Video Jukebox Anyone?
March 11, 2010
Want to download a video from YouTube (or most websites?)
Install this plugin for Firefox http://www.downloadhelper.net/
Of course most files stored on YouTube are in Adobe’s Flash format (.flv), so you will require something to play them back. You can use VLC, but wouldn’t it be better if you could us QuickTime? Download and install Perian (you’ll need to restart your Mac afterwards). Now QuickTime can playback .flv files, plus numerous other formats it couldn’t before. If you have QuickTime Pro on your Mac, you can even export the .flv files to different file formats, if not then download Evom by The Little Factory it’s simply drag and drop from here, drop the .flv onto the Evom window and choose the file format you want, that’s it!
And all of that is free!
Still talking about video, need to Rip a DVD, or want to play them back on your iPod, iPhone or hard drive? Then download Ripit by The Little Factory it costs $20, but it’s child’s play to use, and the results are very impressive!
Now I know how I’ll be spending the next couple of months, transferring my DVD collection to the hard drive that’s hanging out the back of the Mac Mini I have connected to my flat screen! Now if only the Mac Mini could connect properly to my surround sound and I’d be sorted!
A Balancing Act
March 6, 2010
Too many ideas, too little time!
That may sound a little arrogant, but it’s actually a genuine problem, and I’m not the only one. Some may say it’s a good problem, but I’m not so sure.
It’s frustrating as hell to have an idea or a solution, that you know you have to let go or forget about, as you have 20 more waiting in the wings to be fulfilled. And if that’s not frustrating enough, when I pass on and explain a really good idea to someone else, someone that I know could do great things with my concept, they unfortunately, are too short sighted to see the full potential to do anything with it! So at the end of the day, I simply have to do it myself.
As Friedrich Engels said, “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory”
A few months ago I decided I’m going to change the world… well I never said my ideas were small, or easy… if they were, I guess anyone would take up the task and do it… but they’re not, so I might as well do them myself. I’ve set a time frame of ten years… that may seem like a long time, but it’s not really, as when you think about it, the world’s a pretty big place!
Going Down The Tubes
February 25, 2010
Need I say more?
iPad
January 28, 2010
After five years of speculation and 15 years after The Steve canned the Newton (still have my three in the attic!), Apple have announced the iPad.
I have mixed feelings on the iPad, from a business & user perspective, I think it’s great, it’s been well thought through and it looks gorgeous, sure the big black area that surrounds the touch screen area is a bit too much, but hey, I’m sure there’s a lot of electronics in that thing, you’ve got to put them somewhere!
but…
No multi-tasking! so no background apps like Skype or Facebook running while you do something else. This is a major gripe, it’s the one thing that will kill the iPhone if they don’t sort that out soon.
No camera! WTF (so no using it for Skype or video based instant messaging), talking of which, come on Apple, where the hell is iChat for your mobile devices!
No proper display output! (not even Apple’s own mini DVI?!) the iPad would be the most amazing presentation device for any road warrior, if it had a proper way to output the display! (although we all know these things can do it, as how else does The Steve demo these at these events, so who knows, maybe they’ll finally make a proper cable that connects to that 32 pin connector!)
No Near Field or RFID!? OK that may sound a bit strange, but that’s becoming more and more prevalent, why it hasn’t been incorporated into the iPhone yet I’m at a loss… sure you can add RFID to SIM cards (so fine for the iPhone), but that’s no good for the iPod Touch or iPad, so hardware integration is a must. I’m positive the next iPhone will have it built in, which will be great, no more Oyster cards to travel on London Underground, simply swipe your phone and the database picks up your ID, and if no account is recognised, an App on your iPhone engages and you pay there and then… or no more credit cards, place your iPhone near a terminal, an App launches, enter your pin et voila, all paid, you could even send your receipt to your no paper account!
These are all things that will come in version 2 no doubt, but they should be in version 1… although none of this will stop me ordering one straight away 
which I shall of course put down to requiring for testing & development purposes for no paper
Damn you Mr Jobs, Damn you to hell 
What’s Your Most Valuable Asset?
November 6, 2009
It’s not your home, your car, your stocks, your shares or your money… it’s your time. It’s the one thing you can never get back, don’t waste it.
You can spend it, or you can invest it… it’s your choice, choose wisely
It’s The Way I Tell ‘em
November 5, 2009
No matter what you’re trying to market or sell, people buy into stories. If you want your idea to spread make it easy for others to spread it, a story or something they can be passionate about is the best way… so make it memorable, better yet, make it unforgettable.
I Say Potato, You Say Potarto
November 4, 2009
How most entrepreneurs initially present their idea to a Venture Capitalist.
Me Me Me!
2 mins Introduction: why they’re amazing
5 mins The Problem: why everyone else is wrong (why they’re amazing)
15 mins My Solution: passionately explaining their solution in depth (why they’re amazing)
5 mins Capital Expenditure: whiz through what they will spend the money on
2 mins The Plan: Blue sky 5 year plan on how the business will grow exponentially
Then they wonder why it didn’t work. The ask, “is it because they didn’t explain their vision clearly enough? mmmm, surely not… it must be because the VC is short sighted and doesn’t like or understand their idea?” So, the entrepreneur asks how can they get the VC to be as passionate about their idea, as once they do, surely they’ll invest?
It won’t work and they won’t (except in rare occasions), they’re only investing with the entrepreneur for one reason, to make money! They’re not interested in the problem, or the solution, or what the entrepreneur does, so the entrepreneur shouldn’t waste their time and effort trying to get the VC interested. The entrepreneur has to think like the VC! so if you’re presenting to a VC here’s the way to do it.
Show Me The Money!
5 mins ROI: What is their return and when will they receive it
10 mins Capital Expenditure: How much investment you need, time frame, phases and why
10 mins Risk Assessment: Company structure, detailing assets, IP, tangibles etc
2 mins The Idea: The product
2 mins You: Your background and history, contact details
This doesn’t only work on VC’s, try this approach with your next client presentation, get all the guess work, the money & nitty gritty details out of the way at the beginning, then show them where there money is being invested, that way you’ll know right from the start whether you’re wasting your time or not, and if they’re really interested they’ll extend the meeting to talk through your ideas.
Social Media Expert My @rse!
October 24, 2009
Light Graffiti
October 24, 2009
Just saw these on the Telegraph website, some of the images are amazing!
Created by Jan Wöllert and Jörg Miedza, plenty more examples on their website Light Art Performance Photography
EigenHarp
October 20, 2009
is it a stringed instrument? is it a keyboard? is it wind instrument? the answer is yes!
The EigenHarp is weird looking instrument, but very interesting, it’s the sort of instrument that wouldn’t look out of place at the Chalmun’s Catina in Tatooine… expect it to appear at a Peter Gabriel, or Jan Hammer revival concert near you soon
