Microsoft in spin overload for E3 2010:

For us it was very clear from the start that there was no one better than the creative visionaries at Cirque du Soleil to fully bring to life the magic of ‘Project Natal' for Xbox 360 in a way that could capture the world’s attention and imagination,” he said. “While I cannot share any more details about this event at this time, trust that it will be unlike anything you have ever seen, a one of a kind memorable event that will entertain people of all ages.

Unlike anything we have ever seen??

I remember going to a Lotus conference where The Neville Brothers played and we had an exclusive night at Universal Studios theme park. After each I thought “That was cool”. I didn’t think “Lotus is cool”. It’s still just software, and still just a game console.

Instapaper developer Marco Arment:

The iPad is a great device, but what’s it for, really?

Logically, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for most computer owners. In reality, if you needed a laptop before, you probably still need one. If you want to read novels, the Kindle is still a much better device for that. If you need a small computer for ancillary tasks that’s always connected and always with you, an iPhone is better (and you probably already have one). And, even though it’s a great deal for the hardware, most people will have trouble justifying the $500 entry price.

But using it is satisfying and delightful, and there are some things that it does better than a computer. That list isn’t as big as I, and probably most early buyers, initially assumed. And that’s OK.

The “single-purpose device” argument is a strong one, and often used in relation to the iPod. But the iPhone tends to fly in the face of that argument - it’s good at a lot of stuff.

What if you don’t have any computer or smartphone though? That’s what I’d be interested in. Can it work on it’s own if your main tasks are browsing & email? Maybe not:

For instance, if you’re using a hardware keyboard with the iPad very often, you’d probably be much better served by a MacBook Air.

Though it will cost you an extra $1400 to find out.

Slightly confusing infographic, but the end result is scary. As the author points out:

Let me be clear about something: I like Facebook. It’s helped me reconnect with dozens of people with whom I’d lost touch, and I admire the work their team does. I hope your takeaway from this infographic isn’t “I’m deleting my account”; rather, I hope it’s “I’m checking my privacy settings right now, and changing them to a level with which I’m comfortable.

My takeaway is “thank goodness I never bothered”.

Inappropriate Golden Books by Pixar Artist Josh Cooley

The Guardian on radio DJs:

Sean Adams, from Drowned in Sound, a music webzine, said strong radio personalities were vital to counteract the ghettoisation of music - where because of digital radio services people only listen to the type of music they already enjoy. “We now have a billion ways of getting our music. That can be massively damaging because people aren’t listening to music that they may not like on first listen, and there is this problem of the web making everything bland,” he said.

“The web has enabled everyone to be a DJ and in some ways that has diluted the need for [them] but people are still looking for direction and gatekeepers. The need for an established medium has changed but that doesn’t mean we don’t still need people like John Peel.”

This only works if the DJ is free from the constraints of playlists and demographic profiling, a freedom that is increasingly rare.

Must watch interview of Liam Gallagher at Cannes pitching his Beatles breakup pic:

Guardian: Why is [this] more interesting to you than a straight Beatles biopic?

LG: Because it’s been done before mate. And the Beatles aren’t going to be in this film. There’s going to be no-one auditioning for John, Paul, George, Ringo. I ain’t going to be doing that, and there’ll be no wigs.

LG: I’m not doing films about whales…or unkempt eyebrows or anything like that. I’m doing this and that’s it, I’m out of here mate.

Guardian: Are you a film fan though, what films do you like?

LG: I like films, they’re alright, they’re alright. Film business is just like the music business innit, it’s a load of blaggers talking shit.

So true.

Maximum Rocknroll: Kick-Ass Photos From Iconic Punk Mag

They don’t always get it right, but they’re bang on with this one. On James Murphy:

“I spent my whole life wanting to be cool… but I’ve come to realize that coolness doesn’t exist the way I once assumed,” said Murphy in a recent Guardian feature. This realization probably has something to do with his rising cultural cache. After all, Murphy has done what all other music fiends only dream about— he’s flipped the system and become the embodiment of coolness. This is a phenomenal coup.

And the music:

Opener “Dance Yrself Clean” starts quiet and stuffed with circular paranoia: “Talking like a jerk except you are an actual jerk, and living proof that sometimes friends are mean,” Murphy mumbles to himself. “All My Friends” this is not. But then a massive, meaty synth expands the speakers, lifts the singer up, and plops him down smack in the middle of the dancefloor.

Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald featured an excellent essay by Neil James, of the Plain English Foundation, defending the impact of “new media” on language. Insanely it is not available on the SMH website¹, and even the author/PEF has had to resort to a scanned copy1. Some of the many excellent points include:

Increased use of the written word:

In the US, a National Commission on Writing survey of teenagers and parents found that teenagers spend a considerable amount of time writing, and that they clearly distinguish between social media and more formal text. Their parents reported that their teens do a lot more writing than they did at the same age.

Improving communication:

Increasingly, the public will expect to take an active part in a more meaningful dialogue, whether as students or patients, customers or clients. Already, academic and industry conferences are running a Twitter backchannel through their events so participants can share comments and resources more widely. It is the kind of application that has made adults - not teens - the most prolific adopters of Twitter.

Diversifying public debate:

If a defining feature of democracy is the ability of citizens to participate in open debate, then the new media will inevitably strengthen and diversify our public conversations rather than dumb them down. The scale of participation is now beyond anything we’ve previously experienced.

There’s a Sydney Writers' Festival event debating this topic this week.

David Simon:

“Fuck the exposition,” he says gleefully, as we go back into the bar. “Just *be*. The exposition can come later.” He describes a theory of television narrative. “If I can make you curious enough, there’s this thing called Google. If you’re curious about the New Orleans Indians, or ‘second-line' musicians - you can look it up.” The Internet, he suggests, can provide its own creative freedom, releasing writers from having to overexplain, allowing history to light the characters from within.