This is a heavily edited ebook comparison and review posted at around the same time last year. I love my Kobo eReader. It’s clunky but “honest.” My iPad is cool, too but my Kindle 3 hardly leaves its sleeve.
Everyone’s going on about the new Kindle 3 and how you can annotate the book you’re reading, download Audiobooks, mp3s and play Sudoko … Meh! Too “try hard” IMHO. Also too many moving parts – more to go wrong. Here’s why I like the Kobo v2 and the iPad v1 … (more…)
We know that robots are becoming more prevalent in the home. Sure, they’re only vacuum cleaners at the moment, but robots of greater utitlity – say the ability to mix fantastic, perfect cocktails 100% of the time – are just around the corner. The Japanese fascination with the notion of artificial life have made them leaders in robot research and experimentation. Which is another way of saying, we all love ASIMO, no? Although Honda’s cute little walker is somewhat old hat these days.
The ASADA Synergistic Intelligence Team have just released video of their M3-Kindy a “kindergarten-age/sized humanoiod robot that emulates the movements and reactions of a toddler. At first this little tyke seems rather average. However keep watching this 2 minute vid – the ability to react to a human smile, make this a creepily impressive demonstration. Just don’t let M3-Kindy eat the broccoli.
I knew it! Although I didn’t think it would happen so soon. E-readers are taking off in a big way! Manufacturers are astounded. Understandably, book-publishers and distributors are nervous. You can buy a Kobo (electronic document reader pre-loaded with 100 novels) at Borders in Australia for $200. And it uses e-ink just like the Kindle. Actually – scratch that. No you can’t buy a Kobo because they’re out of stock! (more…)
Since the release of the iPad in Australia this month, things are changing. The iPad is basically a computer without a keyboard and this sort of thing has been a long time coming. Apple is the new market leader amidst a whole range of tablet computers and portable readers. The computer is truly leaving the home office and nuzzling up to us on the couch – right between our cup of coffee and widescreen Plasma (3DTV anyone? Nahhh.) So how does this affect the social media landscape? Or does it? And what the hell is social media really? Why should I care about what my friends are eating for lunch?
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There are many arguments regarding the piracy of movies, games, music and television. Many of us do it (but this isn’t a confession, copyright cops) and we are in breach of a slew of international copyright agreements when we do.
The Old School system way back in the pre-digital era had clear cut institutions for composers, producers and other owners creators of intellectual and creative products to enforce their copyright and collect a fee. (more…)
The iPad is coming to Australia. But will it live up to the hype? It has some serious issues and, to my mind, may just be Apple’s final hurrah. , you need to be really close to your wi-fi hub in order for it to work. This problem can’t get fixed with a software update because of a tiny receiver behind the screen and most people use the iPad on their laps / cushions etc. – further reducing the signal. (more…)
This week, A Stone Throw was awarded Best Short Film at the Chennai International Film Festival in India.
Chennai is home to the international headquarters of The Theosophical Society.
The Theosophical Society (emblem pictured), founded in 1875, is a worldwide body whose primary object is Universal Brotherhood based on the realization that life, and all its diverse forms, human and non-human, is indivisibly One. The Society imposes no belief on its members, who are united by a common search for Truth and desire to learn the meaning and purpose of existence by engaging themselves in study, reflection, purity of life and loving service.
While my stuff has sold and been shortlisted internationally, I have never actually won an award (other than encouragement awards and special mentions) outside of Australia.
I’m very pleased about this particular win for two reasons:
As the world is becoming more and more fundamentalist in nature, I find myself sliding from Atheist to Agnostic. I think our spiritual bent is ultimately the difference between hopelessness and hopefulness. It has to do with my survival and the way I see myself continuing on into my 40s (I turn 40 in December). I could get grumpier (like most pessimistic atheists) or I could become more hopeful (as an Agnostic).
The way I see it is that we’re all completely and utterly condemned to nuclear inferno – especially with a whole bunch idiots in charge of Australia and the US presently.
I don’t want to feel this way. It affects everything I do. So I’m trying to find god (my definition of it) in a whole bunch of reading and scientific literature. To this end, I’ve just ordered Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion – which I can’t wait to read.
Tomorrow, I will be replacing the 16mm short film, Bertolt with the flash animated ABC short, Indy Nile Investigates which I wrote for my buddy Roberto Palmonari.
Then on Thursday, Phil Jeng Kane and I will interview Gordy Hoffman – director of the world’s largest growing screenplay competition, The Bluecat Screenplay Competition for our podcast. Gordy wrote the feature film, Love Liza, starring his brother Philip Seymour Hoffman and since then he has tried his hand at directing a digital feature of his own.
So it looks like 2007 is about to go off with a bang.
New Years’ resolutions: stop biting nails, become lean, make films. What are yours?
