I don’t usually have postive things to say about Mac & More but today I passed by them and turned out they had 2 Black MacBooks. They were already sold to clients and they were busy installing software on them but atleast Nat was able to see in person how the black MacBook looked like. She told her PowerBook and was considering either the 2ghz white MacBook, the 2ghz black Macbook or the 1.8ghz MacBook Pro. The prices between the three were very close, $1300, $1500 and $1800.

Well the blackbook turned out to be pretty boring. It just looks like an ordinary computer which wasn’t very exciting. This instantly took the black book out of the picture and Nats options were either the 2ghz $1300 white MacBook or the $1800 1.8ghz MacBook Pro. $500 difference for a larger screen… not worth it. So I just placed an order for the white book.

Something funny happened while at the Mac store. One employee saw me taking a picture of the black book and he asked me if I had a problem. I thought that was weird cuz the correct question would have been why are you taking a picture? Anyway I replied back asking him if he had a problem. He was like no he was wondering if I had a problem because I was taking pictures. I asked him why is that a problem? He was like no. I was like o..k.. weird.

Euphoria in Argentina

Jun. 25 - Argentines celebrate their team's 2-1 victory over Mexico that advances the South Americans into the quarter finals.

Excitement was high in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires as soccer fans watched their team beat Mexico, in a game that set up what will likely be an unforgettable quarter-final between the favourites and the hosts Germany at Berlin's Olympia stadium on Friday.

Fans wearing blue and white jerseys crowded into sports bars and restaurants to watch the second-round game.

The quarter-final in Berlin on Friday brings together the countries that contested the 1990 final in Rome when West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to clinch their third world title.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PARIS IVANISEVICH, FAN, SAYING:
"It was difficult but good! Argentina will always come out ahead."

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ALBERTO RONDON, NICARAGUAN FAN OF ARGENTINA, SAYING:
"The nicest football that I've seen in my life is played by Argentina. Argentina!"

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN AVALOS, FAN, SAYING:
"Let's go Argentina! We're going to be world champions. We beat Mexico and now we're going for Germany, Brazil, all of them. We're going to be champions! Let's go!"

Referee criticised after chaos

By Timothy Collings

NUREMBERG, June 25 (Reuters) - Russian referee Valentin Ivanov was given a resounding vote of no confidence by players, coaches and even FIFA president Sepp Blatter after he lost control of Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands on Sunday.

Ivanov produced his yellow card 16 times and his red card four times as both teams were reduced to nine men in their second round clash -- a record for any World Cup.

"There could have been a yellow card for the referee" - Blatter

This increased the number of red cards for the tournament to a record 23 just midway through the second round and five days before the quarter-finals begin on Friday.

Portugal, who had two players sent off, five cautioned and also lost winger Cristiano Ronaldo through an injury inflicted by a high tackle, meet England in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

"I consider that today the referee was not at the same level as the participants, the players. There could have been a yellow card for the referee," Blatter told Portugal's SIC television channel.

"This was a game of emotion, with exceptional drama in the last instant, with a deserved winner," her adde.d "It was a great show with intervention by the referee that was not consistent and (had) lack of fair play by some players."

MATCH CONTROL

Ivanov, a 45-year-old music-loving teacher, attempted to establish his control from the start when he cautioned two Dutchmen in the opening seven minutes.

But instead of gaining command of the game, he sent the contest into a spiral of chaos as Portugal took a 23rd minute lead, thanks to a well-taken goal by Maniche, and defended it with every trick in the professionals' book.

In the end, Ivanov sent off Costinha and Deco of Portugal, each for two yellow cards, and Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst of the Netherlands, both also for two cautions.

He also handed out yellows to Portugal's Maniche, Petit, Luis Figo, Ricardo and Nuno Valente and the Netherlands' Mark van Bommel, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.

"I must say it was a pity that there was no football in the second half," said Dutch coach Marco van Basten.

"The referee made a mess of it and Portugal used all their experience, all their tricks and time-wasting. We just couldn't play. It was chaos and it should not happen this way at a World Cup."

LIKE WAR

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he was happy to win and added that such rough games were a part of his South American experience.

"Sometimes it is like war," he said. "It is like that in the Copa America and I am used to that."

Scolari said he was not worried avoutt losing players to suspension because he has a strong squad.

He defended captain Luis Figo, who was cautioned for butting Mark van Bommel in a scrap to grab the ball when the Dutch were refusing to hand it back.

Van Bommel said: "They were not any smarter than us, but the referee let them get away with it.

"If Figo butts you, and he only gets a yellow card, and then minutes later he 'delivers' Boulahrouz's second yellow when, already, he should have been in the dressing room... Well, they are crucial mistakes that shouldn't be made at a World Cup."

But Scolari said Figo only did what a committed player should do when goaded by his opponents, adding "Jesus Christ said he would turn the other cheek but Figo is not Jesus Christ. I thought he was more correct than the Dutchmen".

Scolari refused to accept that his side tricked their way to victory and Van Basten, when asked about his own team's physical style and their role in the chaos, said: "If they are talking about fair play, they should look at themselves first."

July 12, 2005

'Ghoulish' injury pics condemned

The BBC reports on a story illustrating a very dark and ghoulish side of youngsters using their cameraphones.

"Youths used camera phones to take pictures of a young boy who impaled himself on his bicycle in Birmingham, hampering the work of firefighters.

It happened in Wheeler Street in the Lozells area of the city on Monday night as the nine-year-old victim was being comforted by his mother.

West Midlands Fire Service spokesman Bill Gough said between 10 and 15 youths gathered to take pictures.

Mr Gough said: "These people were actually taking photographs of this youngster in these unfortunate circumstances using their mobile phones.

"They were getting very close to him to take their photographs and it must have been really scary for the boy, who was obviously in great pain."

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June 14, 2006

Italian directors shoot 93-minute film with cameraphone

Italian directors have completed a 93-minute documentary they say is the first feature film to be entirely shot by such a technique. (Not the first by my books*, but the longest - a 35mm feature film entitled Sugar Man was shot with the Sony Ericsson W900i last year).

Called "New Love Meetings," it was filmed in a MPEG4 format with a Nokia N90 -- a regular, higher-end cell phone on sale around the globe, documentary co-director Marcello Mencarini said.

"With the widespread availability of cell phones equipped with cameras, anybody could do this," Mencarini said in a telephone interview from Milan. "If you want to say something nowadays, thanks to the new media, you can."

[PhysOrg via The Raw Feed]

*The world’s first full-length movie to be shot entirely on cellphones - entitled SMS Sugar Man - was wrapped up in Johannesburg last Fall. The 35mm feature film was shot by Aryan Kaganof, the prolific writer/director of numerous feature films, shorts and videos.

emily | 03:47 PM | Mobile Film Fests/Photography Fests | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012663.htm

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June 14, 2006

car-parazzi - Am-I-hot(rod)-or not

car-parazzi is all about cars and car-sighting snaperazzis. A new twist on Am-I-hot(rod)-or not. [via digg]

Founded by car-crazy kids, they invite sports car, classic or hot rod lovers to send in their car photo or video sightings - and vote on their favorites.

emily | 03:35 PM | Moblogs / Photoblogs / Videoblogs | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012662.htm

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June 14, 2006

"3G for all" Program

At a meeting yesterday in India, the board of the GSM Association approved a "3G for all" program to bring 3G multimedia services and mobile Internet access to many more people in both the developed and the developing worlds. [Press Release]

"Over the next few months, a group of operator members of the GSMA plan to establish a core set of common requirements for 3G handsets to create the economies of scale that will allow mobile phone suppliers to rapidly bring down the cost of manufacturing these high-tech devices.

Under the initiative, which builds on the success of the GSMA's Emerging Market Handset programme, mobile phone suppliers will compete to design a 3G handset that meets the operators' common requirements.

The GSMA will endorse the winning handset, which will be widely deployed by operators participating in the program.

Links to articles related to low cost handsets

emily | 09:09 AM | News, Buzz | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012652.htm

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June 13, 2006

Garou's new album includes MobileTag

Mobile software solutions company Abaxia is including a MobileTag voucher with every copy of leading French-Canadian singer Garou's new CD, which is released today.

When scanned with a camera-phone, the Tag will give Garou fans the chance to win an exclusive meeting with the artist during his show in Paris in November.

[via Mobile Marketing Magazine]

emily | 04:12 PM | Marketing / Advertising | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012645.htm

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June 13, 2006

A multimedia archaeological tour on your mobile phone

An Italian-led research project is developing a service that allows visitors to use their cameraphones to get a personalised guide to archaeological sites and museums, reports IST Results.

"The Agamemnon project is working on an interactive multimedia system that provides relevant text, videos, speech and pictures with 3D reconstructions, to visitors' mobile telephones, says Matteo Villa, an engineer from the project coordinator, Milan-based
TXT e-Solutions.

"Agamemnon tailors a visit path based on site visitors’ interests, cultural knowledge and time available. The on-screen itinerary constantly updates as the visitor moves around the site. The system's image-recognition function allows visitors to dial in via a data line, photograph objects they are interested in and receive information about them. Agamemnon also takes voice commands."

emily | 02:16 PM | How people and businesses are using cameraphones | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012643.htm

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June 12, 2006

Radar Funk [WMMNA]

RadarFunk is software for mobile phones that can scan drawings and transform them into beats.

Users are invited to frame one of the several patterns, shoot a picture, and the player starts sending notes to the server.

Framing exactly the center of the image can produce a regular beat, but moving a bit off center can give a shuffle result (swing). [reBlogged from WMMNA]

emily | 04:35 PM | Picture Phones and the Arts | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012637.htm

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June 12, 2006

Haydenfilms Online Film Festival – Call For Entries

The final call for entries for the Second Annual Haydenfilms Online Film Festival is approaching fast. Student and independent filmmakers can submit their short films for the chance to win a $10,000 cash prize.

Late deadline for submissions is June 15, 2006.

Short films up to 35 minutes in length are being accepted from any genre including animation, documentary and experimental (video phone submissions welcome). The top 50 films as selected by the prestigious panel of judges will be entered into the online festival beginning August 30, 2006 at haydenfilms.com

Haydenfilms members will vote online to select the winning film from these 50 finalists. The festival winner will be announced, and the top three finalists will be honored at our awards ceremony in New York City in January 2007.

emily | 12:35 PM | Mobile Film Fests/Photography Fests | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012635.htm

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June 09, 2006

Agoravox opens Sports-Themed Citizen Media Blog

French citizen media blog Agoravox is launching - and to the best of my knowledge this is a real first - a sports themed citizen blog (in French) to get sport fans' input and photos - from tennis tournaments such as Roland Garros and Wimbledon, cycling events like The Tour de FRANCE and of course, with football frenzy kicking off tonight in Europe - the World Cup.

It's called Sport-Vox.

emily | 10:28 PM | Citizens as Camera Phone Reporters | trackback (0) | del.icio.us |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2006/06/012622.htm

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People Took Photos Of Girl, 15, As She Lay Dying

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
[Link]

Kidman weds Urban in her own love story

Sun Jun 25, 2006 8:13am ET

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By Paul Tait

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Church bells rang to mark Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman's own love story when she married country music singer Keith Urban in a traditional Catholic ceremony at a cliff-top chapel on Sunday.

Police and security guards held back hundreds of well-wishers and international media as Kidman arrived at twilight for the ceremony in a sandstone chapel set on an estate overlooking Sydney Harbor and the Pacific Ocean.

Kidman smiled and waved as she arrived in a convoy of cream Rolls Royce wedding cars just before 5:30 p.m. (0730 GMT).

Church bells pealed across the sprawling estate an hour later, signaling the romantic, candlelit ceremony was over.

"We just want to thank everyone in Australia and around the world who have sent us their warm wishes," Kidman and Urban said in a statement released with an official wedding picture.

Kidman and Urban, both Australians but born overseas, met in January 2005 at an awards dinner held by the Australian government in Los Angeles honoring the two of them.

The statuesque Kidman, 39, wore an elegant ivory-colored dress, reportedly designed by French fashion house Balenciaga, and sheer veil and carried a simple posy of white roses.

Australian television reported that Kidman's friends, Oscar winner Russell Crowe and Broadway and film star Hugh Jackman, led the guest list for the black-tie wedding.

Baz Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in the Oscar-winning "Moulin Rouge", was also among the 230 guests. "It's a very special love story," Luhrmann said of the wedding.

KIDMAN'S FATHER GIVES HER AWAY

Kidman was given away by her father Antony, a prominent Sydney psychologist. Her sister Antonia, 13-year-old daughter Isabella and niece Lucia were in the bridal party and her 11-year-old son Connor was an usher.

Media reports said Grammy-winner Urban, who arrived more inconspicuously in a blue four-wheel drive vehicle, serenaded Kidman with his song "Making Memories of Us" at the reception.

Jackman and songwriter and former Crowded House singer Neil Finn also sang at the reception, held in a white marquee built off the Gothic-style central building in the former seminary in the beachside suburb of Manly.

Manly was the backdrop for one of Kidman's first movie roles in 1983, the modest Australian teen film "BMX Bandits" in which she played a curly-haired supermarket checkout girl.

Kidman's friend, "King Kong" star Naomi Watts, also traveled to Sydney for the wedding.