The publishing world is experiencing the biggest change in history since Gutenberg invented the printing press; that is, the move into the digital world. Ereaders, and the Kindle in particular, have become big business of late and have been hailed as the future of reading. Call me old-fashioned, but I just cannot understand the appeal of the Kindle. As an avid reader and, indeed, belonging to the younger generation, it is assumed that I should be the target market for the latest technological craze. The ease and convenience of having thousands of books at your fingertips is often cited as the main reason why one would want to own a Kindle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for convenience- living in a modern world are we not all guilty of this? – Yet I have never contemplated leaving my battered paperback on the shelf.
To me, the smell of an old, dusty book is one of life’s simplest pleasures; it transports me to my childhood when I first fell in love with reading and reminds me of those happy hours I spent engrossed in the latest novel. You don’t get that with a Kindle. On a par with the glorious smell is the memories books stir when picked up off the shelf. I often find myself reaching for the books I studied at University- not necessarily to read them, but to thumb through the familiar pages and read the annotations scribbled around the side, to remember how important that book was at a particular point in my life.
Whiling away many an hour in a quaint second-hand bookshop is the perfect Saturday treat. It is my idea of heaven; books of all shapes, sizes, genres piled high, each one possessing a history. I find myself turning to the inside covers, searching for messages from loved ones- personal notes that hint at the identity of the book’s previous owner. Perhaps this is the very reason why I will never abandon the printed book; I need it to feel unique, personal, mine.
Call me old-fashioned, but the Kindle will always be too clinical; it’s cold, hard exterior will never replace the feel of a traditional book. It may be convenient for those who commute long distances daily; it may work out cheaper to purchase E-books than the printed version; it may even encourage tech heads who would not have read a printed book to give reading a chance. However, I’m not afraid to buck the trend; give me an old, dusty book any day.
George Clooney Arrested at Sudan Embassy During a Protest
Hollywood superstar George Clooney and his father were both arrested today during a protest that accused the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, of blocking food and aid from entering the Nuba Mountains and initiating a humanitarian crisis. Also arrested were Democratic US Republican Jim Moran, of Virginia, Martin Luther King III and NAACP President Ben Jealous. The arrest was made after they received three warnings not to cross a police line set up outside the embassy, and followed Clooney’s meeting with President Obama, testimony in the Senate and attendance at a state dinner held for Prime Minister David Cameron.
Speaking before the arrest, 50-year-old Clooney explained to The Associated Press that he was impressed with Obama’s engagement on the Sudanese topic and was hoping to bring people’s attention to the crisis currently unfolding in Sudan. He also said that for international leaders to expose corruption, they need to “follow the money” that is reaching the leaders of Sudan. “This is a moment where we have a chance to do something because if we don’t, in the next three to four months, there’s going to be a real humanitarian disaster.”
He also acknowledged the uphill struggle facing all those protesting, saying that “Its such a silly thought to think you’re actually succeeding in any of this. But if it’s loud enough…at the very least people will know about it, and you can’t say we didn’t know. That’s the first step.”
Nokia: Working on Revolutionary Phone and a Tablet
According to an article from the Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti Optio, Nokia’s design head Marko Ahtisaari and his team are following up the award-winning design of the N9 with a phone that will revolutionise the user experience of phones. No clues have been given so far other than the user will not need to bend down and physically push their finger on the screen, which is intriguing. Time will tell whether this will be a natural experience like the swipe motion employed by the N9 and, to some extent, Windows Phone.
Ahtisaari stated in the interview that Apple’s offerings, the iPhone and iPad, resemble a poorly designed home because to go from one room to another requires going through the front door – in other words, to leave one place and open anywhere else requires pushing the home button. The user experience was adjusted with the release of the N9, which required only a swipe to leave one place and be back at the home screen, but whether this new phone will continue with this theme remains to be seen.
Ahtisaari states in the same article that he is spending about a third of his time working on a Nokia tablet – presumably running Windows Phone, but who knows, we could see a MeeGo comeback yet, or even the astounding bendy “kinetic” phone displayed last year, where interactions are all done through tilts and bends. Whatever route they take, it should be one to watch with CEO Stephen Elop repeatedly stating that as the iPad is the only successful tablet on the market, Nokia will not be entering the fray until it has a product that can do well. For this to happen, it would either need to be completely revolutionary or run Windows 8, clearly and explicitly telling the consumer market why that is beneficial. After all, with the purpose of a tablet being to have a more portable laptop, a well-placed Windows product could clean up being the only tablet to offer full desktop usability. As the iPad is really a glorified iPhone with the same crippled multitasking, and the Android offerings are largely painful to use, a new product that gives consumers the ability to do everything they would on their home PC but on the go could be exactly what a tablet is all about. And if Nokia used the concept design in this post’s image, it would certainly stand out from the crowd.
Hey, Fatty, Are You Going to Be Having Kids?
Scientists have discovered that it’s not just the excessive rolls of fat that mean fat people are less likely to find a woman to have kids with. Rather, it’s the saturated fat in food which is leading to lower sperm counts amongst men.
The Harvard Medical School in Boston carried out the experiment under the stewardship of Professor Jill Attaman. The study asked 99 men questions about their diet and analysed their sperm samples over four years.The results of the study showed that of the 99 men in the study, those with the highest fat intake had 43% less sperm than normal at the end of the study. And even more bad news showed that at the end of the study the concentration of the sperm, measured via number of sperm per unit volume of semen, was down by 38%.
The study, reported in the scientific journal Human Reproduction, revealed these results, but everyone involved in the study is saying that more research needs to be done before any conclusions can be made.The men who ate the most omega-3-rich foods had a conventional structure when it came to the shape of the sperm, but the important thing to take into account was that 71% of the 99 men were already overweight or obese anyway. So this could have had an impact on the sperm even before the study had begun.But like with many of these studies which seem to be appearing at the moment, they all seem to have used very small research groups. Is it because they couldn’t find more people to masturbate into a jar every so often for the next four years? If this is the case then they should either be promoting their cause more or paying their volunteers because 99 men where 71% are already obese is not a study that can be taken very seriously.If the study was designed to discover whether high levels of saturated fat caused a reduction of sperm in men or not then surely they should have used people who lived on relatively healthy diets. This would show comprehensively whether it reduced the number of sperm or not. But if they also wanted to know how much it was reduced by then they should have used an equal number of healthy and unhealthy people when it came to the study.
As for this writer’s own personal study on whether people who eat more saturated fat (by implication, fat people) will have a lower chance of conceiving a child or not then a conclusion has been found. To conceive a child you need a woman, and everybody knows that fat guys generally do finish last in this category.All I need is the warm, fatty embrace of these sausagey buns.
So science may not have discovered whether high levels of saturated fat actually do cause a reduction in the amount of sperm yet, but this writer’s study has definitely brought up some comprehensive results.
Will the Hunger Games Premiere Match the Hype?
The Hunger Games Premiere is hitting cinemas on the 23rd of this month, and with the huge success of the books the question on everyone’s minds is, Will it live up to expectations?
So big are the books that aside from spending 160 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List they have sold in excess of 23 million copies in America alone. The Hunger Games are those rare books that, like Twilight and Harry Potter, permeate into society’s conscious mind and rest there until Hollywood decides to spin a profit with films.
While for the legions of fans that the Young Adult trilogy has racked up will consider the film a no-brainer, others have noticed that the storyline seems to have taken influence from various other stories – Stephen King’s The Running Man and Long Walk spring to mind, with the former taking place in the future where the government is in full control of what is seen and heard in the media, and the top entertainment being a reality gameshow where people have to outrun killers while the public place bets; the latter is a national sporting event for 100 teenage boys to embark on an treacherous walk in the author’s vision of a totalitarian USA, and if they break certain rules or receive three verbal warnings (walking under 4mph is one violation) they are shot. Then there’s Battle Royale, a story where the Japanese government captures a year-9 class and, under the Battle Royale Act, forces them to kill each other. Each of these stories has something that the Hunger Games seems to have borrowed, but the author, Suzanne Collins, insists she got the idea by flicking between real-life war coverage and a reality TV show. However they came to be, these books were released in a saturated genre and became huge sellers, so it’s the film to be concerned with now.
While there are well-known people in the first film to be released, such as Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland, they will be playing important but not primary characters. The main characters are being portrayed by unknowns, so is this a false move or a touch of genius? The Hunger Games will undoubtedly have no trouble at the box office regardless of who is starring in it, and everyone has expectations and opinions of actors that are already known. By going with yet-to-be-big actors, the cast can work solely on making the film as good as possible, rather than wondering how each actor’s fans will react, but fans could have concerns that unseasoned actors may not be up to the task – but at least moviegoers can be grateful that Kristen Stewart won’t be in yet another film. Instead, the Hunger Games will feature Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark. How well they will do can be decided in less than 2 weeks, and it’s a safe bet that if they do a bad job, there are millions of people who will be more than happy to say as much.
If you’ve already seen the Hunger Games trailer and can’t wait for the big release, we have some behind-the-scenes footage of the upcoming Hunger Games film below:
What are your expectations of the film? Let us know in the comments below.
The 5 Wackiest Alarm Clocks
It’s a dull, grey Monday morning; you’re due in work extra early for some ungodly reason, and before you fell asleep the night before you begrudgingly set your alarm, praying that it would successfully rouse you from your slumber. When it does finally go off, it’s unreasonably harsh and shrill. You blindly poke about, wishing to silence its incessant ring, and then, it’s all up to you. Do you have the discipline to get up and out of bed? Do you really feel in the right frame of mind?
Well, what if there was a clock which was specifically designed to get you up out of bed? I’m not talking about any old FM Tuner Radio Alarm Clock that can be found in John Lewis for a tenner, I’m talking about something that plays on your whimsical side, something designed to get you out of bed, entertain you, maybe even allow you to wake up naturally, rather than abruptly shaking you from that rather pleasant dream you were having.
Even better, what if I gave you 5 of them?:
The Flying Alarm Clock
It does exactly what it says on the tin; this alarm clock comes equipped with a mini propeller on top of the main hub. When the alarm goes, it will, as always, wake you up with its dull ring, but this time, it sends off the propeller flying into the air, and the only way to cease its howling is to pluck the propeller and stick it back in its rightful place.
This can be annoying, and may not do wonders for your mood, but it is designed specifically to get you out of bed, ensuring that you don’t hit snooze and drift off again, as we’ve all done from time to time.
The Sonic Bomb
This one is a monster; it consists of a double-feature: the clock coming with a vibration pad which is placed under the pillows and acts as a sort of practical insurance policy. There will be no problem getting up with this super-loud alarm piercing the silence each morning (you are, of course, able to tone down the volume to your preference), and literally shaking you awake. Seriously, the maximum volume is 113db, which is louder than a chainsaw. So, this should be taken as a note of caution to all potential buyers.
This product is perfect for those who care only about being roused efficiently in the morning, but if you’d rather get up in a better, lighter mood, read on…
The iPod Alarm Clock
There are quite a few of these on the market. It makes viable sense to attach your iPod to your alarm clock and have it play you awake. After some research, I would recommend anything made by the Phillips brand, as they seem to be highly popular with customers and are invigorated through many different, fun designs. In particular, the DC190B model caught my attention. It allows the user to fiddle with different alarm times for weekdays and weekends, which is a plus in my opinion, and it lets you fling your iPod/iPhone on to the attachment, slotting in perfectly, and allows you to wake up to your favourite tunes. An FM/AM radio tuner is built-in as well, and you have all the power you need.
Ideal for those looking to wake up to something a bit different rather than a monotonous ringing, and giving each morning an extra spice.
The Natural Light
This ‘alarm’ clock is perhaps one of my more unique discoveries. The idea behind it is scientifically proven and accurate, but may not be ideal for those who are adamant about when they get up. Another Phillips product, this clock works by turning itself on 30mins before your desired alarm setting, slowly increasing the amount of light it emits, so, akin to the sun shining into your room, by the time your selected alarm time comes around, you will find yourself gently roused by the natural light produced.
Additionally, you can use it as a bedside lamp for a spot of light reading, and it comes equipped with a few select easy-listening sounds, such as early morning birds, or the silky smooth sway of the ocean’s waves for those wishing to be somewhere else.
Clocky
‘Clocky’ draws many a resemblance to our flying friend above in that the user must leap out of bed and catch something in order to retain the peace and quiet of the morning. I included it because, quite frankly, it amused me to no end.
The method behind this playful device is that you get one chance to wake up, and if you choose to neglect that opportunity and slam your hand down on the snooze button, ‘Clocky’ sets off. It rolls down your night-stand, and, able to roll on both wood and carpet, it spins this way and that, emitting the usual shrill drone, whilst you’re treated to an early morning work-out as you scuttle around behind it. By then, you’ll be fully awake and prepared for your morning shower and coffee. ‘Clocky’ is small, an ideal fit for your bedside table, and good for travel. A good idea for students in particular.
5 great gift ideas for anyone looking to pack a whimsical punch. There are many sublime models out there, and searching for the mentioned products will definitely lead you to other sites and links, but these 5 are the best I found.