Death of the Video Tape...How long until DVD's are next?

Well, it's safe to say RIP to the video tape.
Over the year, video players have been disappearing across my university to make way for top quality DVD players. Let's face it, they've been dead for years now, nobody uses them anymore, at least not very often.
Back home we still have a huge pile of video tapes of great films ranging from Disney classics like The Lion King and Jungle Book, to Eastenders videos and some wrestling ppvs. In a way they show a bit of our history and for people my age, they show our childhood. I remember the days before things like Sky Plus; I used to record my favourite shows on a video tape so that I could watch them again later.

It makes me feel old thinking that they were the way to watch your favourite shows and films whenever you wanted - now it's become so easy. When you finished watching a video you had to actually rewind it if you wanted to watch it again, and it made that loud rewinding noise while you waited.
You couldn't skip scenes; you had to fast forward to where you wanted it to be. Those were the days...

Thinking about it, DVD already look like they're going to be making their way out the door sooner rather than later.

Digital copies are slowly growing in popularity as they enable you to watch content 'on the move', although is that really a good thing. Music is great on the go, because you can still keep focus on what you're doing, but tv shows and films usually require a lot more attention.
Blu-Ray is also becoming a challenger to the DVD, but the obvious safety net is that you can play DVD's on a Blu-Ray player.

They can certainly still put up a fight, I know a lot of people that still buy them instead of a digital copy. But we can be certain that sooner or later they'll fade away just like the video tapes. And then I'll just feel really old - all over again...

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Super Powers - Super Speed

In this series of blogs I will be observing the various super powers that we'd all love to have. I'll look at the pro's and cons and see what we all think we could do with the powers. These powers won't necessarily be needed to act as a super hero, they could simply be thier to make your life easier. At the end of the each blog i will give a verdict on these abilities - Super? or Stupid?

Super Speed is one of those powers that often gets mentioned when discussing what abilities we would love to have. I guess because it creates a sense of invulnerability, nobody can touch you because you're just too quick. We've seen the power put to good use in numerous films, comics and tv shows. But in reality is it really all it's cracked up to be?

Positives
Quick journeys
You can pop to the shops and be back in no time. Easy.
Escape danger
You can run away from anyone(or anything) no problem.
Be a real superhero!
We already know that it's possible to become a proper super hero with super speed alone. The Flash did it, so if you wanted to go around saving the world, then maybe it's a possibility.
Easy wait loss
Any extra weight will just fall off of you [see negatives]
Eco Friendly
No need for cars or anything like that, save the environment, and save a lot of money too.
Run on water
I'm guessing(another 'Incredibles' reference) that if you run fast enough, then you can run across water without sinking. You just have to make sure that you don't stop half way through.
Race?
You would win all the races you want..if you want....i guess...meh
[Note to self] Stop getting ideas for super speed positives from The Incredibles.
Negatives
Trip over
If your running incredibly fast and suddenly trip - it's going to hurt...a lot
Catch fire
I know in 'The Incredibles' they have friction proof clothing, but in the real world, that clothing doesn't exist. Your clothes would burn, and your atualy body won't feel too great either.
Shoe issue
What kind of shoe can sustain such fast speeds, i'm guessing it would bave to be extra strong trainers or something like that.
Too much weight loss
I'm guessing you'd lose loads of weight without even realising it, could be a frustrating balancing act[see positives]
Dodging
Must be hard to avoid rnning into objects when our running fast - do your reflexes become fast as well? They'd would need to be pretty quick!
Bugs
You're running fast, you're loving it. Then suddenly a bunch of flys, and others insects smack into your face. They land in your eyes, all over your clothes, and worst of all - in your mouth. Not good.
What you had to say
What would you do if you had super speed?

@ricky_compton Challenge Usain Bolt to a race, knock him down a couple of pegs.

@GeorgeRoff Wouldn't buy a car. (Y)

@CapitalW23 Easy, I'd run over to ya'll.

@JaimeCarroll I'd wee into empty bottles and sell it as energy drinks as my power will be passed down.

@TheIceMan5000 Super speed! That would save me time, and I'd never be late again. but I can't help but feel people would abuse it.
Conclusion
This is one of the toughest decisions so far in this Super Powers series. Thier have been some good positives, but also some very convincing negatives. It seems that in films and comics, a lot of the realistic flaws are hidden, and if that was the case from these blogs then Super Speed would get an automatic 'Super' rating. It's not a one trick pony, it's a diverse power that would enable you to do so much more than you first imagine. But is thier just too much there that is holding you back and stopping you from taking this power to it's highest potential.
We'd need to have lightning fast reflexes to get the most out of the power, and for this conclusion i'm going to assume that the reflxes come with the speed.
Even then, we would need to create non-friction clothing, and sort out the weight issues and maybe construct a shield from the bugs. Maybe then it could have potential to be a great power. But despite all the impressive postives, the negatives are just too big for me to consider this a 'Super' Power.

Verdict - Stupid
Your Views
It was a tough decision. So do you agree or disagree? Could you pursuade me that I've made the wrong decision by declaring Super Speed as 'Stupid'? Let me know in the comments below!

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Super Powers - Healer

In this series of blogs I will be observing the various super powers that we'd all love to have. I'll look at the pro's and cons and see what we all think we could do with the powers. These powers won't necessarily be needed to act as a super hero, they could simply be thier to make your life easier. At the end of the each blog i will give a verdict on these abilities - Super? or Stupid?

Being a 'Healer' is necessarily the most impressive super ability, but i'm sure it would be considered the most useful by a lot of people. Healing the most deadly of wounds would make you useful to others, but would you become too much of a one-trick pony? And is it to small of a power?

Positives
Heal the sick
This is an obvious plus, to be able to help those with injuries and illness.
Help others
An obvious positive is the ability to help the sick.
Help yourself
You don't have to worry about illness anymore, just heal yourself all the time.

Negatives
Not invincible
I tik it's impotant to know that just because you can heal, that doesn't mean your immortal. If you got wacked in the head with a brick, or put into a coma. You wouldn't be able to heal yourself.
Exhausting Work
Think of the amount of people looking for yout heal them, and once you start, you wouldn't feel like you'd be able to stop. When do yo reach a person and say enough is enough, it would be difficult to turn someone away.
Fighting crime?
I suppose you could fight crime, but your ability to heal wouldn't be much help, you'd have to rely on your own strength and fighting ability. It just means when the villains beat you up, you an just heal yourself afterwards. That would be a pretty crap super hero.

What you had to say
What would you do with the power to heel?

@JaimeCarroll I'd be rich. Very, very rich.

@TheIceMan5000 Heal those who deserve to be healed!

@GeorgeRoff Cure disease worldwide then when I'm done, I'll have no fear surely as if I can heal, when I hurt myself I'll heal myself!
@bryanjones63 Heal people on the inside and impart the same power to them,soon,everyone's nice to each other,not much to hope for is it?
@Laura_220392 Heal people =P

@ricky_compton I'd convince people to let me punch them in the face in return for free healing. But I'd also work on AIDs I suppose.

Conclusion
The ability to heal would definatly be a useful power, and you can do a lot of good with it, but I can't help feeling that it's just too much responsibility. You obviously wouldn't be able to help everyone in the world, especially as they'll just get ill again and again. It's an endless, vicious cycle. And thiers no other alternative uses for the power, it's just healing people, you can help in any other way. Also, as i said in the negatives list, you wouldn't be considered the most exciting super hero if thats the route you'd want to take.

Verdict - Stupid

Your View
Do you agree with what I've said?
Comment with your views below!
You can also get the latest updates on my blog posts by following my blog and following me on twitter.

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World of Film - What's the deal 2011? Part 3

'Latest Upcomings'

Amazingly, we've now entered May, and yet I have not been to the cinema once this year. I haven't really encountered any films so far that have made me desperate to see them. That doesn't mean that I haven't seen a trailer and though 'that looks pretty good'. Because I have. In fact there are a number of films coming out this year that I would like to watch, but (for the majority of them) I can easily wait until they're out on DVD or shown at my university cinema. There is nothing to drive any urgency so far. I mean last year during the summer I watched a few films in a matter of weeks. To name two - Inception and Toy Story 3. They both had that extra something that made me want to be one of the people that saw it in the cinema, particularly with Toy Story I wanted to be one of the first to see it on the big screen.

I'm afraid to say nothing has done that so far this year, but there’s still hope, and I’m almost certain that I will make at least one visit to the cinema this summer, although I have no idea what that film will be yet.

I suppose one good thing is that we've entered what I'm calling 'Oscar DVD Season'. As I expressed in an early blog - films are often released quite strategically in order to propel themselves into the minds of judges during the Oscar season, and giving them a better chance of recognition at the awards ceremony. That obviously also means that all of those films that shone during the Oscars will end up being released all around the same time onto DVD and Blu-Ray. That will mean the release of 'Black Swan' and 'The Kings Speech'. Two films that I didn't go and watch in the cinema, but look forward to seeing sometime in the future.

I suppose I should now turn my focus onto some future films that are in store for us all. A New action/thriller film called 'Hanna' has sprung up on me from nowhere, and to be honest I don't know too much about this film, but it's suddenly caught my attention. It's been described as 'Bourne-like', but that’s the case for so many films nowadays that I take any statement like that with a pinch of salt. It seems to have a very generic thriller plotline. A trained assassin suddenly becomes the hunted, but with a twist - she's 16! I'll now refer back to earlier in this post regarding films that I can easily be patient in watching.

Also currently in the cinema is 'Thor', another Marvel Studios release as the gradually build up for 'The Avengers' which they hope to release in 2012, combining a number of their stars including Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and more.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of 'Marvel' films; superhero movies in general don't appeal to me that much (with certain exceptions such as 'The Dark Knight).

Although I must admit that there is something about Thor that interests me. My best guess is that I’m simply being attracted by the fact that it is directed by the brilliant Kenneth Branagh. It certainly adds some class and quality simply with his name on the back of the director’s chair. And from what I’ve seen in pictures and trailers, the film looks visually impressive, and the reviews have been positive.

It is definitely a film that I would be interested in watching - just not at the cinema!

Look out for the next 'World of Film' when I'll be looking at this year’s Summer Blockbusters.

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The Power of Twitter - Part 1

I recently made a post regarding Facebook, and a comment made that if it was a country, it would be the third biggest one in the world. And it got me thinking as too how it might work out if Facebook really did become a country.
Well in this post i'm going to take a look at Twitter and question what sort of country it would form.

Before I go into Twitter as a country, i'd just like to give you an idea into it's current popularity.
Thier are around 2-300 Million twitter accounts, which isn't quite as much as Facebooks 500 Million active accounts, but it's still a pretty large number and almost reaches the same amount as America's population of around 311 Million.
Twitter’s lead on Application Services - Raffi Krikorian mde a presentation in March of this year and raised a number of interesting statistics (courtesy of 'Fresh Networks' Hamrid Sirhan).

- The current rate of tweeting is 1,200 Tweets per second (tps)
- There are currently 110 million tweets per day

These two statistics alone highlight the now huge popularity and activity that Twitter has. It has become very trendy amongst celebrities and athletes to promote themselves and anyting hey're invovled in. It has also broken down barriers that were once in place between celebrities and 'regular people'. It's introduced a new level of fan interaction. It has also become a way for businesses to promote thier products, and even for 'twitter celebrities' to emerge, becoming popular simply through thier 140 character tweets.

Trending topics has also become popular, and has enabled tweeters to view other opinions in a matter of seconds regarding big world events and announcements. It has become a perfect example of 'citizen journalism'.

Making 'The United Nations of Twitter'
Much like Facebook, the flag would surely be the logo. But this time maybe not of the word 'Twitter', but of the bird or maybe the 'failwhale' that we see so often.

In terms of the type of government, I think a democracy would work quite well. It would enable everyone to have a voice (nobody can exeed 140 characters in twitter - nobody!). With this Democracy could also come 'Popular Sovereignty', which is based on the idea that a state is 'created by the will and consent of its people'. This is also similairly linked with The Social Contract which comes from philosophers such as Locke, Rousseau and Hobbes. This is the idea that the population would agree to obide common rules and protect each other from harm etc...

This would very much be a united nation. Generally the people i have encountered have been friendly and just happy to express thier views to those that will read them. It is also filled with a diverse mixture of nationalities, age groups, and careers. Thier are doctors, actors, singers, plumbers, presidents, journalists, sales assistants, I'm sure every profession is covered somewhere on twitter.

In part two I will be analysing exactl what would make Twitter a dominant and powerful country.
In my Facebook post,  I included a world map which highlighted the popularity of the social networking site. Well here is Twitters own version -

Twitter usage across the world

You can read 'The Power of Facebook - Part 1' by clicking here.

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Super Powers - Breathing Underwater

In this series of blogs I will be observing the various super powers that we'd all love to have. I'll look at the pro's and cons and see what we all think we could do with the powers. These powers won't necessarily be needed to act as a super hero, they could simply be thier to make your life easier. At the end of the each blog i will give a verdict on these abilities - Super? or Stupid?

Positives
Can't drown
Nobody would like to drown obviously, and this wuld be the only way to garuntee it never happens.
Explore the deep sea
it would be an amazing opportunity to search through the deepest parts of the sea, and go where no person has gone before.
Escape people
If you're being chased by someone, it would be an easy way to escape, or even fake your own death.
Genuine Hero
This is one of those rare powers where you could become a genuine hero, just become a great swimmer and you could save people from drowning and similar dangers.

Negatives
Pruning
If you spend a lot of time in the water, you'd prune up a lot. Not good.
Swimming Ability
Just because you can breath underwater, it doesn't mean that you'll be a good swimmer, it would take some time.
Get Lost
I suppose thier could be a danger that if you spend a bunch of time underwater, you could end up lost. Being lost at sea is never great.

What you had to say
Twitter - What would you do with the power to breath underwater?

@JaimeCarroll Be able to happily pick all the loose change at the bottom of water fountains!

@ricky_compton I'd swim around the world, just for bragging rights...with some form of predator defense.

@HighHeeledHell See if I could find Atlantis :)

@CapitalW23 Talk to Spongebob.

@HighHeeledHell See if I could find Atlantis :)

@GeorgeRoff I'd swim to Australia so I wouldn't drown and wouldn't have to get on a plane. (Y)

Conclusion
This power, could prove very useful in a number of situations. It would be great for travel, hiding, and could be life saving in some cases. Also, you could genuinly use it for good, perhaps by becoming a lifeguard.

Verdict - Super

Your View
Do you agree with what I've said?
Tell me your views by posting a comment below.
You can also get the latest updates on my blog posts by following my blog and following me on twitter.

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