James Woodcock's blog

Hi guys,

Conference for tomorrow will be at 8.30am. Could all reporters please come equipped with both ideas, and treatments for them. We are looking for things that could be used for spreads, box-outs, backgrounders etc. Anything that is off the diary would be good as well.

This story on the Telegraph website is a fantastic account of how Lance Corporal Andrew Wardle was awarded the Military Cross, after a selfless act of bravery.

The 22 year-old risked life and limb in January, to grab a young Afghan child, who was under enemy fire. 

Josh Halliday of The Guardian tells the brilliant story of the crowd sourcing phenomenon Ushahidi today.

In an interview with creator Ory Okolloh, Halliday tells the story of how the tool went from cataloguing instances of Kenyan violence during a media blackout, to being used to co-ordinate humanitarian efforts after disasters worldwide, like the earthquake in Haiti. 

The National Publishers Association has launched a scathing attack toward the BBC, just hours after it announced that it would be launching three mobile applications. 

At a time when mobile platforms are being explored for commercial news models, this announcement  deals a crucial blow to advocates of paid content. 

Not just a dollar fuelled copycat tirade of a sterling British export. 

“It’s just like Love Actually,” I was told. “Great, another cheap, pathetic emulation of a British national treasure that the Yanks want to put their stamp on,” I said. 

Google is currently running a "limited preview" of its upcoming browser application Google Wave.

Essentially, this is a communication and file sharing tool. At first glance, it seems like a mish mash of commonplace features available in other applications. Indeed, if you only bother to watch the first five minutes of Google's promo video (which is longer than Cloverfield) you would probably think so.

Government health minister Mike O'Brien today expressed further apologies to the Thalidomide victims, following the unveiling of his compensation booster package in December.

Since it's release, the iPhone has rocked the mobile phone industry. Industry giants who lumbered, sanguine, in their well-trodden paths were shaken half to death by Apple.

But why?

Apologies, but the iPhone is not a technological miracle. Things like 3G, video capture, and processing speed are only added a model after the time that they should have been. Fair play, multi-touch and video editing are key strengths that not many phones can mimic, but these things alone do not warrant such a die-hard following.

For years film-goers have been bombarded with films that have attempted to venture into the third dimension, but have dismally failed to deliver any form of delectable cinematic feast. Gimicky, cheap and devoid of a story or a talented cast, they have given 3D films a bad name.

 So when James Cameron promised to create a live-action 3D film, whilst shouldering the slain beast of Titanic, critics must have drawn their bows with baited breath, waiting for his Achilles heel to show.

Around the world, children and adults alike have flocked to theatres to see Harry Potter's sixth cinematic outing. Despite glowing reviews, fans of the novels may be sorely disappointed.