent Faurschou-Hviid (23), a.k.a. Flame and Jørgen Haagen Schmith (33), a.k.a. Citron, secretly put their lives at stake fighting for the resistance group.

Observer Review

Brawl at Romanian rugby match

2009-04-17T19:21:00.000Z

A mass fight flared up at a Romanian rugby match between league-leading rivals Dinamo Bucaresti and Farul Constata.
The Romanian Rugby Federation has banned nine players involved in the brawl.

School of rock: I is for Irritation

2009-04-16T20:37:00.001Z

Catchy yet incredibly annoying, are 'earworm' pop songs a sign of great writing or jobbing hackery?

We all have our own personal irritants. A friend of mine, for instance, used to blast Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz to clear her record shop of customers at closing time. But far from the skronk of experimental music, it's the everyday radio play that most gets our collective goats. What is it about harmless daytime filler that turns it into blackboard-scraping fodder?

guardian music blog

Payola: Once a dirty word, now the basis of internet radio

2009-04-16T20:31:00.002Z

webcaster Jango has come up with an ingenious way of legitimising these bribes, by declaring publicly that they've been paid to play songs. For as little as $30, a band can buy 1,000 plays on the music-streaming service, slotted in between established artists (who don't pay for their slots, I assume). The artists themselves choose what other music they'd like to be played next to. It's similar to the Amazon idea of "if you like this you might also like this" – if Amazon accepted payment to put someone on that list. Read more at guardian musicblog

LEGO Nintendo DSi

2009-04-16T13:31:00.001Z

Commissioned by Nintendo, Sean Kenney created this Nintendo DSi with 51,324 LEGO pieces. It's on display at the Nintendo Store in Rockefeller Center, New York City throughout April 2009. More info at

My Life Of Glamour # 03 - CAMPING IN NEWGALE

2009-04-16T13:22:00.001Z

Watch as Duncan, Josh, Abi and Jonny put up a tent in Newgale. Not just any tent. A tent that Tim Westwood has been in. Drop the bomb!!! And if that is not exciting enough it also has a picture of a cow on it! Yes I know it's too much excitement to take in.

My Life Of Glamour # 02 - WATCHING COVER BANDS IN CARDIFF

2009-04-16T13:20:00.001Z

My Life Of Glamour - Part 2. Watch as Jonny goes to see the great stars of rock music...... 50 Cent had to cancel but Jamie Mann and Heidi Lewis were there to fill the gap. Cardiff Wales 28 March 2009. Featuring Jamie Mann, Hieidi Lewis, Lewis Buckley, Katie Jenkins, Jules Simmonds and spinning disco ball!

My Life Of Glamour # 01 - RUGBY ON GRANDADS MOUNTAIN

2009-04-16T13:17:00.001Z

My Life Of Glamour. Part 1.
When you think of glamour Pwlldu, Blaenavon, Wales is obviously one of the first places that come to mind. Watch as Jonny plays the Game for Hooligans Played By Gentlemen. Rugby (well touch rugby) up on Pwlldu.

How to pose like this

2009-04-15T21:21:00.000Z

We are back

2009-04-13T16:22:00.001Z

digitALLSTARS Web Crawl Blog has been away a while but we will be back soon keeping you up to date on the best of the web.

From Wales, a box to make biofuel from car fumes

2007-07-24T14:01:00.001Z

By Michael Szabo

QUEENSFERRY (Reuters) - The world's richest corporations and finest minds spend billions trying to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but three fishing buddies in North Wales believe they have cracked it.

Turn Yourself Into a Simpsons Character

2007-07-20T11:52:00.001Z

Every wondered what you would look like in The Simpsons? Of course you have. All the time surely? Well now you can find out at The Simpsonizer

Upload a photo of yourself and the application analyzes your face, turning you into an honorary Springfield resident.

There's a picker tool to help you dial in the details once your photo has been Simpsonized.

Here are some tips from Wired.com

"1. The site is under a heavy load, so if you keep getting errors, try again.
2. Your picture needs to be at least 640x480, but bigger is better. Go for 800x600 to be safe.
3. 72dpi is OK, but again: bigger is better.
4. Straight-on head shots are all that seem to work. If you get errors, go into Photoshop and pump up the contrast settings. The more, the better.
5. While in Photoshop, removing any random items behind your head will also improve your results, especially if they have a lot of texture. A white wall works, but things like bricks, trees and skylines need to go."

Heres a Simpsons pic of me

BBC to hear iPlayer concerns

2007-07-17T11:47:00.001Z

BBC to hear iPlayer concerns
Calls to make the BBC's on demand TV service work on all computer operating systems are to get a fresh look.

Apple Files Patent for Backlit Trackpads

2007-07-17T11:40:00.000Z

Apple will bring multitouch technology from the iPhone to the mainstream Mac OS X. That much is a foregone conclusion. The technology is too powerful to restrict to just mobile platforms. The only question becomes what multitouch might look like on a full-size computer compared to on an iPhone.

One initial possibility is shown in a patent filing uncovered yesterday for a backlit trackpad that would light up differently based on how many fingers the user applies to the device. In a lot of ways, this is no more than an enhancement to current MacBook and MB Pro trackpads, which are capable of two-finger scrolling, but by highlighting this functionality, Apple could start to drive adoption of the technology. The more people get used to the idea that they should be ready to deliver a variety of interactions, the more ready they’ll be for a wholesale replacement of the mouse or traditional trackpads.

This is an interesting concept, but I would guess this won’t actually come to market exactly as depicted. Patents usually trail implementation a bit these days, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a product based directly on one of these patents ship after the patent approval. Typically, it’s at best a good way to learn about the thinking behind a technology after it ships.

Either way, hope for true multitouch on a laptop is keeping me from upgrading right now. This just sustains my hopes.

Via MacRumors.

Zack Kim - Simpsons Theme

2007-07-17T11:35:00.000Z

Multi-touch on the desktop

2007-07-17T11:32:00.000Z

Multi-touch on the desktop
"If you’re one of the people who think that a multi-touch monitor is a good idea, try this little experiment: touch the top and bottom of your display repeatedly for five minutes. Unless you’re able to beat the governor of California in an arm wrestling match, you’ll give up well before that time limit. Now can you imagine using an interface like this for an eight hour work day?"

via Daring Fireball

Speed camera prank

2007-07-17T11:23:00.000Z

Windows XP Still Trumps Vista

2007-07-17T10:34:00.000Z

Chris Pirillo sparked off a little controversy last week when he announced that he was “upgrading” from Windows Vista to Windows XP. It started with a post on Pirillo’s blog entitled Windows Vista I’m Breaking Up With You.

Apparently lacking anything better to write about, a number of mainstream media outlets picked it up as a story and the usual controversy surrounding the opinions of a high profile blogger ensued.

But Pirillo’s decision to move back to XP has some strong weight behind it and having experienced many of the same issues in my own limited use of Vista, I would, if I still had a copy of XP, probably move back myself.

via compiler

Stereogum Presents...OKX: A Tribute to OK Computer

2007-07-10T18:07:00.000Z

"To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Radiohead's OK Computer we've asked some of our favorite musicians to participate in a song-by-song covers compilation. Indicative of the album's continued importance, each invitee jumped at the chance; the results are personal, intense, tellingly various. Slow down, dig in, enjoy. But note: we did this all legal and everything, so we can't keep these up forever...get 'em before someone else does. Ambition makes you look pretty."
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

A great TV Ad

2007-07-06T19:15:00.000Z

Customer Breaks iPhone Within Hours, Apple Replaces it For Free

2007-07-03T20:02:00.000Z

Via MacFeber

Todd Ficharker, who describes himself as the “clumsiest person in the world” smashed the screen of his iPhone less than 24 hours after he bought it. He explains:

“I tried answering a call while it was plugged in and the short cord pulled it out of my hand and hit the corner of a table on the way down. 100% my fault.”

But there’s a silver lining! Unbelievably, Apple replaced it for free.

“They gave me a brand new phone for free. Talk about fantastic customer care. I am in love 4-eva with Apple.”

Chuck

2007-06-27T16:14:00.000Z

Via cult of mac

"An anonymous tipster sent me this screenshot from new series , written by OC creator Josh Schwartz. In the show, premiering this fall, a guy named Chuck receives all of the spy secrets in the world via a friend who steals them from the most powerful computer in the world: A Mac Classic.

Nice."

Once

2007-06-27T15:48:00.000Z

A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard and his Irish band “The Frames,” the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.

Trailer
Official Movie site

the best / worst gadget ever made

2007-06-27T15:46:00.000Z

Virtual bubblewrap: the best / worst gadget ever made
Bandai Asovision has taken possibly the most enjoyable side benefit of having a gadget obsessed life and made it 100% legitimate with the PuchiPuchi, a gadget that emulates the joy of popping bubble

Deconstructing a Star Wars AT-AT Imperial Walker Baby Stroller

2007-06-21T21:31:00.000Z

check it out

App iPhoney Directly Simulates iPhone Safari Experience

2007-06-21T14:45:00.000Z

Though Apple still hasn’t released a real iPhone SDK, developers continue to create fun and interesting ways to develop for the breakthrough device. The newest tool in the set is iPhoney, a WebKit-based application that looks just like an iPhone on a given screen and renders websites just as they would appear. Sure, it’s a great way to test a site you’re customizing for the iPhone, but it’s also a great way to pretend that you already own one. In fact, it’s the next generation — fully virtual. I’m not broke, I’m ahead of the curve.

Check it out and give the folks behind it feedback. They tell me it will go open-source soon, and I’m dying to see what people can do with it.

via cultofmac.com

New Robyn Video - "With Every Heartbeat"

2007-06-21T14:40:00.000Z

check out stereogum for the new vid

iPhone inaugurates a dangerous new era for Jobs. Has he peaked?

2007-06-19T21:19:00.000Z

Video Killed the Radio Star

2007-06-19T21:12:00.001Z

An amazing street performance by three high school students known as The Wrong Trousers.

Shadows created with junk... Pretty awesome.

2007-06-18T11:12:00.000Z

Freeze Frame Screen, the Shadow, Hot Heads Under Silent Wigs

Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo

2007-06-18T10:33:00.000Z

Using photos of oft-snapped subjects (like Notre Dame) scraped from around the Web, Photosynth (based on Seadragon technology) creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation. Its architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, shows it off in this standing-ovation demo. Curious about that speck in corner? Dive into a freefall and watch as the speck becomes a gargoyle. With an unpleasant grimace. And an ant-sized chip in its lower left molar. "Perhaps the most amazing demo I've seen this year," wrote Ethan Zuckerman, after TED2007. Indeed, Photosynth might utterly transform the way we manipulate and experience digital images.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129

Who in Their Right Mind Would Run Safari on Windows?

2007-06-12T16:41:00.000Z

It makes perfect sense for Apple to release its Safari web browser for Windows, but the question is: What right-thinking Windows user would want it?

Apple Unveils Near Final Mac OS X Leopard

2007-06-12T16:38:00.000Z

Apple Unveils Near Final Mac OS X Leopard
The near-final version of Mac OS X Leopard, unveiled today at the World Wide Developers Conference, introduces over 300 new features. They include a new Desktop and Dock with Stacks; an updated Finder featuring Cover Flow and a new way to easily browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to rapidly preview most files without opening an application; Time Machine, a new way to easily and automatically back up and restore lost files or a complete Mac; Spaces, a powerful new feature to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and enhanced iChat and Mail applications, which easily allow users to communicate even more creatively. Mac OS X Leopard, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system, is scheduled to ship in October.

Kiss Boring Interfaces Goodbye With Apple's New Animated OS

2007-06-08T09:37:00.000Z

Kiss Boring Interfaces Goodbye With Apple's New Animated OS
When Steve Jobs takes the stage Monday at Apple's programmers conference, he's likely to give the world a glimpse of an upgraded Mac operating system that could herald the biggest changes to the machine's interface in 30 years. (see also Apple to Show Off Leopard's Claws at WWDC)

New Ryan Adams Live Video - "Everybody Knows"

2007-06-06T15:32:00.000Z

The estimable Mr. Adams donned his Magritte and Harry Potter specs, bringing the Cardinals into a string-lighted studio to videotape some tracks, including Easy Tiger's "Everybody Knows" and Cold Roses cut "Magnolia Mountain," being for the benefit of Amazon.com. "Everybody Knows," our third taste of Tiger, is a Ry-ish romp through rootsy, Americana rock, with some Dead-slinging guitar lines, interlaced with some pedal steel and a big, harmonious hook. The Ry-curious can watch 'em here

via stereogum.com

The Strokes - You Only Live Once

2007-06-01T12:43:00.000Z

Kubrick, 2001:A Space Odyssey, and The Strokes all in one video.
http://thestrokes.imeem.com/video/YG-iSIQn/the_strokes_you_only_live_once/

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates share the stage

2007-05-31T22:14:00.000Z

A selection of rip-roaring laughs and jokes from the joint interview between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the D5 conference.

Videos of the complete Steve Jobs and Bill Gates interview:

Mr. Hopkinson's Computer

2007-05-21T18:55:00.000Z

As seen in the Guardian a few days back Mr. Hopkinson's Computer turns the likes of Radiohead, Portishead and The Stone Roses into Stephen Hawking style digitized, electro crazy music.

KNOCKING

2007-05-17T13:30:00.000Z

KNOCKING opens the door on Jehovah's Witnesses. They are moral conservatives who stay out of politics and the Culture War, but they won a record number of court cases expanding freedom for everyone. They refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds, but they embrace the science behind bloodless surgery. In Nazi Germany, they could fight for Hitler or go to the concentration camps. They chose the camps. Following two families who stand firm for their controversial and misunderstood Christian faith, KNOCKING reveals how one unlikely religion helped to shape history beyond the doorstep.

Knocking explores the often misunderstood World of Jehovah's Witnesses "Riveting and illuminating. KNOCKING takes us inside the world of Jehovah's Witnesses in a way that is utterly surprising and moving."
- Anderson Cooper, CNN

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Holocaust

During the Nazi regime, about 35,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses lived in Germany and Nazi-occupied lands. As they had before Adolf Hitler assumed power, they attempted to keep a neutral position regarding politics, refusing to take part in Nazi rituals, elections and programs. Witnesses refused to join organizations such as the Hitler Youth and the Nazi Party. When military service became mandatory, Witness men refused to be inducted.

Hitler personally vowed to exterminate Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Nazis branded Witnesses a dangerous enemy, hounding them out of their homes, jobs and classrooms. Witness teachers and railroad clerks were fired simply for failing to give the “heil Hitler” salute. For the same reason, Witness children were beaten and expelled from school.

Under this ban, Witnesses held secret worship services. They ran underground printing operations, producing Watchtower magazines and pamphlets that exposed the criminal activity of the Nazi regime. In coordinated nighttime actions in 1936 and 1937, they left hundreds of thousands of copies of protest leaflets at German homes and offices, including Gestapo headquarters.

The Nazis arrested thousands of Witnesses, men and women. Many faced interrogations and torture. About 13,400 were sent to Nazi prisons and camps. Since Nazi officials regarded Witness parents as a corrupting influence, they took nearly 500 Witness children away and placed them in reformatories and Nazi foster homes.

By 1938, about 6,000 Witnesses had been sent to prisons and camps. They constituted five to 10 percent of the inmate population prior to the start of World War II. Jehovah’s Witness inmates were identified by purple triangles on their uniforms. The Nazis offered Witnesses their freedom if they would sign a document renouncing their faith, but most Witnesses refused. Witness prisoners banded together and helped each other to survive by sharing food and caring for the sick. Nearly 2,000 Witnesses died during the Hitler years, including 270 Witness men who were executed for refusing to join the German army.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking/film.html

http://www.knocking.org/

Ultimate 'Indy' Flick: Fanboys Remake Raiders of the Lost Ark

2007-05-16T12:20:00.000Z

In 1982, three 12-year-olds from Mississippi set out to remake Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was no weekend project: Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb and Chris Strompolos intended to replicate the 1981 George Lucas/Steven Spielberg blockbuster shot-for-shot. They'd use a rented video camera, rather than shooting on 35mm. With no access to A-list (or B- or even D-list) actors, they cast their buddies from middle school instead.
While Lucas and Spielberg spent $26 million on their Raiders, the Mississippi kids had only their pocket money. Plus, none of them had ever made a movie. Nonetheless, over the course of seven sweltering summers, with a total budget of about $5,000, Zala, Lamb and Strompolos completed a 100-minute work that, if passion, commitment and degree of difficulty are your criteria, stands as the greatest fan film yet made.

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/news/2007/05/diy_raiders

The best music video of all time

2007-05-03T16:59:00.000Z

George Foreman iGrill, with iPod connectivity!

2007-04-27T14:07:00.000Z

The perfect thing for your outdoor barbecue, now that summer seems to be threatening to appear... The George Foreman iGrill, with iPod connectivity!

The world has gone mad!

Behind the Scenes of Pimp my Ride

2007-04-25T08:26:00.000Z

Coming soon to digitALLSTARS.com is the documentary Behind the Scenes of Pimp My Ride featuring Abi Lewis who will be on Pimp My Ride this Sunday (29 April) at 9.30 on MTV UK

Click here for a preview

The Apples in stereo "Can You Feel It?" ROUGH Cut

2007-04-03T11:56:00.001Z

Ratatouille

2007-04-02T11:26:00.001Z

A new Ratatouille trailer is online now.

2 New Transformers TV spots! For all you geeks

2007-04-02T11:14:00.000Z

I wonder if they still have the one that turns int a tape player?

http://www.filmwad.com/2-new-transformers-tv-spots--2046-p.html

dan le sac VS scroobius pip "Thou Shalt always Kill"

2007-03-30T13:46:00.000Z

Released on Lex 2nd April (digital download) and 16th April limited edition 7"

Great stuff.

Best Backwards Music Videos Of All Time

2007-03-29T21:35:00.000Z

via stereogum

"Best Backwards Music Videos Of All Time
With Mute Math's "Typical" getting so much YouTube love for being shot in reverse, we thought we'd put together a list of our all time favorite backwards music vids. They're all pretty cool -- duh, they're backwards! -- but we feel strongly about our #1 pick. It was competitive eater Hirofumi Nakajima's sixth take!"

See the others here

Jack White To Play The King?

2007-03-27T20:31:00.000Z

Via Stereogum

"We have nothing to back this but an off-hand tease in an IGN.com article, but Jack White may be in talks to play the best singer of all time, Elvis Presley, in a feature-length parody of recent biopics like Walk The Line and Ray, entitled Walk Hard. IGN.com writes:

The late Elvis Presley may live onscreen once again, this time played by another rocker. The forthcoming musical biopic parody Walk Hard stars John C. Reilly as a Johnny Cash/Roy Orbison-type rockabilly singer named Dewey Cox whose professional and personal ups and downs are recounted in the film.
And who might play The King? None other than Jack White from The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. White is no stranger to Hollywood, having played small roles in Cold Mountain and Coffee and Cigarettes.

IMDB confirms John C. Reilly's involvement, and ups the awesome with The Office's Jenna Fischer, SNL standout and Stereofave Kristin Wiig, and Anchorman's David Koechner ("Whaaamy!"). Alas, no official confirmation on Jack just yet -- but as these pics show, it's the role he's been pouting for his whole career."

Air Guitar Nation

2007-03-23T17:11:00.000Z

Via Cool Hunting

"Air Guitar Nation, the documentary about pro air guitarists, has been bouncing around the festival circuit to wide acclaim for the last year or so. Opening this Friday, 23 March 2007 (in limited release in NYC and L.A.), its day has come.

In 2002 Krison Rucker happened to read in the Wall Street Journal that the International Air Guitar Championship was being held in Finland. He got his friend Cedric Devitt to join him and they went to Oulu, Finland to check it out. Cedric spontaneously entered the competition and came in fifth place. Upon returning to New York they decided that the U.S. had to compete the next year. They formed the U.S. Air Guitar Championships and teamed up with production company Magical Elves and director Alexandra Lipsitz to make a documentary about the whole process.

Air Guitar Nation follows the competitons in NYC and L.A. to find the US Air Guitar champion, who will then go to Finland to compete for the world title. The two major contenders and characters are Bjorn Toroque and C-Diddy. The film is filled with intense competiton, lots of mullets, rock music and wicked air guitar."

The best firefox extensions list

2007-03-22T16:14:00.001Z

OS X and Windows at the same time

2007-03-19T12:07:00.000Z

This from http://brandon.fuller.name/blog/
What the heck is that? Its Windows’s Solitaire and Photo Booth sharing the same desktop! Wait that’s the Vista sidebar and the OS X dock???

"I was messing around with the new build of Parallels this weekend and they have this Coherence feature. Instead of running Windows full screen on your Mac, or running Windows in a window, you can have it superimpose your Windows Desktop on your Mac OS X desktop. Its kinda freaky but it then allows you to combine all the windows together as if they were all there natively — almost. Its pretty slick. It puts the 2 “docks” at the bottom. Probably some better way to arrange them but you get the idea.

Better yet, you can have the Parallels VM image come off of your Boot Camp partition. So when and if you want to run Windows by itself, you can. Or you can run in the VM. Or it can make you breakfast. I haven’t had a good “oh wow” with any software lately. This definitely reset that clock.

This is really making me think that I might buy some type of Mac as my next machine. Then I can split the disk with Boot Camp between Mac OS X and Vista. Then I can take my old PC and run Parallels Transporter program and suck my aging Dell’s XP image into Parallels. Then I can have everything all on one box. I just need as much CPU and RAM as I can get. Maybe one of them Power Macs with a big 30” monitor. A boy can dream can’t he!!!"

iRack

2007-03-15T12:00:00.001Z

Irack
Uploaded by tcmagnet

Jobs does a Bush with the Irack

Animated Atari Pong T-Shirt

2007-03-13T18:22:00.000Z

Kanye West gets food delivery from Wales to USA

2007-03-06T11:52:00.001Z

LONDON - If Kanye West were to walk into the British Raj's dining room and order dinner, it would cost the rapper about $17.50. But since the restaurant is delivering — from Wales to New York — it's going to cost a bit more.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_en_mu/people_west_2

What is in the box?

2007-03-06T11:51:00.001Z

New Adobe CS3 Ad

one leg skiing

2007-03-03T18:24:00.001Z

Olympian Bode Miller loses a ski early on in his run and figures, "What the hell, I'll keep going!"

Adobe to take Photoshop online.

2007-03-03T17:53:00.000Z

Adobe has revealed that it plans to release a Web-based version of Photoshop within six months.
CEO Bruce Chizen said in an interview that the service is likely to be free, funded by advertising, and will offer an entry-level toolset without diluting the Photoshop brand.

http://news.com.com/Adobe+to+take+Photoshop+online/2100-7345-6163015.html

'Brawn Again'

2007-02-23T11:55:00.000Z

No matter what you say about the Welsh rugby team and coaching team being rubbish at the moment, you can't say wales doesn't have a sense of humor. Tomorrow sees Wales play France in Paris in rugby's 6 Nations. While Welsh fans will probably be crying when France put 50+ points on them at least they can enjoy the humor of Welsh sponsors Brains Beer.

In France alcohol's advertising in sport is not allowed so when Wales last play in Paris 2 years ago the sponsors changed the wording on the welsh shirt from 'Brains' to 'Brawn'. Classic!

So what will they do this year.on the BBC Scrum V message board dcym says

"Read in the WM [Western Mail] it's going to be 'Brawn Again'. More appropriately:
'Lost again'
'Uncle Gareth's favourite prop' (or 'centre', 'wing' etc)
'How's my playing? Phone 0800 GARETH'
'Bring back Ruddock'
'Gavin who?'"

CymruCubbin says

"On the forwards' shirts -
"I wish my wife was this dirty."

On the backs' shirts -
"Not in the face." (could be a quote from their wives, too)"

CorradoVR6

"What about on the front:

"Which Way To The Try Line"

On the Back:

"Found It""

Robyn record to get release in UK

2007-02-21T11:33:00.000Z

When I was in Sweden last summer I got my hands on Robyn's great record "Robyn" (how long did it take them to come up with that name?) Now it's getting a release in the UK. Here's what Fluxblog.org says:

"It's been a long time, but Robyn is finally releasing her self-titled album in the UK. Two of the songs have been re-recorded, two other songs have been added, and the running order has been shuffled around so that "Konichiwa Bitches" is the first proper tune on the record. It's funny how the character of the album shifts so much with these changes even though it's mostly the same thing. "Bum Like You" and "Robotboy" are both faster and thoroughly electro now, and as a result the albums feels considerably less eclectic and more focused on being this super modern Europop thing. I prefer the original version of "Bum Like You," but "Robotboy" has definitely been improved by its faster pace and sweeter production. As a whole, Robyn is better -- the kinks have been ironed out, and it suddenly sounds more like a greatest hits compilation than a regular album. (Click here for Robyn's official site.)"

Ice Ice Baby. +3 points for cheesy dancing!

2007-02-13T13:40:00.000Z

I predict great things for this lad.

Top Gear In America

2007-02-12T22:30:00.000Z

The top gear guys run into trouble in the USA

Best “No Comment” Response Ever

2007-02-06T16:45:00.000Z

via http://www.friday.com/bbum/2007/02/01/best-no-comment-response-ever/

"What happens after someone heads out of the courthouse after an arraignment hearing for an extremely visible, supposedly newsworthy, set of charges?

There is a press conference. Attorney is present. Lots and lots of inane questions followed by nothing but “no comment” responses.

Not any more. The two dudes charged with a bunch of mass hysteria security theater trumped up bullshit charges just had the best post arraignment press conference ever.

Instead of no comment, the entire interview is a discussion of hair styles throughout the 20th century. Every question is turned away or turned back to hair.

Instead of “No Comment”, you get “That isn’t a hair question and we are really here to talk about hair.”

Brilliant.

Drudge is carrying this video under the headline “suspects mock media”.

Well, DUH! Given the choice of saying “no comment” or making fun of the media for persisting to ask questions that they know can’t be answered, I am damned happy to see someone stand up and indirectly point out the utter and completely inane stupidity of the reporters on the scene."

Charlie Booker hates Macs

2007-02-06T16:26:00.000Z

Charlie Booker in The Guardian:

I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don’t use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.

Prince Superbowl Halftime Show

2007-02-05T22:26:00.000Z

Why can't they have half time shows like that at Newport Gwent Dragons rugby?

This is what stereogum.com said

"Best Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever

Prince is 48. That's fun to think about while you watch YouTubes of the Purple One performing in the rain over and over and over today. Screw his physical ailments, Prince was four times as hip as any Super Bowl halftime show we can remember. From "Let's Go Crazy" to "Proud Mary" to "Baby I'm A Star," bluesy bits of "All Along The Watchtower" into a Foo Fighters(?!) cover ("Best Of You") that was probably a highlight of Dave Grohl's life -- with chops the rain couldn't stop, wearing a do-rag turban thing, with twin dancers, a marching band, and a perfect "Purple Rain" with Prince looking like he was playing in a massive condom. Best. (And kudos for avoiding the expected-yet-unnecessary Super Bowl cameos from Tina Turner, John Fogerty, or Dave Grohl, etc.)"

Part 1

Part 2

Enjoy

Ben Folds responds to mandatory FBI anti-piracy logo

2007-02-05T12:00:00.000Z

Grand Theft Auto Coca-Cola Super Bowl Commercial

2007-02-05T11:55:00.000Z

'Get a mac' campaign british makeover

2007-01-29T11:46:00.000Z

The 'Get a mac' campaign gets a british makeover featuring Michell and Webb from Peepshow.

I been skiing!!!

2007-01-26T12:09:00.000Z

I've been on hol for a week in Aplpd'huez, France. Here's a vid.

Microsoft dropped off a giant Internet Explorer logo to Netscape headquarters after IE was released. But ...

2007-01-26T12:08:00.000Z

iPhone in trouble

2007-01-11T11:58:00.000Z

iPhone & LG KE850: separated at birth?

Cisco Sues Apple Over iPhone Name