iblog

Rushda: When one thinks of famous rock bands, the kinds of names that immediately come to mind are classics like Oasis or U2. But in recent years, new bands are having more and more difficulty in picking good names worthy of posters and T-shirts. A name says so much about a band, but unfortunately new bands seem to have very little alternative but to pick hopeless names such as Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong, which not only sounds ridiculous but is already being confused with two other tiredly named bands - the Ting Tings and the Jing Jings.

It’s now been over 50 years since the likes of the Beatles and the Clash were household names, and the creativity has certainly worn thin now with most of the witty puns and wordplays already being taken. The following are all recent examples of uninspiring band titles:

- Good Reads (often confused with Good Shoes, a similar band)
- The Rascals (acceptable if it hadn’t already been used a number of times before)
- The Dykeenies (you what now?)
- I Was A Cub Scout (a little juvenile…)

Nick Stewart from the recording industry, who also happened up U2 to Island Records, says that some bands underestimate how important it is to have a great, unique and catchy name. He says:

“It’s a problem because naming a band is as important as naming a brand. Bands like U2, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones realised that choosing a name is part of designing a commercial product. The directness and clarity of their names helped sell millions of albums, tickets and T-shirts.”

The tunes may be great, the lyrics catchy, but ultimately many of these bands have really put any would-be success at risk by choosing obscure names that will not be remembered or appreciated by anyone.

Rushda: A new sculpture of a dead Prince Harry in military uniform will soon be going on display at a London Hotel. The controversial statue has been designed to represent “those willing but unable to serve in Iraq” and a picture of it can be seen here. The sculpture shows the young prince lying down with his head on a Bible and a vulture at his feet next to a British flag. It also shows him holding a lock of his mother’s hair, and the whole piece is meant to signify how terrible the prince felt when he was told he could not serve.

The sculpture has been made by an artist called Daniel Edwards in the light of decisions made to forbid Prince Harry from serving for safety reasons. Edwards produced it in an attempt to highlight the murder of Prince Harry’s desire to join the war. He says:

“[the prince’s spirit] must have died the day they told him he couldn’t serve”.

Whatever the intention of the artist, personally I find the idea of the sculpture morbid at best and disrespectful at worst. Surely it is at least a little distasteful given all the news surrounding Princess Diana of late? I particularly feel for Harry’s family. After all, no one likes the idea of their beloved dead, and this is even worse as someone has actually gone and produced a sculpture of his corpse.

Jake: Hollywood actor, Ben Stiller, has turned to Pilates to help improve his flexibility after he felt sore after a sex scene. Stiller, now 41 years old, recently finished filming his latest movie The Heartbreak Kid and discovered that he is not in his best shape.

“I am not as flexible as I would like to be. Since the movie, I’ve been doing Pilates, which has helped open me up. But after those sex scenes, I was sore later.”

It’s true that the exercise method, Pilates, will strengthen your core and improve control over your body. And greater strength and control can only lead to one thing… Well, no self-respecting guy would want to let Michelle Monaghan down would they?

Rushda: Apple has been under heavy attack recently as it is becoming more and more clear that it is doing everything it can to dominate its market, ensuring that it stays in charge at all times. The latest annoyance that has come to light is that the new Apple iPhone cannot be unlocked and any attempt to do so could result in irreparable damage if one tries to unlock it.

Though illegal unlocking of phones to install new software or allow it to operate on a different network is not right, still this seems a little extreme for Apple, who say that as soon as any updates are installed the iPhone would become “permanently inoperable.” Unfortunately, this is not just an empty threat, as thousands of users who have managed to hack their phone have been shocked to discover that their phone has been disabled. The hacks are anything from mild program additions to software and network changes.

Many Apple customers are understandably frustrated and Apple continues to send out its warnings to all those who are thinking of hacking their phone. Unfortunately, the iPhone will only be able to be used in the exact way Apple wants it.

Rushda: Facebook’s popularity has sky-rocketed over the past few years - from a small site designed for university-based social networking into a huge and indispensable tool for millions worldwide. Now that applications have been introduced, Facebook has become even more versatile than before, with many earning money from their programs. Even better is that now, in a new move to improve Facebook even more, software developers can be given up to £125,000 to develop applications for the site.

Currently, there are around 4,000 small programs of varying quality embedded onto profiles on the site, covering everything from dating to music to utilities for your profile. But Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg wants firms and individuals to create even more “innovative and disruptive programs.” At the TechCrunch40 conference in San Francisco he recently announced that grants will come out of a $10m pot and be given for great ideas to boost Facebook’s popularity further. As the founder says:

“We’re doing this at Facebook to support the ecosystem and help it grow. Any application developer can submit their application and a little business proposal to us. If we think the project is good, we will give a grant for somewhere between $25,000 to $250,000.”

The only restriction is that companies can’t have made any money from their idea previously - Facebook should be the first avenue in which their ideas “get off the ground.”

Rushda: It is something most of us take no notice of when it comes to listening to music on our MP3 players, but new findings have shown alarming links between high use of music players and loss of hearing. Apparently more than two-thirds of young people who use MP3 players regularly are on course for premature hearing damage because the volume is too high.

The warnings come from the charity The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, who believe that the issue is very serious, especially as millions of MP3 players are sold each year, often to young children. They argue that manufacturers should put clear warnings on their packaging to alert users of the potential dangers. They also advise users to invest in in-ear filters for any headphones they use as they cut out background noise and make it less tempting to increase the volume as a result.

The research has found that the majority of users of MP3 players play their music too loud, with 72 out of the 110 users they tested in Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham listening to volumes over 85 decibels (the recommended limit to protect your ears). You might not think it, but this is the equivalent of a loud alarm clock continuously ringing next to you. Not only this, but the charity found that over half the users they studied listened to their player for more than an hour a day and a quarter listening for more than 21 hours a week.

What is most worrying is that the majority of those who were studied were unaware of the risk they were putting themselves in, with almost 60% having never been concerned about it and almost 80% never having seen any warnings on packaging. The latter is particularly serious news and the charity believes that manufacturers should take action. As Brian Lamb, chief executive of RNID, says:

“MP3 manufacturers have a responsibility to make their customers aware of the dangers by printing clear warnings on packaging and linking volume controls to decibel levels. It’s easy to crank up the sound levels on your MP3 player to damagingly loud levels, especially on busy streets or public transport. But if people can hear the music from your headphones from just a metre away, you’re putting your hearing at risk.”

Music does not have to be at deafening levels to be enjoyable, and it is important for everyone, especially young people, to take care of their hearing by understanding the dangers and acting accordingly.

Rushda: Britney’s long awaited comeback occurred last night on the MTV Video Music Awards and many hopeful fans were eager to see a new burst of talent from someone who was once the biggest selling female artist in the world. Unfortunately, however, the song and dance routine will be going down in history for another reason: it was an absolute disaster.

Clearly overweight and mentally not quite with it, Britney dressed in very revealing gaudy underwear and half-heartedly flapped around the stage, not even lip-syncing properly to her new single in the background. Indeed she sometimes even stopped singing altogether. The 25-year-old fallen superstar forgot both the words and her steps on the stage at the Palms casino in Las Vegas and some described her as looking like a “rabbit caught in headlights,” especially due to the messiness of her newly growing hair. An embarrassing video of the ordeal is, naturally, posted online for everyone’s viewing pleasure. As top celebrity blogger Perez Hilton comments:

“Your performance was beyond pathetic. The old Britney Spears, who was at one point (a long time ago) truly great, would be embarrassed by your lack of professionalism and utterly s**teous appearance at the VMAs.”

Similarly, Steve Hall another celebrity blogger, comments on her performance as well:

“At least twice last night, she had to be hoisted up and down from a riser like an overweight kid trying to climb out of a swimming pool… It’s really not a good thing when the backup dancers exude ten times more exuberance than the star.”

Oops, she’s done it again. It has certainly not been Britney’s year - crazy divorces, head shaving, and problems with her children. Now this return in the guise of a stripper will not do anything but ruin her further. Furthermore, to make matters even worse, the biggest winner of the night was her ex boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who picked up an astounding four awards. One does not know whether to laugh at Britney or pity her, but no doubt most will be doing both.

Rushda: Ipod lovers will be pleased to hear that another iPod is being added to Apple’s group of popular music players and like the iPhone it will sport a touch screen. Not only that but the sleek and nifty gadget will actually have wi-fi and a web browser built in so that you can even buy music whilst on the go.

The iPod touch was unveiled at a press conference where Apple’s Steve Jobs demonstrated the features of the new device. Like the iPhone, it has a clear and efficient touch-screen and contains an in-built Safari browser, with easy access to sites such as YouTube and Google as well as iTunes. Owners will be able to use the wi-fi in places such as Starbucks; Apple has in fact made a deal with the coffee chain which enables free wi-fi access using the iPod in any of the cafes. As Steve Jobs exclaims proudly:

“It’s one of the seven wonders of the world - it’s just incredible.”

The iPod will come in two versions - 8GB and 16GB of memory - with the larger costing $399 in the US and the smaller $299. It will initially be released in anticipation of the holiday season by the end of September in the US and will be available in Europe shortly after. Prices in Europe have not yet been announced.

Rushda: A study has found that Amazon is the still the UK’s most used online retailer, after coming top on the latest IMRG-Hitwise Hot Shops List which lists the top 50 online shops. Amazon UK, which was established in the UK around ten years ago after originally starting in the US, has become a reliable portal for everything from books to holidays and is the first stop for millions of UK customers. The study also revealed incredible statistics such as the fact that online sales in the UK totalled £4bn in July alone.

The list also contains firm and perhaps unsurprising favourites such as Argos, which came second place, and Tesco.com,which came third. Play which has rivalled Amazon in its huge selection of CDs and DVDs (with free delivery) has come in 4th place. Also included in the list were travel shops such as Thomson and LastMinute and of course, the Apple Computer online store.

What is most remarkable about all these shops is that their positioning has stayed more or less constant over the years with no notable new website overtaking them. As IMRG’s chief executive James Roper says:

“The stability of retailers’ positions on the list is extraordinary, and tells me two things: these market leaders are satisfying their customers pretty well, and competitors are having little or no effect on their progress.”

It is clear that online users in England have decided on what the best websites are for certain common products and it will be difficult for any other website to establish the same kind of reliability. Amazon has become a household name and is likely to remain one of the best online shops for years to come. For those interested in the full results of the study, the new list of the top 50 e-retailers can be seen here.

Rushda: Ever wanted to scale vertical walls like Spiderman? Well, according to a fascinating new study, humans may be able to achieve this using a special “spider-man” suit in future. Scientists have long been studying the natural abilities in spiders and geckos which adhere to walls and climb them at ease, and now researchers believe that we may indeed be able to reproduce such technology for humans and even allow them to hang upside down in the same way.

American scientists in 2002 showed that creatures like spiders have billions of tiny hairs which allow them to stick to surfaces and even support hundreds of times their own body weight. Now, research from Polytechnic of Turin in Italy has calculated how the same kind of stickiness could be generated for humans. This is obviously difficult to achieve as we are significantly larger than a spider or gecko and so would require an even higher adhesion strength. But, as head of research Professor Pugno explains:

“If we are able to make a surface a little bit stronger, so that the size effect vanishes, we might be able to make a suit with the same adhesion as a gecko.”

He proposes that we can replicate the effects of the hairs by using tiny carbon nanotubes which measure only a few billionths of metres across and are very strong. He also says that there are three requirements for any spider-man suit to work in humans: it must be strongly adhesive, be able to attach and detach from walls easily and also clean itself (so that dirt doesn’t get in the way). Such a rare combination of properties may seem impossible but we have already seen it work in scaling creatures. As Pugno says:

“To have all these mechanisms working together is difficult, because they are in competition with one another. But geckos and spiders provide a natural demonstration that this can be done.”

Now that research has shown us exactly what kind of material needs to be used, perhaps the days are not far away when humans will be able to demonstrate the powers their favourite superhero.