If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Enjoy:

Edited by Merritt Duff. Hooked up by Arrow Kruse.

Peter Miser writes:

The long story is this, I got an iPhone about two weeks after they came out. I’m not the type to get all mushy about a piece of technology but it done changed my life. (If you don’t know, then you better borrow your cousin’s and check it out. I’m not gonna go on a whole tangent but messing around with an iPhone is like reaching into the future and hanging out with super attractive aliens at a hot party…or something.) About a month after I got it, I was asked to fly to L.A. to actually be in an iPhone commercial. You know, the ones with the “regular” person standing in front of the black background? Right! Well, I was getting all excited to go out there and this real stupid song popped into my head. As you may know, I’m a hip hop artist so of course I think, “why not record the thing?” about a day later it’s recorded. Then I think, “why not recut the iPhone guy lipsyncing my song?” That’s where Arrow and Merritt hooked me up. Arrow’s like the Wolf from Pulp Fiction. If George Bush knew Arrow, this whole Iraq business would be sewn up by now. Anyway, Arrow made some calls, tracked down Merritt and Merritt worked his delicate fingers to the bone crafting this exquisite piece of art. We’re pretty sure we have about two weeks before Apple threatens to break our kneecaps so enjoy it while it lasts.

These digital times are exciting times, but also weird times. On the one hand cinemas are better equipped than ever, people are queuing to get a wall sized (anyone having read 1984?) flat screens (Sony has just announced an OLED screen with a contrast ratio of 1.000.000:1 [sic!]) with surround sound. And on the other hand you get video-to-go on an iPod nano or youTube. One has a resolution of about a gazillion pixels and fills a substantial part of your field of vision. The other other one has less pixels than the early digital cameras and often the weirdest screen formats.

The latter is perfect for watching cats on a skateboard, but for a cinematic experience, you need a big screen. Listen to what David Lynch has to say:

And for us cameramen it poses the extra difficulty of having to frame for multi-use. Which means you have to compromise. Which again means you minimize the impact on the big screen, because you have to protect your content for delivery on the small screen. My plea to producers: if you want to use your program on different screens, please budget for that by allowing the camera crew to shoot multiple takes for each delivery format. (You’ll end up with a more salable product, too. Now that is pareto optimal )

Does success have to lead to corruption?

Both Google and Apple, which I hold in high esteem, have recently moved in the wrong direction. Google is forcing bloggers to stop using non-Google advertisers, and Apple seems to collect information about iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The logical evolution of the iPhone will be a small form factor iPhone shuffle. Someone leaked the instruction video on youTube:

Update

The ad has been leaked as well now:

I have previously written about Microsoft’s attempt at making a mobile phone (here and here), but now the first two spec ads have been leaked:

and

Before the launch of the iPod, there were many critical voices. They soon went silent.Then when Apple announced the iPhone, new critical voices came. And went. For a while Apple was about the coolest company on the planet.

They locked their phones to an inferior service and charged a premium for it. But people were happy with their phones.

Then they lowered their prices, and people got upset. Shortly after that PR debacle, Apple announced that hacked or otherwise altered iPhones would not only lose their warranty, but might stop functioning. The phrase iBlock/iBrick was created. Now people really (and this time rightfully) got upset.

Parallel to this, the situation outside of US/UK/Germany is totally unclear as to when an iPhone will become available. Not good.

Then new iPods are released, but crippled in their software. Supposedly to not hurt iPhone sales. But most people cannot even buy one (legally). It feels like Apple is holding the golden carrots in front of our noses, just to perpetually remind us that we cannot get it.

Definitely not cool.

Goodwill is a fragile commodity, and Apple has indeed been a bit bullish of late.

(Still, my next phone will be an iPhone, my next laptop a MacBook and the next music/video player an iPod.)

“Everyone” seems to be talking about the iPhone. “Everyone” seems to want one. Truth is, most people don’t really care. And the truth is also, of all the people who really do want one, most simply can not get one:There is still no word as to when (or even if) the iPhone will come to Norway and Scandinavia.

And as to all the buzz around the $200 rebate, here is a link to Steve Jobs’ First Letter of Apology.

Before the iPhone came out, I posted a spoof video about what the iPhone would be capable of. Turns out that some hacker managed to add some of that bespoke functionality (minus the hand granade):
(via)

There are other occasions that some feel compelled to devote time in a waiting line for, take Die Hard 4.0 as an example:

Apparently nothing important is happening in the world today, as most blogs seem to be occupied with either P. Hilton or the iPhone. Or both.

Well, here’s a fun review of the phone:
And a internet campaign/petition to make Mdm. Hilton go away, wrapped in a music video: