Whilst this website is primarily focused towards iPhone and Mac reviews we do sometimes have to step back and take a look at the grand picture. So to summarise that’s exactly what I did today.

I was greeted with the opportunity to spend the morning with Ford and their customer safety team looking at some of the new advances which are coming into the Ford range over the next few years.

Although it may not seem obvious for a website like this, we do try to focus on technology as best as we can and not just limit ourselves to Mac and Apple and this really was too big of a subject to miss.

Since this is technology and some pretty clever stuff too I’ve chosen to do a very in depth review of some of the technologies that were demonstrated today. If you’re looking for a short version then you’re out of luck. There isn’t one. However I think you’ll be find the post more than meaty enough.

With more and more young drivers on the road we are seeing an increased number of them being convicted or cautioned from using a mobile phone or indeed any handheld mobile device. Ignoring the fact that using a mobile phone while driving is illegal, the iPhone in particular presents a problem in the fact that there is no physical keyboard making it an even bigger distraction. Couple this with a loud radio station and or passengers in the car at the same time and it becomes very easy to see how the technology you use may provide enough of a distraction for you to have an accident while driving.

The key focus of Ford, as explained by their safety expert, is to ensure that the drivers focus is on the road at all times and this is something that we can wholly agree with.  Unfortunately however distractions do occur and that’s why this safety event has been touring the country showcasing innovative new features and driver aids to help prevent accidents and also increase the convenience and pleasure of driving a motor vehicle.

Driver aids such as assisted parking, Lane assist and collision avoidance have been available for some time however few have been done well.  For the ones that have been done well they are usually priced so far out of the market of the everyday consumer that you will only ever see them on prestige brands (the E-class Mercedes for example).  even then, brands like Lexus had a self parking vehicle which on every video I’ve seen managers to embarrass itself.  In the case of Volvo  they demonstrated a collision avoidance system which resulted in a written off car and some very embarrassed faces.

Unfortunately as you can see my opinion has been somewhat coloured by past events however I was very grateful for the opportunity and I promised myself that I would enter this with an open mind.

After spending some time speaking to their safety expert  it became obvious that many of my misconceptions and fears were unjustified. True, features like the active city stop and Lane assist are built upon the Volvo platform. However it’s fair to say that significant advances have been made over the past few years.

Today however Fords’ focus was on four main innovations. Active City Stop, Rear Seatbelt Airbags, Park Assist and Driver Alert.

Active City Stop

Active city stop is based on the original collision avoidance system that we saw with Volvo. However this system is designed for use in lower speeds hence the name city. The primary idea with this is that if you’re distracted  in low speed, stop and start traffic or if you’re coming up behind a car stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle will bring itself to a safe stop  if for instance you’re distracted or have a momentary lapse in judgement. This is not to be confused with full collision avoidance of this system is designed to work from reflective surfaces (such as that found in numberplate) and is generally designed for low speeds.

Unlike similar systems, the Ford version will not bring the vehicle to a gradual halt. This system is designed to act at the last minute was providing enough of a jolt to remind the passengers and the driver that their attention should be focused on more important matters.

Ford were kind enough to lay on a demonstration of this, both with a demonstrator and one you could try yourself.  To put it mildly being told to drive the car into a wall is a somewhat unnerving experience. However it provided an effective demonstration of a very effective technology even if they were harmless foam blocks.

the key thing should be noted here however, is that this system is designed to  bring the driver’s attention back to the road rather than providing some rudimentary way for someone to pay less attention at slow speeds thereby keeping the driver in control vehicle.

This technology also goes hand-in-hand with Ford’s next technology, driver alert.

Driver Alert

The driver alert system is just that. A series of complicated computer algorithms combined  with a wealth of sensors mounted on the vehicle to detect when a driver is either not in full control of the vehicle or is driving tired. Indeed there are a number of studies that show  that driving tired is almost as bad as driving drunk.

As you can see from the picture, the dashboard displays a small graphic depicting the traffic sign it’s on board camera just saw.

Using the vehicle mounted camera and whilst tracking the way the vehicle moves the system is able to make a decision about when the driver needs to take a break. The system will provide two warnings, a ‘yellow’ or ‘light’ warning indicating that the driver should rest soon, and a ‘red’ warning indicating that the driver should rest immediately.

There are also a number of other systems to assist the driver. Blind spot assistance where the vehicle actively monitors what’s around it, and a speed limiter. Given the number of speeding tickets that are issued these days, that last one might just be a good idea.

To further assist the driver the dashboard can also display local roadsigns that it sees through its centrally mounted camera. Additionally the steering wheel provides a physical level of feedback if you start to wander out of your lane. A system that’s been introduced before in other vehicles, however this time it seems to be done right. Rather than having a vibrating seat cushion or an audible chime the system will shake the wheel rapidly.

Rear Seatbelt Airbags

At last passengers in the back of the car finally get some attention!  Well, at least in the safety department! One of Fords major new advancements is bringing rear seat belts to passengers combined with airbags. Unlike normal airbags these don’t require pyrotechnics to get them going. These, use a pressurised gas cylinder stored underneath the seat reducing the risk of contact burns. Indeed the seatbelt itself is slightly thicker which many people have reported is slightly more comfortable since it’s akin to wearing a padded seatbelt.

The real advancement here is that not only does this mean a safety device is already in contact with you, thereby reducing the risk of injury and accident, but rather surprisingly the seatbelt airbag is safe to use with a number of child seats!  granted if you use the iso-fix system you won’t be using the vehicle seatbelt however if you have a seat that requires a seatbelt this will increase the safety of your child significantly.

Since the belt covers an extremely large area of your upper torso including an airbag in this reduces the risk of injury especially for those at a higher risk such as young children and the elderly. A specially designed tubular buckle allows the gas to flow into the airbag, protecting five times more of the body including head neck and chest protection.

Park Assist

This is perhaps one of the most fun and eagerly awaited demonstrations today. It’s not often you required to give up control of your vehicle whilst being in the drivers seat.  fortunately however you don’t have to give up all of your control.

As I mentioned above I have many preconceptions and fears about self parking cars after seeing it poorly executed on many different vehicles with embarrassing results. As I said to the team at the event “it’ll be very interesting and exciting to see one that actually works”.

Despite my preconceptions I was pleased to see that the Park assist system was perhaps more cautious than others. Choosing to ignore a space rather than attempt it when the conditions were not quite right.  when the system did take over however it left a lot of work up to the driver. This is a lot better than we might think it’s.  asking the driver to give up control of the vehicle is like cutting off a limb however the Ford system  asks you to control the clutch, accelerator and brakes  whilst it simply does the steering.  Indeed even in automatic cars the system will ask you to manually select reverse or forward gears.

Keeping this level of control allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable in allowing the system to take over. That being said it’s extremely disconcerting the first time it happens,  after that it becomes very entertaining. Don’t ask me why but it does! It would certainly make a long journey far more entertaining and pleasurable knowing that this feature alone was there to greet me at the end.

It’s pretty powerful as well, needing only a space only twenty percent longer than the car itself. If you don’t parallel park that often then having just 20% more than the length of the car is enough to put me off attempting it. It’s a very small spot indeed.

All of the technology here is part of a larger system, the Driver Awareness Package with a sensor pod mounted underneath the rearview mirror.  Contained within this pod is a camera (not unlike a digital video camera), a laser system and a radar system. each of these plays a specific role in all the new technologies being demonstrated today combined with front and rear parking sensors.

In fact for the first time ever I’d say that this has all been done right. As I mentioned before, we’ve seen a number of different attempts over the years but few of them seem to have worked as well as the ford system has today.

Not only have many, if not all, of my preconceptions and fears been eliminated today but Ford have taken it upon themselves to providing effective and clear demonstration of just how far they are prepared to go in the pursuit of safety.

I was genuinely impressed at each and every one of the different products I saw today and I’m confident but by the time these vehicles get the new market and second-hand market we will see a marked improvement in driving and a reduced number of insurance claims. what’s even more exciting is that at least 70% of the new Ford focus is going to be the same as every other Ford focus in the rest of the world. Keeping such commonality between different market versions of the vehicle mean that Ford can keep its costs low.

So what about the future?

Well from all this you can begin to see just how much information the vehicle is recording any one time. it’s easy to see and imagine an iPhone app or a dedicated computer program that you will be able to download your driver profile into in the near future. Not only that but with all this information and telemetry on hand it could mean the insurance companies have an easier time making a decision when it comes to final settlement claims.

Ford also have footholds in something called a smart intersection.

Whilst this is a long way off the basic principle is the information collected from the sensors used to provide the technologies mentioned above is fed to a larger network which feeds an intersection computer system which in turn monitors every other vehicle around it I communicates back to your vehicle whether it is safe to turn, continue and if someone is choosing to run a light.

In fact, because this is all one’s system the software used to make it work can easily be upgraded. Ford have already agreed a standard dataset which will be sent to the intersection and indeed intersections run by competing car companies. The standardisation practice here means that we won’t just see junctions which will work with Ford is only the junctions that may work with other manufacturers making driving one of the safest things you can do.

To me it’s overwhelming. The sheer amount of technology here and the potential for it is mind blowing and whilst not strictly falling into the category of iPhone and Mac App reviews it is simply too big a subject to miss. Especially if you are the type to occasionally pick up your iPhone and fumble away at the touchscreen when you’re rolling up to a junction.

If you spend any time walking around a car showroom at late, you will usually find yourself greeted with an iPhone or iPad application that either presents itself to assist you in the sales process, is there is an interactive brochure about the various accessories you can purchase or,  if you look at the Nissan Leaf, an application that provides you with the power to manage your car whilst it’s on your driveway.

Although this event was strictly about safety, it’s easy to see how mobile applications could be introduced in the future which will us to monitor how we drive, our safety as well is how eco-friendly we are being. Let’s face it, we’ve all got our families to think of and safety is no laughing matter.

This feature was originally published on apptacious.com by me on Friday the 26th of August 2011

Some mark the end of an era, others, mark tragedy and sorrow that will leave open wounds in the lives of those it has affected for many years to come.

There are no words to express the mourning and sorrow that we will all give for those who lost their lives, faced pain or anguish. There are however many words to express our joy and happiness at the success and accomplishment of the human race in some of it’s other goals.

Over the last twelve months, we’ve seen a mad man on the run, killing innocent people and terrifying many more before his ultimate demise.

We’ve seen the world come together in an international effort to rescue a small group of people just when we thought hope was lost.

We’ve seen the force of nature destroy lives and industry in a scale that will take many years to repair, and through that we have seen the contribution and efforts of a nation and it’s allies to slowly re-build and recover.

We’ve seen one of the biggest countries in the world finally remove from power the head of an international terrorist cell that changed history, and our lives forever marking a new sense of triumph for many, and a sense of progress and security for others.

We have even seen an entire country come together to mark the marriage of two people. That one pivotal day when a traditionally xenophobic nation famous for keeping itself to itself from even their own neighbours, came out into the streets in a union of celebration.

Over the last few days, one more tragedy has been added to the list. The outcome of which we still don’t know.

There are many other days and lives that will occur in our future. Countless more exist in our past. Make no mistake that as a race, humans are a dark species with many troubles, many pitfalls to avoid, and a steep learning curve that we must all face before we become what we believe ourselves to be.

To coin an old phrase, “We are but children”…

If there is one thing however that we have learnt, It’s that in the face of tragedy and uncertainty, the entire race will find a way to push forth and overcome the downfall.

In the wake of what has happened in Norway, millions of people are waking up once more with a new outlook, their lives changed forever. A new life awaits them, a new fear in their mind.

These people are no less significant, no less important than anyone else who has lost a loved one, or even had the moment where they realise “I could have been there if I just didn’t…”

Millions more will pray, thanking god for sparing them, or begging for their friends or family back.

Our future as a race is left only in our hands. We have many a dark cloud ahead, but many a ray of sunlight as well.

Our ability to adapt, to grow and learn is what makes us human and remarkable. We are stronger than any of us might think.

We are the human race, and we will prevail in the face of uncertainty and change. Our thoughts, hopes and prayers are given to each and every one of us that are suffering.

Well, supposed to. Ok, I’m awkward, I work in IT so I actually use this, but suppose someone rings me on my phone, I shove it on speakerphone, tap the home screen then go out to google, yup, you can do that, at least… you’re supposed to, in fact, you used to.

For whatever reason, I, my mother, my friends, and various other people who are on o2 can no longer get it. Case in point, today I made a normal phone call, in a 3G area (with signal) and wanted to check google, all of a sudden, BOOM, nope, can’t do it.

Ok, let’s make it clear just so you all don’t start ranting and raving here.
If you are in a 3G area or connected to WiFi this should work, if you are NOT in a 3G or WiFi area, this will not work

For the record, this DOES work in WiFi for me.

So, I called o2, guess what? No-ones ever heard of it. Some even claim that the phone technically cannot do it! so here’s a few facts for you.

This is the same phone that has been released in the US on AT&T who offer this as a feature, the phone is more than capable of doing this in a 3G area

and

From a technical standpoint, the 3G architecture that is used on the phone is more than capable of it

Ok, so that aside, maybe it’s just an o2 thing? Well,

Here is a link to the o2 help website that proves you should be able to do it. In fact, here are two links, I’ve not shortened them, and they link to the original page just in case. This post was written and these pages were present at 9:35 GMT on Thursday 17 2011

The first link is not iPhone specific

So, as you can see, o2 say that you can do it on a current, live page. And just so we are sure, here’s the link to the iPhone SPECIFIC page (you will need to click on the fourth link down)

http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/?St=184,E=0000000002965095373,K=2583,Sxi=4,T=test_main,Problem=17348,varset_BBDISP=Internet%20help,question=ref(User):str(Mobile)

And so that we are clear once more, here’s a screenshot of the page…

And just so we know that this hasn’t been implemented in the last few days….

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ZtSOT4oCuPMJ:service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/%3FSt%3D167,E%3D0000000002942652877,K%3D7443,Sxi%3D3,T%3Dtest_main,Problem%3D17348,varset_BBDISP%3DInternet%2520help,question%3Dref(User):str(Mobile)+can+i+make+a+call+and+use+the+internet+at+the+same+time+uk+iphone+o2&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk

And here’s a screenshot of the Google Cache that shows all of this…

So, what does this mean?

Well, o2 have advised me that this is incorrect, that this is not something that the phone is capable off (which we know factually to be wrong where it concerns the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3G and 3G S model) and that o2 do not offer this service (again, we know this to be factually wrong based on their website stating very clearly that this can be done, and one of these links is specific to the iPhone). I have also been informed that the service is not available to customers and that this is not a technical issue.

In my case, I actively used the service up until about October last year, which is around the same time that o2 introduced it’s data cap.

o2 did not inform me (and I suspect a few others) that this service was not available.

So, where do we stand?

Well, in my case, I used it, so I noticed, other people might not, but what’s important to note here is that not only my contract says that I will be made aware of any changes prior to them being carried out (something that they did not do in my case) but that their own website still states you can do this.

I am now escalating this matter with them, because as far as I am concerned (and as far as my research tells me) this means that o2 is in breach of contract, breach of their own terms and conditions, and braking the Consumer Credit Act by not upholding their contractual agreements. There’s also the Sale of Goods Act section 13 and 14, as well as the Misrepresentation Act 1967. – On these, I’m quite happy to be proven wrong provided it’s backed up by evidence

The fact remains that I’m now being told that I am no longer able to use a service that I am paying for as part of my contract.

You may also be in the same boat, and I would strongly advise anyone on o2 with an iPhone to contact o2 and ask them why they can’t do it. How you proceed is up to you, and I would advise you to check your terms and conditions and get the facts right if you choose to make this formal.

Moreover as we can see from the website, it appears that other phones are capable of this as well, and provided you confirm that the phone is capable of making a 3G call and simultaneously using data at the same time, and it’s enabled, I’d probably be contacting o2 as well.

The reason for this post is simple. I don’t believe in accepting things when I’m not told about them, this may seem very small to you, but it’s something I use regularly, and moreover it’s principal, I am not getting what I pay for, so why shouldn’t I complain about it?

Of course, I may not be allowed to post any more on this, but If I can, I’ll keep you all updated.

Are you on o2? can you use the internet whilst on phone call using 3G? Let me know!

Disclaimer
All of the information I have given you here is readily available from o2′s website at the time of writing. To my knowledge I have not broken any law by making this post. I do not intend to cause malice or be detrimental to o2 or it’s parent company or associates and I will state that this is my experience and these are my circumstances. This post is present purely for those who are asking questions about this particular problem and to advise them that they should contact o2 who will advise accordingly. If this has happened to you and have questions on how to proceed, please contact your local Citizens Advice Beauro or someone who is qualified to answer these questions

UPDATE: I have just received a phone call from a senior individual in the retentions department and there is some good news!

They have confirmed 100% that you CAN AND SHOULD be able to do this in a 3G area with no questions whatsoever. They have also tested this with Five different phone units!



They have also confirmed that if you are not getting it, network services will need to investigate this.



So, if you are not getting this when you use your iPhone or other compatible handset, you need to make o2 aware of this!!

The last few years alone for almost everyone have been filled with turmoil, loss and sadness as our own countries finances followed the routes of the rest of the world and descended into deep dark hole of which there appeared to be no return, indeed, thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, millions more took pay hits, wage freezes or voluntary redundancy as businesses and the world in general struggled to keep afloat.

It’s anyone’s guess as to why we called it the ‘recession’ rather than ‘The Great Depression’. Perhaps they did not wish to be reminded of the past where people would rent hotel rooms, just to leap off of the edge.

Yet despite all this misery and chaos, there are a number of things that have kept us all alive, all connected so that we may share our pain, and rejoice in delight when we finally hear that one small shred of good news.

For me, my life as a techy is indeed a life on the internet. Despite the prejudice and stigmata that surround people who do spend most of their time on the internet, I’m inclined to say that more people are on the web, than are not. I’m also inclined to say that those hypocrites who frequently say things not dissimilar to ‘get a life’ will have texted, tweeted or ‘facebooked’ their friends about every little occurrence in their lives, be it meaningful or not.

To put a case in point,  a family that I’m close with continually states that they are not on the internet much, nor do they have any desire to change this, yet I regularly see facebook updates from them at all hours of the day, and even more emails going back and fourth. In fact both have smartphones, one has a blackberry, the other has an iPhone. Surprising isn’t it?

When I lost my job two years ago, one of the first things I did was go straight onto the job sites and search, apply and contact people. I used my banks online service to cancel various facilities, stop direct debits and plan accordingly. I even logged onto the department for work and pensions, signed up for job seekers allowance and then proceeded to update my calender with various appointments I had made as well as email people who I knew may have been interested in hiring. Only then did I update my facebook and twitter accounts.

Still, if you look at how much I did and think ‘that isn’t much’, lets just remind ourselves of how long this would have taken. Potentially I would have had to wait until the Thursday to get the job listings in the paper, I’d then have to arrange an appointment with my bank which could have taken anything from two days to two weeks (which also means I could have missed a potential job interview), the JSA would have requested an appointment in 14 days as they used to and writing a letter to people I knew? Well of course we all know how the post works, but that’s still an extra day.

Since I couldn’t go out, Facebook and Twitter introduced me to new things to do, things to keep me entertained and a way for me to stop spending money, with the exception of one or two drinks with friends, I spent probably no more than about £100 in two months. Despite the overall feelings of some people, the internet allowed me to socialise and talk with friends as well as contact people about jobs.

Then of course, there’s my phone. Since it’s a smartphone, I was able to text people, I was able to call, I was able to do everything I did above from the palm of my hand and yes I would go as far to say as without the phone, I probably would have been half as effective. Walking down to the job centre to sign on? Well, I was still able to apply for jobs on the move, and I actually did a few times. I even had a telephone interview whilst walking there one time.

There was also support, forums of people who had suffered the same fate, chat rooms and websites all offering advice on ways to cope, ways to describe your downfall in your next job without making it sound like you have a grudge against the evil company that dared to let you go. And yes, all the while I could have my MSN, my Skype and my Facebook buddies popping up with random pieces of information to keep me sane and keep me going.

This is just my story, but I saw countless others doing the same thing, and countless others who were searching for jobs doing word for word the same thing as me.

The beauty of the internet, is that you get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. The real beauty is, you get to make connections with someone that you could only ever see by pure chance.

Thankfully, both I and some friends that were in the same boat, found a job, some of us have even moved on since then to bigger and better pastures. The connections that we made, still last today, all thanks to the technology that we have, that keeps us connected and keeps us going. Sad as it may seem, but we really do all use it, even if we’re not quite aware of how much.

Lets also remember that the important thing here, isn’t so much the technology, but the relationships we build. These are what keep us going, and these are the reasons why we keep ourselves connected in this way.

Fortunately I did, however the subject still remains very close to my heart and so I am writing this once more with a clearer head, but in a way that I hope will convey my true feelings and impressions on this subject.

There are three types of people. The thinkers, the do-ers and the wannabes. Sadly there are more of the latter than there are of the first two, and this also extends rather dramatically to art.

You cannot teach someone to be artistic.

There are so many people that I have met that say they can’t draw, they can’t think or write, and yet these people go to college and art schools in the sole belief that they will become better at these things that they have admitted themselves that ‘they can’t do’.

I should say here and now, I am not an artist. Whilst I have received many comments and compliments about my photography, I do not consider it to be anything beyond average. The reason I market it in the way I do, is because those compliments have come from people who have influence, and those who clearly see a market for the type of photography I do. Perhaps it “is” art? Perhaps it is nothing more than a collection of snaps that some people find appealing.

What I can say for certain, is that I am a photographer. That I am creative enough to get a different perspective on objects and people, and take a picture that is visually appealing. I am a photographer and a decent one at least.

You cannot teach someone to be a photographer.

The reason I say this with such certainty, and such profound exclamation is that a few months ago, I offered someone my services for free as a favour. The response that I got was less than complimentary.

“It’s ok, I studied photography in college”

I refrained myself from sending a response, knowing full well an argument would ensue, and having seen the quality of this persons photography, I knew that they simply wouldn’t understand. Mine alone, is near Da Vinci quality in comparison to this persons.

It irks me, frustrates me and downright angers me when people believe that going to college and studying photography will somehow make them a photographer!

You cannot teach someone to look at an object differently, nor can you really teach someone how to light an individuals face with a variety of different things. Sure you can teach them the focal lengths and best practices, but you never really find out unless you try it. A perfect example is when I shot on Casimir effect, and whilst you won’t see it, I actually didn’t use flash, nor did I use all of the regular lights, I used a penlight and a cigarette lighter in one of them, purely because it was the only thing that I felt would give an appropriate light to this persons eyes. They needed colour, not white, and whilst this persons face was lit perfectly, it was not even close to what I wanted to achieve.

You can’t teach that.

Photography is subjective and uniquely down to the individual, and it angers me that people believe they are photographers simply because they went to college.

If you have a talent, or a decent enough level, then of course, go, there are technical things that you can learn.

If however, you have no talent, just a passing interest, then I don’t personally believe you should be going. You may learn the technical aspects of things sure, and who knows you might get taught a few things that you didn’t know, but to go there with some kind of misguided big headed delusion that somehow after your time in college you will emerge as the next David Bailey. You wont.

Build your talent, and build your interest, but don’t become another one of these ignorant people who firmly believe that two years in college will make you an artist unless you have SOMETHING there already.

I sent an update onto twitter recently, that described my view of the world. I’d love to be able to say that as a photographer, I view the world differently, however I would feel pretentious, and stuck up simply by uttering it. Moreover I like to think that due to my upbringing, the things I have shared and experienced, lost and gained, the mistakes I have made, and the prosperity I have had have altered my view on this lonely planet of ours.

You will have to forgive an almost depressive nature to the rest of this entry, it is saddening in my opinion. I ask if you are willing to read it, you read this with an open mind, non judgemental, and honesty. Look beyond the lines, but do not send me a message saying I need help. I already know this.

We live in a fragile and delicate world. We spend years building relationships, friendships and experiencing different things. We spend our entire lives working, having arguments, hating people, loving them, crying over them and envying others.

I was asked earlier, why trust to me was so important, why building these relationships and having trust in those around you was so important. So rather than re-posting the exact text, allow me to expand on it, and write what I originally intended.

Despite everything we do with our lives, we live in a fragile balance. Our emotions and desires overcome us in ways that affect more than just the small circle of people around us.

As a race, we are never satisfied, we go to war, we kill thousands of people in the pursuit of an individual or the pursuit of financial gain. We hurt those around us because of an individual, or by what we can gain.

As much as history may bore some, and intrigue others, the thoughts linger, it is a part of who and what we are, my father once reminded me that there are only two things certain in life, death and taxes. Whilst he may be true, there is one more thing we can count on in our lives, even if it is only for a short while. Trust.

As a race, we collect memories, experiences and capture moments for our history. We see talent, and beauty in what one man or woman can do. Or courage in the image of a man or woman who once gave their life to save others, or died for a ‘noble cause’.

Some may say that art is beautiful, some may say our lonely planets history is beauty in itself.

To me the real beauty of this planet is the life that it holds.

The relationships we build and the emotions, trust and bonds between people and the joy they bring.

The people we meet, and the things we learn. You never see in history a love between two people described unless it is considered significant. Yet it is, for without that love and trust in each other, the human race would not survive. We would not propagate, bring joy to others, and develop who we are.

Thats the real history of the human race, not the wars, not the hatred or racism, it’s about the way we’ve developed, built and created everything, and it’s all based on life, love and trust and the relationships that come with it.

For me, trust is the most important of everything. It is the very foundation of life itself, and in all truth, I have to believe that. It is something that keeps me alive, and keeps what little faith in humanity I have left.

I have had the joy of meeting, and trusting some incredible, and beautiful people in my life. And whilst I may die and never be remembered, whilst I may never win a war or become a person of influence, I will know that I have had the joy of contributing to these peoples lives, to be trusted by them, and to have trust in them, to know that they will speak of our relationships in the future.

That is my history, my faith. I can only ‘trust’ that others will end the tiring greed, and pursuit of financial gain, or war, or hatred, and trust in them that they will build relationships, and love that matters to them, and everyone around them.

I said in an audio blog, that we should all try to be better people, but perhaps I should add to this, that we should all be focusing on those around us, and those relationships than to be consuming ourselves with other things.

Perhaps that, will be my contribution.

As hard as it may be to believe, years ago, I was in fact a very different person. Shy, reserved, and utterly without a social life or any of the skills that went with it. Hard to believe, I know, but despite what you may think, it was very true. I was the quiet one, with random bursts of energy. My social life, never started until I was seventeen which may account for a great deal of my inadequacies as a human, and with other people.

This evening, whilst I was clearing out my old bedroom, I came across something that I did not expect to find, something that I had assumed I had thrown out years ago. But something that I am glad I did not.

it was a set of three letters, postcards from a friend that was very dear to me, someone whom I met back before I had any idea what a social life was. This person had a dramatic impact on my life, and was a true friend where others were not. There were many stories that we shared, experiences and times that we spent together. As I sat reading these letters, it reminded me of all of this, and more. It was a happy time, a time I loved, with a person I cared for, and I could not help but be emotional.

Sadly, years on, we don’t talk anymore. Not for any fault of either of us, but simply that we lost touch. A decision that I regret completely. Still, good friends are hard to find, and on the rare occasions that they do come up, I’ve wanted to do everything I can to keep that friendship alive. As I’ve said to a few people lately, I hate loosing people, and I hate loosing people that are close to me.

So this year, I finally decided to send this person an email. Nothing too complacent, but something to say hello. Who knows, perhaps that friendship will still be there in some form.

As I write this final line, I’ll add that amongst many things, this is one of the biggest regrets in my life, and that I urge every one of you, to not loose touch, not loose the journey, but to keep those friendships alive, at all costs. Don’t make the same mistakes that I did. Don’t loose a chapter of your life, or a journey that you could have taken.

I have located the new theme for the pro website, which will be accompanied by a minor rebuild and rebrand in places, but it’s finally the site I want.

I’m hoping to have this up and running by the end of December or early January at least, but it gives me precisely what I want and soon, you’ll be able to see it. There will be a post about why I chose the site I did soon!

It’s all come about since 9/11, increased security, increased fear and increased risk. Whilst there have been some ‘ridiculous’ rules put in place, the very notion of bringing more security to a frighteningly exposed business isn’t a bad thing at all.

Let’s look at the security aspect first of all. Ten years ago, sneaking a bomb or a weapon to wound, wasn’t so much of an issue, but despite this it was frankly very easy. So called ‘plastic knives’ came about, making the metal detector useless. These plastic knives are nothing like the cheap cutlery you get on aircraft nowadays. These were super hard plastic forms that were if almost as hard and sharp as the real thing. Sadly these weapons still exist today.

What about when you board the plane? Ever aircraft carries bottles of oxygen. Every aircraft carries chemicals, screws, rivets and electronic components that with the right hands could also be turned into a bomb. Lets also not forget that this small metal cylinder is under pressure when at altitude, and thanks to the advent of fly by wire technology and numerous flight simulators for the PC and Mac means that just about anyone who wanted to, could get into the cockpit of a 747 and fly it. Landing it is another matter of course. In fact, I would be as forward as to say that if I was plonked into a 747 cockpit, I could probably fly the thing well enough.

Yet when faced with the prospect of a security guard seeing your naked body to ensure that tools, sharp objects or even explosives don’t get on board these fragile machines, many passengers simply explode with rage.

Let’s not forget that every day, people are searched, strip searched and cavity searched. Whilst these procedures are necessary, many people can leave feeling undignified and violated. They shouldn’t, but sadly they do. So what exactly is so bad about someone seeing your naked form, a professional who is specially trained and will at all times be a professional, in order to prevent a flying metal tube with tonnes of explosive fuel turning into a weapon?

Yes, I acknowledge that security may well not be the only issue, many people are worried about their privacy, and of course they are right to do so. There have been a number of leaks lately of the two types of x-ray body scanners on the internet. These images of course were supposed to remain private and in some cases be deleted immediately.

Believe it or not, I disagree with this. Images, in my opinion, should be kept for a finite amount of time, say a week, or a month. If something were to happen on a flight, the first instance would be to reliably re-check the passengers for anything that might have been missed. They should however remain absolutely secure with zero risk of exposure. Perhaps store them in a file format that can only be read by a particular type of machine which in turn wont display images without a valid ID card approved for viewing the images. However it’s done, lets do it right.

Suffice to say, I believe we should keep these machines, but just make them a little more secure. After all, you don’t want to be the one who objected to them, only to find that a plane went down with a loved one because you protested their existence do you?

I’m somewhat saddened that the whole 3D thing has been relegated to nothing but christmas pieces, so I’ve decided I’ll change that. I’m not good enough to produce something mind blowing, and in a way, the Christmas piece isn’t meant to be mind blowing. Still, I would like to improve, so I’m going to buck the trend, starting next year I’m going to begin ramping up the 3D productions once more (and I’ll try and include some fractal artwork as well)

So, that brings me on to why I’m posting this. Simple, I need your suggestions. Remember it is a ‘landscape’ but there’s nothing to stop me incorporating an icon, an image, a landmark etc…

So, send your suggestions through the comments and let me know what you would like!

All of these are posted in a relatively logical order, but take some time to think about it because for this we’re going to use T3′s Gadget of the year, the iPad for this example.

Pride

Who of us hasn’t brought a shiny new gadget and can’t resist showing it off to our friends?

“Look! It’s still got that new gadget smell!” we shout as we proudly shove our new gadget in front of our friends, showing it off in all it’s glory above their cripplingly slow netbook or five year old laptop. But do we really need it?

“It can do all these wonderful things!” We exclaim as we try to justify our expensive purchase while in the back of our minds realising slowly that well, we could just lug our laptops around and have the same experience until we hit on that killer feature.

“It’s got multitouch!” We shout proudly, whilst at the same time realising that there are very few applications where we actually use it, yet suddenly realising that for a mere £20 we could get a multitouch trackpad to do much of the same

Envy

On the other hand, we could have just brought our shiny new iPad, happy as hell as we jump around thrusting it into everyones face until we suddenly thrust it into the pristine palms of someone who casually pulls out their brand new 13.3 inch MacBook Air.

Suddenly our attention is focused on the wafer thin piece of technology as we suddenly realise what a mistake we’ve made. For just a few hundred pounds more we could have brought THIS! So what if it only has a 64GB SSD, it’s got a full OS, multitouch and a bigger screen, with proper web browsing, flash and the ability to load almost any application we can think of, oh and it’s got a full sized keyboard and suddenly the world has wronged us as we realise that even with all of that it has better battery life. Suddenly our older more expensive and just as capable laptop isn’t looking so bad!

Anger

Of course with all of these realisations, our friend proudly exclaims “Look I can play flash games, run Microsoft Word, have proper photo editing and I don’t have to sync it with iTunes every day”

We stand back, shocked and appalled, angry that someone would dare say anything bad about our shiny new piece of technology. Of course the argument ensues

“My MacBook can run flash!”

“But my iPad doesen’t NEED flash, flash is dead”

and so it goes on, even though secretly in the back of our minds we come to the slow realisation that we really want this beautiful piece of technology.

Lust

Of course after this, we start lusting over the other persons new piece of technology, we slowly fall in love with it, desperately trying to justify the expense. We secretly hate our new iPad, and look longingly at the old MacBook, exclaiming loudly “but it’s old” even though it’s perfectly capable, perfectly powerful. In fact it’s probably better than the shiny new MacBook air, but still we start to lust after it.

Every time we see the new MacBook Air on the web, we start to wonder about selling the iPad.

Greed

We wan’t it all. Suddenly despite the fact we just spend £700 on an iPad, we want the £999 MacBook Air as well, we want both, we want the newest and greatest all of the time even though we can’t afford it. Sure what we have is more than good enough, but “THIS ONE’S BETTER!” using any excuse to squirrel away some money to try and save up for it. We have to have it, because we wan’t the newest and best, and because we somehow think it might make us better than the other guy. We somehow justify a need where none exists.

Gluttony

All the while we lust after the new product, but then we look around and see our iPad, our year old MacBook pro and our iPhone 4. It doesn’t take long to realise we have it all, we’ve indulged in everything we can and cannot afford. Somehow it doesn’t seem so bad, but there are gadgets sitting there that do all the same things yet we don’t use them.

We’re all swimming in technology, but we’re not using it, we can’t afford to go on but still we must, with the top of our wardrobes covered with bags and boxes from the things we brought, slowly getting left behind and neglected.

Sloth

Of course, with all of these gadgets around, we get lazy. The MacBook gets disgustingly dirty, covered in filth as we let it, to try and justify buying a new one. The iPad that we brought and loved only a month or so ago, lies there, hardly being used, hardly being wanted. We can’t be bothered to maintain them, all the while we’re slowly giving up hope of affording the new product, and leaving our other tools and gadgets in neglect. We’ve become lazy, repentant and remorseful. Our gadgets lie in the dust, un-used and unloved as our emotions drop and drain.

The moral of all of this of course, is we are, sadly, shallow people. We always want the newest product out there even though what we have already is perfectly good enough. Of course, it’s not very good for our finances.

So, as it comes up to christmas, the month where everyones finances are drained, do your wallet and your gadgets a favour, think twice about whether you really need something, or whether you can be content with what you have.

Don’t forget, your gadgets have feelings too!

As with any year, here have been both successes and failures. There have been bridges burnt, friends lost, but there have also been great things, new prospects, new people. I wouldn’t quite say things are falling into place, but they are getting there, although like any end of year, I’m preparing myself for a massive setback.

There is however, a significance in my reasoning for this post on this date. About this time last year, I had somewhat of an unfortunate meltdown, and sadly I vented a lot of it on twitter. Thus that lead to loosing a lot of people. From that however, I’ve emerged stronger, and a little more resilient.

In March I started a new job, I also got a new car, one that has been cursed since the day I got it with more problems than I would care to list, made worse by the people I brought it from (who shall remain nameless in fear of legal ramifications, your milage may vary on this one).

Despite however the new job, I’ve also been somewhat blessed by other things happening. A month or so I was honoured and surprised to find out that I had been nominated for the Wales Blog Awards for my site, apptacious, not only that but I soon found out I had made it into the shortlist, and a mere week ago, I found out that I had made runner up for the best tech blog in Wales. Who cares if I didn’t win, that was an incredible honour to have even been nominated.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take part in some incredible photography thanks to Gabriel Strange and his film The Casimir Effect that I had been helping with. From some incredible set photography down at the then disused Mir Steel plant in Newport, to my first work doing portraiture photography. Thankfully, despite the fact it was my first ever time taking a picture of people, I think I did rather well. I also had the honour of meeting some fantastic people including Zoé Mills, John Jenner and Peter Owen-Williams. I even got to take pictures of a celebrity, Neil Rayment, an actor from the Matrix Reloaded. All of them were a pleasure to meet.

Recently, I got the opportunity to meet and shoot Gareth David-Lloyd from Torchwood. Gareth is one of the nicest guys I’ve met, and thanks to just how approachable he is, he even helped me out, giving me some great pointers and learning tips for my photography.

All of this is fantastic, it’s why I think this year has been something of a whirlwind. It has however, been made even better, as only two days ago, I found out that I am now the photographer for Wales ComicCon next year. Okay so I’ll need to start saving hard for some photography equipment, I will get to take portrait shots of some incredibly famous people like Dave Prowse (He played the physical form of Darth Vadar in Star Wars), Hugh Mitchell (Harry Potter) and incredibly, Colin Baker (From Doctor Who, one of the Original doctors!). Ok so on this one I’m still waiting for the legal stuff to come through, so it’s not 100% certain at the moment, but to even be considered is incredible enough.

A whirlwind? Luck? I have no idea what to call it. All I know is I must be doing something right.

It’s not all about photography. I’ve been steadily developing my skill set in other areas, trying to expand my personality and my prospects. At the Wales Blog Awards I got the honour of meeting some fabulous people, and got to discuss some very in depth things.

Photography has been a dream of mine for a long time, so has IT, so have many things. I have a lot of dreams, some are lucrative, some are just personal fantasies. I’d love to record a regular podcast, I would even like to write for someone.

For me a wonderful dream would be to combine writing, photography and IT together, like a newspaper column, photographing, writing about IT as well as recording a podcast about it, alas, that will probably not happen.

I even have dreams about traveling, although some of the places I would like to visit might prove controversial, but there are hidden meanings for all of it, places like Pripyat come to mind, although I would encourage everyone to read the Kid Of Speed blog by Elena Fitalova. It’s incredible emotional, and inspiring.

This brings me on to another wonderful things thats happened. I’ve been invited to do a voiceover for someone else’s podcast series called supermarket matters thanks to Mark Chatterly, honoured isn’t the word of course.

To say I am blown away with what has been literally handed to me on a plate is an understatement. I would love to say that I have personally been responsible and achieved all of this myself, but that wouldn’t be true. I am simply lucky and I owe many of these incredible experiences to people like Gabriel Strange and Mark Chatterly to name a few.

Of course the year isn’t over, and as I’ve learnt some great things can happen in only a few days let alone a few months!

However I have one thing to thank more than anything, and this may come as a surprise. I have to thank, Twitter.

This might seem stupid to many, but it really isn’t. When I joined twitter just under two years ago, I had no idea how to work it, how to understand it, and believe it or not, I was going to give it up. I would never have met these people or been provided with any of these opportunities had I not stuck it out on twitter. I wouldn’t even own apptacious if it were not for twitter and me meeting the former owners.

2010 has been a whirlwind, despite this however, I of course have regrets. I’ve lost some very dear friends thanks to my own ineptitude and stupidity, I can only hope that I can rebuild those friendships, and build new bridges.

2009 was a year of hell, I even posted about it. I begged and prayed for 2010 to be better, and although it didn’t seem it at first, it has been. I can only hope this trend continues.

So to everyone that has been there, and helped me to achieve what I have achieved so far, Thank you, and to everyone who I have lost, I can only say I am sorry.

Thank you.

What many people fail to understand, realise and accept is that depression, is not just a state of mind, it’s also not just a ‘feeling’ we get from time to time. It’s a Mental Illness. That’s just not me saying it, it’s an actual medical fact, agreed by people across the planet, physicians and psychotherapists. What some people don’t realise however is that there are many different grades of depression, ranging from major to manic. Even some forms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are linked to depression.

The lack of understanding between people is somewhat disturbing. A large number of people see depression as nothing more than a state of mind, a simple feeling, when in fact it can be much more than this. Sadly all to often people are told that they simply feel down, when in fact there is more to play.

Many people do not realise they are depressed. Some people feel very down, and can’t seem to come out of it, others get headaches, weight loss or even weight gain. I’m no psychotherapist or physician, so I can’t list the actual cold hard facts, but a little research can go a long way. The trouble is identifying it, and all to often, people are afraid to actually get checked out.

Of course with this time of year, comes SAD. It’s very common, and in some cases it can only be for the winter months. For some people however, it can be an exaggeration of an existing depressive state. It could in some cases be seen as a blessing, people who don’t realise they are depressed finally get checked out, and find out they were depressed for much longer. For some people this can change their lives. For others, they might simply put it down to the winter months, and accept it.

Unfortunately ignorance is still rife, with many people refusing to consider depression an actual illness. Make no mistake, depression can ruin, and change a persons life in far more ways than you can expect. On the other hand depression can simply be minor for people, affecting them only slightly.

Please, don’t turn a blind eye to mental health.

There is one, seemingly simple question that has always brought up masses of curiosity in me, one that I have never found the answer to. It is in fact the most complex of all questions surrounding AI in the world. It’s not whether it would be ethically right to command something that is intelligent or conscious to be a slave, and nor is it a question of how we should limit information or derestrict information sources to an AI. It’s far more complex, and far more simple than that.

Does an AI have a soul?

This question is one that divides many, confuses others, disgusts some and evokes strong emotional opinions in almost every single person who has ever been faced with the question.

Let’s start at the basics shall we?

A computer, to a certain extent, is a unique individual. It has it’s own characteristics thanks to imperfections in manufacturing processes, and whilst manufacturers will have you think otherwise, no two computers are exactly alike. Memory is slightly slower or faster due to tolerances, hard drives performance waivers to within microns of every other hard drive in the world, even something as simple as your computers cooling, two CPU coolers sit on the processors of two different computers, and whilst they are manufacturers to be the same, the tolerances, and performance reveal minute, almost undetectable instances, so one computer might read 37º and the other might read 37.4º.

These minute differences are almost never detectable by the end user, they are so minuscule that in basic terms, the computers are exactly the same, but in more advanced terms, each and every one of them is just a tiny bit different. So in actual fact, even without AI, your computer is already a unique individual.

In very basic terms, your computer is also alive, it breathes air, excretes hot gasses and technically excretes electricity, since it’s not 100% efficient. It consumes electricity and protects itself from danger. Granted the last one is due to a network of sensors and interlocks, but it does technically protect. About the only two requirements of life that it doesn’t fulfil, is that it doesn’t reproduce or have the ability to consciously think.

Of course with AI, it may not be able to reproduce, but a true AI will mean it can consciously think, so in technical terms if it wanted to reproduce it could command software to build another AI program, or even control a robotic production line to build another. It would in essential steps, be alive in basic terms.

Ok, so being alive is still up for debate, although one theory is a random collection of parts with a simple ‘go’ command could cause a computer to write it’s own code, essentially in the same way a foetus, gets a sudden electrical charge to start beating, that same electrical charge jumpstarts the brain. The jury is out, and probably always will be, but it’s interesting to know.

Of course that brings us to the next part, is an AI actually conscious?
Farthing 1982 defines consciousness as “…. subjective experience, awareness, the ability to experience “feeling”, wakefulness, or the executive control system of the mind”

If computer code essentially writes itself it could be considered aware, since it would need to adapt it’s code to the environment around it. It would need to be able to react to a given situation and be aware of it. Some might argue that the sensors sending signals back, mean it’s simply processing what it reads, but then if you think about it, humans have sensors called nerves. These nerves simply respond to a given situation and send a signal back to the brain for it to interpret. Biology and Psychology teaches us that certain responses are ingrained in our very makeup, but the human minds ability to respond to a different situation has often been described as a computer program, one that can be changed.

The gag reflex can be changed and taught to work in a different way, pain can sometimes become pleasure, and in the case of illness, our responses can be mixed up and turned around. A condition called Synesthesia, means that in some cases a person can ‘hear’ or even ‘smell’ colour. Dissociative identity disorder means that a number of different personalities, each with their own individual reactions to something, are displayed through a persons individuality. This last one isn’t unlike a computer program either, a program can respond to one input, and another program can respond to the same input in a different way.

So, if the code writes itself and we haven’t given it a set of parameters to tell it how to respond the computer is essentially aware of what is going on, of course it may react differently, but a true AI may feel fear because of consequence, e.g. it does something bad and it has one of it’s sensors triggered, or even the power taken out. Essentially the computer could be considered to be aware, and of course because of past experience it could learn to react in a different way. This fulfils the requirements of subjective experience, awareness and it even fulfils the requirement of ‘executive control system of the mind’ since it would have the choice to perform an action, knowing that there could be a consequence.

It could also be described as being capable of ‘feeling’ since sensors would be added to allow it to react to a certain event, since the code could in theory write itself, it could program itself to feel fear, even malice as well as consequence. Remember where we said about consequence? It does something bad and gets the power turned off? It could also feel fear, even become repressed and unwilling to act.

So what about wakefulness? How do we define that in terms of a computer. It’s on, so it’s aware of it’s surroundings, it’s awake, but a computer never really sleeps, it could however choose to shutdown sensors so that it enters a resting or idle state to allow for a processor to cool, this one is a tricky one, and may even become an exception.

Of course the other school of thought is that we would program the AI with an initial set of commands, parameters that tell it what is right, wrong, good, bad, happiness and sadness. The consensus however is that eventually the system would add to it’s own program, even replace the code that is already there. A true AI is widely believed to be one that can exist without input from other users or assistance.

Of course we are at the stage now where we have effectively defined that a computer is technically alive, and could technically be conscious. Now comes the burning question, the one that this entry is all about. Can a computer have a soul?

This perhaps is one of the hardest questions to answer. We’ve shown that a computer with an AI could potentially be it’s own entity, with AI you could be creating a race. But since it is something we built, and in theory, could terminate, is it a soul?

There’s no real medical definition of a soul, there isn’t really a spiritual definition. Do we even know what a soul actually is?

Rather than try and answer the question, I will leave you to ponder your own possible answers, but let’s remember a few things.

A Child, is technically something we create, in theory as with any human, we could terminate it. Although it would not be ethically correct, it’s the same as a computer, we could create it, and terminate it.

A human will inevitably die, and so a computer will through component failure. Even the oldest computers can suffer electrical degradation, albeit over a much longer period.

Humans can be injured, so can a computer. An electrical component could be subjected to an electrical shock, it could still run, although at a reduced capacity.

However, a human in most cases can heal, this is the big thing with a computer. It cannot repair itself unless it has access to a robotic arm and the ability to command them to identify and replace a component. It would however have the ability to run a diagnostic, and work out that something isn’t right, the same way a human could be injured and just know that something isn’t right with themselves.

One thing that is difficult, is identity. A child can usually identify itself or at least what it is within a few months. A child, can usually identify that it is male or female thanks to it’s organs. A computer on the other hand may not be able to do this. Can a computer identify if it is male or female? Could it even choose to be male or female?

The question isn’t so much whether an AI could be alive, but more if it has a soul. In some peoples opinions a soul is defined by so many things, including gender, a soul however to some could be nothing more than a personality which an AI would undoubtedly develop.

Would an AI have a soul? You decide.

Those of you that have met me will know I tend to favour a big coat. It’s not to hide my ever growing and frankly ample belly, and neither is it to do with the elements, it is however all to do with pockets. Indeed, I’m carrying more and more stuff around with me that I really do need the extra storage.

As many men will tell you, they stick their wallet in one pocket, their keys in another and their phone in another. Call me stupid but that doesn’t seem like a good thing to do to prevent wear on your trousers or jeans, and neither does it seem to be practical. Let’s think of our keys a second, my keychain has my two front door keys, my key to the office, my office draws, a USB pen drive, and sometimes it includes my car keys. That’s quite a bit of bulk to be sticking into your pocket, and aside from the more obvious wear issues, it doesn’t exactly look like the type of bulge we all want on our pockets.

As well as that my wallet, despite being cut down in size rather dramatically, isn’t exactly small, add on my smart phone, and from top to bottom in it’s slimmest form, it’s the equivalent of putting a small mail parcel into your trousers.

There is however a solution, which thankfully, more and more people are starting to adopt and something that has become a standard in the far east. The ManBag.

If you go to Thailand or China, there are no shortage of men carrying small purse like items around their necks like the one on the left, yet in the UK most people choose to either carry everything in a rucksack, or tuck it into their laptop bag if they need to carry it with them, rather than actually constantly carrying a bag with them. Of course theres a social stigmata as well, many friends and people I have spoken to regard ‘manbags’ as items for homosexuals or things that look just plain silly.

For me I have two items that I wish I could carry around constantly but don’t. My iPad, and my SLR camera since I don’t have a compact. I also need to keep a spare pair of glasses with me, and if you ever go through my pockets you’ll see I tend to have painkillers stuffed in there as well. So for me, it would be a great idea to carry a manbag. Couple that with the painkillers I keep and the fact I almost always need a pen then it starts to become practical.

What I don’t understand is how other people don’t follow suit and carry one as well. As I’ve already said some of my friends think it’s purely for homosexual males to carry around their ‘guyliner’, or just for transvestites, but there is no reason why you can’t pick up a male bag that doesn’t look overly flamboyant, remains casual and looks appropriate even in business, take this messenger bag The bag comfortably holds a laptop, and your other gear, and is sufficiently casual and smart enough to wear every day or even with a shirt going to a meeting.

Smaller versions exist, ideal for carrying a netbook or iPad, with enough space for your every day items, leaving you free to carry your wallet, phone, keys, and other essentials whilst remaining dignified with this bag from TOM BIHN a great example.

For me personally I will be getting, and carrying one with pride since I really do need to carry quite a few things with me, and I can only hope that others will be willing to follow suit. If of course that leaves me being branded as a transvestite, then fine, I’ll be a transvestite, but face it, we’re getting to the point where we need to carry more and more things around with us, so someday we are going to have to let it all give.

EDIT: – Links fixed! Thanks for the heads up all

I’m close to blowing up, and again I’m really close to blowing up. Virgin Media. Having sat on both sides of the table, I struggle to understand how you can provide such atrocious customer service, and how on earth no-one is capable of taking ownership or responsibility for a case, or someones actions.

But what I cannot stand more than anything, is people using any excuse to get you off the line. Look, If you’re due to go home, tell me, I’ll call someone else. If you’re late to your lunch break, tell me, I’ll call someone else, because frankly I know what it’s like to be on the other side and late for everything and getting pissed off. I understand.

But for gods sake, done use excuses to get me off the line or palm me off to someone else. Why, why is it in customer service, the front line, do we let these utter knob jockeys sit there and blast out customers because they ‘don’t feel like it’.

I can recall one time whilst working in LloydsTSB that a customer demanded to be put through to their branch, I duly did so, and just before the handoff where I took the time to explain the customers issue so they didn’t have to explain it all over again, the staff member blasted off, screaming about how she had just gotten back from their holiday and that it was their first day back and how I should have pawned the customer off. Sorry, I did what the customer had asked, that isn’t so wrong (since I couldn’t solve the issue myself, but I made sure the person I put them through to had enough information so that they could). 

People like that should not be in customer service. The fact remains that most customer facing roles like customer service call centres and branch staff, are paid the lowest, treated as expendable and generally not treated well. This needs to change.

At the end of the day an arrogant prick at the front line (whom is usually paid the lowest) treats one customer badly. That person decides to leave, and usually tells everyone else. The arrogant prick keeps treating people like crap and so more leave, as a result the low paid individual who frankly doesn’t care about his or her job ends up costing the company a small fortune, yet if companies were prepared to treat staff right, treat them better and pay them better the staff might just change their minds and attitudes toward customers.

And maybe for once, we might get a decent level of customer service. For now, I wish the Virgin Media call centre staff, the very worst, and I really hope that the many I have spoken too, either get re-educated the hard way about what they are doing wrong, or find a job where they are simply not allowed to talk to other humans.

The long overdue “dot com” side of my website has hit another snag. Initially I was very happy with the final design and layout thanks to some assistance in design from @staceyjenkins (a local designer) however two things have troubled me.

The current ‘proposed site’ has zero blogging facility, and while I don’t need a blog, the component can be used to provide news and updates in other ways.

It also has no category function, every post is a picture an that’s that, no “drill down” gallery for things like events, special features, and again, this isn’t major as it is meant to be a portfolio, but the problem with no categories is the fact that you need categories to implement a store function, something I’m keen to do.

Short of a complete code rewrite, I’m now on the hunt for a better CMS solution that will allow it, and a theme to rip apart / create from.

It’s a real blow and another huge setback but I am confident that when I finalise and release the design, it will be worth it. The only trouble is working out how long it’s going to take!

“…checking your email is now akin to brushing your teeth…”

So just how important is technology in our daily lives, and is it really akin to brushing your teeth? For me, daily life involves waking up, doing all the bathroom stuff, checking my email and maybe one or two RSS feeds, driving to work listening to a podcast on my iPhone plugged into my car stereo before getting into work, checking my works email and so on. Coming home is much the same, I listen to another podcast on my way home, get in and read more RSS feeds while checking on various technology sites, perhaps reading a book on my iPad or a magazine before going to bed (of course brushing my teeth first).

For me technology is everything. Of course it is, it’s my job, so perhaps I’m a little biased. I’m the type of person who instead of having a tv, had a windows media center pc hooked up so I can get a few extra benefits. I’m not your typical user or consumer, so for me technology is part of my life, and no I couldn’t live without it.

What about someone who doesn’t use technology that much, hard to believe in this day and age but let’s consider my mother or even my father. My mother has an iPhone, but does not technically own a computer, she has a works laptop. However my father has a computer, but only a basic “dumb phone”. Despite these two radical differences, both my mother and father check their email daily. They both always carry their phone with them, and they all go on the web.

My father checks his email on the computer, browses a few sites at least once a day, whereas my mother uses her iPhone for just about everything. I guess you could say that for both of them, technology is also akin to brushing their teeth. Of course it doesn’t help that their son is part of the technology world and is constantly trying to push at least one form of technology into their lives, be it willingly or not. But even for these people it’s still a daily routine.

What about a friend of mine, who isn’t in a techno oriented family? I won’t name any names, but all I’ll say is even he has a nokia smartphone. He checks his email at least once a day, browses ebay every few days, and whilst tech for him isn’t quite akin to brushing his teeth, it’s near enough.

In fact i cant actually think of a single person who doesn’t at least carry their phone with them every day or check emails on a regular basis, and studies have shown that I’m not alone. In fact a few reports have shown that more people now consider it “impossible” to continue their daily lives without some form of computer related technology than ever before.

So how about you? Are you the type that finds technology a necessary part of your life, or are you the type that could happily live without it? Of course the bigger question is a far simpler one, which concerns daily life and work.

Is it possible in this day and age to survive and continue without at least one piece of computer related equipment?

Although this brings up further questions it’s a good point, we could all theoretically survive without email, but could we really survive without the rest?

Tell me your story, and tell me just what makes you think you could or couldn’t survive without a computer.

But wait, read on, I want to explain that somewhat.

You see the thing is, I’ve never been one for “early adopting” yet there was something about the ipad that simply made sense to me right from the release date. Even if others didn’t agree, I for one saw the potential that the device had.

There is absolutely denying that in the short few hours I’ve had it, I am in love, and it really is brilliant, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say “magical” although it is fair to say it’s revolutionary. It is, in the way that it’s one of the few things to enter the tablet domain that doesn’t make me want to throw it across the room the moment I lay eyes on it (windows tablet PC edition is a prime example of this).

No, what prompted the “what have I done!?!?” comment is the sheer cost of the device. An eye watering £699 for the top of the range 3G model! Ok ok that’s for the 64GB model, and yes I know the cheapest one is still a hefty £429 for just wif-fi, but given this thing is supposed to be directly competing with net books, it’s a fairly heavy price tag, even worse when you consider that the keyboard dock is essentially another £50 on top and an application like Pages (a fully functional word processor) is another £5.99* again, and it starts looking even more expensive than it actually is.

On the downside, the iPad is priced out of the market for most people, on the upside, it,s smaller and easier to use than most net books. Lest I point out to you that this entire post is being written on an iPad, and that the keyboard is near enough full size. No I did not purchase the iPad keyboard dock, although I intend to, but I wanted to see just how usable the on screen keyboard is. And it’s safe to say that while it still suffers from the iPhones “I need to learn how you type before you can actually type” syndrome it is incredibly usable.

Speaking as an IT professional, I simply have no need for a netbook. They tend to be bulky, slow, and have no capacity to run any of the programs I use. That Is why I have a laptop, and a company provided one at that. What I do have a need for is a device I can comfortably lie on the sofa with and browse the web, go on twitter and MSN and do the occasional blog post. Granted I could do that with my current laptop, and for a long time I did, however it was still far too large to comfortably have on my lap.

Ok so yes I admit it, I could still quite comfortably use the laptop, however the iPad does make things a whole lot easier. I will post my thoughts and reviews after I have had an opportunity to really sit and play with it but for now I can tell you that the whole experience is a completely pleasurable one, and web browsing alone is an absolute dream.

This thing could very easily replace my laptop for most of the things I do in the evening, and some things in work as well!

*I originally had put £10 as the price for pages, it is infact 5.99 as Andy pointed out

Now I want to stress something, this website will not contain all of my pictures, it will contain a selection, and a very carefully picked selection that will be decided by me and other critics I have contact with, so I will after a while give you a link to my flickr site instead if you want to see all of them. It is however going to take me a few days to fully implement, but as of tomorrow at 12 midday thelongmile.com will go down, ready to be redirected into the new site, phwew, finally!,

By the way, if you want to critique the photos I have and suggest ones for my porfolio, go to flickr.com/thelongmile and let me know which ones you like!