This weekend myself - and many of my friends in the Youtube community - have been shocked to discover that Mike Lombardo, a 23year old musician on youtube, was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the exchanging of explicit images with underage fans.
Lombardo had worked closely with DFTBA Records and the nerdfighter community at large over the past few years, and many in the fandom looked up to and respected him and his musical talents.
I myself had the oppurtunity to interview Lombardo about a year ago for my university radio show, and held the utmost respect for him. All that respect has disappeared following these shocking revelations.
While it should be made clear that he has not yet been officially charged, there is a sworn affadavit from the FBI agent dealing with the case who has seen the photos in question (which were sent to 2 girls, one 15 and one 17), so it seems increasingly unlikely that this is all simply a misunderstanding.
Innocent until proven guilty certainly, but the facts as they stand simply don’t look good there’s no two ways about it.
I write today though not to demonise Mike, but to implore the rest of the world who will see this story and say “Oh well, it just proves what we’ve been saying about the dangers of the internet” to take a second glance.
I have been a part of this fandom for the best part of the last 10 years, and for a long period of that time I was a legal minor. I - and hundreds, even thousands like me - understood the inherent danger we placed ourselves in. We were conversing with people in some cases more than double our age, and in many cases (such as at conferences or even just as friends outside of it all) arranging to meet people we had only ever spoken to online.
Now clearly the case of Mike Lombardo shows that in some ways that innate trust was misguided, but it would still never stop me doing the same thing all over again were I back in that position once more.
While there are bad people in the world, and people who will try and take advantage (and the law is in place to ensure these horrible people are dealt with), 99.99999% of the people I have met online I would deem to be the closest friends I have. Through the Harry Potter fandom, and more recently the nerdfighter community on Youtube I have found a home and I have found a family who I truly know I can trust with my life.
So should we be more wary of the fact that predators are out there, even in places online that we assume to be inherently safe: yes. But that does not mean that there should equally be an inherent assumption that everyone we meet online is a sexual predator.
This is I admit a somewhat rambling blog post - far from my most eloquent at any rate - and for that I apologise, but I needed to get these opinions out. I need the world to know that at it’s heart there is still a goodness and a respect that comes with the sense of community that I have felt online, and that I will not let a minority abusing that change the way I feel about the internet and it’s power to bring us together.
For more on the story, I would suggest these posts, firstly by LeakyNews, and secondly by Lauren Fairweather, both of whom write far more eloquently than I have managed.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Twiathlon - From Twilight to Breaking Dawn Part 1 - My Thoughts
On Thursday night I took part in the first ever Twiathlon. A series of screenings, running worldwide in the lead up to the release of the penultimate film in the Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 1- the preceding 3 films were screened back to back before we got to see the new movie at midnight.
Writing as someone who enjoyed the first three books - utterly hating Breaking Dawn for reasons I will get into later - and having a some what mild opinion of the films to date, I decided that the best way to see the new movie was to do it with real fans, the kind of people who would sit for 10 hours straight and watch the quadrilogy unfold.
I did this for two reasons: firstly, that I wanted to see exactly how the “Twi-hard” fan base would react to the films, rather than simply how I myself reacted to them, and secondly because if I was going to sit through Breaking Dawn, knowing what I knew of the story, I wanted to at least have some enjoyment first, and the first few films are nothing if not harmless fun.
So, at 4:30, I sat down in a packed cinema, fangirls (and maybe like 4 or 5 other guys dotted around) surrounding me, and the lights dimmed for the first film.
My impressions, as they have always been, were that the first is by far the weakest Twilight film to date. Kristin Stewart just feels wooden and soul-less, and Robert Pattinson is a shadow of the actor he can be when he performs at his best - if you compare this performance to say Remember Me, or even to a lesser extent the third Twilight: Eclipse, this performance leaves an awful lot to be required, and its because of this that the film just doesn’t really work for me.
For the fans though, this was clearly a return to a world where they feel at home. From the cheers and woops as Edward first appears to the loving sighs which accompany Jacob’s first appearances, this first film definitely felt like it got the most reaction from the fans throughout the evening, and it’s clear that for people invested heavily in this narrative, this is the true cornerstone of the text.
In the break which followed Twilight before New Moon got underway, I caught the tail end of a conversation taking place behind me, between one of the fans and her boyfriend, explaining the scene in Breaking Dawn in which Edward (and it pains me to say this, as its just revolting) eats the baby out of Bella’s womb.
The guy straight up refused to believe that such a thing could happen in what is of course a 12A film, and said she should stop making stuff up. Of course as it turns out: she wasn’t. But again: more on that later.
As far as New Moon goes, I had in fact forgotten quite how much I like the film. After the rather awful R-Patz showing in the first film, he was blissfully missing from much of this second outing, and the relationship which grows between Jacob (who is the far more interesting of the two lead male characters), and Bella is heartwarming and well judged - even if we know it can never last.
Again, maybe it was simply that I was with an audience who were rapt throughout, but it just felt impossible not to get swept up in the atmosphere, and get drawn into the story in a way which I can say I’ve never experienced watching a Twilight movie before.
It is also the film which first introduces us to the Volturi, and to Jane, the slightly psychotic and entirely sadistic vampire who can bring pain to anyone just by thinking it. While they are sorely underused later in the series, the sequences towards the end of New Moon in Voltera are some of the very best the series has to offer to date.
Next up it was the turn of Eclipse. Both my favourite book and favourite movie (indeed the only one I saw more than once in the cinema), in the franchise, we finally see the love triangle between Jacob, Bella and Edward come to a head.
Intertwined around this is a well written, and frankly very dark given the nature of the story subplot about an army of new born vampires, some scenes from which genuinely look like they have come right out of a real horror film, rather than a teen-lit love story.
David Slade - who has dealt with vampires before on 30 Days of Night - has found a great mix of the two stories to bring out what is actually a very good movie indeed, and one which seems almost out of place in the franchise as a whole: it is simply in a league of its own in comparison to the two movies which have come before it.
Finally, as the clock struck 12, and to tremendous cheers and applause, the lights dim a final time and the reason we’re all here finally makes it’s way onto the screen, as Breaking Dawn Part 1 gets underway.
Now, it is important before I talk in detail about the film to explain my prejudices against the movie based on my reading of the novel.
This is a book which includes, in no particular order: violent sex; paedophilia - as well as the character assassination of one of the best characters in the series - ; a baby being EATEN out of it’s mother’s womb after the baby breaks its mother legs and back and nearly kills her; a pregnant 18year old girl having to drink blood so as not to waste away and die ; among countless other abhorrent, and frankly disgusting things.
These are things which, in my mind, do not belong in a book aimed at young teenage girls. This is a book which features things which would not feel out of place in an 18 rated horror film, and things which are in no way suitable for the younger audience at which Stephenie Meyer aimed her novel.
So the question is: with all of these ingredients involved: how can a film get through with only a 12A rating, and even if it could: can the film possibly be any better than the frankly horrific book?
In a word: Yes. Yes it can be better than the book The style and the way it deals with a lot of these frankly impossible and even ridiculous instances is at times flawed, but Breaking Dawn Part 1 is, as an adaptation of THAT BOOK, turning that book into a film suitable for 12 year olds, is far from terrible.
Kristin Stewart stands at the heart of the piece this time around, really taking control of the screen, and in every scene she’s in - from the wedding, to a heartbreaking sequence where, as she wastes away into nothingness, she looks at herself in a mirror, realising how much weight she is losing, and yet remains resolved to carry the baby to term - you cannot help but feel like she is in the driving seat.
Up until this point in the franchise she has always felt like the weak link, held up by Lautner and Pattinson, but here she actually holds her own impressively.
There have been a lot of really terrible reviews of this first film, and to a large extent I’d say they are pretty unfounded. It is probably actually the best of the films to date - except possibly for Eclipse - and while certainly in it’s second half procedings do enter the borderline insane territory, it should be remembered that what we’re watching is a Vampire film, and by definition therefore a horror film.
The horror elements shining through seem to fit so much better here than they ever did in the book, where the series was squarely a romance until this final chapter: the films have dealt with the horror roots much earlier, and have built more naturaly to a point where some of these sequences fit. It feels as though the films found the balance that the book could not, by bringing these subtle horror vibes throughout, while not sacrificing Bella and Edwards love story.
Indeed when Edward finally eats the baby out of Bella’s womb as she seemingly flatlines on the table, it is actually stylistically very well handled, showing you just enough to know what you’re seeing, but not too much as for it to be as graphic or as blatant as it felt reading the book.
That is not to say it is a perfect film. Jacob imprinting on Renesmee still standing out for me as the one sequence in the whole series which really is beyond disgusting and was handled with as little dignity here as it was in the original text (although I’m sure we’ll see more as that subplot evolves in Part Two.)
Jacob has - as I have alluded to - always been one of my favourite characters in the series - and the idea that Meyer could find no better way to finally close of the love triangle once and for all than to fob Jacob off ON BELLA’S DAUGHTER is painful to watch, as the creepy paedophilic undertones of it all just wash over you as you view it. Infact I am getting the shudders just thinking about it.... *ugh*
All in all though, Breaking Dawn Part One is, as far as an adaptation of what I would have deemed to be an unfilmable novel goes, surprisingly entertaining. It combined all the elements of the series into the just the right melting pot, and while there are certain elements I still wish they could change, the film is nothing like the train wreck it could so easily have been.
Writing as someone who enjoyed the first three books - utterly hating Breaking Dawn for reasons I will get into later - and having a some what mild opinion of the films to date, I decided that the best way to see the new movie was to do it with real fans, the kind of people who would sit for 10 hours straight and watch the quadrilogy unfold.
I did this for two reasons: firstly, that I wanted to see exactly how the “Twi-hard” fan base would react to the films, rather than simply how I myself reacted to them, and secondly because if I was going to sit through Breaking Dawn, knowing what I knew of the story, I wanted to at least have some enjoyment first, and the first few films are nothing if not harmless fun.
So, at 4:30, I sat down in a packed cinema, fangirls (and maybe like 4 or 5 other guys dotted around) surrounding me, and the lights dimmed for the first film.
My impressions, as they have always been, were that the first is by far the weakest Twilight film to date. Kristin Stewart just feels wooden and soul-less, and Robert Pattinson is a shadow of the actor he can be when he performs at his best - if you compare this performance to say Remember Me, or even to a lesser extent the third Twilight: Eclipse, this performance leaves an awful lot to be required, and its because of this that the film just doesn’t really work for me.
For the fans though, this was clearly a return to a world where they feel at home. From the cheers and woops as Edward first appears to the loving sighs which accompany Jacob’s first appearances, this first film definitely felt like it got the most reaction from the fans throughout the evening, and it’s clear that for people invested heavily in this narrative, this is the true cornerstone of the text.
In the break which followed Twilight before New Moon got underway, I caught the tail end of a conversation taking place behind me, between one of the fans and her boyfriend, explaining the scene in Breaking Dawn in which Edward (and it pains me to say this, as its just revolting) eats the baby out of Bella’s womb.
The guy straight up refused to believe that such a thing could happen in what is of course a 12A film, and said she should stop making stuff up. Of course as it turns out: she wasn’t. But again: more on that later.
As far as New Moon goes, I had in fact forgotten quite how much I like the film. After the rather awful R-Patz showing in the first film, he was blissfully missing from much of this second outing, and the relationship which grows between Jacob (who is the far more interesting of the two lead male characters), and Bella is heartwarming and well judged - even if we know it can never last.
Again, maybe it was simply that I was with an audience who were rapt throughout, but it just felt impossible not to get swept up in the atmosphere, and get drawn into the story in a way which I can say I’ve never experienced watching a Twilight movie before.
It is also the film which first introduces us to the Volturi, and to Jane, the slightly psychotic and entirely sadistic vampire who can bring pain to anyone just by thinking it. While they are sorely underused later in the series, the sequences towards the end of New Moon in Voltera are some of the very best the series has to offer to date.
Next up it was the turn of Eclipse. Both my favourite book and favourite movie (indeed the only one I saw more than once in the cinema), in the franchise, we finally see the love triangle between Jacob, Bella and Edward come to a head.
Intertwined around this is a well written, and frankly very dark given the nature of the story subplot about an army of new born vampires, some scenes from which genuinely look like they have come right out of a real horror film, rather than a teen-lit love story.
David Slade - who has dealt with vampires before on 30 Days of Night - has found a great mix of the two stories to bring out what is actually a very good movie indeed, and one which seems almost out of place in the franchise as a whole: it is simply in a league of its own in comparison to the two movies which have come before it.
Finally, as the clock struck 12, and to tremendous cheers and applause, the lights dim a final time and the reason we’re all here finally makes it’s way onto the screen, as Breaking Dawn Part 1 gets underway.
Now, it is important before I talk in detail about the film to explain my prejudices against the movie based on my reading of the novel.
This is a book which includes, in no particular order: violent sex; paedophilia - as well as the character assassination of one of the best characters in the series - ; a baby being EATEN out of it’s mother’s womb after the baby breaks its mother legs and back and nearly kills her; a pregnant 18year old girl having to drink blood so as not to waste away and die ; among countless other abhorrent, and frankly disgusting things.
These are things which, in my mind, do not belong in a book aimed at young teenage girls. This is a book which features things which would not feel out of place in an 18 rated horror film, and things which are in no way suitable for the younger audience at which Stephenie Meyer aimed her novel.
So the question is: with all of these ingredients involved: how can a film get through with only a 12A rating, and even if it could: can the film possibly be any better than the frankly horrific book?
In a word: Yes. Yes it can be better than the book The style and the way it deals with a lot of these frankly impossible and even ridiculous instances is at times flawed, but Breaking Dawn Part 1 is, as an adaptation of THAT BOOK, turning that book into a film suitable for 12 year olds, is far from terrible.
Kristin Stewart stands at the heart of the piece this time around, really taking control of the screen, and in every scene she’s in - from the wedding, to a heartbreaking sequence where, as she wastes away into nothingness, she looks at herself in a mirror, realising how much weight she is losing, and yet remains resolved to carry the baby to term - you cannot help but feel like she is in the driving seat.
Up until this point in the franchise she has always felt like the weak link, held up by Lautner and Pattinson, but here she actually holds her own impressively.
There have been a lot of really terrible reviews of this first film, and to a large extent I’d say they are pretty unfounded. It is probably actually the best of the films to date - except possibly for Eclipse - and while certainly in it’s second half procedings do enter the borderline insane territory, it should be remembered that what we’re watching is a Vampire film, and by definition therefore a horror film.
The horror elements shining through seem to fit so much better here than they ever did in the book, where the series was squarely a romance until this final chapter: the films have dealt with the horror roots much earlier, and have built more naturaly to a point where some of these sequences fit. It feels as though the films found the balance that the book could not, by bringing these subtle horror vibes throughout, while not sacrificing Bella and Edwards love story.
Indeed when Edward finally eats the baby out of Bella’s womb as she seemingly flatlines on the table, it is actually stylistically very well handled, showing you just enough to know what you’re seeing, but not too much as for it to be as graphic or as blatant as it felt reading the book.
That is not to say it is a perfect film. Jacob imprinting on Renesmee still standing out for me as the one sequence in the whole series which really is beyond disgusting and was handled with as little dignity here as it was in the original text (although I’m sure we’ll see more as that subplot evolves in Part Two.)
Jacob has - as I have alluded to - always been one of my favourite characters in the series - and the idea that Meyer could find no better way to finally close of the love triangle once and for all than to fob Jacob off ON BELLA’S DAUGHTER is painful to watch, as the creepy paedophilic undertones of it all just wash over you as you view it. Infact I am getting the shudders just thinking about it.... *ugh*
All in all though, Breaking Dawn Part One is, as far as an adaptation of what I would have deemed to be an unfilmable novel goes, surprisingly entertaining. It combined all the elements of the series into the just the right melting pot, and while there are certain elements I still wish they could change, the film is nothing like the train wreck it could so easily have been.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
A Complaint Letter to the BBC Regarding Doctor Who Confidential's Cancellation
The text which follows the image is the text of a complaint message I just sent in to the BBC's Complaints page, surrounding the cancellation of Doctor Who Confidential, the behind the scenes companion show to Doctor Who, which the Beeb announced it was axing because of "budget issues". As you can imagine: I'm not very happy.
Some simply like getting a wider, more insightful view onto one of the shows they love, while others - myself included - take great inspiration, as aspiring film makers, to see behind the scenes on one of Britain's biggest shows, and see how the pro's do it.
With the Script to Screen competition on Series 6 this year, DWC promoted script writing to primary school children, and in doing so may well have completely inspired a whole new generation of people to discover the craft. The winners were given tours of the sets, as well as getting to be on set while their mini-episode was recorded and transmitted around the country. This must be the sort of confidence booster many children can only dream of. If that is something the BBC does not see to be important, then frankly shame on you!!
You claim the show is being axed because of budget difficulties, but ultimately it is clear you spend more on countless dross reality shows - World's Strictest Parents etc, sending people around the globe, than on what is effectively a small documentary crew over at Confidential. Before you cancel shows which are doing some real good in the world, stop and think about that!!
If this weeks episode really was the final episode of Doctor Who Confidential, then it was a fitting goodbye, sending the show out on a high note, and truly showing the BBC why they were wrong to cancel it, but I honestly hope that in the off-season you see the error of your ways and reinstate it.
Especially gearing towards 2013 and the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, surely you should be investing strongly in the show towards the celebration, not pulling back on it!!!
I hope you change your minds.
James Gordon
If you, like me, are incensed about the cancellation of this brilliant show, let the BBC know! You can sign the Save Doctor Who Confidential petition by clicking here, or you can send the BBC a complaint, like I did by clicking here. Campaigns like this have worked before, like in the case of 6Music, so we cannot give up - if enough people get behind this show, there may be a chance yet!!!
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Harry Potter and the Magic Quill
For years, fans of the Harry Potter novels have hungered for more, longing for Jo Rowling to give them just an ounce more information about the Wizarding World, about Harry, and about what we never learned in the seven books.
Well now, finally, that chance has come in the form of Pottermore. Billed as an “interactive experience built around the books” fans have been promised no less than 18000 new words from Jo Rowling herself, at launch alone, with plenty more to follow as the website explores the rest of the books (only Philosophers Stone will be on show on release).
Mixing the books themselves with amazing new artwork, mini games and information galore, Pottermore sounds like everything I and many others have longed for.
While the site won't go live to the world until October, a select few (1million to be exact) will be granted exclusive beta access to the experience, allowing them to see what Pottermore has to offer.
I am one of those lucky million.
The selection process seemed easy enough: solve a clue related to the Harry Potter books, turn that answer into a hyperlink, and then find “The Magic Quill”.
To hardcore fans the quill isn't a massively new idea. Jo herself referenced years ago in an interview as noting down the names of magical babies being born so that Professor McGonagall would know who to send Hogwarts letters to on their 11th birthday.
So, on July 31 I awoke early, logged on to Skype with a few of my fandom friends and waited. None of us knew exactly what form the clue would take, but we had been given the rather cryptic idea that “Diagon Alley would be a good place to start.”
Now of course, we all over thought it. To us, entering Diagon Alley meant pressing just the right bricks on the wall. We were clicking bricks on the Pottermore homepage, horrified when we found we could zoom the page out revealing more bricks we had not yet seen – throwing the combination off.
But, just before 9am BST, it appeared all the clicking was for nought. Someone in our skype chat exploded “ITS UP! REFRESH!” and, sure enough, the scroll in the middle of the page changed from a simple message explaining the Magic Quill challenge, to the clue itself.
“How many breeds of owls were offered on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign, then multiply this number by 49.”
There I hit a problem. I'd known the clue would be numerical, but had hoped it would be easier, as my Potter books are unfortunately still in storage as I'm in the process of moving.
I quickly headed to the HP Lexicon online, searched Diagon Alley and found relatively quickly there were 5 types of owl. 5 times 49 equalled 245, and in seconds I was entering http://quill.pottermore.com/245 in my browser.
There, to my great glee, was a group of quills floating on the Sony website (one of Pottermore's partner sites). One of them was glowing, and I clicked it, redirected to the Pottermore registration page to “begin my journey.”
A short reg process later, and a book (the magic quill's book), appeared with my name along side those of Harry and his friends.
I was magical.
I verified my email, logged in, and was greeted with a message congratulate me on being one of the lucky few to shape the experience before its official launch.
That was 4 days ago, and the process has now taken place 5 times out of the allotted 7. Each day at a different time a new clue has appeared, and taken those quick enough to solve it to a different partner site (from The Guardian's announcement article about Pottermore, to the HP page on Scholastic's website), where they could find a magic quill of their own.
With only 2 more opportunities to enter the beta before registration is shut down, its clear that the next 2 days will see huge levels of traffic heading towards Pottermore, as those who have missed out throughout the week endeavour to get on board.
If you want my advice as regards getting in, go to www.insider.pottermore.com as soon as you wake up each day. Over the past few days they have posted a timeframe of about 3-4 hours when the quill will appear. It won't be there the entirety of that time, but it sure helps narrowing down the window for refreshing Pottermore.com, so if they give a timeframe, it sure helps.
During that time, where possible (obviously people are busy so it won't always be the case), I'd suggest refreshing the page every 15minutes or so. The amount of spaces available each day have never yet filled up any quicker than 30minutes, so if you're checking regularly there should be no problem
Have Half Blood Prince to hand tomorrow, and Deathly Hallows to hand on Saturday, as well as a search engine just for good luck.
Pottermore have openly stated that the clues are designed to get easier to solve each day (indeed the last two really shouldn't require even a fairweather fan to even look up the answer), but its always helpful to have these supplies to hand.
As soon as you have your answer, and have multiplied by the appropriate number as given by the clue, put that total on the end of http://quill.pottermore.com/ and you will be directed to find your quill. More often than not it's in an ad around the page, but it should be relatively obvious where (it will be the same pinky purple background as the Pottermore logo, and will have a quill on it.)
Click the quill, register with your email address (its important you can log in to the accout in question as you'll need to validate it). As soon as you get the confirmation (usually sent out within minutes, but it has been known to take several hours in extreme cases) just validate it, and you're in.
You should then be given a congratulatory message upon logging in.
I wish everyone good luck, and hope everyone who wishes to be gets the chance to be “magical.”
See you on Pottermore
Well now, finally, that chance has come in the form of Pottermore. Billed as an “interactive experience built around the books” fans have been promised no less than 18000 new words from Jo Rowling herself, at launch alone, with plenty more to follow as the website explores the rest of the books (only Philosophers Stone will be on show on release).
Mixing the books themselves with amazing new artwork, mini games and information galore, Pottermore sounds like everything I and many others have longed for.
While the site won't go live to the world until October, a select few (1million to be exact) will be granted exclusive beta access to the experience, allowing them to see what Pottermore has to offer.
I am one of those lucky million.
The selection process seemed easy enough: solve a clue related to the Harry Potter books, turn that answer into a hyperlink, and then find “The Magic Quill”.
To hardcore fans the quill isn't a massively new idea. Jo herself referenced years ago in an interview as noting down the names of magical babies being born so that Professor McGonagall would know who to send Hogwarts letters to on their 11th birthday.
So, on July 31 I awoke early, logged on to Skype with a few of my fandom friends and waited. None of us knew exactly what form the clue would take, but we had been given the rather cryptic idea that “Diagon Alley would be a good place to start.”
Now of course, we all over thought it. To us, entering Diagon Alley meant pressing just the right bricks on the wall. We were clicking bricks on the Pottermore homepage, horrified when we found we could zoom the page out revealing more bricks we had not yet seen – throwing the combination off.
But, just before 9am BST, it appeared all the clicking was for nought. Someone in our skype chat exploded “ITS UP! REFRESH!” and, sure enough, the scroll in the middle of the page changed from a simple message explaining the Magic Quill challenge, to the clue itself.
“How many breeds of owls were offered on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign, then multiply this number by 49.”
There I hit a problem. I'd known the clue would be numerical, but had hoped it would be easier, as my Potter books are unfortunately still in storage as I'm in the process of moving.
I quickly headed to the HP Lexicon online, searched Diagon Alley and found relatively quickly there were 5 types of owl. 5 times 49 equalled 245, and in seconds I was entering http://quill.pottermore.com/245 in my browser.
There, to my great glee, was a group of quills floating on the Sony website (one of Pottermore's partner sites). One of them was glowing, and I clicked it, redirected to the Pottermore registration page to “begin my journey.”
A short reg process later, and a book (the magic quill's book), appeared with my name along side those of Harry and his friends.
I was magical.
I verified my email, logged in, and was greeted with a message congratulate me on being one of the lucky few to shape the experience before its official launch.
That was 4 days ago, and the process has now taken place 5 times out of the allotted 7. Each day at a different time a new clue has appeared, and taken those quick enough to solve it to a different partner site (from The Guardian's announcement article about Pottermore, to the HP page on Scholastic's website), where they could find a magic quill of their own.
With only 2 more opportunities to enter the beta before registration is shut down, its clear that the next 2 days will see huge levels of traffic heading towards Pottermore, as those who have missed out throughout the week endeavour to get on board.
If you want my advice as regards getting in, go to www.insider.pottermore.com as soon as you wake up each day. Over the past few days they have posted a timeframe of about 3-4 hours when the quill will appear. It won't be there the entirety of that time, but it sure helps narrowing down the window for refreshing Pottermore.com, so if they give a timeframe, it sure helps.
During that time, where possible (obviously people are busy so it won't always be the case), I'd suggest refreshing the page every 15minutes or so. The amount of spaces available each day have never yet filled up any quicker than 30minutes, so if you're checking regularly there should be no problem
Have Half Blood Prince to hand tomorrow, and Deathly Hallows to hand on Saturday, as well as a search engine just for good luck.
Pottermore have openly stated that the clues are designed to get easier to solve each day (indeed the last two really shouldn't require even a fairweather fan to even look up the answer), but its always helpful to have these supplies to hand.
As soon as you have your answer, and have multiplied by the appropriate number as given by the clue, put that total on the end of http://quill.pottermore.com/ and you will be directed to find your quill. More often than not it's in an ad around the page, but it should be relatively obvious where (it will be the same pinky purple background as the Pottermore logo, and will have a quill on it.)
Click the quill, register with your email address (its important you can log in to the accout in question as you'll need to validate it). As soon as you get the confirmation (usually sent out within minutes, but it has been known to take several hours in extreme cases) just validate it, and you're in.
You should then be given a congratulatory message upon logging in.
I wish everyone good luck, and hope everyone who wishes to be gets the chance to be “magical.”
See you on Pottermore
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Casey Anthony - Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Yesterday saw the end of one of the most highly publicised US trials in years. The trial of Casey Anthony, who was accused – and then shockingly acquitted – of drugging and murdering her two year old daughter Caylee.
The reason: reasonable doubt. To find someone guilty of murder in the first degree (or any other charge for that matter), it must be proved “beyond any reasonable level of doubt” that the person is guilty.
The prosecution put forward a version of events which (while it convinced the majority of Americans of Casey's complete guilt) was full of holes and circumstantial evidence which the jury of 12 men and women simply could not overcome.
For those of you who do not know the story, Caylee Anthony went missing in June 2008. For more than a month, her mother Casey spun a web of lies when family members and others asked to see her.
She claimed that Caylee was with her Nanny, a woman called Zenaida Fernandez, who lived in her building. It later transpired that Zenaida had never had any interaction with either Casey or Caylee.
During this time Casey Anthony was seen partying, drinking and getting tattoos with her boyfriend.
Eventually, more than 31 days after she had last seen Caylee, the young girl's grandmother reported her missing to the police.
Around the same time, George Anthony (Casey's father) received a letter stating his daughters car had been towed, and when he went to pick it up, both he and the impound attendant said there was a strong smell coming from the car's boot. Both later testified in court that the smell was that of a decomposing human body, although when they checked the boot it was empty.
During the six months between Caylee being reported missing, and the eventual discovery of her skeleton on December 11th 2008 – just over a mile from the family home in Orlando Florida - Casey Anthony lied over and over to police, about a job she was supposedly keeping (which she had actually been fired from years earlier), to the fake nanny who she said must have “kidnapped” Caylee.
Searches of Anthony's computers discovered that she had googled “how to make chloroform”, as well as “death”, and traces of chloroform, as well as strands of Caylee's hair, were found in the boot of the car.
With the web of lies falling down around her, Casey Anthony was charged with Caylee's murder.
The story, of a mother killing her two year old was snapped up by the US media, and for the past several years, various talkshows and news outlets have given the story extensive coverage, turning the murder trial into a huge national event, and giving the public what they like the most: a villain
Despite most of the evidence seeming to point in her direction, by the time the trial rolled around, after 4weeks, and more than 400 pieces of evidence, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder in the first degree, manslaughter and child abuse.
It came down to a battle of two opposing arguments. The prosecution wanted us to believe in Casey as a woman who would rather see her daughter dead than interrupt her party lifestyle with such trivialities as motherhood.
The defence though painted a different story. They said that Caylee had fallen in the pool at George Anthony's house, and drowned accidentally. The missing 31 days they say, can be explained by the entire Anthony family trying to cover up the death by acting as though it was business as usual.
They claimed the chloroform searches had actually been made by Cindy Anthony (Casey's mother), purely for research purposes, and even found an expert who would testify that it was impossible to tell whether the odour from the car was that of human decomposition, as several other things could have let off a similar smell.
Neither argument was concrete, and although the prevailing attitude was that Casey had almost certainly killed her daughter – she was too calm, too uncaring about the fact her daughter was missing – it simply could not be proven.
Casey Anthony may have killed Caylee, we will never know, but one thing is for sure: there will be plenty of people around America in the next few weeks who will believe wholeheartedly that a murderer has walked free.
It is because 12 men and women decided that they could not without any doubt convict her that she will walk out of the Orange County courthouse tomorrow. Making what was well and truly a life and death decision (Anthony faced the death penalty if the three main charges had come back guilty), this was a huge test of the concept of “beyond reasonable doubt” means, and what effect this will have on future trials.
The reason: reasonable doubt. To find someone guilty of murder in the first degree (or any other charge for that matter), it must be proved “beyond any reasonable level of doubt” that the person is guilty.
The prosecution put forward a version of events which (while it convinced the majority of Americans of Casey's complete guilt) was full of holes and circumstantial evidence which the jury of 12 men and women simply could not overcome.
For those of you who do not know the story, Caylee Anthony went missing in June 2008. For more than a month, her mother Casey spun a web of lies when family members and others asked to see her.
She claimed that Caylee was with her Nanny, a woman called Zenaida Fernandez, who lived in her building. It later transpired that Zenaida had never had any interaction with either Casey or Caylee.
During this time Casey Anthony was seen partying, drinking and getting tattoos with her boyfriend.
Eventually, more than 31 days after she had last seen Caylee, the young girl's grandmother reported her missing to the police.
Around the same time, George Anthony (Casey's father) received a letter stating his daughters car had been towed, and when he went to pick it up, both he and the impound attendant said there was a strong smell coming from the car's boot. Both later testified in court that the smell was that of a decomposing human body, although when they checked the boot it was empty.
During the six months between Caylee being reported missing, and the eventual discovery of her skeleton on December 11th 2008 – just over a mile from the family home in Orlando Florida - Casey Anthony lied over and over to police, about a job she was supposedly keeping (which she had actually been fired from years earlier), to the fake nanny who she said must have “kidnapped” Caylee.
Searches of Anthony's computers discovered that she had googled “how to make chloroform”, as well as “death”, and traces of chloroform, as well as strands of Caylee's hair, were found in the boot of the car.
With the web of lies falling down around her, Casey Anthony was charged with Caylee's murder.
The story, of a mother killing her two year old was snapped up by the US media, and for the past several years, various talkshows and news outlets have given the story extensive coverage, turning the murder trial into a huge national event, and giving the public what they like the most: a villain
Despite most of the evidence seeming to point in her direction, by the time the trial rolled around, after 4weeks, and more than 400 pieces of evidence, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder in the first degree, manslaughter and child abuse.
It came down to a battle of two opposing arguments. The prosecution wanted us to believe in Casey as a woman who would rather see her daughter dead than interrupt her party lifestyle with such trivialities as motherhood.
The defence though painted a different story. They said that Caylee had fallen in the pool at George Anthony's house, and drowned accidentally. The missing 31 days they say, can be explained by the entire Anthony family trying to cover up the death by acting as though it was business as usual.
They claimed the chloroform searches had actually been made by Cindy Anthony (Casey's mother), purely for research purposes, and even found an expert who would testify that it was impossible to tell whether the odour from the car was that of human decomposition, as several other things could have let off a similar smell.
Neither argument was concrete, and although the prevailing attitude was that Casey had almost certainly killed her daughter – she was too calm, too uncaring about the fact her daughter was missing – it simply could not be proven.
Casey Anthony may have killed Caylee, we will never know, but one thing is for sure: there will be plenty of people around America in the next few weeks who will believe wholeheartedly that a murderer has walked free.
It is because 12 men and women decided that they could not without any doubt convict her that she will walk out of the Orange County courthouse tomorrow. Making what was well and truly a life and death decision (Anthony faced the death penalty if the three main charges had come back guilty), this was a huge test of the concept of “beyond reasonable doubt” means, and what effect this will have on future trials.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Doctor Who - A Good Man Goes To War
If you're little blue diary isn't up to Doctor Who 6x07: A Good Man Goes to War, turn away now. Spoilers!
Well that’s that then. Until the autumn, and “Let’s Kill Hitler”, Doctor Who has left our screens with an episode of epic proportions.
Calling in the help of his “debtors” – those who he has left to live – The Doctor heads to Demon’s Run to fight Madame Kovarian and the Headless Monks.
This means the welcome return of the Silurians, the big blue black market trader who’s name escapes me, and the Sontarans. To see all of these return gives the episode the same kind of feeling of grandeur that The Pandorica Opens had last year.
Equally special was the return of Rory the Roman to our screens. Kicking some Cybermen’s butt, before failing to recruit River to the Doctor’s army, the last centurion shows off just how important he has become to the show, and to the arc of the series as a whole.
It is touching seeing him tear up as he holds Melody, and as he leads the final stand you can see how far he has come from the wimpy nerd he began as at the start of season 5. Arthur Darvill is a truly fantastic actor, who I’m sure will go far in the world of television or film – wherever he ends up when he is eventually done with Rory
When a good man goes to war, the biggest reveal of the season can’t be far behind. Finally the reveal of Professor River Song’s true identity as Melody Pond came forward as the stand out scene in what has been a great run of episodes recently in Doctor Who.
It was perhaps not the best kept secret in the world – there were certainly several key theories as to her true guise, and this was one of the more prominent – but it was remarkably well handled nonetheless.
Tying up the “the only water in the forest is the River” prophecy that Idris gave in The Doctor’s Wife, Moffat’s writing team once again prove just how good they are at stringing along tiny little fragments of a line and turning them into something huge and important and dramatic.
The one big question that grasps me having watched the episode: How will Amy and Rory react when they find out that River’s mind is trapped in the Library’s servers, and that to all extents and purposes the Doctor watched their daughter die?
Will the Doctor go straight there and find a way to release her, knowing that even if the body is dead it may regenerate? Or will the Doctor instead go in search of Kovarian and Baby Melody?
The fact we have to wait for the autumn for new episodes is crazy, because with the grand cliff hanger finally revealed the wait will surely be torturous. I think it may well be time to go to the TARDIS Graveyard, build a TARDIS of our own and skip forward a few months to see how this all continues. I really cannot wait!!!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Album Review: Lady Gaga - Born This Way
2011’s most highly anticipated album is finally here, as Lady Gaga returns with her latest offering: Born This Way. But can it possibly live up to the hype? I set about finding out.
From the very beginning of opener Marry the Night, Gaga’s signature is all over this album. Utilising the blinding pop hooks which made her first album so great, this takes it a step further. This album shows a definite evolution since The Fame Monster.
It’s clear this album had big shoes to fill, and songs like the dark and brutal Government Hooker drive the album to new and exciting places. The song relies highly on Gaga’s superb vocal ability, not only in the form of her singing voice, but her ability to make everything sound like theatre – and that’s what the Lady Gaga phenomenon is all about: pantomime and performance.
It’s clear that when this album was being written and produced, this was the key. Gaga was going to sing the hell out every track given to her, and each track would have a quirky way of making it unique. From the guitar riffs at the start of Bad Kids, to the echoing, screeching German chanting at the top of Scheibe, this “uniqueness” factor bears out throughout, and it really seems to work.
The real stand out is Americano. Part pop record, part fiddle driven latino explosion, this is probably the best song on the album, and it really shows a very different side to what we’ve been used to up to this point (perhaps unsurprising that Gaga would go out on a limb to do something completely unexpected.
Unfortunately, it’s the singles which ultimately bring the album down. It feels weird – usually of course it is the singles which are practically the only tracks worth hearing, but this time songs like Born this Way (and especially the frankly dull and uninspiring Hair) just don’t stand up to the rest of the album.
They feel generic, and like anyone in the world could be singing them – they don’t fit into the Gaga repertoire, and it’s a real shame because every time you’re almost getting into the album, one of these songs comes along, and brings the whole tone down.
Does this album live up to everything that will no doubt be said about it then? Probably not. Of the 17 tracks, there are plenty of great new tunes, but it really doesn’t seem to flow as an album in the way Fame Monster did, and it’s because of this it is unlikely to ever become a true classic in the same way. Interestingly, with the four singles taken out it seems to work better, but perhaps that’s just a personal observation.
What Gaga has managed though is to build a collection of decent – and in some cases fantastic – pop sounds, building on plenty of different styles and influences to find a sound which feels new and fresh. There is no sense of a difficult second album here, and this is an album which is sure to be played on repeat by Gaga’s legions of fanatics for some time to come. Which I suppose is the point
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