Alex Hardy

My girlfriend and I thought about booking tickets to see Michael Jackson at the O2 arena, but decided against it. We were unsure that he would be well enough to perform in concert, let alone for such a long run of appearances. This morning we heard on the radio that he had died aged 50.

I don’t have anything special to add to the media and public discussion of the man, his life and his contribution to music. I’d just like to mark this sad day by linking to his legendary appearance at the Motown 25, where he performed Billie Jean and showed off his iconic dance moves for the first time.

This Michael, an artist in his prime, is something I would have paid a great deal to see. Sadly it wasn’t to be. I’m sure his music will live on for many years to come.

I don’t normally blog political, but I had to post a video that I saw via Daring Fireball:

To paraphrase a film you may know, fear and ignorance are a path to the Dark Side. They seem to be all the McCain/Palin campaign is based on – which can only be hurting decent Republicans who want to tackle the real issues, not trade slurs.

I don’t see Obama as some sort of saviour who can right all the world’s wrongs, but I choose the hope of people like Charles over fear.

If I were a voter in this election, I know where my cross would go.

I’d observe the Twitter chatter and wager that the “self-hosted RSS reader” that Shaun Inman casually mentioned in an interview with Peppermint Tea in January is not only real but nearing release.

If it’s half as cool as Mint and handles authenticated feeds, I’m buying it for sure!

UPDATE: Looks like I’ve been speculating about what is already known

I’ve been quiet on this website for a few weeks, but I have not been idle. Here’s a quick update on my recent activities:

simpleContact Pro

Development of simpleContact Pro is well underway. I’m currently working on the form builder itself, which is coming along nicely. It would however be premature to announce a release date other than a May/June window. I plan to write a substantial blog post at the start of May that will preview the app (with interface screengrabs).

StumbleUpon

I have got the StumbleUpon bug. I’ve been using it since January, and it is quite addictive to keep a blog of webpages that you like. It has also become a steady driver of traffic to my website. In time I’ll integrate my StumbleUpon blog with this website, since referencing other sites can be valuable, but rarely merits a full post.

Manchester Great Run

I start my overdue training programme tonight, newly bought iPod Shuffle in hand. My fundraising page is set up and I am seeking sponsorship between now and May 18th. I am running for Barnado’s in this, my third Great Run.

I’ll be getting back into regular posts soon, apologies for the brief hiatus.

Toshiba’s abandonment of HD-DVD is the final nail in the format’s coffin. Like most so-called format wars it was brief, brutal, and a million people got burned.

This was always about two industry’s interests. The consumer electronics industry wants to sell huge HD televisions (which happen to make DVDs look shabby). The film industry wants movies to cost £20 again.

Who stands at the intersection of those industries? Sony does. They have a portfolio of blockbusters (e.g. Bond) that will appeal to the early adopter demographic. They have a worldbeating console platform to put the Blu Ray format in living rooms.

It was a foregone conclusion.

Meanwhile, the mass market will stick to DVD until films and players are cheap.

Today’s announcement that the BBC iPlayer will be available on iPhone / iPod Touch within the next few weeks is far more interesting. I expect 4oD to follow suit.

Let’s face it, this was all a bit of a red herring. What we all really want is content on demand. To push a button on your computer / TV remote / mobile device and start watching what you want / where you want / when you want. That’s a generation away though, so Sony get to make some money until the rules are changed.

Via Brent:

Random pretty much covers it. If only all Fridays were Dance Party Fridays…

A thought provoking post by Stephen Fry called Social networking through the ages. He observes that many of the modern social networking websites constitute a return to the old fashioned closed networks (like AOL) of years ago. For what is Facebook, but a Friends Reunited for the Web 2.0 generation?

I guess that’s why they’re called revolutions – they always come round again.

I thought I’d take a moment to observe the first birthday of my website. A year ago today I went live with a basic WordPress install. So far the site has undergone:

• One WordPress upgrade
• A theme of my design
• The addition of a portfolio
• The release of simpleContact (now at version 1.1)
• A new, permanent domain (the move is in progress)

On blogging…

It’s still very early days for me on this score. I’ve been slowly narrowing my focus and finding my style. I think the quality of my writing has come a long way this last year, but still leaves a great deal to be desired. I want this blog to have worth (rather than just an account of my activities), so I am thinking about fleshing out some previous posts into articles and tutorials. I am open to suggestions in this matter.

On design…

I don’t feel an urgent need to change the basic design of the website, since this look-and-feel is only eight months old anyway. It has held up under additions without any signs of creaking, so I think it will be good for another year.

When I come to redesign the site I’ll be paying close attention to my statistics. I’ve gained some interesting insights into how this site is used (ie: what is popular and what is not) and these factors will be taken into account. One result is likely to be a blog that is more visual, with less categorisation.

On projects…

I have lots of ideas going forward. I plan to release simpleContact 1.2 in November, and version 1.3 is pencilled in for February. I’ve made no secret of my intention to release a commercial product next year, which will exist alongside the free version and offer more sophisticated functionality (custom fields, for starters).

I’ll start work on simpleContact 2.0 “Pro” in the new year. Watch this space…

This period of focusing solely on a free version is proving immensely valuable, because it allows me to gauge people’s opinions. I can get a feel for what people need, how much active support I will have to perform and respond to bug reports or compatibility issues (which I’m pleased to say have been very few).

As always, I am open for feedback and support. I have a roadmap in place for the application, but will give requests due consideration. Contact me with yours…

Back to work!

Here’s hoping some real competition has arrived in the music downloads market with Amazon MP3 (in US-only public beta). It may be another nail in the coffin of DRM. I’ve bought a few tracks on iTunes, but I buy albums on CD because of DRM.

I want to own my music. I won’t join a subscription service like the late Virgin Digital. As for people who don’t want to pay: are you listening record labels?

Your music can NEVER be cheap enough for people who don’t want to pay at all. They will ALWAYS find ways to circumvent your DRM. You ONLY inconvenience your legitimate customers.

Apple have too much power right now, and their “my way or the highway” attitude may come back to bite them. I hope it does because a) getting too involved in rights management red tape distracts from making slick devices and b) it leads to mean spirited moves like preventing a previously bought game working on your new iPod.

I’m looking forward to Amazon MP3 rolling out in the UK. Their prices appear to be competitive, and they provide a Mac OS X download client. Hurrah!

Here’s one for anyone who thinks that the anti-piracy ads we see in the cinema are a bit O-T-T. I remember noting that attempting to copy a film in a cinema carries a hefty penalty. Up to ten years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

So it seems pirating a film is a worse crime than murder.