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February 28, 2005
multi-channel TV
is a baaaaad idea.
11pm BBC three Ideal.
11pm E4 Queer as Folk.
11pm Channel Five Joey.
11pm Paramount Five Go Mad on Mescaline.
I also want to try and fit in an episode of Nathan Barley I've missed.,.
(and I'm on the phone at the same time - whimpers)
by groc at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
Russian anti-HIV vaccines
Russian scientists create two anti-HIV vaccines.
It's about time we had some real progress on HIV and AIDS. It wouldn't surprise me if Russia came up with the solution, as they seem to have a completely different outlook on various aspects of medicine that Western science just doesn't even pick up on. (It also must have helped that they were reliant on State funding rather than profit-driven (and greed-crazed) private corporations.)
For example:
1. Laser eye surgery to correct poor vision was a Russian innovation (I certainly wish I had the money to be able to have it done myself. Although I think you should be able to have it done on the NHS - after all having to wear glasses isn't exactly a vanity thing, although it's been made into such through necessity.)
2. The antibiotic-resistant infections that are currently blighting Hospitals in the UK (and elsewhere in the world) were totally unknown in Russian hospitals. All because they used phage viruses in sprays instead of antibiotics.
Phages are viruses that specifically target individual strains of bacteria and kill them, and only them without harming anything else.
Unfortunately what's holding back any development in this particular area (and the potential to save a great many lives) is that there aren't any huge pharmaceutical industries willing to invest in research into these fields. Simply because it would be a difficult area to make money in (not without a big change to their existing business models that is, and as we can see, big business is always very pitifully slow to realise how it can change itself to make money in other ways. You only have to see how the music/recording industry is twisting and turning in face of the internet and not being able to sell us those shiny silver discs one by one anymore to be aware of that.)
It's things like this which is why I suspect there’s been such slow progress in HIV and AIDS research - since there’s very little incentive to do so if the pharmaceutical companies are so wedded to the idea that HIV can be seen as a manageable lifelong disease that needs treating with a lifetime’s supply of a cocktail of very expensive (and therefore very profitable) drugs. Any vaccine or cure would only damage that revenue stream.
Which brings me to believe that there are vast areas were capitalism and the pursuit of profits isn’t always in anyone’s best interests.
But you know me - crazy utopian dreamer that I am.
by groc at 12:58 PM | Comments (1)
DLM
At long last!
New series of 'Dead Like Me' starts Tuesday 15th March on Sky One. Hope it's as good as the first series was.
by groc at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2005
today's things that made me go mmmm
next generation Xbox... the 360.
(Have I ever mentioned how annoying I find Yahoo? I find Yahoo very annoying. OK?)
To quote from David Gerard -one of the commenters on this article:
"Yahoo! has a known history of buying up things (Geocities, eGroups, Onelist), misunderstanding them and trashing them. They are clueless enough to buy LJ and destroy it."
That sounds about right.
by groc at 01:51 PM | Comments (1)
February 25, 2005
want!!!!!
by groc at 01:39 AM | Comments (1)
February 24, 2005
hello can you see me?
this was a group moblog event, sharing the lives of 24 people over 48 hours in new york city.
by groc at 06:16 PM | Comments (0)
cereal
But, but I like the toys and the promos! Don't ban them. Instead just teach the kids that they're being conned and manlipulated - it's a valuable life lesson they need to learn fast the mongs!
by groc at 08:38 AM | Comments (1)
February 23, 2005
play misty for me
misty comics (via linkmachinego)
Who knew old girl's comics could be so cool?
by groc at 07:45 PM | Comments (0)
because the ID card will fix everything---
The bottom line is that sooner or later somebody's going to have to explain to the great British public that the unpalatable alternatives to immigration include paying more for education, emptying your own bedpans, picking your own strawberries and chopping your own salads. And you've probably left this one a little late already, but if you want a decent pension and don't want to work forever, breed harder.
by groc at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)
urbanality
by groc at 06:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2005
yuck
I saw one of those new Mac things in the 'flesh' (as it were) yesterday - one of the white plastic things - where everything is behind the screen and it stands on a aluminium stand. Costs nearly two thousand pounds.
I thought it looked tacky.
by groc at 03:37 PM | Comments (5)
February 16, 2005
pen computing
Just as I do my little blog piece on a touch sensitive screen and what I want from a fuuutuuuure computer - I spot this article on engadget heralding the death of the pen computer.
Um. Well I'm not convinced.
So I've been having a look around at other things.
About Tablet Computing Old and New.
The IBM Transnote.
3com's Audrey.
I dunno - to me a lot of these things seem like part of a future that hasn't happened yet. Maybe they're just a bit too ahead of their time...
by groc at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
da-da-da-da
da-da-da
(Batman TV theme)
(Fits cats too - it says here.)
by groc at 04:42 PM | Comments (1)
daft
this is so like something I'd doodle....
by groc at 01:58 PM | Comments (2)
in the fuuutuuure...
Oooh want one -or two, or three...
Mini-side rant:
For years I've had my own ideas for a fantasy computer - one that consists of mainly a flat touch sensitive panel - no stupid mouse, no stupid keyboards -imaging that voice recognition would improve so much that it'd hardly be necessary any more - and on those few odd occasions when you needed one you could just pull up an on screen one - like on a Palm pilot and tap away.
It looks like -with the tablet computer and this - we're starting to get there.
My other fantasy linked to this is that the masses of different software we use to do various things would disappear. No one but me seems to think it's really stupid having to have one separate program for writing - a word processor, another one for handling bitmapped images (photoshop or whatever) another one for drawing vector-based art (freehand, illustrator etc.) another to make paper-based thuings - like Quark Xpress, yet another for web pages... What's more these programs seem to know it themselves as in every upgrade they add in limited functions from other dedicated programs. If instead software writers concentrated on a more modular approach -where you could add in various functions to one main program as and when needed.
Er... you know like how a web browser works... notice how that's grown and grown from it's humble beginnings which was to only show text, to show pictures, to later show animations, then vector based animations (flash), then to handle databases and forms, and to run varous java and VB and shockwave programs...
So i know I'm not talking out of my hat and that it's completely possible, it just takes a different approach to how we see computers working...
by groc at 11:28 AM | Comments (2)
February 12, 2005
FS & NB
I've fallen in love with Fisherspooner all over again, so many veedeeos I'd not seen before (mmmm Casey looks so indie-kid dreamy in the 15th vid).
Wasn't sure about the tracks on their new upcoming yet-to-be-released album - but they've been steadily growing on me with repeated listenings. And a track ('We Need a War') with lyrics written by Susan Sontag - I mean, wow.
Update: Momus writes some of thoughts after seeing the show.
by groc at 09:38 PM | Comments (3)
explanations
by groc at 07:17 PM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2005
Slippy Sliders
(bookmarks for my own benefit - feel free to ignore.)
Sliders
TV Tome
EP.com (Earth Prime
Earth Prime -(so showing it's age as an elderly fansite.)
I've been watching it on the Si-fi channel - except I keep missing bits.
by groc at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
it's real - eek
by groc at 10:05 PM | Comments (1)
February 10, 2005
Blimey
I love Ikea as much as the next homo-homemaker -but I'm not willing to go mad or die for it.
by groc at 09:53 AM | Comments (3)
February 09, 2005
Nebulous
more Nebulous - it's a bit annoying having only found out about this 'show' (radio play) on it's last episode.
Here's hoping it gets made into a TeeVee show fairly soon.
by groc at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
Stats
With America sleepwalking towards allowing the dismantling of it's Retirement Pensions scheme (called Social Security over there) and various budget cuts proposed in welfare, education and housing programmes for the poor -and given that what the US does today our Government mindlessly copies over here -totally blind to the consequences* - here's a series of statistics from the Anxiety Culture website to ponder.
Headlines:
Bush Cuts 150 Domestic Programmes to Lower Record US Deficit.
Budget cuts programs, deepens U.S. deficit
*1 -Remember what a great success the various spending cuts were during those long dark Thatcher years. Resulting in inner city decay, riots, high levels of deprivation and poverty - we've conveniently forgotten all that.
by groc at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)
February 08, 2005
missing....bbb
(missing Ben Browder's butt)
now loooong ago I remember watching the pilot episode of Farscape on BBC2 and more particularly I distinctly (and vividly) remember the bit in the show where a naked Crichton darts across his prison cell showing a flash of bare butt. It's not something you forget lightly, not when you're a Ben Browder fan. So when I found the pilot episode on DVD (2nd hand and for cheap) a while ago I snapped it up. Only to be sorely disappointed - no butt. Tonight BBC three are showing the pilot episode of Farscape - and finger poised on the record button in readiness - but no Browder butt! Groans. Where's the butt clip gone? Where?
Update:
I'll just mention Ben is joining the cast of Stargate: SG1 - Clauda Black has already been in one episode.
Claudia interview.
by groc at 12:30 AM | Comments (6)
February 06, 2005
dear channel 4
When you do a program (the 100 greatest pop videos) and you announce there's an accompanying web page - you might like to make sure that web page is up and running before you announce it on air. It's only polite.
by groc at 10:50 PM | Comments (1)
quack quack
Ducks Sinister ducks.
by groc at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2005
dead illegal
RIAA sues the dead.
Mmmmm - I wonder if all those recording artists really think the RIAA is acting in their best interests?
by groc at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)
4
four.
by groc at 05:50 PM | Comments (0)
Getting it
Who I think understands the nature of internet and people want and what works and what doesn't and designs websites accordingly...
The BBC - they really get it. Of course it helps that they they don't have to rely on advertising (I've firmed decided all advertising is a form of pollution and to varying degrees distorts and corrupts everything it touches).
The Guardian - very nearly get it, but ultimately let themselves down. Good clean layouts - it is still (with reservations) my favourite newspaper - but hello? Every time I look at their site - I hear the 'dull clunk' of a pop up window being blocked. Hello, how long have they been online and haven't they twigged yet that automatic pop-ups are one of the most universallty despised things on the internet. One tool best left to the dodgy - sleazier end of the WWW. Even Microsoft have had to relent to public pressure and deploy built-in pop-up blocking in IE.
Oh and their search engine to find articles etc. is complete pants - as is their daft idea for a subscription service.
Channel Four. Trying so hard to be hip and happening - but the worst offender in the pop up advertising stakes - their pop-ups cover the whole page and they used to have (don't know if they still do) those hyper-irritating animated flash animation pop-ups.
Yahoo.
Completely clueless - utterly. Intrusive advertising blinking and flashing at you everywhere, difficult to navigate, too much decoration and eye candy. Argh. Slowly destroying everythingthat was once 'good' about Yahoo groups. (Things were far better with e-groups.)
by groc at 03:45 AM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2005
robotbastard
robotbastard - the short movie.
[via Christie]
by groc at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)
Spongebobgate
How a reporter got on the recieving end of a Right-wing Christain spam email campaign.
All fundamentalism is wrong mmmm'kay? 'Cause it's pretty stupid mmm'kay? and so it can only appeal to stupid people mmmm'kay.being stupid is not OK -mmmm'kay? Got that? Good. mmm'kay.
by groc at 05:37 AM | Comments (0)
Nebulous
Mark Gatiss is Professor Nebulous.
Being such a hardcore teevee addict I usually never listen to the radio - - but this internet radio thing is fantastic. In particular being able to listen to programmes you've missed - at a time when it's convenient to yourself.. This is how teevee should be.
instead of all this being ‘broadcast at’ nonsense. Most channels already know this - that’s why satellite/cable channels double up with their second ‘plus’ channel showing everything again an hour later (which still seems like a terrible waste of bandwidth to me - I‘d rather have twice the picture quality thank you very much) - it’s also why they show the same new program two or even three times during the week, but how much better it would be if you could watch on demand? I expect it will happen (and in away with Bittorrent it is already, and makes the point for me that this is what people want) but you guarantee they’ll balls it up - by crippling it with DRM (which just amounts to the entertainment industry treating all their customers as criminals).and meaning you won’t be allowed to play it on your personal media player. God forbid.
(I‘m still irked by region codes on DVDs -how pathetic an idea is that.)
by groc at 03:46 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2005
when one of my heroes interviews another
Alan Moore interviews Brian Eno.
by groc at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
talking of d-d-d-d-digital
Oooooh. I think I want one. It'll never happen though.
I wouldn't be surprised if the DRM-ers are probably at this very minute working out ways of having a credit card slot built into this and any other similiar device so you have to pay to watch or listen everything you already own.
Ah shoot - I hope I haven't just given them the idea...
by groc at 08:15 AM | Comments (2)
d-d-d-digital
Grrrr.
This news item reallly annoys me.
One of the greatest most fantastic things about our age is digital media and the fact that it can be easily and flawlessly copied time after time with no loss of quality and that anyone with a computer can do it. Just think for one moment about how marvellous this is. There's been nothing quite like it before. We can't do it with food, or clothes, or shelter (-yet).
But because we're living under a brutally primitive capitalist system with a tiny handful of wealthy and insanely greedy people/corporations in charge, whose only notions of how to make even more money for themselves are still by using that hoary old business model of limiting supply and inflating demand - so they’re endlessly trying all they can to stifle and cripple anything digital by any means whatever. From hardware dongles, to cryptic (and probably legally unenforceable) licensing agreements, to all the various forms of DRM etc. None of which work for very long because - oh surprise, surprise -it’s digital stuff. At heart it’s still all zeros and ones. Anything they add in to cripple it can usually be stripped out again.
I know I’m some kind of an anarcho-utopianist overly idealistic dreamer but really, shouldn’t they be now looking into other ways of making their money, you know aside from being complete basturds?
Update:
and renting your music from Napster isn't that business model.
by groc at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2005
it's a mystery...
what I want to know is -where do seagulls go to sleep at night? I mean, when they're doing their nesting and bringing up kids thing you do see them stay put in the one place. But where do they go when they're not nesting? It's like they totally disappear of the face of the planet at night...
by groc at 02:15 PM | Comments (3)
February 01, 2005
comment spammer
An interview with a piece of fecal matter.
Don't take it personally? Don't take it personally!
Oh, but I do and if I ever find myself in a position where I can destroy the property of, or hurt, maim or even kill a comments spammer -I wouldn't hesitate. That's how personally I take it.
Grrrrr.
I hope the Register have done the right thing and secretly leaked out his address...
by groc at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)
fo-tays - lotso many fotos
I took loads of 'em today - go over to my flickr photo stream and look. (I should do a set thumbnail links to them - but there are just too many, too much work.)
by groc at 06:57 PM | Comments (0)