Who Controls Your Newsfeed?

Recently I downloaded the Amazon Kindle app onto my Android phone. For this post I will be reviewing the app and a social media article from the Slate site.

The article was accessed via the web and transferred to the Kindle via the chrome extension software.  This is useful as it allows it to be read on the go and without Wi-Fi.

Kindle tries to emulate a book by making you swipe right to flick between different pages.  It took me a while to get used to this, as on a portrait phone I am used to scrolling down.

The actual article was an interesting read ,as it explores how Facebook developed their newsfeed. A series of algorithms are used to display important items that are relevant to that person. Facebook are essentially using people’s data to work out what news they want to see.

However, Facebook have encountered a few problems with their formulaic approach.  Five percent of users choose to hide all the items on their feed even though they like what they see.  The developers have had to manually input a safeguard for this phenomenon.

Overall it’s interesting to see how computers can predict a person’s behavior yet sometimes the human element can catch them out and they have to evolve their systems to adapt.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/cover_story/2016/01/how_facebook_s_news_feed_algorithm_works.html

My first few weeks at Uni

A step into the unknown. I found myself in a new town not knowing a single person, but full of optimism. My computer also died on day one. That finally gave me the excuse to upgrade from XP to Windows 10.

Despite only being here for a few weeks I’ve been busy. For my first assignment I had to complete a radio match report and I decided to attend a football fixture. This lead me on an interesting endeavour up to Hartlepool. I had never been to Victoria Park before, nor had I ever been in a press box so I was excited.  

A pre match picture of the sprinkler system. Final score was Hartlepool United 1 Crawley Town 1. 

The view was spectacular. From where I was sat I could even see the wind turbines of Redcar and hear the sounds of seagulls from the seaside.  While I was excited about the Sports Journalism course I never expected things to happen so quickly.

I am staying at a lovely place called Snow Island. It is a 2-minute walk from the university across the canal.  It’s also close to the town centre. Huddersfield is very convenient in terms of its layout.  Geographically it’s also situated between Manchester and Leeds which makes travelling on the train a lot easier.  

So far , so good.

Alien 3 Revisited: Style over Substance

Alien 3 was David Fincher's first feature film and he had to follow in the footsteps of James Cameron and Ridley Scott. The film is often criticized by fans, but it is it as bad as the hype suggests?

A defining moment from the film  with the  Alien face to face with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. Image 20th Century Fox. 

Roger Ebert once described Alien 3 as ‘one of the best-looking bad movies I have ever seen’. Fincher started shooting the film without a finished script as he was drafted in as a last minute replacement for Vincent Ward. This was his first time directing a feature film having being recruited due to his music video success. With sets already constructed and the film over budget  he had to work with the tools he had been given. He was also facing impossible pressure to match James Cameron and Ridley Scott. There was much anticipation as the teaser trailer promised that the film would take place on Earth, however by the time Fincher was onboard that plan had been scrapped.  It seemed as though Fincher had joined a sinking ship, but could he steer it from rock bottom? 

Killing off two of your franchises main characters in the first 5 minutes is a bold move.  I liked that.  I know a lot of people felt that it ruined the end of the Aliens as it destroyed the happily ever effect, but it’s better to try and be ambitious than imitating a past performance.  For sure it is an unusual idea, but I was willing to go along with it as I had a sense this film would be a roller coaster. Instead as Private Hudson would say “We're on an express elevator to hell, going down!” The plotting is also all over the place. Paul MgcGann appears as a pivotal plot device and then vanishes without much explanation.  In the ‘directors cut’(ironically named as Fincher had nothing to do with it) it appeared that McCann’s character had whole story arc which  was cut out. The film was heavily butchered in the editing room due to studio inference.  It is nearly impossible to relate to or understand some of the new characters due to how little we are exposed to them. In Aliens the character building was a crucial component as we cared about each and every one of the marines so when they died you felt a sense of sadness, but you don’t get that feeling here.  Apart from Newt and Hick’s there isn’t really any emotional heartbeat.  Many people believe that the Directors Cut was superior although I feel it only added depth to a dying plot. While the film tried to do something different initially in the end it resorted to half heartedly trying to imitate its predecessors and it failed in both senses.  At least those people who are annoyed can look forward to Neil Blomkamp's Alien 5 which is supposed to discount Alien 3 and 4 so Hicks and Newt are set to return.

The Weyland-Yutani Commandos were one of the few highlights of the film. Image from AVP wiki

There are many positive aspects that are often overlooked. The cinematography is superb. Fincher is able to create a real pressure cooker environment by employing tight and twisty corridors with a series of tracking shots.  The first person perspective shots work very well especially when combined with his use of filter and low key lighting as create a dark and disturbing atmosphere. The costume designs are fantastic as well. Terry English did a fantastic job creating the Weyland-Yutani commando suits which show up at the end of the film.  It’s a shame they couldn’t have appeared earlier as they really do liven up the show.  It’s sort of a case of too little to late as despite the ending of the film being okay you are sort of left wanting a bit more. The film is clearly well made and full of stylish shots, although that does not mean one should overlook its plot problems.

I think in order to analyze a films legacy you have to take a look at what it has influenced.  When a head shaven Charlize Theron appeared in Mad Max Fury Road many people compared her to look to that of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. There you have two strong female leads in dystopian worlds and comparisons can easily be drawn.  Alien 3 has clearly had an effect on filmmaking. In terms of cinematography when you think of the image that defines the Alien franchise then surely the one that springs to mind is Ripley being face to face with the Alien. While it would be wrong to label Alien 3 as a misunderstood masterpiece, as even Fincher has disowned the film, I ‘d like to think that it contained many ideas that helped to influence modern day popular culture. Surely that is a good enough reason to justify its existence even if it does not live up to its predecessors. 

BTCC Croft Photo's

Its taken me a while, but here are a few photographs that I took from the Croft round of the British Touring Car Championship. It was quite an interesting event as I got to witness the first ever Subaru 1-2 in BTCC history. I managed to get some photos of the podium where it was all smiles for Colin Turkington who led home Jason Plato. It was also ironic to see them smiling as they ended up bumping into each other when fighting for the lead in race two. I never did get chance to get a photo of their reaction, but I guess it would have been quite a contrast. There was also action from the Renault Clio Cup and the British Formula 4 championship with Red Bull backed driver Luis Leeds taking a win. I wonder whether we will we see him in Formula One anytime soon? Below I have posted a few pics, but you can check out the rest on my website.  http://connerkacperski.webs.com/photo-gallery 

Bourne Again: Jason Bourne Review

Matt Damon is back playing Jason Bourne  in the latest installment of the super spy franchise, but is it return to form?

Embed from Getty Images

Walking into the cinema last Friday night I felt a sense of anticipation. Straight  away I'll admit that I  loved  the first three Bourne films. I went out and bought the entire Bourne box set(yes Legacy included) in order to prepare myself.  As a trilogy the first three Bourne films were unique in that the quality got better as the series progressed. That in itself is quite an achievement considering how good the Bourne Identity was, but somehow the Bourne Ultimatum provided the perfect ending. Matt Damon played no part in the  Bourne Legacy spinoff which starred Jeremy Renner and that was widely regarded as underwhelming, so how would number 5 fare with Damon back at the helm. 

I wondered what would bring Bourne back from the brink of isolation. Times have changed and espionage has evolved. Snowden gets name checked a lot as the films plays on people real life fears. Social media, surveillance, and privacy all feature in this technology filled flick.  While many films try and make people forget about the real world Jason Bourne constantly reminds people of the perils and that is what makes it feel so compelling.  An anti-austerity riot in Athens acts as the first set piece as Bourne tries to evade the CIA in a cleverly crafted chase sequence. The cinematography is clever, clean and concise which  makes the film feel real and gritty which brings Bourne back to its roots.

A lot of people say that the film feels like a greatest hits album rather than offering something new and that is a fair observation. The film does draw a lot of inspiration from its predecessors especially in terms of narrative and locations, but why break from such a good format? The film takes the Bourne concept and applies it to a modern landscape. Is it as good as Ultimatum? Probably not, but only because the bar was set so high.  Damon is as good as ever despite not speaking much throughout as he lets his body language do the talking.  Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vilikander put on a good performance to play a pair of contrasting CIA agents although their roles and motivations are very similar to what we have seen before and one could argue that they are filling in for Brian Cox and Joan Allen.    The Asset ,a role that is  often forgettable in previous installments,   is actually  an integral part  of the movie and that is really refreshing as Vincent Cassel  puts on a great performance and makes a really good villain. 

Overall if your a fan of the Bourne franchise or just love a well crafted film then it is defiantly  worth a watch. There is something in this film for everybody.  If anything the new rendition of Moby's Extreme Ways accompanying  the final moments of the film and leading into the animated end credits is worth the admission price alone.

Tour de Yorkshire

It's took a while for me to get these uploaded but here are some photos I took from the start of stage three of the Tour de Yorkshire in Middlesbrough.  It turns out that I was actually lucky enough to to capture a photo of rider 21, Thomas Voekler,  who went on to win the stage and the overall rankings. He was riding for the Direct Energie team which had a bumblebee style yellow and black jersey(see last picture).  This victory is not his only success as  Voekler is most famous for finishing  4th in the 2011 Tour de France.

Renault RS26 F1 Car Newcastle

The other day I was in Newcastle and the city was hosting a motorshow in the town centre. I stumbled across the Infinity stand and  I managed to get a few pictures of the Renault RS16 F1 car display. So far this season the car has only scored points in one race and that was  a seventh place finish at the Russian GP courtesy of Denmarks Kevin Magnusson. The car on display was coincidentally displaying Magnessons race number 20. Jolyon Palmer is the teams other driver and he races under the number 30.  Renault are currently sitting 9th the Formula One World Championship.