Who needs The One?

Recently I’ve had several conversations with different people about one of those things that crosses the mind of every person at some point in their lives: The One. 

It’s not as sad a case as you may at firs think. Among the people with whom this has come up are content singletons, the happily married, of course lonely loners, and people that fit in all around and between them. So I’ve had a lot of input, from many perspectives.

So what is The One? Well we spend a lot of our lives making connections. Meeting people, making friends, finding enemies, falling in and out of love, these activities are pretty much the core of our existence. The One is that person that inspires in you feelings that I can only describe as how the song Fake Empire makes me feel in it’s last 50 seconds. They make you want to dance, to smile, to throw yourself around and just be happy.

I, along with pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to, believe that The One is not just one person. It’s the right person at the right time. It’s that guy or girl you meet by accident one morning on the train. It’s the girl you’ve been talking to every week for three months but you’ve never been brave enough to ask out. It’s the guy you’ve flirted with freely since the first time he smiled at you. It’s the person you haven’t met yet, that you won’t meet, for years to come. The point is, we change and grow and develop all through our lives, and yesterdays The One is not necessarily the same as tomorrows.

As I get a little older I ponder this occasionally. Life has not turned out the way I thought it would. When I was younger I imagined I’d have my own family by this stage. A house surrounded by trees, children, and a wife (The One of course), and that hasn’t happened. I find myself a greater distance from that imagining now than I was a few years ago. The thing is that I know a few people like me, and I know a few people who’ve done something about it. Something that I consider to be the absolute wrong thing.

There’s nothing wrong with being single, and not having The One. But some people can’t cope with that. Their need to be in a relationship, their desire to fill out the template of life as set down by the ages, to get married and have kids, completely overwrites their common sense and they settle for what they can get. They find a someone, and at some point they tell themselves that this person will do the trick. That this person is lovely, and nice, and kind, and great material for the rest of a life together….

That person might not ever make them feel fuzzy in the stomach, dizzy in the head, and explosive in the heart. They might not draw a smile at the simplest thought of them. Their annoying habits might actually inspire annoyance. But… They’re better than nothing…. Right?

No.

So, a point? Yes, of course. Never settle. Never give up. Never stop fighting. Even if you don’t get what you want, don’t squash your own happiness to meet the expectations of society. Make yourself happy by being happy. Let yourself fall in and out of love, and always believe that there’s the chance that the next one might be the right one.

This has been brought to you by a meandering mind waiting to go out for coffee. Have a great weekend, and I hope you all meet someone that makes you fuzzy!

Still not sure about Man Of Steel

Whenever I watch Richard Donner’s Superman I still get a little buzz. Maybe it’s just my childhood joy spilling over into adulthood, or maybe it’s my love for the character, but I’m never disappointed in it. Sure, I can see the faults, but for every moment of ridiculous silliness there’s still the amazing time spent on Krypton and in Smallville. For each slightly daft bit of acting there’s still the amazing wonder of Christopher Reeve and his startling ability to play both Clark and Superman.

And Christopher Reeve… I’ve been reading Superman comics for many years. And I’m sure I will continue to do so. It still makes me smile to see how his performance left such a powerful impression that it’s the go to design for what I’d call a ‘real’ Superman in a lot of the comics.

I loved Smallville too. That was series that certainly had it’s faults. Some of them so frustrating, and so obvious, that they still bug me now, even though it’s all over. But I did enjoy it. For it’s part it made the characters accessible and fun. It also managed to create it’s own mythos (wrapped loosely around the comic books) and used that to inspire the dreams of this simple viewer. It made me want to fly far more often than I could complain about it. (It also made me want him to fly, but not as much). Tom Welling was great in it, and I think he really nailed the duality of the character in the last few seasons.

Superman Returns…. I took the day off work, I got up at a stupid hour, and I went to see this movie first thing in the morning. It was, and still is, disappointing. I don’t think it’s a bad movie. But there’s a lot wrong with it. A lot of very disappointing things. I could go through all of the Superman media I’ve sought out over the years, but lets get to what’s on my mind…

Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel. Uh oh. Zack Snyder. Hmm. I’m not a fan. I’ve been waiting for a chaotic, intense, heartwarming Superman movie for absolute years and… Zack Snyder. Well, to be fair to the man I liked Dawn Of The Dead and 300 was ok. Watchmen and Sucker Punch though were two of the worst movies I can remember. Sucker Punch was, in fact, infuriatingly bad. I’m terrified of what he’s going to do to this movie. I’m genuinely worried that I’ll go to the movie and walk out with a feeling of utter disappointment.

But, and this is a but laced with the giggles of a comic book nerd, there is hope. Hope in the shape of David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan. Check out those IMDb links, oh yes… BATMAN! These guys brought us Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, & The Dark Knight Rises (Ok, not seen that one yet, but come on, we all know it’ll be awesome). Together they’ve come up with the story and the screenplay for those three Batman movies, and too for Man Of Steel. This can only be a great thing. Over the last few years they’ve taken Batman back from the edge of complete silliness in film and planted him squarely on top of the world when it comes to doing a comic book character justice on the big screen. Here’s to their continued success.

And then we have Henry Cavill. The newest Superman. And from the photos I’ve seen, along with the movies/TV I’ve seen him in I’m quite looking forward to his crack at Clark/Supes. I’m not 100% on the ‘onesie’ instead of the ‘underpants on the outside’ but I’m willing to let it slide if he’s amazing.

The rest of the cast… Have you seen this page? That is nuts! It’s an amazing cast! Personally I can’t wait to see Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, but that’s a thin lead over the rest of the great choices. So there’s more hope right there.

I’ve always been a fan of going to the cinema and losing myself to the movie. Getting lost in the story, forgetting that there’s a world outside of that room. Movies like this are supposed to make you sit there and get a rush. Your heart should thump, your face should be split by a smile, you should want. no, you should need, to fly. You should go home and dream of soaring high into the sky, and fantasize about being a hero. It’s the ultimate escapism and it does no harm to enjoy it every now and again.

So here’s a few words to Zack Snyder, I hope he can help: I want to be your fan. I want to laugh at people for not loving your Man Of Steel. I want to believe I can fly.

The Third Alternative

In the small hours of tonight, at around 4am, I’ll wake up. That is, I’ll wake up if I ever actually go to sleep.

Nine years ago, at around 4am, on May 10th, I was forced awake by a few words spoken to me by my father. A few words I remember incredibly well. A few words that changed everything.

My brother, Simon, was dead. He took is own life. I don’t talk about it too often these days, but if someone asks me about it I’ll answer in as much detail as I can. I’m not afraid to talk about suicide, or loss, and I hope that some of you who read this lack that fear too. Only in talking about what breaks our hearts, and what pains our minds, can we begin to realise that suicide is not the only path.

A few weeks ago I reproduced here a poem by Catullus that I read at Simons funeral. It’s well worth a read if you’re interested. I did it because of a friends loss, but it brought mine back to me so forcefully that it has stayed with me. I say that as if it ever really goes away, but it doesn’t. So this is my piece to remember him this year. Remember him in a way that others might also think of him, and remember him in a way that’s positive.

I have two things I want to end with: Firstly, please talk to someone if you’re not feeling great. It doesn’t matter who it is. Or indeed just be a person that’s willing to listen to someone. And secondly a little motivation, from the mind of Neil Gaiman, and the pages of Fables & Reflections:

“It is sometimes a mistake to climb;

it is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.

If you do not climb you will not fall. This is true.

But is it that bad to fail, that hard to fall?

-

Sometimes you wake,

and sometimes, yes, you die.

But there is a third alternative…

Sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”

Here’s to flying.

Google Drive, initial response

I’m a long time user of Dropbox. It’s a great service, and it’s been invaluable over the last year or so. The ability to store and share files so easily has contributed to making the way I do things less difficult. Along with the added bonus of  security in the knowledge that should I lose my usb drive (which recently happened) it’s no big deal. I recommend it to everyone when I get a chance, and I recommend it to you now. I suggest to you that if you’re not using it then you are slightly mad. Get to it.

This level of love and dedication can be difficult to overcome, but Google Drive presented a nice opportunity to try out a similar service from the big guys.

So what has Google Drive got going for it:

1. 5GB or free storage, and a reasonable premium price structure. Better even than Dropbox.
2. It’s very similar to Dropbox in operation, so there’s no new-fangled learning to do to use it.
3. The web browser interface is pretty. If you’re a Gmail user (and really, who isn’t these days?), it’ll appear very familiar and easy to use.
4. A nice and simple mobile app.
5. The essential desktop service. Just a folder, just like Dropbox.
6. It appears to be well integrated with other Google services. (Well it is from my limited use so far. I haven’t spammed it with tests, just played around a bit).

All of those are fairly important to any level of user, but the integration factor is the one I believe that will make the difference as time goes on.

Take for example the purchase of a new Android handset. You turn it on, you sign in, you’ve got everything you have in your Google account shortly thereafter. It would be nice to imagine that in the future the need for multiple accounts and passwords and usernames would be obsolete as one service provider offers almost everything we could want. (Obviously this means that security would need to become better than exceptional. But I’m not going to venture down the paranoia route today).

So considering the similarity, what about Dropbox? I’ll still use it. For quite some time yet. The developers seem to have hit a small streak recently with some nice improvements, and other than that I just like the way it works. I won’t be jumping ship, just splitting my time.

Overall I think Google Drive is nice. It makes sense for Google to take this step, and it fits well with the rest of their offerings. I even think I’ll start using Google Docs a little more now. Google Drive is free, there’s a nice chunk of space, it goes with what you’ve got (if you’ve got what I think you’ve got), and it’s definitely worth checking out!

In memory

Today I attended the funeral of a brother of a friend of mine. I like and respect this friend, and to honour her, her family, and her lost brother I was happy to be there.

It was not an entirely easy day for me. It brought back many memories, as I too lost a brother at too young an age. At the end of the ceremony though my friend delivered the final words, much as I had done many years ago, and I was moved by what she said. It reminded me of what I said at the end of my brothers funeral, and I’ve decided to share it here today.

For Geraldine and her brother. For my brother Simon. For everyone of you out there that has lost someone. I dedicate this to you all.

At a brother’s grave

Over the mighty world’s highway,

City by city, sea by sea,

Brother, thy brother comes to pay

Pitiful offerings unto thee.

_

I only ask to grace thy bier

With gifts that only give farewell,

To tell to ears that cannot hear,

The things that it is vain to tell,

_

And, idly communing with dust,

To know thy presence still denied,

And ever mourn forever lost

A soul that never should have died.

_

Yet think not wholly vain today

This fashion that our fathers gave

That hither brings me, here to lay

Some gift of sorrow on thy grave.

_

Take, brother, gifts a brother’s tears

Bedewed with sorrow as they fell,

And ‘Greeting’ to the end of years,

And to the end of years ‘Farewell’.

_

(This is a translation of poem ’101′ by Catullus, with the translation by H. W. Garrod in 1912. I took it from Latin Literature – An Anthology from Penguin Classics. I reproduce it here exactly as it appears in the book, and exactly as I spoke it at the funeral).

A small observation on social networking

I’m not entirely sure if social networking is something that as a whole can be boxed up into one nice little descriptive package. In fact I’d be fairly positive that it would be impossible to do such a thing.

It’s pretty difficult to remember exactly all of the social networks of which I have been a member, but I do know that when I join one it is because it’s new, and different to what else exists. That’s something that can not be denied: Social networks have evolved over time. Each one offering something a little new, and a little different. Each gives a a slightly different method of sharing and connecting with the world.

There was a time when networking was just about talking to people, arranging meetings, connecting in the virtual world almost exactly as we did in the real world. But that’s no longer the case. Now we share ideas, opinions, thoughts, and feelings. We share everything. We give a part of ourselves to the world, and we do so freely. It’s a type of connection which it seems is easier to make virtually than it is personally.

With the explosive popularity of services like Instagram and the new Pinterest there’s an even more advanced and personal method to connect and share. These services allow people not only to see what we see, and often AS we see, but also to have an insight into our thoughts and dreams. Sharing has become more complete, and yes also more intrusive, than ever before.

It makes me wonder where the limit of this progression lies. Or even if the limit exists at all. Either way, I imagine it won’t be long until we have the option of using something like these:

I wonder what these might be for... Hmm...

(If you know, or indeed can guess, what these are from without clicking this link then may all of your enemies suffer horrible squirrel related mutilations! I would recommend clicking the link anyway, it’s super funny).

This rambling post has been brought to you by an unoccupied mind with little else to accomplish this evening! Good Wednesday to you.

Mass Effect

I remember years ago when Mass Effect was recommended to me. I’ve always been a fan of RPG’s but move to new ones with some trepidation. This time however it was suggested by a friend with good taste in such things, and was made by BioWare, so I thought I’d take a chance. And hell I want to go into space in my own ship and blast around from star to star and this was the closest I was ever likely to get.

I bought a new copy of the game, got home and peeled it open to be hit in the nose with that fresh wrapped new game smell. I’ve always loved that smell. It reminds me of new experiences, new stories and new adventures. I put it in my console, waited and then I was blown away.

I was hooked instantly. This music was inspirational and dramatic, it pulled me in and was well crafted for every moment of the game. The voice casting and acting was a beautiful surprise, the opening dialog where they discuss Shepard is just golden. The story was… Epic.

Let’s focus on the story for a second. It covered comedy, drama, action, horror, terror, romance, xenophobia, racism, politics, economics, and a lot of other stuff I’m probably forgetting. It was a proper space opera.

The character development, armour selection, and weapon choices were fantastic. As I played the game my character grew, and I became more and more intrinsically tied to him. I made the choices, I picked the look, I made the kills. I thought Garrus was cool, and I loved Liara. Tali was intriguing and Wrex was a legend.

The game grabbed a hold of me and immersed me in it’s world and I loved it. It was, and still is, one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Then  came game two. So I’ll just start with what I didn’t like: Streamlining the RPG elements of the game until it wasn’t really an RPG anymore. That’s not cool. In fact it was terribly annoying.

But… But… WOW on the story! And the music! And still with the casting. Wow wow wow. The introduction of the coolest character in the series: Thane. Oh Thane, he looked cool, he sounded cool, he had a cool story, and he had fantastic philosophy. I’m not forgetting Legion here, it’s just that Thane was my favourite.

Overall the second game carried a great story forward, and introduced some great new characters and story elements. I was as involved in number two as I was in number one. My heart raced and I stood up right at the end and urged my Shepard to make that big jump by stomping my feet and squeezing the controller until my hands were sore.

And so at last we come to game three. I’ll start with what I did like this time: More of the same as what I liked before. Overall the series maintained fantastic writing, music, and casting up until the end. It was a beautiful story and I was engaged from start to finish. I cared about what happened to each and every one of the characters and what happened to them. I cared about all of the races, and occasionally found it tough to make the ‘big’ decisions. I was involved in this game, and it hooked me just like the first two. Perhaps even more than the first two because I was so committed to my characters, and so dedicated to getting my win.

But what went wrong with this game? Well it was still a streamlined RPG, so boo to that. A lot of characters that had become so important in game two were just plot elements in game three. They turned up for a chat or a mission and then they were gone. The game also felt very linear. There was no real new exploration, which I know makes sense for the story but still felt a little constrained. Oh, and Kai Leng. That guy was just annoying.

So finally, after traipsing around the galaxy and having a few massive fights I got to the end. And I was presented with three very murky, and very unclear options. I picked the one I thought made the most sense for my experience, the one I wanted, and that was it. It was all over. I watched the consequences of my choice unfold, I sat through the credits and listened to the amazing epilogue by Buzz Aldrin.

(I’m not going to say anything about the ending other than these few thoughts: I liked it. I think it sat well with the tone of inevitability that had been well established way back in game one. I think the campaign to change it is madness. And I don’t believe in the ‘Indoctrination Theory’ even though it would be very cool if that was the intention all along).

I made some tea, sat down, and felt a little empty. A story I’d spent four or five years playing though had finally come to an end. It was a rewarding experience in terms of a video game, and one I hope to repeat, just as soon as I get my hands on a copy of Mass Effect again (2 and 3 are still here, never going anywhere). Even though I felt the games diminished somewhat as each was released they still remain to be individually wonderful and wholly breathtaking.

I still want to go up there. Into space. In my lifetime if that becomes possible then I’ll take every step to do it. Right now even I’m studying astrophysics, just in case that helps. There are a million things I could say about that, but the Mass Effect 3 epilogue kind of says it best…

I want Sci-Fi on TV, and I need you!

Recently I found myself wanting a serious fix of proper science fiction. I read plenty of books, so that box was ticked. What I wanted instead was something big and epic and dramatic and full of adventure and decent acting and great writing and well applied special effects, and… Well you get the idea, I wanted a lot.

So I tried a few movies. Old, recent and new ones that I thought might help. In no particular order I watched: Aliens, Alien Resurrection (oh boy, what a mistake), Event Horizon, Iron Man, the new Star Trek and a couple others. I also took a trip to the cinema to see The Hunger Games. All this left me unsatisfied after too little time had passed. There are some gems in there, but none were exactly what I was looking for.

Next I thought I’d try television shows. Firefly was out because I watched it during a complete nerd-fest a few months ago (along with Serenity, what a great couple of days). My thoughts moved to BSG, but then I remembered I promised myself the next time I watch that it will be on a BIG-ASS screen (seriously, no joke, if I can get rich and build my own cinema for this then I will) in the highest quality known to humanity. Eventually I chose Stargate SG-1. And you know what? Great choice! It’s a lot of fun, it’s dramatic, it’s funny, it’s full of adventure, it’s got great good guys and even better bad guys. It’s got TWO spin off shows and TWO spin off movies! What more could I want? Zip! Well I’m going to watch SG:U in due time (again), and my thoughts on this show led me to think about watching something original instead.

Do you know what’s on TV at the moment in form of rip-roaring adventure science fiction? No? Of course you don’t, because there is none. Don’t get me wrong, there’s sci-fi/fantasy out there that’s good (Fringe, Supernatural, I’m looking at you guys!), but it’s not space opera, and there’s no space magic, and that’s what I want. I know that’s a little narrow of me, but I really don’t care. The first movie I ever remember seeing was Return Of The Jedi. I don’t even remember the whole movie, I just remember the skiff battle. That kind of thing stays with you, and for me at least it seems to have defined what I like now.

But I’ll never get what I want when science fiction is consistently shunted off the air in favour of every single other type of programming that can be pulled out of thin air. Here’s a small list of the great shows that have been cancelled over the last few years (in no particular order):

• Terra Nova
• Firefly
• Caprica
• Stargate Universe
• Farscape
• The 4400

Add to those the shows that haven’t been picked up, like Blood & Chrome, and 17th Precinct, and who knows how many more I don’t even know about. Now these aren’t the greatest shows of any genre ever, and it wouldn’t be fair to describe as the best of anything out there. But they are fun, they do have a wide and varied appeal. They cover phenomenal amounts of topics from politics to sexuality to religion to mental illness to a tonne of other stuff and back again. AND… AND… You can get really cool toys spawned by science fiction shows. If that’s the kind of thing you’re into… Which I am… Shhh.

So why do I need you? Well it’s simple really, but here’s a little background: Science fiction gets cancelled because of viewing figures (among other reasons, but this one is cited a lot). Apparently they were low for the above mentioned shows and many more. And when that happens advertising, and hence money, becomes the issue. A big one. And it’s easier, cheaper, and more profitable to buy a season of some reality show that follows around whatever vapid celebrity is attempting to relaunch their career this month than it is to run the risk of sci fi. I’m not saying you should go out and watch all the sci fi right now – if you did that’d be awesome – but what I’m suggesting is that next time you see some sci fi just give it a chance. Don’t switch off when you see monsters, lasers, moons, planets, aliens, maths or any impressive special effect. Check it out, you might like it, hell you might even love it. It’s a broad field, there’s something there for everyone.

And the more you do that, the better the chance that not only will you find something you like, but also they’ll buy up and show something I like.

Thanks!

Android photo apps

With the release of one particularly famous photo app recently I thought I’d mark a return to blogging by sharing some of my thoughts on a few Android photo apps.

As a note: In an earlier post I mentioned FxCamera, however it’s not on this list as I find it somewhat lacking in the quality of these other apps. That said it’s still a great little app, and it functioned very well on my old HTC Desire and on my current handset.

(I’m currently using a Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100 running Android 4.0.3)

Instagram

So I’ll start with the one that inspired this first-in-a-while post. I’ve been using it now since release day for Android and so far I think it’s a very nice app, and I can see why it has become so popular through it’s time on iOS.

The interface is very easy to navigate around, and very pleasing to look at. The photos of people you follow are presented in a very easy stream (which does have room for improvement though, maybe in sorting options and further limiting of displayed comments unless clicked upon).

The quality of photographs are quite good, and the filters are well implemented. In fact one of the things I really like about Instagram is there aren’t an insanely high number of options when it comes to filters and borders. My preference is for a fast and easy to use app, not one where I become bogged down in edits on a phone. Though at the same time this exposes some limits in the app that many people may not be happy with, and for those people there are alternatives I’ll mention further down.

The best part overall is the social element. I’ve followed about twenty people so far who take some absolutely stunning photographs. There’s plenty of debate in the world around the quality/value of phone photography and these photographs (and indeed the photographers) make up a lot of ground in working to silencing the critics. The sharing options are also excellent and well integrated, with the best one in my opinion being through Twitter.

(As I was writing this I flicked to another tab  and got some breaking news, courtesy of Gizmodo, that Instagram was just bought by Facebook! So I imagine that Facebook will eventually outstrip Twitter as the best sharing option).

One negative point is photo importing. Trying to get them to the right size from other camera apps and being forced to crop images is a little annoying. But not so much so that I would describe it as a black  mark against the app.

I can definitely recommend Instagram, and would suggest it as a fun and social photo app for anyone.

Camera360 Ultimate

If you’re in the market for an app to fully replace the stock camera app and provide you with a huge range of editing and effect options then Camera360 is one worthy of consideration.

This app takes great high quality photographs, and quickly. Some of the effects slow the app slightly after the shutter is pressed (or pushed/touched, whatever you’re doing!), but not enough for it to be distracting or annoying when in use.

The interface for taking a photo is very clean and nice. The edit interface is a little dull and simple, but it’s not really a negative thing, just an observation.

There are eighteen different initial options for filters before taking a shot (including one for normal pics). One of these eighteen applies initial edits to a photo right after the shot. Once the picture is processed many of the eighteen options provide subsequent edit and tweak options before saving or discarding the picture.

Personally I keep the preset to either the ‘HDR’ or ‘Magic Colour’ while using Camera360 as I find the effects and results to be very impressive, and I would recommend the app even if it just had those two options.

One of the other options the app has, while on the screen to select effects is the option to switch over and select ‘scenes’ instead. This isn’t something which I’ve played with at all, but there are a huge amount of options here also, enough to keep someone entertained for a while anyway!

While it doesn’t have a social network there are some sharing options within the app. Though the only popular and near universal network it works with is Facebook.

As I said initially a great stock replacement, and a lot of fun!

Camera ZOOM FX

Whereas Camera360 is a  worthy replacement to the stock app Camera ZOOM FX is one that should be your first port of call when choosing a new camera.

It’s a very powerful and easy to use app. It takes great quality photographs, and provides plenty of options with regards to shot control and and composition (including a limited, but nice composition choice).

A myriad of effects are available ready to go with the app for shot processing. One of the nicer features of these effects is that they are applied live and can be seen in the image before the shot is taken. This isn’t a common feature to a lot of apps, but it’s great to see it, and well implemented.

One of the other great features of this app are the add ons. Oh so many extra features and effects to be had and all for free! Now I don’t really like this, as I could spend an hour trying to edit one photo and still not being happy. For me the choices are far too many, whereas those contained with the app itself are more than enough.

Again no social network here, but there is the option to set up a ping.fm account and to share from there. The app does suggest that you can share directly from the gallery on the phone anyway, which is overall my preferred option through most photo apps anyway.

One thing I don’t like about the app is that I find it a little slow. It’s not so slow as to be unusable or a reason to not try the app, but it is occasionally a little distracting.

Hipster

So this app could be described as an Instagram competitor, both in what I like about it and in the fact that it’s social network. But there is an important difference in the type of photo you’re taking.

With Hipster your photographs are turned into postcards. Ones which you can add a couple of lines of text to in the editing. This makes for a lot of fun, and the effects/borders available are very nice. Again I like them here because the options are limited, it would only take 20 or 30 seconds to scroll through all of the effects and choose which one is most desirable.

The app uses the stock camera app for original pics and as such the quality is limited by your hardware. The edits are quick to apply and are done so in a really nice interface. The sharing (and bear in mind that I’ve only done this once) was a little slow, but not devastatingly so. The app integrates with facebook, twitter and tumblr, and you can choose easily to which service you want to send the photo to upon publishing (see the Instagram similarities yet?).

But Hipster also has it’s own social network. The layout of which in-app is miles ahead of Instagram as far as I’m concerned. It’s well designed graphically and very easy to navigate, which is all you really want in a service such as this. Whereas Instagram is the massive hit it is Hipster is like a lower down contender, so your friends are less likely to be using it, which is a shame.

Another note on the dislike of mobile photography is that again Hipster is full of quality photographers and their shots. Showing that it’s not the tool that’s the most important thing, but the skill and eye of the user.

This is a great little app and it’s well worth a look.

Paper Camera

This is not a full camera replacement. This is not a social network. This is not the greatest camera app on this list. This does not have a beautiful interface. This does not offer a huge amount of control.  But…

THIS IS FUN!!!

Paper Camera offers twelve different presets for fun photos. All of which are great quality, and all of which are applied live in app, and not post shot. There are three other options in-app that allow for changes in the contrast, brightness, and line density, all of which add up to provide a whole lot of variety in the photos taken.

The other nice thing about Paper Camera is the ability to import images from the gallery and apply the effects at a later stage. So if you prefer to use the main camera and play with shots later then you can do that here.

Well worth the time and money.

Any others?

For alternatives to editing and sharing there’s always Photoshop Express, Pixlr-o-matic, and Lightbox. I’ve tried all three, and found that my favourite was Pixlr-o-matic. The only reason I uninstalled it is that I found the apps above accomplished the same things, and so it was just taking up space. For some reason I could never get into Lightbox, and I just never used Photoshop when it was installed. But these three have been recommended to me by real people and by the internet!!

This is not an exhaustive list, just a few thoughts on what I’m currently using and what I recommend. Any other suggestions are welcome in comments.

Coraline and 3D. An old post shared again.

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Due to a few different reasons. A little indifference, a little laziness, but mostly a lack of the passion enough to write down anything that I was thinking about. I stumbled across an old blog post I wrote from an old blog I had and thought I’d share it here. I’m doing this because I think from the words alone you can see just how much I enjoyed myself, and it even brought a smile to my face to read it again

One important thing I note from this blog is the 3D element. I hate 3D now. I think it’s used unnecessarily in most cases and is distracting in nearly every case. But here, in Coraline, I thought it was magical. Anyway, enjoy, and I’ll be more original at some stage in the future.

Last Sunday, 15th Feb, I was fortunate enough to go see a screening of Coraline 3D as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (www.jdiff.com - check it out, very cool, excellent showcase of some wonderful movies).

As a Neil Gaiman fan I was quite looking forward to this. Mostly because he would be speaking after the showing, and partly because I just love going to the movies.

In preparation I bought the book, and read it on Valentine’s Day (no sobs, my girlfriend was at a hen party, so I got some quality book time!). I really enjoyed it. Coraline is a simple scary childrens book. Not simple in it’s creation or delivery, but in the way that it’s not a messy collection of words and pictures designed to numb the brain. It’s old style scary and very engaging.

So I was ready for the movie. Well aware that there would be changes as there are with all interpretations of books. Not a bad thing, merely a new chance for surprise. It’s important to note that this would be my first time seeing a 3D movie, an exciting prospect until I saw the GIANT 3D specs I had to wear…

Those are my regular specs beside them… and you’ve noticed it too I daresay… Where are the blue and red lenses? I mean when did they change that!

So the technical appreciation: 3D is amazing. Simply the most wonderful way to see a movie like this. I was very impressed. It was very subtle, and used to almost perfect effect. That said I would’ve liked to have seen more of it in the movie. Just because it was such a wow factor.

Coraline is a hand animated movie. Stop motion, clay-mation, (think Wallace & Gromit), and you’ve got the idea of how they at Laika did it. Time, effort, and a great deal of craft. The world and the characters were all beautifully designed and brought to life. So much so that you wouldn’t miss the CGI for a second. The real feel, the texture of Coraline made me love it more than any other animated movie I’ve seen recently.

During his interview at the showing Neil Gaiman made a point of saying how this was a movie that was very different from the current stock of “family” movies doing the rounds. As he said that I thought of the movies that are on Sky Family, and the DVD’s that I see in HMV and the like. He couldn’t be more right. Most of the “family” and “childrens” movies that have come out in recent years have been banal and boring. Unchallenging and insulting to the intelligence of any child. Coraline isn’t one of those movies. It’s engaging, thrilling and scary. I jumped, I laughed, I sighed with relief, I squeezed my girlfriends hand, I watched with anticipation and wonder… and I read the book less than 24 hours earlier!!

It’s a visual feast, trippy and engaging. Some parts are risque, and some kind of disturbing. If I were to put on a stuffy adult voice I wouldn’t recommend it for the youngest children. But as thats not the type of thing I do, I’ll suggest it is suitable for everyone, the more wild and receptive your imagination the better. but don’t worry if you’re a little at a loss for the creative ideas, Henry Selick (Director) and the team at Laika have done enough to help you along.

I won’t review the movie, picking the good and bad bits out (I can’t think of a bad bit now that I mention it), suffice to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I recommend that everyone should see it, and in 3D if possible.