What a singing voice

W00t, originally uploaded by epredator.

As I proved on Cool Stuff Collective I have a wonderful choral singing voice (erm.... not).
However I played Rockband 3 gave the singing a go on Medium and got 100% flawless singing Imagine. Go figure !

Undenk Music graffiti

Music graffiti, originally uploaded by epredator.

On a walk down to the waterfront at Warsash, from the opposite direction to the route I normally take I noticed this music graffiti on the derelict base of the building on the point. It is remarkably sublte, if you look loosely you will see that they are individual notes in what appears to be a scrawl between old microphone and stencil tag.
It was also positioned at the base of the wall so the mic is growing out of the grass.
The flickr photo is geotagged too with the exact location, if you happen to be walking there before someone scrawls all over it.

It is carrying the Undenk tag too a sort of open source graffiti movement.

Chicken suit - Fable 3

Chicken suit, originally uploaded by epredator.

I played quite a bit of Fable 3 this weekend and it was very amusing to end up wearing a chicken suit. People in funny suits is of course a major part of working on The Cool Stuff Collective :)
Having dressed up as a Banana, Slash/Rockstar and sung in a bizarre choir voice in the record this week the chicken in Fable 3 seems almost tame :)

Cool News

Predlet 2.0 has a go at presenting The Cool Stuff Collective from the comfort of his own house


He also said whilst watching the part I do. Oh look two daddys, one here and one in there.

Cool Stuff Collective Predlet Style on 101010

Cool Stuff Collective Predlet Style, originally uploaded by epredator.

I just got back from the Virtual Worlds Confenence, Learning in Different Worlds in Lathi Finland.
Predlet 1.0 greated me with a TV programme version she had made using a large shoe box and drawing.
She was drawing the parts of the Cool Stuff Collective and telling me how proud she was of my work on TV doing future tech on The Cool Stuff Collective with Sy.
All this on 10/10/10 too :)

Cool Stuff Monkey

Cool Stuff Monkey, originally uploaded by epredator.

Predlet 2.0 was more than happy his monkey got scanned in and made it to the end gag of the Cool Stuff Collective show this week :)
More over here

Old Rubik's toys and Evel Knievel rides again

I was having a rummage around in the loft at the weekend and stumbled upon my Rubik's snake puzzle. It seemed worth getting down and giving to the predlets to see what they make of it. It was a hit.

It is a set of pyramids linked by rotators. Whilst they were playing with it I suddenly realised it must be about 30 years old. Which was quite shocking! It has survived the the of time though.
Other things that came down from the loft included my Evel Knieval stunt bike. This did not survive quite so well as the handle bars had got a little brittle. As it hurtled down the hall and into the bathroom it smacked into the wall and the little Evel would have been heard to say "It came off in my hand".

It still does go though. You can buy new version of it still on Firebox
When I had the original one back in the 70's the bike worked but all the metal in Evel's body snapped, so it was impossible to get him sat on the bike or in any stunt poses. It was before the interwebs let us reach the toy companies and ask for customer service so I wrote a letter (I was about 7) to the toy company saying how unhappy I was that Evel had broken. They sent me a new Evel. Which I thought was amazing, and still do.
The other Rubik's related item that I still find fascinating was the Rubiks' rings. This is a set of square panels bound with nylon that let the panels be folded around one another. It is very tactile puzzle solving. Logically it is really a shuffle puzzle.
You start with it in this format

Fold it over and around a bit

Until you get to this

The tactile nature of these puzzles and toys is a nice change from the purely digital world I live in. However a blend of the two, an Augmented Reality Haptic feedback Rubik's puzzle .... wooooooaaah

Check this out - Beer Pong

The main presenter of The Cool Stuff Collective that I am doing my little thread of emerging technology on, Sy Thomas leads another live when he is not in the TV studio. Check out him and and his comedy partner Simon Feilder in this Beer Pong comedy short.

More on http://www.lifeofsi.tv/

An event not to be missed - Cool Stuff Collective

Over on my biz blog at feeding edge I wrote about my day out at MTV studios in Camden filming studio pieces for a new CITV Kids TV show called The Cool Stuff Collective.
Its a gadget and games show aimed at 7-12 year olds (and the rest of us too of course who love gadgets and games!)
I get to come on the show and talk about emerging technology, things that are just there, or you may think there are science fiction but be surprised they are really real.
The Cool Stuff Collective airs on 5:00pm Monday 13th September on CITV Sky 621 Freeview 72 Virgin 734 Tiscali 307
Watch out for a cameo appearance on the show about 3d printing

Yes its the epredator potato SL print from 2006 by Fabjectory
This one has appeared on TV before, he got more air time than me on Newsnight, not he is on childrens TV.

Excited predlets on trip in car

We took a trip to Longleat and on the way things got a little heated and they got excited :)

Go green team

Go green team, originally uploaded by epredator.

Green team won predlet 1.0's sports day today. She is very happy as she was a major force in green team :)
It got rained off last week and lucky it did, today was scorching hot and I was not away in Brighton for the rescheduled one.
W00t

Wifi hack solution to iPhone signal problems

Wifi hack solution to iPhone signal problems, originally uploaded by epredator.

Just a thought but it works for drive by wifi so maybe for an iPhone signal :)

Brilliant lego action movie

Thanks to @eric_anderesen for tweeting this excellent piece of legoma (or whatever we call stop motion films made with lego).

I like the look of this :) Predators iphone movie game

Looks nice, and made with unity3d too I believe

Dear England football team - How to kick a football

How to kick a football, originally uploaded by epredator.

Predlet 2.0 may only be 3 and a bit years old, and we are not really a football family, but the lad knows how to kick a football. He does it wish passion and vigour, lots of determination and also a high degree of precision (and thats just wearing sandals)
So.... If the lads who played so bad in the World Cup need a lesson, or if they need someone fresh for the squad. He is ready.

Comedy abbreviation on TV

Comedy abbreviation, originally uploaded by epredator.

It is amusing when TV titles in fixed format displays have to get abbreviated. This is a typical example.
The UK budget, no one knows whats going on... Wait... The Shadow knows!

England vs USA world cup match

It was all very odd, we watched England throw a lead away 1 nil up against USA and yet we missed the first goal as ITV HD went to an advert break by "accident". Never straight forward for England in any tournaments. Can't just turn and and win or lose. Always something (not always our fault). Thinks Maradona hand of god moment.......

Yes I know thats a French strip, blue was the closest I could get in xtranormal did not see the US one on the asset list :)

Florida theme park tips

As we just got back from orlando doing the Florida thing I thought I would list the highlights.

We had an unlimited pass for 2 weeks to disney, universal and Seaworld. In the 14 days we were there we only had 2 days not using those passes.
We were not in resort but in a house with a pool about 10 miles out from disney and about 15 from universal. We also had sat nav .
I do not think we were there at the busiest times but there were certainly some big queues, which we tried to avoid.
Due to coming from the UK we were able to do the most important thing at the parks. Get there early!
The tactic of identifying the main ride you want to do and heading straight there when it opens saves a lot of time and effort and also gives you an option to go to the second choice one in case of failures.
It is also often quite good to head straight to the other side of the park to things as people will meander along at the entrance taking photos etc.
We had a very mixed family group so we tended to not do all the big rides but checked the schedules for the character signings as the predlets loved those.
Must do's
1. Rockit roller coaster universal. A very long coaster, with a choice of music. I would not bother with buying the video that it takes of you as it is only a few seconds spliced into the music video and a 3d render of the track. The ride has some high G turns that almost hurt. I rode it once late when I was a bit tired, but first thing int eh morning the next time woke me up bigtime :)
2. Toy Story Midway at Disney Holywood . A cart 3d train that lets you shoot hoops and sticky darts at 3d cgi characters. This is for all ages and shooting by pulling a piece of rope is brilliant :) Its in the middle of the park behind the big hat. It seems to be the main draw as its the newest so head there first.
3. Rockin' Roller Coaster at Disney Holywood. Turn right and up near tower of terror. Still a great coaster.
4. Monsters Inc Laugh floor at Disney Magic Kingdom, in Tomorrow Land. Wrote about this on feeding edge
5. Live action stunt show Disney Hollywood Studios. Awesome car based stunts done for real.
6. Aquatica - This seaworld water park is worth it for the giant kids adventure playground and the rapids to float around.
7. Woody Woodpecker kiddies coaster Universal. This area did not open until 11am but there is hardly any height restriction.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean - Disney Magic kingdom now with added captain jack sparrow
9. Simpsons - Universal - Brilliant simulator ride takes a pop at lots of other rides including pirates as above
10. Spideman - Universal islands of adventure. Its spiderman, a 3d cart ride.
11. Give up listing its all just so good!
Yes I gave up listing the rides in order pathetic. Really pick a few big ones then meander around timing things to go to the live shows. We tended to only last until about 3pm then headed home for the pool.
You should also really take a trip out to kennedy space center. It's such an important an impressive collection.

New transition lenses

New transition lenses, originally uploaded by epredator.

I have new glasses. This is not the darkest the transition lenses go but they are still fascinating.
I had some original reactotlite sunglasses back in the 80's. I had avoided them again with my specs as wearing things all the time that may turn dark at a moments sunlight seemed a bit of a waste.
Of course now, my latest trip to the opticians tagged me as old and needing not only short sighted every day glasses but the dreaded reading/computer use glasses.
So i really did not want 3 sets of lenses, reading, seeing and cool shades.
These frames I got seemed pretty funky too. So far so good.

Ash hamster

Ash hamster, originally uploaded by epredator.

One of the unreported victims of the Icelandic volcano ash and its affects on international flights to and from the UK and around Europe is that we have a visitor for a while longer at our house.
Pippin was originally visiting for a week whilst his family went on holiday, but of course they are still there.
Of course it is very handy to be able to take photos, pop them on flickr where they filter down via friendfeed into facebook where Pippin's family get to see that he is ok.
A slight change for him today as he needed some new food from our local pet shop (we don't usually have pets so that was a new experience) and new bedding sawdust and tissue paper.
He seems happy enough though I am sure he misses his real owners.
#ashtag #ashhamster

Predators Movie

Yes of course I am looking forward to this summers new predator movie. :)
The recent AVP have not been that great. However I suspect that Robert Rodriguez will make this a doozy.



If not, well no harm done. It is still interesting to see the background story emerge.
I have said on many occasions I used the predator handle before the first film even got made. I was more than made up when I saw early shots in Fangoria magazine of the awesome Stan Winston design.

Skateboarding Predlet 2.0 trick #1

Skateboarding Predlet trick #1
Originally uploaded by epredator

Predlet 2.0 learns his first ever skateboard trick, well less of a trick and more of an essential.

Roo bafta award

roo bafta award, originally uploaded by epredator.

Original photos uploaded Roo Reynolds
www.flickr.com/photos/rooreynolds/4380051457/
www.flickr.com/photos/rooreynolds/4379360172/

He gets everywhere doesn't he :) Fancy getting a gig at the Bafta's.
Roo has some great (real) photos of the event here and here
It's nice to see a fellow colleague and metaverse evangelist still living the rock and roll lifestyle :)

Me and the predlets

Me and the predlets, originally uploaded by epredator.

Of course this needs no explanation :) Just testing our kit ;)

Barney does Predlet 2.0 impression

IMGP4756, originally uploaded by epredator.

At his birthday party the other week predlet 2.0 found a tractor to ride. It was good to see these as free ride machines at the indoor playground where we had the party. All to often these devices are money traps set out in the most awkward places in shopping centres.
Anyway nice to see Barney copying predlet 2.0 or vice versa.

Snow Hunters

Snow Hunters, originally uploaded by epredator.

The weather has been very odd for this part of the country.
We even got to sledge in our own garden !

Digging out this old snowboard gear

Sat Down, originally uploaded by epredator.

With all the #uksnow around I thought it was a good idea to dig out my no limits sallopettes and airwalk boarding jacket and relive my youth.
Of course I dont have a snow board, not a hill bit the rest of the kit is still in great condition.
The trousers were ones that I stomped into a shop in resort with a huge rip in the rear end of my cheap quilted ones and demanded the best pair of snow trousers they had. I ended up with some brilliantly waterproof teflon coated ones (that still fit BTW).
The airwalk jacket has lots of great features like a neoprene cuff so you get no snow up your sleeve. A hood that also has a peaked cap and lots of layers and pockets.

Now that is a gate!

Gate mechanism, originally uploaded by epredator.

We went for a walk near swanwick and I was amazed at this seemingly over engineered gate mechanism.
The gate is like a re-enforced version of the old level crossing gates where the metal squared off elements fold under gravity.
With this gate though it is a bit more military checkpoint. A large cantilever block can push the gate down (on the right) and the very solid cross braces lift up.
It is really clever.

Scary old passport photos

Guess who, originally uploaded by epredator.

One of the joys of the modern age is that we have visual records of us at all stages of life. Like this passport photo that surfaced this christmas.
Thanks Dad !
Do you have any odd passport photos to share?

Predlet mashup of RATM In the Name Of - Noddy Styleee

I tweeted the other day that Predlet 2.0 thinks that In the Name Of is actually In the Name of Plod (from Noddy). As soon as here hears it on the radio he launches into to as you can see.

There is still time to donate and buy Rage Against the Machine 4 Xmas

Everyone even the man himself has seen sense.
(The lyrics get a bit wild for sensitive ears later on, but music is supposed to challenge)

The band are giving the proceeds to charity as well as the donations people are giving to shelter as well as downloading the single.
Not long to go. Go on you know you want too.

Let's rock - Support Rage Against the Machine for Xmas

Let's rock, originally uploaded by epredator.

It's time to get good music back, a social movement up against the PR machine fits for where we all are today. The predlets are up for that (though need the radio edit!)
Yes ok so the Xfactor lot are on the same label as Rage Against the Machine but this feels like its generated from a pub conversation not from a PR brainstorm.
When buying the Killing in the Name of single don't forget to also donate to shelter if you can.
The details and facebook group are here

Frankenstein pockets

Frankenstein pockets, originally uploaded by epredator.

One of the reasons I do software related things is that I whilst I have a practical mind I do not always have the technical skills to deal with the physical.
My favourite pair of trousers had the right hand pocket wear out. This often happens as this is where my keys and change are kept all the time.
So, rather than throw them away and fork out for a new pair (whilst not very rock and roll) I cobbled together a fix.
The sewing wont win any prizes, but it will stop the steady leak of 5 pence pieces trickling down my leg.
I was trying to do this in a bit of a rush so part of the job is actually held on with gaffer tape, but thats tonights excitement to get stitching the other side.
Who knows a career in fashion may await?

Sorting out Darth Vader

Predlet 2.0 has taken to doing the things boys do. Things become guns, and bad guys need sorting out. There may of cause and effect, nature nurture conversations here but he was having fun and living out a bit of Star Wars. Darth Vader is a bad guy (in general lets not worry about the subtleties of redemption) and bad guys need "sorting out".
So he did, and he wanted it filmed.

More Marmite

More Marmite, originally uploaded by epredator.

I am still loving the labelling on Marmite. I had not seen the "is perfect one" it was a nice surprise in the Ocado delivery.
Its nice to be able to have a laugh unpacking the shopping !

A waste of sign

A waste of sign, originally uploaded by epredator.

You have to admit this is just a little pointless :)

You don't see that everyday

Boo

Boo, originally uploaded by epredator.

Happy Halloween everyone

predator fire

predator fire, originally uploaded by epredator.

More forza 3 in game shots this time a ferrari predator style

Epredator Scooby

Epredator Scooby, originally uploaded by epredator.

The full image not just the bonnet scoop :)

predator car forza 3

predator car forza 3, originally uploaded by epredator.

Forza 3 is proving to be brilliant, the custom car painting is much easier so the true artist are doing some awesome things already.
I just did this predator cartoon style face and I have to say I was pretty happy with it

Breakdancing Predlet2.0

Predlet 2.0 started to bust some moves that looked a little like bboy floor work. I showed him some more breakdancing on youtube and have gave it a go :)

Horrid Marmite

Horrid Marmite, originally uploaded by epredator.

Some great marketing and labelling on Marmite. A downloadable ebook is available on the story of how horrible marmite is.
It is really funny to consider labelling something as being horrible isnt it?
I love marmite BTW.
It is clever to play on the polarised attitudes to it as they have done for years. Many brands would shy away from this.
Making people feel part of the tribe who likes or dislikes marmite is clever engagement or blind luck on their part :)
Any other examples you can think of ? I am sure there are some.

Trains aren't what they used to be

Trains aren't what they used to be, originally uploaded by epredator.

What a way to travel to London? It might as well be given the woeful lack of power, wi-fi and phone signal on the trains form Southampton to waterloo :)

Waiting on Forza 3 - It is looking and feeling very good

Forza 3 crash, originally uploaded by epredator.

I have to say a a racing game fan I am really looking forward to Forza 3. The live demo 1 TRack 5 cars has been very entertaining and competive already.
Its not worth arguing over the GT5 vs Forza. They will both be great, but Forza 3 will be this month, and also be loaded with those brilliant user generated content features that made the previous incarnation so much fun too.

See you on the track!

Winkles Wedding

Winkles Wedding, originally uploaded by epredator.

It's not all hi tech gaming in our house you know.
I have always been interested in board games of all types too. This is a game called Winkles Wedding, a christmas favourite when I was a kid as it belonged to my grandparents. I have no idea how old the game is. Though its more of an experience than a game.
Someone reads out the story and you turn over a card with an amusing word on it that fills in the gap.
I love the cards and the font and have fond memories of it.
A quick google found very little though board game geek indicates this was published in 1920.
Anyone else remember this?

Can you roll cars in Dirt 2?

Yes you can


I had already been impressed by the demo, in particular the Avatar integration over on Feeding Edge the game itself is a really impressive off roader.
A mix of real rally stages (with co pilot reading the pace notes), and stacks of buggy racing and point to point.
The changes in the surfaces from the dry to the muddy and sticky make this one very impressive simulation style racing game.
I have been playing totally with the in car view, which means you get the full effect of splashing in a muddy puddle and waiting for the wipers to clean your screen as you hurtle into a sharp blind left hand bend.
If you like driving games (and if not why not) then this is an awesome blast.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (Xbox 360)
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (PS3)
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (PC DVD)
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (Wii)
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (PSP)

WWE legend creation

WWE legend creation, originally uploaded by epredator.

Then I become a WWE wrestler and took on the Ultimate Warrior....

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania (Xbox 360)

Which is more cute? Snow Leopard or Hello Kitty?

Which is more cute? Snow Leopard or Hello Kitty?, originally uploaded by epredator.

It was the last day of school holidays and Predlet 1.0 was busy playing with Hello Kitty, whilst I was busy upgrading my Mac with Snow Leopard.
Its hard to tell which is the most cute :)

bike loop

bike loop, originally uploaded by epredator.

This a a view of some of the loop I ride off road on bridleways around chilling between solent view and meon shore near bronwich lake.
Usually head straight down and then take the right hand loop back and return up to the inland start point again.
There are some more bits and pieces of track to get to and from teh house, but this is the main burn.

Briliant Free Running

I just caught the end of the Barclaycard World Freerun championships from Trafalgar square. It was amazing. They have a highlight video posted.

The eventual winner doing an amazing horizontal move, holding onto a bar, and walking up in thin air, incredible piece of strength and performance.
There is even more inspiration at http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/

On yer other bike

I started playing Trials HD, the brilliantly addictive XBox Live downloadable game last night. It took me back to playing Kickstart 2 back on the Commodore 64, but then rushed me forwards in time with fantastic physics, awesome visuals and a very flowing analog feel to the controls.

If you have an Xbox 360, go and at least try the demo.

This Gamespot video shows what you have in store, but it is still full of surprises.

On yer bike

On yer bike, originally uploaded by epredator.

7 Days, 7 bike rides, target achieved. Each ride has been a little longer starting at 1 hour and up to 1 hour 20. The initial ones had my heart rate up at 155, but now its a more sensible 135-145 range. A good workout, but still enjoyable.

Its back and so am I

Its back, originally uploaded by epredator.

Back in the late 90's I used to exercise a lot. Every day either some moderate weights at home or out on my bike.
I decided that it was time to get going again, the web, virtual worlds and the predlets had taken up so much time the past 10 years fitness was not high on the list.
So in true mid life crisis style I started again.
My old Saracen bike was in bits, so I initially used the one we had for putting a predlet on a back seat. It was ok but not as much fun as my old big bike.
So last night I fixed it, new tubes, a bit of oil and it was in a good state.
I also went and got a new Camelbak, and put some batteries in the heart monitor.
Working at home and for my own company means that whilst I am really busy I can still practically workout during daylight hours with little impact to the family. A unique opportunity that I have to take.
So I have jusyt got back from another hour off road, at about 155 heart rate. Hopefully the fact I feel the addiction again will keep me going.
It was a strange experience back on this bike after so long, it seemed to familiar like an old friend. The things missing were my extra tech.
back then I had an old fashioned GPS, a lead battery front spot light, a regular trip computer and a space for the phone.
Bizzare to think how much the tech has changed in particular with GPS in everything these days.

Escapees from monkey world

Escapees from monkey world, originally uploaded by epredator.

yikes look what came back from holiday