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Chris Noble writer

27 January 2010

producttech

My Pad

Anyone who has hired a graphic designer or other Apple geek today might wonder why it’s all gone a bit quiet. If the bewildered employer asks, they might get told anything but the truth, which is that the designer is too busy wetting himself—a ‘herself’ will likely be much less distracted—over Apple’s new Next Big Gizmo to recycle any second-rate, wishy-washy design right now, sorry.

It’s the iPad’s fault.

The iPad is a whopper iPhone without the Phone, a pumped-up netbook computer without a physical keyboard (though one can be docked on), an eBook—sorry, iBook—reader and something that an awful lot of people are going to accidentally drop on their polished concrete floors because they bumped their elbow on the arm of their original, fibreglass Eames shell rocking chair while looking for what’s hot right now on notcot.org.

It’ll be the next big thing in… er… well, hmm. I can see one on my coffee table. Ah, yes, that’s it, coffee. It’ll be the next big thing in cafés: gone are the days when you can knowingly look down upon those café-wifi Windows 7 users from behind your glowing-Apple-logod screen, for on the next table is someone with an iPad, wiping their fingers clean of lemon-poppyseed-muffin grease before every pinch or swipe of their glorious LED glass screen while they pretend they’re not buzzing soaking up ill-veiled looks of jealousy like a family-pack of Bounty.

Stateside, $499 will see an iPad in your bag. Just be extra-careful securing it in there before you swing your leg over your cafe racer. (Fixies are so last year.)

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glimpses

LATEST: 27 July 2009

film

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam is a director that you have probably already decided whether or not you like. His past works have all teetered between genius and madness with varying rates of success. In The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which is incidentally Heath Ledger’s last film, Gilliam gets his Wizard of Oz / Alice in Wonderland on. It’s a dark tale of good versus evil and the triumph of imagination—and Tom Waits plays The Devil?! Does casting get any better than that?

Roy Christopher, 23 February 2010

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music

Peter Gabriel: Scratch My Back

It seems like cover records come in three flavors: cop-out, contractual obligation-fulfiller, or rookie mistake. Well, that’s just not the case here. While I must admit to hating this record upon first listen, I can now say with honesty that it is good. Damn good. The first thing that struck me was that two of my favorite things about Peter Gabriel records—besides the lengendary genius that is Peter Gabriel, of course—were missing: the drums (Peter Gabriel records always have banging drums) and Tony Levin (King of the Low End). Scratch My Back is just Peter and an orchestra. I realize now that saying “just” doesn’t do it justice. “Just” Peter + “just” an orchestra = some of the most stark, moving versions of these songs you’re likely to hear. They’re all just devastating, but Talking Heads’ “Listening Wind,” Bon Iver’s “Flume” and Arcade Fire’s “My Body is a Cage” are my favorites.

Roy Christopher, 23 February 2010

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book

Nate Pritts: A Wonderfull Yeare

The word “poetry” is a quick and foolproof social litmus test. Its mention will usher honesty swiftly to the lips of whomever is listening. They either adore it or abhor it. Some may secretly love it, but no one lies about liking poetry. If you find someone who shares your love of verse, you’ve found something real in this world. With that said, Nate Pritts is one of the best currently doing it and his new collection, A Wonderfull Yeare, is out on Cooper Dillon books. The book is a seasonal shepherd’s calendar made up of four poems, each season a different style but none any less sad or beautiful than the one before. “Is there a better life than this?” I think not.

Roy Christopher, 23 February 2010

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