Twitter @­anywhere

No longer is it acceptable for websites to only exist within their own domain name; now they have to spill out onto different platforms such as the iPod Touch, smart phones and desktop applications. Facebook did this some time ago with it’s Connect platform that allows its users to use Facebook in order to connect with and log into other sites in order to post comments, it also allows iPhone applications to post updates if you complete a level in a game for example.

Twitter is now the latest widely-used website to extend its service beyond that of it’s browser-bound domain name with they’re new platform, @anywhere. As the name suggests, the platform is aiming to implement the primary uses of Twitter from any website. This ranges from being able to view profile information of Twitter users, (just hover over the the Twitter username above to see what I mean or hover over a username from my Tweet box to the right of this text), being able to post status updates from any website about what you’re doing or simply being able to choose to follow someone.

At present, a good amount of well known websites such as Amazon, Yahoo and eBay have signed up with Twitter to introduce the @anywhere platform to their websites. This will allow any Twitter user to post updates from their respective websites, for example, if someone were to be browsing on Amazon and found a product they like, they woudld be able to write in a Tweet in a box a few pixels away to tell their followers. It’s an extremely simple concept but allows Twitter to be used outside of it’s own website in order to be more interactive.

I too have started to implement this new platform onto my website, you’ve probably tried out the hover card feature by hovering over a Twitter username somewhere on this website, (as indicated with the @ as its prefix). On this post you’ll see experimental features of the platform that I have yet to implement on my site fully. Not following me on Twitter? Well click the box below to do so. Want to say something to me? Tweet by using the box below too! Note: these two latter features are temporarily unavailable.

Twitter, taking one leap forward into the three dimensional web universe.

Steven, Administrator.

The Live Leadership Debates

After three debates on three channels with three party leaders, has this historical first changed anything? Some may argue yes because it shows that the United Kingdom is heading towards a more democratic approach to elections where the audience made up from members of the public, (albeit a heavily controlled and medically sedated audience, who could resist flinging their own excrement at David Cameron to see if it bounced off his head made from 50% tyre rubber?), can ask the three main party leaders a range of questions where they can receive in-depth responses.

However some may argue no because although it’s a step in the right direction; it excludes all other parties that although small, people do still vote for them and therefore have the right to appear alongside the three main parties. Oh and because of the heavily rehearsed and controlled environment it’s essentially boring, predictable and uninformative.

I for one however, don’t really care about their policies. I mean, I do care, but that’s not the focus of this article for two reasons a) I’m a political vegetable with limited knowledge, so I wouldn’t be able to draw up any accurate conclusions b) I don’t support any single party, my brain is essentially grey human sludge waiting to be moulded. Maybe in the future my grey human sludge brain will be of more use to society. In this article I’m basically just going to talk about how they came across – sorry if you thought it was something better than that.

To avoid any kind of perceived favouritism, the position of each of the leaders changed in every program; this is apparently because standing on the right side gives off the impression of being right, or something like that. I don’t know why they weren’t allowed to sit down, it was very eerie watching them standing up for 90 minutes crossing their legs while looking around the room like a meditating Buddhist keeping one eye open to see if anyone is secretly recording a video of them to publish onto YouTube . None of them looked good to be honest – Gordon Brown looked like The Joker trying to complete a difficult Sudoku, David Cameron looked John Merrick wrapped in cling film, and Nick Clegg looked about as useful as the camera on the iPod Nano. However, I can’t talk because I resemble a caveman carved out of boiled ham.

The first debate was held by ITV; the set looked very small and the leaders were within touching distance, by the half way mark I half expected the lights to dim and for them to break into song before the audience voted one of them to sing a solo to Alastair Stewart as they tearfully faded off into the distance à la Over the Rainbow, (or Over the Rainbow Coalition in Gordon’s case), but that didn’t happen. I don’t think many people expected the outcome that Nick Clegg, the underdog, would end up literally creating a band wagon big enough for The Guardian to change their political opinion a week before polling day. This first debate put the Liberal Democrats into the spotlight, a tactic which didn’t work out for David Cameron when people said he didn’t live up to expectations. Oh and Gordon Brown turned up.

The second debate was held by Sky News, a move that worried viewers so much that most people tuned in preparing to see the ominous Sky News Logo projected onto every available surface including the logos that were physically there in the first place. This debate only got around 4m viewers, a drop of 5m from the ITV debate. Nick Clegg started to show signs that he was running out of steam after suddenly appearing in the spotlight, (again, not a sign of a sing off in sight). David Cameron apparently won this debate, much to the bemusement of basically everyone who watched because he didn’t do that well. Oh and Gordon Brown turned up.

The third and final debate was held on the BBC, the only television channel where expressing a political opinion on air is punishable by death, or punishable by being forced to watch an episode of The Life of Riley without being allowed to close your eyes and pretending you’re watching My Family instead. This debate was held in Birmingham University which made the likelihood of a sing off even less promising than it previously was. It was however a much better set than the pokey ones given to us by both ITV and Sky News. The viewing figures were a respectable 9m, about 9m of whom were probably tuning in to see if Gordon Brown would call an audience member a ‘scruffy cunt’ under his breath, unknowingly forgetting that he was live on air and looking directly at the camera.

Regarding my previous comments about the likelihood of a sing off, I’m almost certain that within the next decade we’re going to have a political Big Brother spin-off where prime ministerial candidates have to partake in a task where they create a viral video from bits of Family Guy in order to win the respect of the moronic masses because that’s where this doomed society is inevitably heading: we’re all stupid.

There you have it, the first historical set of leader debates summed up in a slightly humorous, ill educated and un-biased way. The entire point of these debates were to ultimately change the viewer’s opinions on who to vote for. However it only made me think of one thing: if I were to turn this on and David Cameron had failed to turn up, I’d easily mistake it for a repeat of Brokeback Mountain with more sodomy.

Steven, Administrator.

The Eleventh Hour

Amy Pond, there’s something you better understand about me because it’s important and one day your life may depend on it: I am definitely a mad man with a box.

Writing the first episode a new series of Doctor Who can be very tricky to get right. Writing the first episode of a new series when you’ve got introduce a new Doctor, a new TARDIS, a new companion and a new primary location can seem like an impossible task. However new series producer and head writer Steven Moffat ticks every single one of those boxes to set the standard for the rest of the series.

Like everyone else, I’ve been waiting for a new full series of Doctor Who for two years. So an awful lot was riding on Steven Moffat to make this episode perfect in order to keep both the media and public on his side like previous head writer Russell T Davis had done for four years. I’ve been reading some of the reviews that have been published on the Internet and there seems to be overall positive praise for Matt Smith; and that’s exactly how I feel too.

Although basically everything has changed such as a new Doctor, a new companion, a new opening sequence, a new theme tune, a new TARDIS, a new primary location, a new set of reoccurring characters, a new head writer, a new producer and a new show runner it still feels like the same show that has been building up its now-adored reputation after being trampled on by the media and viewers alike in the late 80’s.

Of course you’re still going to get the occasional David Tennant fan-boy who’s going to say Matt Smith has changed everything and that he’s changed it for the worse; but what they probably don’t understand is that Steven Moffat knew there would be some people expecting a Russell-David Doctor Who series, which is why I assume he decided to change everything, so people would now expect something different and this was a very smart move.

First episodes of a new series haven’t always been brilliant, such as the lack-lustering series two opener New Earth. However The Eleventh Hour was a brilliantly written and directed episode that has set the bar high for the next 12 episodes – and judging by the trailer we were treated two and the end of the episode it’s going to be fantastic.

The thing I liked about The Eleventh Hour is that it doesn’t heavily revolve around the enemy, because that isn’t the point of this episode, in fact I’d go as far as to say that the enemy is largely irrelevant and that the driving force of this episode is in fact the Doctor’s new body and his relationship with Amy Pond. So I’m glad it focused more on this aspect that the alien enemy. I’m also relieved to see an episode where destruction doesn’t happen in London or Cardiff, but in a quiet English country side because it was becoming very much of a cliché to always see the former two under attack from aliens – why didn’t everyone just move after series one?

Obviously this episode was Matt Smith’s first full one – so it was important he showed the audience that his Doctor is still in the making and that there may be more to his personality than we’ve already been shown. Any actor taking over BBC’s flag ship drama that was previously fronted by universally adored David Tennant would have felt incredibly nervous, not only for the media and fans to like them; but to think that they are a good enough successor. However I did not feel like Matt Smith was trying too hard to woo over the media and fans alike; I instead felt that he was playing as his character, not knowing of anything beyond the show itself and that he was just fitted into the roll easily, and I’m incredibly excited about what he’s got in store for us.

The new companion of this series is feisty red head Amy Pond, (Karen Gillan), who meets the Doctor when she’s 9 years old in her back garden but gets let down by him for 12 years until he turns back up again after what he thinks is a mere 5 minutes. There’s a lot less riding on Karen than there is on Matt because companions aren’t usually compared to the previous companion because they are completely different characters and therefore would be unfair to do so. I feel like Amy is the Doctor’s human equal who won’t swoon over him like Rose and Martha did – but that she’d happily slap the Doctor if he steps out of line which is what I think he needs; which is why I liked Donna so much because she was independent from him.

Last but not least: the new TARDIS. For young fans this was their first time seeing a completely new set take over what they wished their bedroom would look like; so it was important for the design department to get it right. I feel they have achieved this by still keeping the old basic structure of having the hexagon shaped consol in the middle, with the time rotor spiralling up towards the ceiling while at the same time introducing new changes such as the introduction of levels which led to the under side of the consol as well as stair cases leading to yet to be seen rooms. The TARDIS has no concept of design, so it was good for it to be made out of bits and bobs that I think the TARDIS would have lying around in its many attics – my favourite additions are the type writer and the old fashion flip down clock. It’s simply beautiful.

It’s unfair to judge what you think an entire series is going to be like based on one episode – even if you think it’s going to be brilliant because if you set your heights up high you may be let down. However I feel 100% that I won’t be let down and that this is going to be the most beautiful and adored series of Doctor Who to have been made. Change is certainly welcome.

Doctor Who, Saturdays at 6.15PM on BBC One.

Steven, Administrator.

Science on the BBC

The BBC is currently airing two fascinating science programs at the moment one talks about the creation of the universe and its natural wonders; while the one other one shows us things we can never see, even though we see them every day. Let’s begin.

Wonders of the Solar System

Wonders of the Solar System is a fantastic five part series from the BBC where Professor Brian Cox, (who looks like a slightly older Alex James), teaches us about some of amazing, enchanting and scientifically amazing wonders of our solar system. The premise of the series is that Professor Cox is gleeful in the fact that the laws of physics are exactly the same throughout the universe as they are here on Earth; but that actions governed by these laws can have a different impact on different planets.

I must admit I didn’t know anything about the series until Professor Cox appeared on Friday Night With Jonathon Ross last week promoting this wonderful series; I then watched all of the latest four episodes on the BBC iPlayer while I eagerly await for the final episode this Sunday. The show is presented in a way that doesn’t get boring; it’s coupled with scenes with Professor Cox explaining the wonder he is talking about this week about along side amazing CGI examples of the the planets he’s talking about to help us out a little bit. For a BBC show the CGI is actually pretty good and I’ve been watching with open eyes while watching glorious shots of methane rain falling on Titan as it would appear on the planet itself.

Each episode sticks to a certain theme or subject; for example the first episode is about the Sun and its empire. This episode literally moved me to tears when Professor Cox gently explained to me what will be happen in five billion years: the Sun will expand to 2000 times its current size and it will eat up all the plants, moons, comets and satellites that it will ultimately pass; then it will explode and will destroy itself and everything in its empire, leaving nothing its hot core cooling until the end of time itself. It’s a realisation of just how little we humans are in the universe.

The other episodes have dealt with why planets rotate, what exactly the atmosphere does on Earth and other planets, how a size of a planet can make or break it, and how volcanoes can be described as the geological heart beat of planets and when they stop, the planet dies. The last episode of the series that will air next Monday will be about aliens and the possibility of their being life on other planets – I can’t wait.

There’s only one thing that annoys me about this series; sometimes the same things are described in more than one episode. For example, the magnetosphere has been explained in at least two episodes with no new information being added; in case your interested the magnetosphere is an invisible cocoon created by a planet’s magnetic polls which deflects, (most), of the solar winds floating away from the Sun from entering and endangering the atmosphere of a planet, our Earth for example.

Besides that one little niggle; Wonders of the Solar System is a beautifully narrated and designed series that will many times an episode make your brain stop as you try to comprehend our place in everything and that we know so little about the place we live: the universe.

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Wonders of The Solar System, Sundays at 9PM on BBC Two.

Invisible Worlds

Invisible Worlds is an extraordinary series that aims to show the viewer things they see every single day… but don’t actually see. It’s tricky to comprehend that we as human beings hardly see anything, we mill about the planet always looking but never actually see anything. This is what Invisible Worlds tries to put right. It’s presented by Richard Hammond who narrates the series as he shows us every day situations such as eating dinner and walking to work; but by using special high speed cameras and zoom technology he can show us what we in fact miss.

Initially you start to wonder what this series is actually about, because it doesn’t seem to have a compelling point to it other than using high speed cameras to slow situations down to show us things that we miss, (such as the visible blast bubble that is on the outside of an explosion). It also explores the micro world and how properties that are seen in nature such as animals and plants could in fact answer a lot of questions posed by science; such as why the Lotus leaf never gets wet when it rains and how this could be used to protect astronauts from getting covered in dust which threatens to ruins the mechanics of their space craft.

I think even the BBC knew that this would be a hard series to sell to viewers which is why they got Richard Hammond to present the show as opposed to a scientist. This isn’t the BBC just putting a famous face on something because they did let Professor Brian Cox present Wonders of the Solar System who is a relative unknown to mainstream audiences.

However once you watch an episode you feel like you understand the premise of the series a bit more and this in turn will make you want to watch further episodes. It is actually very interesting and to me it really showed how detailed nature is; an example that blew me away would be how a particular gecko that appears to defy gravity by walking up completely vertical surfaces by having feet which have got millions of hairs that literally stick it to the surface, and inside those hairs are a million other hairs, and so on and so fourth.

Another example that shows us how powerful science has become when dealing with the microscopic world would be when Richard Hammond was able to use a machine to engrave the title of series onto 1/6 a width of a human hair – each character being only 100 atoms thick.

Even though Invisible Worlds is a seemly odd show; it does in fact present to the viewer how beautiful yet complex nature is in its design of everything and everyone on this planet.

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Invisible Worlds has finished its three episode run, but you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer.

Steven, Administrator.

Yes, more Doctor Who!

Since my last post there have been three more promotional videos for the upcoming series of Doctor Who to have been released, so I thought I’d be good and share them with you.

The first video is the first 45 seconds of The Eleventh Hour which was released today at 6.25PM; I was then the first to rip it from the BBC website and upload it onto YouTube. The second video is a minute and a bit long clip from another upcoming episode called Vampires in Venice and the third video is another trailer for the series.

The latter two videos were first shown on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross which is why they’ve got a watermark on them for the first few seconds; sorry about that. Anyway, enjoy!

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Doctor Who returns to BBC One on 3rd of April 2010.

Steven, Administrator.