Life & Technology

Karl, Lisa and Richard got into character as EA geared up to release The Beatles: Rock Band game. Almost 47 years since their formation, the quintessential rock and roll band – and arguably the greatest of all time – still has a huge influence of the world of music.

EA announced the game at E3 at the beginning of June where Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Dhani Harrison and Yoko One turned up to push the game. And, as you will see from the clip, it looks like it could be a lot of fun. Gamers basically become the Fab Four and follow their career from the early days in the Cavern Club in Liverpool, through to the super-stardom that soon followed.

There are 45 songs available at the moment (and I’m sure they will be more added, although EA hasn’t made any announcement), where you can sing along and play at the same time.

For diehard fans, there is also a Hofner Bass guitar and Ludwig branded drums, which will set you back $369.99. The game itself will be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 for $89.99, and for the Wii at $79.99.

Here’s one for you. Ever got caught behind a car going really slow for ages and ages and you’re thinking “Granny” or “Learner driver” (even if there is no L plate). So you come to a dual lane intersection or a passing lane, and look across the the person is talking on their mobile or texting? Very annoying, eh?

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. In the UK they are looking at banning texting while driving (calling on your mobile is already illegal there), with a recent ad campaign going viral on YouTube about such dangers. Late last week, a Geelong teenager had her license suspended because she was caught texting and not having a seatbelt on. Her circumstances were not helped by her mother being in the passenger seat. There is evidence that mobile handsets have either been responsible – either partially or wholly – for accidents, some even leading to death.

This brings about the question of negative connotations that surround technology. Those who have opposed technology are abelled luddites, a term that came from the industrial revolution where the everyman thought their livelihood was being taken over by machinery. Most of us are afraid of new things, so it is no surprise that some people baulk when something new comes along, but eventually we embrace it.

However, there are other sides to technology that people need to take into consideration when embracing new devices in the tech arena. We have become so reliant on mobile phones that we sometimes forget what is going on around us. That’s fine if you’re sitting down at home texting a mate, but when you’re in car, or to a lesser extent walking along, you have suddenly become a danger to those around you. At best, you might accidentally bump into someone, at worse lose concentration while driving and kill somebody. Next time your phone is going off as you drive along, just ask yourself “how important is it that I answer it?”. If you are that desperate, pull over. Could save you a lot of grief in the long run.

As an aside, of late I have been helping out Nokia with a variety of things over the past couple of weeks, especially explaining some of the new technologies they are incorporating into their range of handsets. I’ve had a lot of fun with these guys and if you would like to see what we’ve been up to, click here.

An article in the New York Times caught my eye with regard to YouTube trying to make a deal with a couple of Hollywood Studios.

The Google-owned company already has a couple of deals with big players MGM and CBS as well as Lion’s Gate Entertainment. However, these deals cover old movies that are free, while the new deal they are trying to strike with the likes of Sony and Warner Brothers, would cover more recent releases and will cost the consumer.

In theory, it’s a great idea, but there are a couple of things to consider. For a start, if you are going to watch a movie via YouTube on your computer, then you better hope it has very good resolution and its processor can help stream the content nice and evenly. Nothing worse than a stop/start movie, or having to wait for it to download properly.

YouTube itself will have to invest in servers etc that will show good quality. The vast majority of videos that pop up on the screen are of crappy resolution.

Also, this kind of service will eat into the likes of netflix, and in the US Amazon too, who both offer customer-orientated solutions to watching movies, as opposed to the likes of Blockbuster, where you actually have to drive to the shop to get a movie. And speaking of the likes of Blockbuster, will they now be past their use-by date? Ditto exhibitors? Of the former, I’d say its days are numbered. Of the latter, I’d say it will survive. Television, VHS and DVD were supposed to kill off the cinema experience, but there is something cool about watching a huge movie with massive special effects on the big screen.

Finally, the likes of Sony probably won’t want to cut of their nose to spite their face. If a service like YouTube becomes the norm, why would I want to buy a Sony Blu-ray player?

So what will happen? I think the deal will be struck, what wider implications that will have is yet to be seen.