The iPad Has Potential. Period.

Yes, yes, yes.    It has lots of OBVIOUS, IRRITATING flaws that we all know will be slowly, painfully ‘fixed’ one generation at a time.   But, like a hot date with thighs you could crack your fidelity on – it doesn’t really matter what it does right now, you just want to hold it.

The best reviews I could find tonight came from WIRED:  ‘Can Apple’s IPad Save the Media’ - I still firmly believe that if its easy and worth the experience  – people will pay for good media.  And, Gizmodo – who were less complementary – their article got so many hits tonight the page crashed.  Check out 8 Things That Suck About the IPAD.

But for me, its the perfect bedfellow.   I can watch a bit of television with it, listen to some music, read a book, and when I’m done it slots neatly into my knicker drawer.

My iphone is just a little bit small for me to do any ‘real work’ on, and I because I try to avoid ‘real work’ as much as possible – I don’t want to carry a computer – so the IPad just works.  Its pretty,  its the perfect.. ahem.. size, and it almost does all I need.

Its simple, it provides me with all my multimedia requirements, and I don’t need a PHD in Technology to get the best out of it.

So whilst the digi-boys guffaw at the all the shortfalls of the ipad – I say its the perfect partner for a girl like me.

Shame about the inability to multitask.   But isn’t that always the way?

As Good As It Gets – Cinekid 2010

Cinekid 2009 was a total delight.  The fledgling cross-platform market was a great mix of edgy transmedia storytellers, major broadcasters, and indi producers all keen to share ideas and continue to drive home the need for cross-platform strategy at the point of commissioning.

I’m delighted to be a part of the steering committee for Cinekid’s Cross Media Market in 2010, and I would urge any digital evangelists to get their tickets and help continue the story in October.

The event is run by delightful Texan  Alison Cody.

This report from the Kids Screen News Feed.

Kids Industry Execs Back Cinekid

A number of high-profile kid industry execs have come together to join the steering committee of Amsterdam-based Cinekid’s 2010 Junior Cross Media Market to focus on new trends.

Its seven-member committee includes Jeff Gomez, CEO at Starlight Runner Entertainment, Brenda Bisner, licensing director at Cookie Jar Entertainment, Andrew Kerr, executive director of consumer products & marketing international at Classic Media, Rebecca Denton, senior producer EMEA at Turner Broadcasting / Cartoon Network (UK), Alessandro Traverso, VP of commercial development at HIT Entertainment (UK), Lou Murrin-Honore,youth director at Turner Broadcasting / Cartoon Network (France), and Justine Bannister, head of international Sales at TV-Loonland (UK/France).

The market is part of Cinekid for Professionals, a four-day event held yearly in Amsterdam during October during the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam.

Get Shorty – The Coolness of Twitter

 

Not An Undigified Twit

 

Ricky Gervais recently announced that he didn’t see the point in Twitter.   That’s ok.   I don’t really see the point in his latest movies.   Am I being oversensitive?   Probably, but for those of us that use it daily to share information, thoughts, links, irritations and inspirations – its affronting to be told it sucks.

Admitting I like to tweet makes me feel like a social outcast.   Perilously clinging to the edges of uncool by cheap eyelash glue and a couple of broken finger nails.   Twitter still feels like a dirty secret I share with the woefully unhip and I want to know why.

Having joined and escaped most other social networking sites – I think Twitter is the least uncool of the bunch.  Nothing stinks of social climbing and sparkly desperation more than a myspace site or facebook wall crawling with superlatives and more x’s than a pornographic treasure map.

Not that I’m down on facebook.  It keeps me in touch with friends from home, and allows me to show off that freakishly hot photo someone took of me on a night out 7 years ago.  ‘You look hot’ and ‘I miss you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!!!!!’ among my recent exchanges.    What can I say?  When you visit a place – learn to speak the language.

Twitter – at least in my own experience – is about sharing information with like minded people.  One can follow people, places, businesses, comedians, artists, idiots, kids, porn stars or even (a personal favorite) a 17th century London diarist @samuelpepys

One can share their own random thoughts, interesting blogs and business innovations.  Imagine posting a deconstruction of the spectacularly shortsighted transmedia strategy behind Spiderman on facebook?   If you can, I suspect you don’t have many friends.

Ricky said of Twitter ‘[there is] something a bit undignified about adults using it, particularly celebrities who seem to be showing off by talking to each other in public’.    So perhaps he’s correct when he says he doesn’t get the point.

For now, I don’t have access to sit down and have a boozy lunch with the best creatives in the world like Ricky Gervais does.   But, with Twitter, I can learn what they’re thinking, reading, watching, developing and sometimes, yes, what they had for breakfast.   It isn’t uncool.   For me, that’s the ‘point’ of twitter.

While I’m sure Ricky Gervais creator of The Office & champion of the uncool wasn’t pelting milk cartons at geeks during the 5th grade – infact I rather suspect he has been subject to more than a few wedgies himself – I do think his comments about Twitter were shortsighted, and whilst not bullish – perhaps just a little bit arrogant.

Follow me and my some of favourite twits:  @rebeccasbrain, @guardiantech, @licoricehazel, @henryjenkins, @jeff_gomez, @matlock