Since my iPhone 3GS, I’ve fallen in love with many things about the iPhone. However, much like most teenage relationships, sometimes we simply fall out of love. On my journey for a new phone, I’ve been wowed by the beautifully large screens of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the flexibility that a rooted Android provides in the Nexus 4, and of course, the unique, yet stunning design of the Lumia 920.

While many may complain that the Nexus 4 lacks LTE, the S3’s screen is too large, or that the 920 lacks a developed app store, there’s one thing that I’m struggling to find in my next device.

The Silent Switch.

For the uninformed, it’s simply a slider that sits above the volume rocker of the iPhone, and when activated, it prevents your device from emitting nothing but sweet vibrations. Why is such a simple thing so important? I’m not a man who prides himself on stealth, but I would be lying if I said this switch hadn’t gotten me out of some delicate situations.

The mere sight of a mobile phone at my job is a near fireable offence, and while many would suggest I get a new job, that’s simply not an option. Unfortunately, my tech addiction is so petty that I need to check my social media every ten minutes, and thus you can imagine how many times my phone has slyly been slid back into my pocket just as a supervisor walks past.

As a human, I make mistakes, and having an accidental iMessage notification beeping off at work because I forgot to put my phone on Silent is just something I can’t afford. While Android provides quick access to system preferences, the tactility of the iPhone’s silence switch is something that provides me with an incomparable sense of security.

It’s one of the ultimate first world problems, but I don’t want to live in a world where I have to get my phone out, unlock, slide down the settings, and switch airplane mode/silent mode on. It just doesn’t compliment the stealth angle I’m going for.

6:21 am  •  31 October 2012

At the 2009 Grammys when Blink-182 announced they were getting back together, I think that a lot people perked up just a little bit, curious as to what what their teenage angst sounds like eight years later. It’s a peculiar experience; all of Blink-182’s songs only have meaning due to how they perfectly depict every awkward aspect of adolescence, but what does the band sound like when there are no memories attached to every song? With Neighborhoods’, it doesn’t feel as though Blink-182 are asking to soundtrack another part in our lives, but much rather are helping us relive what made some of those times so great. Read here

3:53 am  •  4 February 2012

Pontificating about the objective “best” Beatles album is pretentious and boring. Therefore, I found myself having a quaint banter with Henry Hauser, about the difficulties of picking your favourite Fab Four song, the underrated nature of “She’s Leaving Home” and the age old question of Lennon or McCartney? Read here

11:32 pm  •  4 September 2011

It’s impossible to not love the transparency of Alex Turner. When Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not exploded into the world, a large amount of focus was on Turner. For once, it was possible to listen to contemporary rock music, and not have to interpret every lyric for what it might have meant. Turner was blatant, almost playing the role of an observational Jerry Seinfeld of Sheffield. By being crass enough to admit that there was “only music so that there’s new ringtones,” amongst a plethora of other brilliant lines, Arctic Monkeys were easy to consume, and because of Turner, they were also insightful.

As we’ve seen Arctic Monkeys grow, the transparency may have explicitly have deteriorated in some people’s minds, with Turner abandoning his great sense of youthful insight for something more mystic and personal. Where it was once easy to think it was possible to identify Turner through his lyrics, the focus has been centralised to his song writing ability. A simply thoughtful lyric can captivate the mind, but it seems as though the shift is now coming through emotion evoking music.

Read More

1:50 am  •  11 April 2011

I’m not usually accustomed to blatant advertising, but I thought I’d take a moment to mention a website I’ve been involved with since 2008. Wikipedia can summate the sites purpose better than I can, so I’ll hand it over to Wiki:

One Thirty BPM is a New York-based online publication providing reviews, news, media, interviews, features, and more from both the independent and mainstream spheres of the music world. One Thirty BPM covers a wide variety of genres but specializes in rock, hip hop, and electronic music.

Essentially, I’m merely a contributor, occasionally handing in some reviews and writing up some news (rhyming fun). It’s a great initiative, as the site was founded by a man younger than myself, Evan Kaloudis, building it from the ground up, to garner a reputable status, including its role as a featured Metacritic approved site. 

Feel free to check it out.

2:06 am  •  21 March 2011

It’s that sad moment that we’ve all stumbled upon in our lives. That dark narcissistic moment where your own vanity and ego consume you like Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3; you Google yourself. The other night I found myself staring down that very path. It was sad, but Googling my own name shine some light upon old achievements, and ones I wasn’t aware even existed.

I don’t recall running a marathon in Sydney

After ploughing through 14 pages of sites bearing my name, it was hard not to sit back and reflect on my achievements. Well, at least ones that the internet considers worthy. What bothered me was that - as egocentric as it may be - I wasn’t seeing enough of my name. That’s enough motivation for me to write, aside from the pure passion. That’s right. Passion. 

So if you ever find yourself in a motivational slump, take a few moments to remember who you really are…by Googling yourself.

Featured on LifeHacker

11:50 pm  •  13 March 2011

It’s simply given knowledge by now that a significant percentage of every piece of technology you use is linked via some form of social means. Whether it be an Xbox 360, using Live as a social medium to talk and play with friends, or Twitter as a pure means of social media, by 2011, it’s now getting hard to deny the presence of the social.

Cable television has always proven to be a staple in most households, with Foxtel possessing a monopoly on Australian paid television. While the large array of programming and a notably reduced amount of advertisements, it’s easy to see the reasons for paying for Foxtels services. 

Forgive me for wanting more, but despite the cable providers recent foray into HD (and more recently 3D), I can’t help but feel that Foxtel is somewhat behind in the realm of social interaction. What I am proposing is a new level of social integration through Foxtel that would allow interaction between households.

What does this mean?

Remember that conversation you were having with a friend last week in which you were failing to explain an episode of Louis Theroux, where you wishing that the recipient of your convoluted synopsis simply had seen the episode? With a level of social interaction integrated into the Foxtel system, you would simply be able to select that very episode of Louis Theroux (or another in the series), and through a single button press, recommend it to another individuals Foxtel box. 

If you are browsing content through your on-screen Foxtel program guide, and you see an upcoming live performance on Music Max, [V] or MTV which would fit to a friends elite music criteria, you could set a reminder, not only for yourself, but for your friends Foxtel box, reminding them to watch.

Is that all?

Recommendations would only be a primary feature of a new level of Foxtel interactions, but not it’s only limitation. Current websites such as last.fm, examine your listening trends, and then recommends similar music based on what you’re currently listening to. While the broad array of programming is indeed impressive, it’s difficult at times to not be overwhelmed by choice. With an in-built recommendation system, your Foxtel box would take note of your viewing trends, and suggest shows that you may also like in a similar vein.

Foxtel has impressed me since the very first day it was installed in my living room, but as the world of technology rapidly evolves every day, it seems that Foxtel’s momentum is slowing down. Although this isn’t a problem for some, alternatives to Foxtel are appearing, and without an impressive array of features, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify paying the monthly fee.

10:28 pm  •  13 March 2011

For some of us, waiting for Apple’s newest iteration in their computing line, Lion, is simply too difficult of a task. It’s nice then that certain developers such as Araelium have taken it upon themselves to release apps that bring us a little bit closer to some of the features that Lion promises.

QuickPick does precisely that, by taking the concept of LaunchPad and putting it into context within Snow Leopard. As elegant as one could hope from Apple, QuickPick works flawlessly to give you instant access to your apps in only a way that your iOS device currently can. QuickPick can be activated by either a simple keyboard command or a click of the dock icon (in the same vein as Lion promises), and acts as a springboard for your apps. One advantage of QuickPick over LaunchPad thus far, is that you can not only place applications on the board, but also documents and standard folders.

If patience isn’t quite your thing, feel free to try the beta of QuickPick now, available on Araelium’s site, or head to the App Store for a full purchase at a steep $9.99.

2:12 am  •  5 March 2011

And then there was light…

9:12 am  •  4 February 2011