• 3.2” touch screen powered by AMOLED (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) technology. What it means to us is a significant reduction in the power consumption due to no need for screen’s backlight. This will result in an increased battery life.
• It’s so far the slimmest Android-based smartphone. This feature is more important for the people who are admirers of look and feel more than the functionality really. Of course, shining back and anti-scratch glass of the screen give it a useful edge over many other phones too.
• A high quality 5MP camera, which is really good for a mobile phone. It’s not really as good as a digital camera, but you won’t expect it to be interchangeable with a digital camera either. It’s quite handy for the people who get their expectation right before they buy a phone. Its flash actually works while clicking pictures. This has been a common problem with the mobile phones with camera and flash that their flashes are merely an accessory which can’t often be used at the time of need.
• Connectivity possibilities are just inline with your expectations, maybe a bit beyond them – USB, Bluetooth, HSPDA7.2, GPS, Wi-Fi, quad-band EDGE/GPRS etc. are the connectivity tools this high-tech toy comes equipped with.

Overall, Samsung Galaxy can be rated as a very reliable and reasonably priced phone enriched with wealth of applications on the Google Android platform. Its processor speed and speed of browsing are two important factors that bring this phone stand at level with its biggest rivals (and also, the bestsellers) in the market, Apple iPhone and the Android-based HTC Desire.

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American psycho is a movie based on the novel by Bret Ellis with the same name. It is a psychological thriller but also has the ingredients of satire, drama and a black comedy. Directed by Mary Harron and starring the flawless Christian Bale, it is a masterpiece in the genre and has gathered the love of the fans worldwide. Released in 2000, the movie still fascinates many of the movie addicts because of its complicated and dynamic plot and the reflection of the split of the soul revealed in the face of the main character.

The plot tells the story of Patrick Bateman (Bale) who is one of the most influential figures in a Wall Street firm that belonged to his father. Earning enough to become even more successful that his parent, Patrick is at first sight someone who is living his American dream -expensive accessories, elegant clothes, more than a well-paid job, amazing home and the prospective of continuous development. However, Patrick is a deeply disturbed person who knows no limits in satisfying his inner freaky needs -he is addicted to killing people and his fantasies are all connected with torture and death.

During the day, Bateman lives as an extrordinary businessman but a normal person -chats with collegues, works hard, contributes to the company’s success. During the night, however, he going to storage units disguised as nightclubs and is on rampage -thirsty for blood and addicted to killing people that never did anything wrong to him, that he even did not know.

The movies is a major contribution in the psychological thrillers -it is not only a great deal of enterteinment but also a story that people often think on. The hidden split of the human soul might be so invisible that people might not be able to see even a bit of it, or as once happens in the movie, even being told they might not believe no matter how strong the words were. So it can be considered as one of the best movies in the genre with strong psychological influence.

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• 3.2” touch screen powered by AMOLED (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) technology. What it means to us is a significant reduction in the power consumption due to no need for screen’s backlight. This will result in an increased battery life.
• It’s so far the slimmest Android-based smartphone. This feature is more important for the people who are admirers of look and feel more than the functionality really. Of course, shining back and anti-scratch glass of the screen give it a useful edge over many other phones too.
• A high quality 5MP camera, which is really good for a mobile phone. It’s not really as good as a digital camera, but you won’t expect it to be interchangeable with a digital camera either. It’s quite handy for the people who get their expectation right before they buy a phone. Its flash actually works while clicking pictures. This has been a common problem with the mobile phones with camera and flash that their flashes are merely an accessory which can’t often be used at the time of need.
• Connectivity possibilities are just inline with your expectations, maybe a bit beyond them – USB, Bluetooth, HSPDA7.2, GPS, Wi-Fi, quad-band EDGE/GPRS etc. are the connectivity tools this high-tech toy comes equipped with.

Overall, Samsung Galaxy can be rated as a very reliable and reasonably priced phone enriched with wealth of applications on the Google Android platform. Its processor speed and speed of browsing are two important factors that bring this phone stand at level with its biggest rivals (and also, the bestsellers) in the market, Apple iPhone and the Android-based HTC Desire.

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As You Like It is not one of Shakespeare’s more acclaimed plays, perhaps written as more of a money spinner and crowd pleaser. If so, he certainly pleased the audience at The Old Vic during the matinee on Wednesday.

While England finally ensured themselves of a place in the knock-out rounds with a 1-0 win over Slovenia in the World Cup, the Bridge Project, with its ensemble of British and American actors, delighted the audience and press with a captivating performance.

Of note was Juliet Rylance as Rosalind. Her husky voice perfectly suited the role of the cross dressing Duke’s daughter and her sense of comic timing provoked a lot of laughter from the onlookers.

A quick-fire delivery brought Thomas Sadoski much applause as the fool Touchstone. His New York delivery may have been a touch too quick for this side of the Atlantic and yet he made the role his own,

Stephen Dillane played the melancholic Jaques and while his voice was quiet on occasion, all was forgiven by the way he channeled Bob Dylan into his role. Dillane was more wit, less twit in reaching for his laughs.

The rest of the cast got it right, too. One of the delightful aspects of Shakespeare’s plays is that he invested so much character into the bit parts. It is not just the major characters that hold the attention or receive applause. Alvin Epstein countered the comedic tone of the play with the role of Albert the servant, bringing a quieter, more reflective mood during Albert’s death.

This is the second season of the Bridge Project. Last year saw the company tour seven cities around the world with The Winter’s Tale and Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. This year, their double bill consists of As You Like It and The Tempest, all under the eye of director Sam Mendes of American Beauty fame.

Shakespeare’s plays sometimes get dismissed as too difficult to follow, especially by students. That is not the case with As You Like it. It is a bright play full of wit, love and laughter that audiences are sure to enjoy.

It is a simple production done very well. The basic sets of building and forest work very well with the lighting and Stephen Bentley-Klein’s music direction to create a delightful theatre experience that held Wednesday’s audience captivated for over three hours.

And the boss seemed to like it, too.

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It’s the same bunch of hypocritical, shallow, fame hungry idiots as ever. All right so some of them use long words an could probably get a locum doctor job if they tried (Ben) and others pretend to be mavericks (Shabby) and others try desperately to give the impression that they’re clever (Sunshine) but ultimately they all want the same thing as usual, fame. In fact I was very surprised that the most clichéd of the lot (Corin) actually has now become my favourite. Despite her obviously false breasts, her orange tan and her hair extensions she seems genuine and funny as well. Although she’s trying, I think, to emulate Katie Price she is in fact a million times more interesting, largely because she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Also she was the only one who could just about operate a glove puppet and she had a lot of fun doing it.

I must admit that was a great idea of the Big Brother people and it livened up an otherwise standard series. I do think they should have had a master class with a professional puppeteer though. Now that would have been interesting! Why though can’t they talk about anything interesting? They all seem so immature as well, teasing Sunshine about her nose and her dietary requirements. Also what was all that about the crisps? It was more like watching a group of eight year olds than twenty something years olds! Seriously Big Brother Contestants - grow up!

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I remember quite well, when the new IKEA in Edmonton opened, which is now our local store. I heard about all the adverts about the new IKEA, and that it was opening in February 2005, with lots of big bargains in its opening sale. I had school that week, and I knew I couldn’t be out at midnight to catch a sale, so I thought I’d go after school, check out some bargains, look for a few designer bathroom accessories. So on the morning after the opening of IKEA, you can imagine my shock when I put on GMTV (we like to watch it in the mornings) and there’s a news report of chaos at the IKEA store where 6000 people were out in the middle of the night shopping for bargains, causing madness in the store, with mad shoppers running around, grabbing uber cheap furniture, and all the running, punching, kicking, it was like something out of a cartoon!

Apparantly sofas were £45 and £30 for a bed, but seriously, it went so bad, police had to be called for the sake of a few sofas and tables. This deserves a serious rant, despite occuring over five years ago.

Don’t get me wrong, I love IKEA and they have fabulous products, I go regularly muself, in fact, you could easily grab a sofa for £45 now if you look hard enough in the bargains corner, and haggle with the sales assistants. However, does that warrant such bad behaviour in a store? Yes the store is massive, and could hold a lot more than 6,000 people, but 6,000 people fought with each other, people got injured, it was lucky no-one got killed. Would you risk your life for a sofa? I know I wouldn’t, I’d sooner pay the full price for my own safety. But I’ll bet at least half of those people would grab bargains as low as it even if IKEA was on fire and burning to the ground.

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Today films tend to be made with an understanding of the world - that is that they tend not to be jingoistic - think about the great war fims of the 1940s and 50s or the westerns of times past - how the cowboys were always the “goodies”and those evil redskins were just out to scalp them. Well, thankfully, things have changed and although history is written by the victors the film industry has been able to be a little more level headed and tends to show things how they really are/were.

The first film that I saw that demonstrated this more level headed attitude of the film maker was “Zulu"(1964) Cy Endfield, Director, starring Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins and Michael Caine. I revisit this film regularly and each time I learn a little - tolerance of others’beliefs and feelings being foremost! Here we see that, if anything, the imperialist British are, just maybe, in the wrong - what were we doing in South Africa in the first place!? However we also learn of the bravery of those men, who, faced by ovewhelming odds at Rorke’s Drift, managed to defend thier position and lived to tell the tale. In all 11 Victoria Crosses (Great Britain’s haighest award for gallantry/bravery) were awarded to the men of Rork’s Drift, which is the most that has ever been awarded for a single wartime action.

However we also learn of the humanity of the Zulus, who eventually left the scene and saluted the remaining british soldiers, when they still had far superior numbers and clearly would have been successful in thier endeavours had they continued.

During the film we not only witness the organisation of the british soldiers but also the character of the men involved - the upper class officer, the “workingclass”men and though we may not agree with the politics of the situation we cannot fail to be impressed by the actions of these individuals. We can say that of the Zulus too, many of whom were sacrificed by thier chiefs in order to count the british guns.

The whole film is compelling and one of the classics.

Right before I go, you all know that I have been following the Enigin Scam, and I have to say it finally seems as if people are coming to their senses and realizing that saving the environment is not a bad thing. Who would have thought…

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Harryhausen is a legend of the big screen and one of the greatest model animators of all time, if not the greatest. His name is synonymous with stop motion animation and it could be said that he carried the technique almost single handedly for many years. I remember when I was younger, watching movies such as the old Clash of the Titans and Sinbad and being fascinated by the myth and legend surrounding the stories, and, of course, Harryhausen’s animated monsters and mythical beasts.

With the advances in technology that we have had since Harryhausen’s era, we rarely see stop motion animation, which is a shame. Today we have CGI created monsters and sets. Whilst these new monsters and locations look amazing and truly lifelike, there is something about them that seems a bit shallow and life-less. The models of Harryhausen, although dated now, still carry a certain charm and a feeling that true effort and devotion went into the creation of such a fantastically detailed models.

As mentioned earlier, some of cinema’s greatest moments are found in the movies that Harryhausen was involved in. Who could forget the epic battle between Jason, his Argonauts and the Talos or the skeletons at the end of the movie? How about the truly scary scene with Medusa in the 1981 Clash of the Titans? These moments stick with audiences forever and that has definitely been the case with me.

Whilst I look forward to the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans, I know, even if it is good, that it won’t have the same profound effect on me as the original did.

Great news everyone, Jane has heard back from three of the Secondary school jobs that she applied to last week and she is going for interviews in a couple of days, fingers crossed. This would be her first teaching gig!

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No other gadget on the market received the attention and hype that Apple’s iPad received (with the exception of maybe that beach towel in a bag, that was crazy). It seemed to be the wave of the future and nobody thought anything bad could ever come out of the mind of Steve Jobs and his associates over at Apple. But with the iPad fully on the market, there seem to be a fair bit of griping over its quality. Here are the top seven reasons why I hate my iPad.

1. Can’t multi-task. I have come to terms with the fact that the iPad is nothing more than a cheap laptop, which I accepted in order to have such a innovative gadget. But I can’t even have a Word document running at the same time as my Media player? My first computer fifteen years ago had that capability!

2. Terrible reader. Most people thought iPad would make the paper book obsolete, but try reading a book on your iPad for more than an hour and not get a headache. Impossible.

3. No Flash. What good is a portable device if I can’t gain access to any website that uses Flash? This is unacceptable from Apple.

4. Battery. Apple claims that the iPad has a 10 hour battery life. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are accessing the internet, you will likely have to recharge the battery at least twice a day, while if you intend the futile act of playing a game, you should probably just keep it plugged in, since you’d have to recharge it every hour or so.

5. No camera. This was a surprise, considering the iPhone (and every other mobile phone on the market!) comes with a camera. It is ludicrous that Apple overlooked such an important feature.

6. No physical keyboard. Although typing on the screen may seem wonderful, the keys are incredibly small and typos happen more frequently than I’d like.

7. AT&T network only. This was a big mistake: users only have AT&T as an internet carrier. There may well be many better options coming from other providers, for example T-Mobile.

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I don’t order everything online. Books and DVDs fine. But some things I need to touch and feel. One such thing is the humble alarm-clock. I can’t just order one without going to the shop, especially after what happened last time (not that I do it every week, but I do like me alarm-clock just so).

I had done a search for alarm-clocks which have a soothing waking-up sound. Following years of torment at the hands (ha!) of a Casio digital alarm-clock, which woke me everyday abruptly with all the tact and carefulness of a boxer attempting to knit, I decided to splash out on what as allegedly the world’s best, most soothing alarm-clock. Yes people! I was not the only person suffering this horror. So I did some research. The tone was ‘ambient yet powerful enough to wake even the most determined sleeper’. What’s more it was an ‘Oriental rolling wave sound’, whatever that meant (I had never heard of an Oriental Wave but I had no reason to discriminate). It sounded good to me. It takes a steam-train to wake me up usually, and me living in East Anglia and nowhere near a train-track, there’s always been a distinct lack of steam-trains about.

I was really looking forward to getting the alarm-clock and waking up in a good-mood. How much? Well, at the risk of aggravating my boss I threw a sickie from work so I could be at home when my package arrived. My intention was to test the alarm-clock out as soon as possible; there was no way I was waiting until the following morning to test my new-fangled awesome invention out!

The Oriental Wave—or more accurately, Tsunami—woke me with tremendous force. The first thing I thought was that the house was falling down. Then came the chanting Oriental voices, followed by Pan-pipes–which would have been fine, only I hated the Pan-pipe version of a Take That song I’d once heard a busker do in town. My advice? Buy an alarm-clock in person. Sleep is too precious to risk by buying online–

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