Reader is dead, long live Flipboard!

The news earlier this year that Google would be retiring its workhorse Reader software was met with a low-level grumbling.

This was, after all, one of the most widely-used RSS readers available on the market and people were understandably miffed, many having spent months or years searching the vastness of the internet to pinpoint the best websites and blogs on a given topic.

Reader brought all of these disparate feeds together, offering you a list of potential topics that could be browsed at your leisure.

Flipboard is the evolution of the reader. And it’s jumped straight from the primordial soup into the driving seat of a Bugatti Veyron.

OK, that may be a slight over-exaggeration, but the clumsiness and clunkiness of Reader was always a bit off-putting.  Flipboard, on the other hand, is smooth as silk and classier than Ron Burgandy’s moustache.

So what is it?

“Flipboard is on a quest to transform how people discover, view and share content by combining the beauty and ease of print with the power of social media.”

Originally created as an iPad app, the popularity of Flipboard soon saw it…er…flip over to the iPhone, before an Android version was brought to the market in 2010.

Formatted as a magazine, Flipboard brings together feeds from numerous partner sources and publications, alongside your own Twitter and Facebook accounts.  This provides you with a beautifully laid out, pictorially-driven magazine, automatically updated with fresh content every time that you open it.

In a rush? The handy Cover Stories section is the aggregator’s aggregator, pulling together the most read and shared stories from your various feeds into one place.

Lovely.

So how does it work?
As with any news app, when first configuring Flipboard you’ll be promoted to tell it what topics you’re interested in. There is a decent selection of starter-for-tens to choose from including all of the usual suspects (art, sport, business, politics, science, etc.) and the option to compile your own magazine from the searchable database of more targeted subject matter.

Opening any of the topics (which are all laid out as their own magazines, by the way) will show you a teaser of the articles within, each of which can be tapped through to the main content.

In turn, the next article is accessed by ‘flipping’ the current screen either vertically on a mobile device or horizontally on the iPad, watching one half fold over the other to reveal the next page beneath.
Clever, huh?

Articles can be saved into your own magazine, favourited or forwarded to friends, acquaintances and colleagues through the usual channels.

Sharing is caring!

Handily, Flipboard comes complete with a ‘Read it Later’ button which really comes into its own if – like me – you find yourself saving several hundred web pages a day to Pocket or Instapaper.

You can even select which web service you want to use to open links. Mind = blown.

As a die-hard Chrome fan, this feels like a step in the right direction. Apple: take note.

Even the menu is designed to enhance your experience, encouraging you to explore other topics and magazines, with a one-click subscribe function that will integrate the content you are browsing with your own magazine, or let you check out all of the content shared by individual contributors.

So is it any good?

Frankly: yes.

Flipboard has raised $60.5 million in funding from a host of financial houses and private individuals, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Dustin Mokovitz (the other Facebook co-founder) and Ashton Kutcher.

The partners providing the content aren’t particularly small-fry either, with publications of note including the Huffington Post, BBC, Telegraph, Times, NME and Economist.

The ability to incorporate your own Facebook and Twitter feeds into the magazine is a great touch and there is even a ‘Best of Instagram’ magazine available, which should fill your quota of ‘ordinary things looking arty because there’s a black and white filter on them’.

Not only is Flipboard smooth and intuitive, but unbelievably it’s also free.

Download it now from the Apple store and (presumably) from the Android thingy. Marketplace.  That’s the one.

Like nipples on the Batsuit, casting Ben Affleck could be another terrible decision by Warner Brothers

It was all going so well: Christopher Nolan had successfully breathed life back into the Batman franchise, creating an outstanding story arc that took the Bruce Wayne/Batman character neatly from cradle-to-grave, from origin story to the hanging-up of the cape and cowl.

Batman's gadgets were believable (within the context of any comic book movie), his allies and enemies were superbly crafted and the moral ambiguity of his self-appointed vigilante role as Gotham's defender was well balanced.

As with Inception, Nolan didn't pander to the audience and brought a back-to-basics approach to the character, eschewing the neon playground and nippled-Batsuit of the disastrous Schumacher years and drawing inspiration for each film from the storylines of the major comic book arcs themselves (including seminal titles such as Knightfall, The Man Who Laughs and No Man's Land).

The curtain falling on the third and final chapter of The Dark Knight Trilogy came with a sense of closure; this journey was over and it had set a remarkable precedent for all comic book movies to follow.

Then this morning it was announced that Ben Affleck will be playing Batman in Zack Snyder's next Man of Steel film, due out in 2015 (the Guardian summarised some of the Twitter comments on this topic here).

This could go either way.

Whatever your thoughts on Christian Bale, his delivery of Bruce Wayne was impressive and honest: broken and at times fragile, Wayne was trapped in a state of emotional arrested development, using the grief of the loss of his parents to focus his pain and anger at the injustice of the world around him.

As with Daniel Craig's current tuxedoed tenure as 007, The Dark Knight Trilogy offered something of a fresh start for both character and franchise, making it darker, grittier and hyper-real.

And this, I think, was part of the success of these movies: their representation of a flawed, broken and imperfect hero is zeitgeist, speaking to audiences grown cynical of the squeaky-clean image of heroes on the silver screen.

Therein lies my major concern: Affleck's previous pedigree as an actor is shaky at best and with his past so-so performances and lack of charisma hanging like a reputational millstone around his neck, it's difficult to say whether or not he will have the gravitas and depth of character to pull off a convincing portrayal of Bruce Wayne.

He has, of course, had moments of greatness, although they tend to be few and far-between. Changing Lanes with Samuel L Jackson was excellent, as were his turns in Dazed and Confused and of course Good Will Hunting. 

Whether or not this appointment is political and they're trying to woo him into directing the impending Justice League movie (as one friend pointed out this morning), my great fear is that Ben Affleck is going to bring the same level of charisma-free delivery that he did in Daredevil.

Remember this? Urgh. 

The Dark Knight Trilogy wasn't without it's flaws, of course, with plot-holes, issues with Bale's whisky-and-cigarettes delivery and the bizarre God-like voice of Bane in Rises. This was balanced against an outstanding supporting cast throughout all three films (Michael Cane, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, et al) which tugged the movie along through its poorer moments and helped you to overlook its inadequacies.

In Man of Steel, Snyder's offering was everything that a blockbuster should be: big, noisy, visually impressive and above all fun, with great turns from Michael Shannon and Henry Cavill. It, too, was imperfect, littered with plot-holes, shaky dialogue and incredible leaps of faith on the part of the viewer (Zod having his ass handed to him by a scientist at the start of the film despite his assertions that he was bred to be a perfect warrior was one of my favourites). 

While we are more readily accepting of these bumps in the narrative road, the question or whether or not Affleck will be able to cut the mustard as Wayne without turning Batman into a two-dimensional, one trick pony remains to be seen.

"Is it cold in here?"

Affleck is undoubtedly a talented film-maker and since 2010's The Town, his star is once again in the ascendancy, with a number of films currently in production, however he has proven recently that his real talent lie behind rather than in front of the camera.

As with George Clooney's turn as Gotham's Dark Knight - and Val Kilmer before him - it's been proven that it takes more than a popular actor with a good jaw line to play a convincing and reputable Bruce Wayne/Batman.

I like to keep an open mind and am hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised by an impressive turn from a third-rate actor best remembered as being Mr Jennifer Lopez, rather than Warner Brothers consigning one of its most successful franchises to the scrap heap of sentimentality.

But then again I'm an optimistic soul.

Falling down

I am unashamedly a huge fan of people falling over. There is, as far as I'm concerned, very little that comes close to seeing the look on someone's face at the second they realise that gravity has got the better of them, particularly if it is also accompanied by a flailing-of-limbs.

All the better if they also disappear completely from view.

It may well be schadenfreude, but this particular incident of a Sky Sports report apparently taking a dive for no reason whatsoever is a perfectly good example of all of these elements coming together beautifully:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2013/aug/14/sky-sports-news-reporter-falls-over-video

While it may be childish, I'm clearly not alone: there's a reason why You've Been Framed endures on the Saturday afternoon schedule!

The first infographic?

This is something a bit special that I stumbled across yesterday, a history of human civilisation in a single (albeit not necessarily very easy to follow) infographic.

Created in 1931 by John B Sparks, 'The Histomap' outlines four thousand years of human history, charting  the rise and fall of cultures and civilisations. Tracing the undulating, bulging and contracting columns provides a brilliant and easily digestible visual indication of not only the size and influence, but also the longevity of these civilisations.

You can trace the Egyptian civilisation, for instance, from its broad-shouldered beginning (albeit halfway through the Middle Dynasty) at the top of the chart to a barely perceptible trickle that creeps its way down to finally meet up with the enormous bulge of the Roman Empire.

Others - such as the Ethiopians - disappear almost as soon as they have appeared, whilst the Huns remain an unassuming yellow line on the right hand side of the chart until the rise of the Mongolians around 450AD.

The clear layout and flow of the Histomap also demonstrates the evolution of different groups within a single civilisation, as highlighted through the ebb and flow of various Indian groups, all within the same, unbroken band.

Click on the smaller version below to zoom in.

See here for the full article.

Alpha Papa is top of the UK box office, just where it belongs

I am very, very happy that Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is currently at the top of the UK box office. 

I went to see it on Saturday and while Steve Coogan's greatest creation has never put a foot wrong (figuratively) in his endless hunt for fame and recognition on the small screen, there is always a sense of trepidation when it comes to anything-to-film conversions.

What if the studio gets in the way and demands changes? What if the script writing just isn't up to it? What if, what if, what if.

All fears were assuaged within the first five minutes, however, as what turned out to be the most consistently funniest 90 minutes that I've spent in a cinema for some time unfolded in front of me. 

Primarily, this is a film for fans with many a knowing nod and wink to Partridge's previous desperate clamber up the greasy pole of fame - charted so ably through two series of I'm Alan Partridge (1997) - following his monumental fall from the public eye after shooting a man dead with an antique pistol, live on his BBC chat show Knowing Me Knowing You (1994). 

Monkey Tennis, anyone?

By the time of 2010's Mid Morning Matters (and following a breakdown that involved a great deal of Toblerone), Alan had carved himself a comfortable niche at hyperlocal, DAB-only radio station North Norfolk Digital. 

And this is where we rejoin his story, as unhinged former employee Pat Farrell (played by the always watchable Colm Meaney) takes the station hostage in retaliation for being fired as part of a corporate buy-out. Believing Alan to be his only true friend at the station, Pat demands that Alan be his intermediary with the police, firmly putting Partridge back in the spotlight of the ensuing media glare.

The part where he appears outside the front of the building attached to an unseen Farrell with a rope to bargain with the police is truly exceptional. As is the sight of Alan breaking back in to the siege from which he's just accidentally escaped.

"I am siegeface"

Coogan is absolutely perfect as the aging Partridge, with the familiar supporting cast including his long-suffering, Jesus-loving PA, Lynn (Felicity Montague), sidekick Simon (Tim Key) who spends most of the film gaffa taped to a swivel chair, and former petrol station attendant and full-time Geordie, Michael (Simon Greenwell) all returning to help or hinder in their own way. 

Alongside the regulars are Spy actor Darren Boyd as a hostage negotiation expert left dumbstruck by the bumbling Partridge and serial growler Sean Pertwee providing his usual gravel-voiced hardman, this time in the guise of a police firearms specialist. 

At the heart of it, this is a movie about local radio and Partridge's magnetic return to the microphone at any available opportunity to pose questions to his listeners (such as whether or not you should provide a Christmas tip for a binman who has refused to dispose of a broken toaster) mid-siege, are gentle reminders that despite his lofty desires, this is truly where the Partridge roosts. 

Alpha Papa is a movie that taps-in to the heart of everything that has made Alan Partridge the legend of British comedy that he is today: the desperation not to be forgotten, complete social incompetence, rampant opportunism and overwhelming ego all drive Alan in a way that - while brilliantly farcical - Coogan makes believable within the context of the story. 

Partridge (left) and dog

With stalwart Partridge writers Coogan, Armando Iannucci and Peter Baynham putting together the story (along with screenwriting due Neil and Rob Gibbons) and with Iannucci's previous small-to-big-screen success in the shape of In the Loop (2009), this was always going to be in safe hands.  

Some of the moments are truly outrageously funny, such as Alan's daydream sequence, his plan of escape from the unhinged Farrell and in particular, Michael's 'distraction' near the end of the film, all of which are brilliantly played-out pieces of left-field physical comedy. 

The pace of the movie is matched by the machine-gun laughs, many of which Coogan can engender through Partridge's wry facial expressions, or - as with one instance - by just walking down a hallway. This film is by no means perfect and the final act fumbles its way along to a 'winner-by-default' conclusion, but any and all of its inadequacies can be forgiven. 

If you weren't aware of Alan Partridge before then you may not take away as much from this film as someone who grew up with Coogan's comic creation but I'd wager that you'd still leave the cinema satisfied that this was 90 minutes well spent. 

'CBD Music Takeover' set to take over CBD, unsurprisingly.

I quite like Birmingham: it's friendly, multicultural, metropolitan without the crushing weight of tourists that makes London heave at weekends and everything is walkable. 

This last point in particular is one reason why the recent focus on the city's regeneration - as laid out in the City Council's Big City Plan - is so important. You don't just dive straight into a cab or underground station to get around the city and this makes the need to have a pleasant environment all the more important.  

While areas like the city's under-appreciated and wasteland-like Eastside are receiving some much-needed love and attention - particularly noticeable in the form of the new City Park - the city centre has also received a boost, with areas like the award-winning Church Street public realm springing up, providing an attractive outdoor space in the middle of the city's sometimes quite dower Central Business District (CBD).

And it's great to see that this space, along with a number of others, will be the focus of a two-day music festival. 

The award-winning public realm at Church Street, Birmingham

Running from 12 - 13 September, the two day CBD Music Takeover will (according to the CBD's website) "showcase the region's emerging talent as well as established artists across a range of music genres". 

Performances are due to take place across a number of the District's indoor and outdoor spaces. 

This is yet another string to the bow of Birmingham's burgeoning musical scene and will be an outstanding opportunity to profile up-and-coming artists to a broad audience of suited 9-5'ers whose commute may limit their ability to get down to established music venues like the Flapper or Hare & Hounds. 

The full line-up is due to be published shortly on the CBD website - check in for details.