AltOpinion

Twitter: @altopinionblog | Facebook: Alt Opinion

[altopinion-blog1]

'Music was better in my day'... Really?

By Michael Jones A phrase I’m sure everyone of us has heard an older relative say many times before. The commonly used ‘You call this music?’ is the older generations way of saying ‘we used to be better’. But how true is this? Has music really gone downhill over the last few decades? I’ll start off by trying to avoid enraging any fans of yesterday’s music, I do enjoy it. Using the most common examples of ‘The Beatles’ and ‘Queen’, I do greatly enjoy their music and own an album or two, but is their popularity based on sole-surviver status? In other words, fame was a lot harder to come across in the past. Bands couldn’t just post songs online and hope for the best. Only the very best talents had any recognition throughout the mid 20th century, and I believe this is where the misunderstanding lies. Only the best have survived to today’s culture and this makes our perception of that generation of music altered. In 30 years, when only our best music has survived (hopefully actually the best stuff, not the pop music that’s being churned out without a good lyric in sight), our generation’s music will have a positive light on it and by avoiding the deep, dark depths of YouTube’s music videos, all of our musical failures can be forgotten. So is this generation’s music worse that the past? I believe not. The best of today still compare to the best of the past and hopefully the next released Justin Beiber song won’t live long enough in the memory to reach the musical archives of the greats.

[altopinion-blog1]

Ubuntu Edge seeks Indiegogo funding

By Michael Jones

The smartphone industry has again taken a step into the future with Canonical’s record-breaking fundraising attempt beginning to build some momentum.

It was announced that Canonical, creators of the Ubuntu operating software, would be starting an ‘indiegogo’ campaign to raise a staggering £20.8 million in a month, to fund the production of their very own smartphone, which would interconnect with their operating system on PCs in previously impossible ways. Usually working as a normal smartphone, when connected to a monitor, the devices applications will be usable as desktop applications using the same storage facilities on the phone.

However, this campaign is the largest of it’s kind. Indiegogo’s previous fundraising record is held by the Scandu Scout device, which raised around £1,100,000 ($1,665,380). The Ubuntu Edge has already smashed this record, with around £2,150,000 raised in the first day the indiegogo account was opened.

To receive one of the 40,000 models the company is hoping to produce, a donation of £540 is required, but donators are reassured by the news that if the project does not reach its target by the 21st August, then all of the money raised will be completely refunded.

This risky project shows Canonical’s belief in the project and if the goal is raised, it will be interesting to see the final product in May 2014.

What are your views on the increase of projects funded in this way? Does it help the user get more out of the future of technology?

Ubuntu Edge indiegogo page - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge

[altopinion-blog1]

Album of the week - Resolution EP

Name - Resolution EP Artist - Matt Corby UK release - July 2013 iTunes price - £1.99 I thought I would start this section off with a new release, and this was the only possible option for me. This Australian singer-songwriter is slowly moving himself onto the English music scene and deservedly as well. His fifth official EP again showed the incredible vocal range of this rising star and with the acoustic demo of the title track included in the EP, as well as two additional tracks, the listener gets a wide range of music in this 4-song EP. Favourite track - Resolution (demo). I have been listening to the single version of Resolution, which has been on YouTube for a few months, but after hearing this acoustic version, Corby's vocal layering perfectly suits the song and makes the song an interesting listen every time. What do you think of Matt Corby's newest release?

[altopinion-blog1]

Do people care about the ‘Royal Baby’?

By Philip Massoud

At 16.24 BST on Monday 22nd of July 2013, the third in line for the British Crown was born. A baby boy, yet to be named, was born to Prince William and Kate Middleton. Around this birth there have been celebrations, 41-gun salutes by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, world-wide media coverage and, of course, Facebook statuses from people around the world proclaiming that ‘they don’t care’ about the birth of the child. By the 20 or so Facebook statuses on my Facebook wall alone stating that ‘they don’t care’, it begs the question, are these people in the majority? Do people actually care?

For one, I do care, and I think the vast majority of people care about this event. Will it change the world? No. Will it end world hunger and poverty? No. But will it change the future of the UK and the Commonwealth? Arguably yes, and I think that people do care about it.

This baby boy, born at St Mary’s Hospital in west London, is the great grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, who is currently the Head of State of the Commonwealth and he is set to become the King. As third in line for the throne it’s safe to say he has a long while to wait for his chance but this news excites me. Not because it’s a happy event, although I wish the Prince and the Duchess the best of luck with the baby, but because this could mark a change in the normal Monarchy that the world has seen for a thousand years. This child will grow up in a new age, the technological age, where things change extremely fast. He will grow up in a period where the internet will continue to grow more and more every day and I cannot wait to see how this new King, with new ideas to set him apart from old, will fair in this new world and what he will do to make it better. At the least, it will give us all more gossip to talk about.

So do people care? I think so, and let’s face it, those people who ‘don’t care’ on Facebook and Twitter, well, they obviously care enough to write something about it. Tell us your opinion, do you care?

Good luck William and Kate, we are all behind you.

[altopinion-blog1]

Called to duty a few too many times?

By Michael Jones

Call of Duty’, easily one of the most successful first person shooter series that the video gaming industry has ever seen. But is it time to finally bring it to a close?

In 2003, gamers across the globe were introduced to the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise, which almost annually has been one of the top sellers. The classic moments of C4 door explosions followed by slow-mo raids and building top shoot outs, are easily recognisable and are etched in to the mind of every avid player, but is this because we have seen it too many times?

Year after year, when November comes, so does the newest addition to the ‘CoD’ franchise. Players expect the usual single player and multi player modes, and can sometimes be surprised by a new feature such as spec ops or zombies, but now, even they are just part of the usual experience. In my opinion, what ‘Activision’ are really missing is some imagination. Except for slight graphic upgrades and the occasional new feature, the games are becoming too predictable and gamers are getting bored. After 9 games, we, as a community, want something new. But will we get it?

In short, no. With ‘Call of Duty : Ghost’ scheduled for this November, (name) look like they will continue to churn out the same game year after year, and who can blame them? I know I’ll still buy it! We can always hope for something new. Let us know what your views on the endless franchise. Are you excited for ‘CoD : Ghost’?

[altopinion-blog1]

And so it begins....

Hey guys, I just though I would post a short introduction to who we are and what we will be bringing to you. Alt Opinion is our brand new blog, looking to bring you a mixture of news, reviews and our opinions on a wide range of topics. We will be posting at least twice a day and will also be trying to get you involved as much as possible. There are currently three writers in our team who will all run separate sections. Philip Massoud will be posting about 'current affairs' or 'TV and Film' Monday to Friday. Tom Baker will be sharing his views on 'Art','Style' or 'Travel', four times a week. Finally, I, Michael Jones, will be commenting on 'Music' or 'Tech and Gaming', five times a week. Everyone here hopes you enjoy our posts and we hope you will be here with us at 'AltOpinion' for a long time. Thank you Michael, AltOpinion team