I've been raving about the new kiwis, apples and limes innocent drink/smoothie for sometime. I'm not the biggest fan of Bananas and a smoothie without Bananas was always going to float my boat. Lovely drink and actually pretty good for you. Innocent drinks have been asking for feedback on this edition of there drinks, so I'm giving it two thumbs up. I've also learned if you mix it with a small amount of lime or apple vodka it makes a great little cocktail too. Not too much or it goes a little funky in texture.
Author:
Senior firestarter at BBC R&D, emergent technology expert and serial social geek event organiser.
Can be found at cubicgarden@mas.to, cubicgarden@twit.social and cubicgarden@blacktwitter.io
If bbc backstage had run hackday like this…
The video was removed, so I had to replace it with a image from CocaChou
Found via VickyJo – Can you even imagine what would have happened if BBC Backstage ran a hackday/mashed or any kind of event involving poll dancers and strippers? Oh my goodness can you imagine the newspaper headlines, Eric Huggers apologizing to Mark Thompson, Mark Thompson apologizing to the Trust and the public. And of course I'd be fired and seeking employment elsewhere, maybe Yahoo would be the place to go. I know the culture is very different in Taiwan but as a global brand you've got to think about the reaction.
Seems Tuesday 20th October things have blown up. Not only have the videos been removed or made private but also there's a number of twitters talk about it and blog posts including from Cristano Betta and Simon Willison.
Yahoo finally feeling the pressure, tweeted. Hack Girls from Y!'s Taiwan event don't reflect our values. Was inappropriate, we regret offending anyone. We'll ensure won't happen again.
Adobe FXG, WTF?
Adobe FXG is so wrong in so many ways, its untrue. When Microsoft decided to do there own xml vector format I was shaking my head but now Adobe's also doing the same my head is in my hands.
FXG 1.0 describes an XML-based graphics interchange format for the Flash Platform. FXG contains high-level graphical and text primitives that can be used to create, group, transform and visually modify basic vector and bitmap shapes. The FXG rendering model follows very closely the Flash Player 10 rendering model and exposes all graphics capabilities of the Flash platform as well as offering expandable support to accommodate future capabilities of the Flash Player.
When initial work on an XML-based graphics interchange format began, the natural first thought was to use SVG. However, there are key differences between SVG and Flash Player's graphics capabilities. These include core differences in SVG and Flash's rendering model with regards to filters, transforms and text. Additionally, the interchange format needed to be able to support future Flash Player features, which would not necessarily map to SVG features. As such, the decision was made to go with a new interchange format, FXG, instead of having a non-standard implementation of SVG. FXG does borrow from SVG whenever possible.
Aka, we see the need for a xml vector language but svg is already developed and we can't be bothered to change our flash engine to support it. Instead we want to write a spec around our already written code base and make you all adopt it. Well geez thanks Adobe. I really hope no one uses FXG, hopefully the lesson will get back to Adobe that they can't just stick opensource on a manipulated web standard and expect people to use it unless you make them do it in your own proprietary world (*cough* Actionscript). Thank goodness at least Google is backing open standards like SVG.
Software ahead of the curve: Google Wave
Google Wave, is the hottest thing on the web at this current moment. And to be frank marks the start of Google's rise in my estimations and there commitment to the web as the platform. When I first saw the Google IO video was impressed and seeked out my wave invite I would have got if I had gone to the London event. So I've been using/on Google wave for a while now, but since the public beta I've started to really use it for conversations.
So I've noticed Google wave has been getting a bashing from some high profile bloggers in the industry such as Scoble who thinks it will crash on the beach of overhype (what ever that means?). So what do I think? Well I think its amazing and most of my thoughts after watching the video still hold. So I'm going to start with the things I'd like to see changed or I think are not quite right.
Web-like – Wave is on the web but still not part of the web enough. For example why is it I can't send a link to someone directly to a wave or even better using the querystring to a section within a certain wave? Ideally you could do it with Xpointer or Xpath. I know there's wave robots/plugins which can push things out of the wave environment but linking and anchoring should be built in at the basic level.
Groupware – Wave is as far as I can tell a groupware system and although this is great for the enterprise, its also got enough usefulness for much smaller adhoc groups like us arranging events over basecamp, etc. So because of this, it needs plugins for time management, spending, calendaring as soon as possible. Heck I'd like to see a basecamp plugin for Wave but thats for another blog post. I did say ages ago that Lotus, Novell, Microsoft should be worried. There big bulky collaboration systems are under threat by the wave protocal. If they were smart they would quickly launch some skunk work clients or conversion transports using wave. Steve Rubel talks a lot about how Wave doesn't solve a consumer problem and therefore it will die. but I don't it has to, in the same way basecamp doesn't solve a consumer problem. No this is groupware for everyone but someone will adapt it for more clever things.
Client – Wave is crying out for some enterprising developers to create clients for it. I'm not knocking Google's Web Toolkit (GWT), google have done a great job with Google Wave's client but its not quite there yet. Its heavy on my browsers resources. I know there's a version for webkit browsers and the command line, but wheres the XUL, AIR, GTK+, QT heck even a Flash version. The API has been done and theres already reference versions to learn from, so whats taking so long? I can't be the only one thinking this? Anil Dashes excellent blog post talks about the complexity of Wave but never seems to mention how much better wave could be with a different client. Actually this would also solve a lot of the issues Steve Rubel is talking about with Wave.
So i'm still impressed but can't help people are writing it off at the first fence. Give it time to mature and grow before writing it off now. Wave is a hot but not ready for the consumers yet. Oh by the way I've run out of invites sorry.
Google urges Web adoption of SVG
Thanks Brendan for the pointer to this post about SVG.
Some seeds for overhauling Web browser graphics were planted more than a decade ago, and Google believes now is the time for them to bear fruit.
The company is hosting the SVG Open 2009 conference that begins Friday to dig into a standard called Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) that can bring the technology to the Web. With growing support from browser makers, an appetite for vector graphics among Web programmers, and new work under way to make SVG a routine part of the Web, the technology has its best chance in years at becoming mainstream.
Good stuff, I still think SVG is amazing and deserves to be taken seriously. This might be just the boost it needs to move forward and become fruitful. The benefits to google must be quite clear and i'm sure svg will make it into chrome if it doesn't already have it? It would also make sense to include SVG or even SVG tiny into the Android stack too. And lets not forget Google needs to have a answer to Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight. Well between SVG, HTML5, JS, CSS and there recent spend on On2's video codecs who knows what could be built.
Ages ago Antoine Quint gave a presentation at Xtech which showed the total stack of Joost's media player application. The stack included SVG, alongside XHTML, CSS, JS, RDF, XUL. The biggest problem they had was with video playback which integrated and was controlable via dom scripting. Well now with that problem almost solved without the aid of Flash/Silverlight. Its should be easy to complete the web stack, and without bigging up Google again, there doing and thinking the right way again.
Google Wave? Let Pulp Fiction show you why
I know I've been promising to put my thoughts about google wave up for ages but I wasn't actually sure the EULA allowed public reviews when I was on the sandbox server. However now its somewhat more public, I'm seeing stuff popping up all over the place, so its certainly time to write something. Till then, here's some great use of wave found via a public wave.
Got to love small car parking
In England and Wales, when the car owner pays for parking, they pay for the whole zone/bay. Which means if your on a motorbike you can park next to them if you don't block them in and fancy your bike being knocked over. Although I don't think you can do the whole German thing of parking two smartcar's side by side in one bay.
This however just makes me mad.
How good is the rendering on the Sony Ereader?
People keep saying, well I use to read ebooks on my x device and that had a screen resolution of y by z. Well fine but its not the same, trust me I know. I use to read ebooks on my ipaq's and even the compaq areo before that. There resolution was low at 320 by 240, it did work but boy was it bad. Most people say you just need more rez and screensize. Well I've tried it on my HTC Touch HD which has a massive rez of 800 by 480 on a 3.8 inch screen and hell I even bought a Apple ipod Touch to see if that would work and both worked but once again its not the same as a read ereader. 5inch and above is certainly good but its not about the resolution exactly. Looking at a LCD doesn't work very well for reading black on white text and switching it to white on black is even worst for extended periods. Don't get me wrong as I type this now I'm typing black text on to a sandy colour backdrop but reading 300+ pages while in a public setting like a coffee shop. No thanks. Nope eink technology is amazing and till you can effectively change the screen quicker that once per second and add more that 12bit colour the ereader has to be separate device.
You can see more pictures taken here. I might have to get my Canon out when I get back from holiday to see what I can do with a super macro function.
Pablo the drugs mule dog spawns a meme
I got to say I like the Talk to Frank anti-drugs adverts (although there more about drugs education that anti drugs, which is maybe part of there success). They've been on UK tv for a while but because I don't watch much live TV, I tend to miss clever advertising like this one. But whats more interesting is the meme its created on the web. There's some amazing remixes which work in a similar way to the Pablo advert. For example here's the best one, Perdo the Drug Dealer Cat because cats are too smart to be drug mules according to the comments. There's also other Pablo videos including Cocaine bag tries to seduce Pablo the dead drugs mule and Ben's Banknote. All good stuff.
Movies are a metaphor for life: Some more films you may have missed
I already admitted to watching a lot of films, and had a lot of people saying some nice things about me highlighting some of the films worth watching which you may have missed. So I thought I'd run through a few more which have had me stuck to the screen. If you find the list useful, do say.
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel – I've already covered this one in a post here. But generally its about 3 guys who find a time travel conundrum in the middle of a British pub. Smart, clever and original is all things I could say about this film which is billed as Shaun of the dead crossed with Dr Who.
Bad Guys – This heist movie starts very well and ends pretty poorly. The film starts with 4 guys in a warehouse, 3 guys and a woman. Shes got blood over her shirt and holding a gun at one of the guys who can't help but wind her up with everything he says. You later find out that the 2nd guy is a crooked cop and the 3rd guy is some chemist who has designed a new kind of drug which has the kick of ecstasy but without the downside. They just got back from some deal which went wrong when the 1st guy decided to shoot the top boss. The tension at the start is something else, but as the story line slowly unfolds so does the plot. Its a modern Reservoir Dogs at the start but ends up somewhere else by the end. Worth catching if you can, there's some great lines including the title of this blog post.
Next day air – A overnight delivery company mess up a package drop by giving it to the neighbours. The package turns out to be drugs and the neighbours some of the most daft criminals you'll ever met. Unfortunately for all parties involved the sender is a proper dealer before long, things are being sorted out. To me its like an american version of lock stock and two smoking barrels but less clever, stylish and well lock stock. Its still enjoyable and the mixup comes to some clarity at the end.
Blood and Bone – Do you remember when you were young and use to watch trashy beat-em-up films like American ninja? The plot was simple, beat everyone up and then beat up the boss. Yep you don't see many of those anymore. But Blood and Bone is simply that, a revenge movie to beat everyone up. Nothing more, nothing less. If you thought Redbelt or Kill Bill were not ass kicking enough, try this.
Chéri – Michelle Pfeiffer plays a courtesan who earns a good wage from what she does. But she falls in love with a client whos a lot younger that herself. The style is 1920's and amazing to watch on the screen. This isn't Moulin Rouge but you get the feel it could be, style wise. The story line is very easy to follow and moves along at a medium pace. Its fluffy and the journey is more important than the ending which is obvious from the very start.
Whatever Works – This film reminds me of a Might Aphrodite but with a crazy cup of reality from Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm). The funny thing is that its actually directed and written by Woody Allen. Its clever, witty and if you like Woody Allen, you will enjoy this one for its undertones of darkness crossed with beams of lightness. I did think the ending was a little plain but its a likeable movie through out.
The Cooler – The cooler is a person who puts players off there winning streaks in casinos. This cooler is the best in las vegas but when he falls in love, things start going in reverse. The lack of cooling eats into the profits of the casino and of course before long the casino try to split up the relationship. The rest is a romantic film of love and sacrifice. One for the sofa with a bottle of wine and loved one.
Chaos Theory – A surprisingly interesting romantic comedy which you can watch at home with someone else or by yourself and not feel like you lost 90mins of your life. As the title suggests its like Sliding doors but much more fun and looser. For some reason I didn't even see this one at all in the cinemas, which is surprising looking at the talent on board.
Nothing But the Truth – This is truly a Excellent film. A reporter faces jail for outing a CIA agent and not revealing her source. The whole film is tied together perfectly and the characters are very believable alongside the strong acting from the whole crew. I can't say much about the film without spoiling it but I do wish Hollywood would create more smart films like this one.
Crossing Over – I'm a sucker for these multi-character canvas drama films. This one is very close to the award winning Crash and Traffik but this one is centred around the different people trying to be legally American after crossing the border into LA. Its pretty gripping and although not quite the same league as the other two mentioned, its not far off.