The interweb sure is cool

I've liked Arcade Fire for a while. In fact iTunes tells me theirs was the first song I ever downloaded! But this, this is just cool.

From The Purple Revolver:

Arcade Fire have set a new gold standard for music videos for new song We Used to Wait off of their new album, The Suburbs.

It’s basically one big ball of HTML5/Google Maps/musical goodness.

The video was announced today on the bands Official Google Blog, which details exactly what elements went into its creation.

Dubbed The Wilderness Downtown (developed by writer/director Chris Milk) the video is a new kind of musical experience, reminiscent of the hypertext storytelling of old but much more advanced.

Basically, you go over to The Wilderness Downtown page using Google Chrome (don't use Safari!) and type in the address of your childhood home when prompted.

If Google Maps has enough footage of the house, you’ll be pooled into a multi-browser movie of your own making.

The experience of watching this highly personalized video is not easily described, but basically the story of childhood ending as time rapidly slips away, trees shoot up out of nowhere on your old street, culminating in an opportunity to write a letter to a younger you.

The new endeavour really shows off the capabilities offered by HTML5. As the Chrome Experiments page expresses, the new audio, video and canvas tags mark a new and exciting direction for personalised music videos.

Check out the new video here:

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Truth be told, I don't know what HTML5 is. But I do recognise a cool video when I see it. Try it! My actual childhood street didn't work, but my dad's Belfast one did.

Andy Williams has let himself go a bit

My mum got a new computer this week. It's very exciting! She's gone back to Mac, her computer roots. Forever and a day my mum had a Mac. She had a Classic II, then there was one with a coloured screen (actually that was the one I used in university), and then there was the first of two of the famous coloured iMacs (Grape and Blueberry Mac geeks).
















Thankfully her new one is a bit more advanced that this.

Anyway, to help her out I have been showing her the ropes, as it were. Well she's good on computers, but with something new sometimes she can be all at sea. Now, in all fairness she's not like my dad with computers, who, when he held a mouse couldn't work it. (It kept moving down as he moved it up, and he had no clue the wire was supposed to come out the top of the mouse.) But this week I told Mum to go to a certain website, I can't remember why, it was part of her training. But she just looked at me like I'd asked her to fly to the moon by flapping her special wings. She said after it was because Safari looks so different. We'll not mention that the principle of address bar is same. And in the exact same place. But ok.

One of the things we did we did was transfer her music. But for reasons best known they were in all sorts of a mess. Albums split, no artwork, but album artwork in the music folder. We tried to use the useful 'Get Album Artwork' that iTunes has. While it helped for most, I can't help but feel it got some wrong. I took some screen shots from Cover Flow to illustrate some of the mismatches.






















Ok, close enough. I see what you were going for there, 60s and Soul were clearly the key words here.





















Again, solid attempt. But clearly you don't know my mum if you think she's into her karaoke hits.





















Hmm. Not sure what you aiming for here, iTunes. Blues Sound Good Vol. 1? For future reference God will usually refer to a Christian album.





















Andy Williams has never looked like this. Or that guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

But the best one has to be this effort. Again you can see what iTunes was thinking.





















This is wrong on many, many levels iTunes.

At this point I feel it my daughterly duty to say (and before she bans me from her new shiny computer for posting this) that the album my mum, of course, actually has this Vineyard one. You knew that, I knew that, iTunes didn't know that.

Right must go, been listening to too much of my mum's music. For the past while it's been Glenn Miller.

'Pennsylvania 6-5000!'

Silver Blizzard adventures

I might have mentioned before that I got a new bike for my birthday! I know, ever the 9 year old. It's fun to go places on your bike, especially in the great summer weather we've been having. I thought a bike would be better for my knee than running. I can actually hear it creek when I get up! It's quite disturbing, although not painful (however more on that later). I have taken to taking pictures from where I end up cycling to on my bike. Which is lucky, because now I can post them on here!

This is from my first cycle to Brown's Bay in about fifteen years. This was taken on the saddest day of the year, 23rd July, but the weather made a special effort and it was actually quite good! Self-timer shots are tricky, and I was annoyed that I cut my front wheel off in the photo, so I thought I'd try again.

And got this one of me running into position. I think my phone slipped and it took extra, valuable seconds to put it up again. Not be deterred, I tried again.

Yeah, so the wheel cut off isn't that bad afterall.

I went another day, more cloudy, but better self-timer skills.

Florescent colours are the only way to go on bike.

I cycled to Carrick one day. It was not as bad a cycle as I feared, with the busy main road and all that, but just as I was coming into the town at a set of traffic lights, a big cement mixer went past me. It's weird you'd think you'd hear something that big coming behind you, but maybe because of all the other traffic noise I didn't. I promise he did not move out one inch from his usual place in the road and with the shock, the noise and the wind from him passing I nearly died. I was able to recover enough to display my feelings to him. That's right I...shook my fist at him. I may have sworn too, but he wouldn't have heard that. The people at the bus stop however were left in no uncertain terms as to how I felt.

The traffic light incident didn't stop a beautiful self-timer shot at the Castle though.

On days when the weather isn't great/I can't go far/I can't be bothered I usually cycle up to the cemetery. 

Sure, it's not as picturesque, but I still took a photo.

My biggest cycle to date has been all the way into Belfast! I was so please I made it! The weather was amazing that day. I actually got tan lines on my legs! 

I think the most surprising thing was that it only took an hour to do. It takes 30 minutes in the car! I can see now the appeal of cycling in rush hour.

I cycled along that footpath/cycle path and into Duncrue. It was weird to be as close as this to cars travelling at 70mph and nothing but a bit of wire fence between us. Woooommmppphhhhh! The bit from Whiteabbey on was easily the best bit of it all. It nearly reminded me of East Coast Park in Singapore. Without the acres of park, big jumbo jets landing at the airport and dozens of big tankers in the sea. Well I said nearly.

The next day the weather was still great so out again I went.

Brown's Bay was packed out, packed out I tell you!

There's always some idiot that reckons he's in a 90s Brit Pop music video.

While I was out I noticed that my left knee was a bit sore. That evening it got much worse. And the next day was pure pain. Apparently this can be common when you start cycling a lot. And that weekend I definitely cycled more than my average mileage. So I've put it down to that. I haven't been out since because I've had the cold, but now my knee is better and my sneezes have stopped I think I'll try to get out again soon. Definitely before the summer is out I want to go up the Antrim Coast. Might get the train to Larne though.

I can think of no finer tribute

It always makes me laugh when I see 'Happy Birthday' signs along the road. They always look so rubbish. You rarely see a good one. And they always get left up too long and are getting all dirty and gross. Take a look at these fine examples.

Points for ICT skills, but you failed in the glueing. And I'm sorry but if you can't outshine a sign for allotments then clearly this birthday means nothing to you.

Happy what now? Lurch? Happy Lurch? That's the message you wanted your loved one to see? Oh no wait, you just didn't think through the sticking of your sign. Well don't they just feel special with your half hearted attempt?! And what, pray tell, makes you think you can cover important road signage for the rest of the driving world? Huh. 

But this one, this one took the biscuit.

I don't know what you did, but I really don't think an apology painted so pathetically on a big white sheet is going to get anyone's forgiveness. Plus everyone knows you need some sort of name or coded message. This could be to anyone.

I know, you best get back to the drawing board for my 31st birthday celebrations eh?!

Even more exam answers

Seeing as today is results day I thought it was a prime opportunity to have the now annual look at some answers. Oh yeah sure, results are up and A* at A Level is possible, but let's not forget the candidates who maybe didn't work as hard they ought to have, the ones who didn't think through exactly what they were writing and the ones who maybe should have withdrawn altogether.

Just plain wrong
Wrong is as wrong does.

One thing they did was they grew bread more.

Yes, bread grows on trees. Just beside the money trees.

Knight of the Long Knives

Was he at the Round table?

By 1967 Hitler had managed to improve relations with nationalists.

From his hideout in Argentina?

Germany failed in the Battle of Britain because the RAF could fly over the Donegal Air Corridor.

I'm sure if you'd just thought about that sentence you would realise your error.

The Belfast Blitz left 100,000,000 homeless.

You got a bit 000 happy there I think.

Another party was set up, Sinn Fein. This was led by Rev Ian Paisley.

Never, never, never.

The legislative process refers to the Supreme Court.

Does it, does it really?

Operation Sea Lion was stopped because of the risk of being attacked by the RAF in the air.
Ah yes, attacks from the air, something the architect of Operation Sea Lion overlooked.

NI contributed because battleships could get repaired in Lough Erne.
Who was your Geography teacher? You should ask for a refund.

You don't say

You know what they say, make things abundantly clear to the examiner.

The president is the only person to have access to the nuclear weapon launch codes. A significant power in foreign policy.

Significant. I like how you think the possible end of the world would be 'significant'.

The lives of innocent people were lost which decreased the population.

I think that second part was a given.

They were able to help because it meant they could target Germany from different angles eg the sky, below sea level. Also because Germany wouldn't have been prepared for attack at these angles.

You'd have been better stopping after angles, then I might have thought you meant a war on two fronts.

At my primary school our first school rule was to do to others as you would like others to do to you.

And your point is?

Poetry corner

No extra marks for style.

Hitler and Hacha met up to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia. Hitler gave Hacha an ultimatum - give up Czechoslovakia or Prague would be bombed to the ground. It was such a beautiful city that Hacha fainted on the spot.

For he loved the baroque and gothic architecture?

The RUC outstayed their welcome, searching houses for weapons.

Yes, I'd say searching for weapons is no way to impress your host. It's just not dinner etiquette.

Hitler just marched into Austria and took it.

I like that you think it was actually Hitler doing the marching.

Internment was an epic fail.

Ok, so you know your exam is not like your Facebook status?

Judicial review was discovered in 1803.

Why, what's this I have stumbled upon? Well, look what we have here! It's judicial review!

If the President starts to be a bit odd he can be impeached.

Ah yes, they do swear in the oath not to be odd.

If an attack is imminent, civil liberties go out the window to protect homeland security.

Ah yes, the old out the window trick. It's the only place civil liberties ever seem to go.

Telling it like it is

Or maybe isn't.

Women were told their role was to be in the house 24/7, looking after children and satisfying the father (sexually included).

Some things are best left unsaid.

The essay is broad but due to time restrictions I will address 3 issues.

Ok, well you'd have more time if you didn't moan about the time restrictions. Just sayin'.

The population votes for the President. They trust his decisions.

Someone should tell those Tea Party people.

One judge showed himself to be a swinger.

Oh did he indeed? I'm surprised Fox weren't on to him sooner.

In amongst these, there were two that really took me to the fair (and with exam marking you'll already know that you're half way there). Following on from last year's 'some critic's argue' The Repeat Repeat Award goes to the person that wrote 18 sentences beginning with 'Hitler...' You name it, they had a verb following it. Quite a feat in a two sided answer.

The other one that nearly destroyed me was one I tweeted about. It was a girl, oh yes definitely a girl who answered every question out of order. She did each of the four (completely different topics) longer questions first, then she did the mid-length questions of the four, and then finished with the short ones. And she didn't leave a line in between any question! So not only did I have to hunt all the way through her paper to find the answer I wanted to mark, the beginning and end weren't easily distinguishable and there was no room to annotate her answer. Of course if she hadn't wasted so much time drawing circles above each i for a dot I might have been more understanding. My annoyance was summed up in this tweet:

'No one thinks it's cute to circle your i dots ok. I think you're stupid, and I'm marking your GCSE paper. How do you like them apples?!'

My reaction, of course, could have been exaggerated because it was 2.00am in the morning. I know, don't examiners have it rough?

SW19 is the only sporting postcode I know (which is handy for this post)

I know, I know. Wimbledon seems like light years away now doesn't it? Heck even Castlewellan seems like ages away now. Didn't I mention before that August was my half month of blogging?! Yeah, late start but I'm on it now! So to kick things off here are the photos of Wimbledon!

At the famous flower bed!

This is the camera that take the shot of the big screen and all the crowds on Henman Hill.

The Order of Play board was looking a bit thin on it.

Thankfully, we already had our tickets, but this is the ticket resale queue at approximately 10.40am. On men's semi-finals day, with Andy and Rafa playing, you'd have to be determined to get into Centre Court. And these people were.

After wandering about the grounds for a bit, we made our way to check out our seats. We had guessed (and were hoping we were right) that they were right beside where the players walk out. And they were!! 

Just through there they come!

Me pointing at the exciting match that isn't going on in front of me!

Soon Sue and the boys were doing the pre-match build up!

The first match was Berdych against Djokovic. Berdych stole my dream of seeing Federer getting beaten but like my mum said during the quarterfinal when Berdych beat him, it was for the greater good. I would have loved to have seen Roddick too, but alas it wasn't to be!

The new roof was not needed! A bright sun shiny day!

All too soon the match was over and all attention turned to wait for...Beckham to arrive. Every press camera in the place turned to where he was due to enter.

Yeah, ok, so my camera turned too. In fact we started Beckhamwatch monitoring his every movement. He seems a very nice dad, taking photos of Brooklyn and ruffling his hair the way only a dad can!

There was a lot of talk after Murray lost that Beckham was a curse, you know after the World Cup and everything. Well I can reveal that at the beginning of the third set David Beckham left the court (presumably for the bathroom) and missed, MISSED Murray break Nadal!

We were so close to them serving it was actually awkward to take a photo of them as they walked towards us. Murray especially seemed to be looking right at us, like making eye contact and everything. It did seem the right moment to pick up the camera as he replayed in his mind the backhand return that he just fluffed.

I really couldn't decide who I wanted to win, but came prepared for both sides! Depending on who was up at our end I would hold the appropriate sign (although less of the Uncle Toni because I got embarrassed!). It would have been brilliant if Andy Murray had got through, but I've got a soft spot for Nadal! We were close enough to get autographs signed at the end of both matches, we were on TV at the end of the first semi. And excitement of excitements I got Rafa to sign the Uncle Toni sign! Amazing!

This is my favourite press photo! There I am with my British flag!!

Go on Rafa!

In the end, as you might already know, Berdych and Nadal won through to the final. The only slight disappointment I had was that it was over so soon. A nice 5 setter would have been great. (Or Roddick beating Federer in the first semi!)

Murray Mound was a bit depressing afterwards.

After the semis were over we got a nice doubles match to watch.

Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna! Not a bad way to make up for the somewhat earlier than liked finish!

It was on a bathroom break that I bumped into Clare Balding! She was shocked by it. Or maybe just that I'd even asked for her picture!

And so to finish, two of my favourite videos of the day!

The signature move by the line court judges:

And match point (with the famous wedgie pick! And some fine, fine camera work from me!)