I loved Prometheus for all its flaws (how did engineer cross open ground with no oxygen, why are characters terrified at the thought of Alien life one minute and playing with nasty looking snake things the next…) and have been interested by some of the deleted scenes like this:
Ill probaby get the DVD version with the alternative opening and ending, but have to say its a bit of a blatent cash grab, the entire franchise seems to be very much “money first”, I guess everything is on movieland, but this one has been a bit too blatent for my liking. Corners seem to have been cut in the original film (cue plot holes) and it good as it is it did not really live up to my expectations… especially as the film begins and ends with Shaw flying off to learn more about her creators making the entire film nothing more than a side plot
Looking forward to the inevitable sequals though, hopefully they will deliver a bit more!
I found the following clip on the tubes a couple of days back, not sure how I missed it for so long!
Really nicely shot, some great footage of longboarding, not the best on there or the fastest but never the less a great vid, nicely edited. Its actually a mash up of a few other videos from Original Skate Boards:
The reason I posted that is largely because of the soundtrack – Fortune Days by Glitch Mob, a great track.
Another fave by them is “Drive Like You Stole It”:
If you like then Check Out Glitch Mob, they are a great band… in my opinion
They are pretty clever with the way they make these videos, they film themselves (or get someone to film them) recording their music, and then mash up the footage with the song, so as each bit of the song plays you see clips of them producing it.
Where there are instruments and vocals coming in and out you see multiple shots etc.
Its difficult to explain, and pointless as you can see for yourself in one of my favorite clips:
Over the past few weeks ive been pondering which mobile phone to go for as my old one is up for renewal. I had planned on getting an iPhone just because they are the coolest
Ive also been looking for a laptop to use at college in the new term… I would have liked a mac book as they are also the coolest!
There was a slight problem with that plan though as the iPhone and Mac Book also happen to be the most expensive gadgets on the market, and I just dont have the money at the moment, so I had to make some compromises!
I started looking for a budget laptop instead, I took a look at an Acer but was not took keen on that, and eventually found a Compaq CQ57 at a very affordable price which I almost ordered, but before I did I thought I would have a look around for some phone deals to make sure I had enough money for both.
iPhone contracts are pretty pricey, and if you go for a cheaper contract you have to pay extra for the phone, and no one likes paying extra do they?
So, I had a look at some Android alternatives, the Galaxy SII and SIII are both at least as good as the iPhone, coolness aside, but still pretty expensive, and also quite big, bigger than the iPhone which I did not really like. So I turned my attention to the Galaxy Ace 2 instead, smaller (similar size to the iPhone) and of course cheaper.
Whilst searching for info on phones and laptops I found you could get a free laptop with a mobile phone by using FLMP (a comparison site I found) , and as luck would have it the Galaxy Ace 2 and Compaq laptop were available at a price I could afford with plenty of minutes
In fact, the price I paid is not much more than the iPhone would have cost on its own, so basically I got a free laptop out of the deal. The Q57 is ok, you get what you pay for, it does the job and I am happy with that, plus its less to worry about than a MacBook in terms of carrying around… there is a big difference in the replacement cost!
The Galaxy phone I bought though… that is a different story, I LOVE IT. Full touch screen, loads of apps, got a free music downloader for it (try doing that on an iPhone ) so all in all, I am a very happy guy right now with two new toys and a little money left for the weekend!
I would really recommend you check out this phone if you are looking for an affordable iPhone alternative:
The Raspberries are the anti oscars, but the Raspberry Pi is the coolest £27 you will spend (if you like gadgets).
Its a bare bones, no, bare bare bare bones PC.
It has no case, just a circuit board but has a lot of stuff on it, great for playing with, making gadgets and controllers, it was conceived as a way to get kids engaged with technology, giving something they could access and play with.
Most cool, I have mine on order from RS Components, but there is a bit of a backlog.
So, what do I plan to do with this little monster?
I have absolutely no Idea, but Im going to have fun doing it!
Here is a vid demonstrating what this little thing can do:
Another old vid I saw a long time ago, but one I keep going back to, this guy weaves magic.
You would be forgiven for thinking the vid has been edited / slowed / sped up etc, but it hasnt been, you can tell this by looking at the way his clothes move, the bus in the background, and the fact that when he retraces his footsteps he takes different routes.
So cool, and such a great song (Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People)
I found this on youtube the other day, its pretty old, not sure how I missed it before but I found it very amusing:
There are a few clips like this one, but I didn’t find any of those funny at all, most were trying to control the dog without it looking like they were… this one is much better.
There are some really nice touches, such as the moment he cleans some of the “dunk gunk” off his thumb, and wipes his mouth, its those little details that set this masterpiece apart from cheaper imitations
If you have not seen the promotional video of Dollar Shave Club yet you should take a minute out to watch it, its very funny and with almost 5 million views on YouTube it has proved to be a very successful promotion:
The video features the founder of the company, their actual warehouse and actual employees, its a great video, I watched it several times.
The thing is this video became a victim of its own success to a point with DollarShaveClub.Com having to suspend taking new orders on their entry level blades, though I am sure they will be back on track very soon!
I love the concept behind this video, and think the site itself is innovative. They will deliver razors to your door every month for as little as $1 per month, like a subscription service for razor blades.
I have watched a couple of video responses to their promo which were posted by customers and they all seem very positive. I am not sure I will be subscribing though, as I am off on my travels quite a lot, and can get them at a similar price at a local discount drugstore.
I’ve been reading a bit about Google TV lately, and am a little perplexed as to who would want to use it.
If you are unfamiliar with Google TV, it is a “layer” that can run over existing Internet Television. It runs on Android (Linux) to deliver TV through the Linux version of the Chrome browser.
The only manufacturer I have yet seen selling TV sets integrating with Google TV is Sony, however Sony are partnered with Google on this project, so you cannot count them as an independent manufacturer who see’s a future in this technology (though they clearly do or they would not be involved with it.
The reason I am not convinced about it is that there already seem to be better services available, many through ISP companies who allow internet TV to be streamed through your TV. These do not rely on another “layer” (chrome) but integrate directly with the TV, and this works really nicely.
Also you still need to pay to access content, for example if you want to watch NetFlix content you need a subscription, again you can access this without needing the Google TV “layer”.
Interesting as the technology is I am not sold on its benefits whatsoever, namely because Google have no content, and those that do have content to sell already provide the means of accessing that content.
I use an iPad and there is no shortage of apps that deliver internet TV through various means.
Call be dumb, but I just to not “get it” when it comes to Google TV, I just cannot see the USP.
If you want a more positive overview of what Google TV has to offer, check out the video below:
) so all in all, I am a very happy guy right now with two new toys and a little money left for the weekend!