A mobile revolution!

There's some amazing technology coming out across the handheld platforms and one such example is QIK.

This software basically hijacks your mobile phones camera and streams the sound and pictures straight to 'youtube' style website. What makes it special is that it does this in near real-time.

That means that as you are streaming the content, its being displayed and it's this 'live' element which makes QIK so impressive.

Visitors to the website can also interact with the content creator via built in 'live chat' which gives instant feedback which is once again, in near-realtime.

At the moment, QIK is invitation only and in alpha testing so we can expect to see even more features added to the impressive list I've already mentioned. One feature which is already here though is blog integration, which allows your live or recorded clips to feature directly into a html webpage or blog.

You can check this out for yourself here.

One feature I found really impressive was how this 'live content' is much more impressive to the casual surfer. Knowing that its possible to view live videos being shot away from a webcam is impressive in itself but then to be able to interact with that person takes it to a whole new level altogether.

I checked out the mobilediner via QIK and then was also able to visit the website too. Who would have thought that I could interact with political bloggers in the USA, sat in Starbucks by the Whitehouse in realtime via the QIK website and their N95 handset...

'Jollies'

Well, it's that time of year and this year its of to Cornwall for nine days of sun (?), sand and surfing!

I'll be having a break from the blog too but I will be maintaining my photoblog so you can still see what I'm up to.

The link for my photoblog is here.

Slow GPS sat lock on the N95?

Now the N95 may be the best mobile on the market at the moment, but many people are struggling with sluggish GPS fixes. It seems that the phone doesn't lock onto the sats as quick as people would like and although I experienced a slightly different problem related to the GPS setup, I did come across an interesting post which seems to offer some advice as to speeding up acquisition time on the handset.

If you'd like to check it out, you may do so on Ed Parson's blog which is here. Good luck and by disabling the network lock option under GPS settings, my phone does seem a little quicker...

Fancy a photoblog?

When blogging doesn't quite hit the spot, how about a photoblog instead?



Most of us have mobile phones with camera's on them and providing that we are sensible in how we use them, there is no excuse for anyone not to have some kind of blog. In fact most young people I know, are already on myspace although most don't use the blog bit on there which is quite understandable.

Most people will know that for both business and pleasure, I take photographs and a good friend of mine has just started his own, dedicated photoblog. Over at www.marcelbooth.co.uk you can keep up to date with his pictures as he posts them and I can promise you that you'll see some absolute crackers as the days roll on by.

I think Marcel is aiming to post a new picture every day and as a photographer myself, I know that this is no mean feat. Its really tricky to capture a decent picture every single day but in a way, I started my post by encouraging you all to do just that...

Here's the deal... If you can't or don't want to write your blog then why not use your cameraphone instead? If your a pro/semi-pro photographer then why not try to post one top-quality photo as often as you can? One thing is for sure, everyone will benefit.

Duplicity?

It seems the Iraqi authorities are trying to find out who recorded the execution of Saddam Hussein on a mobile phone before posting it online. 'Amazingly' it appears that the actual footage of his execution is causing 'tension' in the country.



When the authorities released a muted version which fails to tell the whole story, they hoped it would make everyone think that Saddam's execution was somehow a dignified affair, maybe even graceful. The ex-President accepting his lot and finally bowing out while the USA look on with glee. Instead, the actuality of his execution shows that no matter how deplorable he was: nothing appears to have changed.



The death penalty is savage and inhumane and even if Saddam was 'hung by his own petard' (he built those gallows), no one should be fooled into thinking that there are not stll bloodthirsty individuals running Iraq.



Then, right on cue, to comment on this state-sanctioned-killing, steps the UK heavyweight, deputy PM 'two-jabs' Prescott, who (in between state sanctioned croquet) has this to say...



In a BBC interview, UK Deputy Prime Minister John
Prescott called it "deplorable" and "totally unacceptable" that video
clips of the execution had surfaced on the internet.

Mr Prescott is in charge while Prime Minister Tony Blair is on holiday.

"I think the manner was quite deplorable really," he
said. "I don't think one can endorse in any way that, whatever your
views about capital punishment.

"Frankly, to get the kind of recorded messages coming
out is totally unacceptable, and I think whoever was involved and
responsible for it should be ashamed of themselves."





Tut tut!!! it appears that Mr Prescott's concern does not center on the act itself, rather the recording of it! Am I the only person to feel slightly disgusted at this level of duplicity? How can we ever hope to encourage democracy around the world when really we are only operating superficially at best? We say one thing yet do another.



Sure I can write a blog and protest 'electronically' but my country and its leaders really do need to either keep quiet on this issue or be very careful what they are saying... How about this...



"I'm really disgusted with what this person has done. Its unacceptable that a state-sanctioned-murder was recorded and shown publicly.



We wanted Saddam dead (although officially we cant say that), and we hoped that the matter would disappear from the international conscience, once the tamed down version of Saddam's murder had been released. We had a suspicion that it may cause a few hundred deaths, but we thought it was a price worth paying. but now the truth is out?...



Its disgusting that someone recorded this event of brutality and then had the cheek to actually show everyday people what a shambolic, debased act it actually was... Shame on them! They will have blood on their hands!"



... My advice in this situation? Maybe Saddam should not have been killed in the first place?

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Unofficial footage of Saddam's Execution

***WARNING: This post contains video footage of a graphic nature***

Covertly shot footage which appears to have been taken on a mobile phone, shows the last moments of Saddam Hussein's life before he was executed yesterday.

Interestingly, the footage shows a different scene from the 'official' footage released to the worldwide media soon after the execution.

In what must be one of the most graphic examples of 'citizen journalism' to date, the grainy footage, including sound, shows Saddam's execution in full, and rather than a calm serene scene, it appears to be a noisy, highly charged event where insults are thrown around the room with Saddam answering back on more than one occasion towards his accusers. This in itself is not surprising as the official footage released yesterday did not include sound, nor did it actually show the execution.

The footage is included below however please do not watch if you are offended easily. It is uncut.



__________________________________

Here is a transcript of the audio taken from the footage and translated into English.

Translation of Arabic subtitles accompanying the latest execution footage when broadcast on al-Jazeera TV station:

[Saddam] Oh God.

[Voices] May God's blessings be upon Muhammad and his household.

[Voices] And may God hasten their appearance and curse their enemies.

[Voices] Moqtada [Al-Sadr]...Moqtada...Moqtada.

[Saddam] Do you consider this bravery?

[Voice] Long live Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr.

[Voice] To hell.

[Voice] Please do not. The man is being executed. Please no, I beg you to stop.

[Saddam] There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad... [At this point, Saddam is executed]

The footage then becomes blurred before finally showing Saddam's face, he is dead, his eyes remain open.

___________________________________

The fact that this footage has been recorded and propagated, shows how the media is being used unwittingly to create different accounts of the same incident. As such, the importance of citizen journalism is on the rise. It offers an undiluted and uncontaminated account of events, separate from comment or images released by official bodies or governments.

Some will argue that footage such as this, proves that the full details behind world events are often kept out of the public gaze. Why wasn't the full, unedited footage released by the official authorities and does the fact that the full footage has been covertly filmed and leaked online, harm the image of Iraq as a new democracy?

It might be good to talk... But it can be expensive too!

As per usual, I spent some of my weekend at the Trafford Centre and I think I managed to find what must be the most overpriced product on sale, anywhere!

Yup, forget £85 sandwiches, in one of the Jewelers I stumbled across an extra small mobile phone with an extra large price tag. For those who think their eyes may be playing tricks on them, they aren't, it really is £20,450!

I did nip in and ask if the handset was free if I take a 12 month contract but unfortunately it isn't... My eye for a bargain was maybe, a little too keen.

Here's a pic... With that built in arial, I bet the signal reception is still crap!