Classical Music

As someone who is a huge fan of music of varying kinds I has puzzled me why I really don't get classical music. Of course there's the ones you hear on adverts or used countless times on TV but the whole Classical genre is not something I can connect with at all.

However! I recently decided to trade in my XBox One and become a member of the PS4 brigade (I might blog about my reasons why) and in doing that I picked up a game called Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. It's an indie title which I think would have only cost £15 if I hadn't managed to get it as part of my bundle. I'd seen a few YouTube videos on it and just from those I really wanted to play it - there aren't many games which have had that effect on me! The game itself is visually stunning and although not a lot happens - it's kind of like 'follow me Archers' for me there is one element of the game which really makes it something special - the music. There's something about the soundtrack / score which I absolutely love and it will come as no surprise that the music is all classical. Combined with the images and scenery it all works and I've found myself listening to some of the music via Apple Music tonight, I'm pretty sure if Katie had walked in I would have been given a 'What on earth are you listening to that for' kind of look.

Anyway - if you're even the slightest bit interested in having a listen to it here's the Apple Music link https://itun.es/gb/2hpb9

A General Election

Today is one of those days often known in the UK as a General Election. The day every four years (normally) when the UK population comes out to vote for who they would like as their local MP and subsequently as the Prime Minister.

I am someone who on the whole finds politics to be something so riddled with corruption, lies and 'jobs for the boys' that it annoys me more than interests me. I'm a big believer however that I am in a very privileged position of being able to vote in what appears a pretty democratic system and so will cast my vote at every election possible. I also think that everyone else should use that right too - we took our children along to the Polling Container today so I could explain to our eldest (who is 5) what voting is all about and why it's important. I think she understood but we'll see next time it happens.

What really pleased me tonight was that for the first time ever we had to queue to get into the polling station - meaning that lots of other people were making the effort to vote. I spoke to my Mum earlier and she said it was the same at her polling stations so maybe the voting population are actually starting to care!

Right now voting is still open for another 15 mins and the overall results won't be fully known until tomorrow morning, my money is on a hung parliament which I'm hoping and crossing everything does not involve the Conservative party! Who knows - but that's the joy of democracy!

Inspiration

Compared to some people I don’t spend too much time on my daily commute but I must spend about 3 hours each week just sat trundling along in traffic. Of course when this happens it’s hard to stop boredom kicking in and then of course my mind wandering. About a month ago on one of those occasions I started to think if there was anyone in my lifetime who I could say has inspired me – with the exception of the obvious ones like my parents, wife, family and close friends – I struggled, like really, really struggled.

I must have then pondered this for ages, there must be someone out there. I had some great teachers at school who really helped me become who I am today – my art teacher Mr Shevells, Mr Shakespere and one or two others but although they helped me develop I cannot remember anything specifically inspirational.

Since I had this realisation I suppose I began searching for inspiration, while doing my usual trawl and meander through Twitter and YouTube I came across a bloke from New York called Casey Neistat. I found myself watching one of his videos, then another, and another and it’s now got to the point where I look forward to each of his daily vlogs. There’s something about his outlook on life, the way he thinks and things he does I find intriguing and I’m starting to think – inspirational. If you watch his videos the little clips of time-lapse which link the clips to camera are fantastic. I’ve found myself having a go with my iPhone at shooting a few of the out of the window – with admittedly average success but it’s a start. I would never have the confidence to voice over or talk to a camera but if I can practice enough and learn bits of techniques I hope to pull together a video of my own – which of course no one will see but at least I’ll have done it.

I would definitely recommend checking out Casey’s videos just to see what you think for yourself. I may have found someone I find inspirational but I’m going to keep looking for more.

Motivation

It could be said that me and motivation aren’t exactly great friends. I see people around me on YouTube or at work who all seem to have this amazing amount of reason for doing things or the drive and verve for getting somewhere or achieving something – why don’t I have this?

Yes, I’m a very laid back person and often content in my own little world. I’m very happy with my family life – I have an amazing wife and two unbelievably fantastic children but when it comes to motivation – I’m empty!

I often have ideas of things I would love to try or do – mainly when sat in the car in traffic – but when I get home I never do them. I recently wanted to have a go an putting together a short video or presentation thing to upload to YouTube. Not with me in it or voicing over it, just something interesting to watch. I ended up filming my drive to and from work in Timelapse mode on my phone but when it came to editing and putting it together I lost interest quickly and it went nowhere.

I don’t know if motivation is something which comes naturally comes to people, I find that I really need to force myself to do it which sounds to me like I’m trying to motivate myself to motivate myself.

The number of times I’ve tried to start a blog and then lost interest is unbelievable – I again seem to have an idea about what to write about but then very quickly I either forget the idea or dismiss it as absolute arse.

The normal ending of my idea is me spending time sat in front of my Xbox or PC playing something like Advanced Warfare or GTA V – as a 39 year old should I really be doing that?

Music

Yesterday I did something which I haven't done for ages, and by ages I'm talking years! I went into an actual shop to look at buying music! I had some time to myself in Newcastle and found myself wandering without any particular destination past HMV. Like most people now when I want to peruse or buy music I trawl through iTunes, Amazon MP3 and Google Play without giving a thought to HMV or other real life shops! There's a couple of albums I've been thinking about getting and online they are all £8 and above - compared to years ago that would have been perceived as cheap but as normally one of the online stores has albums for £5 I seem to perceive £8 for someone's hard work as being expensive. 

So yesterday I wandered through the rows of CD's, DVD and Blue Ray when I suddenly remembered about the albums I was looking for - to both my surprise and joy I found both albums in a 2 for £10 deal! They are now beginning their new life together at my house! 

I definitely wouldn't describe the record store business as thriving however it's good to see that it's still surviving and actually an option which I should actually consider in my normal scan when looking for something new. I really liked being able to pick up the cd and play it as soon as I got in the car. Of course I'll be uploading it into iTunes to transfer onto my phone and turning it digital!

Relaxing

Not sure if this is something a lot of people find but I suspect it is - I cannot relax! 

I cannot remember over the last few years a time when I felt truly relaxed. I know I now have more responsibilities with the two amazing children who call me Daddy but even in the down times when they're in bed or with grandparents there are still loads of things which need doing and cannot be ignored. 

I used to visit Vienna quite a bit but haven't been for a while, just being in that place really helped me relax and for me there was something special about it! I'm not convinced my children would feel the same about it though! 

I'm sure there are things I could do to help myself but I'm just not sure what they are! 

Decision made!

After watching the Apple Keynote this week I have to confess that it all had my mouth watering! After a year away from the iPhone and finding out that the roses in the garden of Android smells a little bit farty I decided the time has come to return to the world of Apple!

Despite the problems O2 had with their website I've preordered the 64Gb iPhone 6 to collect next Friday and cannot wait!

Now that the deed is done I've been thinking about what it is about the Note 3 and the Android experience it has provided!

Firstly the wireless chip in the Note 3 is awful, I regularly lose wireless connection in both our kitchen and bathroom even though our router is in the next room! Other handsets have no problem at all so it can't be the signal strength from the router.

I get the impression that Samsung are spending too much time trying to cram as many flashy features and wizardry into their phone and OS and in doing that they've neglected the basics! Apps shouldn't regularly crash, the signal strength should allow calls to be made in more places than not - I could go on!

The concept of the s-pen is great however to me its not something I like using. The apps which use it aren't the greatest so I spend more time typing or dictating rather than write it out then watch while it tries to translate my scrawled handwriting because it's quicker!

I think I've mentioned it in another blog but I think taking stock Android, then adding Touch whiz then adding apps, widgets, themes, launchers, icon packs is all very lovely but it really make it feel like a very fragmented experience and takes away the togetherness and seamless experience I imagine you get from stock Android on a Nexus phone for example! Yes Android rolls out features first and yes Apple adopt them later but for me that helps Apple get them right!

So no doubt there are a loaf more things and reasons but I've made my decision and am very pleased I have! Next Friday can't come soon enough!

Back to what I know

Over the last year when it's come to technology and general home gadgets I decided to leave a couple of providers who looking back I had no issues with other than I think I was getting bored with and wanted to see what it was like 'on the other side' away from them. When I make a decision like this then I spend quite some time reading, watching and generally researching everything that the other provider can give me. The first instance was with our home broadband, phone and TV provider, where I live the internet was always something in the 3mb download speed range and when along came BT waving their fancy Infinity in my direction I had to move over. BT were the first provider to offer fibre internet and so I moved everything over to them. Now hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think in real life I should have waited a month or so until Sky hooked up their equipment. I'm now in the position where I still have BT for my phone and internet but I have gone back to Sky for my TV - there's only so many signal issues, box freezes I could put up with, not to mention the slow speed of the box and the distinct lack of decent channels.

I think I can put my move from iOS over to Android in with this kind of decision too. I'd definitely got bored with iOS and from the research I had done I was well and truly sold that Android was the future and was the mobile OS for me. It is clear for all to see that a lot of the 'new features' Apple add to the iPhone etc have already been around on Android for one, maybe two years before. It was this and the promise of endless customisation which I think make me move over. Now I have tried life on both sides I think my argument may be that yes Android do implement idea before Apple however that doesn't mean to say they are as seamless and polished as they should be. I have yet to find a keyboard for Android I really like - I'm currently using the Android L one but I am fed up of accidentally adding a comma every time I press space. Given that I'm using a massive screened Note 3 you'd expect that even my sausage fingers could glide beautifully round the keyboard and not accidentally hit the same key every time. The customisation available with Android is great and any element of the experience you want to change you pretty much can. After getting used to the phone through Touchwhiz I tried every Launcher and as I've said before I settled with Nova and GEL but what I've noticed is that although there are umpteen themes out there I could use I seem to have set my home screen up just like I would have on an iPhone - no widgets, fancy clocks or scrolling bars - just apps and folders. Now I have never made the decision to do this and I hadn't realised until about 10 mins ago that I'd done it. I've tried the widgets etc but they annoy me and get in the way. 

I think what I'm trying to say is really that my holiday in Androidland has been a good one, and I have learned a great deal about other phones, OS and how they work - however I have to admit that no matter what Android changes, adds or removes I'll always be an iPhone kind of guy. iPhone 6 here I come!

More thoughts

Since my last blog I've been thinking a bit more about what I do and don't like about Android. One of the things which I'm finding more about Android is that it feels fragmented. Instead of the overall feel of it being the 'Android Experience' it feels more like a series of apps or interactions which are all made by different people and then thrown into a central melting pot and given the Android touch. One great thing is that they all do seem to interact with each other and the number of different options you are presented with when pressing Share is fantastic - although some of the options seem a bit strange.

This fragmented feeling may be caused by the fact that the experience I'm having isn't the stock Android one - it's the Samsung Touchwhiz version and I am yet to be convinced that this is a good thing. I've never tried the HTC version Sense 5 but I get the impression this is probably similar.

10 months in....

Last October I made the switch from being a staunch iPhone user to an Android user and at the time I was very enthusiastic about entering the open source world on my newly acquired Note 3. Almost ten months down the line I think I'm now trying to make a decision as to whether I like Android or not?

The reasons for me switching were boredom with the iOS operating system, the locked down nature of it all where you can only do what Apple wants you to do; plus the attractions of Android looked like a whole world of fiddling, customising and new features! I thought the idea of widgets interesting and thought I'd have loads.

Ten months in I think I've now got to know Android well enough to make an assessment of my use of it and whether I like it or not.

The Note 3 I got obviously comes with the Samsung Touchwhiz skin loaded with the usual bloatware, I stuck with this for a while until I got used to the phone but I very quickly wanted to change. Thanks to the option to download new themes I immediately began trying out all the different ones and settled on Nova however I have subsequently switched to the Google Experience Launcher. One of the great things about Android is the App Store, more often than not if you can think of something you want your phone to do there's an app for it. The Android app store reflects the open source nature of Android and allows any kind of app but still had rigorous checks provided by Google to make sure it's not a danger to the handset or user. One thing I really like about the app store is that you can get a refund on any app if you don't like or in the first 5 mins (I think it's 5 mins) and before you install any app the Play Store lets you know exactly what the app needs to access on your phone.

One common comment I get is about the size of the Note 3, for me it's fine as I have large hands but the general comment is "that's massive". I think one of the issues and things I now dislike about Android are the number of niggly errors which keep happening which I think are connected to the Samsung build of Android rather than the stock version. There are issues with WiFi connection - the regular appearance of 'your network connection is unstable' is very annoying and now music, YouTube videos are pausing for no reason - each update of Samdroid seems to fix some issues but create the same amount of new ones!

Having an OS which is issued by Google but then changed by each of the handset makers for their devices to me dilutes the experience and opens up an opportunity for faults and issues!

Now I've got my phone set up for me I have no widgets on my screen, I never use the S-Pen, and often find myself searching Google for Android equivalents of iOS apps!

So I'm thinking, do I like Android - stock version yes, skinned versions - not really! do I like my Note 3 - not really, are there other handsets on the market currently I like - not really!

Guess I'll see what comes out over the next few months and make a decision! Is the grass greener? Definitely not!

Compen

There is something which has seemingly become part of British society which I have to say really annoys me, the expectation that if a person has something which wrong then they should be compensated for it. It is a part of life that not everything goes either as expected or on a rare occasion genuine mistakes will made, it annoys me that as soon as a part of a process goes wrong there is an expectation that compensation should be paid. In my eyes compensation should only be paid out to people who have actually suffered loss or damage and not purely as a good will gesture, companies are too eager to hand out vouchers etc just to keep customers happy. The rise of the blame claim culture and the exposure all of our opinions (regardless of whether they are right or wrong) have through Social Media terrifies businesses, it's so easy for one negative message, status update or comment to be seen by hundreds of people in only a few minutes and in doing so feed the expectation Joe Public has of receiving a hand out.
 
In the long run I guess the more people do it then the business will have to compensate for the free money they give out by putting prices up - and that hits us all!

I've only gone and done it!!

So then, after I'd written my last blog about iOS 7 it triggered something in my mind! Why do I persist with the iPhone when I know over in Camp Android there are some equally if not better handsets and more importantly a operating system I think I'll get on with! As you may have guessed by now on Sunday afternoon me and the rest of the family took a trip to the O2 store on Team Valley, traded in our iPhones and are now both signed up members of Camp Android, my wife traded in her iPhone 4G for a Galaxy S4 and I swapped my iPhone 5 for a rather marvellous Samsung Galaxy Note 3! For some reason as I was sitting talking to the very pleasant guy there I realised that I was nervous - all over changing to an unfamiliar phone!

So two days in and I can't belive I waited this long to move, the difference between iOS and Android is enormous - Android is amazing! Although it is the Touch whizz version of Android is still marvellous! So far the customisations, swipe keyboards, the play store, widgets have all impressed me! I've still got a great deal to learn and work out but at this point I can't see me ever going back!

Oh yeah and in the Note 3 I think I've chosen well for my first handhighlyset - is a spectacular handset and I'd recommend it to anyone - unless you've for tiny hands as it's massive!

iOS 7

As I'm sure I've mentioned on here quite a few times I've had an iPhone since the first one was released - the first I didn't bother with was the 3GS but other than that one I've pretty much had the lot! With all of these phones obviously came the varying versions of iOS or OS as I think it was originally! Through time iOS started to become a bit stale for me - no major overhaul, instead adding new elements such as Games Centre and Newstand! I had reached the point where I was thoroughly bored with iOS and started to look what else was out there from other providers! Then Apple announced iOS 7 - seeing it for the first time when it was announced at a WWDC I though it looked amazing, they'd changed the way it looked, behaved, and it felt as though it would be like having a brand new operating system! 

Its been a month since iOS 7 was unleashed on my phone and has it turned out to be the iPhone saviour that I'd hoped it would be?..........erm no! When I saw it on the initial demo from Apple I thought the colours were spectacular however when I downloaded it my phone felt a bit like my 4 year old had gone a bit nuts with her crayons! One thing I hadn't released before release was that everything zoomed in and out each time it's opened or closed, if I'm moving between apps etc then it gets annoying! Instead of wasting a second having it zoom why not do away with that and open the app quicker!?  I'm not alone in hating the new calender - I used to find list view really handy but it's not there anymore! My phone and wifi signal appear to be weaker - I'm sure I have No Service in the top left more than I used to (not proven though) and the processing time for the more significant apps like Facebook are noticeably slower - given the number of people using Facebook I'd have expected Apple to work with Facebook to make sure they worked perfectly together - it doesn't feel like they did! 

There is however one thing I really do like and use a lot - Control Centre! I love not having to dive into menus etc to just switch on and off Wifi or Bluetooth and the built in torch has replaced an app I had! 

In summary after a month iOS 7 just feel like iOS 6 with a rather flamboyant new coat on! Combining this with each iPhone now having the same form factor things from Cupertino are going a bit stale for me! 

Drivel

When it comes to updating my blog I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who wants to regularly update their blog but really cannot think of things to type about! I'll often think about something to type about and then decide that it's rubbish and not worth posting! Maybe I should do that and see what comes out - after all a lot of the blogs I read are absolute arsing drivel! 

Manchester

I think I've been to most of the major cities in the UK, all of which have seemed like pretty decent places but often there's something very samey about a lot of them! Obviously and from a completely biased point of view Newcastle is my favourite and I will always have a soft spot for London after living there for a while. Irrespective of architecture etc i think cities have a 'feel' and that's what I pick up on! Manchester is one of those cities which I really like the feel of - there's an atmosphere to it which (in my opinion) places like Birmingham and York for example don't give me! Don't think I'd move there though!

Premium Build Quality

From the hundreds of documents, articles and YouTube videos I've watched recently on the latest smartphone handsets there seems to be one phrase which is used in every review! Premium Build Quality! Most seem to come to the conclusion that although it's a great phone and maybe the best ever - they're all not quite as good as the iPhone 5! Having owned an iPhone 5 since launch day I can confirm that although it's well put together, feels good to use and probably has Premium Build Quality - they scratch and crack far too easily which to me doesn't scream quality! As soon as I got my iPhone I bought screen protectors and a plastic cover which I think completely removes the look and feel that Apple were going for! So despite this protection mine has chips in the paintwork on two edges and when scratches underneath where the cover (Belkin) has been! So is a phone with 'Premium Build Quality' a good thing - not anymore to me! If it doesn't look like it'll scratch far too easily then I think that's more important to me now!

Apple Control

I'm sat here flicking through my usual morning trawl of various websites, I normally start at BBC News, pop to a couple of Newcastle United ones, maybe a cheeky peek at Flickr and technology ones but I always seem to end with a peruse through the latest updates on macrumors.com.

One of the articles made me wonder whether Apple are getting a bit too big for their boots and believing their own hype! The story I read was one about Apple banning an app called AppGratis from the the App Store - the app basically finds good deals, promotions etc for other apps however Apple have decided they don't like how it's done and so they have killed the app! As with any iPhone user the apps available to me are those which are tightly controlled by Apple, instead of being able to find an app that does what I want, I'm instead limited to one that Apple will let me have! They claim that it's to protect the iPhone and maintain the experience but I think this is becoming a problem! I used to enjoy each week waiting for the time when the App Store was refreshed with all the new apps by Apple but however I often look through and am disappointed! I suspect that there are lots of developers out there with some amazing ideas for apps which will significantly enhance the iPhone user experience but are instead being blocked by the very tight control Apple has around the App Store! I wonder what would happen if Apple loosened their grip but still kept a close eye on the security element!?

Facebook

Sometime back in 2007 the Social Network as we know it today was still quite a new concept and I'm sure most people had accounts at MySpace, Friendster and Faceparty - then along came Facebook! Initially I loved Facebook and as more people got into it the bigger it became, I'm pretty sure it got to the point where eventually it became one of the main methods of communication for those people using it. It is great for arranging events, catching up on what people have been doing and generally being all round nosey! At first it was all about status updates, photos and general Tom Foolery - however it's now gone a bit rubbish!

My love of Facebook is now dying very quickly - my timeline is now no longer full of updates - instead they've been replaced with very annoying adverts for things I will never buy! Also the use of the share button is annoying the hell out of me - why people feel the need to constantly share every photo of a lost dog, every tacky and awful Christian poster and all round vomit enducing slogans is beyond me!

The only reason I stick with Facebook is that I have friends and family all over the country and world so Facebook is the best way to keep in touch - if it wasn't for that I would have deleted my account ages ago! In the mean time I can see a lot of people in my friends list being hidden or deleted!

Photos and the HTC / Samsung debate

So then, since my last rambling about the Galaxy S4 my normal stupid amount of research by article reading and YouTube clip watching has been taking place to help me make up my mind which I prefer! For me the biggest clincher in the competition is the quality of the photos it produces! As neither phone is out there in the hands of the public it's hard to see for myself what the exact quality of the photos is like, however from looking at some sample photos on the Engaget website to me there looks to be some things about the HTC which I didn't expect.

HTC One Samples - http://www.engadget.com/gallery/htc-one-sample-shots/

I fully expected the HTC One images to be impressive however from the ones I've seen the photos from the HTC were a bit disappointing and uninspiring! They seemed a bit over processed, a little fuzzy and lacking in contrast whereas the ones from other seem sharp and have good contrast. I think what HTC is trying to do the the megapixels issue is applaudable however after seeing the sample images I was not impressed!

All of which didn't help my decision making process as I was starting to warm towards the HTC One! Back to the drawing board!!!

The new addition from Samsung

So then, after months of anticipation and probable dribbling from quite a few people Samsung last night finally unveiled their new flag ship phone - the Samsung Galaxy S4. I think it was definitely the maddest, and possibly the worst unveiling of a phone I have ever seen. So much cheese!!

Anyway, as somebody who is contemplating switching from using the iPhone to an Android phone I was really excited to see what the new Samsung phone would look like and what amazing new features it would have to offer. So, after watching a hour of people arsing around doing hideously scripted jokes that really weren't funny was I impressed with the phone?

Erm, no, not really! I mean yeah it's nice and I'm sure a 5" 1080p AMOLED screen is great but from my point of view it seemed as though the majority of features they've added were things which I would either hardly ever use or switch off straight away - who wants to have a small picture of themselves added to a nice picture. The air gesture feature to me seems a bit pointless - why not just press the screen, hovering 2 cm over the screen sounds like more arse. From what I've seen I really like the look of the Android operating system - more than I do iOS but it looks to me as though the S4 is running like a very Samsungised version of Android and I would expect that it's full of Samsung bloatware!

So overall I expected to be wowed and amazed by the S4 and I definitely had the feeling of 'Meh' afterwards. The ultimate test will be actually holding and using one but at this point in time I think that other newly released handsets are tickling my fancy!

Have a watch - see what you think!