Cogs

This film is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker, Laurent Witz, and tells the story of a world built on a mechanised system that favours only some. It follows two characters whose lives seem predetermined by this system and the circumstances they were born into.The film was made for the international launch of AIME, a charity organisation on a mission to make a fairer world by creating equality in the education system.

God Only Knows the BBC Music Launch Video Must Have Cost a Fortune

...But now I have got that off my chest I can just revel in the whole 'spot the famous singeriness' of it all.  Although,  goodness only knows how much it really did cost to bring all these famous faces together in one video. That is not to mention the fact that we should now, on some sort of subliminal cultural level, be bored to tears with this kind of self-satisfied celebrity orgy.

So what, you might be thinking - but if you live outside the UK you may not realize that the BBC is funded by the British taxpayer and this video no doubt brought the Mr and Mrs Angries out in force to complain about its unjustified cost.  Well, I'm not going to try and justify it either but as I'm generally happy with the BBC as long as they keep making new episodes of Doctor Who, I'm going to let it pass..

All told there are 27 icons of twenty and twenty first century music singing their little hearts out for the launch of BBC Music.

Created in collaboration with The Mill by director Francois Rousselet it is, admittedly, lovely to look at and not at all a bad cover of one of the best songs ever written, The Beach Boys’ God Only Knows.

You might be wondering exactly who is who in the video, so here are the names of the stars appearing in it.  Accompanying Brian Wilson, the song’s writer, are Sir Elton John, One Direction, Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams. Jake Bugg, Lorde, Emeli Sandé, Chris Martin, Kylie Minogue, Paloma Faith, Sam Smith, Florence Welch, Chrissie Hynde, Brian May, Dave Grohl, Alison Balsom, Martin James Bartlett, Danielle de Niese, Nicola Benedetti, Eliza Carthy, Baaba Maal, Jamie Cullum, Jaz Dhami, as well as the BBC’s Zane Lowe, Lauren Laverne, Katie Derham, Gareth Malone and Jools Holland.

Phew.

NASA Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 - 2014

Would you like to see the future? This marvelous animated simulation depicts the proposed test flight of the NASA Orion spacecraft in 2014.

During the test, which is called Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), Orion will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, perform two orbits and reach an altitude higher than any achieved by a spacecraft intended for human use since 1973.

Then it will re-enter and land in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States. The narration here is by Jay Estes, the Deputy for flight test integration in the Orion program.

Kindle Launched in the UK

Image Credit Flickr User jblyberg

Eyebrows were raised by bibliophiles arriving on Amazon’s UK site yesterday.  Where had all the books gone?  Instead of the usual front page they were greeted with a possible vision of the future.  Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder had sent the readers of the UK a letter.  Not so much an ultimatum as an invitation. The Kindle had arrived in the UK. Or rather it will in late August.

Sales of digital books in the UK have been low since their inception.  Even last year the total sales of digital books accounted for less than one percent of the entire market, which is tiny if you compare it to the fact that in the UK out of five new books sold in the US, two will be hardbacks of the traditional variety.  The other three are all digital.

The Kindle has a few things going for it in the UK.  The most recent introduction to this marketplace was the iPad.  However, for most it proved to be too expensive, too big and way too heavy to be seriously considered as a reason to throw away a love affair with paper-based literature that goes back over a thousand years.  The Brits were not for turning.

However, the Kindle is cheaper.  Way cheaper.  Also it is lighter – it doesn’t even weigh as much as your average paperback.  Plus there are no distractions.  With the iPad there was the internet and those pesky applications to deal with – with Kindle it is just black text on a white background.  The simple aesthetics of the beast may well appeal to British readers.  With no distractions it will enable readers to do just – and simply – that.

Image Credit Flickr User Mike Licht

Is there anything else that Kindle has to attract the till now firmly traditional readers the the United Kingdom?  Anything to raise a smile upon the face of the ardent bibliophile? With access to a million titles free, gratis – for nothing, plus another four hundred thousand available to download (very easily) from the store the Kindle certainly offers the biggest bookshop in the world (probably). Plus its anti-glare screen makes it look like you are reading off a clean piece of card - its as close look to paper as you are likely to get on a screen.

There are downsides, of course, not least for the publishing houses which are being pressed for cheaper ‘product’ and are not in a situation to develop and introduce their own readers.  On the other hand, if it increases the demand for literature can it be that bad.  Of course, knowing the British they will have a (potentially luddite) trick up their collective sleeve.

Image Credit Flickr User Oskay

Additional Image Credits
Image Credt Flickr User GoxunuReviews - Girl Reading