One of the most dynamic individuals has passed and the influence he left on me and throughout my early childhood will always be an unforgettable experience. His collaborations with Quincy Jones and the magic they produced during Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad was one of the main reasons why I became a musician and eventually involved in the arts. His ideology behind acting was something that I literally ran with. Just like Leonardo DiCaprio and countless other performers who never took an acting lesson, Michael Jackson simply said that he believed to “be the character” and lived his life as if it were true to him. The true King Of Pop finally lays his glove to rest.
1 PM EDT - 10 AM EDT. That’s the official word from Cupertino as to when 3.0’s bomb will drop and cut, copy and paste, which is probably one of the few must have and long awaited features, will be at our fingertips. No more writing down html code on a piece of paper or memorizing text to hopefully email later. Now we can join the rest of the world. There’s already a loop with the new Voice Recorder app. Just record a message and send via MMS (when it becomes available of course) and guess what, no phone call! Let the roll over minutes build up like a dirty litter box! Check back for updates or just follow me on twitter.
Finally, the new iPhone debuted today at WWDC, named iPhone 3G S. I kind of feel jipped because I won’t get to enjoy the new Data speeds clocking at 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and a 3MP camera that can shoot video at 30fps. Unlike the rest of the world who already had voice commands, the iPhone now features Voice Control. Forget about just calling your friends or family through the sound of your voice, you can now control iTunes through pre-set commands! “New Contract” pricing starts at $199 for the for 16GB and $299 for the new 32GB unit when they go on sale June 18th. If you’re a mid-contract user like me, we’ll have to bend over and pay out an extra $200 for the 16GB or the 32GB. It kind of sucks but at least a new customer can now pick up a last gen iPhone 3G for a cool $99! The presentation and the few new surprises in firmware 3.0 were interesting but I don’t think that it’s a worthy upgrade just yet for many existing 3G users. Even though 3.0 firmware will drop on June 17th, new features like MMS will not be available through AT&T until the end of Summer due to network upgrade issues and the lost or stolen retrievable feature is only available for MobileMe members. That’s a huge fail in my book. I just hope that the new Voice Control and Compass is for all users. We’ll see. Until then, enjoy the new TV Spot. In HD of course!
I have to admit that after Microsoft’s E3 press conference on Monday, they are definitely a hard act to follow. Gaming will always be the bread and butter on the 360 but their relentless efforts to flourish in the social media sector and integrating that experience into the 360 is just getting more attractive with every update. I think it’s time to renew my Xbox Live Gold membership! Coming this fall only on the 360, you will be able to log into your facebook with a design specific interface for Xbox gamers.
Friend Linker allows you to see your facebook friends and your Xbox Live friends together. You’ll be able to see their entire gamer profile and achievements and then invite them to Xbox Live.
Another neat feature will be the ability to post screen shots, scores and text from your 360 gamertag to your facebook profile in real time directly through your gaming experience. One of the first participating titles will be Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the 360 with its facebook connect feature.
Twitter is finally coming to a gaming console and so far, it seems as if the PS3 is yet again falling behind with its social features. (More on Sony’s Press Conference soon.) Just like the 360’s facebook feature, twitter comes completely redesigned for the Xbox by using your avatar. Very cool.
I was going to write a little article about the new features coming to the iPhone 3.0 software update but the interbooktwittnets were already bombarded with thousands of articles so I made a video instead. Enjoy. Vimeo fans | YouTube HD
Here’s a simple and intelligent animated film that explains in layman’s terms how this massive international banking conspiracy and Ponzi scheme came into play. If you don’t have a better understanding of the current situation after watching this film, chances are you willingly allowed this to happen to you and your family.
I have to admit that when Adam Scorgie interviewed Greg Cooper, a patient who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and Ataxia, I teared up not because of his obvious suffering but because of the thousands if not tens of thousands of patients who are pushed and lied to by Big Pharma into believing that their proprietarily synthetic and highly profitable drugs are the only solution to a patient’s physical ails. Make no mistake, the world of legalizing this natural plant is as complex as any other prohibition law the comes under scrutiny. In the the case of The Union, the film places all of its doubts, propaganda and common misconceptions into clear perspective to where the viewer is left to make up their own mind.
From the skillful editing of the well researched stock footage, to the animation, the actual interviews and its melodic original score, it is quite obvious why The Union has gone on to win several if not many film festival awards and garnered stellar reviews. No, you don’t have to be high and you don’t have to live your life as a stoner in order to enjoy this intelligent and passionate piece about the immoral war on drugs, the suppression of free energy by Big Oil, the unlimited resources for medicinal use, the benefits of taxation and the overall right to know the truth. The Union: The Business Behind Getting High deserves its place as one of the best up to date documentaries covering the subject. I highly recommend this incredible and though provoking film. Enjoy it. I did. theunionmovie.com IMDb
What a great little find thanks to Digg. This film by Dennis Wheatley and Stefan McClean was simply shot as they were eating in a sushi bar in Tokyo. This piece of art literally teared up my eyes towards the end when I was thinking how music and images can bring many cultures together. I loved how the camera captured one of the most important parts of our everyday lives, eating. The musical track is ‘lost in a moment’ by ‘shrift‘, an electronica/down-tempo group out of the UK. I’m sometimes amazed at how a film that’s only 4 minutes and 56 seconds can capture and inspire the imagination that many modestly budgeted theater releases cannot. I really enjoyed this and I hope you do as well.
I wasn’t expecting much from Apple’s keynote and to be honest, I’m kind of glad that it’s over. It’s time for the company to move towards a different and more efective path in how they introduce new products to the world. I haven’t had the pleasure to to ever go to Macworld or view it since I just joined the family in October of 2007. Good thing we have YouTube to watch all the retro goodness. I still think that they will in some way have new product announcements in a small room with only a few journalist like they did when they introduced the iPod back in 2001. So, there you have it. On to something bigger and better. And all this news about Steve Jobs’ health is just tasteless and disrespectful. I know that to many of the company’s major investors, Jobs’ present condition may seem like it should be in the public domain but I beg to differ. Let the company’s amazing products speak for themselves.
On a personal note, I know that I’m 8 days late but happy 2009 to all!
With yesterdays news on Apple’s announcement of its last year at Macworld, mac heads and fanboys around the globe busted a tear of sadness. Look, I didn’t tear up but shit, I really looked forward to every January’s Macworld presentation. To most of us it was like a monolithic rock concert for Apple geeks with our lead front man on stage feeding us the future goodies coming straight out of the streets of Cupertino, Yo! I’m really going to miss that “One more thing…” tease that Jobs always had over the audience. What are we going to do now man? Anyways, here’s an excerpt from their official press release:
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
