: : Red Dog's Travels : :

SOLVED: iPhone Safari Text Reflow Issue

2012-01-28T08:22:00.001-08:00

If like me you've been quietly cursing Apple for stubborn and myopic attitudes with regards text reflow support on iPhone Safari browser, then you'll be pleased to hear that an elegant solution is now here.What is text reflow some of you may ask? Well if you read this forum post on your iPhone, you will see that when trying to zoom in and view the text, the text does not wrap allowing you to elegantly speed read, flowing up and down the page with a flick of your thumb. Instead, you have to squint and swipe left and right to view the text. Despite numerous requests from users, Apple's response has been that text reflow is not necessary because of Retina display. But no matter how sharp text on a screen may be, it is not enjoyable having to squint to read and digest content on your device. Moreover, on that note, why do visually impaired users have to connect their iPhones to Itunes in order to enable Accessibility features? Why not have this feature available from either the application menu or iPhone settings.

For Android users, this is not an issue. As to my knowledge, all devices support well implemented text reflow by default, but if you're thinking of jumping ship all is not lost. Enter Mercury browser for the iPhone. Must admit I stumbled across this alternative browser because it was mentioned alongside Atomic browser as supporting text reflow. I normally don't search for alternative iPhone browsers as Opera and Dolphin for iOS I found lacking compared to the stock Safari.

Well a quick check of both Atomic and Dolphin previously installed and forgotten on my iPhone 3GS showed that whilst Atomic provided text reflow support, it was not smooth, and there were a few text elements overlapping. So I downloaded Mercury browser and was blown away! A really elegant and cool interface, that blows Safari out of the water. with full accessibility features. No gimmicky iOS 5 hit READER button solutions here. Just full and true text reflow at a touch of a button. No need to ditch your iPhone for that Samsung Galaxy S2 you've been eyeing.

Job done! ;-)

More experiences:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2658710?start=0&tstart=0

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1312782

Flaviola e o Bando do Sol - Flaviola e o Bando do Sol by Mr Bongo on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

2011-12-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Flaviola e o Bando do Sol - Flaviola e o Bando do Sol by Mr Bongo on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Dave Sanders: Fiber-Optics Exec by Day, Defender of Justice by Night | Magazine

2011-12-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Dave Sanders: Fiber-Optics Exec by Day, Defender of Justice by Night | Magazine

Music world puts on 'thank you' gig in solidarity with Occupy London | UK news | The Guardian

2011-12-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

Music world puts on 'thank you' gig in solidarity with Occupy London | UK news | The Guardian

Fix That New Google Reader White Pain with Stylish

2011-11-04T05:01:00.000-07:00

Hate the new Google Reader changes? Google not listening to you, then make the fix with these Stylish themes.

google-reader-mac-os-x-snow-leopard

google-reader-kemwer-black

compact-google-reader

Enjoy!

iPhone 5 Concept Features - YouTube

2011-10-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

iPhone 5 Concept Features - YouTubeRecall a lunch-break conversation way back in 2001/02 with colleagues in Olympia London, with one colleague Rod bemoaning the severe limitations of cell-phone screen real estate. I suggested that the only viable solution I could envisage, apart from foldable materials, would be a screen projector for presentation or increased productivity. Almost everyone at our table laughed apart from Rod, who said no hold-on there may be something in this. As he urged me to elaborate, I described a concept in which the only drawback was the need for adequate lighting or a blank surface for the image. This could be negated however, with hologram technology. The keyboard could be extendible or a laser one. Fast forward 8 or so years and NTT Docomo and Samsung have launched their projector phones, which is an initial step towards my original concept. This video illustrates the full concept and I feel could realistically reach the market in the next 5 or 7 years.

The Search for the Uber Info Management System Pt 2: Or Why we like a good old SYNC

2011-09-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

The attraction of Google Docs was irresistable initially, with the ability to have your files available in any location. In hindsight, Google's cloud provision for true portability forced myself and others to change working practices in order to gain that portability. In reality is this really true portability when you do not have the actual physical document? And I've asked myself this question again, when finding myself with flaky or no internet connections, forcing me to download a local copy and then create my own ad-hoc versioning system to overwrite the old document online in Goodle Docs. Enter DropBox.Actually, I had a DropBox account for a couple of years, but never used it as was blinded by Google's offering. It was initially a need to transfer files to my iPhone that made me revisit the service, then finding myself with an intermittent internet service when travelling that made me look again at my current Google Docs system. Using it for the iPhone again, I realised just how seamless and quick the synchronisation worked, giving me true portability to all my files. I then thought, wouldn't this work great if I had all my Google Docs downloaded into my DropBox folder. No need to to download and create separate archived versions. DropBox would just handle all automagically!Well today rather than attempt at using DropBox purely for archiving or back-up, will make it my primary file management system. Thus keeping all things centralised and no need for multiple Google Accounts.What's your solution? Let me know.Always have your stuff when you need it with @Dropbox. 2GB account is free! http://db.tt/XdAwKX8

Turbo Boost Google Reader for real

2011-03-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

For all info-junkies and online professionals getting your daily fix of news and info, or just trying to stay on top of the plethora of information sources can often be overwhelming if not futile. A slick and fast client or whatever your source, be it email, Twitter, FaceBook or RSS feeds is vital. This is why I've found myself giving up on Google Reader for RSS feeds time and again, due to its sluggishness and tendency to crash Firefox, Chrome or whatever browser's en vogue for me. Have tried countless suggestions but to no avail, leaving to test alternatives such as Good Knows and Fast Ladder. Couldn't get on with their interfaces, so found myself returning to Google Reader and using the limited iPhone interface within the browser. Although the speed is great, the experience felt lacking. So back to its big brother full fat Google Reader one last time.

Originally tried online tips such as hiding the navigation bar, but that didn't work. Here's what I did, and with surprising results.

1. First use list view. Always used this, but only made a marginal difference in speed.
2. For subscriptions use default icons
3. Show only updated
4. Hide unread counts

The last three combined, surprisingly made a hell of a difference. Now full fat Google Reader load's almost as fast as the iPhone thin client. Now you can enjoy your dose of full fat Google RSS Reader everytime, and no need to compromise with lite.

Contest: Create Your Ideal PSP 2 | PSP World

2010-06-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Contest: Create Your Ideal PSP 2 | PSP World. Cool concept design contest for the Sony PSP 2.

Netvibes: the return of the power start page

2010-05-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

Way back in the mists of the dawn of the internet, there was once a young Prince among the new internet pioneers, that Prince was Yahoo and their key technology was what was called a web portal. A central hub of content, news, and services. Yahoo gave you the ability to personalise this portal with your own page, imaginatively called "My Yahoo!", in which you could pull content from the main portal and customise and arrange how you see fit.

I recall back in the late 90's and early 2000's that this was my hub of choice and was a fundamental element of my desktop productivity. At some stage however, I stopped using My Yahoo, and later eventually migrated away from all their services (as late as 2007) and sadly said goodbye. This move, you guessed it, was initiated by the arrival of new services that did the job better. Namely, Google. But while GMail, GCal and Google search became an integral part of my online life, iGoogle (Google's answer to My Yahoo), just didn't cut it for me. Specifically the UI was horrid. So my start page days were dead and buried. It was a case of constantly customising my various machine desktops and browser settings specific to that machine. This was a pain, and even with browser tweaks, your customisations were still tethered to specific machines. You couldn't jump on another machine and get all your personalised content to go.

So after a number years messing with machine desktop customisations with each change, the need for a centralised personal portal became more pressing. Also, even with all my most needed resources bookmarked and close at hand, I still found myself managing and switching between multiple windows. So I though I'd check into iGoogle and see if anything's been updated. Sadly, no. Cool gadgets, but still the horrendous UI. I knew of Netvibes but never tried it, namely because I didn't want to move outside of Google's metaverse, but this time thought I'd give it a try. A web search of "google inside netvibes" brought of the following useful links:

http://www.solo-technology.com/blog/2007/12/11/google-reader-in-netvibes-solved/

http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/05/04/web-worker-head-to-head-igoogle-vs-netvibes/

http://mashable.com/2007/05/08/netvibes-personal-office/

http://www.christine.net/2008/04/goodbye-google.html

Initial thoughts. Powerful widget platform. Can add services with a drag and drop, mind you some can be improved upon. Not only can you separate content and services via tabs, but you can also add dashboards which essentially equates to desktop workspaces. This means you can contextualise your work and cut out distractions. So personal items can be easily separated from work items for example. Although very powerful and intuitive there was one thing less intuitive, and that was the ability to copy tabs. You would assume this would be in manage dashboards, but you can achieve this by clicking the share this tab button. Other gripes. Feed content does not update immediately. Hopefully this is a bug with the new Netvibes Wasabi version and will be ironed out at some point.

Overall, have found it a powerful aid to desktop productivity. Haven't decided to ditch Google Reader, as would prefer to just integrate that into Netvibes. Haven't been successful with this so far, as Google as place frame restrictions on its content. If anyone, knows any further Netvibes tips, then please let me know.

Would You Like to Live INSIDE a Nintendo DS? | The Red Shell

2010-05-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Would You Like to Live INSIDE a Nintendo DS? | The Red Shell

YouTube - ClamCase™ the all-in-one keyboard, case and stand for iPad�

2010-05-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

YouTube - ClamCase™ the all-in-one keyboard, case and stand for iPad�

Cranial Soup: Bit.ly is Harmful to Your Reputation

2010-05-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Cranial Soup: Bit.ly is Harmful to Your Reputation

The search for the uber info management system...

2010-04-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted for a while, but thought it worth sharing my thoughts on the above. I'll add more as I get closer to an ideal system. Much of this post is gleaned from my comments on other blogs. So excuse the format.

Great post! I've posted some thoughts, included below, on my search for an uber info management system on a couple of other blogs recently. I arrived at this juncture simply by looking for a way to sync with Google Docs, but I've always been refining my current system, and so requirements include all info capture. I.e. email, notes on the go, feeds, bookmarks and docs etc. I am looking to replace WriteRoom with either NotesPro, EverNote or email to Blogger.com. Ideally, would like to have my info in discreet silos, but with one centralised view and search. So Gmail for email, GTD, tasks and notes, Google Reader for feeds and mail lists, Bookmarks for web clippings, and NotesPro + Google Docs or EverNote. I think I've already discounted email to Blogger as this is the same as my email note to self method and adds an external app to the equation. Right now I'm leaning towards NotesPro because of it's Google Docs syncing, and don't will probably halt my EverNote experiment for now. I'll let the centralised view and search idea stew for a while and see what comes up

Just wrote a long comment and lost it. Anyway, arrived here looking for an improvement to my current info capture method, which is a very streamlined context based Gmail GTD and WriteRoom. I ditched Superstars and cut some more granular GTD Gmail labels as this was getting unwieldly. Ideally wanted to sync with Google Docs, and believe an iPhone app will shortly be able to do that better than what’s out there right now. But I came across Ruud Heins/Darren Crawford while searching. Whilst I am looking for some justification to use Evernote over my existing system, apart from it’s centralisation, syncing and OCR abilities, the use of it combined with a Gmail GTD system seems like duplication or overkill. People on both threads have talked of emailing to Gmail and then forward to Evernote, and using that Gmail copy as an archive. Doesn’t this make EN superfluous? Would love to hear other thoughts on this.

Just realised this search for a simple way to sync with Google Docs has thrown up other needs. So currently.
- Use Gmail GTD for notes and tasks
- WriteRoom for mobile ideas and text capture
- Google Docs for doc management
- Google bookmarks, Gmail and Reader for web clippings

So I think the requirement is to supplement Gmail GTD and Google Docs, but replace Google bookmarks and Gmail for web clips etc in a more centralised method. Go on convince me!

http://ruudhein.com/gmail-to-evernote-information-management-workflow
http://darrencrawford.com/my-simple-gtd-evernote-combo/
http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/iphone-software/notes-pro-new-iphone-notes-app-syncs-with-google-docs-has-spotlight-style-search
http://www.cloudnotes.net/2009/06/why-google-reader-is-still-hugely.html

Dolce Vita Africana!

2008-03-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hope BBC iPlayer's film on Malian photographer Malik Sadibe is still available. If not then try the archives. Insightful, humorous and enjoyable, it takes you on a visual and musical journey of Sadibe's work. Covering political and social change, all in the eye of his camera.

LINK 1

LINK 2

If not for you then pass it on or at least just enjoy the music! 4 days left.

BAMAKO! BAMAKO!!!!

Enjoy!
N.B. View the photos in PicLens for awesome shots!

Sara Tavares - Ideal for a Sunday morning

2008-03-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

Listening to this soulful lady right now. An unexpected gift from a good friend. Ideal for a Sunday morning.

Enjoy!

Future by Design

2008-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Beautiful video illustrating how technology's purpose should be purely to elevate humanity and civilisation rather than dominate. Some lofty but achievable ideals indeed.

Sun is Shining... Life is sweet

2008-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share this one. The sun is beaming down in the Dirty Old Smoke today, and it's noice!!! On top of that, the forecast is sunshine for the next 5 days! I know it's not hot pants and bikinis just yet and definitely not South Beach, but here in London Town we've got to make the most of it.

So listen to the music and tell your boss to chill. And if you're watching the football, "Go Ghana!!!" :-)

Fake Copy n Paste on IPhone/iTouch

2008-01-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

iPhone Copy and Paste from lonelysandwich on Vimeo. In my previous post on the iTouch upgrade, I failed to mention the other glaring ommissions Apple left out. Like a nice little Office suite or viewers for Word, Excel and Powerpoint, and a little PDF viewer for eBook reading. Come on Steve, this thing is OSX so it can run any Open Source Office app! Another crucial little gem which has been bugging me has been the lack of copy and paste on the iPhone. Why not? Some standard mobile phones have this, why not on this device which essentially a mini MacBook. Apple gets it so right and yet they get it sooooo wrong.

Not So iPod Touch Heaven

2008-01-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

This guy really needs to take a chill pil and take stock of things. Kill the arrogance and start listening to your customers. Says me, one definitely pissed customer right now.

Well there I was last weekend mosing around London town when I decided to pop into the Apple store on Regent street, just to see what the latest was. The guys in the genius bar told me they knew nothing about any upcoming plans for the Touch or iPhone, and they were geniuses! It said so on their t-shirts! They added that even when Lord Steve visits them they are not permitted in his presence, and they have to leave the store. I asked if he was God, they told me it seems so. In any case, they advised me to at least stick with my original plan and don't hack the device just yet, as this would void my warrantly and the new third party apps will require official certificates. I left somewhat a little bemused.

Anyway, a couple days later I check Google Reader to discover that a new update is available for the Touch. Entitled version 1.1.3, it enables movie and TV programme buying via the iTunes store for later viewing on the Touch. In addition you require this version in order to add the new mail and weather apps etc, but wait for it, at a fee of $20. That's £12.99 to us Brits. Yes I heard you gasp, so did many journalists at Apple's keynote speech when Jobsy announced it. Aparently, he still kept a straight face. It seems the price may have something to do with Apple's accounts reporting. Some complex Sarbanes-Oxley compliancy or whatever.

Well like all the other poor sods (sucker for the Yanks) out there I handed over the cash, only to get a few apps, and a customisable home screen that jiggles like jelly. You wonder why, well I still cherish that warranty, the only reason why I haven't hacked the damn thing yet. So I plan to persevere for the next few months until Steve shaft's me proper next time.

What you get? A pretty cool mail app that can support IMAP, but no landscape browsing or search. It's a shame as Google's mobile web offering is pretty cool now, with full optimisation for iPod Touch and iPhone screens. In consolation, the beauty of the Touch email client is that you can switch off the WiFi and still read email, which is a must as WiFi eats battery power like a cookie monster. So not that bad, but would have been much happier if it were free Steve!!!

The Future Global Landscape

2008-01-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Caught this one in Tim Ferriss's blog, in a piece curiously entitled as How To Negotiate Like an Indian. Well I was intrigued, as despite priding myself on possessing some natural business acumen, I've always had a tough time when it comes to business with my Indian counterparts. There have been some good straight-forward deals, but more often than not we've had to walk away from the deal as we would both be bargaining from a tough position of strength, each one trying to maximise the deal.

What was interesting about the piece was the reference to the film 2 Million Minutes. Which considers the economic global landscape to come in terms of what is currently happening to the minds of our young in classrooms around the world. A strong work ethic is an advantage, but those who can innovate and have rich established networks will flourish. It's gonna be interesting indeed.

Tune Out, Switch Off, and Drop Out

2008-01-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

I know what the original guy meant when he said, "tune in, turn on and drop out", but these days it seems we are tuning in to the wrong points. Yeah those all prevalent devices that dominate our lives like futuristic demons. You can really view this as one man's version of hell where human contact can only be mediated via a device or some artificial interface.

Getting the so called 'balance' right is not easy. I've managed to claw back precious time by remembering old work habits before the digital age. That is to always work in batches of tasks or windows as I like to call them. This way you ignore the incessant stream of mail and phone interuptions and return to a more civilized and sedate mode of work a la the ancient answer machine way. Yes remember those days when you got on with your life and actually talked face to face to people and got home to be greeted by those reassuring little LEDs. Then you'd put aside 30 minutes or so to catch up with messages and friends. Great unh? Well here's a nice piece from a fellow blogger telling you how to do much the same.

Miami Nice Yeah Twice :-)

2008-01-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Spam AllStars Miami New Year's 07/08

Add to My Profile | More Videos Yeah sorry for the poor quality, but only had my poxy phone with me at the time and was enjoying the night not out to do a reportage, but just had to take a memento. Seems like the guys had some heavy new tracks and the bass was off the scale.

Goes well with mojitos too..

:)

BBC iPlayer: Wonderful Idea. Horrible Implementation

2007-12-10T02:34:00.000-08:00

Have been using the Beeb's iPlayer now for some time, and whilst it fits with my 'on demand' viewing preferences, it is still not totally bereft of issues.

I started digging around trying to find where all these huge downloads were saved and came across a mysterious folder I had not seen before called "Kontiki". So the BBC is using some third party malware ridden P2P client! Horror of all horrors! And there I was all snug and cosy wrapped in Aunty Beeb's false sense of security. Apart from Data Protection issues, I suggest to anyone that runs this to check there settings, as this bloatware and seriously damage your bandwidth health in addition to leaving maliscious malware lurking on your little PC. Check this piece.

iPod Heaven

2007-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Well. Finally gone and done it. Given in and got myself an iPod. A Touch no less. If you browse previous posts you would have read my constant struggle to find the ideal PDA or smartphone lifestyle/productivity solution. Many others no doubt share the same challenge. Do you go for ultimate convergence a la iPhone, LG Viewty or Nokia E90, sacrificing perfomance, or do you ditch convergence for a separates solution of phone, PDA and camera? It's been difficult as my needs have changed over time, but now I've accepted that a highly portable device that goes part way to productivity is important for me, and a camera has to be separate due to quality. Also, as long as the phone is small with a decent battery and connectivity features, then this solution can be split three ways, rather than losing performance by converging all into two or one. So despite dismissing Apple's iPod/Phone products without a thorough trial, I revisited Apple's offerings by recommendation. After all I do own a sexy MacBook.

So I've gone for a web-tablet with the iPod Touch, supplemented by a separate phone and camera. What's great is that the combo works, possibly due to the Touch. Even out of the box, it simply works and does so beautifully. Full blown productivity is yet to come, as I haven't gone down the Jailbreak route unlike many others. Official third party support will arrive in February anyway, so why risk voiding that warranty.

iPod Touch; Samsung E900; Casio Exilim

I'm finally happy. :-)

This blog was written on an iPod Touch.

We need a hero

2007-11-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

A new era beckons - indeed!

As this sceptred isle we call England, land of the Angles and Saxons enters into a dark and dismal time, we look around and to those who would call themselves our leaders for answers and a hero. Maca the Red and Gordon the Grey, the feeble champions of grey shadowy bureaucratic worms who profess to be men, have been found wanting and bereft of vision on the field of battle. Our heroes of yore and yesteryear, Sol the Giant and Lord Beckham were spent and knackered, failing to inspire their rag tag army, who were left frightened and confused on the marshes of Wembley. El Tel spat out his disgrace and disgust and slunk down the tunnel of doom, thinking unto himself, "this ain't the $@^@ing Costa Del"!

So who will hold the vision to steer the ship on course to victory I hear you ask? Will it be a humble (cough cough) fisherman from Setubal, or a great
Gorizian? Who can tell? But I say unto you men of steel. Look not to heavens or the halls of power for your hero, look deep into your hearts and unto yourselves. For the next hero lies within.

Beowulfinstein

Gion Matsuri Festival - Better late than never

2007-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine Japan told me about this festival Gion Matsuri they celebrated way back July. I know I should have shared it before, but sometimes there is so much you simply forget.
The festival first originated as a purification festival to appease Gods thought to cause, flood, fire etc and is one of the most festivals in Japan. The streets downtown Kyoto are closed to traffic during three nights in July, but the festival spans the entire month.

Visions of the Future

2007-11-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

BBC 4 is launching string theorist Dr. Michio Kaku's "Visions of the Future" this week in which he explores the possibilites that technology presents for humankind in the not so distant future.

Already technology has been altering our culture and behaviour, particularly through the mobile phone and internet, so just what impact will the technology of the future have on the way we live and interact with each other? This quote from Prof Rodney Brooks of Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the scariest in that the line between human and machine may become so blurred, who can tell whether the machine is more human than the person? Was that being born human or machine? Will we care?

"As a species, we are starting to put our information-processing technology inside our bodies – we're becoming a little more robotic. At the same time, our technologies are becoming more biological. Over the next 50 years, we'll see robots with more biological components and people with more electronic components"

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

2007-11-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

As I sauntered into my sanitised local Tesco the other day, and spotted another alarming story on the front cover of the Independent. No not another sensationalist racial story, but this time a very scary environmental piece. The fate of the Indian Tiger. The story read that India's current Tiger population could be as low 1300, which conservationists say is just unsustainable.

When such a symbol of nature in all it's glory passes into the pantheon of formerly extinct species, what does this mean for us? Probably an increasingly sanitised Tesco experience, and not a furry friend in site. Hey no worry, I'll be all nice and cosy and totally detached from the outside world, in my Tesco house, with my Tesco electric car, watching the Tesco news on my Tesco branded TV. Paranoia you say? Well right now, I'm sure you've must have noticed what's going on down your local high street, and I'm writing this on my Apple MacBook, with my Google Blogger account, on my Orange broadband who also provide both my mobile and landline services. I once suggested to a friend the prospect of a T-Mobile branded home and he laughed. Well it's starting. The future's arrived, and I'm scratching my head right now, looking a little lost and confused.

Google sends Android OS to conquer mobile world

2007-11-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

It's been rumoured for a while, but Google has officially thrown it's gauntlet down into the hotly contested mobile phone ring with the announcement of it's new open source mobile OS, Android. Bill and his mates should be quaking in their boots, as it may mean lean days ahead for Microsoft, what with other mobile OS rivals already out there including Palm and Symbian Alliance. Now with the new arrivals of Apple and Google's Linux powered system, things are gonna get pretty interesting.

This is just what Linux needed to be taken seriously as a mobile OS alternative. With a the Google juggernaut behind it, together with a host of developers in the open source community, the platform can only go from strength to strength. Who will the winner be when the dust finally settles? Why me and you and the man in the street that's who! Big grin. ;-)

Microsoft releases "Deepfish" browser for Windows Mobile

2007-11-05T15:48:00.001-08:00

Dunno if this is the same as the iPhone web browsing experience, with pan and zoom features, which you also get on the Windows Mobile 6 powered HTC Touch. Tried browsing on the Touch and it works pretty well. Making web browsing on a mobile device an almost bearable experience. We've some way to go yet before you can say fulfilling, but then Apple will no doubt tell us otherwise. Ouch, my MacBook just burnt me.

Source

Young Lewis pon di Riddim!!!

2007-11-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Yes gwaan young Lewis. Michael Scumacher eat your heart out! F1 will never be the same! :-)

2008 is ours!
MC Hammer style!
More party.

Source | Via

About time. Adding Myself to Technorati

2007-10-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Wondered why I took so long to do this. Been tied up with the business for so long. But us bloggers need all the help we can. So here's goes.

Technorati Profile

3 Wraps up deal with Skype

2007-10-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

The UK's 3G network 3 have finally sewn up a deal with Skype, by providing cheap budget handsets with built in Skype. Skype has been available on Windows powered smartphones for some time now for the geeks, but this new deal brings free internet calls to the masses. So no more need for miss calling, "call me back" texts, or "are you on T-Mobile" from your cheap skate dry bread friends.

Mobile Revolution in Africa

2007-10-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

The mobile has been sweeping across the plains and towns of Africa for some time now. Mobile networks have been over taking stagnant infrastructure development and trailblazing how business, commerce and grass roots politics can be done. Much the same way as in the Caribbean and elsewhere in the world. Paul Mason from BBC's NewsNight explores the story of Africa's mobile revolution and how it's transforming people's lives.

Blogger.com on Opera. Arrgghh!

2007-10-30T05:24:00.001-07:00

Forgive me for the misleading image. This isn't a comparison piece on the pro's and cons of the respective blogging platform, but precisely the pain I suffered using Google's Blogger on my favourtie browser Opera.

Without risking the need for another comparison piece here (maybe for another day), I've been flirting with Opera since 2001, after a Norwegian colleague introduced me to it's ferocious speed. I must admit I was blown away back then, but for some reason never switched over completely. Even so, it was usually on my handheld device or as a second or third browser lurking somewhere in the background. Well I finally switched over from IE to FireFox completely last year after playing with it off and on for years. However, even on the gorgeous Mac OS X Tiger, Open Source heaven FireFox is not. So many crashes, freezes, go slows and hang ups, hair pulling and cursing my poor ISP for something which is totally not their fault. Thus despite it's Open Source heritage, FireFox has become more bloated than even it's Microsoft rival. More like SloFox or FatFox. So after yet another umpteenth crash, I returned to my Norwegian friends and the cool embrace of Opera. Ahhh, solace at last. Well so I thought.

Opera runs like a dream. The only issue I've encountered thus far, is when logging into Blogger.com via my Google accounts. First few tries I kept getting a strange refresh after seeing a white rectangle in the top right hand corner of Blogger's front page. After a few clicks I was forced to sign in again to Blogger after already signing into Google Accounts. things got worse when I changed my Opera cookie settings to "only accept from sites I visit". Then no matter what I did, Blogger.com would just not accept my login attempts. I then came across this post after a Google search and changed my cookie settings back to "accept all sites" - which I don't like, but going back to that little white rectangle, I could see some almost invisible white text teling me to "continue here". I clicked and I was in. Well shame. Hope it gets fixed sometime soon, together with the odd Ebay on Opera interface issue. Small price to pay for bullet train browsing, or major security headache? Whatever, I'm gonna persevere as it's much less headache than FatFox.

Simply Sublime: Bye Bye Thierry. Thanks for the memories...

2007-10-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Not much to say on this one. The images speak for themselves. I'll only add that I watched Barcelona a few times already this season and watched them against Rangers just before the Arsenal game. Yup Henry's problem seems to be Arsenal's problem a while back. Barca play it narrow and like to walk the goals. No matter how good you are, sometimes that way just doesn't work. Henry loves space and he's not getting it in Barca's game. Now he's gone the young Gunners have grown up and our game is more varied. It's like the best of the Henry Arsenal with the speed and power of the Anelka/Overmars Arsenal.

I'm getting my wallet out!

Geek out! We gotcha! Or thinking out loud. I'm sure you're not interested...

2007-10-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

My mate Dave has been loyal to the Sony Ericsson camera phone line, ever since I introduced him to the old T610 way back when in 2002. and stuck with almost every one right through to the K series. Now he's on the hunt for a new one and was looking for the ultimate. So much so, he almost got swayed by the Nokia N95. Despite me telling him to forget it and just buy a camera, as he never answers his phone anyway, he finally came to his senses and decided he wanted as he put it, "a camera that can be a phone if I switch it on. The 850i is a match made in heaven." So he and Sony Ericsson are back together again and he's happy as Larry.

My mission for the ultimate or most suitable mobile companion has been always more complicated and painful. Finding the perfect balance between form, function and productivity has never been easy. Gadget for gadget's sake, has never been my cup of tea either. So here's my reply to David when he told me the good news.

Well David my old mate. Didn't tell you I've been gadget hunting myself. I've got my W880i and whilst I love it for the slimness and okay MP3 playback my sausages can't hack the tiny keys. Apart from that it's a great multimedia phone with some good PDA functionality, but due to the data entry issue doesn't quite get the balance right. So my main gripe is data entry. I decided that a phone screen is not ideal for lengthy data input even with a portable bluetooth keyboard, so it's best to use the phone just as a note/ideas jotter. Not for full blown productivity. So in that case all you need is a powerful multimedia phone with a good keypad rather than a full PDA phone, as you can never get full productivity with such small screens.

My short list was the HTC Touch, Motorola Q9H, Sony Ericsson W960i, and the Nokia E90 and N95 (after you mentioned it) for all of 5 minutes. I'm a Nokia traitor now, so there's bad blood there straight away and although I have sentimental attachment to the E90 due to it's Psion EPOC heritage, the issue of restricted productivity looms it's ugly head again. Essentially, why buy a phone/notebook for the price of a brand new top of the range laptop, when you can buy a cut down notebook for a third of the price. The Nokia E90 retails from £500 to £600 plus. So go figure. You can get cut down Linux machines or second hand laptops for much less these days. In any case, I may be geek under my skin, but I don't want to walk around and shout to the world about it.

Crossed off the Q9H, as it's two Blackberry-ish. There'll be too much temptation for heavy typing and I've already got a RSI problem. Tried and just finished testing the HTC Touch, and being Microsoft it's buggy as hell. Hangs every minute for the smallest of tasks and can't take the slightest of abuse let alone heavy usage (forgot to mention that to the next guy I sold it too, oh well). Shame as Skype and Google Maps on Wi-Fi was fun for all of 5 minutes.

All my experiences keep compounding the fact that a phone is not ideal for full productivity. Try editing a Excel spreadsheet or Powerpoint presentation on a phone, or simply sourcing and referencing items when writing. So occasional quick emails, texts, notes/ideas jotting I think is the ideal scenario for me, together with some good multimedia capabilities such as MP3 playback and a so so snapshot camera. Don't need anything grand like your beloved K850i, I've got my Casio for that. Yes they make much more than just calculators and watches. So that leaves me with the W960i, with it's 8GB built in memory for MP3's and 3.2 megapixel camera and decent keypad. However, it's not available till December and I can't wait that long too test a phone only to feel it's not for me. So my search brings me full circle to Motorola!

I left them after a whirlwind affair way back in those heady days of the mid 90s. StarTac was her name and she did everything I wanted back then, but had no staying power. After that was the many years of Nokia's corporate gloom, until Samsung and Sony Ericsson got their act together and brightened things up. Now Motorola are tempting me back with this killer - the RIZR Z8 or Jason Bourne banana phone! Yes I eyed her a while back during the recent movie hype, but thought her to be another one of Motorola's quirky glitzy all fur coat and no knickers kind of girls, so stayed well out of it, as any decent gentleman would. Well wadduya know, I saw her in a symbian top phones line up whilst searching for the P1i. She looked good and for some reason something told me to check her out later. Well it kept niggling at me and I finally did after your email. After viewing the demo video I fell in love. We're not together yet but soon my friend, soon. Then we can all go out together in a foursome.

Motorola's new line up. Worth a look. Finally, a very good RIZR Z8 review. Beware serious geek alert!

Jena 6 Update: Yo' Fiddy Where are you man?

2007-10-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ironic that roughly 40 years ago black Americans fought, marched and struggled for liberty, justice and human rights. For what? To "booty pop it, smack that bitch up, show my rims, where's my money ho" in another sad MTV Bass video? Where are these super powered African-Americans when some innocent kids needed them? I'll shut up, as I think Mos Def says it all, but times are really strange these days. When we had nothing, we would share our last sip of brew. Now we got so much money, we can't share nut'n.

Source

Lucky Dube - 'Jah Jah Son' Dies

2007-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sad to hear early this morning about the sudden death of one of `South Africa's favourite sons. Lucky Dube was killed in a car-jacking after dropping his children off in Johannesburg around 8pm on Thursday evening.

Much loved by his fellow South Africans, I'm sure he will be thought of at tomorrow's world cup Rugby final against England.

For me Dube was one of those many African artists who adopted Jamaican reggae music as their own and helped spread the true message of reggae across the continent. By doing so, they inadvertently helped bridge the gap between Jamaica and the motherland, Africa.

Born outside Johannesburg in 1964, Dube was named "Lucky" by his mother because he was the first child to be born after several failed pregnancies.
Dube started singing in 1982, joining a band playing Mbaqanga, or traditional Zulu music. It was only later that he began recording reggae tracks as a solo singer, but the genre was to dominate and define the remainder of his career.

Source

Budgie Poppers

2007-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Thought I was going mad recently after spotting parrots flying nearby on a regular basis. Finally discovered their roost not too far from home. Whether global warming encouraged migration or escaped domestic birds, I don't know, but they look very much at home here in the UK.

Well after hearing this one on Radio 5 had to just see it to believe as thought this was just too much. A bird that bops too the Back Street Boys. You're kidding right? No. Well check him out for yourself, and while you're at it, spare a donation for his feathered friends at the rescue centre.

May you live in interesting times

2007-10-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

My how apt this ancient phrase feels these days. I've been enjoying a series of films and documentaries BBC's Newsnight has been showing recently on democracy around the world and China. All the programmes possess common themes of change, upheaval and uncertainty in what seems like a tumultuous world right now. Ironic that the BBC itself is facing dramatic upheaval as it shows the films with the threat of the axing of 2500 jobs in a revolutionary cost cutting move to haul the institution into the 21st century.

Watching one of the China films I can't help but appreciate my fortune by being born just a few years later in England so that I didn't have to wait back in Jamaica like my brother. Xiao Zhang's little girl doesn't fare so well as I did, as her mother follows the 150 million migrants to China's coastal boom towns to seek a new life for herself and her family.

China: White Horse Village

White Horse Village - part one

White Horse Village - part two

Return to White Horse Village

Villagers Fight Redevelopment

Why Democracy?

Why Democracy? Japan

Why Democracy? Bolivia

Vote for me: Democracy in a Chinese classroom [watch]

Why Democracy? Kenya

Why Democracy? Pakistan

Funny Little Creatures

2007-09-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

A friend told me of this site. It's a showcase site for Japanese beads artist, Akiko Isono. Just liked her work, as it reminded me of a friend's pieces. The creatures look almost life like with the photography.

I think the pic on the left best sums me up. Sleepy looking and sometimes elusive.

Some Blog SEO Tools For Ya!

2007-09-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Came across this one on the Beta News. Had it in my to do list, but as usual got pushed way down and lost amongst all the other thousands of tasks that keep popping up.

As the Beta News describes it,

BlogRush is very similar to BlogBurst, except everyone can instantly get access to BlogRush and everybody has written about it. The whole concept of BlogRush is pretty simple, you place a widget on your blog showing articles from other blogs within your blog’s topic. You earn syndication credit each time the widget is loaded, used or by referring users.

This means I'm gonna have to add this to my blog right now since I've posted it. Man, more work :(

Life's Too Short: Change Your Job

2007-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

This is a great one I spotted from the Beta News. Ideal post for a rainy Friday afternoon.

The images are from a German ad-campaign for a jobs database. I love the creativity that comes out of some campaigns, and images like these make me wish I did a stint in advertising. Did I say that?

Anyway my favourite is the roll up guy. The look on his face is fantastic. :-)

Real Leadership is Influence not Control

2007-09-28T06:27:00.001-07:00

Spotted this one on LifeHack.org, and thought pretty useful to share. If you're an office or mid-field General and constantly feel frustrated that those around you cannot see your vision or implement what you request, then maybe the issue may lie with you and your communication rather than with those around you.

Michael S. Hyatt here promotes the effectiveness of influence as opposed to control, with a few simple tenets to help you along the way. Nothing new here, but by focusing on yourself, as Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, “Save yourself, and you will save a thousand.” and casting the vision, you will soon have the world eating out of your hands.

The Seductiveness of the Internet: Or how not to get caught in the Web

2007-09-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

No I'm not promoting anyone's book, but this guy Andrew Keen is pretty much interested in the same things as me. Namely, the impact of the internet and wider technology on our culture and society. However, where I generally see both the positives of empowerment of the masses and the negatives of disconnection and dumbing down, Keen seems to promote a pretty hopeless picture, where authoritative integrity (if there was such a thing) is swept aside by the tide of individual opinions.

Whereas much of his argument is sound, I find it hard to wholeheartedly agree, as I feel the challenge of traditional business models a refreshing thing, since now the dis-empowered no longer have to face those old barriers to entry. Now anyone with an idea can put it out there, and in doing so, challenge the status quo. Thus, new forms of power are created which exist outside of the traditional's dynamic.

The internet or more generally, technology, is a good thing, if only we understand it's power and learn to shape it, rather than allow it to shape ourselves.

Notting Hill How it was. Where's Hugh?

2007-09-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of the faces I bumped into at the London Freewheel was photographer Charlie Phillips. A charming and tricky character, Charlie's spent a lifetime documenting our social history in the UK and worldwide during his travels, through his lens.

If you travel around London today, you'd be amazed to see how much life and our surroundings have changed over the years. Just like everywhere else Notting Hill has undergone fundamental changes. So much so, that it is almost unrecognisable now. The photo depicts a 'stylish lady' on Portobello road circa 1972. Despite the problems of the time, the sense of community is very evident in the scene. With many new residents now pressing to move the Notting Hill Carnival from the area, that sense of community is perhaps a little harder to find now.

Charlie can be seen at various events at the 198 Gallery in Herne Hill London, County Hall and the BFi this month and throughout Autumn.

Freewheeling London Goes Crazy!

2007-09-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful Sunday freewheeling around London at the London Freewheel. It was a fitting climax to an event packed weekend for myself, which started on Thursday, and can't believe a Friday night out, one football match, craft exhibition, meals with friends, and party later, that I'd have any energy left for Sunday's ride. But maybe due to my new bike exercise and crashing out regime I managed to dig deep into my energy reserves and enjoy the day.

It was well worth it, apart from Hovis's pitiful sandwiches, it was a day of total fun. Bumped into a few old faces and even enjoyed the hazardous adventure riding in with strangers.

Get on your bike!

The Jena 6

2007-09-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

What role is the media actually playing here in a democracy? To quote Dex Digital:

If any of this is news to you, it's not necessarily your fault. The media has decided that the Duke Lacrosse players are important, and the actual racism at play is not. That Michael Vick is important, and 6 kids doing up to 22 years in the pen is not.

Sexy Google All Pervasive

2007-09-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

I recall those early days of the net way back when in the 90s when everything was fairly amateurish a la CraigList and the familiar modem squelch sound when dialling in. Back then when searching for anything, you had a choice from the likes of, AltaVista, HotBot, Excite, Yahoo, AOL, Jeeves, Webcrawler, InfoSeek, and Lycos amongst others.

Those were just some from the top of my head and ones I recall using all the time. Then fast forward circa 1999, I'm working for a large IT and business services firm, and I'm stuck on some design issue so I visit the web design department and seek some help. My colleague suggests why don't I try Google. "Google?" I ask. As she lost her mind? "Yes" she says, "Google.com." That was the first I ever heard of Google. Despite my introduction to the web over the previous few years, many changes were brewing that I was barely aware of. Now we find ourselves squarely in the 21st century, I hardly use any other search engine, apart from the odd shopping directory for bargains. Google has become my benefactor and pervades so many aspects of my digital life. Why even now I am writing this Blog from my Google Blogger account (yes the chip's firmly in the back of my head). Similarly, a recent post on Digital Journal details many of the pervasive and practical applications Google now provides. I sometimes finding myself, just checking one of the alternative search engines just for a change but the results don't seem to be as comprehensive. Why bother leave the comfort of your Google armchair when Google can solve everything for you.

Why stop there? Why don't they just buy out Vodafone, Tesco and News Corp, and clean up all the worlds issues whilst they're at it. Gattica here we come...

Feeling those L.A. Nights

2007-09-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Been spending quite a bit of time of late checking my RSS feeds and enjoying the beauty of music casts. Saves trawling around, when everything is all in one neat little place. Listening to one cast from Warrior FM I came across the name of Yasuko Agawa. A classy Jazz vocalist from the 80s for those who don't know, she had recorded one of my favorourite tracks, L.A. Nights. I did a quick search as I had never read up on her before and discovered she had quite a comprehensive body of work, spanning three decades.

I found a copy of L.A. Nights on YouTube and as soon as I played it, the memories came flooding back. I recall as a teenager back then, that I didn't know too much about Japan or L.A., but the words of her song always conjured up moody images of sophisticated cross-Pacific travel that I could only dream of at the time. Even though I had never experienced that world, I understood instantly at the time, and was right there in the taxi with her, just in from Tokyo. I never imagined at the time that Japan would feature so significantly in my life.

How to sync Google Calendar, W880i and MacBook

2007-08-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've promised myself I'd post my first 'How To' one of these days, but it's late right now and I can't be arsed. Sorry. But I'll come back to it one of these days. Meantime I'll just post some useful links where you can find the relevant info, rather than wasting your precious free time trawling through the web like I did. Imagine what you can do with all that time saved. Here goes, and this should work for other Java enabled phones as well.

1. Subscribe to Google Calendar
First we want to get our Google Calendar events and the kids at Google let you do this via RSS. Read these links here & here and you should have Google Calendar (gCal) in your MacBook's iCal (gCal in me iCal?) by the end of it.

2. Get the Mac iSync Plugin for the Sony Ericsson W880i
You'll need a little plugin. That's a little piece of software that plugs right in. Sorry it's late and I get like this when tired. So, oh yes, you'll need the plugin to allow iSync to talk to your sexy and svelte W880i. For the show offs and brave among us they can try all the pain and hacking here. For those like me who believe in working smarter not harder (in other words can't be arsed) then try here.

3. Sync W880i with iSync
Finally you simply pair the W880i or Java enabled phone with iSync, specify your settings (Contacts etc) and sync away. For those of you porting from Windows then you can check here. Or if you're porting without MS Outlook, you can use that little ancient piece of software in the Windows Accessories folder called Address Book to import your old phone contacts as vCards. Then you can import these into the Mac's Address Book application. Nifty eh? ;-) There are so many old pieces of tiny software that can make things a little less painful, but we don't use them as they're always tucked away and forgotten just like old toys from yesteryear. Better stop, getting poetic.

You can also use the above link to sync your iTunes playlists with your W880i using iTuneMyWalkman. So bin that iPod and brick of a phone and welcome to SE W880i nirvana. Device convergence eat your heart out.

* If you want to use your phone as a bluetooth modem for your Mac then check here.
* For those porting from Yahoo PIM check here and here.

That's enough to be getting on with for now folks. Man you are a demanding bunch. Next time I'll show you how to make an omelette using a bluetooth phone. Did I say I was tired?

Gonna Get My Spidey Suit

2007-08-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

I recall sometimes musing about why it almost always rained on Sundays in Bristol, England and why can't they make an invisible suit? Why I don't know, but I didn't understand the difficulty in doing so or why my partner at the time could not see the connection with pollution and the local weather patterns. Well all the above have been proved to be possible and now the Journal of Physics is talking about utilising the natural technology of Geckos and Spiders to build a suit that will allow us to do everything a Spider can, just like our favourite neighbourhood Web Slinger.

Thus far, the only practical application the boffins can think of is cleaning windows. Just wonder what additional voyeuristic advantages this will give to our humble window cleaner.

Device Convergence in Need of Some Old Ideas

2007-08-29T06:12:00.001-07:00

Yes peeps its geek time again! Come on admit it, we all love gadgets, girls and guys alike. The question for me always is, just how much practical use do these pervasive little pieces of black or silver plastic and chrome actually provide us? Moreover, how much impact do they have on our social lives?

So in the practical sense, us gadget lovers and business users still seem to be asking the same old question. When are the manufacturers going to produce a portable device that fuses form and function into an elegant and usable form factor? I'm sure you've come across the same problem yourself. Do I go for a mobile phone and laptop combination; mobile and PDA or smartphone? Nowadays none seem to foot the bill and the manufacturers seem to be hell bent on throwing a plethora of Swiss army knife combinations at us without proper consultation. I may want something that just does the job and allows me to be productive, do I really want to watch clips of Paris Hilton, or Jade Goody on Big Brother and listen to music at the same time? I always marvel at just how many people listen to music through their iPods nowadays when a few years ago, you only saw a number of people listening to music on the tube. I want to shout to all, "you're not real music fans, you weren't there in the days of the original Sony Walkman or MiniDisc!" Well whatever Apple has been feeding us through the headphones it seems to have worked for them.

This comparison review of the Nokia E61i and Motorola Q9H seems to sum up the problem:

My hunch is that we'll see more devices like the Palm Folio or Datawind that fill this niche, as a "phone companion". The big phone manufacturers don't seem to be able to do it themselves, nor do they have any incentive to; hence the relentless propaganda about "convergence". That may be wishful thinking on my part, of course, but a significant part of the business market remains poorly served.

To be honest I haven't had the time to keep track of the latest changes in the gadget world, as I've been pretty busy of late and have pretty much given up on the Holy Gadget Grail and settled for my Sony W880i. So I don't know too much about the Palm Foleo or the Datawind Pocket Surfer. However, although the W880i fills most of my needs and I prefer to do most of my work within a window of time, I still find myself wishing I had something more suited for more productive text entry whilst en route. This takes me back to the days of the Psion 5mx and the Radio Shack WP-2. I personally didn't have the pleasure of owning the latter, but was a devote fan of the former and some of the other models in its lineage. The Psion seemed to give the perfect combination of form and function, and when it came to the power issue, you could run it forever on a pair AA batteries. About 20 hours I recall. Link it to your now antique Ericsson T39 (yes there was life before Sony), or the ubiquitous Nokia 8210, and you had access to email and web surfing. The web experience may have been painful at times, but with WAP the pain was eased somewhat. I even recall my ancient days as a hardcore Ebayer, sneaking some auction wins in the pub or company meeting, whilst all thought I was note taking. :)

What I want to know is why can't the big boys like Sony and Apple or the new Linux based start up manufacturers learn from the past and adopt some of the heritage of these old machines and start building efficient productive devices which we actually want, rather than what they feel we want? I can see the appeal of devices like the Psion 5mx or its Ericsson clone the MC218 for business users who just want to get the job done, and their practical application in developing countries where battery life and price is a premium. This is where the introduction of Linux as an operating system has been a Godsend and there have even been ports of Linux onto these ancient machines.

Until we get thought recognition or holographic screens I suppose we'll have to make do with gear like the Palm Foleo to fill the gap.

A 'just' War or a Rich Boy's Playground?

2007-08-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

It still feels incredible that the Iraq War actually took place. The whole question of weapons of mass destruction and the connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda still seems disturbing to say the least. Take the time to dig a little deeper though and you'll find the truth which is nothing more than a modern day horror story, filled with morally corrupt monsters pushing the war agenda for the sole motivation of sating their insatiable greed. As James Scahill's book on Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army asks, shouldn't this kind of scene belong in a James Bond movie? I'd wish someone could tell me this wasn't the truth.

Scrumping and the moral question of free Wi-Fi

2007-08-24T05:57:00.001-07:00

There was once a time not so long ago that despite being frowned upon, nicking apples from your neighbour's tree didn't receive such a severe reprimand. You would possibly get a clip round the ear for trespassing or even have to endure the shame of going round to do odd jobs for the old granny whose apples you had scrumped. Things would not be so bad, and you might get a piece of apple pie and a few pearls of wisdom from old Mrs. Davis from number 23. It seemed like a good trade. She got her place cleared up and some company, and you gained something in your moral development. After all, people may have been particular about trespassing on their property, but feelings were pretty moderate as this was a time we still left our doors open.

Fast forward to 2007 and a new kind of scrumping is sparking moral debate. Wi-Fi freeloading or line phreaking. Call it what you will, the issue seems to be the same as every other technological impact on society. Namely, the issue that the technology is far ahead of our social norms and current laws. Until the outcome of the moral debate in the meantime it would be good to ensure the following:

Ensure only your computer can access your network
Use a secure key to restrict data being 'sniffed' over the air
If you see your internet L.E.D. going like crazy whilst your mac or pc is off then you know you've got problems

Happy surfing. I hope I haven't increased any paranoia here. I feel like having an apple now. ;)

Moving with the times

2007-06-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

My how times change. Who would believe that in 20 years something that symbolised our modern lives so much would die so quickly. I'd doubt back then we'd picture ourselves conversing via text message or online communities. There was a time when I thought chat rooms were only frequented by weirdos and Americans (apologies to our cousins across the water, including those of mine in DC). My last facebook message to my friend Phil sums it up:

Hi Phil,

Sorry new to this facebook ting. Forced to sign up as like Myspace, people keep telling me too. You know, heard a radio programme yesterday about a guy who did a soundscape of his old answer machine messages over 20 years. I loved those days. My number was 442100, can you believe it!? And I loved those little red LED digits telling me someone loves me. :-) Now its text, dropped calls, or Myspace or whatever. What's happened to us man!!!???

Searched for you on MySpace ages ago but couldn't find you. I'll hit you up.

Peace

But I think flim maker Mark Craig goes one better in new film Talk to Me. Here's the official site.

Minority Report - Philip K. Dick Eat Your Heart Out

2007-06-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

Excellent piece of video demonstrating the potential for this technology in the future. The variety of application ideas is enormous.

Our Perception of Beauty

2007-06-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

Spotted this on new colleague's site. It is amazing what a little manipulation of light and knowledge of photoshop can do.

Bush in Albania: The mystery of wristwatch one

2007-06-13T01:32:00.000-07:00

You really got to love this one. Georgie boy believing he's getting a hero's welcome gets his watch lifted whilst his crack security guards look on oblivious to the crime. Little did they know that the whole crowd was in on the stunt to distract "arrogant American imperialist" and then sell on Ebay. What value would the preseident's wristwatch one fetch? Anything close to Albania's trade defecit? Whatever, I think George would do much better by replacing his security team with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.

Tech Hell: when did these tiny pieces of plastic become so indispensable?

2007-03-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Seriously considering buying a BlackBerry to meet the increasing demands of the business, and to capture all those fleeting thoughts and ideas. Maybe the BlackBerry 8800, since it appears to tick all the right boxes. But with my penchant for marathon MacBook sessions, will I succumb to information overload or device fetishisation?

I am not sure if we all would feel the same pain as poor Dennis Kneale, Managing Editor of Forbes magazine, but particularly for those urbanites amongst us, if you lost your treasured cellphone, you'd probably get that initial feeling of disconnection that you just never used to feel. My how times have changed?

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN BEFORE THE 80s

2007-03-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a ute on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound,no cellphones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms.........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes, walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

PS -The big type is because your eyes are shot at your age

Courtesty of my mate Dave. And yes, I broke my arm flying backwards from a rusty old swing. Those were the days eh. ;)

Big up Bristol's own...

2007-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Importance of spotting a genuine Banksy

Have always stopped to wonder at this self styled urban guerilla artist's work back in my hometown of Bristol. Back then my fellow streetwise friends would always marvel at how I showed appreciation for Banksy's clever approach.

Now he's gone on to bigger things, including a visit to Israel's West Bank. I wish I could have ripped a few of those original pieces down. Who was to know they would be worth half a mill'.

Why Captain America had to die

2007-03-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Why Captain America had to die

The Bush regime has now taken one of its most iconic casualities. Its only natural that a hero that represented the traditional American values of truth, justice, and liberty would perish under a climate fostered by Bush and the neo-conservatives. A damning indictment of George Bush's America?

Captain America R.I.P.

The age of Hyper-Reality & do dolphins really have bad breath?

2007-03-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Had a sudden scary moment the other day. I suddenly thought, man we really are hurtling into the future. Can't recall exactly why that thought came about, but maybe it was due to a discussion I was having about the negatives of civilisation or more accurately, modern society. An age of mistrust. The death of common courtesy, where nobody queues for the bus anymore. You need martial arts skills or be a rugby player to get on one these days. This is the lighter side (if you can call it that) of things. We've also had more young deaths from street shootings recently. This all must have led me to think, if we are racing into an age where families eat separately, increased disconnection between people, then maybe this really is the future, and unfortunately, we've finally arrived. Not quite a Gattica-esque reality, but not far from it.

It seems that author of the phrase 'Hyper-Reality', Jean Baudrillards death was quite timely. Maybe Jean was right about the impact of new media and postmodern consumerism was having on our societies, that he felt it was time to check out. I think he was onto something. And for the paranoid among us, Adam Curtis serves up another one of his well constructed pieces on the notion of a more narrow freedom today. BBC2 - Sun, 11 Mar, 9pm.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2028464,00.html

On a totally separate note. My mate Dave recently came back from his first visit to Cuba. He really enjoyed it, but said that swimming with dolphins isn't all that. For one their breaths stink of fish. I was surprised, I thought they would smell of candy floss or honey and almonds. Oh well.

Well at least the abused ship workers off the Falklands, were in no position to complain. Many eye-witness reports claimed that after jumping ship to flee their task-masters, many men were saved by local dolphins. Validation of an old myth? Or do those dolphins know something we don't? Is it real? Did it really happen? Was it a Baudrillard simulation? In any case, it seems these dolphins haven't forgotten their common courtesies or their sense of humanity. Maybe we could learn something from our distant cousins. ;)

Bamako, Danny Glover, Ghana and world debt

2007-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Found another article on the new Bamako film in Time Out recently. Interesting premise, about the colonial powers being prosecuted for their crimes against Africa. Danny Glover is Executive Producer, and makes a strange cameo appearance in the film.

http://www.bamako-film.com/

Quite timely, as Ghana is currently celebrating its independence from colonial rule. The question is, when will Ghana and those African countries that followed with independence, stop being seen as an ex-colony?

Just a note. Channel 4, 8pm Sun Mar 11th, brings another interesting tale of discovery. As one man sets out to explore his African roots...

Ecky thump! It's Kitten Kong!

2005-08-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

The sublime sounds of Mark de Clive Lowe, Bembe Segue and gang in Ladbroke Grove last night (courtesy of Uprock Re:Freshed), were cut short by an unsympathetic bar manager concerned about his license renewal. Later on, listening to the radio, the discussion covered the proposed extended licensing hours. The commentator insightfully compared Britain's drinking with that of the continent, and I was surprised to hear him come up with a similar view to myself, although his was slightly more philosophical. I've often discussed with friends how a lot of cultures use alcohol as an accompaniment to the social occasion rather than as an end in itself, as it is viewed in Britain. He put it succinctly that on the continent alcohol is used to engage in life rather than to escape from it. I thought if so, then what does this say about the culture here in Britain? Heaven only knows what will happen when the licensing times are extended.

Killer geese coming to a town near you. On the same radio programme, they mentioned how Britain's rich set of ornithological data detailing where and when migrating birds land, will provide the number one super weapon in fighting the potential arrival of bird flu from Eastern Europe. So this will be a real live chance for Bill Oddie to save us from some urban peril. More terrible than a giant skyscraper smashing white kitten! Let's just hope that Bill and the remainder of the Goodies won't be too pissed to combat this new evil to threaten our shores.

Ecky thump!

Eighteez Hey Days

2005-08-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes. 24 little hours.

Gosh! Stepped out this morning, to be greeted by a fresh breeze and sunlight on my face. A stark contrast to the foul weather and general mood I experienced around London yesterday. From Barbican to Hounslow, it seemed as if the miserable rain had immersed the whole of London into a mild depression. Not a smile in sight. Finding one, was like finding free parking in Camden. Not a dickie bird. The only one I remember was my physio, Dr. Bell's devilish deep blue eyed grin. Never seen eyes that blue. As I mentioned I had to get my physio exercises into my 'culture', he said 'yes culture' with that grin of his. I never know if he's just being pleasant or taking the piss.

Back to this morning. To add to the summer mood, Roots FM (95.4 for those who don't know)were playing 80's soul classics. I was standing outside taking in the fresh air and gazing at the sky while 'Mutual Attraction' by Change (formerly fronted by Luther the Crooner himself) boomed out behind me. After that the DJ played 'Magic Touch' by Rose Royce. Both tracks seemed perfect heralds for the upcoming bank holiday carnival weekend, and reminded me of my favourite carnival era, 1985 to 1989 (just before Acieed and the mad smiley people took over carnival). Those were the days when we all rocked to pulsating soul such as the SOS Band, played by Mastermind and Rapattack soul sounds in the cage under the flyover behind Acklam road. I remember bopping to Maze's 'Twilight' one minute, then reacting to a ripple in the crowd the next, and rushing back with everyone else as the crowd parted like the Red Sea letting a gang of youths steam through. I remember them flashing their blades this way and that at the crowd as their leader dragged another guy before them by the scruff of his neck. His neck dripping rich red blood from ear to ear. The crowd joined back together after they passed, like some living creature, and the music soon resumed. Those were the good old days eh.

Rose Royce's 'Magic Touch' always brings back vivid memories of my first attempt at sound system toasting. It was around 1984 and my little upstart sound system, Ambassador (cool name yeah) were due to play the baddest bad bwoy crew in Bristol, the Gold Teet Posse! Our headquarters was in the basement of our manager Noel's flat and that's where we held the party. Well he was really our landlord and helped us out with equipment and stuff. Most of our crew were made up of my close friends at the time. Earl my best friend, aka Early B; Martin the sound operator, aka Butty Ranks (an operator was the technical mix man on the amplifier); Raymond, apprentice selector; and the original older sound men, Jimmy Williams, the main selector; Wayne Pinnock, aka Sticky Ranking; Adrian Douglas, aka AD King; Clinton, the sound hanger on and driver (every sound had one); and myself Commander Ridley, aka Bigga Ranks, aka Joe 90. You can see from my multiple aliases I had just started in the public arena. That night I was Joe 90 and I was shitting my Farrah slacks.

Later on though I started to get that customary buzz you get when promoting a party. As the crowd starting to fill up the dingy basement, and the atmosphere started to electrify with girls screams and whistles, my knees started to wobble with adrenalin and I was getting excited at the thought that we were making people happy. All our efforts leading up to the night, all the speaker box splinters were worth it. It had all paid off.

The night started with a typical heated exhange between our Butty Ranks and Senator Blaggy of Gold Teet (those two never seemed to like each other much). It turned into a sound clash for much of the earlier part of the night and at one point I thought it would come to blows. I remember both DJ decks (or control towers as we used to call them) were squeezed into the tiny concrete space under the stairs, and both sounds were separated by a large piece of thin wooden board. As I was classed as a young 'banton' (a talented lyricist) Butty wanted me to go on in the middle of the clash period. Somebody was playing a reggae version of Micheal Jackson's 'Billy Jean' by Shinehead. We, Ambassador had a brand new version of that rhythym with a sample from the popular cop series, Hawaii Five-O. It started with Steve McGarrett saying "Book him Danno!". Every bad boy loved that, and I started my chant after Butty gave me the nod. I remember hurtling into my lyric, gasping for breath, not fully aware of what was going on. I was barely conscious of the crowd accalamtion I was getting from the whistles and female screams, but knew I had caused some upset as Senator Blaggy of Gold Teet forced the thin partition aside to see who was on the mic and what was going on! Or "what di raas!", to be more precise.

Things went a bit crazy between our two sets for a while before things calmed down with a soul intermission, and that's when I remember Gold Teet playing Rose Royce's 'Magic Touch'. I went out into the crowd to seek out the other friends I had invited receiving hand shakes and plenty 'nuff respects from them. I bopped the rest of the night away in my Farrah slacks, leather should bag/purse (they unfolded into a larger item) and my Pierre Cardine or whatever diamond jumper I was wearing. Hey it was the style of the times man!

Those were certainly the days.

Urban Horror

2005-08-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

After my first fun filled attempt at Blogging last week, I was feeling slightly agitated that I couldn't think of anything significant to write about. I knew my girlfriend was right when she stated that it didn't have to be something profound but just everyday even mundane observations, as long as it was something personal. The question for me is probably just how much of the personal do you share with the world, without compromising your privacy. Can you go as close to the bone as you would in a novel? This is the personal choice of the Blogger, but for me it may be acceptable to share certain personal truths by adopting a philosophical tone. Whatever the amount I choose to reveal, my aim should be to seek the personal/human truth and share these with the audience just as I would with any of my other work.

So this morning I returned home to Greenford after spending a charming weekend at my girlfriend's. Which is significant as it's taken a year of torture (particularly for my girlfriend), for me to arrive at the acceptance of settling down. But that's a discussion for another day.

Despite the journey home from Wimbledon being slightly problematic (what with the west bound District line tube being forced to terminate at High st Kensington due to another security alert), I was delighted by the lush green sight of Perivale Park Golf Course again as the Greenford train emerged from the monstrosity of a council estate over the River Brent and the Ruislip road. Walking the short distance from the station, I mused over the near tranquility of suburbia in London. This was in stark contrast to the tone of Vanessa Phelps's talk show on BBC Radio London. Vanessa was garnering London's feelings towards urban thug behaviour in public, in light of the stabbing of Richard Whelan on a North London bus over the weekend. What was most ironic for me was that this was one phone-in where all the public stuck to the one topic despite the deluge of correspondence. However, even though people were clearly aggrieved at the state of our urban streets, there was a common theme that of the majority of people turning the blind eye or 'hiding behind their Evening Standards' during the most horrific incidents.

I think it was one of the best talk shows BBC London as aired, as the conclusion that came out was that we are all part of a community and cannot ignore such acts by simply leaving things to the government. If we aren't willing to stand together and impose sanctions on those thugs whatever age, race, or gender they may be, then who will? Ultimately, the order of society is our collective responsibility not just that of the State. After all, heaven belongs on Earth not up in the sky; a 70 year old woman getting slapped by 15 year olds or a man stabbed to death in a senseless killing, sounds like hell on earth to me.

May I say this to the member of the public on Vanessa's show who confused the North London bus stabbing as a racist attack, comparing it to the terrible racist murder of young Anthony Walker in Liverpool last Friday. That I would probably have been stabbed myself despite being as black as the perpetrator. Richard Whelan's murder was ugly and horrific in its meaningless and casual inhumanity displayed by the killer; but I truly hope that the authorities make best efforts not to repeat the mistakes of the Stephen Lawrence tragedy over a decade ago, when bringing Anthony Walker's killers to justice. As a black man, I will not be looking for misguided politically correct measures, but some good solid common sense action. Let's hope as Anthony's Uncle, Shiloh Binns wished, that some good come's of this tragedy.

Miami Nice

2005-01-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

Jamaica, South Coast. The final leg of my little winter excursion. What with no luggage courtesy of Amercian Airlines, the only thing for me to do was just chill and maybe get round to writing that review I promised Andy (aka DJ Spam) of the Spam All Stars, who I had witnessed the week before at Jazid bar in South Beach Miami. Thank God winter had come early in Atlanta, else I would have missed this 'splendicious' experience. I mean, what the hell was I doing having spent all that money to go half way round the world to hang out in some army surplus store with a bunch of security guards and wind battered faces, hunting for long johns? With a shout from my mate Dollar Bill who had already touched base verifying Miami's glorious weather, I hot footed it down the East Coast and kissed the big cold ATL goodbye.

After Dollar Bill's hurried tour of Ocean Drive, we finally stumbled into Jazid bar on South Beach's Washington Avenue, thanks to a tip from the waiter at the Grill Fish restaurant. Jackpot! The place seemed to be heaving with a heady mix of beautiful women (from all corners of the globe, particularly South America and the Caribbean), interesting faces and friendly smiles. All to the backdrop of a pulsating cacophony of hip hop, reggae, latin and Afro Cuban sounds emanating from a tight seven piece band. Which included a bald headed guy (who I later discovered to be Andy Yeomanson aka DJ Spam) controlling the decks, a flute player - Mercedes Abal, a trombonist - John Speck, AJ Hill and Steve Welsh on saxophone, Adam Zimmon on guitar, and leading the proceedings with timbales and vocals was some crazy cat called Tomas Diaz! He enthused the place with his earthy latin creole and reggae laden lyrics like the energiser bunny on tequila and white rum! He soon had the crowd singing along to his infectious toasting and spoilt us with his timbales solos, interspersed with respective solos from the rest of the band. We were even treated to some wild scratching from DJ Le Spam himself.

What a night! Just one of those occassions that you just stumble upon. Kinda reminded me of the night I happened upon Bembe Segue at the Jazz Cafe. But that's another story. Sharing the experience here is just not enough, you'll have to sample the delightful sound yourself with a friend. But if Miami is out of the reach of most of us, then let's hope some discerning promoter will manage to bring the All Stars to somewhere like Cargo or even the Jazz Cafe. Now that would be something, the Miami vibe right in the heart of London. The Tequila's are on me!