* Posts by Haku

1902 publicly visible posts • joined 13 Apr 2007

Inside Secure snatches BBC iPlayer downloads from Adobe

Haku

Tablets, phablets, slablets...

I've come up with yet another name for these toys that resemble Star Trek TNG pads:

Toylets

Because lets face it, the only stuff we ever fill these things with is crap :)

Microsoft brings back Windows watch after Apple seeks 'flexible' bod

Haku

I also have a Chronos eZ430 sitting on a shelf gathering dust, I did wear it as a normal watch for a while as it has a nice asthetic look to it but it kept randomly resetting and I never learned to program it properly too, kinda feel I shoulda persisted with it as I wanted to use its wireless features.

Haku

I love digital wrist watches, but...

...I don't wear one anymore despite having a collection of over 40 game wrist watches (which includes Pac-Man, Tetris, Mario, Donkey Kong, Simpsons, Street Fighter II, Sonic The Hedgehog etc.) and various unusual gadget watches including a Casio one with a built-in IR temperature sensor and one shaped like a Sega Game Gear, because telling the time isn't such an important thing for me anymore plus I have a mobile phone with a clock on it ;)

Smart metering will disrupt weather forecasts, warns Met Office

Haku

Re: Reality

"Exactly how are they going to swsitch off my washing machine?

In order to do that, THEY will need to fit smart sockets in every part of the home"

Three little words for you to investigate: power line communication.

It would facilitate the ability for a power company to turn off appliances without needing to rewire the entire house or install special sockets. In fact the meter in my house was upgraded and they gave me this little monitoring box which uses power line communication to allow the monitoring of power consumption ANYWHERE in the house where there's an ordinary mains socket.

Haku

Re: Rationing, rebranded.

"I wonder how popular that'll be once people realise what their 'smart' meters are up to."

Sounds like the beginning of a Doctor Who plotline...

Facebook Home gets SMACKDOWN from irate users

Haku

Next up, the Twitterfone

The perfect phone for the worlds narcissists - it runs 24/7 listening to your voice and automatically tweets every sentence you speak.

I wonder if Google Glass will have such a feature...

Apple handed victory in Samsung text-selection patent case

Haku
Coat

Didn't Apple also invent gravity?

No wait, I was thinking of another apple...

Disney shutters Star Wars game unit with 200 layoffs

Haku
Go

Re: Shame...

Three words for you thesykes:

Double Fine Adventure

The kickstarter point'n'click adventure game from the people behind Monkey Island, Grim Fandango etc. that raised over $3 million a year ago now has a proper name and a trailer you can watch:

Broken Age

Playboy submits to Apple with nudity-free 'Pornography 2.0' app

Haku

Re: Nudity-free Playboy?

Or Garfield without Garfield.

No wait, that actually works - http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/

Animal Liberation drone surveillance plan draws fire

Haku

Re: Range?

250m? Peanuts, I have some Texas Instruments RF transceivers that are solid at up to 1.7km and I managed to get talking to each other at 3.4km with the standard whip antenna, throw in some directional antennas and the signal becomes much stronger/reliable, change to an amplified RF transceiver and you're looking at 10s of kilometers.

Besides a decent UAV will have GPS capabilities so if it loses contact with the operator it goes into default 'fly-home' mode, or it goes on a pre-planned GPS navigated route meaning farmers would need some seriously powerful (and most likely illegal) GPS jamming equipment to electronically stop them.

I am NOT a PC repair man. I will NOT get your iPad working

Haku
Unhappy

I'm glad I'm not alone in this.

Sometimes I have to look in a mirror just to see if I've got "FREE TECH HELP!" stamped on my fucking forehead.

Reader slain? 'Even the Google apologists on G+ are p****d off'

Haku
FAIL

"There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience."

Except of course those who are using Google Reader.

Ten serious sci-fi films for the sentient fan

Haku
Coat

Murder on the Moon

Brigitte Nielsen & Julian Sands investigating a murder on the moon!

How could could you possibly omit this tv masterpiece?

Also, Saturn 3

MakerBot demos 3D object scanner that fits on your desk

Haku

Copy the Monopoly car

So everyone can use that piece, except now they'll fight over which colour car they want...

The DIY spy-in-the-sky: From kites to octocopters

Haku

If (when?) they're banned

What's to stop someone putting miniature spy cameras in tennis balls with built-in gyroscope stabilisation and firing them straight up (so they can be easily retrieved) for aerial shots?

And would tennis balls then be banned?

BT to slap overalls on 1,000 new bods in fibre broadband boost

Haku

Re: Can't come soon enough

Yeah, down to 16 meg?!?!? I've been stuck in 5 meg for years, which I've been ok with as the connection has been rock stable with no issues at all, but now BE sold their soul to the devil (Sky) it's time I took advantage of the new green fiber box on the street that's a stones throw from my front door...

WHY would survey-slingers give YOU a free $1,500 Google Glass?

Haku
Big Brother

2004 film The Final Cut

Bit of a thought provoking one where Robin Williams plays a 'cutter', someone who takes people's recorded history (through memory implants that are implanted at birth) when they die and makes a video memorial for their loved ones from the dead person's perspective.

Worth checking out I'd say - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364343/

MasterCard tries to zap PayPal with own-brand mobe wallet

Haku
Coat

Re: but why would anyone?

Because they were looking for the opticians next door.

New social network is for DEAD PEOPLE

Haku
Coat

New social network? I heard people are just dying to get in.

Clarkson: 'I WILL find and KILL the spammers who hacked me'

Haku

Re: Burn him!

Frankly, I would have him shot. I would have him taken outside and executed in front of his family.

Own a drone: Fine. But fly a drone with a cam: Year in the clink

Haku

@Miek

100 meters? Nothing. Some of the FPV plane flyers can go a couple of miles with a live feed using equipment that doesn't break any laws regarding RF transmissions.

Haku

Re: Flak

They have been, this was just one incedent a year ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZgk1cRqAfs

With a clip from the drone itself at the end of the video.

Civilization peaks: BEER-dispensing arcade game created

Haku

I want to play a Russian copy of this game...

...for the vodka!

Intel's new TV box to point creepy spy camera at YOUR FACE

Haku

Black Mirror - 15 Million Merits

Did the tv makers see that and think it was a solid idea to have a forced tv advertising system that can detect when you're not looking at the screen and penalize you for doing so?

Clash of the Titans: Which of you has the greatest home lab

Haku

Re: My ulimate - long gone, sadly..

Doing a sort out of my old computer kit I found a 5.25" harddrive, I think it was 6GB.

Twitter translated to LOLCATZ: Strangely this had not been done

Haku
Happy

The Dialectizer - the original web translator

http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/

eg, this is what the article looks like in Swedish Chet or Hacker

The Register Android App

Haku

Font size

One reason I dislike apps that are a replacement for a web browser to view content on a certain site is that they almost always have a fixed font size, and no pinch-zoom.

Linux boot doesn't smash Samsung laptops any more

Haku

A hardware manufacturer changes its design without telling those who need to know.

Whodathunk?

I'm glad the real problem has been discovered, I really don't like the idea of hardware going into a coma because you put a different OS on it.

We're not making this up: Apple trademarks the SHOP

Haku

Re: Please Jobs

If he actually does rise from the grave it would be absolute pandemonium, Apple would change its status from cult to religion, many current religious fanatics would start to wonder if they should switch over to Apple, current fanbois would be even more insufferable (as if that's even possible), and a lot of us would in unison say "Oh fuck..."

YouTube's hilarious cat videos could soon cost you $5 a month

Haku

"I shot myself in the foot"

That's the sort of video material YouTube is synonymous with, but nobody would pay to watch Google shooting themselves in the foot by adding a paywall, it would be ripped and dumped on a free site.

Just too damn lazy to reach your phone? Pick up the remote

Haku

"Phablet"

Is it just me or does that mashup of a word just sound wrong?

Tablets aren't killing ereaders, it's clog-popping wrinklies - analyst

Haku

Correlation != Causation

If it did then this graph would fully place the blame of decreasing number of pirates (the sea kind) on global warming:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/PiratesVsTemp_English.jpg

Tiny tech ZigBee harnesses puny power of the press

Haku

Re: Am I missing something?

The idea of self-powered wireless switches means less mains wiring needed, and you can place the switch wherever you want in the room without having to wire it up to anything.

This is especially helpful for listed buildings where you often need planning permission for alterations.

Mega launches with mega FAIL

Haku
Coat

Still waiting for my signup confirmation email...

Looks like I'm in for a (mega) wait.

Google files patent for eyewear that SHOOTS LASERS

Haku

Re: Sod that, wake me up when........

Even the DIYers have already done this, using an off-the-shelf Microvision ShowWX pico projector which uses red, green & blue lasers to create the image by scanning line-by-line like a CRT. Though they put a strong filter on it so you don't get blinded by the lasers shining directly onto your retina:

http://hackaday.com/2012/04/09/projecting-video-directly-onto-the-retina/

Haku

Re: prior art?

Microsoft has been at it too - Skinput - look at this video from 2010 demonstrating a numeric keypad projected onto your hand where all the 'buttons' can be 'pressed':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3XPUdW9Ryg#t=119s

Obama calls for study into games ‘n’ guns link

Haku

Re: Games 'n guns link?

Let alone a phased plasma rifle in a 40 watt range...

Playboy fined £100k by Blighty watchdog for FLASHING SMUT at kids

Haku
Facepalm

£100,000? Yeah, that'll teach em...

It's not even one month's salary of Hugh Hefner:

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/hugh-hefner-net-worth/

Hyperspeed travel looks wrong: Leicester students

Haku

"A Slower Speed of Light"

Last October some MIT people released a 'game' called "A Slower Speed of Light" free PC/Macs (you'll need a powerful system for smooth framerate) which demonstrates what happens when you slow down the speed of light - basically everything goes a bit trippy.

Video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu7jA8EHi_0

Robo-baby Diego-san shows creepy mimicry

Haku

I'm taking my pitchfork to the University of California, San Diego next week

Who's with me?

'Doomsday' asteroid Apophis more massive than first thought

Haku
Angel

Wrong Bruce Willis movie

The Fifth Element seems a better choice for dealing with rogue asteroids...

Potty-mouthed Watson supercomputer needed filth filter

Haku

Re: Seems like this would be a teaching opportunity

Getting asked why and having to give detailed answers that lead to more questions and even more detailed answers reminds me of the very first couple of minutes of the first episode of one of my favourite comedies of all time, Lucky Louie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ32BZT9pnk

Tablets to out-sell notebooks this year, reckons tech prophet

Haku

Will tablets follow the monitor and notebook trend and become closer to 'full screen' without the huge borders?

I hope not, I have a Nook Tablet and I really like the fact it has a nice grippable border around the screen because otherwise how would you hold it without touching the screen and accidentally triggering events?

I like my tablet because it's a fun toy for games, streaming video from shared PC folders and occasionally browsing the web - but it will never replace my main PC or my netbooks & laptop, especially as tablets are geared towards singletasking whilst PCs are good for multitasking.

The amazing magical LED: Has it really been fifty years already?

Haku

@AC 12:27

I doubt the string of blue LEDs your neighbour has is anything to do with the workings of a security system - other than a visual warning - because PIR sensors rely only on heat and 'night vision' security cameras usually rely on IR light.

Much like this laser scanning security device someone developed which does absolutely nothing other than provide a 'light show' to warn potential burglars that there (probably) is a high tech security system in the premesis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnH95uzQPOo

2012: The year that netbooks DIED

Haku

Asus Eee's forever

Regarded by many as the first truly affordable mini laptop, they still have lots of life in them, especially as they're so cheap 2nd hand, even if they're not being made anymore and superseeded by 'ultrabooks' they still continue to chug along as useful devices.

My Eee count now resides at 6; my original 701 from the first batch that entered the UK which is still going strong along with another 701 which doesn't have a working touchpad but otherwise is fine, two 'dead' 900s that have failed onboard 4gb SSD's and missing screens (I broke 2 sceens by mistake so had to salvage), a fully working 900 (still very useful), and a 901 with a cracked screen I was given which has been upgraded to two SATA 2.5" drives with SATA connections (60mb/s read/write) to become a basic VNC controlled HTPC with a Microvison SHOWWX+ pico projector pointed at a 6 foot wide screen.

I do have a 7" Nook Tablet which is a nice toy for media consumption but is not always substitute for a 'proper' computer - even an Eee, I dislike the fact that current computing technology is moving away from multitasking to singletasking by having programs (apps :P) running in fullscreen.

Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet creator Gerry Anderson dies at 83

Haku
Pint

I never 'got on' with Thunderbirds

But thought Captain Scarlet was great and did enjoy Space: 1999 & Terrahawks.

*raises a pint (on a string)*

Thanks for making some great tv, Mr Anderson.

The LINUX TABLET IS THE FUTURE - and it always will be

Haku

@The_Regulator

Charming!

A "luddite!" or "get with the times, grandad" attitude such as that towards me is certainly not a persuasive argument for moving to another OS when the one I'm using now does all I need.

IMHO currently I do not believe I would gain anything by a switch to another OS (any other OS) other than frustration, indeed I believe I would needlessly waste time and money getting to grips with having to learn a new way of doing something I can already do with my current OS.

Do you also look down on people who use typewriters because they're 'living in the past' by not using a computer with printer, or people who use a pen and paper because they're not using a touchscreen tablet?

Haku

After watching this yootoob vid about someone trying to use win8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTYet-qf1jo

I have absolutely no interest in upgrading to it, heck I can't stand vista and I'm not much in favour of win7. Sure I'm still using XP (and I'm not that fond of it) but I 'know' it and it has a plethora of software out there that runs on it and most problems can be solved either by figuring it out yourself or a few seconds with google.

What bothers me is that Microsoft and hardware manufacturers are forcing everyone onto new OS's wether they like it or not by bringing out new hardware and not producing drivers for old OSs.

Swedish teens GO BERSERK in Instagram sex pic slut riot

Haku

"The protesters are kicking down lampposts and jumping on cars,"

Hulk smash?

New Year's resolution: Don't use Instagram, it'll sell YOUR photos

Haku
Coat

Re: What deuce are they going to with a server filled with royalty-free images of peoples lunch?

Instagram modified pictures often look sun-bleached so surely the obvious people to sell them to are kebab & take-away shops for their menus?