The Creative Archive has gone live today. I think it is a fantastic project with huge promise.
The Creative Archive will not be using DRM around the content. The BBC’s pilot site will be using a technology called GEOIP filtering to ensure that content sourced directly from the BBC will only be available to UK citizens.
A short article in the International Herald Tribune White House Letter: ‘Boomer rock’ keeps Bush’s heart in tune unwittingly reveals President Bush to be an illegal filesharer.
The president also has an eclectic mix of songs downloaded into his iPod from Mark McKinnon, a biking buddy and his chief media strategist in the 2004 campaign. Among them are “Circle Back” by John Hiatt, “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care” by Joni Mitchell and “My Sharona,”
With such an obvious case of copyright infringement and for such a high profile infringer I feel the RIAA would be remiss if they did not pursue this individual and take him to court. Such a case would really hammer home to teenage Americans how filesharing is wrong and that not even those in high political office are above the law.
Tags: copyright
Get Perpendicular is a brilliantly funny animation done by Hitachi to promote their new storage technologies.
But try to ignore that and just sit back and enjoy one of the best animated shorts you’ll have seen in a long time.
Tags: animation, humour, technology
Night Watch is a Russian made vampire movie that looks set to surpass Blade.
Set in contemporary Moscow, Night Watch revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness — the result of a medieval truce between the opposing sides. As night falls, the dark forces battle the super-human “Others” of the Night Watch, whose mission is to patrol and protect.
But there is constant fear that an ancient prophecy will come true: that a powerful “Other” will rise up, be tempted by one of the sides, and tip the balance plunging the world into a renewed war between the dark and light, the results of which would be catastrophic.
The trailer looks awesome, I love the effect with the crows and it is apparently only the first part of a planned trilogy of films.
Tags: movies
‘Freedom!’ is the fatuous jingle of our civilization, but only those deprived of it have the barest inkling of what the stuff actually is. – David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
Perhaps a little Morphine will refresh my memory – Homer J. Simpson
Tags: quotes
I’ve just found out that all duty managers of the cinema need to be identified by the council as part of our license to show films in the city. They are requesting two passport sized photographs including one that has been notarised by an upstanding member of the public as being a true likeness.
Now I cannot get a straight answer from anyone why this is necessary because it seems that no one truly knows. It’s just yet another pointless bureaucratic load of bollocks.
Tags: identity
Some quicklinks to stuff I would like to write about in greater detail but lack the time to do so at the moment.
IFTF: What’s your personal video gaming history? A project that I’d be interested in contributing to, but as I barely have enough time to write this blog I doubt if I’ll get around to doing it.
Wikipedia to be released in CD-ROM/DVD format and to be hosted on Yahoo’s servers. With both these pieces of news I think that the Wikipedia has secured it’s future. It will continue in it’s present form as a website but also as a stable DVD format to compete with the likes of those offered by Encarta and Britannica.
The effects of celery on loose elastic. An intriguing gallery of some of the artwork of Art Frahm.
Pamela Anderson stars in a comedy series that proves you can’t judge a bookstore by it’s cover girl. The name of this new show…
Stacked It must have taken some kind of inspired genius to come up with that title. The best bit about the show is that it will star Christopher Lloyd as an eccentric professor, although probably a bit less crazy than he was as Doc. Brown in Back to the Future.
Oddly Fox Television have decided to promote the show by creating a friendster profile for it, with blogs by the cast and crew.
The most interesting thing about all this is discovering the list of Pamela Anderson’s favourite books at her Friendster blog, aside from the expected self promotion with her novel Star topping the list there is also Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller, Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
I think I’ll have to go and pick up an attractive bookstore clerk the next time I’m browsing the shelves.
Tags: books
Get yourself represented.
BBC News: Blair sets 5 May as election date
The general election will be held on 5 May, Tony Blair has formally announced.
Speaking after asking the Queen to dissolve Parliament next week, Mr Blair said Labour had a “driving mission” for a third term in office.
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders pre-empted the announcement by starting nationwide tours of key seats.
Michael Howard accused Mr Blair’s government of “losing the plot” while Charles Kennedy said he would focus on people’s hopes, not their fears.
I’m really torn this election as I am a Labour supporter from way back but can no longer support them given the way this government has acted on crucial issues in the last few years.
At least I can consider my vote a tactical one in order to oust the Conservative incumbant as Labour are the third party in the area and have very little chance of winning the seat.
If we had a sensible system like Proportional Representation I would be more torn I think.
Tags: politics
Star Wars merchandising has hit unbelievable proportions with the limited edition M&M wrappers.
There are a total of 72 different packs. You can even get a handy checklist to tick them off.
Shit, to collect that many you’re gonna have to eat a hell of a lot of chocolate or pay a fortune on eBay to Star Wars-hating chocoholics. It’s a hard life being a Star Wars obsessive.
Tags: Star Wars