Back in the southern-hemisphere summer of 2003, a gang of Antipodean gents came up with the idea of growing a moustache for a month. 6 years on and nearly a quarter of a million men around the globe are cultivating face fur on their upper lips all in the name of charity - well, and because it's kind of fun too. To tell us some more about the background of the annual event and where it's at today, Pocket-lint measured up mos with JC, the man in charge of Movember for Europe.

So, how much money have you guys managed to raise since you've been doing this?
It wasn't about money to begin with. It was just to bring back the mo. Our dads and sporting heroes had them and we just wanted to have some fun. So there were just 30 of us in 2003 in Melbourne but then in 2004 there were 500 of us and we raised AUS$55,000. We wanted to do something for guys because we thought men's health was getting neglected. So, we researched into what the biggest killers for guys were and the single largest one turned out to be prostate cancer. The next year we got 9000 mo bros together and raised AUS$1.1 million which the Australian government matched to give us AUS$2.2 million. That was amazing. We asked them to and they did.

And what about since Movember has gone global?
Well, we went global in 2007 by which time we'd managed to raise ?15million, but last year with 173,000 registered mo bros worldwide we doubled the figure to ?30million - in a single year! This year we've got around 243,000 registered out there and I had a look at the current total and we're somewhere around ?8million for 2009 but we reckon each mo brings in around between ?100 - ?120 per head, so it's set to be another great year.

What do you think has been the key to the success of the event?
Men are inherently lazy. We're not asking guys to do a lot. Just grow a moustache. Actually, though, it's a lot more effort than it sounds having to shave around your mo for a month. I hardly take a razor to my face any other time of the year but it's our ribbon. That's how we look at it. It's also a lot of fun. We get people from all walks of life - lawyers, accountants, bar guys, sporting heroes, mechanics to milkmen, even a few mos in Parliament this year. There are hundreds of passionate people that really drive Movember. We just provide the bus. All you guys put the passion in and the fund raising just happens.

Do you ever hear of any problems for mo bros at work with companies who aren't happy about it?
We get that all the time. Some start off saying no but then the next year, you'll see mos from the CEO down. This year we've got companies like Sainsbury's, Tescos, M&S, PWC - we even had the Federal Police Authority in Australia all growing them last year. We're changing the face of men's health and the workplace too.

Out of all the mos you see, which are the ones that have impressed you the most?
The one that always gets me is a guy called David from Barcelona. He's amazing. Last year he grew a moustache that started with an M on his left cheek and went into an O on his right, so that his mo actually said MO. He's hilarious. He e-mailed us the first year he did it a couple of months after the event saying: "So how long are we supposed to keep these things for anyway?" From then on he just seems to keep them all year round and shaves again for the beginning of each Movember.

And how far do you expect Movember to go? What's the vision for you guys?
You'll see Obama with a mo. You'll see it. It's going to happen. Actually, we're going to Downing Street this year, so we'll have a chat with Gordon and see if we can get him to do one too. Really though, it's all about awareness. One man dies every hour from prostate cancer in this country alone and it's curable from early detection in 90% of the cases. The money we raise is great but go to a doctor. That's what we want you to do. There are key markers to look for at all age groups. We should all be going in for check ups.

How's your mo growing going this year?
It's great when it starts. I get on the Tube, you can see other mo bros with them starting to kick in and you get nods from each other. This year, I've got a handlebar going at the minute, just so as I have a canvass of something to work with later for the Gala party. The thing is though that you don't choose the mo. The mo chooses you when you look in the mirror and then your 30-day journey with you and your moustache begins.

Are there any particular mo growing products you recommend?
Dermalogica. They're actually sponsoring the event this year and, honestly, I'm not pushing the product. I'd never do that kind of thing. When we first got it in the office, I just thought, "yeah, another shaving balm" but it's amazing. We had Jackie Hughes growing a mo down at Mo's Emporium the other day. This is the guy who I like to think of as the love child of the Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop - and even he's standing there going "Dermalogica. How good is that stuff?".

Thanks for taking the time out to speak to Pocket-lint today, but before we let you go, we have to ask you the most important question. Who's the most inspiring mo bro out there for you?
It's got to be Magnum, hasn't it? We talk about this all the time. Jimi Hendrix is obviously another great one but you ask that question to everyone everywhere and they always say Magnum. He lives in a house in Hawaii, he drives a Ferrari, he has ladies everywhere and he does it all in a Hawaiian shirt - and his best mate has a helicopter! That's hard to beat.

You can follow the Pocket-lint team's diary and even donate a little too.

?

Tags: Gadgets Movember Bathroom gadgets Shavers Features Interviews

INTERVIEW: Just how big is Movember? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:04:34 +0000

With the creeping dawn of a new year comes both a new media campaign and ethos for the "leaders in innovation" Toshiba. Today sees the launch of the Space Chair advertisement in the UK - and soon in France and Germany - which will span TV, online and in-store media. We talked to the Toshiba UK marketing manager, Matt McDowell, to find out what a floating piece of ?2500 furniture has to do with selling AV and computer hardware.

"We wanted to deliver new TVs and new laptops but not in a every day rational way, in a dry unique and innovative fashion instead", begins McDowell, addressing the initial mild online confusion over the footage the world has seen of an armchair seemingly floating with dramatic images of the Earth disappearing beneath it.

"We came up with the idea more than a year ago after the Time Sculpture campaign [video of a 360 matrix-type scene filmed with 200 cameras] and we were thinking how on Earth do we follow that?" The answer seems to be by not trying to follow it on Earth at all, and the footage of the balsa wood seat dragged up to the edge of space up and over the Black Rock Desert in Nevada by a Helium filled weather balloon is indeed absolutely staggering.

"We captured the footage at dawn because it's not just about the chair. We wanted it to look beautiful and amazing too. We wanted to capture the sunrise over the mountains and the hue of the colours. It also happened to be very hot during the day, so we wanted to get it done early. It was 100F by the the time the chair landed".

Like the Time Sculpture before it, the Space Chair breaks a record of its own, with eight HD cameras used to capture the film, it makes it the highest high-def advert ever shot. Starting at 8ft in diameter, the balloon lifted the armchair over 82 minutes to a height of 98,268ft (18.6 miles) by which time the low pressure meant the balloon had increased to 24ft before finally shattering like glass, which you see at the end of the ad, allowing the broken seat and cameras to fall back to Earth.

The biodegradable chair was only a model, as constructed by Artem at the hefty price. It meant that the entire apparatus could be kept below 4lbs in weight, after which the Toshiba team would have needed permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. The eight cameras were used to have as many different lens types as possible covering the one take action and were themselves apparently not chosen by Toshiba.

"The Cameras aren't consumer ones. They're not Camilieos or anything. You can't buy them. They're used for things like CCTV and they had to withstand -90C, survive the descent and impact back on Earth, but it was also really the quality they had as well.? It wasn't us that chose them. JP Aerospace specced and requested them and these were the ones they happened to ask for. They happened to be ours".

Although elements of the stunt were original, the Space Chair is in fact virtually identical to a work by UK artist Simon Faithfull, as commissioned by the Arts Catalyst in 2004, called Escape Vehicle No.6 - a film which was recently shown at the BFI Southbank. Thankfully, the original artist was involved in the project second time around.

"Simon was absolutely part of the team. We were obviously inspired by what he had done", answered McDowell when questioned about the 2004 recording, but how does a company which prides itself on innovation align its slogan with a project that is clearly a near copy of something done 5 years ago?

"We weren't saying that the innovation was sending the balloon up. No one had done it in HD before and not as an advert before. We didn't use a music sound track or any celebrity voices. That's the innovation. The fact that we created it as an advert".

Whatever the reasons and what it may stand for, the fact remains that it's some superb looking footage. The ad runs on TV from today during the ITN news for for 3 weeks this side of Christmas and then takes a break until February when it starts again as part of the whole campaign across TV, online and in-store. If you can't wait, and why should you, then you can see it below.

So then, exactly what does the Space Chair have to do with the serious business of selling consumer tech?

"The meaning is armchair viewing redesigned. Most people watch TV and consume content through their chairs. It's a visual metaphor taking something ordinary to the extraordinary", and it does. It also makes you wish you were watching the stunning scenery on a better TV - be that Toshiba's or anyone else's. And with two consecutive adverts and two consecutive records broken, how is Toshiba going to top it for next time?

"The next one will be a little different. We're going to build on what we've already done. What's important is that it reflects all the work we've done internally. We've harmonised our approach from two years ago when we were a company that was product led and sometimes externally we could look very different between say our TVs and our laptops. The most significant statements we want to make, though, are that we're investing in our brand and harmonising our approach".

Good signs for Toshiba, and with the Blu-ray nightmare finally put to rest this year, perhaps now truly, the only way is up.

?

Tags: Hardware Toshiba Laptops TVs Toshiba REGZA SV Advertising Interviews Features

The making of the Toshiba Space Chair originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:59:58 +0000

You can't just grow hair on your top tip and think that's all there is to it, grooming your moustache, or mustache for our American readers, takes time and consideration.

We sat down with Dr. Aaron Perlut, the chairman of the American Mustache Institute to find out more.

"The best tip I can give is to grow a moustache that is appropriate for your face", says Perlut, stern and to the point. "A moustache can enhance the image you want to portray. A Fu Manchu or Horseshoe is good for looking tough. A Pencil or Handlebar is good for adding an appearance of being intelligent. Just don't forget the monocle".

Once you've started growing your mo - you've got to care for it, look after it. Here Perlut recommends a moustache wax over gel or hairspray.

"Moustache wax really can't be beaten, here at the AMI [American Mustache Institute] we recommend Oregon Wildhair Moustache Wax", says Perlut.

Oregon Wildhair Moustache Wax is an artisan wax made using beeswax, petroleum jelly, lanolin, and natural musk oil without perfume, so as not to destroy flavours like tea or coffee.

Mark Coyl, the creator of Wildhair, offers a rather elaborate set of tips for grooming his mo: "I usually?groom my moustache after my morning shower. First, I vigorously brush my moustache with a natural bristle brush to help shape it; then I apply my wax. Sometimes, when I find that my moustache doesn't want to cooperate, I use a hair dyer to warm the wax after it is on my moustache. I heat one?side of my moustache for 10 seconds or so and then I hold?the end?of my moustache to the shape I want until the wax cools, which takes another 10 seconds.?Then I do the same to the other side. I apply more wax if I feel more is needed".

Still on the subject of cleaning, Dr. Perlut believes that a moustache left to its own devices can get rough and uncomfortable. He recommends using a conditioner every other day to ensure its full bodied and fluffy.

So what about foods? Easy claims Perlut:

"Creamy substances like soups are outstanding as they can be caught in the moustache and savoured later, while drinking beer helps keep it moist".

If the girlfriend or wife complains? Perlut has an answer for that too:

"If a girlfriend ever requests you remove your moustache find yourself a new girlfriend".

Brave words, but perhaps Perlut's second piece of advice on the subject might help to sway them to reconsider:

"Every time a moustache is shaved an angel dies."

And finally one to leave you even more confused than you were before:

"Midgets with Moustaches are awesome".

You heard it here first.

Movember is about having fun, growing a moustache and raising much needed funds and awareness for men's health - specifically prostate cancer. What many people don't appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. ?

The more that join us, the more we can 'change the face of men's health' through raising awareness and the money that will be raised.

Let's 'Change the Face of Mens Health'.

?

Related links:

• Link - Movember
• Feature - Top grooming gadgets for Movember
• Feature - Moustache styles and what to grow

Tags: Gadgets Movember Interviews Features

Grooming tips for your moustache originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:07:34 +0000

That's a headline you could read in the not too distant future thanks to a new technology that?is hoping to change the way we listen to music forever.

The concept, created by Zenph Studios and called "Re-Performance", works not by re-mastering music in the traditional sense but by capturing an artist's or instrument's musical essence or DNA and allowing it to be controlled and re-performed.

"It will be a sea change", claimed Jeff McIntyre, director, sales and marketing worldwide of Zenph Studios, when Pocket-lint sat down to experience the technology. "Everything you've known to be frozen will be free".

The best way to get your head around the new technology is to think of the movie "Jurassic Park". In the film Richard Attenborough's character extracts DNA from an insect trapped inside a piece of amber to re-create living dinosaurs.

The key here, is that Attenborough's character doesn't just re-master the dinosaurs, he re-creates them.

Instead of dinosaurs now think musicians.

Studying how artists like Rachmaninoff and jazz pianist Art Tatum performed, the company has created a software algorithm that allows them to re-perform, not just their original performances, but anything they want.

"We know what makes an artist sound like them", says McIntyre.

The company describes itself as a "software company that specialises in the algorithms and processes for understanding - and re-creating - precisely how musicians perform".

What that means in reality is that where currently producers can create remastered tracks by taking the original and doing their best to enhance, clean and improve the track they are still having to work with the original recording, which could be poor, based on when that track was originally recorded.

Zenph Studio's approach is to work out how the musician and the instrument acts and responds, then get a computer to play that track again as a real-time, real-life performance, which in turn can be recorded using modern techniques. The new track isn't a re-mastering, but a re-performance, as if the musician was actually playing it even though the artist may or may not be dead.

The technology works by ascertaining how an artist strikes a note and then recreating that note again. For the piano, the company takes into account everything from how an artist strikes a note to their hand movement, how they play when tired (yes, it can recreate fatigue) and even, as for the case of Jerry Lee Lewis, how they play with their feet. For the guitar there is even more to take into account, like pad placement, fingernails, and bending of the strings, the list goes on.

The result is that songs recorded 100 years ago can and will be able to be re-recorded with modern recording equipment, allowing old songs to be revitalised and enjoyed once more?"in surround sound or headphone listening".

An example:

These two files were made in 1926 and 2005: "before" and "after" recordings by legendary pianist Alfred Cortot. He's playing Chopin's third prelude, lasting 55 seconds. The recordings offer a glimpse into what is possible when a performance can be separated from its original acoustical setting.

The concept that Zenph Studios is pitching is a simple one.

"If we can recreate music rather than just re-master it, then music can be truly interactive", says McIntyre. "Who buys a paper map? The map is dead".

McIntyre believes that offering a more interactive music experience, just as consumers can with Google Maps over a paper map, will be the key to the success of music in a world that is quickly moving away from the "frozen" media we once knew.

"You will be able to change key, tone, make it sadder, happier as well as change the point of view or the location, making it sound like it is being played anywhere in the world".

In a move that will no doubt offer mind-boggling opportunities, the technology allows an array of options including the ability to record the music with different points of view as if you were in the audience, or even actually playing the instrument.

"Imagine if you wanted to hear the songs Norah Jones plays as if you were Norah Jones", says McIntyre. "We could re-record her performance with the microphone where her head is as she doesn't have to be sitting at the piano. Or how about if you want to hear what the song would sound like in the audience at a certain concert hall or venue. All is possible".

However, the one that is likely to really garner interest will be the ability to play "fantasy band".

"Re-performing artists that have been dead for years is one thing, but what about the ability for John Lennon to play in the Rolling Stones?"

According to MyIntyre the software Zenph has created will allow them not only to capture that musical essence, but also allow you to inject it into new tracks, which that artist has never played before.

"We've already proved it can be done. Earlier in the year violinist Joshua Bell played a duet with pianist Rachmaninoff. Working with Joshua we were able to produce a piece that was if the two artists had worked on the piece together. It was a completely new piece created by a living artist and one who had been dead for over 60 years".

But it's not just about bringing back the dead for wishful duet albums, (could you imagine Clapton and Hendrix, or Johnny Cash and Lennon?), but also re-creating music for video games.

"Beatles Rock Band was a defining moment in the music industry", claims McIntyre. "For the first time you could see execs acknowledging that music wasn't just for listening".

He is right, Rock Band: The Beatles and the Guitar Hero series have both enjoyed success in the video games charts as gamers clambered to play "musical instruments" in their living room.

But imagine if when you played the game you could sound like you were in the Cavern in Liverpool playing as one of the Beatles, in a recording that sounded like it was real thanks to point of view and location, rather than just a track being re-played.

McIntyre confirmed that Activision has already expressed an interest in the capabilities of the technology, hoping it will allow it to offer a product that has an edge over Harmonic's Rock Band offering.

"They want the technology like yesterday, unfortunately we just can't work that fast".

Zenph believes that there are so many uses for the technology that the possibilities are endless. How about repeat performances of an orchestra at a ballet or opera with the individual musicians captured so they play once and then get paid without having to turn up (the unions supposedly back the move, but it will be interesting to see it happening), or for teaching you how to play an instrument (why have Mrs Fairbottom from down the road when you can have Art Tatum?).

While Apple already offers the ability to download a select handful of music lesson videos given by artists such as Sting and Norah Jones via its GarageBand software package, McIntyre believes that a re-performance would allow the user to select hundreds of songs all at the press of a button.

So how far off is this technology?

It's here right now. There are already a couple of re-performance CDs available to listen to and we are currently touring with "Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff". The dead composer will be playing at Carnegie Hall on 6 November, 100 years after he first played in the US.

As for the "fantasy band" element, McIntyre believes it will take around 3 to 5 years before it hits the home, with consumers able to mix and match artists to create new bands, music and experiences.

The reason for the delay isn't the technology, it's there now, however it takes time to capture that "essence". So far Zenph Studios has captured just four artists; Glenn Gould, Rachmaninoff, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, all of whom are dead.

On the instrument side of things the company has done piano, with the bass guitar around 90% done with plans to capture all the instruments eventually.

"When we started it would cost us $14 a note to capture the musical DNA, now we are down to $2".

The biggest hurdle, however, is going to be legislation:

"We are breaking new ground here", states McIntyre. "There is nothing in the law about bringing back artists from the dead to play to a concert hall or stadium full of fans".

The concept is a licensing nightmare, who gets what, how is the pie divided, what happens about dead artists, is copyright re-enabled when it runs out? None as yet is accounted for.

With the music industry still reeling over the digital march and consumers wanting more interactivity and an enhanced experience, Zenph hopes that it can be the answer to their prayers allowing us a new array of options when it comes to listening to music in the future.

?

Read

Tags: Audio Software Zenph Interviews Features iTunes Music games Beatles

Beatles live performance coming to venue near you originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:02 +0000

Takuya Kawagoi has been a Sony man for nearly 20 years now. Having spent plenty of time based in Japan as one of the graphic designers at the heart of the company image, he has now been appointed head of Sony Design Centre Europe. We stopped in for a chat to see how life in London was treating him.

What is your background?
I joined Sony in 1991 as a graphic designer - that was what I studied as - and I was mostly involved with branding and logos. While I was at the Design Centre in Tokyo I created the Sony Ericsson logo. The idea is that it is in two parts, the silver and the green. It's supposed to be more friendly, more emotional, the green is the organic partner, the end user and the silver represents Sony such that we're balanced between content and life.

Before Sony I was at university. I went straight from there. I'd studied graphic design in Kyoto at KIT, the Kyoto Institute of Technology, where they have a special department for graphic design. Kyoto is a very traditional city in Japan and it was very good for me as a designer to get this mix of the modern style of the school and the traditional influence of the city at the same time.

Who are you biggest design influences?
Well, as a graphic designer, it would be Ikko Tanaka who is a famous Japanese graphic designer. He used very vivid, very bright colours together but in very simple designs. He reminds me that simplicity is the most important part of any design and it's not an easy thing to achieve. With so many functions in our products these days I have to avoid too many things and too much confusion on a screen or UI, for example, at any one time and it's important to remember this. Mr Tanaka and I also happen to come from the same town, Narra, so that's another reason I look to him.

And what about technology design, which products do you respect the most?
This may sound boring to you but I love cars - particularly British cars. Here cars are a real lifestyle for people. There is the space for larger lower cars like Jaguars and for people to really live them and have them as part of their lives, even when not driving them. I bought myself a Jaguar in Japan when I started at Sony in 1991. It was a beautiful car.

So, what exactly is the Sony Design Centre all about?
Sony Design has been there for nearly 50 years - since 1961 - when the first Design Centre opened in Japan. At the time, the company noticed that foreign products, particularly ones in Germany, for example, had a style that we wanted to bring to Sony. The classic sliver and black looks from Germany gave the products a more premium feel and so the Design Centre looked at aspects such as these to see how we could improve.

Sony design works with the four principles of originality, lifestyle, function and utility and we make sure our products represent each of these. There are now Sony Design Centres in London for the EU, in Singapore for Asia and in Los Angeles for North America as well. The idea is for them to both inform Japan of the global trends and styles in these areas, as well as create products on their own for the world market and to make sure that the products coming from headquarters will work in their parts of the globe too. In the EU team we have 16 designers representing 7 different nationalities, which is very good for our design influences. Maybe not so good when the World Cup comes round next year. Maybe there'll be a little tension in the office.

What is your role as Head of Sony Design Centre Europe?
Something that I'm looking into at the moment is really the life of the product all the way down the line - from manufacture to the customer purchase and even beyond to installation and customer care. Total experience, we should be more friendly and we need to collaborate more. Smarter styles. The customer journey is very long and we would like to be with them as far as we can. Retail experience is one area of this that we've been looking at and bringing a more obvious branding to the shops, educating the sales staff and providing digital signage in some of our flagship stores, hopefully by the beginning of next year too. Customers will be able to use touchscreen displays to find out all the information they need about different products.

User interfaces are also something we've been looking closely at too. Recently, of course, we've seen the XMB (cross media bar) used in all consumer arms of Sony - Sony Ericsson, PlayStation and Home - and we've recognised how significant the UI is. It's a very strong part for us, as functions become more and more complex. It's very important.

You said before about making packaging more environmentally friendly. How do you plan to do that?
It's not an easy thing to achieve with so many products and different packing needs, but we're already trying different techniques on some product lines. Bravia TVs are coming with no paper manuals at the moment with all the information in on-screen menus. There are also one box solutions for them with the TV stand packed into the same space and we're also testing out pulp moulds for packing, which are 100% recyclable. It's all in the early stages but obviously it will be good if we can bring it into products like headphones which have all plastic packaging, but it's harder to see how that will work with the current designs.

How do European design tastes differ from those in the rest of the world?
Hmmm, that's a difficult question to answer but a good example would be the Bravia picture frame TV. It's specifically a very strong European design where people do not always wish their technology to be the focus of their space. In fact this is another area where we'll be looking to work with living room related products. Home entertainment is very important to the EU team. We have a very strong will to newly define the living room. TV used to be a static focus but now they are internet connected so that we can change the style of family life and the attitude towards them as well. I would say it's a global idea, and communication would be the most significant barrier. The XMB is a good step towards this. In the future, hopefully, the arms of Sony will become more borderless. Bravia must be friendly with PlayStation and we should navigate and appear to the consumer in the same tone and manner.

Does that mean we'll see the three consumer arms of the business merging? Are we going to get Sony Ericsson phones with Bravia screens?
There already is a Bravia phone available in Japan but there no plans to merge the parts of the business at all. We just hope to homogenise some of the ideas.

Why is it that we don't get all those incredible gadgets we see in Japan?
Well, we cannot experiment with all of the products all over the world at the same time. Sometimes we feel that certain products will work best in certain regions and we try them there first.

So, does that mean you're here to fight for Europe to get them?
This will be the biggest job for me.

?

Related links:

• News - Sony launches Bravia E4000 series LCD televisions

Tags: Home Cinema Sony Bravia Features Interviews Televisions LCD televisions

Sony design and the shape of things to come originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:46:09 +0000