October 26, 2005
mapping boo
Sometime ago I wrote a short case study on my experience working at boo.com in the seven months leading up to its launch. This was the time when dot.com mania was in full swing and boo was the highest valued European Internet start-up of all time - the company chewed through £75Million in a year and half.
It's funny to think that for all that money, the underlying software architecture and all the production assets fitted onto a CDROM.
One of the most useful systems my team did was create a bespoke bug tracking system with a Flash front-end so that you could literally watch the progress of any given order around the business. Macromedia Flash worked well as a tool for process documentation and I'm still amazed at how little take-up it has had since for this purpose. Using Visio and Flash we were able to quickly create very detailed organisational charts and process flow maps that could be navigated in an easy to use interface, clicking through to real-time information in the database. All the round links to various live tracking systems are broken but you can still get a sense of the architecture by browsing the diagrams.
October 17, 2005
Brokeback Mountain
This movie has one problem - it's been categorised unfairly as a "gay Western". When was the last time you saw a really beautiful romance on the big screen? Now when was the last time you saw a really beautiful romance about two beautiful boys on the big screen?
After a preview screening last Ang Lee dismissed the label of "Western" as "a fictitious genre". He said he wanted to make a film that was real and romantic. Enough said. He succeeded. Can't wait to hear what the bible belts make of this one.
London bike registration
Nothing like having your bike stolen to make you paranoid. Nevertheless this is one Big Brother initiative I've got no problems with. Details of websites to register your frame at and to check whether a second-hand bike is stolen.
Transport for London - Security net closes in to 'Immobilise' bicycle thieves - Transport for London
October 14, 2005
Paper-thin screens
TV screens for newspaper screens come one step closer with the unveiling of a prototype by Siemens.
MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Paper view technology
October 13, 2005
IBM moves to head off Gattica
In the film Gattica, corporations screen their employees through a range of genetic tests. IBM this week introduced non-discrimination policies in this area signalling that the future has arrived.
I.B.M. to Put Genetic Data of Workers Off Limits - New York Times
spread, but start-up companies are already intent on developing a market for genetic testing and counseling. I.B.M. has a business stake in promoting genetic data gathering and processing, as a leading information technology company with a growing presence in the medical industry.
Research on genetics is already beginn
October 03, 2005
Where does terrorism start?
The evils of reality always metamorphose into evil ideologies.
With no end in sight to Fundamentalist Wars, this particular opinion from an Aljazeera columnist rings true.
T23 in Moscow
Looking forward to this one. I've been invited to do live visuals for T23 and the psychedelic circus on their Moscow tour.
