The twenty albums on the first iPod

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Fifteen years after the reveal of the first iPod (with a world changing 5GB of storage), Nobuyyki Hayashi recalls the presentation,the first sample machines handed to journalists (for the flight home), and the twenty hand-picked albums that were loaded up on the iPod. Of course there was a big push to not ‘steal music’ so alongside the iPod were CD copies of those twenty albums. Hayasi still has them, and it makes for a fascinating playlist. I love the fact that Jobs and his team included two albums from The Beatles (‘A Hard Day’s Night‘, and ‘Abbey Road‘), a band that would be one of

Trivial Posts #30: Reality is but a figment of the imagination

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I’m travelling a lot in November, so a quiet week at home with virtual reality, reality TV, and a picture show are exactly what I need to prepare to gather a clutch of air miles. What have I been reading to while away the hours? I’m glad you asked… You can sign up to have this posted out to you every week, subscribe to the newsletter version here. VR’s Biggest Problem I posted this on the blog over the weekend, but it deserves another airing. Virtual Reality has a problem that is not far from the surface. Can anyone ensure a harassment-free environment, asks

An Old Problem Threatens Virtual Reality

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Virtual Reality is (still) the brave new world, and like any new world it’s going to get polluted. If the experiences of – and I fear it will be – then VR has a problem. And it’s one as old as the digital hills. Female harassment: So, there I was shooting down zombies alongside another real-time player named BigBro442. The other players could hear me when I spoke, my voice the only indication of my femaleness. Otherwise, my avatar looked identical to them. In between a wave of zombies and demons to shoot down, I was hanging out next to

Down, Down, Deeper And Queen

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Sneaking out last week on its YouTube channel was a recording of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You‘ for a John Peel Session. It’s the faster version used to open a number of live shows. …and every time I listen to it I can hear Status Quo’s 12-bar boogie-woogie trying to break out.

Trivial Posts #29: To Be Read In The Style Of Clive Anderson

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A slightly delayed Trivial Posts this week, but it’s still full of the best stories, links, and articles that I’ve found online this week. You can sign up to have this posted out to you every week, subscribe to the newsletter version here. Who’s Line Was First Anyway? They might be ten-a-penny on panel shows and in comedy clubs, but when did the lust for improvised comedy start in the UK? John Dowie discovers the first giants for Chortle… Jim Sweeney and Steve: Just as the Sex Pistols had inspired a generation of kids to form bands, so Alexei Sayle inspired a load of performers