Joe Blogs: January 2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Looking Together In The Same Direction

Image by ToastyKen via Flickr

I attended an engagement party this evening, two good friends have decided that they're prepared to take their relationship to the next level.

Admittedly, having a child together probably enhanced their commitment to each other a while ago. I used to be really close to the girl although our relationships with other people have created distance which is understandable. We still have a good accord and I regularly participate in arranged girly nights out!

I'm currently involved with another friend's cousin, he doesn't approve and as he was at the party she wasn't able to attend for me to introduce her to everyone. I could have brought my children as well because there were several families there but I wasn't sure how late the event would finish. It was good to see everyone, especially since I became the pariah of the group. It appears that any holiday to Las Vegas has been abandoned though, available funds being the deciding factor. I was actually beginning to anticipate the attempted kidnapping of Mike Tyson's tiger. Found out that my brother's band the Internal Skars are at the same venue in a few weeks so will definitely add that to what has become a busy calendar over the next few weeks..

Friday, January 29, 2010

Ellie Goulding at Dingwalls

Image by joedawson via Flickr

Dingwalls is a venue adjacent to Camden Lock in London. It houses bars, cafes, clubs and it is one of the city's best known live music venues. As part of MTV’s Brand New 10 For 10, MTV have hand picked the ten most exciting new acts to watch out for in 2010.

The 10 For 10 promotion culminates in a series of MTV Presents live shows and we were at Dingwalls to see performances from Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah and We Have Band! Ellie Goulding was the headline act and she follows closely in the footsteps of 2009 successes Little Boots and Florence and the Machine.

Becoming a pop star in 2010 is no easy game to play when the underground has gone overground and the music industry has been relegated to sieving the web, a task every bit as difficult as it sounds, in order to appoint its Next Big Thing.

We arrived at Camden shortly after 7pm, a typical London evening with the reliable London Underground system and the predictable rain. Influenced to purchase Indian tonic water; the cold weather conditions matched the taste being distinctively bitter. Ellie Goulding hasn't yet released a single, but the anticipation for her live performances was evident as she finds herself packing out venues.

There were many photographers in attendance to capture the MTV event and we managed to negotiate the crowds to spectate from the stage area. The opening act We Have Band started the proceedings and I was familiar with them from Last.fm recommendations. Mainly through Bloc Party and their single You Came Out! The objective for the entire night was to acquire set lists and I achieved that and a drumstick from We Have Band.

From the same underground scene as chart-toppers Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz and N-Dubz; Tinie Tempah has energy and he's ready to break into the mainstream. Pass Out has emerged as a potential hit and Invincible provoked crowd participation. We even managed to receive a shout-out which was impressive and after his performance we secured the set list and 'borrowed' his jacket! He was unaware that he had left this behind and we made sure this was returned. We also provided footage from our evening on his video-recorder and my partner posed wearing the loaned jacket to show our gratitude.

Ellie Goulding is currently recording her debut album with Mark Ronson super producers Starsmith and has been tipped for greatness. Introducing a sound dubbed "folktronica", Goulding combines pop, folk and electro, even before she has released an album; her voice and distinct sound are destined to become synonymous with 2010. Opening with Guns and Horses, the delivery had significantly more impact than the earlier mentioned Indian tonic water. I wasn't familiar with the tracks that followed until Midlake cover Roscoe was performed. Then the highlight of the set Under The Sheets which incited a singalong, Wish I Stayed followed and the set closed with Starry Eyed which is one of my favourite songs at the moment. Amazing night and can't wait to hear further material from all of the artists!

Set lists -

We Have Band

1. Hear It In The Cans
2. Love, What You Doing?
3. How To Make Friends
4. Buffet
5. Centrefolds And Empty Screens
6. Oh!
7. You Came Out
8. Divisive
9. Honeytrap

Tinie Tempah

1. I'm Hot
2. Pass Out
3. Love Resurrection
4. Invincible
5. Tears
6. Biker Babe
7. Written In The Stars

Ellie Goulding

1. Guns And Horses
2. Every Time You Go
3. This Love
4. The Writer
5. Swimming Pool
6. Roscoe
7. Under The Sheets
8. Wish I Stayed
9. Starry Eyed

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Device Consumers Deserve, But Not The One They Need

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

After months of speculation and hype; Apple announced the highly anticipated iPad as the best way to experience the web, email, photos and video. Hands down? Really?! To start the iPad’s browser does not support Adobe Flash, the foundation of rich media on the web today. The transition to HTML5 and CSS 3 for rich web content has started but until it does, it’s ridiculous to call this device the best way to experience the web.

The device features built-in apps that were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the large Multi-Touch screen. This apparently allows users to do things with them that we can’t do on any other device. Although, multi-tasking wasn't considered important and the lack of SDCards, USB ports and a camera is also questionable. Even with the exclusion of these features, the device still has a role -

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a device to fill the gap between smartphones like the iPhone and high-end laptops like the MacBook and MacBook Pro. He said there needs to be a middle device, but it needs to be better than the alternatives at what it does. Netbooks currently fill the void, but according to Jobs, “netbooks aren’t better at anything.” He and his colleagues at Apple believe that the iPad is.

The iPad isn't a replacement for anything, it's not a creative device instead it's all about consuming content. Through audio, video, applications, books and the web, Apple wants us to devour content on the iPad. Downloading our entertainment fix from it's successful iTunes Store. What would Tyler Durden say [sic] "We're consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession". He's right! I'm impressed with the iPad, but I feel it could have offered so much more! I have decided to wait for the next iteration, much like my stance with the iPhone. I expect then the developer community to have adjusted to the device, providing innovation, applications and services for the device.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Google Voice Available Through The iPhones Browser

Image by marcopako  via Flickr

Google Voice is a service that makes using your current phone much better! Providing one personal phone number that rings all of your existing phones when people call, all of your voicemail in one inbox with unlimited online storage and free voicemail transcripts sent to your phone and email.

You may remember the furore that followed the Google Voice application being blocked by Apple but the service is now finally on the iPhone via its browser. Available through Safari as a Web application, and Apple can’t really do anything about this latest development. Google Voice is available for both the iPhone and Palm Pre/Pixi by navigating to the mobile Website at http://m.google.com/voice. The Web app is built on HTML5 with most of the functionality of the original iPhone app, although the contacts are stored in the cloud as the service is unable to access the phone contacts. What's impressive is that it shows what can be achieved through mobile applications.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

What's To Gain With Being Honest

Image by fofurasfelinas via Flickr

It was my son's football presentation yesterday and he received a certificate for participation and an award for being in the team that won the tournament! I would like to get him into a team where he participates in a competitive league but will probably wait until next season. The same goes for horse riding but that's expensive and difficult to find the time. They enjoy there hobbies though and that's what's important!

In the evening I decided to venture out with friends and my partner. She hadn't experienced what we have become accustomed to on a Saturday night before so we were like her tour guides. For some reason the nightclub operate a policy where they let every female into the venue and the gentlemen have to queue for hours. This prompted a reaction - that actually worked - as I told the bouncers that I would need to accompany her in the queue as she was pregnant. Unfortunately I abandoned everyone else for this but those are the breaks.. What made this story even better was later in the evening the bouncer passed her whilst she was consuming a vodka mixer and in her defence she informed them that it was only water! The evening consisted of the usual blur, dancing and random conversations. I actually prefer the refurbishments to the venue and it's a decent night albeit bright with the white decor, same time next week then..

Friday, January 22, 2010

There's Always One

Image by rpeschetz via Flickr

In an attempt to live life to the full, I have considered eating Go-Cat. They say his name is Bobo: a cat who lives for adventure – the master of the rooftops high above our crowded streets. Sounds like the ingredients for an action fuelled lifestyle.

What would Spiderman say? Especially after last weekend, the impromptu live session which received a perplexed reaction from friends and relatives. Primarily, why?! Video status updates are great fun though and provide an easy way to share what we're doing using short clips. I want to contribute so much more, especially when rooftops beckon but the iPhone 3G doesn't have video-recording capabilities. Upgrade soon, I will likely wait for the latest iPhone although Android handsets continue to improve. Functionality will determine the overall decision, especially video-recording and although obviously unrelated I was referred to as spiderman this evening by a shop assistant, he knows...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Seesmic Look

Image by David Berkowitz via Flickr

Seesmic Look is a unique way to immerse yourself in the real-time web. Beginners learning to understand real-time can stay engaged and connected without even logging into Twitter, while experienced users can take advantage of Look's powerful features in creative and imaginative ways.
Seesmic Look is a streamlined Twitter client aimed at the mainstream, with a navigation menu that includes trends, favourites, interests, channels, and searches. Trending topics and favourites are familiar features with the introduction of curated twitter lists for interests like sports, news etc and channels which are sponsored by brands. I have many friends that jumped on the Twitter bandwagon only to lose interest because they didn't understand the purpose of the service. I feel that Seesmic Look presents an attractive and engaging interface and I will definitely introduce friends to the benefits...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Twitter's Growth Slows

Image by Laughing Squid via Flickr

What's happening? Twitter are possibly asking themselves that question because according to the latest data the sites growth is slowing dramatically. Has the microblogging service peaked?

The startup began 2009 with considerable momentum, Twitter's API appealed to the developer community and this produced an ecosystem of mashups, desktop applications and mobile clients. The potential to break news and provide a real-time insight into what users were discussing and providing trending topics was huge. The service peaked in March with 13% growth but in October this had fallen to 3.5%. This shouldn't be seen as a failure though because the company and analysts state that the average active user is much more engaged compared to six months ago. About that valuation?!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Android Influences Consumers Preference

Image by niallkennedy via Flickr

The Android mobile operating system from Google was first introduced more than a year ago. A recent opinion survey suggests that consumer preference regarding the smart phone they would consider purchasing is the Android OS.

The Google mobile operating system has experienced an increase of 200% since the previous survey released in September. With those who planned to purchase within the next 90 days, 21% said they would now choose Android. To put this in context, ChangeWave inform that three months ago Android OS was tied for last place in consumer preference among the major mobile operating systems. Since then it has surged into second place ahead of all competitors except the iPhone OS X. That's significant but ReadWriteWeb acknowledge that although this seems promising we shouldn't forget the recent figures regarding sales of the Nexus One, which fell short of expectations with just 20,000 sold since launch.

Monday, January 18, 2010

What Will The Tablet, Bring To The Table?

Image via Wikipedia

The Apple Tablet, iSlate, iPad or whatever it will eventually be branded has prompted widespread speculation across all areas of the Internet. There appears to be no indication of calm at the moment, especially with the event within touching distance.

I expect hype will reach fever pitch shortly, Twitter will meltdown and the blogosphere as a collective will disect everything about the latest must-have tech gadget. Am I excited? Of course, momentum for this has been building considerably and unless you have just woke from hibernation, this is kind of a big deal! Predictions, expectations and revelations will no doubt precede but everyone should attempt to remain composed because haven't we been here before. What would happen if this wasn't to be announced? That's not going to happen though, right?!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Jai Ho, Emporio No!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Due to the weather I decided to postpone the usual Saturday activities until the following weekend. Instead we had a casual day, lunch at Nando's and although ice skating was suggested we instead focused on how to perfect the new moves introduced to our repertoire.

This basically consists of the interaction with other civilians during navigation, travel and courtesy. Influenced primarily by Slumdog Millionaire but also the recent Cristiano Ronaldo photoshoot for Emporio Armani. AC Milan striker David Beckham has been replaced as the face and body of Armani by rival Cristiano Ronaldo, I don't expect current Manchester United No .7 Michael Owen being the next choice. Ronaldo deserves to be imitated for his pose, admittedly I would exchange wage structure and physique but for now he is the punchline. I headed out this evening to socialise with friends, participate and educate. I succeeded emphatically and before the clock struck midnight, I had made an exit and with cape flowing I was gone with the wind...

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Facebook Attribution via Twitter

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Facebook are well known to imitate popular features from other services. I wrote about this several times in 2009, Friendfeed influenced the direction considerably and eventually Facebook acquired the services of the development team.

Status tagging was introduced, the equivalent of Twitter @replies, including the "@" symbol beforehand and a drop-down menu will appear that allows us to choose from our list of friends and other connections, including groups, events, applications and Pages. Now it appears that the social network has made available its own version of Twitter’s retweet.

The “via” feature provides the ability to repost another user’s shared items with attribution to the source. This feature is only for posted items at the moment but features like this change user behaviour. I have already begun actively monitoring the Links feed more for what's popular. What next? I would like Pages to become more Google Readeresque, obviously this depends on the brand activity but the engagement I'm experiencing I feel that Pages could potentially take feed readers to the mainstream. Thoughts?

Friday, January 15, 2010

Because We're Worth It

The proceedings, they can take many directions! This evening presented an opportunity to watch the latest rentals from Blockbuster, I felt disappointed with the selection available but we were definitely influenced by the chosen material! It was a light hearted evening, the children were staying for the weekend and I had met Cheryl Cole* from work. To accompany the movies, there was popcorn for the children and alcohol for the adults. Night at the Museum 2 which is the sequel to the 2006 adventure comedy film provided decent entertainment, although the copy was damaged and we were unable to watch the final scenes.

Slumdog Millionaire is regarded as the feel good film of the decade, the rating indicated that this contained mature content but I chose to let the children watch although was poised with the remote control. Set and filmed in India, the film tells the story of Jamal Malik, a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? I was impressed with the story, but it was the closing credits that received the most attention. Jai Ho! The night then escalated considerably, the embedded video provides an insight!!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Me And Your Cousins...

Image by joedawson via Flickr

Vampire Weekend are an American indie pop band from New York, formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The band's debut album Vampire Weekend was released January 29, 2008. It was a success on both sides of the Atlantic and the band are currently here for two days of promotional activity for the band's second album, Contra, before a full UK tour next month.

During the autumn of 2008, Vampire Weekend performed at the Forum and I was there to experience the performance! They have an infectious sound and tonight presented another opportunity to see them live and I didn't need to be asked more than once. London's pavements have only just stopped resembling an ice-rink but here we were to experience Vampire Weekend at Somerset House ice rink amid the freezing conditions. I travelled to the venue direct from work, I haven't been here before but was impressed with the skating backdrop. Our group intended to skate but weren't prepared to wait an hour for the next session.

Skate beneath the stars in the heart of London this winter declares the Somerset House website, and that's how New York's hippest band played to the crowds from the balcony above the ice rink. They teased fans with appearances on the balcony, when the free concert eventually started I was frozen and relieved to hear White Sky so that I could move in an attempt to keep warm! Holiday another track from Contra was next and then they played Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and M79 from the debut album. My friends arrived, although were delayed entry due to the crowd that had gathered. Vampire Weekend then played Cousins which has become a favourite for several reasons and then onto California English which had possibly the best sound check ever!!! Oxford Comma echoed around Somerset House but it was the A-Punk that received the loudest reception and deservedly too! During Horchata there was a power cut which was disappointing but this returned for the closing track Walcott which finished the entertainment! Great performance, especially with technical issues and in the winter conditions!!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Vampires Are Everywhere

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

It's not Halloween but unless you have been hidden from sunlight then you would have noticed that vampires are everywhere. The current incarnation can't be under estimated either because vampires have shown incredible adaptability and represent an intriguing pop culture. The presence and mystique has manifested to become the perfect metaphor of our insecurities. The Twilight Saga has completely changed the perception from one-dimensional monsters to a complicated, 'vegetarian', brooding pretty boy. Daybreakers, presents another variation in which a plague has transformed much of the world's population into vampires.

As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human for their blood, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. When deprived of blood for extended periods of time, vampires lose their human-like characteristics and begin to transform into winged bat-like monsters called "sub-siders," those of which have diminished mental capacity and no ability to speak are driven strictly by their impulse to feed. However, a covert group of humans makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

I watched the movie at the cinema, without 3D glasses for a change because the presentation wasn't available in the format. I enjoyed the story and some of the gore scenes were great entertainment. Wasn't impressed with the finale because the conclusion appeared to suggest that a sequel will provide a continuation of events. Maybe I will wait for that to be released to DVD/Blu-Ray! Happy that I managed to avoid a popcorn situation though!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Google: A new approach to China

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Google announced in a blog post today that it would no longer censor its Chinese search engine, even if it means pulling out of China. In the post Google revealed details of a cyber attack originating from China that it and at least 20 other companies experienced last month.

The primary objective was accessing Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. It also found that dozens of other Gmail accounts owned by human rights activists worldwide were compromised, most likely due to phishing scams or malware. This is a big deal and could not only affect Google and the tech community, but have an impact on global politics too.

We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Without Privacy These Civilized People, They'll Eat Each Other

Image by threedots via Flickr

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.' Those that throw the proverbial stones should avoid mirrors, because the 'Looking-Glass' represents many different interpretations! What's privacy, who needs it?

Facebook represents a 21st century variation of a looking glass, with the proposed end of privacy should we expect the ugly aspect of human nature to become a prominent fixture? Remember FriendFeed, Syphilis And The Perfection Of Online Mobs, Mike Arrington stated that things are changing online way too fast for society and culture to adapt. Something will eventually break. I witnessed this ugly aspect when I moderated forums for Microsoft, without the appropriate tools and settings then everything changes..

You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

The Age Of Arrogance Should Be Over

Image by mauricesvay via Flickr

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has stated that 'The Age of Privacy is Over' which has provoked a widespread reaction. I find his comments arrogant because as the founder he has a responsibility to the users of the social network! When asked the direction that privacy was heading, Zuckerberg responded by informing a live audience that if he were to create Facebook on today's web that the vision would be open by default with user information publicly available.

The social network was private from the offset, but the company changed stance in December and introduced a revised privacy policies. Should we be concerned that our personal information is considered to be Facebook's property and they decide the amount of exposure it should recieve? I'm not really comfortable with that and although the privacy settings have always been a farce, I'm certain that privacy should remain important. If you follow my activity you will know that I'm not unfamiliar with blogging and sharing information. Facebook still remains the main destination and through Facebook Connect many of the online services and applications I use frequently filter into the newsfeed! I'm happy that Facebook evolved to introduce the ability to lifestream to the mainstream but as a communication platform, with many tiers of social connections, sensitive information and relationships there needs to be structure. I'm sure that privacy will be a much discussed topic over the next few months and I will update with further developments!

Friday, January 08, 2010

Only The Brave

Image by Jim Linwood via Flickr

Up the Creek is one of the longest established comedy clubs in London and is recognised as one of the top clubs in the UK. It's a popular destination for social gatherings, birthdays and even speed dating although not sure how that would work effectively. Situated in the heart of historic Maritime Greenwich, the venue is considered to be a London landmark.

Up the Creek's popularity is due to word-of-mouth leading to sell out shows most weekends. I attended the venue last summer, I wasn't enquiring about the speed dating themed nights. Instead, I was there for a friends birthday, tonight presented a similar theme as it was the birthday of my sister. Apart from the now expected absentee from family proceedings, everyone participated in the night! There were a few of us there as many of her friends also made an appearance to celebrate. We managed to avoid the attention of the comedians although when the host addressed the audience to learn if there were any special occasions there was no escape. Great night! Not really looking forward to the photos of the disco but they can't be worse than the last attendance! I recommend Up The Creek, a fantastic night of entertainment and I challenge you to sit at the front!!

Thursday, January 07, 2010

You Have Always Got To Wake Up...

Image by Lionoche via Flickr

With many reviewers and avid fans across the blogosphere writing about Avatar, the times they have experienced the movie and how James Cameron has produced the benchmark. I needed to experience the year 2154 on Pandora again at the IMAX 3D with the Na'vi defending their planet and continued existence.

With a floor to ceiling screen that is 15.5m wide x 7.7m high, the IMAX experience at ODEON Greenwich will apparently take us to places we have only ever imagined. Although the 3D effects in ‘Avatar’ are so intense that some people go home depressed because they would rather be living in the world from the movie. What's with these people?! The rate in which we are destroying our planet then I presume this will be a reality we will have to confront in the future. Until then, 3D cinema is the best we have and these people had better adjust and learn how to cope! I attended the viewing with a date and we both really enjoyed the IMAX 3D presentation and couldn't be more impressed. Hubble 3D appears to be the next significant release, which offers an inspiring and unique look into the Hubble Space Telescope’s legacy and highlight its profound impact on the way we view the universe and ourselves. Better not tell the impressionable as they will all want to be astronauts, especially if the movie brings them closer to Pandora!!

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

The Perfect Android Device?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I have mentioned previously that I'm intrigued by Android which is the mobile operating system from Google. At the "Android Press Gathering," Google formally unveiled the Nexus One device which has been referred to as the "Google Phone" over the festive period.

The Nexus One has finally arrived and available to buy at Google.com/phone with the option to personalize your phone and purchase through Google Checkout. The mobile space is rapidly evolving and the Nexus One is the latest high profile release, as expected there are many reviews comparing the device with the iPhone. Michael Arrington believes that the Nexus One is the fastest and most elegant smartphone on the market today, solidly beating the iPhone in most ways. I share his view that the release of the device is an important milestone in the smartphone market and I'm sure that with further devices scheduled that Android will gain even more momentum. Arrington states that the Nexus One presents Google’s vision of the perfect Android device. He also mentions that when combined with Google Voice - which I received an invitation for but haven't used due to the service not being available in the UK - there is no phone on the market today that can touch the Nexus One. Until the release of the next Android handset, right?

Monday, January 04, 2010

False Start

Image by willposh via Flickr

The standard return to normality blog post, although due to the amount of holiday I have remaining I have the rest of the week to prepare for the decade and the predicted snow! FTW!!

The context of this post has become a familiar feature to start proceedings for another year. I could have even used the opening sentences of the previous year because it has relevance. I'm optimistic for 2010 because although I don't believe in resolutions and clean slates, I feel that there will be many opportunities. Today passed without anything significant occurring, I expect that when I begin back properly next week that the pressure will start to mount on performance and expectation. Lately I have been slack with the amount I have published to this blog and that's been a disappointment. I can't really use Christmas as an excuse but there were factors that preoccupied my time for the duration. The objective is to continue to write about interests and I hope this will lead to progression although everyone appears to be a blogger/microblogger so this will be a challenging venture. Anyway, today was a good day!

Sunday, January 03, 2010

It's All Systems Go/Gone..

Image by nttrbx via Flickr

This is a summary of the most popular entries to this blog over the last twelve months. In 2008 I wrote a 'best of...' which I feel also provides an accurate interpretation of 2009 although there are several location based services that I have been using recently. At the moment Foursquare and Gowalla are the two services I use most actively but this space is one to watch and anything could happen.

Last year I experienced an 172% page view increase to the site which peaked around July. This was due to the interest surrounding Google Voice invitations, I received an invitation but the service is not yet open for users outside the US which is still a disappointment. Direct navigation to the site received the second highest amount of page views.

The majority of the traffic consisted of the stories you would expect from Facebook, Twitter, Google and developments with TweetDeck and Disqus. Retweeting Is Cheating, Thread The Conversation became a popular entry and was also the post shared most on Twitter. In March there was an issue caused by a Windows Update that affected the software that I support and it appears that this affected other people. With the interest in technology and social media it made a change for a personal related post to feature although admittedly the context was about Central Perk, the café in Friends which had opened in London for a fortnight.

What can we expect from 2010? As I have already mentioned, I feel that location based services will enter the mainstream. Google finished 2009 impressively and with further Android handsets and Chrome OS to be released, I'm sure there will be coverage across the blogosphere! My contract expires soon and the '4G' iPhone and latest Android handsets will be considered! I'm sure that there will be a few surprises and acquisitions and maybe even an Apple Tablet?! What do you think will make an impact this year?

Saturday, January 02, 2010

I See You

Image by TexKap via Flickr

My friends have really started to embrace location based services. Many of them discover and create locations across the country with their iPhone. Sharing experiences through Gowalla with their Facebook & Twitter friends. Today my friends gathered together for a pub crawl to celebrate the New Year. I was able to track their progress because at every location they checked into the service. Their activity was then displayed on the Facebook newsfeed, accompanied by status updates and banter!

I had the children for the majority of the day, I returned them to their mother in the evening and soon liaised with friends following their last stamp. Was eager to participate in this trend but I had important matters to discuss with.. everyone! Afterwards I decided to move to another location to meet some other friends and having entered the venue I proceeded to walk into an overhanging light! Way to make an entrance! Should have checked in with Gowalla really just to give other users advanced warning to avoid the cubicles. Thankfully I wasn't the only person to make contact with the overhanging light that evening! I had every intention to continue proceedings but needed to experience the following "Morning!"

Friday, January 01, 2010

Thou Shalt Always Defend Our Land

Image via Wikipedia

The original masterplan was to experience Ministry of Sound Live 09, which was to be the biggest NYE party to take place in Europe. Due to house party commitments and other circumstances, the majority of friends opted for alternative arrangements. Mainly due to the cost involved in celebrating New Years at a nightclub!

I decided to spend New Year with my cousin and some friends as Exclusive Parties and THAT presented Viva THAT Vegas. For those that wanted to just have fun the themed Bellagio Suite provided a mixture of 80’s favourites and club classics, Caesers Palace offered all things House and roulette and black jack tables were available at the Palms Casino where you could also get married in true Vegas style at THAT chapel, this offered potential for an amazing night. Many friends have discussed travelling to Las Vegas this year and I must admit that it's a destination that I want to experience. This would give me the opportunity to experience that even if I was only in Greenwich!

The night started with disappointment as my cousin informed that he and his partner weren't feeling well and were to return home. Thankfully I met some other friends in the queue and we were soon inside away from the cold. There, after questionable navigation around the venue, I found 'Bella' and we proceeded to experience THAT and see in the New Year! I remember checking the time regularly but don't recall the countdown at midnight. Many photo opportunities were ceased and the standard photo card presented! I had these desirable Minnie Mouse sunglasses that everyone wanted to be involved with although they were retired for the evening once a group attempted to claim them. This became a minor situation which was resolved as though I was defending Pandora, I growled at them like I was a Na'vi and I feel this actually petrified them slightly! Very funny moment! They've sent us a message... that they can take whatever they want. Well we will send them a message. That this... this is our land! Somehow we even managed to find an object that resembled a bazooka but this was soon discarded and we returned to the music. Eventually the night ended and it's a shame that I hadn't tamed the Toruk, a powerful flying beast from Avatar that only five Na'vi have ever tamed, because the taxi's were overpriced and the buses weren't exactly favourable! I believe I have a New Year's resolution now...