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Antony

The Death of Steve Jobs

By Technology, ThinkingNo Comments

The death of Steve Jobs has been widely reported in the Media. A quick visit to the Apple website confirmed it (see screenshot above). Steve died of pancreatic cancer and has received worldwide tributes from the great and the good.

I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but was he really that much of a visionary as he’s been made out to be in the media? In recent years he’s most famous for the Iphone and the Ipad. So let’s look at them both.

First the Iphone:
(Image Copyright Tech Radar, 2011.)

I love the Iphone, indeed I’ve blogged about it (see Will an Iphone 4 change my life? & Iphone Essentials: Accessories & Apps). However how original was the concept of creating a phone that’s a mini-computer? In my opinion it was already being done and Apple simply moved into the phone market.

Next the Ipad. Looking at Steve Jobs he looks like he was Star Trek geek. And anyone who watches Star Trek will have seen these:
(Image Copyright Muktware, 2011.)

Looks remarkably similar don’t you think? Plus anyone who uses a laptop to check the net knows that often they’re not as mobile as they could be. So in my opinion not that much of an original idea.

What will be interesting will be to see how Apple will develop without Steve Jobs. Will they continue to have the stronghold over the tablet market or will the likes of Amazon and others seize the opportunity to get a foothold in the tablet market?

Steve Jobs undoubtedly brought Apple back from the brink of death, but I think he was more of a technology risk taker than a visionary. Since his return to Apple in 1997 he made devices that he liked and that luckily (for him and Apple) people in the majority also liked and enjoyed using.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Thursday 6 October 2011

A Theory about Souls by a Wise Man

By Paganism, ThinkingNo Comments

The other weekend I caught up with my good friends Simon & Chrys at a small, local Mind, Body & Spirit fair. While having coffee with them one of their friends who I know to be a Wise Man had a theory about souls that interested me. So here it is, regurgitated in my own words:

The world is two thirds over populated. A body is animated it can breath, beat and function without a soul. So there’s this high number of bodies produced but not enough souls to go round. So there are people out their who are essentially soul-less.

This got me thinking: What is a soul? Does it matter if you have a soul or are soul-less? How does this theory link in with the soul-groups theory? (The theory that groups of souls get reincarnated together and help each other learn together over lifetimes.)

I think it’s definitely something worth thinking about and meditating on so that I can continue to develop spiritually.

Write soon,

Antony

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Saturday 1 October 2011

TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 10

By Amazon, Reviews, TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments

In Episode 10 – the final of the series we learn more about The Blessing. I previously described The Blessing as a cavity deep down in the earth that goes from one side of the world (Shanghai) to the other side of the world (Buenos Aires). Through the dialogue between Jack, Gwen, Oswald, Rex, Esther and the people working for the three families we learn that those who look into the cavity see their soul. We learn that rather than being extraterrestrial (what normally Torchwood deals with) it’s been on the planet since the begining of time. That it has a symbiotic relationship with the animals on the planet (including humans) and is just trying to be kind. The episode makes you think – You what???
And unfortunately that isn’t the only disappointing point of the Episode.

We discover that the three families want to have ultimate power over the human race – to decide who lives and who dies. We learn that the family used Jack’s blood to find The Blessing and then used his blood to cause this cavity that has a symbiotic-link to humans to make everyone immortal. Jack quickly susses out that as the last moral man in the world if he puts his blood into the cavity it will make everyone mortal again. But there’s one problem – the blood needs to be put in at both Shanghai and Buenos Aires and we know that Rex and Esther’s supply of Jack’s blood was blown up in the last Episode (see TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 9). Somewhat predictability Rex has Jack’s blood in his body.

Gwen prepares to shoot Jack. The families shoot Esther and tell Rex if he ends the Miracle she will die. But again somewhat predictably Jack gets shot by Gwen and dies (but we know he’ll be ok) and Rex rips off his bandage on his chest sending blood into the cavity.

The next scene was probably the best scene of the episode. “They called it the last breath.” All those people who should have died take one last breath before dieing. Jack comes back to life (no surprise), Rex gets good medical treatment and recovers. They attend Esther’s funeral and Charlotte (the CIA mole) stands next to them. On the way out Rex discovers that Charlotte is the CIA mole via his PDA and she shoots him. But Rex recovers and heals like Jack is – perhaps Jack isn’t the only immortal one any more (boringly predictable)? Charlotte gets apprehended and taken into custody.

For me there were a lot of loose ends that where never tied up. Who were the people at the beginning of the series that went to Gwen’s and Rhys’ house pretending to be lost? Who were the people watching Gwen when she was deported to Wales? What did the UK government and Unit do to investigate? Lots of little loose ends. The storyline started off well but in the last two episodes became completely predictable. The positives are that the actors (in the majority) were good, that it had some good action scenes and early on in the series it had lots of twists and turns in the story keeping you guessing as to what had caused Miracle Day.

I’ve reviewed the entire Torchwood: Miracle Day series and you can read each episode’s review here:

  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 1
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 2
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 3
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 4
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 5
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 6
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 7
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 8
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 9
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 10

    • Write soon,

    Antony


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    Friday 30 September 2011

    TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 9

    By Amazon, Reviews, TV, Online Streaming & FilmsNo Comments

    Episode 9 jumps forward from the last episode. Gwen’s back in Wales, living with her mum and her dad whose stashed in the basement so the government don’t take him away as a Category 1. Gwen’s making her living by breaking into pharmacies, stealing pain killers and selling them on the black market. Captain Jack is being nursed back to health by Esther somewhere in Wales. While Jack’s recovering he’s having his blood drained as it seems to be a threat to the three families.

    Meanwhile Rex is in America still working for the CIA. He’s finally starting to suspect someone in the CIA department is working for the three families. I say finally because for an intelligence agency they aren’t that intelligent (Rex included).

    Oswald Danes escapes from America and arrives at Gwen’s house seeking help. Rhys lets him in as he’s disguised as a shopping delivery guy (albeit poorly I might add) and Rhys is distracted by the baby. Gwen gets in touch with Jack and they grill him for information with Oswald the slimy survivor type tries to make a deal with Jack. If you remember, in Episode 8 (see TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 8) Oswald was made a Category Zero which would have meant instant incineration if caught. The government raid Gwen’s house and find her father – taking him for incineration. Jack asks Gwen what she’d like to do, but her father being taken makes her more determined to end this Miracle.

    Jilly (the PR Agent) is now working for the families and is introduced to The Blessing. It’s a cavity deep down in the earth that goes from one side of the world (Shanghai) to the other side of the world (Buenos Aires).

    The Torchwood group discover that there’s something going on in both Shanghai and Buenos Aires and decide to investigate. Jack, Gwen and Oswald going to Shanghai and Rex and Esther going to Buenos Aires to investigate. Rex and Esther take Jack’s blood as the families seem to see Jack as a threat.

    Jack’s still recovering from the gun-shot wound he got in Episode 8 bleeds in Shanghai and something unusual happens – a drop of his blood moves of it’s own accord. The group follow the blood and that’s how they find the three families facility with The Blessing inside. Gwen phones Rex and Esther and let’s them know how to find The Blessing. But Rex and Esther have already identified where the facility is and have called in the troops. Esther puts the blood on the army truck with the troops and then it’s is blown up. Luckily Rex and Esther are not on the army truck. Meanwhile back in the CIA the big CIA boss identifies the mole working for the three families, but not before Charlotte (the mole) sets off a bomb in the department and escapes, getting away with it.

    Both of the Torchwood teams end the episode entering the facilities and being met by people who work for the families.

    You can read previous Episode reviews I’ve wrote here:

  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 1
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 2
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 3
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 4
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 5
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 6
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 7
  • TV – Torchwood: Miracle Day, Episode 8

    • Write soon,

    Antony


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    Thursday 29 September 2011
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