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Am I a Music Snob?
However, what was really different to last year was the crowd. Clearly it was a much larger group of people, but it was also much more diverse; younger and older, chavvier and posher. I certainly don't begrudge Jason becoming more popular, god knows I think he deserves it. But I have to confess to just a little musical snobbery... some of the people at the gig will have been about 6 when Mraz's first album was released, and I just couldn't quite help wondering whether people who've only got into his music since the relative popularity of I'm Yours really count as fans.
A Brief Rant
I've been reading Kate Fox's Watching The English recently. Well, for quite a while actually - I read slowly. It's an anthropological look at English culture, and as an Englishman I find that an interesting topic.
My opinion of the book and its author has been somewhat mercurial, as her almost-invariably astute observations are fascinating and entertaining, yet I frequently disagree (taking inspiration purely from my own personal experience) with her assumptions as to the reasons for English behaviour.
Why the App Store Rocks
The best thing about the iPhone these days is its software model. I've talked in detail before (1, 2, 3, 4) about the device itself, and mentioned the AppStore, but Apple Insider presents (as part of their extensive and pretty good series of posts on the iPhone 3G) a fascinating comparison of iPhone software versus Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian and even PSP and DS software platforms.
Confessions Of An iPhone User (Part 3G)
Once upon a time (well, 9th November 2007 to be precise), Rowan got an iPhone. And he blogged about it. Twice. Some time later (July 2008), he tried to get a swanky new iPhone 3G, without much luck. He blogged about that, too. Finally, he got one. Phew! So, not wanting to break with tradition, he blogged about that as well. Here goes...
3G, or not 3G? That is the question.
Following Apple's announcements on Monday I'm asking myself the question, '3G or not 3G?' on 2 levels. First, shall I upgrade to an iPhone 3G? Second, just how "3G" is the iPhone 3G anyway?
Bone of Contention
Ofcom this week announced a new voluntary code of conduct for ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in the UK, aiming to provide "greater clarity over customers’ broadband line speeds", particularly looking at the fact that ADSL connections (what the vast majority of people have) often provide far slower speeds than the theoretical maximums which companies advertise. It's worth a look - there's a summary here and the full details here, along with a list of signed-up ISPs here.
Here's the thing though - it's both too simple and too complex. Confused? You will be...
Old & New
I think that successfully mixing old and new is an incredible skill; when done well, amazing things can happen. When done badly, the results can be hideous. To create something contemporary which retains elements of the traditional is not an easy task, but successful results can produce something which is more than the sum of its old and new parts. Allow me to illustrate with three examples.
The Revolution: 10 Years On
This week, after consulting an expert in the field, my friend Helen bought an iMac. Coincidentally, the same week saw the 10th Anniversary of the little blue-and-white box that changed the face of computing, so I thought it time to look back on how things have changed...
The Web: A Voice For The Ignorant
Very few things irritate me more than people who have no idea what they're talking about mouthing off on the web. And few things entertain me more than their arguments being ripped to pieces by people who have slightly more idea what they're talking about. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for democracy and free speech and all that, but sometimes I just think people should find out what the hell they're on about.
The BBC's iPlayer is a very emotive topic on the web it seems, and in particular the original Windows-only download version. SMPPMS says on the iPlayer forum:
The BBC has rightly been criticised for spending £130 million for developing the download version of the iPlayer which is tied into Microsoft's Windows Media Player which restricted to Windows Operating systems only. This had very rightly received widespread criticism from the public
The Cost Of Internet TV
I've recently gone from being an occasional reader to an avid follower of the BBC's Internet Blog. It's written by some of the senior people in my devision (Future Media & Technology), though it's about the BBC's web presence, not something I work on. It can provide fascinating insights into some of the work that goes on behind bbc.co.uk, iPlayer and more. If you've got even a vague interest in both technology and the BBC, it's well worth a look.
Today's post by Ashley Highfield sent me on a chain of links which made my blood boil. The Telegraph have recently published a few articles about the cost of online TV. It's an issue which is large in the minds of the BBC, as ISPs' concern grows about increasing internet bandwidth usage due to the growth of online video. iPlayer has contributed heavily due to its success.
