Sound and Vision

Now this photo may not be the most visually exciting thing you've ever seen, but it could be the most significant addition to my techno world since...well last Saturday when I bought the IPT!

As I write this I'm sat watching "Gavin and Stacey" via the BBC iPlayer on my TV just as if it were being broadcast live! This is streaming via my IPT (which is amazing enough on it's own) and using the Apple Composite AV cable (pictured) is then going into the TV. Picture and sound quality are excellent and as the fourth lead is a usb into the power adapter that comes with it, it's not even using any battery.

The cherry on the top is that although it costs £35 at Apple, I got mine for £20 at Gamestation! Goodness knows why but their loss is my gain.

This simple cable now means that I can buy video (or download video podcasts) off of iTunes (or rent it when they get around to the UK later in the year) and watch it the telly just like a DVD. Or I can use the Youtube link on IPT and watch their footage on the telly!

If everyone else in the world is already doing this then sorry I'm banging on about things you been using for ages but if that is the case why didn't you tell me before????

The Dance of a thousand lights

I went to see "The Spiderwick Chronicles" this afternoon with the boys who have both read all the books.

I haven't read a word and if I'm honest I wasn't really looking forward to it...fairies, goblins and ogres not really being my thing. (Apart from, that is, when they are lyrics on Queen II).

Well boy was I impressed! It was great with a well told story revolving around an ogre (played at one point by Nick Nolte) who wants the "Spiderwick Chronicle" of the title so he can rule the world. Between him and total world domination are three children (and their Mother - Mary-Louise Parker - towards the end of the film). It was well acted, with a director who seemed to know how to build to a
story using pace and suspense in equal measure. While I'm told that there were parts of the books omitted, the story had no holes in it and at 96 minutes was just the right length. It would have been quite easy I'm sure to have added in extra scene's but any longer would have spoiled the overall effect.

The ending was all you could have wanted and I had a tear in my eye.

Sometimes being a Dad has unexpected bonuses.

Passion is no ordinary word

My sons and I have just returned from the "Winchester Passion" which was unsurprisingly in Winchester!

This was a live reenactment of the last week of Jesus life, set in the streets of Winchester, along the lines of the Manchester Passion of 2006. Sadly tonight we weren't treated to Judas singing "Heaven knows I'm miserable now"!

There were three main sites where the story unfolded. The first was Oram's Arbour, which is a large grassed area at the north of the City. Here they re-enacted the ride into Jerusalem and the Jewish authorities starting their plotting. Sadly it was quite windy and the scenes (viewed via big screen) were a bit hit and miss with wind and microphone issues not helping.

The action then moved down through the city to the Law courts and Great Hall (home of King Arthur's round table). This was where we were standing and we were able to see quite a lot live without use of the screens. This improved the experience considerably and with sound quality much better as well, we started to engage with all that we were witnessing. We had a particularly great view of the scenes with Pilate (played as British army general in dress uniform). We even got to shout for Barabbas to be released at the appropriate time (although I was really tempted to shout "release Roger" I managed to control myself!).

Jesus was then marched down through the centre of the City and was crucified in front of the Cathedral, which we managed to get to see "live" despite a pit-stop at McD's. I'm not sure that everyone had read the book, as after Jesus died many people started to leave, which meant they missed the best bit!

The resurrection was played out on the same spot as the crucifixion, and then Jesus walked through the crowd, right pass where we were stood.

The whole evening was broadcast live by the local BBC radio station and at one point the music included the World premier of a new choral work by Sir john Tavener.

It wasn't the most polished production but it still got the message across well and Winchester was packed, so it drew a good crowd.

Supermassive black hole...

...in my time now I have IPT.

I have been "gently" reminded by a man in Kentucky, that I said I would blog daily and lately I have failed...miserably! No real excuse EXCEPT my completely brilliant IPT needs me most of my waking hours and there a shed load more "music" to go on it yet. I say "music" as otherwise my incredibly humorous (or ...less?) friends will start the "call what you like music?" jokes. Hmmmm pots and kettles me thinks.

Toodle pip!

Nous sommes Du soleil.

I have the touch

I bought one of these today, it being IPT day.

It is an awesome piece of engineering and works like a dream. The sound quality is great, cover flow (with the album covers you've loaded) is a revelation and well quite frankly I could go on and on..

So I'll limit it to saying that the two things that have really impressed me are, firstly the Internet access and it's linking up with my wi-fi. Matt has a Wii and has never got it to work with my router, so there was some trepidation when I commenced the connection process but it was a breeze and merely asked for my "wep" key and we were away.

Secondly accessing my email account could have been fraught with challenges, but again passwords etc gained immediate access to all it needed it to find.

Finally it has made today's 5-0 defeat at Hull "!" seem bearable by completely diverting my attention to to far more interesting subjects!

Kingdom of madness

I hadn't heard anything of this podcast until I spotted it at the top of the iTunes podcast chart.

It's number one because it is great! It's not scripted, it's just Stephen Fry being incredibly open and honest and, despite what he says, quite funny!

I've only heard the first one but the second is downloaded and ready to be listened to on the way to work tomorrow.

On a related subject, last week I listened to the Word podcast as I do every week. It contains an interesting conversation about what music sounds like in these days of Pro-tools, Audacity and garageband. It struck me, that because I listen to podcasts most of the time that I'm in the car (as I suspect do many others), that actually they may be having as much impact on the music industry by podcasting as is anyone else using new technology. After all that's when I used to listen to music. Oh such sweet irony!

Today is IPT -4!

Dreams

After this weekends F A Cup quarter finals there is only one Premier League team left... Pompey! This is what is known in the trade as "a complete and utter disaster". Worse still the bookmakers now make them favourites!

I shall be supporting that well known team"anyonebutpompey" in both semi-finals!

Meanwhile Saints are 20th in the Championship.....

Find the time

My eldest son Matt did something today, which most of us did at his age without a second thought, but today is a very rare event. He bought a couple of 7" singles.

They are both by the gloriously named "Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly" and form a set. They were 99p each and tonight we have fired up my record player to enjoy them. This also involved me getting one or two of my collectibles to show him that what he did today used to be the norm.

It was very strange as after he bought them, we went for a coffee and he just sat in Starbucks and kept staring at them, taking them out of their sleeves and generally being completely overalled by these two works of art he had just purchased. It has to be said that no CD or download has ever had that effect on him. Vinyl may have had it's day but it does still have the ability to bring out the same emotions that we encountered when we were 14!

It's IPT -7!

I've seen all good people

They're back! Website annouces tour with Anderson, Howe, Squire, White and Wakeman. The latter being Oliver rather than Rick. 

I imagine that the conversation went - Rick "I'm too old" - Yes "Send your son then" - Rick " Jolly good idea" Job done!

Dates etc to be announced shortly. Let joy be unconfined.

Today is IPT -8.

God only knows

This is an old video (pre Christmas 2007) but I only discovered it tonight! I listened to the Podcast of this at the time but the visuals do add something.

I have a very good friend who's an atheist and given my beliefs we're at polar opposites, BUT it is a sign of our friendship that both of us have the utmost respect for each other despite this. We recently had quite an in depth discussion of our respective positions and while neither changed the others views, both of us felt better for that conversation. Friendships like that are rare and to be savoured.

Today is IPT - 9

Play the Game

This week The Times is giving away CD-ROMs of famous games. So far I have :-

Monopoly - Great fun including a Police car the goes around the edge of the board and arrests you when go get sent to jail!

Scrabble - Good game but I can't spel

Trivial Pursuit - OK but slightly dated now.

Countdown - See Scrabble

Question of Sport - Very good just like the TV show

Still to come QI and Film Quiz.

Just for the record I buy the Times every day anyway (normally at Smiths where you have to go to collect the discs) so these really are free for me!

Express yourself

Right, I'm going to try and blog every day! Let's see how long that lasts?

While filling up with petrol today, I noticed that two papers still had Princess Di on their cover, years after her death. Now I know that there is an inquest going on and there have been "revelations" revealed almost every minute of the day. (Examples - Di had a boyfriend before Dodi, she was/wasn't pregnant/engaged/happy/a martian*) BUT does putting her on the cover still increase the circulation as we all dive into the newsagents to buy the Express/Mail 'cos she's on the front? I really really hope not, but I fear that actually it still does. Maybe after the inquest it'll all die down.....

So lets see, as I've got her on my cover will my circulation figures get to oh... I don't know.....5?

*just in case there any readers of the Express reading this I made that up, so no need to check all the back editions stored in the attic.

Opportunities (let's make lots of money)

So Neil and Chris have taken over as Premier and PM in Russia, or that's certainly what this photo looks like.

I also found this article which show the heading is also appropriate in another way!

It's crazy isn't it? The Russian Premier choosing his successor and then becoming PM to ensure there's really no change. Luckily no real democracies would do things like think of electing a former President's wife cos' they maxed their term or elect the son of a previous President whose name was the same.

No that could never happen!