This blog is back!

Big changes at Southwark Bear's blog. Yay!

The last entries were mostly devoted to my attempts to grapple with computer games and the like, purely to cover my arse on the second year essay etc. I never became a gamer proper, but I ended up devoted to Bejewelled and Plants vs Zombies (and so did Kim) but that was that... think we'll call it a draw.

Onwards. From this entry on I'll be documenting the progress of my graduation (3 minute) film. 

I'll put up other sketches, treatments, animatics etc in the next few weeks. The research is the lovely/time consuming bit as I write. I'll list the books/essays I'm wading through and give some back story too. 

My last film did was really well received and I'll make an entry just to gloat later, but this one has to be stronger and distributed/exhibited far better, and I'll document that effort too.

Below: the two characters at the heart of my new film... 

Mr Monkey aka “persons unknown”

I never believed there was any anonymity on the web, many have operated assuming it is a free realm without consequence, but this about knocks one of the last nails into the myth. Twitter has obliged and handed over the full details of a UK local councilor following a Californian court ruling. The Twitter account 'Mr Monkey' has apparently used Twitter to whistleblow news that South Tyneside Council would prefer out of the public realm. A local authority can't be libeled, but three councilors can, and they have used public money to chase their case across to California. Twitter complied, let's see if other rich folk get to force them to do the same. Shouldn't have to wait too long...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8544350/Twitter-reveals-secrets-Details-of-British-users-handed-over-in-landmark-case-that-could-help-Ryan-Giggs.html

Gold Diggers of 2011

Another reason playing games online is a penalty, and not a pleasure...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/25/china-prisoners-internet-gaming-scam

RFI

Not money's biggest fan, but going cashless isn't just granting us the freedom to dress without unsightly bulges in our pockets, but not as IBM promote RFI (Radio Frequency Identity). Anyone who has had any trouble with overpaying of Oyster Cards will know this is going to be terrible...

http://youtu.be/_xNhL39uD7I

then again, for 8 dollars, there's

http://youtu.be/vmajlKJlT3U

The 'A' in AI stands for Ada

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on 10th December 1815, the only child of Lord Byron and his wife, Annabella. Born Augusta Ada Byron, but now known simply as Ada Lovelace, she wrote the world’s first computer programmes for the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose machine that Charles Babbage had invented.


Ada had been taught mathematics from a very young age by her mother and met Babbage in 1833. Ten years later she translated Luigi Menabrea’s memoir on Babbage’s Analytical Engine, appending notes that included a method for calculating Bernoulli numbers with the machine – the first computer programme. The calculations were never carried out, as the machine was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.
Understanding that computers could do a lot more than just crunch numbers, Ada suggested that the Analytical Engine “might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.” She never had the chance to fully explore the possibilities of either Babbage’s inventions or her own understanding of computing. She died, aged only 36, on 27th November 1852, of cancer and bloodletting by her physicians.

Celebrate Ada Lovelace and women in technology on October 7th (An international day of blogging to raise awareness of the achievements of women in technology and science) at their Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=253179284089 or Ada Lovelace Day: http://findingada.com/

Game Deaths

1981 and the Uncanny Valley is as wide as it has ever been...