* Posts by ceebee

110 publicly visible posts • joined 30 May 2008

Why modern music sounds rubbish

ceebee
Facepalm

of matched impedance...

Volume, dynamic range, equalization and frequency response arguments have been around for as long as we have been recording.. ie. since the 1880s!

When "electrical" recording was invented in the 1920s, essentially by Western Electric working with the Victor Talking Machine Co. (which became part of RCA), many commentators and critics complained of the unnatural brightness of the new recordings.

Suddenly recordings had upper frequencies approaching 9khz ... unheard of in the acoustic era.. but these new recordings sounded dreadful on older gramophones/phonographs. Only newer gramophones with improved horns (look up orthophonic or folded horns) revealed the full beauty of the new electrical recording.

And with electrical recording came equalization which has been an essential part of the recording process ever since.

In the 1950s came the battle of equalizer... as the major record companies each adopted different equalization schemes ..ultimately settled by the adoption of the RIAA standard.

There really is nothing new...

Yahoo! fires! CEO! Carol! Bartz!

ceebee
Facepalm

maybe! if!

only Yahoo! knew what it was actually trying to be... is it a Facebook clone, a search engine, an email company or what...????

It seems every time they "refresh" something ... Yahoo! mail or calendar or Flickr or whatever they make two steps forward and three back in usability.

The most recent example were the changes to the calendar, which lost functionality and the link to group calendars in Yahoo groups amongst other things.

Previous missteps include the whole Yahoo360 debacle and the mess they made migrating Yahoo profiles which included losing most users' data (all without warning I might add!)

At the core seems to an inability to decide just what Yahoo is about. They seem forever to be chasing the latest 'net craze and missing the boat every time.

I am not sure Carol Bartz was to blame or just unable to deal with the internal issues that cause the mess.

Apple ejects FT app from iTunes

ceebee
Happy

oh goodie...

As a HTML5 site ..it will play nicely with my $98 HP Touchpad!

One last production run for TouchPad

ceebee
Facepalm

as one ...

...who managed to get the $98AUD Tpad and who is really happy with it... every Tpad sold is one more WebOS user.

If Hp is smart in any way, they will keep some back for the developer community. If it really wants WebOS to remain viable it needs developers producing apps and developers need Touchpads and Pre phones to work with.

But then Hp has not shown too many smarts of late!

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet goes on sale

ceebee

loving my HP

despite the Touchpad being a commercial failure ..I managed to pick one up cheap... and you know what it is actually quite good... surfs the web, plays FLASH video ... and has great audio.

the WebOS is so much nicer to use than Android in the tablet form factor ... maybe Honeycomb fixes the tablet issues?

That said I hope someone else succeeds ..having a monopoly player, whether it is Apple or Microsoft or Google is not a great thing.

HP: webOS will still run PCs and printers

ceebee
Thumb Down

does anyone...

believe anything coming from HP at the moment?

does anyone believe there is any future in WebOS?

does anyone think that it is worth developing apps for WebOS?

I think that the answer must be a resounding NO!

Harvey Norman drops HP’s TouchPad

ceebee

dropped ..sort of...

They pulled them from the shelves on Friday then after a hastily arranged meeting with HP Monday morning they, like BestBuy and other retailers in the US and elsewhere, began a firesale ... $98 for the 16gb version and $149 for the 32gb version..

Not sure of how well they are selling but they seem out of stock everywhere and hour after the went on sale at that price.

Suddenly HP has a "success" on its hands????

India cracks down on the Blackberry

ceebee

pressure will build...

With the riots in London I can see pressure on RIM in the UK, at least, to open its messaging and mail platforms.

Tough call... for both RIM, police forces, politicians and the public.... I offer no answers but we do need to debate privacy in the digital era for more than has occurred up til now.

Creeping government regulation and corporate invasion of personal privacy needs proper review.... something neither governments nor business has been too keen to do.

Before the PC: IBM invents virtualisation

ceebee
Facepalm

oh Amiga :)

those orange boxes with the meditations used to be the bane of my Amiga days!

Foxtel gets closer to Austar swoop

ceebee
Thumb Down

amazing isn't it...

that at the very same time the News Corp takeover of BSkyB is mired in the phone hacking scandal that seems to reach to the very heart of the News Corp and monopoly concerns, News Corp is on the verge of taking control of Australia's second satellite/cable company making Foxtel an effective monopoly.

Moles say Mac OS X Lion to bound in next week

ceebee

well this cat is not buying ...

Lion maybe very nice... but without Rosetta I will keep my $30 thank you... apart from the 4gb download issue ... losing PPC app support is a deal killer for me.

'Lion' Apple Mac OS X 10.7: Sneak Preview

ceebee

hardly the cat's meow..

I just do not understand Lion...

Why remove Rosetta? A whole bag of pain for users for little or no gain... and a 4gb download??? Is Apple serious!!

And for what? So my Mac can look like an iPad.

I am aware of the advantages of a full 64bit OS but many of the enhancements seem relatively minor or debatable. The new scroll bars (or lack of them!) seem hardly a reason to upgrade... or the ability to set a single colour for your background ... WOW! ... system-wide autosave seems a nice idea but again hardly a reason to give up PPC support.

Oh and I get to scroll like an iPhone? Full screen apps ..you mean like System 1.0 of Macinstosh.

Not sure I will be moving to Lion anytime soon.

Mac OS X Lion debuts in July as $29.99 upgrade

ceebee
Mushroom

is Apple serious?

Oh let's just spend a week or two trying to get the 4gb download! It may be fine for some Apple fanboi in Palo Alto but has Apple any idea of real world connection speeds?

ASA smackdown for Yahoo! Thelma & Louise

ceebee
Thumb Down

but is Y mail faster...??

I do not find the "new" Y mail faster and the new Yahoo calendar is a complete and utter dud with major functions removed inc. Blackberry and Outlook syncing, ability to share Yahoo Group calendars and introducing "features" such as minimum 30 minute blocks for meetings etc.

Maybe the ASA could get them for false advertising?

Fedora 15: More than just a pretty interface

ceebee

Gnome

The problem with Gnome 3 and Unity is they both seem to distance the user from the basic functions a user needs.

The key principles of GUI design must be simplicity and consistency.. as best I can see both fail this test to varying degrees.

Even Windows 7 and OSX 10.7 (Lion) seem to moving away from the user being able to interact directly with the file system and desktop. (The dumbed down file explorer in Windows 7 is a classic example along with the increasing desire to hide menus or functions requiring clicks or keyboard actions to make them popup)

Have a look at many users' desktops ..they are full of files because it is the quickest and easiest place to put files. This reveals a basic failure of the file management application beit Windows, OSX or Linux.

KDE's desktop with its strange panels etc. is a prime example of the new style of UI that pushes its way between the user and their files and workflow. Sure it works (I managed to batter it into submission) but I shouldn't need to.

A GUI should get out of the way, be simple and easy to use. Those principles were the same in 1968 at Palo Alto as they are today.

Boy George promises to cut employment rights

ceebee
Thumb Down

standby...

All the code words are there.... typical conservative stuff... waiting for "labour market flexibility" and "individual right to bargain" etc .. this is all about removing the few rights left in the UK labour market for workers.

The Tories cannot help themselves...

Microsoft's iOS and Android love deepens

ceebee
Thumb Down

this is precisely why...

I am not yet willing to purchase a Win7 phone. The disaster with the NoDo update shows just how much a mess the update process for Win7 phones has become.

If it is this bad for a simple update or security fix I can imagine how big a disaster the Mango update will be.

Aus convergence review kicks off

ceebee
Thumb Down

mmmm..indeed...

This review is all about censorship and ownership rules.

Part of the Oz government's never-ending crusade against what it (and its ultra fundamentalist Christian mates) consider smut.

It wants to bring the rules covering TV and film to the 'net and mobile device space and at the same time justify removing the last remnants controls over our media monopolies.

That is all this is about.http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/thumb_down_32.png

Microsoft reveals WinPhone 7 'Mango' details

ceebee

yes but....

Nice to hear..but given the mess that is winphone7 upgrades I think we can almost guarantee that current winphones will have to wait for months after Mango's release to get the update if at all.

Microsoft cranks out Internet Explorer 10 preview

ceebee

but ...

FF4.0 and Chrome still manage to support WinXP.

IE9.0s Vista/Win7 only support may make sense in many ways but for corp. users are stuck on WinXP it is useless.

Apple Mac OS X: A decade of Ten

ceebee

oh the Finder...

I am one of those who has never really liked the OSX Finder.... let's be honest I detest it.

I fight with it ... I use it (just like the equally indadequate and dumbed down Windows Explorer in Windows7) but even after 10 years I still believe that for many purposes the Classic Finder leaves the OSX finder in the dirt.

Yes, the OSX file browser can handle large numbers of files etc.better than the "Classic" Finder but for a day to day user it remains slow unwieldy mess that distance users from their files.

Ever noticed how files pile up on users desktops. This is simply because the filing systems have failed the user who want easy direct access to his/her files.

It is interesting that early mockups from 1982/83 of what became the Finder in the Macintosh show a divergence of opinion between supporters of the spatial version ultimately adopted and a browser model, backed by Steve Jobs. So it is not a surprise perhaps that the browser model is what users got, like it or not, in OSX.

Apple frees iOS 4.3 two days before iPad 2 Arrival™

ceebee
FAIL

why no wifi hotspot for 3gs

I really find the decision not to provide 3gs users the wifi hotspot a serious fail ... the much touted 4.3 is basically meaningless for 3gs users.... a few bug fixes and some slight speed improvement..but clearly aimed at pushing 3gs users to buy new phones.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/fail_32.png

Oz governments find new use for censorship

ceebee
FAIL

well what would expect...

The Australian government is obessed with censorship ... real nanny state stuff pandering to a tiny fundamental Christian lobby group.

They still refuse to sort out the lack of R18+ rating for PC games so is it any surprise they are terrified of naughty stuff turning up on smartphones.

I can think of many words to describe them but "idiots" comes to mind.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/fail_32.png

Mozilla: 'Internet Explorer 9 is not a modern browser'

ceebee

but wait...

IE9 is still locked into the whole Windows OS... with all the problems that causes.

Isn't time that MS disconnected the OS and browser.

As for FF4 vs IE9.... I will wait for final releases to really see ... but both are getting so carried away with features and options that nobody really uses!

Apple tightens rules for iPad news delivery

ceebee

so what is new...

I am always surprised by people's reactions to the latest twist in Apple's fight to totally control its platform. They have been like this since the beginning.

Part of Job's obsession with control seems to stem from clones of the Apple II that hurt Apple's bottom line.

The Lisa and then the original Macintosh were originally designed with a totally locked down environment in mind.

Apple has a history of litigation and attempts at control... this is just the latest (and will surely not be the last) round in the battle.

If Apple (or MS) ever force me to use an Apps store to install software on my Mac or PC I think the time will finally come to move to Linux despite its many problems.

Feds subpoena Twitter for info on WikiLeaks backer

ceebee

twittering...

The "Feds" want to link Assange directly to the theft of the documents. They are trolling through anything that may find them a smoking gun that Assange directly asked Pvt. Manning to steal material.

They are subpoenaing the tweets, Facebook, and anything else they than can think of, of Wikileak supporters for this reason (and I suspect in an effort to scare people) in the hope that somewhere something will show that Assange was silly enough to break a US law.

Obviously it has proven a difficult exercise so far as if the there is evidence it is well hidden.

Grey marketing is great - if you're the importer...

ceebee

so what is new......

The grey market game has played out for years with governments of all colours looking after the big companies to the disadvantage of the consumer.

Globalisation is all about profit not consumer benefit.

The only answer is legislation that explicitly protects consumers but the chances of it happening are zero.

Whether it is the grey market, DVD and game region coding I have yet to see any government (or the EU) actually admit that their policies antithetic to free trade let alone do anything about it.

Acer: Alive, and thirsty for Apple juice

ceebee

BUT...

The big problem for Acer, like Dell or HP or Sony is that whatever they do .. they sell Windows PCs.

Nothing against Windows but they are all attempting to differentiate themselves from other vendors of essentially the same thing. (The same is happening in Android handsets and Windows Phone7)

And they are also reliant on Microsoft to provide the developments in the OS whereas Apple, being both software and hardware OEM in their own right have total control and by its very definition are different!

Australia claims it invented cutting-edge tech before rest of world

ceebee

axes to grind...

hehehe... oh these days if you invented the axe you would want to patent it, trademark it, sue anyone making any cutting device and demand royalties.

of course the CSIRO should pursue its patents in the course ..why not... why should they be any different to any other inventor.

just because Oz is a long way away from silicon valley or the EU doesn't mean you can steal commercial ideas and treat us poor Aussies like yokels.

Microsoft's Office ribbon hits Mac fans

ceebee

office apples...

MS tried once before to bring the look and feel of Office apps on Mac into line with its Windows version.

Word 6 for Mac is practically identical to its Windows cousin. It was a disaster. Mac users detested it and it ran like a dog.

The ribbon UI remains a mess with many commands hidden but still accessible via control key combos familiar to power users.

Don't get me wrong, I think Microsoft was right to revisit the UI for Office apps. The innumerable menus and sub menus bolted on over two decades meant many features were hard to find.

I am just sure the ribbon is much better and on laptops it takes up far too much space.

At least with Office 2011 VB is back. It was just plain dumb to remove it.

Android surges past iPhone in smartphone sales

ceebee

but which android?

I have looked at android phones... and ttere are some really great 'droids out there... but my biggest issue is which android? 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2.... and can I rely on updates???

It seems that the telcos (and manufacturers) are proving a huge stumbling block to updating of 'droid phones and unless you are willing to "root" the phone you get stuck with whichever version of android came with the phone.

That has to change, The telcos and manufacturers need to sort that out asap!

Apple coughs to iPhone 3G IOS 4 upgrade problems

ceebee

firmware??

Reading posts here and at Apple's forums it does seem that the particular version of phone is implicated.

It may explain why some 3G owners are having relatively little problem and others serious issues.

Clearly iOS4 is going to need some tidying up!! Even on my 3GS it has some quirks ...mail freezing (better since 4.01) ... tethering issues (needing to turn data off and on after a restart of the phone) etc.

As for copying files under Win7, like in Vista, it is a dog!

1984's MacPaint source code hits web

ceebee
Thumb Up

oh ...wonderful world of MacPaint

MacPaint has always been one of my favourite little applications and I still play with it when I run either my MacPlus or vMac emulator.

It really is an important step in the history of software.

Google chief: Nexus One was 'so successful, we killed it'

ceebee

not in Australia...

Well Google may have "killed" the Nexus in most of the world but here in Australia it has just been released!

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/googles-superphone-launches-here-20100701-zob9.html

Maybe they just have excess stock?

Palm retrospectively discounts developer fees

ceebee

but if...

If HP wants to develop a successful WebOS based tablet it will need an application rich app store which means courting developers.

The WebOS was hurt by the lack of SDK etc at launch, reducing the cost to developers and to users can only help.

Maybe this is just the first step in HP supporting and pushing WebOS based devices.

Or maybe it is just a signal to MS that HP is serious about WebOS development?

Hybrid CD vinyl unites warring tribes

ceebee

oh I remember...

The earliest recording I have in my collection is a single sided 1904 12' shellac 78rpm disk of Dame Nellie Melba. (It sold for 1 guinea originally complete with a mauve label).

It was of course recorded acoustically (the ultimate in analogue recording!)

It is still playable .... not quite as good a recording as my 1919 10" vertical cut Edison acoustic recording of Rachmaninoff playing.

It is interesting to note that when "electrical" recording arrived in the 1920s many audiophiles of the day complained about how unnatural the sound of the new recordings was compared to the warmth of the acoustic recordings they replaced.

Inevitable Mac OS X 10.6.4 update problems surface

ceebee
Thumb Up

oh I remember...

the old rule about Mac OS updates... never update to even number versions!!

there was a famous System 6.06 update. I think it lasted about a week before replaced with System 6.07.

but I did an update on two macs last night .. no problems at all.

Microsoft says XP netbooks die on October 22

ceebee

OEM pricing for XP and Win7

I think you will find the OEM pricing to the major manufacturers is close to the pricing mentioned in the article.

It is clear also that any netbook running Win7 will need 2gb of ram and let's hope they stay away from Win7 Basic with the silly restrictions that MS imposed..such as no change to the wallpaper!!

ceebee
Thumb Down

no surprise..

win7 on netbooks runs like molasses in midwinter.... XP is perfectly adequate for users needs but then there is no margin netbooks for Intel or Microsoft who seem determined to kill the platform.

Oz government in filter paranoia meltdown

ceebee
Stop

it would be funny BUT ...

It would be funny but Conroy is serious about the filter...and so is the government.

The driver is not "protecting children" etc but rather the money and votes in marginal electorates of a tiny but wealthy and well organised religious minority.

It happens to coalesce with the feminist view within the Labor party that all pornography demeans women.

Combine this with a strong conservative religious group within the Labor party and suddenly you have the 'net filter.

It does NOT represent mainstream Australia. It is antagonistic to democracy and freedom of speech.

This policy is plain scary..... http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/stop_32.png

Jesus Phone in shock Opera browser benediction

ceebee
Pint

wow!! at last...

I have been running it for the last hour and it is very sweet indeed.

Now all i need is to run some serious flash based stuff through ti and see what happens!

Your internet policy sucks, US tells Aussies

ceebee

Australins detest the propsed 'net censorship...

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald (both newspapers are owned by the Fairfax media group) have a poll running on their sites at the moment (as part of an article on Se. Conrtoy's attack on Google)

Some 45,000 people have voted of which 96% oppose the proposed filtering of the internet.

The same article has attracted nearly 800 comments, by far the largest number of comments on any item I have ever seen and with almost all vehemently opposing the government's position.

If you wish to read the article or comments:

http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/government-goes-to-war-with-google-over-net-censorship-20100330-r9bp.html#comments

Clearly the minister and Labor government are out of touch with the Australian public over this issue.

Met launches net café spy operation

ceebee
Boffin

oh! how backward....

Here in Australia our Great Leader Mr Rudd and his trusty sidekick Sen. Conroy are saving the police and cafe owners all that trouble by just filtering our internet access so we cannot even surf to such naughty websites..

So nice to be protected out of basic civil rights ....to save democracy and the children of course!!

LG 3D TV line to debut in May

ceebee
FAIL

why active glasses???

Seems the TV manufacturers have lost the plot... settling for a standard that requires active shutter glasses is plain dumb ..expensive and doomed to failure.

Want some buddies to come around to watch the football.... oh I need another 500 Euros/Dollars/Pounds on 3d glasses... stupid... no matter what the technical advantage

It is also absurd that each brand will require a different set of glasses.

Definitely a big fail!

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/fail_32.png

Steve Jobs says 'No' to iPhone-to-iPad tether

ceebee

grrrr....

I have an iPhone, I might have considered an iPad but not if I am not going to be able to tether it to my iPhone.

This is just stupid... maybe because of the phone companies but why are they so intent on screwing over consumers again!

Ubuntu Lucid Lynx changes its spots

ceebee

re: fonts....

tardigrade, I could not agree more!!! Ubuntu's system font has always been pretty dreadful.

Windows is better but ..and let's be fair... Apple has always been far ahead with its system font right back to Chicago under the original Macintosh OS.

as for the brown ...well the very first thing I always do with a Ubuntu install is change that!!!!

Apple to stick padlocks on books for iPad

ceebee

and what about iTunes itself....

One of the hidden restrictions apart from DRM with e-books on the iPad... is the fact that I will have to use my local iTunes store ie I cannot grab a book on sale in the US or Sweden or wherever; I am only going to be allowed whatever Mr Jobs and the publishers decide I may buy and whatever price they set for my "local" iTunes store.

If I order a book online from one of the big book retailers, including Amazon, I pay the US or UK price plus postage. The same goes for CDs and DVDs ..despite "big content's" love of region coding and have have access to the far greater range available, particularly for DVds, in the US.

I have far more concerns about this than DRM.

Aussie anti-censor attacks strafe gov websites

ceebee

just a thought....

Conroy keeps saying this is all about pornography and RC material ..but it is about any "illegal" material.... it takes no stretch of the imagination to extend this to include "copyright" material accessible on the web but which the content owners want stopped in Australia.

Conroy's comments about China are disgusting but the irony is he fails to see any irony in it!

The whole issue is obscene .. and Conroy's obsession grows the more he is attacked over it.

Beware any politician who wants to "protect the children" always the sign of a small minded populist and dictatorial government.

Activists unleash Operation Titstorm on Aussie.gov

ceebee

uncivil disobedience...

As an Australian the proposed 'net filer will directly affect me.

I have done all the "correct" things.. written to the Minister and my local MP, left messages and posts on numerous newspapers and IT websites.

My own MP (in fact a member of Cabinet and therefore directly involved in the decision making on this issue) admitted he had received many letters of complaint about the filter.

In my letter both to him and the Sen. Conroy I said in no uncertain terms that this was a cynical vote buying exercise aimed at the religious right (of with Conroy is a member).

The Minister responds with a standard letter about preventing access to "illegal" material.

But it is all rubbish. The government has no intention of backing down despite massive opposition from the IT industry, business, free speech groups and the media.

This is all about votes in marginal electorates and sucking up to a rich and very powerful religious lobby.

The opposition Liberal party (ie Tories) originally opposed the filter but since a change of leader late last year, have been very quiet on the subject which is deeply disturbing.

I am sure they are being lobbied hard on the issue by the religious right and by free speech supporters. But I am sure they are contemplating the impact of being seen to side with "pornography" if they oppose Conroy's idiocy.

The level of debate has been appalling with Conroy calling anyone who opposes his laws a supporter of child pornography. This gives you an insight into how vicious and unprincipled the government is on this issue.

I do not really approve of DoS attacks but civil disobedience against this sort of vile and undemocratic legislation maybe the only way open to oppose this nasty legislation.

Online Kiwis maybe feeling Oz censor trickledown

ceebee

that damn filter....

So far or idiot Communications Minister Sen. Conroy has failed to get the filter in place so if Optus is filtering these sites it is doing voluntarily.

Has anyone asked Optus for a comment?

Using my Optus 'net connection here in Australia I can open both sites.

But it does highlight the dangers we all face as governments attempt to restrict our internet access.

I am increasingly convinced that the Conroy filter is not about porn but preventing access to commercial sites.

Imagine a situation where a particular media outlet has rights to say NHL in your country. They don't want you accessing information about the matches or images or video until they show it.

You can guarantee suddenly that material will be blocked.

There is money at stake friends and you can be assured our politicians of all flavours will look after big content.

ACTA anyone!