The weekly newsletter for Fed2
by ibgames

EARTHDATE: February 5, 2012

Official News page 9


WINDING DOWN

An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net and technology news
by Alan Lenton

It's snowing. Fuel bills have nearly doubled in the last year. My new computer arrived this week. It was dead on arrival. I sit at my desk surrounded by packing cases, since we are in the middle of moving apartment. Have you any idea how much 500+ books (paper ones, not e-books) weigh? Fortunately, the other two thirds of them are already packed and in storage. Since we didn't know that the tenancy would be signed this week, my wife is in Bruxelles (note for Americans: that's in Belgium, which is on the wrong side of the English Channel) with the car, because we promised to move my step-daughter's belongings back to London this week.

O2, our broadband providers are claiming that it will take 10 working days (two week in real terms!) to type in the half dozen commands that will transfer the connection to our new apartment. And to cap it all I have a bunch of newly minted (and tested) code for my game, Federation 2, which I can't put in because I can't guarantee to be able to immediately fix any problems that occur - even the best tested code sometimes goes rogue.

But otherwise, everything is OK.

In the circumstances, I think I would have been excused for passing on producing an issue this week. But since I needed to cheer myself up, I decided that a more lighthearted version would be appropriate, so here it is - uninterrupted by any of those usual pesky sub-headings...


First off in this week's selection is the latest in classy technology for budding James Bond types - Wi-Fi cuff-links. They're silver, of course, what else would they be? Well, actually, they are a USB stick with 2GB of memory and, when plugged into a computer they become a Wi-Fi hotspot.

"James, darling."

"Mmm?"

"I find your cuff-links absolutely electrifying..."
http://www.brookstone.com/polished-silver-oval-wifi-and-2gb-usb-cufflinks

What do you get when you cross a Roland synth with a Fender Strat? The new G5-Stratocaster. It's a classic looking Strat with an impressive built in synthesizer. Not only auto-tuning, it is also capable of emulating an impressive array of other stringed instrument styles. It's really designed to avoid those annoying pauses in rock concerts when the lead guitarist selects, and tunes, a new axe from a vast array displayed behind him. The G-5 can emulate all those guitars at the flick of a switch.

Will it find favor with guitarists, though? Difficult to say. In the same way as rock drummers insist on having a J Arthur Rank style gong with their drum kit (which they never use) as a symbol of their virility, so too does the array of guitars for the lead axeman. There's a lot of psychology wrapped up in this matter. While we wait and see take a look (and listen) at the video - it's interesting, despite the irritating voice over. I was especially impressed by the quality of the nylon acoustic, 12-string, and sitar emulations.
http://www.gizmag.com/roland-fender-g5-stratocaster/21189/

Prefer photography to music? Then take a look at some of the gorgeous street photos of New York taken by Frank Oscar Larson in the 1950s to see the work of a master. The Gothamist has ten prints out of a collection of 65 that will be going on show from today in New York's Queens Museum of Art. Street scenes are not exactly difficult to find, but knowing when a click of the camera is going to produce a picture with the right visual composition that also tells a story, is something different again!
http://gothamist.com/2012/01/27/1950s_new_york_street_stories.php

Fireworks in New York are great. London can sometimes avoid screwing up and produce an impressive combined light and fireworks show. But Moscow has now set a new high in this field. The Alpha Bank put on what must be one of the best ever shows for this year's City Day celebration. Starting with an audio-visual display area exceeding a quarter of a million square feet - a world record. With 81 projectors, 40 light cannons, and urban climber Alain Robert scaling the university tower without any safety gear was just the starter, because then... Then... THEN... there were the fireworks - 5,000 of them, and 50,000 balloons.

I couldn't find much in the way of video, unfortunately - I suspect people were too awestruck to start the video cameras - but there are plenty of stills, and an explanation of how it's done in the URLs below. I might just go to Moscow for next year's City Day, if there is to be a repeat performance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pem1UKP3QLk
http://englishrussia.com/2011/09/06/4d-show-as-a-gift-for-moscow-city-day/
http://www.gizmag.com/moscow-projection-map/21270/

So, Moscow has fireworks, but Paris has a more subtle offering for the masses - a subway pass designed by one of their top designers, Phillippe Starck. And I have to admit, it does look classy. My first thought was to laugh at the idea, but then again, why shouldn't ordinary everyday objects be designed to be pleasing to the eye as well as functional? I could think of more than few website designers who could take some lessons here... See what you think.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/31/french_nfc_paris_metro/
http://www.starck.com

Those of you with an interest in space travel who happen to be in London at the end of the month might like to take a visit to the Royal Society where, on February 27th there is a talk and discussion on 'What's left to explore in our solar system'. The event is led by Dr Zita Martins, a University Research Fellow based at Imperial College London. Dr Martins work looks to analyze organic molecules in meteorites to try and identify signatures of life, past and present, throughout our solar system.

The Royal Society's Café Scientifique events aim to provide a forum for the debate of scientific ideas. Free and open for all to attend, join scientists and other specialists to explore current issues in science over a drink. Audience participation is strongly encouraged. This event is free to attend, doors open at 5.45pm and admission is on a first come, first served basis.

I've been to free Royal Society talks before. They are very good and present a rare opportunity to hear top researchers talking about, and discussing their work.

Recommended.
http://royalsociety.org/events/2012/explore-solar-system/

My American readers may have come across the expression 'stiff upper lip' - something the British are supposed to possess in an abundance to boggle the imagination. Many of our less fortunate brethren, I know, find this a difficult concept to get their heads around. I am proud therefore proud to assist in explaining this concept by bringing you a classic example of Brit stiff upper lip-pedness. But first I need to set the scene for you all...

The year is 1940. From airfields all along the newly occupied coast of France, Hitler's minions are setting forth to blitz London into submission. From airfields scattered around the southern counties plucky fighter pilots rise in their tiny fighter planes to take on the vile hordes. Unfortunately, they are far fewer than the overwhelming number of bombers, who, their ranks depleted, get through.

In the capital the king and queen refuse to leave Buckingham Palace for safer climes, despite a nazi bomb exploding in the garden, while in the east end the masses huddle together in the underground subway stations, defying the 'authorities' who fear allowing such actions will damage morale.

The camera pans west as the sinister drone of the Heinkel fills the darkening sky, lit only by the beams of searchlights and the flashes of anti-aircraft gunfire... (That's enough scene setting - get on with it: Ed)

In the west London suburb of Richmond a small group of men meet to wrestle with the thorniest problem of those dark and distant times. Yes. It's the committee of the Richmond Golf Club deciding what to do when matches are disrupted by falling German ordinance. And this is what they came up with:

  1. Players are asked to collect Bomb and Shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the mowing machines.
  2. In competitions, during gunfire, or while bombs are falling, players may take cover without penalty for ceasing play.
  3. The positions of known delayed-action bombs are marked by red flags placed at reasonably, but not guaranteed safe distance therefrom.
  4. Shrapnel and/or bomb splinters on the Fairways, or in Bunkers within a club's length of a ball may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is thereby caused to move accidentally.
  5. A ball moved by enemy action may be replaced, or if lost or destroyed, a ball may be dropped not nearer the hole without penalty.
  6. A ball lying in a crater may be lifted and dropped not nearer the hole, preserving the line to the hole without penalty.
  7. A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball from the same place. Penalty, one stroke.

That my friends, is a true example of the British stiff upper lip!
http://io9.com/5881261/in-1940-an-english-golf-club-wrote-rules-explaining-proper-conduct-should-nazi-bombs-suddenly-fall


Acknowledgements

Thanks to readers Barb, Fi, and to Slashdot's daily newsletter for drawing my attention to material used in this issue.

Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voracious Spamato spam filter...

Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
5 February 2012

Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist, the order of which depends on what he is currently working on! His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan.

Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.


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