bravehound – glory afternoon.mp3
(to download, right-click and choose save.  Apple users control-click and choose download.)

- Featuring -

Robyn / Frankmusik / La Roux / Röyksopp / M.I.A. / Sophie Ellis Bextor / Santogold / Basement Jaxx / Black Eyed Peas / Imogen Heap / Lykke Li / The Killers / U2

The last mix was a ‘beach party at night’… this one is definitely for under the hot Summer sun.  It’s PACKED with some of my favorite artists - across a few genres - remixed.  For your pleasure.

The beat gets going with some current favorites, including the hot Sophie Ellis Bextor anthem and yet ANOTHER awesome Robyn track (with Röyksopp) that was a no-brainer to help kick things off.  It moves into electro-ghetto-funky, and starts getting a little nutty, jumping around before you get too comfy, giving you a little electro-mixshow… and I had to include new favorites Frankmusik and La Roux.  Before long, settles into a fun, sweet Summer groove becomes just all about celebration and sunshine.  Things end with a track I’m really loving right now… be sure not to miss it.

I wanted to produce a mix that was fun a festive enough to rock the Pride season right, and loaded the table with all the chips I had.

Hope you like!  Tips much appreciated.

PS. OH HAI GIANT ANDY FACE

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For those of you that loved Frankmusik… check La Roux.

Hotness.

Love this song, and the video is 80’s eyegasmic.  I love it.  Kylie/Robyn/Tetris attack!

Needless to say… she’s going in the mix.

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As most of you may know, the one thing that kills me about being a big fan of my iPhone, is the weak camera… especially for what I demand in a camera phone.  After all, taking snaps with my camera phone, is what got me so interested in mobiles in the first place.  And with today’s announcement of the iPhone 3GS at the WWDC,  Apple has given my me my much lusted-for camera upgrade.

Almost.

The new iPhone 3GS camera:

- 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus
- Auto exposure, auto white balance, low light and macro mode
- 640×480 @ 30 frames/sec… with auto focus, auto white balance, auto exposure
- On-phone basic video editing, with direct sharing features via MMS, email, YouTube and MobileMe

The bitter part?  They didn’t include a dang photo light or flash.

Sure… the improved camera module is told to be better in low-light conditions.  But come on now.  Seriously.

BUT.  I’m hooked on this damn phone.  So I’ll take what I can get. 

Auto-focus on the cam is lovely. And VGA video @ 30fps with focus is as good as I could expect for video - and a DANG nice good start to adding video to the iPhone.  If only they matched that leap from zero to hero, with the still cam…

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Amazing.

One thing I’ve always loved about Microsoft, is their willingness to spend time and money (they have it…) in developing new technologies, and putting them out there for companies to make what they will. Microsoft’s multi-touch Surface platform is a great example.  Did they put it out there as a monopolizing product platform?  No.  It’s as if they created it, to help push software developers to think outside of conventional software interfaces and hardware form factors.  And while Windows as an OS can never just up and be rewritten – since a world of business relies on backwards compatibility - they at least have some channels where they can really do some nutty-fantastic innovation.

And wow… their Natal Project is something else.

It takes the motion-controlled gaming phenomenon that Nintendo pioneered, to a whole new level.  And while there is no release date yet for games and programs using the technology seen above, it’s well along in development.  Minority Report in 2010, please! :)

And yeah, while this is great for a whole new universe of gaming possibilities, my first thought took me to how this could change interfaces outside of xbox… DVRs and TVs, personal computers, and technology in public spaces.  Software that can be controlled from within the room, using recognized gestures.  It’s like we’re finally treading into the era of UI prioritization that makes technology seem comfortable, familiar, and simple (iPhone?)… rather than complicated and daunting.  In terms of potential, it’s pretty fantastic.

Many will be waiting with baited breath to hear more and see how accurate functional this technology truly turns out to be.  I certainly will be.

PS. – I make work on a star ship after all! :)

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Lady GaGa is only getting bigger, and she’s putting the biggest acts in pop to friggin’ shame.  Check. Out. This. Video!

Not only am I excited to see her finally releasing my favorite track on her album as a single, but the video is massive… and wicked fun.  Like videos used to be, before there were shot in a single afternoon.  The outfits.  The creativity.  The debauchery.

And the ending is sure to be a bit questionable to parental groups (that don’t even know who she is, yet). 

She never said she was a role model.

That is, unless you’re a pop icon.

Best part?  That outfit 6 minutes in!

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Let’s face it.  Compared to every other handset out there, Apple was the first to make browsing the web truly usable on a mobile phone.  Say what you will about the evils of the iPhone, but the fact is it’s been 2 years and so far, every other handset manufacturer still isn’t matching the experience you get using mobile Safari.  And regardless what individual preference you or I might have, the numbers are hard – in even progressive mobile markets in Europe, less than 11% of the general mobile population use their handsets to regularly access the web.  Sure, 33% of smartphone are jumping online, but a whopping 80% of iPhone users are regularly browsing the web. 

Apple is doing it right.

A couple months back, I had a thought while in the shower (watch my nerdiness in full disclosure during this confession!) about how Apple might introduce real mobile photography for the iPhone.  Not how *I* would do i… not how others would like them to, and not how other manufacturers would.  But how the evil genius Apple would do it.  IF they do it.

What they WON’T do, is have a spec race.  There won’t be a 8 megapixel camera in the new iPhone.  I’d love it, but that’s not their style.

What they WILL do – if they do anything at all – is launch an modestly improved camera in the new iPhone, with an unsurpassed offering of integration with their own software and with third party services.  An ecosystem for a camera phone, like they made an ecosystem for a portable music player.

Apple has neglected incremental improvements to the camera, and I think it’s in an effort to launch an “experience” for mobile photography in an upcoming version. 

Well, we know MMS is coming with the 3.0 software.  And UI spy shots of the 3.0 beta software seem to also confirm some video recording capabilities.  But I don’t think they’ll stop there – that’s old tech.  MMS-only camera phones are old school. 

I can see hard partnerships with Flickr, and especially YouTube.  I’m thinking that if they positioned it right, the iPhone could launch a new YouTube SERVICE, even (YouTube Live, anyone?). 

Imagine being able to take a video with your iPhone, edit the video on-device, and post to YouTube and Facebook.  Sure, this functionality is present on other devices (like Nokia N Series) now… but the experience is disjointed and a bit lengthy.  So much so, that it’s just not worth it.  The process  needs a full ecosystem to support it  – like iTunes supports digital music for the masses, and the App Store supports third party mobile software by providing a no-brainer channel onto every iPhone.  THIS is Apple’s strength.

And of course, beyond third party stuff, I’d expect improved iPhoto and iMove integration, with the possibility of tiny mobile versions of those apps on your iPhone (that will develop over time).  It’s less likely that iChat for the iPhone would debut, unless Apple has been working over the last two years to deal with both significant hardware additions (a secondary front-facing camera) and negotiating data issues with carriers to launch such a data-taxing service. 

But one can dream.  Or at least daydream in the shower.

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