Some mash-ups work, others don't.
The mash-up between Angry Birds and Star Wars (which was released last Thursday) is pure genius. It is, IMHO and based on my first few days of playing it (and from the perspective of a Star Wars fan of course) more fun than the previous versions of the game.
All the fun of Anrgy Birds and all of the sights, sounds, characters, and mythology of Star Wars.
I have finished the Tatooine level and am half way through the Death Star level.
In the early levels, you get to play with Luke, and Obi Wan, and Han. Luke has his lightsabre. Obi Wan has the force. And Han has his blaster. Great fun.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Monday, 5 November 2012
Homeland
I was late coming to the TV show Homeland but, having heard recommendations from lots of people, I am now bang up-to-date.
There are things about the show which I don't really like, or find believable. One example is (select this text to see the possible spoiler): how easily and how completely Carrie appears to have fallen in love with Brody.
But overall it is quite compelling viewing. And it has won lots of awards (Claire Danes and Damian Lewis won the Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actress/Actor in a Drama Series).
The bad thing about catching up, of course, is that I can't watch an episode whenever I want - I have have wait for the next episode just like everyone else!
Here is a shot of the two lead protagonists from the most recent show:
There are things about the show which I don't really like, or find believable. One example is (select this text to see the possible spoiler): how easily and how completely Carrie appears to have fallen in love with Brody.
But overall it is quite compelling viewing. And it has won lots of awards (Claire Danes and Damian Lewis won the Emmy awards for Outstanding Lead Actress/Actor in a Drama Series).
The bad thing about catching up, of course, is that I can't watch an episode whenever I want - I have have wait for the next episode just like everyone else!
Here is a shot of the two lead protagonists from the most recent show:
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Downton Abbey Season 3
I mentioned Downton Abbey in a previous posting.
This evening saw the transmission of the final episode of Season 3. And very good it was too.
I like series that are happy to finish a season by tying up lots of loose ends - as opposed to those which feel the need to finish on a cliffhanger.
Overall I think Season 3 was good. Probably better than Season 2.
I had some reservations as the season progressed about the portrayal of Irish characters - most especially the character of Tom Brandon (played by Allen Leech) and, even though he only appeared in one episode, that of his brother Kieran (played by Ruairi Conaghan). But having seen the final episode I think that my concerns were largely unfounded. Allen Leech himself apparently said that the attitudes of the Crawleys reflected "a realistic portrayal of the era".
The fact that we have had three seasons has allowed other characters to come to the fore. I have particularly enjoyed the performances of Jim Carter as Mr. Carson and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes.
But the undoubted starts of the show, IMHO, are Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham and Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. They are just fantastic.
So now we have the Christmas Special to look forward to.
This evening saw the transmission of the final episode of Season 3. And very good it was too.
I like series that are happy to finish a season by tying up lots of loose ends - as opposed to those which feel the need to finish on a cliffhanger.
Overall I think Season 3 was good. Probably better than Season 2.
I had some reservations as the season progressed about the portrayal of Irish characters - most especially the character of Tom Brandon (played by Allen Leech) and, even though he only appeared in one episode, that of his brother Kieran (played by Ruairi Conaghan). But having seen the final episode I think that my concerns were largely unfounded. Allen Leech himself apparently said that the attitudes of the Crawleys reflected "a realistic portrayal of the era".
The fact that we have had three seasons has allowed other characters to come to the fore. I have particularly enjoyed the performances of Jim Carter as Mr. Carson and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes.
But the undoubted starts of the show, IMHO, are Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham and Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. They are just fantastic.
So now we have the Christmas Special to look forward to.
Reading "The Three Investigators"
I mentioned "The Three Investigators" series of books in a previous post.
I have now read books 1-3 (The Secret of Terror Castle, The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot, and The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy) to my eight-year old son and we are half way through book 4 (The Mystery of the Green Ghost).
He seems to be enjoying them. I am too.
Great to get to spend time with Jupiter, Pete and Bob again after all these years.
When I read them as a kid, I seem to remember finding them scary. The surprising thing is that my son doesn't seem to find them so.
I have now read books 1-3 (The Secret of Terror Castle, The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot, and The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy) to my eight-year old son and we are half way through book 4 (The Mystery of the Green Ghost).
He seems to be enjoying them. I am too.
Great to get to spend time with Jupiter, Pete and Bob again after all these years.
When I read them as a kid, I seem to remember finding them scary. The surprising thing is that my son doesn't seem to find them so.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Viera Remote App
I mentioned that I had download a remote app for my "Panasonic Smart Viera 3D LED TV " in a recent posting.
The coolest thing about the app (and a real "oh wow" moment for me) was when I discovered that you can browse the media on your phone and then you can display a video/audio/image file on the TV simply by following the instruction to "press and hold the content then flick up".
So you select a video, say, and then flick it towards the TV where it begins to play as if by magic.
This is pure genius and a fantastic example of how the convergence of technologies is making it easier for disparate systems to interoperate.
The coolest thing about the app (and a real "oh wow" moment for me) was when I discovered that you can browse the media on your phone and then you can display a video/audio/image file on the TV simply by following the instruction to "press and hold the content then flick up".
So you select a video, say, and then flick it towards the TV where it begins to play as if by magic.
This is pure genius and a fantastic example of how the convergence of technologies is making it easier for disparate systems to interoperate.
Definition of Randomer
I have been watching words and phrases migrate into our usage of the English language for many years.
Typically these words are migrating westwards - from the States to Ireland.
To give a simple example: the phrase "ballpark estimate" is in common usage in business here even though the word "ballpark" has not arrived.
I remember being in a restaurant in the States many years ago when the waiter asked me if I was "done" with my food. The usage of "done" to mean finished in this manner is now commonplace over here.
But I suspect that words and phrases are migrating much more quickly now.
Perhaps it is because of the Internet and social networking. Perhaps it is because of the increased importance/influence of teenagers in culture these days.
And perhaps I am seeing it more because I am seeing it in action with my kids.
And once a word/phrase does arrive in a country it needs to migrate through the age groups and into different social contexts.
One excellent example is the use of the word "randomer" to mean either a stranger ("who was that randomer last night") or some unknown or unspecified person ("some randomer will get the job") or someone of no significance ("he's just some randomer").
I first heard the word relatively recently - I think it was earlier this year. But I heard it being used in a business meeting (by someone in her thirties) last week. That must be some kind of record!
Typically these words are migrating westwards - from the States to Ireland.
To give a simple example: the phrase "ballpark estimate" is in common usage in business here even though the word "ballpark" has not arrived.
I remember being in a restaurant in the States many years ago when the waiter asked me if I was "done" with my food. The usage of "done" to mean finished in this manner is now commonplace over here.
But I suspect that words and phrases are migrating much more quickly now.
Perhaps it is because of the Internet and social networking. Perhaps it is because of the increased importance/influence of teenagers in culture these days.
And perhaps I am seeing it more because I am seeing it in action with my kids.
And once a word/phrase does arrive in a country it needs to migrate through the age groups and into different social contexts.
One excellent example is the use of the word "randomer" to mean either a stranger ("who was that randomer last night") or some unknown or unspecified person ("some randomer will get the job") or someone of no significance ("he's just some randomer").
I first heard the word relatively recently - I think it was earlier this year. But I heard it being used in a business meeting (by someone in her thirties) last week. That must be some kind of record!
Panasonic TX-L42ET5B Smart Viera 3D LED TV
I was shocked a few weeks ago to see a TV the same as my own (a Phillips flat-screen with a CRT!) in a skip in a recycling centre.
Then about a week later my own TV packed in. The choice was simple: repair or replace.
On consideration, we decided that the broken TV was older than it looked. And it had given us enough service. And we deserved a a TV that didn't have a CRT.
We ended up buying a Panasonic TV-L42ET5B. The "42" shows that it is a 42" screen.
The TV does a couple of things that I wasn't expecting when we went out shopping that day.
Firstly it support 3D (using passive 3D glasses). I always thought that 3D was a gimmick but when we saw it in the shop we really liked it. It can even convert regular TV into 3D on-the-fly (I had no idea that was possible).
Secondly it has built in WiFi. So now we have another way to surf the web - from our TV.
We are extremely happy with the TV. I have come in to the room on many occasions to find everyone wearing 3D glasses. And we spent one rainy Sunday afternoon watching Youtube videos!
We even downloaded the remote control program onto our Android phones. It connects to the TV over WiFi. Genius!
It does one other thing which I did not expect but which is absolutely brilliant: I can stream videos from my laptop in the other room directly onto the TV. This is so handy. Basically your Windows PC becomes a "media server".
Then about a week later my own TV packed in. The choice was simple: repair or replace.
On consideration, we decided that the broken TV was older than it looked. And it had given us enough service. And we deserved a a TV that didn't have a CRT.
We ended up buying a Panasonic TV-L42ET5B. The "42" shows that it is a 42" screen.
The TV does a couple of things that I wasn't expecting when we went out shopping that day.
Firstly it support 3D (using passive 3D glasses). I always thought that 3D was a gimmick but when we saw it in the shop we really liked it. It can even convert regular TV into 3D on-the-fly (I had no idea that was possible).
Secondly it has built in WiFi. So now we have another way to surf the web - from our TV.
We are extremely happy with the TV. I have come in to the room on many occasions to find everyone wearing 3D glasses. And we spent one rainy Sunday afternoon watching Youtube videos!
We even downloaded the remote control program onto our Android phones. It connects to the TV over WiFi. Genius!
It does one other thing which I did not expect but which is absolutely brilliant: I can stream videos from my laptop in the other room directly onto the TV. This is so handy. Basically your Windows PC becomes a "media server".
Playing James Bond
It's interesting that Skyfall makes such a big deal about Bond's age (as well as M's).
I guess it's a sign of the times.
Here, out of interest, is a list of the ages the various Bond actors were when they played Bond for the first time (I would have selected their third movies in each case but two of them did not get to make three!):
Sean Connery - Dr. No - 32
George Lazenby - On Her Majesty’s Service - 30
Roger Moore - Live and Let Die - 46
Timothy Dalton - The Living Daylights - 41
Pierce Brosnan - Goldeneye - 42
Daniel Craig - Casino Royale - 38
By the time Roger Moore made his third movie ("The Spy who Loved Me") he was 50. Daniel Craig is now 44.
I guess it's a sign of the times.
Here, out of interest, is a list of the ages the various Bond actors were when they played Bond for the first time (I would have selected their third movies in each case but two of them did not get to make three!):
Sean Connery - Dr. No - 32
George Lazenby - On Her Majesty’s Service - 30
Roger Moore - Live and Let Die - 46
Timothy Dalton - The Living Daylights - 41
Pierce Brosnan - Goldeneye - 42
Daniel Craig - Casino Royale - 38
By the time Roger Moore made his third movie ("The Spy who Loved Me") he was 50. Daniel Craig is now 44.
Skyfall - Bond is bigger then ever!
When I was seven I went with my family to see my first James Bond movie. It was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". I really enjoyed it and can still remember the excitement of seeing (what must have been) my first action movie. To illustrate how long ago that was, the tagline was:
"Far up! Far out! Far more! James Bond 007 is back!"
Last weekend I went with my own family to see Skyfall. For my son (who is eight) it was his first Bond movie in a cinema. I enjoyed it and I know he enjoyed it too - I wonder if he will remember it as long!
The movie is currently scoring 8.2 on IMDB, which puts it a little ahead of "Casin Royale" at 7.9 and substantially ahead of Quantum of Solace at 6.7. It is scoring a very impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The answer to the question of why it is beating Daniel Craig's two previous outings is probably two words: Sam Mendes.
The new movie is also a huge box office hit - with £37.2m in its opening week it is now the biggest seven day gross of all time at the UK box office.
The things I probably liked most about it are:
1) It looks like a Bond movie (they have managed to distinguish it from Bourne and Mission Impossible movies)
2) The many references to previous Bond movies to please the aficionado
My rating: 8/10
Here is a nice still from early in the movie:
"Far up! Far out! Far more! James Bond 007 is back!"
Last weekend I went with my own family to see Skyfall. For my son (who is eight) it was his first Bond movie in a cinema. I enjoyed it and I know he enjoyed it too - I wonder if he will remember it as long!
The movie is currently scoring 8.2 on IMDB, which puts it a little ahead of "Casin Royale" at 7.9 and substantially ahead of Quantum of Solace at 6.7. It is scoring a very impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The answer to the question of why it is beating Daniel Craig's two previous outings is probably two words: Sam Mendes.
The new movie is also a huge box office hit - with £37.2m in its opening week it is now the biggest seven day gross of all time at the UK box office.
The things I probably liked most about it are:
1) It looks like a Bond movie (they have managed to distinguish it from Bourne and Mission Impossible movies)
2) The many references to previous Bond movies to please the aficionado
My rating: 8/10
Here is a nice still from early in the movie:
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