So, it’s the iPad is it?

28 Jan 2010: So, it’s the iPad is it? Lots of potential. My predictions were at best average, but considering so many people are saying the device is “nothing more than everyone predicted”, I can’t find a commentator who accurately described it beforehand. I think there are a few problems. Note they show people watching video on it in a strange curled-up seating position with the iPad on their knees, putting it at the right angle for viewing (which a laptop screen does automatically). That’s not great, although the opportunity of dumping it in a stand and having it as a video player or digital photo frame is very cool. And it’s not e-ink. If you’ve used a Kindle, you’ll know what I [...]

Apple “Tablet” Launch – live blogs and coverage

27 Jan 2010: One of the most irritating things about Apple launches is that you can’t accuse the company of “overhyping” them, because they do nothing of the sort. They just sit back and watch people work themselves up into a sense of excitability precisely because they haven’t hyped up the announcement. One thing I will say though: by doing so, Apple are that rarest of companies in the tech market: one which only tells everyone about a product once it’s ready to launch, or even already shipping. Anyway, I’ll be as worked up as anyone following the launch this evening (which is when it’ll be, here in the UK). Not least because I’m one of about 6 people in the world who [...]

Exclusive: full details of Apple’s forthcoming launch

19 Jan 2010: In a Cherry Hinton Blues exclusive, I can reveal full details of the new Apple “tablet” computer which has completely occupied the tech media for the past few months. To be launched next week at one of those Apple presentations where, halfway through, Steve Jobs pretends to have an afterthought and says “…one more thing…”, the new device will be three things: 1. Very desirable; 2. Rather expensive; and 3. Wildly successful. So, what’s it going to be like? Here’s the real exclusive, based on total speculation and no inside information whatsoever. But everyone else seems to be having a go, so why can’t I? If any of these are right, I’m going to be so smug. First of all, [...]

Cambridge University 800th Anniversary Finale Lightshow

18 Jan 2010: The university lit up two of its most famous buildings this weekend – Kings College and The Senate House – with a lightshow created by Ross Ashton themed around scientific research. On the Sunday night there were several thousand people there, and it was a typically civilised Cambridge event. Alex and I loved it. Here’s the inevitable home movie wot I made:

Cambridge Constituency Boundaries for the 2010 General Election

17 Jan 2010: I may well blog quite a bit about the forthcoming General Election, because we’re actually in a very interesting constituency here in Cambridge, which could go one of three ways. And as an “undecided” voter at the moment, I need to do some homework to crystallise my thoughts, and anything I come up with might interest others amongst you too. The first thing you need to know about any election is what constituency you’re in. Now, you may be thinking “duh, I can get that far”, but these things do change, and indeed, ours has. Like a lot of people on the south side of Cambridge, we traditionally found ourselves not inside the “Cambridge” constituency, but in a far more [...]

Cherry Hinton Hall Park in the snow with my GH1

10 Jan 2010: Took my Panasonic GH1 and new tripod over to the park yesterday afternoon and shot an hour or so of people in the snow. It was cold. There are a few rather over-long panning shots, for which I apologise, but I wanted to see how smooth the tripod could pan horizontally and – as you’ll see – vertically. It’s not going to win any prizes, but I was quite happy. Everything was shot in Creative Movie mode, on manual, using the little histogram, because I’ll need to use that when doing talking-head shots for work, and I needed the practice. Below is the view from where the Folk Festival beer tent is, looking towards the main stage. I must take [...]

People don’t read any more

2 Jan 2010: I was disappointed enough that I couldn’t think of a single new album which excited me in 2009. But it was even more alarming to look at the pile of unread books by my bedside and realise that I’d probably read fewer books in 2009 than in any year since I learned to read. But hang on a minute. I’m giving myself more relaxation time at home nowadays than I have for many years, and I’m not a telly addict. So what’s going on? The answer is that I’m reading far more current affairs material than ever before. A lot more. This might be newspapers and magazines (print on paper is certainly not dead in this household), but equally it [...]

I can’t escape (my music in 2009)

1 Jan 2010: Thanks to @borborygmus for reminding me that my musical review of 2009 is constantly being written on my Last.fm page, and whatever I claim to find cool, there’s no escaping from what I actually listened to. And it turns out that what I actually listened to over the course of a year (other than when I was in my car) was about 12,500 songs, which works out at well over 30 a day. Not bad, and something you can probably only achieve if you work from home. However, I rarely choose what I listen to directly. I merge a couple of iTunes smart playlists, one which selects the music from my iTunes library which I haven’t played for over a [...]