Ponderance

Continuing their trend of using online technologies to enhance the online presence of the series, and rapidly build a dedicated online fanbase, the SciFi channel has put a streaming version of the FULL final episode of BSG Season One, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II" online, free for all to watch. While Realplayer isn't the most ideal viewing format, it's still a huge step for a series to now have two (of thirteen) full episodes of a series freely watchable online.

After such a brilliant first season, and such a nailbiting season finale cliffhanger, this is surely the best advertising possible for the upcoming second season of Battlestar Galatica! [Via Unofficial BSG Blog]

Well, the much anticipated mainstreaming of podcasting has begun in earnest with iTunes 4.9 supporting direct subscription to podcast feeds. For a complete how-to, the iPodLounge has a detailed guide to accessing podcasts from within iTunes, but if you're just looking to grab a few podcasts, you won't need it: the process is very easy (or, as Richard Giles suggests, "From a user perspective it?s just magic."). Having downloaded and tried out a few subscriptions, the process of downloading podcasts is greatly streamlined and I can't imagine I'll need to use iPodder or any other podcast-specific downloading software again in the near future.

From a podcaster's perspective, Richard Giles mentions that to list podcasts with all their details in the iTunes directory, you need to add a few iTunes-specific tags to RSS feeds, and while this annoyance will probably mean the directory takes a while to have full details on current podcasts, I imagine this process will get automated by some clever programmer in the near future.

Since so many podcast listeners use an iPod (keeping in mind you don't have to use an iPod to get podcasts), the integration of iTunes with podcasting should push the popularity of podcasting, as well as cement the "pod" part of the podcast name.

Of course, podcasts via iTunes isn't perfect, and in the next iTunes update, I'd love to see:
* While fetching podcasts, a "time remaining" on download estimate - there is currently the slider icon which gradually fills as you download, but this is imprecise if you want to know exactly how long is left.
* Integration of the iTunes stars system with the directory - while there is a top 20 and top 100 podcast listing within the Apple Store, I'd like to see what other subscribers think of the podcasts in the directory in a similar style of Amazon's recommendations. Since iTunes already uses the five stars (albeit not widely utilised, I suspect), integration of this with the directory to give user ratings would be a good indicator of popularity beyond simply number of downloads.
* Integration of ShowNotes with podcasts - lots of podcasters add shownotes, so it would be nice to be able to read them along with the podcasts.

In terms of mainstreaming podcasts, though, I suspect we're about to see a great deal many more commercials embedded in podcasts. One only has to see how self-styled "podfather" Adam Curry appears in the iTunes directory to see the emerging commercialisation of the podcast:
(and while I know Adam did a lot to kickstart podcasts along with Dave Winer, why does he have to look like such a egocentic plonker in this picture?)

Following Grant's pointer, I've got to say I found the first full trailer for Peter Jackson's King Kong rather enticing! From the period-shot rendering of New York city to a Giant Ape versus a T-Rex fighting over a lovely lady (although perhaps not so much her affections as calorie value motivating them), this is a crisp little advertisement! However, I've got to ask, with so much music in the world, why would Universal use the same music for the King Kong trailer as Fox have recently used in the Fantastic Four trailer? Sure, the music most likely won't be in the films, but surely there's a few more tracks out there to chose from?

Does anyone know what the piece is called (it's most noticable in the last third of either trailer)?

Given that Google can allocate in excess of 2Gigabytes for GMail, it seemed odd that image uploading in Blogger blogs hosted on blogspot was still rather difficult to achieve (having to use Hello/Picasa). Thankfully, Google have finally added native image uploading and hosting for blogspot blogs. I wonder if we'll see an explosion in the use of graphics in blogspot hosted blogs? :) [Via Blogger Buzz]

There are very few things that everyone agrees on, but I suspect that everyone, everywhere, agrees that SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is one of the potentially most tragic events in anyone's lives. Today is the annual Red Nose Day fundraiser for research into preventing SIDS, so go forth and dontate or buy yourselves a Red Nose (or a Red Nose Day button if you happen to find those noses a little hard to wear all day!).

Go on, be a hero ...

You must watch "Tom Cruise Kills Oprah". [4MB Mov]

Found on Waxy; not sure where it came from, but this fairly simple video mashup (well, sort of...) is very funny. Colour me tickled pink ...

Update (3.30pm, 27 June): You know that a video mashup has uber-meme power when Waxy promotes it to a full post, and even The Age is citing it as evidence of a massive increase in Cruise-humour.

Update II (5.20pm, 30 June): I'm sorry, but why would someone create a media storm by saying they don't believe in psychiatry, only to follow up with, but I do believe in aliens, "Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?"

Batman Begins is a very, very good film; the best of the Bat-films by a long shot, which is saying a fair bit because I rather like Tim Burton's stylised vision from the last re-launch of the Bat cinema franchise. Christopher Nolan's direction is spot on, making the most of the rich mythology of the Batverse without being in any way restricted by it. The choice to avoid villians that had been recently been envisioned by Burton et al, especially the Joker, in favour of relatively unexplored, but rich evil characters (specifically Ra's Al Ghul and The Scarecrow) was a great decision. Similarly, the development of a very rich and quite original backstory (beyond the killing of the Wanyes, of course) reinvigorated Gotham's number one son. Apart from Katie Holmes (who wasn't bad, she just didn't stand out in contrast to the other cast), the supporting cast were amazing: Morgan Freeman was wonderful as the almost-Q character; Gary Oldman was a surprisingly subtle Gordon; and Michael Caine made the most endearing butler ever! One of the most outstanding elements that really stood out for me was the amazing design of Gotham City itself; Gotham looked stunning ... this is gothic industrial decay enabled by special effects used at their most effective (and least garish). Head to the cinema for the Batman, but stay for the city ...

There's more to say, but I don't have time to say it. If you want more on Batman Begins head over and check out Grant's (growing) super-size review ...

Just as the over-sexed, over-hyped Australian series of Big Brother is celebrating its first in-house sexploits, the new BBC Doctor Who season is joining the hype over the UK version with an episode where the Doctor, Rose and a second companion Australian audiences have yet to meet get stuck in a gameworld which is run remarkably like the Big Brother household ...

As a UK Big Brother fansite reports:

Doctor Who fans will see the time travel hero become a spoof reality TV star and appear in the Diary Room, chatting to Big Brother and trying to escape from Britain's most famous house. BBC Producers have been granted permission to use the famous Big Brother music and logo.

Interestingly, if the ABC continues screening Doctor Who every Saturday, then the Big Brother themed episode will probably screen within a week of the final eviction show in Australia.

Rod Hilton's final Abridged Prequel script is harsh, but very funny.

An extract:

MEDICAL DROID
She's dying. She has given up the
will to live.

EWAN MCGREGOR
Given up the will to live? She does
know she has two brand new babies to
live for, doesn't she?

NATALIE has her twins, the order of which creates a
completely unnecessary continuity error for no reason other
than the fact that DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS must really enjoy
watching his obsessive fans rationalize obvious flaws. She
DIES.

Read the whole thing here.
[Via Decaffeinated]

The day before Revenge of the Sith, Waxy reported that a workprint version (with timecodes across every frame) was doing the rounds online. I was interested to see how long it would take pirate copies to turn up in the piracy hotspots in South-East Asia (in this case, in Bali), and after asking friends visiting there last week to have a look for Episode 3, sure enough it was very widely available. However, what I found most interesting (apart from the creative use of graphics for menus and coverart), was the fact that this was still the workprint version, but it had been put through a filter to try and remove the timecodes (which works to a differing extent in different scenes).

Examples:





For the DVD coverart and amusingly misspelt menu-page, click here.

Oh, and don't bother asking: I don't have Episode 3 available to download or share. (Seriously, the film needs to be seen crystal clear on the biggest screen you can find. Otherwise, what's the point?)

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