I've been fascinated by a new breed of truly interactive television that has been in the making for at least a year, and started to appear at the turn of 2010. From the UK, Dr Aleks Krotoski's Virtual Revolution has provided us not only with a fascinating snapshot of where the net is in 2010, and where it's come from, but she and her team have offered up their entire filming back catalogue for us to remix, bodge together, cut up and blend into new forms and formats.Meanwhile, Stateside Henry Jenkins tells us about Digital Nation, a PBS programme which filmed him and other luminaries as "an extra" to the main television programme.Digital Garnish vs Digital BeefThere's a difference, though, between the PBS "Digital Garnish" and the BBC "Digital Beef". Aleks points out that core to this...

Whether you’re a fan of Iron Man, The Hulk, The Punisher, Wolverine, or all of the X-Men The Marvel Coloud Headphones have something for you It would be too simple to describe these headphones and their frequency sensitivity, db output and the like. So, instead why not read what Coloud says about their own cans: “Coloud turns brands into sound. Our cords transfer visual life from any music player you choose to plug it into. We create function, value design and promote quality headphones that endure,enrich,and extend your lifelong music experience.” Personally I’m doubting that you’d be buying these headphones for their audiophile reproduction – more for the fact that The Punisher logo looks cool or Wolverine is one of the bestest Marvel...

AS I have brought you two grown men being a chicken and the genius of Freddie Parrot Face Davies, I thought I'd make it a trio of fellas that I remember fondly with Mike Reid on the fantastic Runaround. I later interviewed Mike for a newspaper and did an impression of him saying 'Runaround' to his face. I'm sure you can guess how that went...

I was 31 floors up in Centre Point on Tuesday to witness Sharp’s new line of televisions which, for the first time in tele history, is rocking a fourth, yellow, sub pixel joining its red, green, and blue buddies. Sharp is waiting before joining the possible ‘fad’ of 3D and is instead looking to make large screen TV’s more economical (40% less power used compared with other LCD’s), brighter, ’sharp’er and with a larger pallet. “The revolutionary new four colour technology enables billions of colours to be displayed, providing brighter video gaming, clearer sports viewing and sharper action enjoyment”, says the company. Sharp actually played around with introducing white and cyan pixels but the yellow pixels had the best...

The National People's Congress began in Beijing on Friday 5 March.  As it happens only once a year, it gets blanket media coverage here.  It lasts just over a week.  The biggest event is Premier Wen's Annual Government Work report, which is delivered on the morning of the opening day, and his annual press conference, on 14th March.In case you're interested, a couple of media clips from Embassy people last Friday - from me, on CCTV's English language channel......and an extract from a longer interview with Duncan Sparkes, head of our Economic team, on the more widely watched CCTV economic channel.I don't know if we make great TV (!) but just in case you want to...

Korean company Samsung kicks off the industry-wide push by launching a 3D range that will be in British shops by the end of the monthThe friendly green monster Shrek, the blue-skinned Na'vi of the planet Pandora and Wayne Rooney's shots on goal will shortly take on a new, three-dimensional glory.Spurred on by the success of the Hollywood fantasy blockbuster Avatar, the world's top electronics companies believe they can make 3D television sets the norm for consumers in the US and Europe within three years.The Korean company Samsung kicks off the industry-wide push – and battle for brand supremacy – by launching a 3D range that will be in British shops by the end of the month.Billed as the world's first high definition, three-dimensional LED televisions, Samsung's range will be...

Did realise how many green screens were used in TV shows where you wouldn't expect them to be...

How can a BBC mistake identity bloopers reel... ...not contain Guy......

"Give me more awe, Bruce" I will be away for a couple of weeks in the States so here is my post about my brief film star experience earlier this week. Four of us turned up to begin filming a pilot on a freezing early March morning earlier this week in Leigh Woods near Bristol. Apparently, this is the norm in the film business so as to capture “the light.” The only thing I thought we would capture was frostbite. Still, I was motivated and excited to be on my first proper shoot. I even had some of the lingo of “piece to camera,” “cut-away” and other terms that I had picked up in my limited media experience though I expect that the director, cameraman and soundman were smirking each time I tried to sound familiar with the proceedings. It’s funny but you know you are...

Jamie Oliver is more well-known in the UK for his crusade against fast food in schools here, and he's doing the same through a new television series in the US. I'm only amazed that his passionate and shocking TED video, above, hasn't been mentioned by more educators in my own aggregation of 1650 blogs (and the one that did, a Canadian, home of the dark hole that is Tim Horton's). Food, after all, is responsible for far too many of the behavioural and learning problems we have in our schools. He won the TED Prize this year for his "Pass It On" philosophy: teaching kids how to make 10 healthy tasty meals would eliminate America's $150bn extra cost for food-related illness.Take this idea and tell three people. If we all did this 25 times over, then the whole population of the US would...

He's replacing the most popular Time Lord ever. So how will the new Doctor cope?Welcome aboard, says the new Doctor, shutting the door on the outside world. It's a cold, gusty day at Doctor Who HQ in Cardiff. I'd been hoping for the Tardis, but we make do with his trailer.The heater is blowing out hot air, and photos and postcards are flapping on the wall. There's a picture of a cat, a mate doing a moony, good luck messages. The trailer has become home for Matt Smith while he's been filming his first Doctor Who series.He already feels he's done his share of time travelling. Friends, strangers, future fans ask him what it's going to be like when he's the Doctor, and to answer he has to do a double take – take a trip back to the future. As far as he's concerned he's been busy Doctoring...

They’re a complicated little lot, the DUP, are they not?Mervyn Storey MLA is decidedly unexcited by the prospect of full frontal nudity, extreme violence and orgies, promised by the forthcoming television series ‘Spartacus’. In fact he’s called for it to be banned.Regrettably we are not informed whether he canvassed the opinions of other film enthusiasts within the party before he issued his statement. I was interested, however, in the juxtaposition between Storey’s take on ‘Spartacus’ and the fashion in which Culture Minister, Nelson McCausland blithely swatted away concerns that the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’, due to be filmed in Northern Ireland, might be, well, extremely violent as well. The grin was practically cracking Nelson’s face as he expressed his...

I may be its target audience, but the BBC's attempt to engage young voters didn't tick the right boxesSince I was 12, Dermot O'Leary has been encouraging me to vote for things – first on Big Brother, then on The X Factor. Now at the start of my adult life, I'm preparing to vote in a general election for the first time. And once again, Dermot is on call to hold my hand.Matey and sensible, it seemed a shrewd move to have O'Leary present First Time Voters' Question Time on BBC3 last night. Despite my oscillating relationship with politics, the programme still looked promising (in an excitable moment last year I joined the Lib Dems, before becoming disillusioned and losing the membership card in a pub). I was quite excited to watch a programme about politics aimed squarely at me.But it...

A virtually unknown company called ‘Roundtable Concepts Incorporated’ have created the perfect TV for comic book fans. The private company (established in 2007) have developed a technology which they call i23 which makes use of the 8-10 second delay in powering up TVs in order to show an image, which, as they say on their website ‘makes TVs more fun.’ Using this technology they have created a range of TVs Officially licensed by Marvel Comics. Each TV is styled in the theme of a … [visit site to read more] Gadget Gift Ideas If you like what you’re reading then learn more about joining our FREE newsletter here. Lucky readers will win some fantastic gadget prizes! Also, check out our recession busting gadgety money saving ideas. Get paid for your old phones...

The BBC's panicked digital expansion meant its offerings were diluted – now the corporation needs to focus on the futureIt's easy to dismiss yesterday's BBC strategy review as a tactical response to short-term political conditions. Close a couple of digital radio stations, reduce spend on sports rights and programme acquisitions, sell off BBC magazines and scale back web pages. These measures appease many of the more vocal of the corporation's critics, and is hopefully enough to quell the politicians.There is of course something in all that. The timing of the strategy review has no doubt been influenced by politics, and some in the industry will take some comfort from the BBC's proposals.But there is much more here than first meets the eye. For a start, this is the first time ever that...

Guess which newspaper talked about the British working class in these terms today: Half turned up late or not at all ... Those that did eventually arrive were a woeful sight.You looked in vain for a glimmer of shame or embarrassment in any of them, but came up emptyhanded.The infuriating dozen, stunned by the prospect of physical labour, resentful of any advice, childish.The Daily Telegraph perhaps?No.The Daily Mail then?No.It was Lucy Mangan in the Guardian.I did not see the programme she was reviewing, and I suspect I might have agreed with her views if I had.But it is a fact that she would not have described the British working class in these terms if she had been comparing it with the middle class.But the Guardian has a hierarchy of desert every bit as much as the Daily Mail does. And...

By dumping her husband Ashley Cole, the X Factor judge has rewritten the depressing subtext of so may football marriages, write Zoe WilliamsHer statement was brief, but not frustratingly so: it pretty much said it all. "Cheryl Cole is separating from her husband Ashley Cole. She asks the media to respect her privacy during this difficult time. We have no further comment to make." The rubric is that this follows weeks of "speculation": and yes, if by "speculation", you mean an entire nation rising up with one voice to shout "Leave him! He's a tosser!", then that's exactly what everyone's been doing.These latest revelations are not the first to signal Ashley's infidelity – in 2008, his affair with Aimee Walton nearly sank the couple. Cheryl forgave him that time because he's "young", she...

I have a horrible feeling inside me that Labour will win the coming general election. The fear has lingered in the back of my head for a while now. Even when Labour were at their lowest, perhaps 18 months ago or thereabouts, the Conservatives’ poll lead was not a great deal to write home about. Right now the polls say that the Conservatives are roughly eight points ahead of Labour. It’s not all that tight, but you would expect the Conservatives to be doing better given everything that has gone wrong under Labour’s watch. It’s been clear for a while that voters dislike Labour, but they can’t bring themselves to be convinced by the Conservatives. As a result, the Conservatives are really just a small disaster away from being just a handful of points ahead. And...

According to the video on Nokia Conversations (Nokia’s official blog) that happens to feature Jo Harlow, SVP of Smartphones, Nok’s future will include more AR and 3D on their handsets. Jo shows no qualms when mentioning that Nokia is looking at enhancing the likes of Ovi Maps with augmented reality, She then dives into the realm of entertainment and since “everyone’s talking about 3D” Jo reckons that there’s an opportunity for mobiles to get to the 3D promised-land quicker than television. This means 3D games and other content “could be very, very interesting in terms of enhancing that experience.” We’ve already seen the Nok tablet rocking a specially made stereoscopic screen so this all looks promising. We might actually see...

Rumours of our death are greatly exaggarated. In an age of cultural overload, it's up to critics to fight for those all-too-rare examples of great artIt is the job of a critic to reject the relativism and pluralism of modern life. All the time, from a million sources, we are bombarded with cultural information. A new film or the music of the moment can enter our minds regardless of quality and regardless of our interest. In fact, in this age of overload, indifference is the most likely effect of so many competing images. If we do make an aesthetic choice it is likely to be a consumerist one, a passing taste to be forgotten and replaced in a moment. You think I'm joking? A Single Man, Lady Gaga, Avatar, Invictus, David Mitchell's new quiz show and Martin Amis's new novel are swimming...

Far be it for me to lend some publicity to Ulster Television, given that I seldom watch the channel! The culture at the local broadcaster has irrevocably changed since the days of the Hendersons, Lord Antrim and the patriotic theme tunes.I might just make an exception at eight o'clock this evening, though; because their Hidden Heritage programme sounds interesting, not least due to the fact that the National Trust's Chapel Island might feature therein.Brian Black looks at local maritime history, including the smugglers of Rathlin Island, before exploring some of the lighthouses that have protected the coasts for...

One of the questions on the repeat of Question Time on the BBC Parliament Channel earlier was about Gordon Brown's recent television interview. The first questioner asked whether it was a good idea for our PM to take part in the interview.We all know that the interview is part of Labour's election strategy, attempting to soften Gordon's image with the electorate and in the interim helping...

The PM survived Piers Morgan while the Brits were as baffling as ever, writes Andrew AnthonyIn the make-up room of Piers Morgan's Life Stories Britain's prime minister nervously admitted to feeling nervous. He was, after all, readying himself to go mano-a-mano with the man who made Nick Clegg confess to sleeping with fewer than 30 women."He's about to face the biggest challenge of his career," said Morgan. It says much about politics and the media, and perhaps even more about Morgan's self-regard, that it wasn't at all clear he was referring to the impending general election.What was less in doubt was the daunting nature of the challenge facing the viewer. Regardless of our attitudes towards politics, the current government, or Gordon Brown, many of us still maintain a sentimental...

Is it possible to produce a 3 course meal of bona fide MasterChef recipes in the time it takes an episode to air? Vicky Frost turns up the heat and invites you to judge her efforts in the style of Wallace and Torode• Seared mackerel fillet with red onion marmalade recipe• Duck with cherry sauce and parsnip purée recipe• Gooey chocolate cake with spiced plum coulis recipeThey're back! They're thinner! They're just as shouty! After a gap of about oooh, five seconds, MasterChef's John Toorude and Gregg the Egg have returned to dash the dreams of the latest batch of amateur chefs desperate to change their lives. The pair might have toned down the panto-style refrains a little­ - Gregg managed a whole hour and a half last night without once trying to take his clothes off and dive into...

I’ve just read that the BBC are making a new four part drama starring David Tennant! Yay! And, it’s set in Glasgow so he should be using his beautiful Scottish accent for the role! Double yay! Happy Jennie! Plus, tomorrow’s afternoon play on BBC Radio 4 is also starring David. Excellent! Tomorrow will be a good day!...

Tory leader reaches out to voters with interviews with GMTV, Woman's Hour and men's magazineDavid Cameron launched a concerted attempt to engage directly with voters today, discussing his love of Guinness, his concern about the sexualisation of children, and the importance of the female vote.The Tory leader branched out from the Westminster village in the direction of the GMTV sofa, Woman's Hour and a weekly men's magazine in an attempt to portray himself as a candidate to whom voters can relate.In ShortList magazine, he discussed his love of drinking canned Guinness, on GMTV he expressed concern about the sexualisation of children, and on Woman's Hour he was expected to wax lyrical on the importance of the female vote.Cameron opened up just days after Gordon Brown attempted to show a...

This photograph, borrowed from The Transport Archive, shows the filming of the 1968 BBC television production of The Railway Children. Like the more celebrated Lionel Jefferies film made two years later, it starred Jenny Agutter as Bobby and was shot at Oakworth Station on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.Of particular interest, to this blog at least, is the locomotive in the photograph. The Transport Archive explains that it is the former Logan & Hemingway contractors' locomotive Sir Berkeley.And the Logan in Logan & Hemingway, as we recently saw, was none other than J.W. "Paddy" Logan, for many years the Liberal MP for Harborough.Better than that if you go to the Vintage Carriages Trust website you will find a page devoted to Sir Berkeley. And there you will learn that:In...

This advert is genius....

“We are live! Enjoy SeeSaw!” – from SeeSaw Twitter Today, February 17th 2010, sees the launch of the hotly anticipated online television service SeeSaw. If you are familiar with the BBC iPlayer you should feel right...

70-year-old TV presenter Ray Gosling arrested after telling BBC viewers he killed gay lover in advanced stages of AidsNottinghamshire police have arrested Ray Gosling on suspicion of murder after the 70-year old TV presenter made a televised confession to killing a gay lover who was suffering in the advanced stages of Aids.Gosling was arrested this morning, around 36 hours after he told viewers of the BBC's east Midlands Inside Out programme that he had used a pillow to suffocate an unidentified young man who he claimed was dying in hospital."We have arrested a 70-year-old man this morning on suspicion of murder following comments on the BBC's Inside Out programme on Monday," said a spokesman. Further statements are expected later in the day.Gosling yesterday said he would refuse to...

I see that Mike "Bushy" Nesbitt has been selected as a Conservative and Unionist candidate for the Strangford constituency at the next General Election. I knew he was a good broadcaster, interviewer etc; just never thought of Bushy as a politician! Why not? People from all walks of life ought to be, oughtn't they? I imagine so.As long as people's motives are honourable, and the job isn't for financial gain, that sort of thing.Mike Nesbitt was a few years ahead of me at the old school. He was quite an extrovert character then, too: coming into school in his racy motor-bike, a school prefect, a big, bushy head of hair! He was popular and well liked, I seem to recall.Good luck to...

Albert Square welcomes a new face as the show celebrates its 25th anniversaryTanya GoldHildegunn SoldalChristian Bennett...

Were you thinking that the televisual future was in the hands of OLED screens? Sony thinks not and is halting its OLED TV production in Japan and will be ending sales once its existing stock runs out. Sales will continue, however, in America and Europe. Apparently the Sony XEL-1 11in OLED TV just wasn’t popular enough in Japan even with a monthly production capacity of just 2000 units. Sony spokesperson, Shinji Obana, said: “We see the demand for the model has run its course in Japan but we will continue sales overseas and research and development activities in OLED.” So, is it that Europeans and Americans are more easily pleased or more susceptible to the pull of new tech? Have Sony got something bigger, better and brighter hidden up their sleeves? Could the goggleboxes future be...

As the BBC's flagship soap celebrates its 25th anniversary, we look back with unique help from cartoonists Modern TossIt all began in 1985 when the late Reg Cox was discovered mouldering in a dark sitting room by concerned neighbours. And 25 years on fans remain, like Reg, glued to their sofas. While any number of Albion Markets, Family Affairs and Eldorados flickered briefly across our screens, EastEnders established itself as the nation's one-stop shop for Lorca-esque levels of misery. But, just when you think the greyness will envelop you, there stands Frank Butcher in the nip, his revolving bowtie telling you everything's going to be all right.People call it gritty realism but 'Enders is as much of a fantasy world as any sci-fi drama. Once inside that E20 postcode, the peculiar...

Prime minister confirms Labour leadership 'deal' in personal interview with Piers MorganGordon Brown has told how the death of his baby daughter, Jennifer Jane, was the "most grief-stricken time" of his life and left him unable to listen to music.In the most personal interview of his career, the prime minister relates how he realised his daughter would die a week after her premature birth on 28 ­December 2001. Jennifer Jane, born seven weeks early by caesarean section weighing 2lb 4oz, died in her parents' arms on 7 January after suffering a brain haemorrhage.Brown tells Piers Morgan in an ITV1 interview, to be broadcast on Sunday, that he and his wife, Sarah, initially thought their daughter was fine.After a week, however, the severity of her condition became apparent. "Nobody actually...

If you’re looking to spend a wad of cash on a fancy telly then, chances are, you’re the type of person that hates to miss their favourite programmes. Toshiba hears you and has finally bounced out their very clever, next-generation Cell TV in Japan. The reasons to be excited about this great goggle-box are many. First of all there’s all that recording space: 3TB of it coupled with not one, not four but eight HD tuners! That’s because the Cell TV has been designed to record every one of Japan’s eight free HD channels, day and night, for a whole week. Oh my! Basically you’d have to find eight weeks to watch everything you recorded one week which kinda means you’d have more catching up-to-do. But the ability is impressive all the same As you may...

It does interest me, although not that much, that certain attributes tend to find certain people. It can’t be a coincidence, for example, that UFO’s only ever land in the gardens of people who dribble when they’re being interviewed on TV. You can’t tell me it’s a fluke that everyone who is gifted the ability to read the future from a crystal ball always looks a bit mystical and witchy. And people who are blessed with a combination of racism and arrogance seem be those people who find it easier to get on TV news interviews. I can also be no coincidence whatsoever that the gentle art of snobbery always seems to find itself inside the hollow souls that you dread being stuck near at parties....

Wednesday:Today the top men-in-frocks of the Church of England voted to express their "deep concern" that the national broadcaster isn't carrying enough ADVERTS.…What?Oh all right: their worry that the BBC isn't pushing THEIR AGENDA hard enough.…No, seriously, what?OK: as a body with a symbiotic relationship with the nation, it is TRUE that there ought to be representation for all and a variety of views presented to satisfy all the deeply spiritual people of this great country. But enough about women bishops.The BBC absolutely should not have to broadcast any more FRIGHTENINGLY DULL FAIRY STORIES!As usual, the religions ALREADY HAVE extra privileges that ordinary groups don't get. And, in a very DUDLEY DURSLEY fashion, they are now wailing that they don't have more presents than last...

I am saddened to learn about the death of the actor, Ian Carmichael. I remember him in his roles as Lord Peter Wimsey, fictional son of the 15th Duke of Denvir; and Lucky Jim. He also played the part of Bertie Wooster, whose portrayal P G Wodehouse declared to be...

Film and TV star, best known for role as Bertie Wooster, dies aged 89The British actor Ian Carmichael has died at the age of 89, his wife has said.The star of film and TV from the 1950s to the 1970s fell ill over Christmas and New Year, Kate Carmichael said.He died peacefully on at his home yesterday in the Esk Valley on the North Yorkshire moors.Carmichael made his name in films for the Boulting Brothers including Private's Progress (1956), Brothers in Law (1957) and I'm All Right Jack (1959).During the 1960s and 70s he enjoyed a successful television career, most notably as Bertie Wooster in the BBC drama series The World of Wooster.Carmichael followed this with another popular role as Lord Peter Wimsey in several of the BBC drama series' based on the mystery novels by Dorothy L...