The enduring power of a good mash-up…

March 17, 2009 By

I dashed out in my car at lunchtime to run some errands, and while I was rushing around, this famous song was being played on the radio (it’s not the official video due to all the Youtube, PRS, music industry and other licensing restrictions.

But the lyrics forming in my head, and the video being pictured in my mind as I drove along was actually:

There’s probably a lot you could imply about original creations, payment mechanisms, and music industry copyrights etc…

I’ll just sit here chuckling and thinking about the quote on a T-shirt I bought from the National Gallery (is it just me that thinks their website is shocking?) recently – ‘Bad artists copy, Good artists steal’ – Picaso.

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Essential tools for working from the family home

December 29, 2008 By

There really are two things which make it possible for me to work from home without having the money to build an office in the garden:
Sony MDR-V300 Headphones with Neodymium Magnet – Folding Design

+

http://www.last.fm/user/BadgerGravling

That and the fact I’ve got a bookcase partitioning me from the rest of the room and blocking the line of sight to the television (currently showing CBeebies to my partner and my 8-month old!).

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Will Sony stop making PR disasters

May 24, 2007 By

Having been uncovered using Microsoft’s XBox 360 exclusive PGR3 in promotions for he Sony PS3 and Gran Tourismo, you’d think Sony would be taking more care?

Apparently not:


Top tip: Check the numberplate

Mind you, they’re getting plenty of coverage. Mainly because it’s like watching a slow motion car crash, being ploughed into by a runaway train full of orphans, and then being swallowed by an earthquake of embarrassment.

More details, here.

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The power of the dead goat

April 30, 2007 By

Interestingly, and despite the amount of competition out there, it seems like I received a bit of a traffic boost yesterday.

And it’s all thanks to Sony, God of War 2, and the ‘Dead Goat‘ PR stunt.

So as much as I’ve attacked Sony for their bizarre PR approach, and the underwhelming PS3 which seems destined to be the console for those left after the twin onslaught of the Xbox 360 (Online gamers) and Nintendo Wii (Fun gamers), I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the electronic giants.

And I wouldn’t mind a PSP in return, as that’s a console I feel has been underrated by the general public. Especially as it offers quite a bit more than just gaming, if you can be intrigued enough to figure out how it all works…

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Sony PR manage to surpass even themselves…

April 29, 2007 By

I had to post this as soon as I spotted it, as much as I dislike linking to the Daily Mail….

After badly misjudged PR disasters like the PSP blog, and trying to promote Gran Tourismo with Project Gotham screenshots, I really did think they might have learned, and I did have to check this wasn’t a late April Fools joke…

But no. Some PR and marketing genius decided it was a good idea to promote God of War 2 with a party at which visitors were invited to eat food from the inside of a still-warm dead goat.

Admittedly the offal inside had been procured elsewhere, as actually eating a dead goat would obviously be foolish….far better to use it as a kind of food-warmer…

There was a full feature in the official Sony Playstation mag, but now the 80,000 print run has had to be scrapped and the feature on the launch removed. You have to wonder how many PS3 buyers will be reading the Daily Mail as opposed to the official mag…

So that’s three disasters in just a few months… Can’t wait to see the next one…

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Microsoft launches Live gaming convergence

March 15, 2007 By

Microsoft has set a date for the long-awaited connection between the six million console games on Xbox Live, and PC gamers running Windows.

Windows LIVE launches on May 8 with the Vista version of Halo 2, followed by Shadowrun in June and Uno later in 2007.

It’s a long expected move to boost both the online service on consoles, the online service on PC, and the promotion of Microsoft products around the home.

It’s already possible to access your Friends list and Message lists for your console, via your PC and www.xbox.com, but now you can actually play with the same friends whether you’re on a console or PC, as well as the community gaining a large number of gamers.

Hopefully some steps have been taken to balance the advantages of the PC’s keyboard/mouse combination over using a console joypad…but I’m not holding my breath for that one!

But it’s a really good and sensible move overall, and has made me reconsider getting a new PC for gaming. Having a unified system which has worked so well on consoles suggests PC gaming will become a lot easier to set-up and organise. Hopefully it will also lead to a wider range of PC strategy-type titles on the Xbox 360.

It’s also a major shot at the likes of Sony, whose PS3 has been underwhelming, sales wise. Sony have long seemed reluctant to get involved in online gaming in the same way as MS, preferring to let individual games feature individual systems for online matchmaking etc.

And Sony doesn’t have a huge number of PC gamers using their operating systems and ready to jump on board.

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Second Life killer for Sony’s PS3?

March 8, 2007 By

Could this be the virtual world that really takes off?

Sony has revealed details of ‘Playstation Home’ the virtual world for the PS3. It’s got all the usual virtual world hang-outs, apartments to show off your possessions, private chats, and simple online games such as bowling and pool. And you can invite any resident to join in Playstation Network capable games at any time.

Is this the kind of game which will draw in console owners? Generally they’re seen as addicted for first-person shooters and racing games, and anything more around lifestyles and strategy is seen as the PC domain.

Then again, the success of The Sims, Second Life, and even the likes of Nintendogs means there’s money there somewhere…surely.

I can’t wait for the PR agency to start spinning this one…

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The problem with official licences…

February 1, 2007 By

After my criticism of Sony in the past, I thought it only fair to mention the following irony.

The forthcoming UEFA Champions League football (soccer) game for the Xbox 360 will have PS3 advertising. And this is despite the fact it’s not even coming out on the PS3. The reason being that Sony is one of the sponsorship partners of the competition. So where ever the UEFA Champions League appears, so will Sony.
Original article here.

I wouldn’t be too worried if I was Microsoft. It’s more a PR victory, considering the low rates of Return on Investment for in-game advertising, and the fact most people seeing the ad will already possess a 360 console.

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Are Sony trying to self destruct?

January 26, 2007 By

If there was a grand league of making PR disasters, Sony would actually have the edge on Prince Phillip at the moment.
Not content with the last viral disaster, involving a blog so unbelievable and obvious is was spotted and flamed within seconds, they’ve gone and topped it with an even bigger disaster.

See if you can spot what they did:

Screenshot from major racing game PGR3 on the Microsoft Xbox 360:

Screenshot from Sony advert for racing game Gran Tourismo 4 HD

Sweet Lord, that’s a mistake and a half in every pixel. I’m looking forward to hearing the explanation…

For more mockery, see http://www.aeropause.com/archives/2007/01/yet_another_muf.php.

And bear in mind that there is also a backlash about the cost of the PS3 (particularly in Europe), and a growing disatisfaction with the PSP.

I’m sorry. I need to go and lay down for a bit because my sides are hurting. Can I humbly suggest to Sony that they hire me as their Head of Marketing and Advertising, as I can actually play games and write blogs?

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