I’m currently sitting in the livingroom with the xfactor final about to start. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to get my usual end of year post done.

I present to you my favourite things of 2011

Top 3 Movies

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Attack the Block
Melancholia

Top 3 TV Shows

Community
Modern Family
House

Top 3 Books

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Top 3 Albums

Um, Uh Oh by Say Hi
No Witch by The Cave Singers
Tron Legacy by Daft Punk

Top 3 Songs

Someone Like You by Adele
Devils by Say Hi
Paradise by Coldplay

Top 3 Podcasts

Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Books You Should Read
TEDTalks

Top 3 Games

Bejewelled Blitz (iPhone)
Football Manager (mac)
Words With Friends (iPhone)

Top 3 iPhone Apps

IMDB
Eurosport LIVE Scores
Momento

Top 3 Real Life Moments

Finding out I was to become a dad!
Weeks holiday in Cape Verde
Being an Usher at my mate Duncan’s Wedding

So last night I got in from work and did the usual – went straight to my computer and plugged my iPhone in to sync it up. I came back to the comp after my dinner and noticed the I had an error on the screen: ‘The sync could not be completed, the disk could not be read or written to’. No biggy I thought. Just do it again. Same error. Gulp. Change the USB port. Try again. Same story. Blind Panic.

Started googling the problem. Usual generic responses on apple threads ‘roll back iTunes, Restore, take to apple store’. Fuck all that man. I’ve been there and it ain’t nice.

In my desperation I unplugged the phone and went back to my Spectrum +3 days when I used to blow on the metalic strip of the floppy disk if a game wouldn’t load. In this case, the pins on the bottom of the iPhone. I noticed a wee flutter in there when I blew. Cue me pulling out a massive nasty collection of fluff with a paperclip.

Plugged the phone back into comp. Sync succesfull.

My life is back on track.

Phew.

What I found interesting, especially for a mainstream Hollywood movie, was that because of this inability to lie, the world had no religion. As far as people were concerned you died and then you went to an’ eternity of nothingness’. (**SPOILERS AHEAD**) Our protagonist in the movie somehow develops the ability to lie and at one point in the film is at his mothers deathbed. She is contemplating the ‘nothingness’ ahead and in our main character’s despair he decides to tell this lie:

Mom, you’re wrong about what happens after you die. It’s not an eternity of nothingness. You go to your favorite place in the whole world. And everyone you have ever loved or who has ever loved you will be there. And you’ll be young again. There’s no pain, just love and happiness. Everyone gets a mansion.

iPhone album track number 4

The doctors in the room are flabbergasted at this revelation (remember they don’t understand the concept of lying) and tell the press about this ‘man’ who has information on an ‘afterlife’. This then results in a massive religious following of our main character.

Being a atheist and sceptic, I found it very interesting that this kind of social commentary was tackled. This movie was written by Ricky Gervais who is, as we all know, an outspoken atheist who has a lot to say on the matter. Good on him for getting a method of sceptical conversation out there.

Anyway. During the movie there was a song played in the background. I’d never head it before but instantly loved it. I shazam’d the tune and it turned out to be a song called ‘Catch The Wind’ by Donovan. If you’re a guitar player and you don’t want to pick up your guitar after hearing this song then you ain’t right in the heed man.

I did. And even took the time to learn it. Thought I’d record it on my phone for you all.

Incidentally. Fourtrack has become infinitely better since a recent update. It used to be that you would have to export each track individually to your computer and use some other method of mixing the tracks together. Fourtrack now has an in-build method of mixing all your tracks into one file. Amazing.

Yesterday marked the years anniversary of my iPhone purchase. To celebrate this momentous occasion I went out and got an upgrade to the iPhone 3GS which only involved a one off payment of £50 as I on the ‘business frequent user’ contract.

How my phone looks. (not my actual phone)

I got home to be disturbed by a strange yellow tint to the phone’s software. I started freakin out a totally Rainman kinda way.

Anyway, It just so happened that me and the Mrs were going back to the shops later on that day so I popped into the o2 shop to have a word with them about it. The guy looked at it and kinda dismissed it as me being pedantic.

I though: OK. Fair enough. I’m a bit of a Monica when it comes to technology.

I went home. It just kept annoying me. Then went online, as every geek does, to see if there was some sort of fix for the problem. I came across this thread. It got my blood boiling a bit and decided that I would go to the Apple Store in the morning.

In the morning I drove into Glasgow. The ‘Genius’ staff said it was within specifications and I had to accept it as normal.

F**k.

On the way out the door a member of the Apple staff came up to me and said that if you still feel annoyed by it and want a change then go to the o2 store you bought it from and see if they will replace it.

I did that. The woman in the o2 store was very understanding, compared the screen with the iPhone’s in the store and agreed to replace it. Success.

(NOT)

I went home, opened the case and noticed that it was exactly the same on this one too.

Double F**k.

Looks like I’m gonna have to accept this a bad decision by Apple for their 3GS firmware. Its not as bad as the first one I got but it is still enough to be noticed by crazy old me.

Yet another song created entirely on my iPhone using the FourTrack app. This time I’ve covered a Beatles song. I’ve always loved this song cause it was John Lennon’s confessed attempt at copying Bob Dylan.

There is something paradoxical about a guy the stature of John Lennon sitting playing the guitar copying another artist. Some say resulting in a song better then any of Bob Dylan’s.

There are, of course, other Beatles songs that are attempts at plagiarism (Back in the USSR comes to mind) but this is my favourite.

Listen here:

You can here my other iPhone album tracks here

After your done with me. Listen to the master:

Want to show you a few things that I’ve seen lately that excite me. These are a little glimpse into the near future. Some of the stuff that is being designed just now is so intuitive, and user friendly that it looks like there is going to be an exponential increase in general productivity for many years to come.

First up is Microsoft’s Gizmodo. There is not too much details about this yet but below is a recent ‘leaked’ video of how it will work.

Second up, and something I’m really excited about, is Google’s new ‘Wave’ platform. This is being pitched as ‘the new email’ and certainly looks that part. And what’s even more bizarre it will be open source when released.

Lastly. A new system from a company called Savant. This is more about home entertainment and about having total control of your household appliances. I love it!!!!!!!!

I want it all now!!!

iPhone Album is in the making

I recently received a voucher that I could use in various shops and, being the geek that I am, I went to WHSMITH and got myself an iTunes top-up card. There are tones of apps out there that I’d love to have so thought that, if I got a wee bit of credit to play with, I could have some fun.

Last night I bought this fancy app. It’s a four track for your iPhone. I’ve been playing the guitar since I was 16 (I watched this show and became determined to learn). I’m not that great, but I give it a bash. I wish I was a better singer.

Anyway, when I got this app last night I went straight into recording. Here is the result of 15 minutes messing about:

I’m going to do more and post them on here, eventually having an iPhone Album. Who knows, they might be on iTunes themselves one day. haha