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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 )

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:

Previously I wrote about the difference between Apple and Microsoft in One Sentence, but here I stumbled upon a little video showing the fundamental different philosophies between Apple and Microsoft, as shown in their packaging.
One tries to do everything — offer the customer anything that is technically possible, and ends up in a bloated mess-up. The other boils appliaces down to their essence, and makes them look like a gem.

The top 5 priorities of Microsoft and Apple

Microsoft

1. Technology
2. Technology
3. Technology
4. Usability
5. Design

Apple

1. Design
2. Usability
3. Technology
4. Design
5. Usability

One-line Vistaâ„¢ Joke of the day

Can anyone confirm the rumor that Vistaâ„¢ Service Packâ„¢ 1 will install Windowsâ„¢ XPâ„¢?

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.)

…and it’s a Friday, too. Anyways, here are today’s Gems from the Web:

• My favourite quotes – “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
• Wacky laptop tricks – While you are waiting for your MacBook, here are some things that you can do with your laptop.
• Apple Macintosh G3 tossed over a 45-foot cliff – Total destruction, unsurprizingly. But why would anyone want to do this?
• TechRepublic Photo Gallery – Chaoscope fractals showcase the beauty of chaos
• Securing OS X 10.4: Tips from Apple and the NSA – Apple and the National Security Administration (NSA) have published a security guide for Mac OS 10.4 with key highlights on network administration, securing Safari and the importance of physical security.
• Microsoft naysayer bandwagon gets crowded – Goldman Sachs removed Microsoft from its “conviction list,” the equivalent of a super-duper buy list.
• Lawmakers pushing iPods flew on Apple’s dime – Two state lawmakers backing a controversial plan to buy iPods for every schoolchild in Michigan were among a group of politicians who made a trip to California that was paid for at least in part by Apple, the maker of iPods.
• Welcome to Prisma – Imagine, an international company, and their sitemap is not clickable! Hmm…
• Creative Planet’s Digital Production BuZZ – News – Red camera supports the /i Technology, developed by Cooke Optics. /i Technology enables film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens and camera data for every film frame shot and provide it to post-production teams digitally.

Gems from the Web:

• Witty Comics – Make a Comic – Make your own comic strip. Online. And free.
• 100 Million iPods and still going strong – Since the first iPod was introduced = 50,327 iPods sold per day since launch
• My Photo Booth Photo Blog » Why does the art die? – I decided to gather my thoughts in one and come up with the problem. And the problem is: the crucial moment in history of photography we are living these days: its end.
• It?s good to be back – I thought that Yvonne had stopped blogging for good, but out of the blue, a great writer is back again.
• Top 100 font downloads – Great selection of fonts, most of them free for personal use.
• The Fastest way to find High-Quality Freebies on the Web – Finding High Quality free files on the internet is every designers daily dilemma. Sometimes you don?t have the time to make your own swooshes, or seamless paisley background image. This is why we search, and from my experience, the search can be brutal.
• Film Exclusiv Agregator – RSS feed for film related content
• WordPress NiceAdmin Plugin Version 1.0.0 Released – It doesn?t change the usability or functionality of WordPress whatsoever, it just makes it a little easier to look at! Hope you like it!
• Can I get my money back, Wikipedia? – Now Wikipedia is adding nofollow to all external links. That basically knocks out a very key referrer to my blog, so no doubt I will lose search engine placement due to the decision.
• Ten Things You Shouldn?t Buy New – Some things are best purchased new ? lingerie pops to mind ? but lots of other stuff depreciates quickly while still having plenty of useable life left. Here are ten items where the cost vs. use equation strongly tilts toward buying used.
• The TV Is Dead. Long Live the TV – On the 80th anniversary of the first long-distance TV broadcast, the industry that evolved out of it is under siege. Old rules — defining who, where and what to watch — are collapsing, making room for new ideas and talent on air and online.
• Tactile 3D maps could help blind people navigate – A team of researchers at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece have created a system that can convert video into tactile, three dimensional maps designed to help blind people navigate.
• iPod saves soldier’s life – Wouldn’t have worked with a Zune, apparently
• Apple TV hacked for RSS and emulation, plus bounty for USB drive support – Engadget – The Apple TV has received two new abilities in its second week of availability thanks to a couple of new hacks: one, a fully functional and integrated RSS reader, and two, video game emulation for NES, SNES, N64, and Sega Genesis game consoles.

Gems from the Web:

• SPHERICALROBOTS 2004 – Using plain water to display images. Wow. I would love to find out how much that costs.
• This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk – Changing your driving habits can make your car much more fuel efficient. This guy managed to get it down to 4l per 100km.
• How-To: Make a solid-state A/V switcher – Do you have more boxes than your TV can handle? Grab a soldiering iron, and off you go!
• Free Vector Downloads – Nice collection of free graphic, ahem, inspiration
• My Ipod – A frank iPod modification
• Upgrading iPod Hard Drives – If your music library is bigger than your iPod, you can upgrade rather than buying a new one. Cool
• Tricks For Saving a Dead iPod – Before buying a new one, you might as well try
• The Complete Project Precita – A properly geeky home. Many buttons to push, signs, fun.
• MATTER Pierre Sculptor – Amazing sculptures
• “Pocket” Gramophones from the ’20s – Music was already portable way before the iPod. Hey, way before the Walkman. 1920.
• Avid investors prepped for Apple surprises at NAB – …”the ‘talk on the Street’ is that Apple is planning an event for April 15th at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Las Vegas”

Here’s a funny clip featuring B. Gates and S. Jobs – and a surprize guest from the 80s.

And talking of the past and B. Gates, here’s what he once said about the Mac: more…