My Helsinki flight – despite the turbulence – allowed me to catch up on some blog reading which I printed off before I left for the airport.

Tom, of plasticbag fame, had a brain dump at the weekend – writing unconnected thoughts to the page. One that caught my eye – because of its relationship to some of my thoughts – was regarding time-shifted media.

As a topic, it’s nothing new (we discussed it ten years ago when I was at University looking at some of the social aspects of media consumption), but technology has moved us a great deal.

Ten years ago, time-shifting was really not much more than the ability to video (or cassette record) programmes and watch/listen to them later. The Open University has, of course, been a prime user of this concept, with dead-of-night programming being one of the backbones of the service.

Now, of course, all is changed. The BBC Radio Player allows you to catch up on programming regardless of location or time zone, and you can see how it can have a huge impact on the lives of expats who want to keep in touch via their favourite radio shows.

I have also written before about SkyPlus, a personal video recorder in the TiVo mould linked to the BskyB satellite service. Their current advertising campaign suggests the ability to create your own television channel packed full of only the programmes you want to watch. And it is true. Regardless of the number of times Channel Four or Living TV shows Will and Grace, I’d rather watch it when I want to – which is why my machine has them in abundance.

There are downsides too. Phil Gyford has spoken of the excellent Channel Four comedy-drama, Teachers. I have been hooked since the first series but, for some reason, have not been at home for much of the latest series. So my machine is overloaded with hours of episodes. Now, instead of helping me manage my time, each look at my SkyPlus planner reminds me how time-poor I am and that I don’t get the chance to absorb all the material I want to watch.

Indeed, time-shifting has been an advantage to me – I watch much less dross now. But it also encourages me to record the worthy and adds to my feelings of frustration in a world that provides too much stimulation. I can’t decide what is worse.

On this day…

2008: Sunset Crane
2004: Aliens Eat London Commuters

Forbes has an interesting article on the pda/’phone combination I have been talking about recently. The article basically says consumers need to be familiar with the tool to use it. Previous attempts to merge the two devices failed, it suggests, because often the phone element was not good enough.

I think this is very clear reasoning indeed. The Treo 600 seems to come closest to that. My problem, however, is that I am looking for a small, powerful tool to do a number of things, and, really, the market has not grasped this.

For starters, why am I looking to spend money on a new ‘phone and/or pda? My ‘phone is boxy but relatively new (although I, luckily, paid nothing for it). It’s a perfectly serviceable Nokia phone with a built-in camera that I occasionally use – primarily for images on my blog.

The trouble started when I realised the Nokia included basic pda functionality – calendar, phonebook, etc. This saves me carrying my trusty Palm Vx everywhere and means I can make notes and check my diary. This is great in principle, but in practice it sucks.

At work, I use Microsoft Outlook, and my pda synchronizes with it. I don’t consider myself a power user of Outlook, but I do attempt to use some of its many features. Over the years, I have adapted my use of the Outlook/Palm combination to ensure the best synchronisation of the data I need, and it works very, very well. Add the Nokia 7650 into the mix, and it all goes wrong. Primarily, the Nokia doesn’t understand Outlook’s sub-folders in contacts, so I have to have a special ‘phone folder ‘. As a result, I have to create multiple entries for an individual in Outlook, and the whole point of the synchronisation fails.

Of course, I am now hooked on the concept of my phone being as up-to-date with contacts as my pda. I want full Palm functionality in a phone. Of course, I am now thinking the camera is a gimmick, but a gimmick I don’t want to lose. Hence the thoughts of the Treo from Orange.

I also carry a mini MP3 player around with me. It’s small and battery-powered, but great if you get stuck at the station or an airport. Treo has an MP3 player, but as I’ve noted before, all my music is encoded as WMA files, and I don’t want to spend time reburning my CDs. So, come on, Real, WMA the mobile device.

Of course I have another demand. My old Nokia 8310 had a radio, which was great when I was stuck on trains or just wanted to hear the news. It wasn’t fancy or powerful, but in central London I got great reception of all the main stations. So, ideally, I want a radio included.

And my demands do not stop there. I want it to run the Palm software I use on my PDA now. I would like it to have the advanced Outlook synchronisation features of newer Palms. The list goes on. But essentially I want it all in one, familiar package. At heart, I know this to be unrealistic, but there’s a geek in me trying to get out!

I wonder if some developer will read this and see that I want it all?

On this day…

2004: I Love Firework Displays

In an interview over on the official Brookside site, Phil Redmond said that

Overall it has done what I wanted it to do – especially this year – blending entertainment with the examination of contemporary social issues – but at times I admit it has had to bend with fashion and broadcaster demand.

I watched some of last night’s episode. I haven’t watched it for a while, but it did seem to have dated somewhat. I know soap opera worlds are dangerous places to be, but I think that Brookside Close must take the biscuit – I am so glad that I did not live anywhere near it!

Did it change the face of soap operas in the UK? It was certainly more contemporary than anything else when it started, and it was very rooted in the real world, but I think it also aged quickly. Still, it’s sad to see it go, and sad to see Jimmy Corkhill disappear from television screens.

Media Guardian has a potted history of the soap if you are not familiar with it.

On this day…

2004: More Say About Trains Than Bush
2001: About Musak

It’s been 21 years since Brookside first hit our screens, and tonight it bows out for the final time in what I imagine is a little-watched late-night slot on Channel 4. I wonder how many people will tune in? Clearly, not enough people have been watching since Channel 4 moved it from its prime-time slot, but I wonder how many, like me, will dip in tonight to at least get a sense of what is going to happen. Will all the old scores be settled?

I was never really a big Brookside fan, but I do recall occasionally following individual storylines. Gordon Collins was probably one of my first sightings of a relatively normal gay person on television, and I imagine that is true for a lot of people in their teens at the time.

I wonder what we’ll be saying about it in the next few years? Will it make a Crossroads-style comeback in ten years? Say farewell to Brookside Close!

On this day…

2004: A Familiar City
2003: More PDA and Phone Nonsense

Well, I bought some sweets from the local shops and waited for the trick-or-treaters. Despite the abundance of small children running around the neighbourhood in fright masks and cloaks (and an alarmingly high number of mothers with push-chairs wearing big pointy witch hats), nobody knocked. I am not sure if I am annoyed or relieved. We had a guest tonight, so I didn’t really want to be disturbed, but not one knock. Perhaps I frighten the locals!

On this day…

No other posts on this day.

Recently, I may have professed that I knew the difference between affect and effect, and it was confirmed for me today online at Common Errors in English. I did not think that Xmas was a way of removing Christ from Christmas, but rather a lazy person’s way of avoiding writing letters. Turns out, I was wrong, and the X is an abbreviation of the Greek word for Christ [Source]. Just goes to show that I know nothing.

On this day…

2005: I Am In Oslo
2005: Audience Up
2004: links for 2004-10-27

I really wanted to write something about motivation, but I can’t motivate myself to think about what’s buzzing around in my head. To be honest, I am starting to think my ability to compose sentences and string words together is leaving me. It’s not that I have any difficulty thinking about the things I would like to write here, but I have difficulty actually writing it. My head is full of random thoughts, but I can’t get them into anything coherent. Failing in this way is actually proving to be quite depressing, to be honest.

I wanted to write about a post on Strange Little Boy about using a wireless connection in a public place, but I can’t get to that point.

I also wanted to write about the development of online technologies and my frustration at seeing many of the technologies I am interested in being developed outside the UK. Again, I am suffering from some kind of block.

So, I am off to meet a friend for pizza this evening. This will allow me to clear my mind with friend-pizza-eating-trivia and also to avoid the television, which, after last night’s Dawson’s marathon, will be no bad thing for my brain. Perhaps I shall welcome tomorrow with a clearer mind.

On this day…

2003: Today On The Creek
2002: Hope I Haven't Missed Your Birthday