Basketcase

MacBook Air Dilema

2011-10-30T19:12:00.003Z

Over recent weeks I've been noticing more and more that my trusty 15 inch Macbook Pro is starting to creak and not really be up to scratch these days. It is an Intel Core Duo - not Duo 2 so Lion is out the window for starters. Its only got 1.5Gb ram and while I probably should have upgraded by now, a little part of me thought is there really that much difference between 1.5 and 2 Gb? Maybe, maybe not. And a Geekbench score of 2183 - bit rubbish really.

The poor old girl - my Macbook Pro

Other Apple kit includes a really, really old iBook G4 and a Powermac G5 + 20 inch lcd monitor. The G5 + lcd screen is the workstation I have always wanted and while Snow Leopard, let alone Lion is not an option, it really is an awesome machine. Saying that, with Junior coming along next month, the study has been turned into the nursery now and the G5 + monitor are in boxes in the garage.

[Not my] Powermac G5

Trusty old iBook G4

Anyway, back to the dilemma. The MBP is fine for day to day use but is starting to show its age and could do with an upgrade. I've been thinking the options through and have decided to keep the MBP as it has been upgraded to a 320 Gb hard drive and I've got my Aperture library on there as well as some of my iTunes library.

So I've decided to go for a Macbook Air as opposed to another Macbook Pro. It's lighter and with the flash memory, faster at certain things but more importantly for me - is bang up to date. I've also decided to go for the low-end 13 inch version at 128Gb rather than paying another £350 for the increased storage capacity!

This decision was as a direct result of one review and one YouTube video.

theunit3 -Which Macbook Air should I buy? @i6laswegian

AND

Shaun Blanc - Macbook Air Review @shawnblanc

13 inch Macbook Air I think...

Decisions, decisions...!

So - here we go, will have to take the plunge now and actually buy the thing! Said that, I'd quite like an iPad as well please Father Christmas!

USS Enterprise CVN-65 Update

2011-10-23T15:57:00.001+01:00

In December 2009, I purchased a Tamiya model kit of epic scale. The 1/350 USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. For those of you who didn't know - I did a blog post on this approx two years ago before I purchased the kit. You can read about it here...

The kit is massive; just over 1 meter long. And that is before you consider that it comes with 25 aircraft to build. Being a bit stupid, I purchased a load more so now have about 60 semi complete airplanes and helicopters to put together and paint.

A few snaps can be seen below...

It's hard to get across the scale but it's taken me the best part of two years (not every single day mind you!) to complete this and it's nice to show this off.

Once the baby is a little older, might need to get started on those airplanes!

iPhone Test

2011-10-22T21:19:00.001+01:00

Well, it's been the best part of two years since my last post. And a great deal has happened.

Firstly, I'm going to be a Dad next month!

More to follow, assuming this works!

Update 23rd Oct.

It worked! Managed to a) install the new Blogger app on my iPhone 4 and b) remember my credentials and actually write this mini post.

Yay me. Normal service to resume shortly

I've moved!

2009-05-26T15:40:00.005+01:00

Hello folks - I wanted to let you all know that I've moved my blog over to www.jamesjacob.net

I bit the bullet and purchased my own domain and migrated over to Wordpress. As the orignal people who opted to follow my humble blog, I wanted to ensure I didn't lose you in the migration.

Please update your following preferences.

James

New compare the meerkat advert

2009-05-09T19:45:00.001+01:00

Many of you, like me will have found the original series of the 'Compare the meerkat' TV spoof ads (for Comparethemarket.com)...

Well the good news is that our little friend now has a buddy - Sergei the IT specialist.

A great and really funny ad

Simples!

Star Trek Stills

2009-05-08T14:31:00.000+01:00

A few more stills from the new movie - released in the UK today.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Posters

2009-05-08T11:32:00.000+01:00

Must be poster release day today! 4 new releases for Revenge of the Fallen Transformers sequel.

With so many good films coming out over the next few months, my Orange Wednesday discount is going to be getting a serious hammering...

G.I. Joe - New Posters Released

2009-05-08T09:27:00.003+01:00

A real treat for you here, 4 new posters from the GI Joe movie.

Who was your favourite?

Caprica Pilot Episode Review

2009-05-07T10:30:00.000+01:00

I watched the pilot episode for Caprica on the plane to and from Switzerland last weekend and wanted to jot down a review to share what I thought of the 2 hour show. I've been a big fan of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica show - just look at my tag cloud if you don't believe me... And I have to say, while I was expecting the raw 'guns and space battles' from BSG - this spin off really isn't half bad...

Caprica is set 58 Years Before The Fall of the 12 Colonies, is the prequel to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. This is the story of how humanity came to create Artificial Intelligence and set itself on a path to near annihilation. Caprica has long been billed as a change of pace from its gritty, militant predecessor, and as I mentioned above, the series certainly has an entirely different look and feel - immediately obvious in the opening minutes where there are a couple of topless 20 something girls dancing about (I'm not sure if the old lady sitting next to me on the plane noticed this or not!). Overall though, Caprica isn’t a million miles away from BSG where it matters most: the way in which character interrelationships are portrayed. Make no mistake, this is a grand (space) opera. And that’s exactly what the opening episode drives home.

First things first, though. With all the fuzzy continuity of BSG, it’s better if you just try not to think about how this all fits in with BSG. For better or worse, in order for Caprica to work as a series, it needs to be taken on face value, as its own entity, with only minor and minimal connections to the events of The Fall and subsequent Exodus of humanity. What is worth noting, however, is how Caprica attempts to explain how and why the Cylons became so rooted in their belief of a One God, as opposed to the Colonial Polytheism. This comes by way of the Pilot Episode’s most pivotal character: a teenage girl, named Zoe.

Zoe is your typical rebellious , except for one very important thing: she’s a fantastically gifted computer programmer – a prodigy who has managed to artificially replicate the human identity (but considering she is 17 at a push, makes me think the only other person who could show the same level of wow, would be Dougie Houser M.D.). What’s most intriguing is the question: If you replicate a personality, do you also replicate the spirit, the soul of the individual? This, along with theological tensions in the episode lead to the best, most sophisticated elements of the series. At its heart, Caprica wants to be an exploration of the human equation and based on the pilot the series is off to an excellent start.

Two families, the Greystones and the Adams are thrown together following an attack and brings to life the question, just because we can do something, does this mean we should do something?

What was really interesting for me were a few distinct elements [SPOILER WARNING]:

1. The colonies don't exist in the way we thought of them in BSG. A few of them are mentioned by name but they are not united under a single banner and there is a great deal of discrimination between the rich and poorer colonies.

2. Yes - we do get to meet a young William Adama. But no, he doesn't have a model of Galactica hanging from his bedroom ceiling - presumably because it hasn't been built yet.

3. Cylons... We'll I'll leave it to you to watch the pilot as I don't want to spoil anything As for the sci-fi elements of the series, there’s not a whole lot of new ground here. The holographic programming which pervades many of the episode’s scenes is like a strange mixture of The Matrix and Star Trek’s Holodeck. The idea (and dangers) of creating “life” is certainly not a new topic of exploration. Nor is the discussion of whether or not Zoe’s avatar is a real life – again, Trek has a long history of exploring what it means for unusual entities to have life.

In the end, Caprica hooked me enough to deserve a closer look once the series finally ramps up and gets going. However if you’re looking for something to fill the void left by BSG, you’ll likely be disappointed. In fact, I’m not precisely sure exactly what audience this particular series is aiming for. Also, considering Ronald D. Moore’s haphazard way of crafting the BSG story, viewers here need to be especially wary of any long-term continuity – which is a distinct liability at the beginning of a series.

On the whole, I'd give this a well earned 8/10...

New Domestic Trailer for G.I. Joe Movie

2009-05-06T19:30:00.000+01:00

This was only released in the last day or so but it's going to be a cracker. Lots of CGI no doubt but like Transformers, this had me thinking back to my childhood instantly!

My favourite character was Snake Eyes, the black costumed ninja who doesn't talk - now played by Ray Park.

Thats right - Ray Park, as in Darth Maul from Star Wars from The Phantom Menace.

Enjoy!

G.I. JOE trailer in HD

Star trek TV Spot 10

2009-05-06T11:52:00.000+01:00

Hot off the press

Star Trek TV Spot 11

2009-05-06T10:50:00.000+01:00

Brand new TV Spot!

How to set up Twitterfeed

2009-05-06T10:30:00.001+01:00

Last week I wrote a post on a clever way to upload your blog posts directly to Twitter without having to do it manually. I originally set the system up using RSS feeds - which I outlined here...

I have however, found and even better and much more straightforward way of doing this - by using Twitterfeed.

Twitterfeed in essence scans your blog at regular intervals (hourly or daily) and then uploads a Tweet + tiny url of the post embedded within - leaving you to go off and do something else.

It's a very easy system to set up (put it this way, I managed to do it while having one eye on The Two Towers on the tube) and before you know it, you'll be tweeting remotely like the best of them!

There are two things to watch out for however:

1. The Twitterfeed home page, found here, is very temperamental and occasional doesn't work

2. It will make life so much easier if you have your Open ID to hand before you start the process (I had to go away and then set one up halfway through the Twitterfeed set up)

So there you have it - Twitterfeed, a really effective way of merging your blogging and twitter worlds.

Any questions, give me a shout - you can follow me on Twitter through the link on the left

Iron Man 2 Sneak Peak image

2009-05-06T08:45:00.001+01:00

Even though Iron Man 2 is still a long way off, this is one of those films that is going to continue to gather momentum until the day it is release.

I loved Iron man, thought it was absolutely brilliant. I liked the way that Robert Downey Jr managed to bring just the right amount of cheekiness to Tony Stark and while I am a bit of a comic book fan, the wife really enjoyed the movie as well! (though I did have to go and see Mamma Mia to make up for it).

This is the first decent image that I have certainly come across showing anything at all from the sequel Iron Man 2.

Is that a whole row of Mark 3 suits behind Tony Stark??

Worlds fastest camera takes 6.1 million photos per second

2009-05-06T07:23:00.002+01:00

World's fastest camera takes 6.1 million photos per second

Now that's impressive! I wonder if the builders can find more uses for this?

Posted using ShareThis

Store 100 DVDs on just one disc!

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000+01:00

Store 100 DVD’s on just one disc!

Brilliant news for storage of backups - might be able to use this to save Time Capsule backups to once the disk is full!

Posted using ShareThis

New - Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Trailer 2

2009-05-05T19:33:00.000+01:00

A real treat for you here, the second official trailer for the new Transformers movie out later this summer.

There have been a few bootleg copies of this flying around the 'tinternt' but I am happy to say I have tracked down a HD version.

To say this looks increadible is just an understatement. Between Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, X Men Origins: Wolverine and Angels & Demons, it looks like I'll be heading off to the local cinema a fair bit this summer!

Here's to the robots in disguise

Star Trek What gives you the right TV Spot - in HD!

2009-05-05T18:00:00.001+01:00

The last TV spot for sharing today...

SERIOUS spoliers here though!

Star Trek Space Jump TV spot - in HD!

2009-05-05T17:45:00.000+01:00

Another TV spot - this one showing the Space Jump sequence. Looks great - especially the close ups of the new look Enterprise...

Star Trek Ice Planet TV Spot - in HD!

2009-05-05T17:20:00.002+01:00

Less than a week to go now until the new Star Trek film is released (on the 9th May here in Blighty). A whole new range of TV spots have been released.

Here's the latest - called Ice Planet, in HD just for you

RSS Feeds to Twitter

2009-04-30T15:55:00.003+01:00

Been thinking for a while now as to how I can get by blog posts sent direct to my Twitter account - and here's how!

Found a really easy to use little tool called RSS to Twitter.

Here's a screen grab of the site - which can be found here

Beam me up Scotty!

2009-04-30T15:15:00.000+01:00

With the Star Trek movie just round the corner - the more eagled eyed of us have started spotting EASTER EGGS see the link if you don't already know what they are) hidden within the film.

I won't spoil it for you but worth a look aas there are a few nods to the existing Star Trek franchise

Have a look here

The world's most photogenic sites, according to Flickr

2009-04-29T14:00:00.000+01:00

The world's most photogenic sites, according to Flickr

Posted using ShareThis

Rumour: Apple developing two new iPhones

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000+01:00

Rumour: Apple developing two new iPhones

Posted using ShareThis

Battlestar Galactica finale video montage

2009-04-29T10:00:00.000+01:00

Really cool montage of the best bits (should have been the whole two part episode surely) of Battlestar Galactica's finale.

Great footage

Rubbish audio track

But that's life - enjoy, let me know what your best bits were

5 More Star Trek Movie Stills!

2009-04-29T09:30:00.000+01:00

5 more stills from the new Star Trek movie

New Star Trek Movie Images

2009-04-29T08:31:00.000+01:00

With only a few weeks until the UK release date of the next Star Trek movie, anticipation is
hotting up.

To mark this, watch this space for ST movie news. To wet your appetitie, here are a selection of five stills from the film.

Star Wars goes Green

2009-04-20T20:56:00.001+01:00

How to get a Star Wars t-shirt and go green - the Star Wars way!

Final Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer...

2009-04-18T13:07:00.000+01:00

Has been released and OMG is it a good'un!

Going to have to read the book again I think in order to prepare myself.

What do you think of it?

New Moon Movie Trailer

2009-04-16T14:16:00.001+01:00

First trailer for the new Moon movie, staring Sam Rockwell, looks great - will be going to see this one...

Moon at IGN.com

Caprica TV Commercial

2009-03-26T21:10:00.001Z

Below is the commercial for the next installment of Battlestar Galactica. Well sort of. Caprica is an entirely new series and by the looks of it - will star off with a bang

New Star Trek TV spot

2009-03-25T03:00:00.000Z

New TV spot for the new Star Trek film...

Not too long until it's out now - will you be going to see it?

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan TV Spot

2009-03-24T23:00:00.000Z

Futher to my previous post last week on where Battlestar Galactica goes this autumn - the two hour TV moview called: The Plan - a TV spot was aired last week in the states. Doesn't give too much away but fills the gap in the TV schedule now that the series has finished.

To wet your appetite, here's my original post on the matter.

Any thoughts?

Five best Star Wars toys ever?

2009-03-24T22:05:00.000Z

Came across this article today, outling the top 5 star wars toys ever.

Here's the link

Now what would your top 5 toys be?

Mine has to be my old AT-AT (sadly it died in an unrelated air gun episode in 1993)

David Mitchell's Soapbox - First 3 episodes

2009-03-24T20:30:00.001Z

Here's the first three episodes of David Mitchell's Soapbox podcast. Now, if you're not from Blighty, then you can be forgiven for not knowing who is. If you are, then I can't recommend strongly enough subscribing to the podcast. These videos aren't very long, 3-4 minutes and cover a range of topics. Being Welsh, I found the third particularily interesting!

David Mitchell is also famous from the UK version of the Mac vs PC TV ads. David is one half of the hit TV show That Mitchell and Webb Look.

If you've seen the ads, let me know what you think? Later episodes to follow in the coming few days.

Episode 1 Mouse

Episode 2 Flowers

Episode 3 Wales

Battlestar Galactica - Daybreak Part 2 Review

2009-03-23T15:50:00.000Z

Massive, massive spoilers below - don't read unless you've seen the finale!

I've just watched the series finale, Daybreak Part 2 and wanted to jot down a review of sorts and what I thought of the episode. I have to say that I was a little disappointed by Islanded in Stream of Stars and the first part of Daybreak so like most fans, was really looking forward to the finale. I realised they must have been saving up budget for the no-holds barred finale but they were pretty obviously stories that were the deep breath before the storm. Saying that however, the interstellar shoot-out was just the appetizer in what would prove to be an emotional, surprising and absolutely memorable finale to one of the coolest hour-longs to ever grace the small screen.

Things I liked about the finale

1. The rescue mission on the Cylon colony. What a brilliant action sequence, dwarfing anything that the series has done before, including the previous high-point, the frenzied escape from New Caprica. From the initial jump entry, where the Galactica is taking a hell of a pounding, to the nukes, the dual assault teams, the Raptor asteroid navigating, the Cylon counter-offensive, the Raptor/Raider battles. All of it brilliant!

2. Centurion vs Centurion. It was brilliant to see the reimagined (second generation) centurions going toe to toe with their old skool brothers.

3. Boomer’s fate. Had to happen that way and Athena may not be the most sympathetic character after that cold-blooded execution, but it beat the alternative: kidnapping amnesty. The flashback about what she owed Adama was an unexpected touch, but did make me think about how violent and extreme she can be - remember the attack on Athena?

4. The “can’t we all just get along?” moment. Oh, it seemed too good to be true. The exchange of resurrection technology for Hera seemed to set up a mutually beneficial alliance until Tyrol lost his mind of Cally's murder. More shooting and then the colony was nuked. Crikey! A nasty little twist that I enjoyed greatly.

5. Adama and Roslin. The most emotionally fulfilling relationship was the real tear-jerker this episode. That final Raptor flight was has to be the most emotional scene from the whole series. And what a wonderful departing shot of the Admiral sitting on the hill next to her grave.

6. Baltar’s “farming” comment. It was simple, called back to a relatively new piece of character history, but it was emotionally resonant. Probably because he was one of the most complex characters in the series and this simple declaration and resulting outpouring of emotion was genuine.

7. Baltar’s “faith” speech. But this dialogue was the most important of the show. It gets to the core of the series, this transcendent ''Divine Will'' guiding humans and Cylons and helps to answer the supernatural questions of Starbuck’s resurrection, Head Six and Head Baltar (angels? demons? both?), the Opera House and even Bob Dylan.

And what I didn't really like

1. Hera as the missing link. I get the point of it: we’re children of humans and Cylons and so on and so forth and I see how the series led to that point (Hera had to be super-important for a reason), but something about this twist just struck me as too contrived.

2. “Go forth and populate the Earth!” Hey, instead of hanging around together with access to technology, let's take a rucksack and hunt gazelles. A good idea from a script writer but if you were one of the last members of humanity, wouldn't you want at least a few mod-cons? I thought that at least a couple of people might have said, hang on a minute, I would never said yes to that! What about all those people in sickbay?

3. Chief Tyrol. I quite liked him at the start of the series but over time he has thrown his toys out of his pram once too many times for my liking. The final attack on the colony has to be at least half his fault, considering he let Boomer slip through his fingers. He deserves to seclude himself in Scotland or wherever he’s off to.

4. Breaking the cycle. Here’s the reason for moving away from city planning on the new Earth: we need to break the cycle of violence. It’s is another driving theme in the series and I can understand it, but its overuse in the finale became cliche.

5. The ending. Which brings me to the final scenes. Part of me liked modern-day Times Square and Six and Baltar walking down the street and the montage of robots (actually I really liked that). Still, I think this was all inferred and showing it and having Six/Baltar run through the “cycle of violence” talking points again diluted the power of the parting shots. Put me in the “It would have been better to end it all with Bill gazing out to the horizon” camp.

6. Kara. So what was she, an angel? A figment of our imagination? Seemed that the harbinger of death was a bit of an overstatement - more like a lost wingeing teenager to me... Still, overall a really nice ending to a great TV show. Funny what can happen in 150,000 years hey!

We'll I'm off to try and find a show to watch that's even half as good as this one.

Might take some time!

Tweetdeck update

2009-03-22T10:24:00.000Z

Further to a previous post of mine on the use of Tweetdeck, which you can see here...

I found this interesting video on Youtube, courtesy of flytemedia showing the ins and outs of Tweetdeck. Really interesting talking head video - encouraged me to use Tweetdeck at home and at work.

What system do you use?

Pole Reversal - Charlie Frost 2012

2009-03-21T14:53:00.005Z

This is a good one, I remember learning about it while studying Geology at University

Battlestar Galactica - BSG Daybreak Part 2 Promo

2009-03-21T14:32:00.004Z

This is it folks, the promo for the last Battlestar Galactica episode ever.

Battlestar Galactica - Top 15 Episodes

2009-03-21T10:15:00.001Z

SPOILERS WARNING!

Well thats all folks, Battlestar Galactica held it's series finale last night across the pond (here in Blighty, we need to wait until 9pm, Tuesday on Sky One!) and from the various tweets I've seen (while hiding behind my hands so I don't actually see the ending) it was a great ending. Now that it has wrapped up, I thought it would be fun to build up a list of my top 15 favourite episodes. Now I’m well aware that this list is entirely subjective, but should strike up a bit of debate out there and please feel free to comment as I'm certain not everyone will agree. Note this list doesn’t include the show’s finale ‘Daybreak’.

15) Six Degrees of Separation

One of the better episodes to come out of the first season, Six Degrees of Separation sent a collective chill down everyone’s spine from the first scene onward. Baltar is called down to CIC where a woman named Shelly Godfrey has accused Gaius Baltar of supplying the Cyloncs the defence codes that lead to the descrution of the Twelve Colonies (which they did!). However, he is horrified beyond reproach to discover not only does Shelly Godfrey look like the Caprica Six but also the fact that she could be seen by everyone else. This episode testing the limits of Baltar’s character, where your faith stands in the face of neverending hopelessness, and the lengths some people will go to to keep their darkest secrets hidden. Dramatic, unforgiving, character-defining. Simply a great episode.

14) Maelstrom

Maelstrom came to us towards the end of the show’s third season and was actually one of the high points in an otherwise lackluster season. This episode planted the seeds for Kara’s eventual return in the show’s fourth season. We get greater depth into her character both with her mother’s long battle with cancer, Starbuck’s childhood but also something greater, the possibility that Starbuck is actually some type of oracle, as she painted the same image (the Eye of Jupiter as seen in the Temple of Five) as child. Furthermore, we get the death of Starbuck. At a time when Baltar’s trial was nearing closer to it eventual happening, Starbuck’s death came as the final nail in the coffin for a lot of people abroad Galactica, specifically one Lee Adama.

13) Scattered

This was a highly anticipated episode for the series as the season two premiere. Adama is been shot twice in the chest by Boomer and amidst all of the confusion hell breaks loose. Tigh must come to gripes with the possibility that he might have to take control of Galactica, Boomer (not knowing what she did until it was too late) is thrown in the brig, and to add to their burdens Gaeta accidently inputs the wrong jump coordinates leaving the Battlestar stranded and the Colonial Fleet defenseless. This episode really showed how vunerable the Colonial Fleet is to an attack from the Cylons without Galactica there to protect it. As a premiere it was fantastic, a perfect blend of action and drama that left us wanting more.

12) The Passage

‘The Passage’ was a fantastic replacement mid-episode for an otherwise less-than-stellar third season. The basic premise: the Colonial Fleet is out of food, and their only hope for survival is a planet of algae that can be cultivated and eaten. The only problem is a radioactive nebula that must be traversed in order to reach the planet. This is one of the most difficult episodes to watch, as the fighter pilot continuously cross the nebula hungry, tired, and sucking up more and more radioactive materials guiding the ships one at a time towards the algae planet. How long can humans live without food when pushed to the limit, this episode answers that.

11) The Valley of Darkness

This is a person favorite of mine. After the events of the season’s two premiere, and a fire fight with a Cylon Baseship, and cylon freighter (unbennounced to the crew of Galactica) has crash landed on-board Galactica with a dozen or so Centurions. If anything this episode shows vulnerable being on Galactica is without communication and electricity. Why destroy Galactica from the outside when you can destroy it from the inside? This episode is basically a race to beat the Centurions intent on destroying the ship’s life systems. Suspenseful and terrifying, Valley of Darkness will always hold a place in my heart.

10) Kobol’s Last Gleaming (Part 1 & 2)

This episode should the dynamic between Roslin’s religious views and Adama’s political views come to a head as Roslin, behind Adama’s back, orders Starbuck to retrieve the arrow of Apollo. Similarly, Gaius Baltar and every ships head towards a planet to be the fabled Kobol in search for clues to Earth. However, these ships are quickly shot down and crash land on the planet. We also get the subplot of Helo and Sharon comes to a head on Caprica as he shoots her in the shoulder, and the Boomer on board Galactica attempts suicide at her own peril. Overall, just a great closer to a debut season.

9) Blood on the Scales

This is the most recent episode to make the list, and for good reason. Gaeta, alongside Tom Zerick, have convinced more than a few members of Galactica’s crew to mutiny against Adama, and his plans to allow Cylon crew members on board to repair Galactica’s infrastructure via a biological resin. Blood on the Scales was the second part after ‘The Oath’, Gaeta has taken over CIC and most of those loyal to Adama has been either imprisoned or killed. Eventually, however, they do retake the ship but not without dozens dead and the true loyaties under Adama are shown.

(8) Six of One

Six of One gave us something that we never expected, civil war among the Cylons. The nine existing Cylon models are divided into two camps, those who believe the final five exist and should be sought after among the Colonial Fleet, and those who believe it should be ignored and the Centurions should be reprogrammed to forget. While normal disputes among the Cylons was expected no one believed that it would ever lead to bloodshed, millions killed, and the near-destoyed final Baseship seeking refuge among the Colonial Fleet for protection. It should also be mentioned that this was the only BSG episode (to date) to be nominated for an Emmy award for Best Writing.

7) Pegasus

Pegasus was one of those episodes that defined BSG. It was one of those episodes that forever changed the rules of power among the fleet. Adama is stripped of much of his authority as Admirial Cain is put in charge of the Colonial Fleet, a much more powerful battlestar is set with the task of protecting the fleet, and rumors among the Galactica’s crew quickly spread as to the circumstances as to how Pegasus survived the inital attack of the Twelve Colonies. It also exposed rape and torture of the Caprica Six, and near rape of Boomer after she’s handed over to the sister Battlestar. This episode is as dramatic as it is suspenseful, and entrenched the series as a force for another two seasons.

6) Razor (Part 1 & 2)

Razor was a highly-anticipated episode among Battlestar Galactica viewers who had to wait more than six months after the show’s third season to see it. Not only did it explain how the Pegasus suvived the initial attack on the Twelve Colonies, but also filled in a lot of the gaps as to how the Pegasus came to be before locating the Colonial Fleet. Now I’ll admit it, these episodes has some problems with them, the how in one scene Cain announces to the ship that she won’t seek vengence against the Cylons, but in the next few scenes imprisons the Caprica Six, shoots her XO in the head, and strips other surviving ships of valuable personnel and parts. There’s also a fantastic subplot to William Adama’s past as a viper pilot forty years ago before the first war with the Cylons, and the search for a remaining Centurion vessel that is still out there bent on destruction. A great episode.

5) 33

The pilot episode of the main series. Just when you think all is over after the inital attack on the Twelve Colonies, things get worse, much worse. Every 33 minutes the Colonial Fleet FTL jump to a new point in space, only to have the Cylons chasing them after 33 minutes. It’s important to note that this episode takes place 78 hours after everyone has gotten no sleep. 33 set the tone for much of the series, the idea that the Cylons will always be a constant threat in the lives of the surviving humans and the idea that there really is no escape. I think I’ll watch it right now.

4) Resurrection Ship (Parts 1 & 2)

The crews of Galactica and Pegasus come to a head as vipers from each side stand off nervously but don’t fire upon one another. Not long after Starbuck returns with photographs of a nearby Ressurection Ship, which is enough to cool tensions for the moment and bring them together. This happens again towards the end of the first part when assissination attempts on both Adama and Cain seem enivitable. This episode also gave the Colonial Fleet the upper hand with the destruction of the ressurection ship, a flawless execution of what good military strategem is when everything more or less goes to plan.

3) Exodus (Parts 1 & 2)

Exodus was just a fucking cool episode. How do you get 30,000 people off a planet during a revolution and additional Cylon enforcements. Since the Occupation of New Caprica by the Cylons and the abandonment of the remaining Colonial Fleet ships from orbit, many waited to see how they would pull this one off. The production values on this episode are exemplary, enough to get an Emmy nomination for best Special Effects for that year. There will be very little disagreement that this episode should be on Battlestar’s Top 10.

2) Lay Down Your Burdens (Part 1 & 2)

This is what the second season was leading up to in its final episodes. The election between Laura Roslin and Gaius Baltar for president. When Starbuck returns with news of a possible planet for permanent colonization, Baltar turns this into an election issue in the face of slumping numbers in the polls. While their signatures is masked by the nebula, Roslin sees colonization on this planet as a fatal mistake for humanity. As a reuslt, Roslin makes the crucial decision to rig the election so that she can win, which thanks to Gaeta fails miserably, allowing Gaius to win the election and begin permament resettlement on what will be known as New Caprica. It also gave us the bombing of Cloud Nine and several surrounding ships, as well as the best cliffhangers of the show.

1) Crossroads (Parts 1 & 2)

It was difficult to name one best episode for the series. And while a lot will probably disagree with my choice, I can’t help but admit that this was a difficult to make. There’s just so much in this episode to work this. Among them the trail of Gaius Baltar for crimes against humanity once he returns from the Cylon Basestar. But there’s so much more. We get the revelation of four of the final five Cylon models. We also get the return of Kara Thrace at the end of the episode alongside ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and Baltar emergence as a cult figure among the disaffected youths. So there you have it, the top fifteen BSG Episodes. Overall this is just a fantastic series, one that will not likely be repeated for a long time.

What would your top 15 episodes be?

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009-03-20T13:14:00.000Z

In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn't account for one thing: survivors!

The events of The Plan are the events that you've seen in the BSG show, from the miniseries up to the end of season two, but this time round, we'll see things from a Cylon perspective. So you're going to see a lot of stuff that was going on that you weren't aware of at the time: on Caprica, in the fleet... A lot of loose ends are tied up, a lot of questions are asked that you don't even know you have.

The movie begins just after the fall of the 12 colonies, with two Cylon agents discussing the problem of the remaining humans, both on the planets, and those who have escaped into space. Starting before the events of the miniseries, the story focuses mainly on Cylon Number One, known as Cavil (Dean Stockwell), Resistance Leader Sam T. Anders (Michael Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas).

Nostradamus - Charlie Frost

2009-03-15T09:12:00.000Z

The latest installment from Charlie Frost in relation to the 2012 movie. Interesting AND funny!

Twitter - A threat to push marketing?

2009-03-14T19:36:00.001Z

I read an interesting article this week, asking if twitter is in fact a threat to traditional push marketing? I've pulled out an except below but recommend you read the linked article - ask yourself, what exactly is the best way for brands to use twitter?

''Meanwhile, a Twitter feed has become the latest must-have for brands wanting to seem up to the minute, or for targeting a young, tech-savvy market. And as with any new technology, its potential has quickly been seen by less savoury elements of society. Last month, New Media Age revealed that escort services and suppliers of drug paraphernalia, among others, had taken to using Twitter to promote themselves, at least partly because of a crackdown on such behaviour on Facebook.

At the moment, Twitter seems to be the latest example of marketers confusing form with content, the medium with the message. In the scramble to be seen to be using Twitter, the question of what it can actually deliver for the brand isn’t always being closely examined. It’s the same approach that led to marketers demanding virals, social networking applications and alternative-reality games when they first hit the headlines.''

Here's the full article

20 Worst CGI Movie moments

2009-03-12T13:41:00.003Z

Interesting article over on Totalfilm - the top 20 worst CGI moments. How many have you seen?

Check it out here

Battlestar Galactica Finale Predictions

2009-03-10T13:06:00.001Z

Well, the end is nearly upon us folks, one of my favourite TV show - Battlestar Galactica is coming to an end over the next fortnight, with the two-part Daybreak episode. Poor old Galactica hey? She's been through a lot and think she is going to go out with a bang in the coming weeks. The ship is starting to look seriously beaten up now.

Here’s what I think we’re going to see in final episodes. If you haven’t yet seen the latest episode ”Islanded in a Stream of Stars”, you should watch it first as there will be spoilers below.

1. The cylon colony. I managed to find some HD screen grabs from the last episode so you can see just how cool looking it is. It looks like it can be physically moved but is more of a semi-permanent base. This is supported by Ellen and Six saying that he did in fact move the base 5 momths ago. Here are a couple of pictures of it - can you see the oldy style raiders?

2. Adama is going to ram Cavil’s Baseship with Galactica, or maybe even the Colony itself. This was not-so-subtly foreshadowed by Hera playing with strategic models at the beginning of this episode, as well as the painfully dragged-out talk of Galactica “dying.” What’s less clear is who will be onboard at the time. Probably Anders has to be I think, and there are a few hints in the promo I posted prviously. Here's a refresh of Hera playing with the models.

3. Boomer’s going to betray Cavil and help Hera escape. Boomer betrays everyone, after all, though I just can’t bring myself to hate her. She’s a sweet girl, but everybody uses her except Tyrol. She’s not sure how to deal with little Hera, but when she calms down and starts to treat Hera like a little person, you can see she has a heart. And Hera has to make it to the Opera House vision.

4. What's going on with Sam? As it turns out the cylon-goo doesn't do anything for the Galactica BUT Sam, now connected into the ships systems as a hybrid would; is starting to connect to the ship to enable him ultimately to run it I suppose. With the Galactica's final mission a one-way trip, I wouldn't mind betting that it's Sam who actually crashes Galactica into the colony.

Any thoughts on the matter?

Battlestar Galactica: Islanded in a Stream of Stars

2009-03-08T21:30:00.001Z

So what did we learn this week?

Well, a while back, when Cavil mentioned that the humans hadn’t found the “colony” yet, he wasn’t referring to Earth. The Cylons do have a colony and that’s where Boomer took Hera. It appears that the final episodes are going to involve some sort of a rescue attempt. It’s all about Hera. (And Kara I suppose.)

While we're speaking of Kara, Baltar tested the DNA from the dog tags and apparently discovered that she did in fact crash and burn on Earth. After the funeral, Baltar used this information about Kara to advance his own agenda. He announced that Starbuck is walking proof that there is an afterlife. (Of course, if that was the case, why don’t we see more “dead” people walking around?) Anyway, we learned once again that Baltar is a back stabber, only out to cover himself. For whatever reason, Kara took him into her confidence and he betrayed her. But really, what did she expect he’d do?

What else did we learn? It took a lot of booze and yet another breakdown, this time with the white paint, but Bill is finally able to give up on Galactica. He’s cynical about the fleet’s destiny and what to do next, but what else is there to do? If the more spiritual folks say that they need to go after Hera, why not do it? Isn’t that better than aimlessly drifting around space until you run out of resources?

Hera can project! I don’t know what this really means, but she and Boomer bonded over it. By the time they got to the colony, Boomer had grown attached to Hera and proved that she had a tough time handing the girl over to Cavil. By the way, did you hear Cavil say to Hera that she would soon have a lot of little playmates? How does he plan do accomplish that? Cavil also confirmed that Boomer sneaking Ellen off to the fleet was indeed just a ploy to kidnap Hera. It will be interesting to see if Boomer steps in and saves Hera from whatever Cavil has planned for her.

With Galactica being stripped for parts, the military personnel are going to move over to the Cylon basestar. The humans are justifiably skeptical of this, but do they really have a choice?

Roll on next week!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer

2009-03-08T08:45:00.002Z

Brand new trailer for the 6th Harry Potter film - not long to go now!

This is so much darker than all of the other films and if you haven't already read the book, the ending is going to be gob-smackingly spectacular

Daybreak - Part One Promo

2009-03-07T11:01:00.001Z

Here's the promo for Daybreak - Part One, the first of the two-part finale. The last episode is a two hour long monster...

New Star Trek Trailer - 5th March

2009-03-06T15:24:00.002Z

Brand new and ultra exciting Star Trek trailer for this summer's new film.

More dialogue
More action
More excitement!

What do we think people?

Nanotechnology - Viral ad for 2012

2009-03-06T09:00:00.002Z

The next installment from Charlie Frost in relation to the 2012 film.

All about nanotechnology today

Preview of Islanded in a Stream of Stars

2009-03-06T08:58:00.002Z

Preview for the next episode of BSG.

Only the three part finale to go after this one!

Star Trek MTV Feature

2009-03-04T20:28:00.000Z

Interesting little feature from MTV, some behind the scenes action from the bridge of the new Enterprise, and J J Abrams.

And when I saw little, it really is just over a minute long!

Terminator Salvation Official Trailer #3 New!

2009-03-03T18:38:00.001Z

Awesome new trailer for the Terminator Salvation film.

May can't come round quickly enough!

Battlestar Galactica - Islanded in a Stream of Stars Promo

2009-03-03T17:55:00.000Z

Here's the promo for next weeks episode. This will mark the last 'normal run' episode as the next two form two halves of the finale.

Brilliant promo as you would expect but there really aren't many more to go!

2019 - The future according to Microsoft

2009-03-02T13:45:00.001Z

Tomorrow's World? Well this is it according to Microsoft - a glimpse into the future only 10 years from now.

Newspapers (of a sort) still exist but there is still no sign of the flying car my Mum said I would have by the time I'd grown up. Bummer.

Looks good though

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Video: Future Vision Montage&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Just what is RSS?

2009-03-02T08:45:00.005Z

Just what is RSS?

We had a monthly get together at work recently and one of the topics that came up in conversation was ''RSS - does everybody know what this is?'' I have to say I didn't really understand it so took it upon myself to piece together exactly what this revolutionary technology is all about.

RSS is a technologu that is being used by millions of web users around the world to keep track of their favourite websites. Perhaps as little as five years ago (I'm sure someone will disagree with me but...) the only real way of keeping track of updates on a website you liked meant you had to bookmark that site and manually return to the site on a regular basis to see what had been updated.

The problems with bookmarking is that you had to do all the work. The site was updated by whoever built it in the first place but once done, you had no idea that there were any changes. It is very easy to miss information even when checking bookmarks.
You end up seeing the same information over and over again on sites that weren’t update very often. Where does RSS come in? RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication' Many people describe it as a 'news feed' that you subscribe to.

Think of it in terms of a magazine - a magazine that is delivered to you periodically but instead of being posted to you once a month, it is delivered to your RSS reader, every time your favourite website is updated. I've also managed to track down a brief video from videojug which explains the who process - with lots of pictures and charts!

RSS In Plain English

FRAK - Battlestar Galactica: Who watches over who?

2009-03-01T19:23:00.002Z

FRAK - Battlestar Galactica: Who watches over who?

Another exhaustive review from the FRAK site - focusing on the events of the latest BSG episode 'Someone to watch over me'.

Also asks some really interesting questions as speculation.

Including the two part finale, only 3 episodes left? Will Galactica survive?

Caprica Official Promo 2009

2009-03-01T16:21:00.001Z

Just a reminder for my previous post, here's the trailer for Caprica.

More to follow I'm sure over the coming weeks

Caprica Pilot coming to DVD next month

2009-03-01T16:06:00.005Z

I was surprised, and thrilled, to have just read a press release in relation to the Capricas pilot. With Battlestar Galactica ending in a few weeks time, this is great news. The Highly Anticipated Feature-Length Prequel to the Series Phenomenon, 'Battlestar Galactica' Premiering Exclusively on DVD and Digital Download

FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF SCI FI CHANNEL'S 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' RONALD D. MOORE AND DAVID EICK AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Caprica, the highly anticipated prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," will enjoy its world premiere exclusively on DVD on April 21, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In a groundbreaking move sure to delight fans of the long-running television phenomenon, the feature-length prequel will be available on DVD as a limited-edition uncut and unrated version before the series' broadcast premiere on the SCI FI Channel in 2010. Caprica is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica") and Remi Aubuchon Caprica make this DVD a landmark event for any fan of "Battlestar Galactica." The film will also be available at selected online destinations for digital download transactions.

Exclusive bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of the creation of '24'

As "Battlestar Galactica" wraps its gripping final season on SCI FI on March 20, 2009, Caprica begins a brand new epic saga that continues the franchise's commitment to thought-provoking storytelling and extraordinary characters. Set over 50 years before the events of "Battlestar Galactica," Caprica is a world at the peak of its power, grappling with new science and technologies and the issues they create. The series will star Golden Globe nominee Eric StoltzMask, Pulp Fiction), Esai Morales ("Jericho," "NYPD Blue"), Paula Malcomson ("Deadwood" "ER") and Golden Globe nominee Polly Walker ("Cane," "Rome") in a story laced with passion, intrigue and family conflict.

"We are thrilled to take the groundbreaking step of offering the world-premiere of the Caprica feature-length extended pilot episode on DVD prior to the new series' television debut," said Hilary Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "This innovative distribution model will serve to satisfy 'Battlestar Galactica' fans' appetites for a new content while building excitement for the franchise's next great adventure."

"Ever since fans first caught wind of the 'Battlestar Galactica' prequel Caprica, they have been eagerly following its development," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "We wanted to give them a chance to see the pilot in its original form and experience the prequel to the BSG story while that series' finale was still ringing in their ears. It also affords the creative team an unprecedented chance to get viewers feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer."

"If 'Battlestar Galactica' offered us a way to shatter the conventions of space opera, Caprica will be a show which will challenge the conventions of science fiction storytelling as a whole," said Ronald D. Moore, Executive Producer/Writer.

"Part sweeping soap, part meditation on the dangerous moral ramifications of artificial intelligence, this is a truly unique opportunity to continue telling stories which will be as daring and shocking as the best of 'Galactica' -- and yet will be altogether different from 'Galactica,'" said David Eick, Executive Producer.

Universal Cable Productions will begin production on the "Caprica" series in the summer of 2009 in Vancouver for a 2010 television premiere on the SCI FI Channel. The DVD of Caprica is priced at $26.98 S.R.P. Preorder close is March 3, 2009.

BONUS FEATURES:

Feature Commentary with Director Jeffrey Reiner and Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick
Deleted Scenes
Video Blogs
- What the Frak is Caprica?
- The Director's Process
- The V Club
- The Birth of a Cylon

SYNOPSIS

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families and their patriarchs - Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) - as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

Terminator Salvation viral

2009-03-01T15:55:00.002Z

In the same vein as 2012's viral activity, the internet is buzzing with excitiment over the upcoming Terminator Salvation film. As the Terminator series has been thrown wide open by what happened in the last two films (ie at the end of Terminator 2, the Skynet threat had been destroyed - and in Terminator 3, we find out we had only postponed Judgement Day) specifically involving Skynet, the AI system that controls the robots, this would be a great topic for a viral to focus on. Good news - a viral campaign has kicked off. While there isn't much yet, a brand new Skynet Research site has launched, so sign up now!

All you need to do is head over to Skynet Research.com and add your email to their list. We'll be sure to let you know when we hear of any updates for this as well. It's hard to tell this early if this viral will be run by 42 Entertainment, the company behind The Dark Knight's brilliant viral campaign last year, or if it will just be something smaller and relegated only to the internet. However, Terminator is the kind of movie that I'd love to see a huge viral for.

In addition to the above site, a YouTube channel has been set up, so you can stay up to date with new content uploads.

Worth having a look

How to blog safely at work

2009-03-01T14:51:00.002Z

We've all been there. How can you manage to write a great post while still at work? I wasn't aware of this up until yesterday but there is a great facility within Office 2008 that will allow you not only to draft your next post but publish it to your own blog through MS Word.

Obviously I can in no way condone this sort of behaviour but I honestly didn't realise that you could write copy for you blog and post it directly through Word 2007.

Might have to give it a go someday...

How To Blog Through Word 2007

Charlie Frost 2012 Web Diaries

2009-02-28T09:59:00.004Z

Following on from my previous post regarding the viral activity for the 2012 film, there are a series of 6 video blogs featuring Charlie Frost, NFL fan and end of the world commentator.

I'll post these as and when they are released but here is the entire back catalogue, fantastically funny...

Episode 1: Welcome to the Apocalypse

Episode 2: Super Volcanoes

Episode 3: This is the end.com

Episode 4: Doomsday Seed Bank

Episode 5: Kukulcan

Episode 6: Watch my animation

Twitter - Just an internet fad?

2009-02-27T12:48:00.002Z

Quick update on my previous Twitter post - I found an article over on the FT.com site saying that Twitter, if it reaches critical mass, could become the next Facebook or YouTube...

FT.com article

Agree / disagree?

Twitter 101

2009-02-27T10:58:00.006Z

Just what is the point of Twitter? How do you use it?

To let the world know you are enjoying a chocolate biscuit OR have discovered the cure for cancer?

There are so many professionals and celebrities out there who have tens, if not hundreds of thousands of followers but is the point to have loads of followers or giving them something interesting to read?

Here's the definitive explanation of what Twitter is according to Ask.com

Twitter is a mini-blogging platform that you can use to send messages of 140 characters or less to friends, family or just about anybody with a web connection. You can also chose to follow other Twitter members as well as having the facility to message them directly.

I think the point is that Twitter can be different things to different people. There are serious discussions I've seen out in the world about the power that Twitter has for businesses but really - how much can you fit into 140 characters?

That said, I'm off for a cup of tea and a biscuit now as I'm hungry but here's a short clip on the basics of Twitter I came across.

Swift Cover's Iggy Pop Ad investigated

2009-02-24T14:30:00.003Z

Interesting article from Brand Republic, courtesy of a fellow 'Geronimo-er' Sally (follow her on Twitter here) in relation to the Swift Cover TV ad.

As it features Iggy Pop claiming he has no problem insuring his personal documents through Swift Cover.

ASA have, as of this morning received 12 complaints in relation to the ad.

Check it out here

BSG - Someone to Watch Over Me

2009-02-24T08:49:00.000Z

Only 4 episodes left in a great TV series.

Here's the promo for the next episode. What happens to your sanity when you see your own dead body hey Starbuck???

Battlestar Galactica's Lee Adama in Law & Order:UK

2009-02-23T21:15:00.002Z

President Lee Adama or 'Apollo' had his first UK TV appearance since before Battlestar Galactica tonight. It's an adapt of the US version of the show. There's a couple of interview with the cast, including Apollo on ITV's site.

Lee Adama - or Jamie Bamber when he isn't fighting off Cylons is a British born actor who shot to fame during the remastered Battlestar Galactica series in the US.

Previously to this (from what I remember!) he has appeared in the Hornblower TV series as well as something to do with the SAS also staring Ross Kemp whose name escapes me.

After seeing him on BSG for 4 years as Lee Adama, I actually forgot that he had an english accent!

First post on an actual person for me but thought I'd share it with the class!

Viral activity for 2012 film

2009-02-23T13:20:00.002Z

The new film by Director Roland Emmerich - 2012, is coing out later this year. After watching the teaser trailer (see it here) and being curious, followed up on their google recommended search. This took me through to the Institute of Human Continuity - where I signed up to the email campaign.

All of this is based around the premise of a global threat, just what would happen if the governments of the world knew a cataclismic event was coming where 6 billion people could potentially be killed (they wouldn't apparently!).

I received a couple of emails from them and then last week received a new one - with a new website to go along with it.

Have a look at the trailer again here but the main action can be seen here where you can help participate in scenarios that could result in the end of the world - charming...!

If you weren't already aware of the 2012 predictions beyond the feature film, there are countless predictions and prophecies surrounding the year 2012.

To quote a Wiki entry: The forecast is based primarily on a claimed end date of the 5,125-year Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which is December 21, 2012, and incorporates warnings from climate experts and other environmental scientists that the Earth has reached a "tipping point" that could generate mass extinctions, as well as interpretations of assorted legends, scriptures and prophecies.

The Mayan civilization for example were aware of a unique astronomical alignment of the Earth, Sun and the centre of the Galaxy (how did they know this!) and a myth called the Kukulcan, an enormous flying serpent..

There is also a site called ''this is the end'' where Charlie Frost (aka Woody Harrelson) gives a series of talking heads mini-sodes as to the upcoming end of the world from a number of angles - worth a look

Has anyone else seen it, would be interested in hearing if you have

From the-ad-pit:

2009-02-22T20:36:00.000Z

Just came across this - a much more detailed anaylsis of the Duffy Coke Ad than mine!

the-ad-pit: Begging You For Mercy

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Trailer

2009-02-22T19:18:00.002Z

Bit late showing it on my own blog but this looks bloody brilliant!

Big fan of Transformers as a kid and am seriously thinking of getting a model kit of the USS Nimitz that gets destroyed in the opening 30s of the trailer. Another little hobby of mine in addition to photography and this blogging lark!

Phil Edwards over at Live for Films also has a link to it...

But found a nice blog that also caught my eye, Head Hero at Movies: Past, Present and Future

Duffy's new Diet Coke ad

2009-02-22T12:54:00.002Z

Here's the new Diet Coke ad from Duffy, really like it - and her! Three Brit awards well deserved. Found it on the Digitology blog.

Thanks Christian!

Robert Webb performs What a Feeling

2009-02-22T10:29:00.002Z

Last night as part of the BBCs Red Nose Day programming, a series of celebrities danced their socks off for charity. He's one half of the Mitchell and Webb comedy show.

Here's Robert Webb's dance - from the film Flash Dance.

Absolutely brilliant!

Authenticity revisited

2009-02-22T10:20:00.003Z

I've been thinking this morning about authenticity and was thought about a post I made at the end of last year.

Is this somehthing that you've run into?

Authenticity...

Being a Useful Twitter User [and receiving followers in the process]

2009-02-21T17:25:00.001Z

Being a Useful Twitter User [and receiving followers in the process]

Posted using ShareThis

Direct Line Van Insurance - New TV Ad with Tommy Walsh

2009-02-21T13:09:00.003Z

Here's the new TV ad we produced at Geronimo for Direct Line for Business.

This was a first for Geronimo as it was the first TV ad we created from the ground up, including all the creative development and production. It uses Ground Force's Tommy Walsh as the voice of Direct Line. Tommy actually came to Geronimo Towers one afternoon and we all met him. Very nice man, and yes he is just as tall in real life as he is on the telly!

There is a shorter 10 second version available as well.

What are your thoughts?

Direct Line Van Insurance - 10s TV Ad

2009-02-21T13:05:00.001Z

Following on from the 30s ad, here's to 10s version

Passing it along

2009-02-21T12:48:00.002Z

Had a really long week this past week, not just the hours honey, it's the mileage!

However, had a good chat with Sam Ismail - a colleague at Geronimo where we both work, in relation to a great site he runs. It's called AdGrads and you can see it here.

Designed to give new graduates information and the opportunity of getting their foot in the door in this crazy marketing world, I think this is an excellent idea and when asked if I'd like to contribute, I jumped at the chance.

So between now and Monday morning, I'm going to be writing an article on how I went to Uni to study Geology and 10 years later - am sitting on my sofa writing a blog about marketing recruitment.

Will share with you once the article is up and running!

Superbowl TV Spots

2009-02-02T09:07:00.002Z

Not being a massive American football fan (or even a little one!) I didn't stay up to watch the action last night.

As however, the UK has come to a standstill because of the snow, I thought I'd have a quick blog blast.

I saw that there were new trailers shown in the superbowl for the Transfromers sequel, GI Joe and Start Trek.

Here they are:

Find any film

2009-01-28T12:50:00.001Z

True to form, I've stumbled across a new exciting movie related website.

This site will allow you to search for any film that has been released in the UK in a wide range of formats, eg DVD, Blueray, VHS (for those old skool users) and download.

Really interesting and easy to use.

Check it out here

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 7/10

2009-01-09T09:08:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

Lazy Afternoon

2009-01-04T14:27:00.002Z

The last day of holiday before going back to work tomorrow morning to hit the ground running. In order to prepare myself for this, I did manage to drag myself out of bed this morning at my 'normal' get up time of 6:15am. Not much fun.

Now that the house is clean and tidy, decorations down and our Christmas tree chopped up and placed into 2 black big bags, I have the whole afternoon ahead of me. What to do? Well I could either be very proactive and access my work email to try and remember what I'm supposed to do tomorrow OR watch The Emipre Strikes Back. Hmm

This the movie's going to win today!

BSG The Face Of The Enemy Part 6

2008-12-29T09:07:00.000Z

Almost 2009 now!

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 5/10

2008-12-25T09:04:00.000Z

Merry Christmas!

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 4/10

2008-12-22T09:03:00.000Z

Part 4 - almost Christmas!

Army Jobs TV advert

2008-12-21T13:44:00.000Z

Excellent. Was having a surf after posting my last blog entry and came across this. The first of the original four Army Jobs TV ads that I worked upon back at Publicis Dialog.

Doesn't seem like two years ago!

The Evolution of Search

2008-12-18T16:19:00.002Z

When and where did search marketing come from? How did it become the multi-million pound enterprise that it exists as today?

During a quick search of digg.com, I came across this interesting article on it's history.

Well worth a read

Addicted to Film?

2008-12-17T16:31:00.001Z

How many of the top 250 films (according to Total Film) have you seen?

Are you a movie addict? I thought I was but after selecting, and very honestly, all of the films on the list I had watched, scored a pretty lame 41%.

Can you do any better?

Take 10 mins to complete here...

Would like to hear how you got on!

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 3/10

2008-12-17T09:01:00.000Z

Part 3

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 2/10

2008-12-15T08:59:00.000Z

Here's part 2

Live for Films: Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones, 2002 - DVD Review

2008-12-14T13:06:00.000Z

Star Wars Episode 2 is on TV this afternoon in the UK. Love it or hate it (though probably less than The Phantom Menace) this is the first time we really see what Anakin Skywalker is capable of and the foundations for his eventual fall to the dark side.

Here's a review of the film to wet your whislte...

Live for Films: Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones, 2002 - DVD Review

The Day the Earth Stood Still - film review

2008-12-14T10:15:00.002Z

Went to see the new The Day the Earth Stood Still last night and thought I'd share my thoughts with you. I'm going to make a determined effort not to give away any spoilers or the ending, so here goes:

Things started off really well, in true sci-fi fashion, lots of serious scientists, being very busy and important followed by a series of unexplained events.

Now, as the film goes on, I tried to get interested in the characters but Jennifer Connolley is so bleeding dull I just didn't care about her at all. This all cumulated with me at the end of the film thinking, is this nearly finished and oh, I don't really care what happened to the Earth.

In short, I wouldn't rush to see this if I were you

Marketing for beginners - the reading list

2008-12-13T21:48:00.001Z

If you could recommend a range of books to a budding marketer, what would you recommend?

When I left University (after reading Geology, not Marketing) social networking was offline only. I remember doing it the hardway, meeting people face-to-face and swapping business cards. Nowadays however, you can become friends with someone on the other side of the world (or even in the same town) and not meet them face-to-face!

If someone you know were to leave University this academic year, are there any books you would recommend they read prior to getting stuck in on their first day. For me, there are three, which I have listed here:

Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin

Purple Cow by Seth Godin (you can probably tell I like reading his books)

The Art of Client Service by Robert Soloman

Enjoy -pass this on as I'd like to hear your thoughts

GALACTICA: VARIANTS: WEBISODE 1 REVIEW

2008-12-13T21:04:00.000Z

GALACTICA: VARIANTS: WEBISODE 1 REVIEW

A good start I'd say but can't shake the feeling that these are nothing more than space fillers before the show starts again propperly next month

Battlestar Galactica Webisode 1

2008-12-13T08:18:00.001Z

First of 10 stocking fillers before the final series starts...

Good to see but a familiar ending to this particular episode

Terminator 4 Factory?

2008-12-12T12:27:00.005Z

Just came across this, yet another new image from the upcoming Terminator Salvation movie.

There's a link to the Empire movie site here where you can read all about it...

Battlestar Galactica - The face of the enemy 1/10

2008-12-12T08:57:00.000Z

Designed to fill in the gap between season 4.0 and 4.5, BSG launched this web only version of a classic 'who dunnit'? - spread over 10 x 4 minute episodes, leading up nicely to the start of the final chapter of the story of the rag-tag fleet...

Battlestar Galactica Webisode 1/10 - The Face of the Enemy

The action continues with a gripping 10 part web series of Battlestar Galactica. "The Face Of The Enemy" is filled with astonishing revelations you won't see on the show.

Official Terminator Salvation (2009) HQ Trailer 2

2008-12-11T16:57:00.001Z

Been a while since my last entry but the new trailer for Terminator Salvation has now surfaced on the tinternet...

Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time - Inside Movies Blog

2008-12-05T22:00:00.001Z

Movies have long been at the forefront of space exploration, with alien encounters, time travel and way-cool technology. So we sat down to compile a list of the best sci-fi movies. We looked all the way back to the classics ('Forbidden Planet'), and our childhoods ('Star Wars'). Join us as we count down the 25 best sci-fi films of all time.

read more | digg story

Want 25Gb of free online storage space?

2008-12-05T08:33:00.001Z

The Best Online Storage Service - Windows SkyDrive from Digital Inspiration

24 Season 7 Sneak Peak - Jack's Back!

2008-12-05T08:18:00.003Z

Released with the DVD of 24: Redemption, were to parts of a Season 7 Preview. Or, to you and me, the first fifteen minutes.

Loads of spoliers obviously but OMG!!

Ps - bet you can't resist...