Here at The Processor, it may surprise you to know we are not just obsessed Steve Jobs and Apple fans, but are also fascinated by other techy industries like television productions and live events, and the launch of the executive production team for the London 2012 Olympics today is a great opportunity to explore this.

While the limelight falls on directors Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot), a another figure who will be fundamental to how the world perceives this event is Executive Producer for Broadcast, Hamish Hamilton. Essentially he is the man who gets to play with all the cameras, sit in a gallery of flashing buttons, cuing shots, while billions of people world-wide watch the spectacle unfold on TV.

If you needed any proof of his credentials, watch the video above to see him in action in the gallery at a live U2 concert during the 2001 NBA Playoffs. Amazing stuff! With him at the helm, we might just pull it off.

Is it worth it? The new paywalled TheTimes.co.uk website.

Today is the day when Murdoch puts his money where his mouth is. The biggest gamble since I placed my £10 bet on North Korea to win the world cup. The Times news website is now behind a paywall. This means to access all content off of the front page of TheTimes.co.uk now requires users to sign up and pay £1 per day or £2 per week to access the content.

This is a very big test for a big business to change it’s model online in one day. Should it work; News International will single handedly be responsible for turning news online on it’s head and actually making it profitable. Should it fail; it would be a spectacular event, a story told for generations to come, where the big nasty corporation screwed it up massively and people just went to read the free but equally good news on the BBC News website instead. WHICH IS WHAT I PREDICT TO HAPPEN.

News International – head up own arse shocker

This quote from Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, is particularly apt:
“We are proud of our journalism and unashamed to say that we believe it has value.”, yes but so is the Guardian and it is free on their website. Furthermore, I would like to see News Int. use the same argument when their other ‘quality’ newspaper website TheSun.co.uk goes behind the same paywall, not so proud now are you.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall of The Sun’s online target market; when unemployed Doreen in a council estate in Slough, who can barely read let alone get a bank account is asked to enter her credit card details into a 5 page sign up form on the site. Good luck Murdoch.

All that negativity to one side; the site looks really rich and seems a cut above most online news sites, with content and design being carefully considered. Whether this better user experience is worth paying for, or if people will just go elsewhere, will become apparent very soon. And such is the power of the internet that has allowed this to happen, be prepared for people like me to scream and shout about it until it we are happy.

O2's guru James looking pissed that his boss has made his job a lot harder

We like to keep things upbeat here at The Processor, however I am not going to let this one slide. As momentum gathered for the launch of the new iPhone 4 on the 24th of June, I excitedly signed up to be kept informed of the latest developments from my carrier O2, all of which I hoped would be positive. And then I get this email, linking off to their site to tell me that they were getting rid of ‘unlimited’ data plans!

I could not believe it. That was the ONLY good thing about being on O2, and they just got rid of it! I know that in the grand scheme of things, like child poverty and war, it’s not the biggest of problems to face mankind. But really, in this day and age of a connected world I could not believe that O2 would take such a retrograde step.

Punishing the many, because of a few douchebags.

O2 have said that “just 1% of smartphone users – are using 36% of its total mobile data traffic, and that they needed to be encouraged to change their behaviour.” Great, it’s like just being back at school where one asshole downloads a tonne of porn onto his Macintosh Performa 6320e and the whole computing class is put in detention; but worse because we have to pay at least £30 for the privilege each month.

O2 well done, you have lost yourself a customer.

Photo Credit: Diana Walker from the book 'The Bigger Picture'

Poor old Steve Jobs obviously has nothing else to do with his time at midnight on a Friday, sitting all alone in his big ivory tower, shouting at things. You wouldn’t guess that he was the CEO of one of the biggest tech firms in the world. But here is a link to an email argument that Jobsy was engaged in regarding the hot topic of porn on the iPad, ahem I mean Flash, with an employee of Valleywag (part of the Gawker Media team that Apple hates)…

Steve Jobs offers world freedom from porn – Valleywag

The Apple iPad launched by Steve Jobs in the foreground

With years of speculation mounting, the rumours and hype have finally proved true. Apple have just launched, the iPad.

Seen by The Creator himself as “the most important thing” he’s ever done. The iPad was launched to a frenzied reception in the Yerba Buena Center, San Francisco today.

The device which has been penned as the saviour of digital publishing, is much like a larger iPhone but has it’s own distinctive styling and has the following specs:

9.7″ IPS screen
1 GHz Apple A4 processor
16GB – 64BG Flash HD
0.5″ thin
1.5 pounds

However, were you like us a bit let down by the iPad launch? Were you expecting something else, here at The Processor we can’t really say we are inspired by the technology as it seems like a bigger, glorified iPhone/Pod. What could be interesting is Apple’s monopoly on the ‘iBook’ market. Something else like the music industry they can control!?

Let’s hear your opinions!!

Ever though about binning your other half because they like gaming more than you? I haven’t, as I’m a misanthropic nerd, and come to think of it, if you’re reading this, you probably are too, so let this serve as fair warning. One in five women has ended a relationship due to their partner’s Xbox/Playstation/Wii/PC/Internet habit, according to a probably not very scientific study by well known bastion of academic research myvouchercodes.co.uk.

80% of women in relationships said their partner spent more time playing videogames and on the Internet than they would like, while 70% said they’d had arguments about it.

Almost half of the 1,823 respondents said the biggest issue was lack of attention from their technology addled significant other, while a quarter complained of a lack of help with household duties.

Even worse, of the 8% of respondents who had divorced, 62% said that the lack of engagement resulting from their partner’s computer and console usage played a part in the collapse of their marriage.

The top five home wreckers, as named and shamed by spurned lovers were…

-Call of Duty
-Fifa 2010
-Grand Theft Auto IV
-Assassins Creed
-Resident Evil

The trend isn’t entirely gender specific however, 72% of men, said they thought their partner spent too much time on the Internet, while 14% claimed their partner spent too much time gaming, which implies a certain degree of hypocrisy from one or other, or most likely both parties. Nevertheless, men appear to be more tolerant – just 6% of men who had ended a relationship cited technology addiction as one of their reasons for doing so.

It happens to everyone, you head up town for a day of retail therapy and just as you are browsing your favourite bookshop, your bowels go into eject mode with nowhere near that you know of to potty. Well, we have found the application to help, it’s discreetly called SitOrSquat.

Website, iPhone app and life-saver, this handy creation will enable users to find the nearest place to do the toilet on their phones (not literally on their phones, that would be disgusting)! Have a browse online or download the app onto your phone, I am sure you will find it entertaining to see how various toilets have been rated.

So here you are, our top 5 shit-tech. Some serious, some not so, all up for discussion, feel free to post your own.

1. Microsoft tablet

Boooring, what is soo friggin exciting about a tablet PC running Windows 7. Microsoft, stop it, you are just embarasing yourself. Why not try and make a cool new product that really differentiates itself from the rest of the market, instead of half assed e-readers.

The most interesting thing about this fail is how they have managed to look shit in comparison to a company that was not even there, and next to a product that has not been launched yet, the Apple iSlate!

More here

2. The Phubby (wrist-on)

It’s a mobile phone holder for your… hand. And as an added feature, it also will make you look like a total douche!

Found here

3. 152-inch Plasma TV

As the world’s leading consumer electronics show it’s good to see the number of affordable televisions on show, like this 152-inch plasma TV. Panasonic have not released any information on pricing, but early calculations predict Slovenia. Yes, that’s right, we assume it will cost you about as much as it would cost to buy a former Soviet state.

Found here

4. Ford In Car Twitter

Really, you got something to twitter about while you are driving. Like, what, you’re driving. That is not interesting. This one goes in the file with internet fridge etc.

Found here

5. Hannspree Polar Bear TV

Ok, so this polar bear shaped TV is supposed to highlight the plight of polar bears in the face of global warming. Ooh the irony!

Found here

I am sure we will see more as the event goes on, but for now if you find any more please feel free to Tweet at us or post a comment below.

This is a quicky, but speak of the devil, 3view have gone and launched the UK’s first HD Freeview box, with PVR AND they have gone and added an ethernet port for internet connectivity, the ability to access iPlayer and YouTube content. Awesome!

But, and this is a big but. It’s not going to be available until March

Visit the site here to find out more