It’s Time To Laugh At Microsoft Again

Now really, doesn’t this look like crap —

— compared to this —

Have a laugh at the video after the break.

Paper Fetishism And eBook Prejudice — In 1987!

Let me set the history for you. In 1987, the Apple Newton was still two years away and the Palm Pilot was still nine years away.

So consider the foresight it took to have this little exchange in the third episode of Star Cops:

Chandri: You’re impressed with my library, Commander.

Spring: Yes. Yes, I am. I’m more impressed by the weight allocation it took to bring them — and all of this — from Earth. You must have friends in the freight business.

Chandri: It was all paid for, I assure you. I don’t like electronic books. Something about poetry particularly which needs to be read from the page. It dies when you put in on a viewing screen.

It takes place in the first minute in the video after the break.

Writing Red Alert: Star Cops

Star Cops is a series I’ve mentioned in all my blogs (see end of post).

It’s an excellent SF series from the late 1980s. Rarely seen in the U.S. and never released in America on DVD.

It was created by Chris Boucher, who took over Blake’s 7 from that series’ creator, Terry Nation. It’s really the first adult SF series, attempting to do real adults in real space. No silly ray guns or monsters. And it’s thoughtful SF, moving at a deliberate pace.

Some of the highlights to watch for in the series are desktop touchscreen computers:

There is the 27″ iMac of 2011!

And an artificially-intelligent voice-interactive PDA called Box:

The only way it can be seen outside of the U.K. is via piracy, which is really an absolute disgrace.

Someone has posted the entire series up on YouTube. Run there and watch it. This is a gorgeous transfer from the U.K. DVDs.

First part of episode one after the break to get you started.

Philip R. Cable: Make Movies That Make Money!

Make Movies That Make Money! — The Low-Budget Filmmaker’s Guide to Commercial Success by Philip R. Cable

The term “low-budget” can refer to anything from a $10 million indie flick to a student film produced on borrowed equipment with little or no money. Low budget filmmakers can range from seasoned auteurs attempting to shed the shackles of major studio control to novice talents trying to break into the industry.

Designed for would-be filmmakers of all experience levels, this book explains how to make a good, commercially successful, low-budget movie in the current multi-million dollar Hollywood climate. The purpose is not only to show how to get movies made and distributed, but also how to maximize a film’s potential for significant profit.

Written in practical, understandable terms, the book covers everything from commercially viable genres to the most efficient film and video formats, along with tips on hiring stars, pursuing investors, distributing and marketing a film, and keeping track of expenses.

Philip and I have spoken to one another now and again since the late 1970s.

Digital Books: From “The Kiss” To “Avatar”

Anyone who saw this:

The May-Irwin Kiss (Edison, 1896)

Would have never been able to imagine it would — or ever could — someday become this:

Avatar: The Movie (New Extended HD Trailer) (2009)

With digital books — Vook, Enhanced Editions, et al — we are at the stage of The Kiss.

But it will take us faster to get to the Avatar stage because we have more prior knowledge — and technology — than Edison’s crew did at the beginning of moving pictures.

The Apple TV That Isn’t But Will Be

I stated earlier that Apple is going to need a YouTube-like service to snatch away all of those videos being fed into Google’s advertising wallet by iPhones (and soon probably the next-gen iPod Touch too).

Apple TV would be a natural name for it. But that domain is taken.

Apple watchers, keep your eye on that. At some point, Apple will have them evicted.

Can We Get This Lovely iBook Prototype In 2012, Apple?

This will amp up your iSlate lust (as if it isn’t already high).

Designer creates a prototype for a dual-screened Apple digital book reader, called iBook. Lovely piece of hardware. Software is so-so, but the line-tracker feature is clever and something Apple should, um, acquire.

Watch.

Additional:

Martin Perhiniak website

Apple’s iSlate Gives Book Publishers False Hope

Disney bought Marvel for over four billion dollars.

Four billion dollars!

In my lifetime I have seen a comic book company aimed at children go from being printed on rotten paper with the worst four-color printing and a rotten distribution system to something that became worth four billion dollars.

Marvel. Comic books. Adults were ashamed to work in comic books!

Marvel! Home of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Thor, Hulk, Man-Thing, Ant-Man, X-Men.

Think about those characters.

I Help OK Go Give Some Back

The OK Go Fracas

The truth is OK Go’s fighting for its career with its hands tied behind its back.

Piss off EMI.

And from the band itself:

Open Letter From OK Go, regarding non-embeddable YouTube videos

When push comes to shove, however, we like our fans more, which is why you can take the code at the bottom of this email and embed the “This Too Shall Pass” video all over the Internet.

This is 2010. We must all give some back.

Desire, Belief, Ability, Synchronicity, Infinity

That’s me — symbolically — up there, doing the yelling at Person A. It’s been my lot in life to be surrounded by wankers.

Kathy likes to start trouble like this.

I countered that belief also played a role.

Here is a great story about belief. Two kids at a Jai Lai game.