So, yesterday the iPhone 4S was announced and the general sentiment was that it was a huge letdown. Even the media jumped on the bandwagon with news reports on CBC about how disappointing the whole deal was. Most sane observers will tell you the truth of it though: people get hung up on a name. An iPhone 4S sounds like a spec bump whereas an iPhone 5 sounds like a major upgrade, despite the fact that the new guts of the 4S are pretty impressive.
But one revolution that no-one seems to care about is the Siri voice assistant. The functional AI and incredible voice recognition technology that will open up a whole new world for the visually impaired. Bigger screens and thinner profiles are for kids who want a new toy so that it looks like their new phone is better than last year’s model. But this bleeding-edge technology heralds a new age of AI assistance and usability for the disabled. Why aren’t more people making a big deal about this?
Here’s a mock-up of where I think this technology could go in the very-near future:
Now this doesn’t seem so far-fetched, does it? After all, they’ve been doing it on Star Trek for over 20 years now.
Well, we didn't win the Stanley Cup obviously. After losing to Boston in game 7, a riot broke out on the streets of Vancouver and erased any international goodwill generated by the Olympics last year. In a repeat of 1994, police were unprepared for the burning, looting and vandalizing that tarnished the city last night. But let me stress this fact: these idiots are not Vancouverites who live and work in the downtown core. These young people are ill-bred suburbanites who don't give a crap about trashing somebody else's neighbourhood before retreating back to their parent's basements. How did the moral compass of this society spin so wildly out of control? These spoiled kids have never learned the value of community, respect, and civil responsibility. These are our children. Our peers. Our future.
There's not a lot to recommend in the latest releases. If you really want to watch a Thor movie, avoid this stinker and shell out the extra bucks for the excellent version that's in the cinema right now. But if I had to pick, I'd go with the critic darling Waltz with Bashir, even though it looks like a bit of a downer.
When the ancient demon Loki attacks Los Angeles with his devilish hordes and his devastating Hammer of Invincibility, Nordic god Thor forges his own mighty hammer to save the metropolis and send Loki back to the underworld. More details / Watch now
After spotting a big financial opportunity in the future of Internet pornography, straightlaced entrepreneur Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) enlists his pals Buck (Gabriel Macht) and Wayne (Giovanni Ribisi) to help him develop an online billing company specializing in adult entertainment. But as the firm takes off, Jack finds some unexpected kinks in the business of kink — including mobsters, the FBI, con men and terrorists. More details / Watch now
Director Ari Folman employs vivid black-and-white animation in this Golden Globe-winning film, exploring the memory gaps in his life during his service for the Israeli army in the Lebanese war of the early 1980s. Recounting stories based on recorded interviews with colleagues and friends, Folman relives the horrors of war and dissects the curious coping mechanisms humans use to survive under brutal circumstances. More details / Watch now
When their teenage daughter reports curious symptoms that point toward demonic possession, a desperate family calls a priest in to investigate and allows her exorcism to be secretly recorded. More details / Watch now
A wealthy family's new maid, Eun-yi (Do-yeon Jeon), attracts the attention of Hoon (Jung-Jae Lee), the man of the house, and a fiery affair develops between them. But although Hoon signs Eun-yi's checks, he's not the one controlling the relationship. One secret leads to another, until Eun-yi threatens to destroy the entire family. This update of the 1960 chiller was an Official Selection of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. More details / Watch now
My top pick for today is Noise. Not the highest rated movie, but Tim robbins and William Hurt are both fantastic actors and the plot of this indie flick looks intriguing. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, as I haven’t watched any of my top picks yet!
Desperate for some peace and quiet, New York attorney David Owen (Tim Robbins) takes matters into his own hands. He starts by leaving notes on cars whose owners don’t turn off their alarms, but when he’s not getting the results he wants, he ups the ante. Soon, he becomes known as “the Rectifier,” alternately winning the adulation of citizens and the ire of the mayor (William Hurt). Bridget Moynahan co-stars. More details / Watch now
From renowned director Aleksandr Sokurov comes a piercing historical drama about Japan’s emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II. Faced with his country’s defeat and the renunciation of his divine status, Hirohito must establish his own identity. Sokurov’s exquisite cinematography accentuates this examination of diplomacy and personal responsibility as Hirohito agrees to meet with American Gen. MacArthur in an attempt to move Japan forward. More details / Watch now
As her compassionate adolescent son Ciel (Daniel J. Gordon) hones his magic skills, hard-working single mother Jude (Karen LeBlanc) battles sickle cell anemia and falls for an aging boxer of few words (Clark Johnson), who struggles to eke out a living fighting in illegal brawls. Written and directed by Charles Officer, this touching love story features soulful songs from the likes of The Maytones, Mikey Dread and The Shieks. More details / Watch now
Howard Kaylan found fame as the lead singer of the 1960s band the Turtles, as depicted in this autobiographical drama. We meet Kaylan (Justin Henry) and his band mates just as they triumph with their single “Happy Together.” The band then heads off to England, where their friend Graham Nash (Steven Soldevilla) introduces them to the Beatles and Kaylan later dines with Jimi Hendrix (Royale Watkins) — an event that changes his life. More details / Watch now
The Canucks have won the first game against the Bruins in the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Exciting stuff. This video has been making the rounds – it's pretty funny. Game two is on Saturday. Go Canucks!