News experiences July 7, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Uncategorized.add a comment
Actually, in the spirit of twittering, tweeting, or whatever the cool cats are calling it now, I’m going to just throw an off-the-cuff post out there, because I can, because I want to, and because I’ve nothing else at this exact moment I need to be doing.
Blogging itself hasn’t become a drag, but I’ve noticed one thing this last couple of weeks: when you’re out of the house ten hours in a day, and spending most of those hours writing, the urge to spend the spare hours, minutes and seconds writing your own material kinda slides. Just how much of the world’s creativity and passion is kept under the blanket of working all hours to pay the bills we shall perhaps never know.
But it’s been interesting times. Within the last couple of months I’ve had the opportunity to write for a couple of excellent news groups, one producing local news, another producing national technology trade news both online and off. I’ve been writing for a while now, so it kinda made sense to see how some of the big boys were doing. And it was certainly an eye-opener.
Because actually, behind the scenes, the big boys were nowhere near as big as I’d imagined. Naivete of youth some (very kind people) would say.Not necessarily a bad thing of course, but it was interesting to me, never having been exposed to such industries before. What was even more interesting though, particularly with the trade press, was how little the guys admitted to actually knowing about what they were writing about, in this case technology.
Now don’t get me wrong, these guys are good at writing. I mean really good. I mean, I can knock out a few words here or there, but when it comes to producing news, I was very much back in junior school. The quality and speed that these guys can knock out stories really is something else. I tried, and failed; it would appear to take a certain skill that I simply don’t have. Oh I’m sure I could learn it, and I’m sure it’s a skill that could be honed over time, but whether I want it is another thing.
But finding out that an interest in writing about technology is not a prerequisite for the job, kinda knocked me for six. Having been in and around the industry for fifteen years, and picking up a thing or two on my travels, I like to think the knowledge is worth something, that it’s worth writing about, and perhaps more importantly worth sharing. The truth is, that it is, but only if you are either a name or a face that people already recognise. It seems opinions carry no weight otherwise.
Perhaps this is as it should be. After all would you rather read an opinion piece by Jimmy Smith, or by Alan Sugar, regardless of quality or content? Well, perhaps a better question for some would be, which is likely to bring more viewers to the page also laden with advertising?
And this is where everything falls into place. The lack of specialist knowledge is actually fantastic, because thinking only slows you down, and faster news equals more views. If you’re lucky, more views then equates to more interest from the advertisers which makes more money for the business. Right now, it’s simply not about the news, not about the quality, the imparting of information or opinion. It’s about money. Everything else is secondary.
The fundamentals of journalism are in the process of being re-written, and everyone I spoke to acknowledged that fact. Most have been touched by redundancies, most equally are doing things that five years ago they would never have thought necessary. Comfort zones are in the process of being stretched, and none of them know where it’s going to end.
From what I’ve read and seen I see news taking a back seat to industry knowledge. I see its raw-materials being moulded and given additional value that will command greater salaries, and consequently new revenue streams. But exactly what all that means, the mediums, the quantity, quality, well, to be honest, I think we’re back at the times of the first printing press. I don’t think it’ll take decades of upheaval as then, certainly not at today’s pace of change, but it’ll take some time for things to readjust and settle into a new direction.
Whether it’s one where both they, and I, can start making a reasonable living again, is anyone’s guess.
Tuning in July 7, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Uncategorized.add a comment
Dammit, I’ve started twittering and now blogging seems like a real drag. Is there any hope for me? Would this blog have fitted in a tweet? Gah!!!
/sigh
From gym to weight loss June 16, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Fitness, Sport.3 comments
I suppose it was inevitable that discussions of fitness would turn to discussions of weight loss. Which is a shame considering that, in many cases, the two actually have very little to do with each other.
What people typically mean when they talk of weight loss is fat loss; love handles, bat wings whatever, it’s fat, and it’s unwanted. So their aim is typically to get rid of this stuff. Which sounds easy enough. Unfortunately evolution has dictated otherwise.
Y’see, bodies are designed to be great at holding on to fat. In fact, the body stores fat much more easily than it gets rid of it. Way back when we were busy designing wheels and marvelling at fire, food was pretty scarce. Never knowing when the next meal was going to stroll by gave bodies good cause to get efficient at both storage and use. Which is why not only does it store fat easily, it really hates letting it go again.
So you might think it would make sense to drop your calorie intake, starving your body and dropping weight and dress size in the process. The trouble is our bodies are wise to that little escapade; if they witness a significant drop in calorie intake, they go into what some call a “famine mode”, simply holding on even tighter to the fat reserves they already have. A lot of what actually disappears ends up being muscle, far easier to convert into fuel than fat. Hitting yourself with the latest killer diet more often than not gets you weaker and less healthy whilst maintaining existing fat levels.
If that doesn’t sound bad enough, partaking of such activities actually stores up even more problems for the future. Fat takes fewer calories to maintain than muscle; even in a state of rest muscle is busily chewing through calories. If you reduce your muscle mass, you’re lowering the amount of calories burnt in any given activity, slowing your metabolism, and increasing the likelihood that anything you’re eating will get stored as more fat. What makes this even less fun, is that, when you come off your diet and go back to eating “normally”, guess what? Yup, the problem gets worse, because there’s even less muscle to now burn the original calorie intake, meaning even more fat storage.
Gees, what a gip huh? It almost seems like you’re screwed whatever you do. Well, when it comes to dieting, you probably are.
But there is a solution, and of course we all know what it is. We might like to think otherwise, in fact a whole industry banks on it, but we know the only way of keeping fat down and strength and fitness up is to eat healthy fresh food, whilst exercising regularly. The body, much like the mind, needs a constant workout to keep it in good form.
So that’s it then? As simple as that? If I stay focused and work hard I’m going to be in a size 6 by the Summer holidays?
Erm, not quite. We need another reality check. Firstly, as noted, fat takes a long time to remove from the body, in some cases years, and what makes it worse is the less you have, the longer it takes. Law of diminishing returns dontcha know. Also, and this is what gets most people running, or perhaps gently strolling, for the hills, and why the term “weight loss” needs to be stricken from modern society, putting on muscle will not only make you bigger, it will also make you heavier.
And that’s about the point at which a thousand gym memberships get cancelled.
But before you make that call, listen up. Contrary to modern-day programming, getting bigger and heavier when you start out exercising is actually a good thing. An increase in size is a natural consequence of building up new muscle underneath the layers of fat that haven’t gone yet. But you need this first before that fat will go.
What you also need to see during this difficult period is an increase in weight, and this is where all scales should get thrown out of the window. Put simply, muscle weighs more than fat. Now you may end up weighing less overall once your fat levels have lowered, but until that time comes, there is every chance you will end up weighing more.
The good thing about both of these things is that if you see them happening, you know you’re on the right road. You’re getting healthier and stronger whilst increasing your ability to burn incoming calories, to burn fat reserves, and to get even stronger and fitter in the years to come.
It’s a long hard journey, but you know what? Not only will you be blown away by the real benefits gained, you’ll also be quite happily enjoying that chocolate cake with friends happy in the knowledge that you’ve damn well earned it.
Why do gym? June 11, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Current-affairs, Sport.5 comments
What’s the gym for? I mean really for? You may think you know, but don’t be so sure.
Gym is great for building muscle, for improving heart and lung function, for strengthening bones and increasing blood flow. But here’s the kicker: the biggest benefit of the gym, is to get you really really good at doing gym.
Let’s take an example; rock climbing. Rock climbing can get pretty extreme. People can crawl along walls that are more like ceilings and not break a sweat. The all-over muscle and cardio requirements even to stay thirty seconds on such a surface are insane. So gym sounds ideal, pack on the weights, hit the running machine, roll some dumbells! Well, no. Because of one word: specificity.
Specificity in sport dictates that in order to directly improve your chosen activity you need to replicate exactly what you do in that activity. Any variation, even minor, can eliminate many if not all gains sought. And this is the reason you’ll very rarely see serious climbers down the gym; because larger improvements can be gained by simply doing more climbing, and this doesn’t change irrespective of how many 200kg seated pull-downs they do.
The same goes for running. The cycling machine works your heart and lungs just fine, but the work done on the rest of your body is having little impact on your pavement-pounding capabilities. Even running on a treadmill fails to emulate the ground impact, the different angles your legs and feet have to cope with and therefore the muscles needed to do said coping, and that’s not including the environmental conditions your body needs conditioning on, wind, temperatures, air pressures. You want maximum effectiveness for your chosen activity? Do your chosen activity.
So if all that is the case, who is gym really for? Well for a start gym is excellent for people that don’t have any other activity to focus on. I’ve known a lot of people lacking in sporting skills or facilities, who have gained enormous benefit from visiting the gym, in strength, weight loss and overall fitness levels. It’s also great for rehabilitation, where many of the machines can isolate individual muscle groups for a rapid return to form following injury. It can also be great for supplementary exercising, for instance using cable-rows to emulate a forehand tennis shot, but that tends to be a very specific requirement for very specific reasons by very specific individuals. For most of the rest of us, we’d be better off spending an extra five minutes on the tennis court than five minutes on the cable machine!
V3 – more of the same iPhone (greatness)? June 10, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Current-affairs, Technology.add a comment
I’d forgotten how jaded one can get following technology.
Not that Apple didn’t do an excellent job with the third generation of its game-changing mobile computer. I mean, the gear list is certainly nothing to be sniffed at; a 3 mega pixel video camera, more capacity, longer battery life, compass, bell and complimentary whistle. But someone’s going to have to colour me just a fraction disappointed.
Maybe it’s because this last two years of mobile tech has been such a rollercoaster. 2007 was such a tough year for Motorola, SonyEricsson and their ilk, who had little option but to take one long hard look in the mirror and see what a disfigured, disjointed mess they’d all become. So much so that most rapidly jumped on the all-singing all-dancing metaphor, releasing iPhone me-too’s as if the mere saying were worth some money. In most cases it certainly wasn’t. And whilst they all try to figure out how to even stay in the game, they continue to peddle the same old junk seen nearly a decade ago at the millenium parties, just with flashier stripes.
So, after such a rollercoaster, what could Apple have done to change the game again with their latest release? Well that’s the thing; they simply didn’t need to. The iPhone, much like the seminal iPod, was the game changer. Anything more will always be simply icing on the cake, with this third generation layering it on good and thick. The operating system upgrade? Cherries on top and a nicely piped, suitably upbeat message, probably penned by Steve Jobs himself.
The difficulty for me, and perhaps the biggest root of my disappointment, stems from the rumours for this next generation, rolling around the net since the day the second generation was unveiled last year. Pretty much every month since that point, us tech followers have been living with v3’s hopes and fears, eating and breathing the whole gamut from 8 megapixel cameras, through to hardware qwerty keyboards and anything, no everything, in between. The realist sat on our right shoulder would bring us back from the brink often enough, but that left-shoulder guy, wow what a party he throws.
So it would seem the realist won this time around, and I don’t think I’m the only one slightly affected by his mollifying tones. Sure, the rabid Apple followers are keeping a brave face, sitting content and happy that they’ve been thrown a slice of Jobsian pie, but they like me, could never say they were blown away.
Does it matter? Of course not. I, like many many others will still buy one because there simply is nothing better. Palm’s Pre may have been getting a whole bunch of headlines recently, but for all its cheese-cutting ability, the package just isn’t as complete as Apple’s offering and people know it. You could still buy a Pre, or a Blackberry, maybe even an oldPhone with keypad texting and a rubber-nipple joybutton if you’re really in the mood to make a protest vote, but you’ll still be looking at the iPhone with envious eyes, wanting to have some time alone together.
So, all in all, a good solid release Apple. Now, what’s v4 going to look like?
Plane shock June 6, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Current-affairs, Observation.1 comment so far
I’m sorry, but am I the only person on the planet that finds this completely and utterly insane? A plane en-route to Paris crashes into the Atlantic, and five days later officials still have no idea where it went down or why?
Not knowing where is in itself inexcusable; in an age where we can track individual miscreants with an ankle bracelet to a distance of ten metres, you’re telling me we can’t track a plane that’s sixty metres long?
Regarding the why, we all know about the black-box flight recorder, how vital it is, how key to the effective evaluation and resolution of problems relating to current and future flight safety. So would it not be fair to assume that, in the event of an accident over deep water as was the case here, the black box recorder would have some kind of device that would take it to the surface and perhaps (and I know I’m pushing the boat out here on recent evidence) even flash or, god forbid, beep? I mean, is that too much to ask? The most vital piece of equipment following an accident, so important that they are double wrapped, titanium, fire, shock and nuclear blast proof, and there’s a chance it will never be found?! Seriously, seriously am I completely missing something here?
Well, I must be. We’ve been flying planes for decades now. We have numerous pieces of safety equipment, we have engine redundancies, detailed digital communications technologies, we even have histories of successful landings on motorways, fields, even the Hudson river. I simply refuse to believe we don’t have any idea where this plane crashed, why it did so, and at what time.
I’m distraught for the families. Now I’m absolutely livid at the shocking aftermath.
A Kindle on borrowed time June 4, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Books, Current-affairs, Observation, Technology.2 comments
This lovely piece of tech design is exactly why I think Amazon’s Kindle is most definitely living on borrowed time, and the world of the single-minded e-book will rapidly go much the same way as the world of the single-minded telephone.
It’s a world of convergence people; if you’re not in it, you are most definitely out.
The Plague June 1, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Books.1 comment so far
Looking back, I suppose it was unlikely I was going to be confronted by sweetness and light whilst making my way through the pages of Albert Camus’ classic “The Plague”. What did come as somewhat of a surprise though was just how devoid of colour this seminal work appeared to be. It was, as it would seem, rather appropriate to colour its sleeve in its many hues of grey.
Now don’t get me wrong; grey certainly does not imply boring, at least not in this case If you’ve ever seen the play Art, you’ll doubtless appreciate that a creation made up of blends of a single colour can be the cause of many an emphatic emotion. Looking at Albert Camus’ book from this perspective, you can start to see why it gets the reviews that it does.
It is not a novel in what I would deem a traditional sense; plot, sub-plot, intrigue, action, start, middle, end, a rich tapestry of emotion, action and colour to keep the pages turning. Anyone looking for such base ingredients is likely to be eternally disappointed and should, one would argue, be shopping in a different isle. No, what The Plague gives the reader is exceptional subtlety and hue, characters, actions, scenery, all hewn from the same ashen rock, acting and interacting without passion or force. Days pass into weeks that continue to expand until the titular plague has passed beyond the afflicted town, leaving neither devastation nor celebration, merely grey continuity.
What makes it so right though, so correct, is the whole being clearly moulded from a single piece, a masterpiece of smooth curves and velvety edges, with never a piece out of place. Unpainted, unadorned by frivolous fancy, and completely unconcerned by their absence. A creation to absorb, reflect on, and appreciate for all its lack of more bawdy pleasures.
Would I recommend it to anyone? As with many pieces of art probably not. After all, could I encourage a friend to visit a Monet gallery? Perhaps the latest installation at the Saatchi? Well, possibly, but whether or not they would appreciate it the same way I did is always likely to be in doubt.
No, the best way to come by such a masterwork is through natural order; if you read, in all likelihood you’ll have read it or will come across it on your journey. If you don’t, then there are much richer sources of mental stimulation to be found elsewhere. On the other hand, if you are an appreciator of art with an open mind and an eye for a masterpiece, there aren’t many books or authors out there that command such universal appreciation. Perhaps a hazy Sunday afternoon on the porch could be the time and place to appreciate just how colourful a single colour can be.
Of undergarment disbursements May 19, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Current-affairs, Observation.2 comments
When I write a letter to my lovely Aunt Ethel, and I know how she loves receiving my rambling repartee, the largest cost is most certainly tied up in the time it takes me to put pen to paper. I would not want her to think that I’d rushed my correspondence, love her as I do. I take my time, and place the carefully written words into a small envelope, the front festooned with a curlicued address and a perfectly aligned first class stamp. Thirty-nine pence is never too much to bring a ray of sunshine to my Aunt’s world.
Every so often I will treat my Aunt; I know she is particularly partial to the odd jaffa cake or two with her afternoon tea, so along with my words, I will sometimes post a generously-sized carton of the cakes. I can only imagine the smile that such a package brings. It may cost a little more, being bigger and heavier, but she is of course worth every penny spent.
And on my dear Auntie’s birthday, I make sure that no expense is spared. It may be forty rolls of wool for her knitting, a complete buff and wax kit for her treasured Hillman, whatever it is I would gladly pay double, for the purchase, packaging and delivery of such love, irrespective of size, weight or transportational taxonomy knows no price.
I was reading through the daily news recently, and came across a rather curious piece about Marks and Spencer. It was made all the more curious when i thought about my special deliveries to my dearest of relatives. It would appear that the venerable high-street store has been charging higher prices for larger sizes of bras, upsetting the bountiful ladies with additional undergarment disbursements.
And I must confess, taking into account the overheads associated with all items of larger girth, post and bras alike, I find my equilibrium somewhat disturbed.
On the one hand one should not be penalised for what god hath sought to place on one’s plate, dutifully celebrating each in its turn, but on the other, does it not make a modicum of sense that if something is more generously-endowed it does indeed require more time, materials, energy and transportation to place said item on said shelf for perusers to peruse?
Well, it would appear that Marks and Spencer have adjusted their prices based on out-of-joint noses, thus creating what would seem to be an amicable solution to media and public alike.
However the veritable grey matter just won’t leave this be. For does this not now penalise those of a lesser-endowment who will in all likelihood, and unknowingly, now subsidise the additional costs of the larger garments? And does it not seem even mildly puzzling to other people that the ire of those of a more lithe physique has remained unfanned despite now suffering the same indignancies that those of a larger disposition once experienced?
Such happenstances are curious indeed.
Boldly going forward, oh wait we’ve found reverse May 18, 2009
Posted by Snoopy in Entertainment, Film, Technology.add a comment
Star Trek? Well, perhaps more of a Star Battle. A Star War if you will. Nah, too trite.
So is the quintessential nature of the series now gone? The “Trek” in “Star Trek” now as redundant as plot, tension, poise and intellect? This latest installment would, I fear, suggest so.
People who have already been to see the film will find my synopsis complete and accurate in every detail. People who haven’t, I’m not going to flag a spoiler alert, because you already knew what the film was going to be about way before you came here.
So. Car chase, fight, fight, explosion. Fight, argument, fight, explosion. Time travel, kiss. Comment from the original series, hilarity ensues, Kirk meets Spock. Argument, fight, explosion, explosion, Kirk meets McCoy, McCoy meets Spock, comment from the original series, hilarity ensues. Kiss, Chekov tries to say “Wessel”, the computer fails to understand him, hilarity ensues. Time travel, Kirk, meets Old Spock, meet Scotty. Rummy! The set is now complete. Explosion, chase, explosion, escape, explosion. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Bones, Chekov, and Sulu all stand together in a group looking at the camera, and… CHEESE! Nice picture. Hold for one more… Perfect, thankyou. Explosion, fight, explosion, smiles, Old Spock, a final scattering of random comments from original series, hilarity ensues, and cheers all round for a rousing victory.
Now what they were victorious for, or perhaps against, I couldn’t tell you. If you examine my synopsis you will note a complete lack of plot, storyline, point to any of them getting out of bed on that, or any other fateful day. On top of the unbridled, no sorry, bridled story-telling, it would appear that it is possible to become captain of a flagship straight out of University, oh and apparently a black hole can destroy an entire planet, but you’re safe to stand and watch the spectacle if you’re located on its neighbour. Incidentally, I still can’t remember the name of the bad guy, so please, if someone can remember, feel free to mock it in the comments. I know he looked kinda human, but with a tattoo on his face, clearly making him a completely different race. Oh, and he drove around a ship about a thousand times the size of the enterprise but was still defeated in the end, in a kind of David and Goliath kinda way. So fresh, so vital.
So sad.
I had a bit of a moan a while ago about banning sequels. I need to add to that the banning of prequels, at least before the trend gets too far out of control. I spent most of the film waiting for the main characters to “meet”, ticking each off as it happened (which was of course spaced neatly throughout the 90 minutes), I cringed my way through McCoy and Scotty’s one-liners (which were, incidentally, bad fourty years ago), and roll my eyes as time-travel took centre stage and attempted to pull together something that was best left on the back of the napkin to which it was born.
And I’m also stuck trying to figure out what the point of it all was. It doesn’t further the franchise, rather, being in danger of damaging it irrevocably (unless you’re a fan of such bubblegum schtick, in which case you’ll probably be happy with pretty much anything Hollywood throw out). It could have been an introduction to viewers new to the franchise, but if that were the case, why use the original cast and characters? Surely they’re only there to appeal to the pre-cast fans, who all decided to be up-in-arms anyway because there wasn’t a single Klingon in the whole shebang, ridiculously unbelievable as they were?
But then maybe that’s the perfect theme for what Star Trek has become. Entertaining, but totally unbelievable. Bubblegum for all its screen-blowing action and lack of plot. It’s not where I would have gone, but then I don’t get to pull the strings, and probably a good thing too. I’d probably want some depth, a bit of plot, some twists, an ending that left me wanting (but which would not give it because of my distaste of sequels). Nah, perhaps it’s better such things are left to the sci-fi masses, many of whom I’m sure were frothing in the isles at every “she canna tek it any more Jim!”.
All in all I give this film a solid 6 out of 10 for all of it’s eyeball-piercing effects, but would be hard pressed to recommend it to a friendly neighbour.
