Tretakoff Musings
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Who Watches The Watchmen? You Do.
I have a confession: I am a lapsed comic book geek. Yes, years ago, I was one of the thousands who trekked to the local comics store weekly to grab literally dozens of new issues. I proudly hustled my newfound issues home, ravenously consuming the rich storyline and revolutionary artwork, then carefully sealed the issues in plastic sleeves, storing them away for archival purposes. And there they remained. And, actually, remain to this day. As I moved across the country, I stopped making the weekly trips, and eventually stopped altogether. I briefly experimented with subscribing, but the issues arrived torn and crumpled, making me frustrated. At last, I lapsed on this rich world of fiction.
It's been years, and I have discovered the various repackaging of complex storylines in my local Barnes & Noble in bound collections, but the prices remain startlingly high, and I am just not a bug fan of paper, as those who read this blog well know. I wondered if there was any way the comics could make the leap to the computer screen. Stan Lee tried it in the height of the dotcom boom, with unfamiliar characters, to predictably poor showings. Years later, I learned of the trend for enthusiasts to scan comics into large images which were traded in the shady back alleys of the Internet; I tried these, and was disappointed with the poor reading experience. Was there no solution?
Looks like I am not alone in my yearning, as GigaOm points out. Two new ones seem to be the most promising. First is Marvel's own Digital Comics online reader, allowing the panels to be zoomed in on intuitively, and a passable online reading experience. It's by subscription, but for a reasonable price. The downside, however, is it's an online only experience: you have to be connected online and use a PC. Since I usually only have that combination at work or on weekends late at night, not sure if it's a good deal yet, but I may well be trying it.
The second is far more intriguing. Called Motion Comics, this approach allows the comics to have very limited zooms and animations, with voiceovers from experienced voice actors. The experience is similar to listening to an audiobook, but with the rich art and panel structure of traditional comics. DC Comics has capitalized on the interest in the upcoming Watchmen movie and is releasing the original limited series in this format, through iTunes, for $1.99 per "episode." Although I own the series, I gladly downloaded this as a chance to refresh myself on Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' masterpiece, and I was very pleasantly surprised. As a longtime audiobook listener, I was hardly thrown by the male voice talent doing all parts, including the female ones, that seems to have bothered "newbies" to this approach, and the animation is subtle: just enough to add to the presentation without distracting from the original work. Plus, with iTunes, I can watch on my iPhone or my computer, sans web connectivity. Very cool.
With comics becoming the stalwart for the movies these days, the medium is getting the attention it has so long deserved. The irony for old comic geeks like me is that the blockbusters are using material that is 20 or 30 years old for the most part (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Batman, etc.), so I might have a chance to get digitally caught up by the time the movies discover the new stuff. Excelsior!
I have a confession: I am a lapsed comic book geek. Yes, years ago, I was one of the thousands who trekked to the local comics store weekly to grab literally dozens of new issues. I proudly hustled my newfound issues home, ravenously consuming the rich storyline and revolutionary artwork, then carefully sealed the issues in plastic sleeves, storing them away for archival purposes. And there they remained. And, actually, remain to this day. As I moved across the country, I stopped making the weekly trips, and eventually stopped altogether. I briefly experimented with subscribing, but the issues arrived torn and crumpled, making me frustrated. At last, I lapsed on this rich world of fiction.It's been years, and I have discovered the various repackaging of complex storylines in my local Barnes & Noble in bound collections, but the prices remain startlingly high, and I am just not a bug fan of paper, as those who read this blog well know. I wondered if there was any way the comics could make the leap to the computer screen. Stan Lee tried it in the height of the dotcom boom, with unfamiliar characters, to predictably poor showings. Years later, I learned of the trend for enthusiasts to scan comics into large images which were traded in the shady back alleys of the Internet; I tried these, and was disappointed with the poor reading experience. Was there no solution?
Looks like I am not alone in my yearning, as GigaOm points out. Two new ones seem to be the most promising. First is Marvel's own Digital Comics online reader, allowing the panels to be zoomed in on intuitively, and a passable online reading experience. It's by subscription, but for a reasonable price. The downside, however, is it's an online only experience: you have to be connected online and use a PC. Since I usually only have that combination at work or on weekends late at night, not sure if it's a good deal yet, but I may well be trying it.
The second is far more intriguing. Called Motion Comics, this approach allows the comics to have very limited zooms and animations, with voiceovers from experienced voice actors. The experience is similar to listening to an audiobook, but with the rich art and panel structure of traditional comics. DC Comics has capitalized on the interest in the upcoming Watchmen movie and is releasing the original limited series in this format, through iTunes, for $1.99 per "episode." Although I own the series, I gladly downloaded this as a chance to refresh myself on Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' masterpiece, and I was very pleasantly surprised. As a longtime audiobook listener, I was hardly thrown by the male voice talent doing all parts, including the female ones, that seems to have bothered "newbies" to this approach, and the animation is subtle: just enough to add to the presentation without distracting from the original work. Plus, with iTunes, I can watch on my iPhone or my computer, sans web connectivity. Very cool.
With comics becoming the stalwart for the movies these days, the medium is getting the attention it has so long deserved. The irony for old comic geeks like me is that the blockbusters are using material that is 20 or 30 years old for the most part (Iron Man, Spider-Man, Batman, etc.), so I might have a chance to get digitally caught up by the time the movies discover the new stuff. Excelsior!
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Desperadoes: iPhone App-Style
ever since the launch of the Apple iTunes App Store for the iPhone, Apple has straddled the line between being an agnostic content aggregator and a fascistic controller of content that makes the Chinese government look like the Wild West. Case in point is that I now have not one, not two, but three separate applications on my iPhone that have since been removed from the Apple store for further downloads, with no explanation. Let's have a look at these insidious apps, shall we, and see what evil they have wrought.
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First up, Tapulous' Friend Book. Tapulous are the makers of the Twitter iPhone client, Twinkle, that was easily one of the most popular Jailbroken applications before they went all legit. In addition, they make Tap Tap Revenge, an iPhone enabled version of Dance Dance Revolution. Friend Book delivers photo dialing, powerful contact search, but best of all, Handshake: select a contact record, hold two iPhones running Friend Book together, and shake. Voila, the contact is sent to the other iPhone. Cool, huh? It's gone. In all fairness, Apple is innocent on this one; Tapulous pulled it down, as it was not up to their expected quality. But I'm still photo dialing away...
Next, Box Office. A simple app that pulls down the movies playing near you, allows you to browse buy title or theater, shows the current showtimes and Rotten Tomatoes score, and even links to let you buy tickets. Free, powerful, helpful, and leverages the geolocation ability of the iPhone. And removed from the store with no explanation.
Finally, PhoneSaber. This app was a lark to me: it leveraged the motion sensing of the iPhone to let you swing a virtual light saber back and forth, complete with correct sound effects for the movement. Free, it was fun, but to watch the transformative effects on non tech folks, you would think it was Apple's best ad. But, alas, you can't have it. Why? Because the license holder for Star Wars content on mobiles objects. As Obi Wan said, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
Look, I'm all in favor of Apple trying to maintain quality, but you can't do it both ways. My iPhone continues to work perfectly with these apps on it; yours would, too. So this either needs to be an open marketplace, or a closed one with clear rules. But this halfway stuff is what makes people crazy and drives them to strip the DRM and set up Jailbreaking all over again. Even worse, now comes word that Apple may have the ability to remotely remove apps from your phone, even if you've installed them.
Apple, it's time to lead, follow, or get out of the way.
ever since the launch of the Apple iTunes App Store for the iPhone, Apple has straddled the line between being an agnostic content aggregator and a fascistic controller of content that makes the Chinese government look like the Wild West. Case in point is that I now have not one, not two, but three separate applications on my iPhone that have since been removed from the Apple store for further downloads, with no explanation. Let's have a look at these insidious apps, shall we, and see what evil they have wrought.-708062.jpg)
First up, Tapulous' Friend Book. Tapulous are the makers of the Twitter iPhone client, Twinkle, that was easily one of the most popular Jailbroken applications before they went all legit. In addition, they make Tap Tap Revenge, an iPhone enabled version of Dance Dance Revolution. Friend Book delivers photo dialing, powerful contact search, but best of all, Handshake: select a contact record, hold two iPhones running Friend Book together, and shake. Voila, the contact is sent to the other iPhone. Cool, huh? It's gone. In all fairness, Apple is innocent on this one; Tapulous pulled it down, as it was not up to their expected quality. But I'm still photo dialing away...
Next, Box Office. A simple app that pulls down the movies playing near you, allows you to browse buy title or theater, shows the current showtimes and Rotten Tomatoes score, and even links to let you buy tickets. Free, powerful, helpful, and leverages the geolocation ability of the iPhone. And removed from the store with no explanation. Finally, PhoneSaber. This app was a lark to me: it leveraged the motion sensing of the iPhone to let you swing a virtual light saber back and forth, complete with correct sound effects for the movement. Free, it was fun, but to watch the transformative effects on non tech folks, you would think it was Apple's best ad. But, alas, you can't have it. Why? Because the license holder for Star Wars content on mobiles objects. As Obi Wan said, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."Look, I'm all in favor of Apple trying to maintain quality, but you can't do it both ways. My iPhone continues to work perfectly with these apps on it; yours would, too. So this either needs to be an open marketplace, or a closed one with clear rules. But this halfway stuff is what makes people crazy and drives them to strip the DRM and set up Jailbreaking all over again. Even worse, now comes word that Apple may have the ability to remotely remove apps from your phone, even if you've installed them.
Apple, it's time to lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
BD -Live Movies: Overcoming Time And Space
We're not native Californians, but we sure do love living here. However, Amy still misses her sister back in Boston: she talks on the phone with her constantly, visits her (here or there) at least once a year, and more. When the movie Sex and the City came out this year, there was no one she wanted to see it more with than her sister, and she was determined to, even though they were 3000 miles apart.
She thought about what were the essentials that she wanted to capture:
- The ability to see the movie, at the same time
- The ability to share their expectations before the movie
- The ability to share their impressions after the movie
So, armed with this, she hopped online and found a theater that was running a showing out here, and a theater in her sister's area that was showing it exactly three hours later. She bought the tickets for both, called her sister, and said, "We're going to the movies." At the appointed times, both drove to their respective theaters, chatting on the phone with bubbling anticipation. They chatted all the way into the actual theater, then said goodbye as the previews started. After the film, one immediately called the other so they could gushingly relive those shared wonderful moments. They giggled all the way home, and said goodbye.
Yes, they had just seen a movie together, thanks to the Internet and cell phones. Now, imagine one of them could have rented a Blu-Ray DVD, and scheduled a time to watch it...on both of their TV screens? Even better, imagine they could have invited a friend in South Carolina to watch, too, or even a relative in Hong Kong. And, during the movie, they could have had a little chat window up on the screen, for the comments to share? A little known feature of Blu-Ray, called BD Live, does exactly this. And, it seems that BD Live will finally get it's big debut with the release of The Dark Knight this fall.
Like many advanced DVD features (multiple angles, zoom, etc.), this BD Live feature seemed doomed to esoterica. However, according to the article, as The Dark Knight is expected to be one of the biggest DVD releases ever, "the studio has hinted that a group of people will be able to start the movie simultaneously allowing for chat under and after the movie." BluRay manufacturers need to push this idea, as you would need a BluRay device in each home to participate. Sony needs to push it hard, as they make the cheapest BluRay player out there, in the form of the Playstation 3.
But, as much as The Dark Knight is going to be a great success for this, I think the marketing is all wrong here. First, forget Batman; focus on Carrie: do this with the release of Sex and the City. Second, put an ad campaign together, sponsored by Absolut or Grey Goose, for a night of "Sex and Cosmos," promoting multiple simultaneous viewings for fans of the show and movie, along with instructions for drinks, and how to arrange a "Sex and the City" party for you and your friends at home with your BluRay player, so you can all join in the fun. And finally, promote the simultaneous Chat feature with a special viewing on BD Live with some of the stars of the film...sponsored by whomever. I mean, if you want to see this technology take off, let the women be inspired to buy Playstation's!
We're not native Californians, but we sure do love living here. However, Amy still misses her sister back in Boston: she talks on the phone with her constantly, visits her (here or there) at least once a year, and more. When the movie Sex and the City came out this year, there was no one she wanted to see it more with than her sister, and she was determined to, even though they were 3000 miles apart.She thought about what were the essentials that she wanted to capture:
- The ability to see the movie, at the same time
- The ability to share their expectations before the movie
- The ability to share their impressions after the movie
So, armed with this, she hopped online and found a theater that was running a showing out here, and a theater in her sister's area that was showing it exactly three hours later. She bought the tickets for both, called her sister, and said, "We're going to the movies." At the appointed times, both drove to their respective theaters, chatting on the phone with bubbling anticipation. They chatted all the way into the actual theater, then said goodbye as the previews started. After the film, one immediately called the other so they could gushingly relive those shared wonderful moments. They giggled all the way home, and said goodbye.
Yes, they had just seen a movie together, thanks to the Internet and cell phones. Now, imagine one of them could have rented a Blu-Ray DVD, and scheduled a time to watch it...on both of their TV screens? Even better, imagine they could have invited a friend in South Carolina to watch, too, or even a relative in Hong Kong. And, during the movie, they could have had a little chat window up on the screen, for the comments to share? A little known feature of Blu-Ray, called BD Live, does exactly this. And, it seems that BD Live will finally get it's big debut with the release of The Dark Knight this fall.Like many advanced DVD features (multiple angles, zoom, etc.), this BD Live feature seemed doomed to esoterica. However, according to the article, as The Dark Knight is expected to be one of the biggest DVD releases ever, "the studio has hinted that a group of people will be able to start the movie simultaneously allowing for chat under and after the movie." BluRay manufacturers need to push this idea, as you would need a BluRay device in each home to participate. Sony needs to push it hard, as they make the cheapest BluRay player out there, in the form of the Playstation 3.
But, as much as The Dark Knight is going to be a great success for this, I think the marketing is all wrong here. First, forget Batman; focus on Carrie: do this with the release of Sex and the City. Second, put an ad campaign together, sponsored by Absolut or Grey Goose, for a night of "Sex and Cosmos," promoting multiple simultaneous viewings for fans of the show and movie, along with instructions for drinks, and how to arrange a "Sex and the City" party for you and your friends at home with your BluRay player, so you can all join in the fun. And finally, promote the simultaneous Chat feature with a special viewing on BD Live with some of the stars of the film...sponsored by whomever. I mean, if you want to see this technology take off, let the women be inspired to buy Playstation's!Labels: movies
Is this REALLY where you want flames?
I'm rather left speechless at The Sportsman's Guide's latest home decor addition. This is like having a hot tub emblazoned with images of ice cubes.
I'm rather left speechless at The Sportsman's Guide's latest home decor addition. This is like having a hot tub emblazoned with images of ice cubes.Labels: fun
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Universal Wishlist, Amazon Style
How the heck did I not hear about this? Amazon has expanded the functionality of their wishlists to any other site online. Yep, that's right: you can now add any item, from any site, to Amazon's wishlist, with one click. I was using TheThingsIWant.com for this, but Amazon integration? Count me in, folks.
How the heck did I not hear about this? Amazon has expanded the functionality of their wishlists to any other site online. Yep, that's right: you can now add any item, from any site, to Amazon's wishlist, with one click. I was using TheThingsIWant.com for this, but Amazon integration? Count me in, folks.
Clearly Insecure
When I wrote my blog post on the Clear program for airport security, I had no inkling of just how it could transform from a scam to an outright security threat. However, it seems it has come to pass, as a laptop with over 30K members' information has vanished.
Clearly, a bad decision.
When I wrote my blog post on the Clear program for airport security, I had no inkling of just how it could transform from a scam to an outright security threat. However, it seems it has come to pass, as a laptop with over 30K members' information has vanished. Clearly, a bad decision.
