Holy SIP Protocols: Customised Batman VoIP Server

The printer room on Level 4 of the Computing Science building has just got a little closer to the Batcave...


Today, I claimed the machine which I was going to run my Honours project on. (I study Computing Science and my Honours project is about the development and structure of Voice over Internet Protocol systems).

As this old machine huffed and puffed through the boot up process, I couldn't resist a bit of customisation. Okay, so it's not quite my Batbook Air, but it's probably the only superhero themed project computer in the labs!

Computer Customisation: Modbook Pro is Tablet Mac

image from appleinsider.com

If you read this blog regularly, you'll know I'm a fan of computer customisation.

At this years Macworld, Axiotron have created a tablet computer using the 15" Apple Macbook Pro as a base: The Modbook Pro

According to the website "On the Modbook Pro’s flush-bezel mounted ForceGlass™ screen, you can draw or write using the digitizer pen and type text or keyboard shortcut commands – at the exact same time! Use your finger to zoom in and out with the on-screen software slider pad. Or pan and scan active content by moving your finger on the virtual touchpad"

They even give you the option of having a Windows partition - that way, they say, you can have the best tablet PC or Mac available.

The downsides? Okay, so it's $5000, but you can get a discount if you provide your own MBP for the customisation. And although they talk about detecting pen and touch simultaneously, I wonder how close we are getting to a true multi-touch tablet Macbook.

Overall, it looks great. I'd love to try it out!

What's your thoughts on the Modbook Pro?

REVIEW: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

photo from http://worldscollide.com

Sometimes Christmas isn't really Christmas without a fight. Even better if it involves performing a neck-snapping fatality on your Granny.

This Christmas I got myself Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe on the Xbox 360. Admittedly, I bought this purely for Batman's appearance in the game, and expected a pretty mediocre beat-em-up fueled only by the dual franchise incomes. What may surprise you, and it did me, is the game is actually quite good.

The worlds of the Detective Comics and Mortal Kombat are colliding and with them have spawned a new creature called Dark Khan. And with Dark Khan's presence comes "The Rage", a supernatural disease which causes the afflicted to take our their anger on the nearest friend or foe. Very soon characters from both Universes, The Rage running through them, are battling against each other.

The game features a great selection of characters from both franchises. Of course there is Batman, Superman, and Joker but even some lesser known characters such as Deathstroke make an appearance. On the MK side of things we have Sub Zero, Scorpion and femme fetal Sonia. I really had forgotten how much of the MK mythology I remember from my Sega Mega Drive days.

As you'd expect from Mortal Kombat (a series which helped to demonize video games in the eyes of the media) there is a the expected violence and gore. There's a whole bunch of new thumb-bashing 'fatalities' to learn (and 'brutalities' for the kill shy Superheroes) as well as a free falling battle mode.

The story mode is quite fun, especially when you play it from the point-of-view of both worlds. But there are a few frustrating things missing. In single player mode you can't customise your own "vs." match - you can only play through an arcade simulation or story mode where you have no control over your opponents identity. This is such a basic feature which is in every other game in the genre I've played. Get it sorted!

Overall, it's a good fun game, and while it's nothing ground-breaking, it was a lot more fun than I was expecting.

Wordle: Capture your blog in a single picture

Wordle is an interesting little web-based toy that creates a "word cloud" from text you provide. Words that appear more often in the text appear larger in the finished cloud.

One of the most interesting ways to use this toy, is to provide a blog or feed as the form of input. For example, the following word cloud was created using the feed from this blog :

Picture from Wordle

As you can tell from the word cloud, I've been doing a lot of Batman related posts recently. For someone like me, who uses this blog for a variety of things, it's interesting to see some reoccurring themes.

A bleaker example of a word cloud can be seen from this word-cloud I created using the BBC Front-Page News feed:

It could be fun to use this with your twitter feeds, to find out what people are tweeting about. Or with Facebook status updates. You could output your music as text from iTunes and then create a word cloud to represent your musical taste.

Make your own word cloud using Wordle and link to it in the comments.

Poken: Crossing the Social Networking Divide

When it comes to social networking, I've tried most of the flavours. I started with a Myspace, moved onto a Bebo, before currently settling on my Facebook profile.

I think that these services are now an invaluable tool for sharing my life with other people. I can talk about what I'm up to, share photos, and chat with friends. Using things like my twitter and Facebook updates, I try to give people online an insight into some areas off my off-line life. But there is still a separation, there is a line between the online social networking accounts and 'real life' social networking. I was very excited to read about a company who are crossing that divide, and combining real life interactions with online social networks.

Poken (currently in beta) is a company selling small key chain mascots called Pokens. Your personal Poken character is programmed with your online social-networking information (e.g. email address, instant messenger ID, Facebook accounts, and more to come). When you meet someone else, to exchange this information with them you high-five the Pokens like you see in the picture above. The action of high-fiving the Pokens allows the details to be exchanged between them. Now, when the Poken is plugged back into your computer (thru' USB) it automatically links your accounts.

I suppose it's a bit geeky, but it's a slick way to exchange details - no need for business cards, or scribbling down on napkins. It also sort of confirms that your going to be connected, it's become part of an automatic process rather than a business card that someone may get around to reading again.

They are currently only selling Pokens in packs of 12 - so if they are 11 people out there who are also interested, leave me a comment and we can get something sorted! It would work out about £8 each.

What do you think about this? Is this a step too far? Or should we be embracing the crossover of real-life and online social networking?

REVIEW: Batman RIP Conclusion

(This post contains *spoilers* for the Batman RIP story arc. So, if you're still reading it - don't read this!)

Last week I finished reading the Batman RIP arc which I have been following since May. (You can read my other RIP related post here).
In this conclusion, Batman escapes after being buried alive by members of a secret worldwide crime syndicate known only as the Black Glove. Despite the Black Glove using both physical and psychological torture to try and defeat him, he overcomes their trap and heads back to their new headquarters at Arkam Asylum to deliver some long needed ass-kicking. As a beaten and mentally tired Batman confronts the leader of the Black Glove, a man masquerading as Bruce Wayne's father, a final fistfight in a helicopters results in the inevitable fireball and the death of Bruce Wayne as Batman....apparently.

I say apparently as the ending is ambiguous. A huge explosion and no sign of a body is more than a little frustrating way to end this arc which promised so much, and has so far only delivered another "comic book death".

To say the RIP storyline has been confusing at times would be an understatement. Batman, in his infinite knowledge of the criminal mind, decides that as well as having to prepare for every physical attack he could receive to his body, decides to prepare his mind for an attack by creating a "backup personality" that could be activated to save himself - think "system restore" for the mind. This was realised as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a yellow and purple suited Batman from another planet! You'll really have to read it for it to make sense.

Overall it has been enjoyable, with interesting plot twists and turns, and artwork that moves the story at a film-like pace, making you read each issue cover-to-cover. Moreover, Grant Morrison's portrayal of the Joker is worth the price of admission alone.

Despite it's highlights, I still feel slightly cheated. While heroes die, legends live forever - and the panels suggest that the legend of Batman will fall to Dick Grayson to dawn the cowl. But to find out the fate of Bruce Wayne, I'll have to follow another DC series (Final Crisis) which will truly determine what will happen to the Batman character.

But as everyone knows, in the world of comics books - no-one ever really dies (with the exception of Uncle Ben and Thomas and Martha Wayne), and I think this 'death' of Bruce Wayne is only symbolism of a new era for Batman.

Final Fortnight Stress

Me looking a bit stressed

As week 9 of this term closes, I enter the final fortnight of the lecturing term - and the chaos associated with it begins.

The final two weeks are paper-jam packed with assignment deadlines, report hand-ins and general "get-this-done-by-this-day-and-attach-a-pink-plagiarism-cover-sheet" malarkey. This reoccurring festival is observed by Computing Scientists in various forms: from overnight vigils in the Boyd Orr computing lab, to fasting over lunch (in order to get those final lines of code written), and the custom of decking anyone who is wasting printer time with LOLcats when you are trying to re-print the class diagrams you spent all night wrestling from the clutches of Umbrello.

As you can probably tell, this is the least enjoyable fortnight of the term. So if you see me about, please do take the time to give me a cuddle - I'll really appreciate it.

Caped Crusader Double Bill

I've got my tickets for Glasgow IMAX's "Caped Crusader Double Bill":

"On the weekends of Friday 14 & Saturday 15 and Friday 21 & Saturday 22 of November, Scotland’s only IMAX will be screening a dynamic duo, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight back to back. Plus, our bar will be open from 6pm so come along early, have a cold beer and enjoy the views of the waterfront."

Although I went to see "Batman Begins' at the cinema a fair few times, this will be the first time I have to experience it in the IMAX format. Having seen "The Dark Knight" previously in the Glasgow IMAX, I have an idea of what to expect. The huge screen and sound system changes it from just being a great movie into an "experience". The sound blasts from the screen, I could actually feel the floor rumbling as the Batmobile roared through the streets, and a genuine sense of vertigo as Batman glided over the rooftops. And as the story unfolds on the giant canvas, you can't help but be drawn into it.

Are you also going to this double feature presentation? What are your experiences of seeing Batman in an IMAX? Or do you prefer a standard cinema screen?

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The Caped Crusader Double Bill will play at the Glasgow Science Center IMAX on 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd of November 2008. Tickets are £14.95. More information can be found here

Alien Wars Returns to Glasgow

“An Alien Spacecraft discovered in the basement of the Arches has been quarantined by the British Army who are now patrolling the site. We are all trying to work at the venue as normal during this time but it has been agreed with governmental authorities that we can invite members of the public to view this amazing discovery in small groups.”

This signals the long awaited return of Alien Wars to The Arches in Glasgow, a production which I first previewed back in this post in April 2007! It's been 8 years since my last close-encounter, and it looks like I won't have to wait much longer.

Do you remember the original run of Alien Wars?
Tell me about it in the comments.

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"Auditions for Alien Wars actors will take place at The Arches at 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow on Monday 3rd November 2008 from 7pm.
No experience required. Tall actors (6ft plus) especially welcome."

"ExplodingDog" Customized iPhone

Another blog post, another cool customization of an Apple product.

This time another friend, Laura, is displaying her customized iPhone:

" I chose this design 'cause I love Robots, end of!

Ha. I took the design from explodingdog.com and decided to create a iPhone skin with it using 'Unique Skins', seen as my existing case had completely snapped in two!

It's pretty cool also 'cause it covers the big scratch on the back of my iPhone that I got after I accidentally dropped it down a flight of stairs :-/ "

Thanks for sending in the photo Laura.

Do you have any customizations you want to share?
Get it emailed to me!