Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You

Can't stop listening to this song at the moment after first hearing it out in Budapest. It's being released in the UK on the 28th February 2010.

The sample is by Peggy Lee. CRANK UP THE BASS!

Persistent Pyramids by Anatoly Zenkov

These photos prove that 3 really is the magic number.

Via BOOOOOOOM!

Siri on the iPhone

Here's an app which really takes smartphones to the next level. Siri, which has taken a year to develop and required $24 million of investment through venture capital, offers the services of a personal assistant whilst on the move. I've yet to try it in the UK, but the demonstration video below certainly looks impressive - if you ignore the audible mouse clicks which seem to be navigating. I like how it draws upon a whole realm of internet information sites, such as OpenTable and RottenTomatoes, in order to improve user experience.

Neurosonics meets Beardyman

Neurosonics Live from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

Director Chris Cairns has utilised the technology from boffins at Neurosonics to make this awesome video. Collaborating with beat-boxer 'BeardyMan' (who was excellent at Glastonbury this year), he has made this awesome short showing that 3D technology needs to be holographic to be truly gobsmacking.

Via Creative Review.

Crayola Rockets

I'm not sure whether or not this is a viral campaign by Crayola (it seems unlikely as children and fireworks never go down well), but you have to admire the effort that Mr. John Coker has put in since 1994 to replicate the tools behind his favourite childhood past time. The colourful rockets were fired in the Nevada desert to create this stunning image.

Via Waylou.

Windows Phone 7 series

Oh Microsoft. Despite creating a stunning new mobile interface which prompted Gizmodo to tweet "Microsoft have just out-Appled Apple", you had to go and spoil it all by calling it...Windows Phone 7 Series. The Windows Phone would have been fine. Or the 7 phone. Or maybe the Phone...that might finally put an end to every new gadget being prefixed by an 'i'.

Jokes aside, I did not see this one coming. Microsoft really have created a BANGING phone OS which almost makes the iPhone look dated. Having a plethora of apps now seems messy; Microsoft have instead organised everything into 'hubs'. Head to 'People' and you have your contact book, social networking, etc. 'Office' has all work related applications in one place. It's all very well integrated and has obviously required a degree of lateral thinking.

Another welcome addition is the integration of Xbox Live. Despite only entering the ominously named 'console wars' less than a decade ago, Microsoft has really pulled out all the stops, with a huge legion of subscription paying gamers who are fiercely loyal to the 360 brand. It makes sense to utilise this huge market to its full potential by making the Xbox Live Marketplace mobile instead of developing a stand-alone app store to take on the behemoth that is iTunes.

Whether manufactures will produce hardware that is quick enough to handle this new OS is debatable. It will be a disaster for Microsoft if their 'Windows Phone' software is bundled on lacklustre handsets which do irreparable damage to their image by not being able to render the 'hubs' properly. I must say, I'm considering ditching the 'iLife' and going back to Windows...

Wired on an iPad

Wired have recently released footage of the first glimpse of what might be possible on the next generation of e-readers (not necessarily the iPad). Using a program called AIR made by Adobe and to be included with CS5, this video shows how breathtaking journalism may become if e-readers become the norm. I was particularly impressed with the format of the adverts in the 'e-zine'. Instead of being small snippets of video, which is the norm one sees whilst currently surfing the web, Wired have highlighted how the unique interactivity of touch screen interfaces allow for a distinct form of advertisement. Rather than looking brash, the interactivity is understated; at a glance the ad could easily be in a print magazine. The car ad, for example, is nothing ground breaking in terms of presentation, meaning the ability to spin the car around with your finger looks incredibly intuitive.

Despite having a bit of an iRant last week, I do think e-readers offer a beacon of hope to the dying journalism industry. Waking up, switching on your piece of e-paper and having all your favourite magazines/newspapers at your disposal would be awesome. Especially if it were as well executed as this.

N.B. Scott really needs a LARGE dose of enthusiasm. I've never heard such a depressing mono-tone voice.

Google before you tweet....

Rethink Scholarship

Thanks to Katie for showing me this snazzy video!

Four Tet - Love Cry (Joy Orbison remix)

I thoroughly recommend purchasing the new alum to hear the original of this song, as well as a collection of other SLAMMING tracks. Mr. Hebden is playing around the UK over the next few months. Check here for dates. I'm off to see him in Bristol!

The Rise of the Prosumer

The word 'prosumer' is a hybrid of the words produced and consumer which perfectly describes the role of the Web 2.0/3.0 citizen in the modern technological era.

iSlate the iPad

You would have to have been living under a rock (if Steve has his way, an iRock) for the past month to have escaped the media circus that has been following the faintest scrap of news regarding Apples new gadget. Although it was announced over a week ago, I have purposefully delayed writing about it on my blog. As a self-confessed Apple fan, I have been hoping that I would eventually be swayed by what is essentially an expensive paperweight.

Firstly, I am disappointed by the screen. Despite countless reviews claiming it to be 'stunning', it is essentially pretty standard. A 1024x768 display is nothing new. I was at least expecting it to be OLED or use electronic ink. There's no way that people are going to choose staring at a small, expensive, brightly lit screen over buying an inexpensive paperback. The publishing industry need a truly innovative display technology in order to convince people that the reading material that has been used since the EGYPTIANS should be surpassed. This. Is. Not. It.

I'm also disappointed at the funcitonality. Not being able to multi-task is a real flaw. OK, so maybe with a software update you'll be able to at a later date; that would explain the OTT processor. But even then, I really can't see why anyone would have any use for it. You can't really take it out and about because the curved back makes typing impossible, it only connects to wifi, a huge chunk of the web will be inaccessible because of their disagreements with Adobe and WHERE WOULD YOU PUT IT?! Aside from the fact that you could use your cheaper, 3G compatible iPhone instead, which handily also allows you to make telephone calls.

So maybe Apple want you to use it at home. But surely if you have enough cash floating around to buy an iPad (the name meant that within an hour of it's announcement, iTampon was trending on Twitter), you'd have a pretty banging computer. So I've concluded that the only place you'd end up using your iPad would be in the toilet. Where it belongs.

Alas, despite consistently looking for a reason to love the latest iGadget, I can find none. Instead, I become incensed by the audacity and arrogance of Apple to release an ultimately useless gadget which they believe will be bought in its millions because of the Apple brand...which is undoubtedly what will happen.

NB. If he used all these adjectives so many times, they can't be true.