Media review: Uzbek, Sudoku, Top Gear, BBC Weather, E4

In June 1989 China's government crushed and killed hundreds of protesters in the infamous Tiananmen Square. Condemnation rained from all corners of the World. Now the same thing has happened in Uzbek only now hardly anyone cares. Uzbek happens to be a country run by dictatorship and somehow escaped American censur during Bush recent visit to Eastern Europe. I wonder why? Care explain?

Hell even the story of Abigail Witchalls is receiving more attention and she wasn't even killed. For some reason, being attacked or getting breast cancer (Kylie Minogue) suddenly makes you a hero in the eyes of most tabloid journalism (and their readership).

There is currently a circulation war going on among British tabloids. The fight for Sudoku. A Japanese game. A game which is claimed to be addictive among harassed commuters.

Every broadsheet (or quality 'compact') I read are full of front page adverts of their Sudoku game. The Independent has launched a Sudoku championship with £1000 in cash prize. The Guardian's Saturday G2 has a so called hand made by Japanese Sudoku on every page.

The Times call it 'Su doku'. Claims and counterclaims has been unfurled at each other by the publishers on which paper has the most authentic or challenging versions. Sudoku is everywhere in Britain and truthfully I am beginning to get sick by all the marketing.

BBC's Top Gear returns Sunday. The new season will see Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond's take on fast and mostly expensive automobiles. It is a funny series, one I wouldn't miss for the World despite my lack of passion for pollutants cars.

Continuing with the Beeb, has anymore here seen the new BBC weather program? I hate it. The new graphics with 'realistic weather' hovering over a 3D Britain is supposed to dispense information easier for discerning viewers but I found that there are not much to be gained with the new style.

Where are the simple informations like wind directions, wind speed and pressure? The new presentation seems dumbed down and I even found myself switching to ITV News to catch the weather report. Come on BBC. The old 2D version with its classic graphics are good enough. Don't follow the Americanised route! If you want to do 3D, do it right!

Update: You can see a mixture of old BBC Weather icons with some new graphics here.

And finally, E4 is to switch to freeview on the 27th May 2005. I blogged about this and this confirms it really. This is all thanks to Big Brother but don't let that put you off from turning off analogue and moving to DVB-T. You will still be able to get advance episodes of Desperate Housewives, West Wing, Smallville, The OC, old episodes of Friends, Peep Show, Sex and the City etc all in glorious Mpeg2.