Exitlog | Leaving Impressions

Is it better to be alone in the universe or not? asks the BBC in its subversive, new plug for the Radio 4 dramatisation of Iain M Banks’ The State of the Art. If the new ad is anything to go by (imagine the grizzled old face of a man who has his eyes blacked out at the narrative turn of the question) then life out there can be worrying, if not sinister.

It is something of a long-running, considered question in science fiction. The resolution of which tends to have a war and peace theme. In films, often with Hollywood employing action over quality acting, life in the stars unites a divided planet. Strangling each other for domination, for oil or even faith, loses its appeal in threat of other-worldly invaders. Somehow our individual disputes become irrelevant when humanity is no longer master of the universe. Thankfully there have been other thoughts on the subject.

The State of the Art follows a spaceship from the Culture visiting the Earth in 1977. There it finds our planet populated by an “incontestably neurotic and clinically insane species”. Look out for the dramatisation on 5 Mar 2009, rather exactly at 14:15. As part of BBC Radio 4′s Science Fiction Season it is certainly worth a listen.

Television invades the workplace, gladly… next our homes…

Touted as “The new way of watching TV” Joost is TV for the internet. Set-up by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, and soon to launch commercially, Joost provides a large selection of channels ranging from Aardman Animation, Comedy Central, MTV to The Soccer Channel. With an eye on journalism and free time in the studio we signed-up to beta test the new service.

For the most part it is TV that will appeal to niche audiences, early adopters and those who find themselves often in front of a screen. This is entertainment with the ease of surfing – pick and click. The channels on offer are for the most part compelling. The mix is well balanced for a number of tastes. That said, depending on your geographic location some of the advertised channels are not universally available, This may annoy some viewers.

The service is free and works with most modern PCs and Intel Macs. There are ads, but these aren’t as intrusive as you’d think (they break up the stream download effectively and aren’t like the mammoth breaks Channel 4 labours their audiences with screening films. The best part of the service is that there are no schedules to contend with; you can watch whatever you want, whenever.

The service is only in beta now, but it nevertheless shines. Joost works as you’d expect. The approach is vaguely similar to the Apple Front Row experience or, more accurately, Elgato’s Eye TV – it uses familiar TV devices. Joost takes over the screen, delivering a range of programming which will suit varied audiences. Joost also offers search, chat and instant messaging from within the application. Nice for those who feel the need to socialise while they watch.

With an easy to use channel listing, the option to drop out of full screen and useful programming info it is a lot easier to watch TV with Joost than on a cable box (NTL/Virgin Media) or most Freeview boxes. One of the best features you discover when you quit. If you quit during playback, when you resume, your programme is right where you last left it.

Alliance Atlantis Sci-Fi has been our Joost sponsored guilty pleasure. The Lexx and Total Recall 2070 was never on the radar before, but this week the afternoons have gone just that little bit quicker. The best discovery has been a half decent, made for TV effort, of Philip José Farmer’s Riverworld.

Free TV was never so entertaining; especially when the viewer can choose when watch. Appointment, broadcast television is dying. When the service is available to all, get it. If we gave out reviewed star ratings, Joost would certainly have a few.