I've always had this immense love for the sea, ever since I was a child.  And for dolphins.  I will never forget when I was 14, and was the youngest in a National Sea Race covering 22 nautical miles, there was a moment midway when I was so fatigued, despite pumping myself with pain killers offered on a rickety fishing net with a plastic cup of energy drink, my arms felt like lead and I was ready to give up. And then, I felt something gentle against my tummy, and I saw the most amazing sight through my goggles - a baby dolphin had tucked under me - and was nudging me.  It was gentle, yet firm.  And I felt light and full of energy.  And completed the race that day.    

I shared this little story with a friend recently, who sent me The Big Blue - Version Longue as a gift.  Instead of getting on with work and preparations for my trip to the US, I spent the morning watching it.  And the afternoon thinking about it.  It's a fabulous movie directed by Luc Busson, with fantastic photography and sound (look for the long version - not the US Director's cut version which doesn't have the original soundtrack and has a different ending). 

Some of my favourite moments :

- The movie sucks you in and you feel alive with the dolphins, as if you are riding with them - each shot made me smile from somewhere deep inside me, even with tears in my eyes.

- To dive deep into the sea, for no reason... just to do it. It's a feeling...

- Jacques says .... I'm sick of never feeling at home anywhere.

- Johana says to Jacques ..... one shouldn't fall in love with creatures of the sea ...you're afraid I want to hold onto you, and I do, but you're not ready... at least not for me. ..... and she lets him go to 'see'

- She asks Jacques to tell her a story - and he talks of mermaids .... you go down to the bottom of the sea, where the water isn't even blue anymore, where the sky is only a memory, and you float there, quietly, quietly and stay there, and you decide that you will die for them - only then do they start coming out. they come and greet you and they judge the love you have for them... If it's sincere. If it's pure... they will be with you and take you away forever

- The moment he realises he loves Johana - when they are making love ... and he dissolves into the blue .... and comes back up to her ... , and when he fills the coin on the chain with her essence ... so she will always be with him

- When Jacques asks the dolphins who are giggling with him after he beats Enzo .... and wonders why people are angry with him .... can I ever dive as you ... stay under the water as you ... and they chuckle and nod. 

- When Enzo tells Johana why he dives ... he says in search of God ...if I go deep enough I'm going to find him. And how to him, the sea is a religion... and how Jacques is a creature of the sea ... and that he will not understand her love .... all he wants is to be turned into a fish

- When Johana asks Jacques ... when you dive with that machine... what does it feel like. He says ... the feeling of slipping without falling - the hardest is once you are at the bottom. You have to find a good reason to come back up again. And I always have a hard time finding one. Johana knows she never did have him ... never will.

- And finally ... when he makes her see - it's not because of her, it is him ... its all happening inside him ... and he has to go and see ...... 

It is a movie to treasure!

5:35:35 PM    comment []  trackback []

Stuart has his selection of five best Skype Software Add-on Picks for Windows users. 

"Here is my pick of five SkypeAPI enabled products that can really change how Skype works for you. Better call answering, new call forwarding and video solutions. Plus enhanced collaborative desktop sharing and a way to silence your iTunes. I apologize in advance to Mac users. This really is a Windows list. ............" [From Skype Journal (feed. See also links to this feed and more from this feed]

Stuart's Five Software Winners (read his post in full for his reasons for selection):

1. Pamela-Systems Pro

2. Video4IM

3. Jyve Web Tools

4. Jybe Collaboration Tool

5. MiTunes

I've tried Jyve and I like where it's going - I've been using the presence server at my blog for a while now - and am yet to get the code right for this Radio blog with the new improved version, although it works so well on other blogs and wikis where I have presence indicators.  Video4IM works fairly well - its really quick and you can actually have real-time lip-synch, but the image breaks up often - maybe it is my bandwidth?  I just installed MiTunes - sounds like a useful one to have.    

9:28:40 AM    comment []  trackback []

A set of podcasts from Reboot7 are available here.  While you can't see the slides or the presenters, you can hear complete presentations and discussions.  For those interested in a terrific presentation on how Social Tagging is being used in real projects don't miss Lee Bryant's talk.

The following recordings are:
Anders Bertram Eibye, Ben Cerveny, Dina Mehta, Doc Searls, Dragos Novac INCOMPLETE, Felix Petersen and Stefan Kellner INCOMPLETE, Harald Welte, Jason Fried, Jimbo Wales, Jyri Engstrom, Lee Bryant, Matthias MullerProve, Michael Heilemann, Paula Le Dieu, QA with Doc Searls and Robert Scoble, Thomas Harttung, UllaMaaria Mutanen.  

Podcast of my presentation and discussions on Social Tools in Research & Collaboration - 64 kbps mp3 and 128 kbps mp3.

I also discovered some screencasts on Reboot 7 presentations.  They aren't perfect ... maybe it's my bandwidth that slows down the streaming ... but they do give you a good sense of the speaker and the presentation.

6:00:57 AM    comment []  trackback []