BoPL » TV

iPlayer

Paul — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:29:13 +0000

I’m in a state of mild shock after having a smooth experience with DRM-enabled video (at least I assume it’s DRM ‘protected’). We realized we’d missed an episode of a new show, so fired up Safari (a new version at that), loaded iPlayer, and started watching. And here’s the thing. It worked. No messages about video codecs. No ‘browser not supported’, or OS errors, not even any stuttering. The quality isn’t fantastic, but it’s closer to broadcast than YouTube – certainly watchable on a 32″ LCD.

I have seen the future, and it doesn’t involve plastic. Except to pay for the TV.

24:1994

Paul — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:52:10 +0000

Hiro’s

Paul — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:06:46 +0000

Proof, yet again, that some people are just more talented than you or I. Masi Oka, who plays Hiro on Heroes (and is my favourite character) also works for ILM. Amongst other things he’s (jointly) responsible for the coding that generated the water in the film The Perfect Storm.

Oh, and he’s also a black belt in kendo, is fluent in English, Japanese and Spanish, and is a stallion in bed. OK, so I don’t know that last bit for sure, but it’s probably true.

Unbelievable

Paul — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:56:53 +0000

You would think this is a fake, except that the filmmakers wouldn’t even be allowed to fake it.

Fame

Paul — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:58:20 +0000

My missus was on TV yesterday, as part of her job with the RSPCA. Blink and you’ll miss it though, as they had a real live TV vet to do the talking.

Oh, the link might not work for you if you’re not in the UK, don’t use RealPlayer, or have gods currently frowning upon you. But it will have to do until I figure out how to convert it into a proper format.

Daleks

Paul — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:24:16 +0000

Just watching the new season of Doctor Who, starring the latest incarnation of the Daleks. It’s brilliant – plastic props, plastic supporting actors, and plastic plots. But David Tennant delivers the corn beautifully, and his assistant is an easy watch, so it’s a definite thumbs up from me.

That doesn’t mean I’m happy about flying Daleks though.

Wash

Paul — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:09:21 +0000

I tend to avoid these things, but hey, it’s Firefly/Serenity.

I am Wash (Ship Pilot)

Wash (Ship Pilot)		80%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		70%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		65%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		65%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		30%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		30%
Alliance		25%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		20%
River (Stowaway)		20%
Inara Serra (Companion)		15%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		0%

You are a pilot with a good
if not silly sense of humor.
You take pride in your collection of toys.
You love your significant other.

Click here to take the Serenity Firefly Personality Test

Update: Apparently Serenity is the best Science Fiction film ever. And that’s from an official poll of people who don’t get out much, so you know it’s true.

Superbowl

Paul — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:32:25 +0000

How bout dem [Bears/Colts], eh? I haven’t watched the game yet actually (it didn’t start until 11pm here, and I’m just not that committed) and am busy not finding out the score. That’s harder than it sounds, even in a foreign country. I can’t check my feed reader, no looking at news sites, and even reading my gmail I have to cover the little rss ticker along the top of the screen with one hand*. They should make a WGBH documentary about me – “Life as a 17th Century Software Tester”

Update: OK, finished, you can talk to me now.

*Fortunately I’m accustomed to using the Internet with one hand.

Campanology

Paul — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:19:09 +0000

Just watched a documentary on the 2006 British Bell-Ringing championships. It was a bit of a grudge match between Birmingham and one of the London teams, and the tower they were using was reckoned to be the hardest in the country, which threw in a real wild-card. I won’t spoil it for you in case it gets onto NBC, but man, what a shock ending! I was left breathless!