* Posts by Andrew Punch

66 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Jun 2008

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Morrissey tells netdepressives to boycott his re-releases

Andrew Punch
Coat

Morrisey is nothing without the Smiths

Should I buy his work to annoy him - but then I would have to listen to it. Oh the dilemna.

Police, Cameras, Pixellation

Andrew Punch
Big Brother

Police identity must be protected...

using clown icons, rather than the black square. Thus we can simultaneously meet the plods' anonymity demands and make a political statement at the same time.

Amazon vanishes 1984 from citizen Kindles

Andrew Punch
Black Helicopters

Back to the ministry of information...

for a few "improvements".

Opiate-crazed wallabies create crop circles

Andrew Punch
Alien

Wallabies high on opium or...

under the influence of aliens?

Perhaps said wallabies are trying to destroy their Thetans with opium before Xenu sucks them up into a DC-8. The wallabies are probably justifiably worried about using DC-8s for intergalactic travel. After all the newer DC-10 could barely manage intraplanetery travel - let along interplanetary travel.

Microsoft bribes Oz to ditch Firefox

Andrew Punch
Stop

Let me know...

when there is beer involved.

-An Australian

Google inspires behavioral ad-zapping Firefox add-on

Andrew Punch
Coat

Adblock?

I don't know what this extension does that Adblock Plus does not do better. This extension disables the ad but still allows your information to be sent to the advertiser. The Adblock Plus extension blocks the whole ad.

Also I don't understand all the extreme reactions against all forms of advertising. I run Adblock Plus all the time. Recently I unblocked google Adwords - they are not intrusive and are (sometimes) very helpful.

Ironically the most in-your-face ads are in online newspapers, who should really know better. When was the last time you saw an advertisement sticker over the top of the content?

Aussie internet-net will be drawn wider

Andrew Punch
Black Helicopters

Anti-abortion website also blocked

Although I'm pro-choice, the fact that an anti-abortion website was also added to the block list shows that political material can also be censored. Either deliberately or accidentally.

Mobile money for the masses: Do the numbers add up?

Andrew Punch
Coat

New plan for the economic crisis?

Is this the City's new plan for solving the economic crisis - borrow from people who earn two dollars a day?

But seriously is mobile banking what these people need?

Sun MySQLers barred from Oz

Andrew Punch
Pirate

Blog updated - Nothing to see here

The original blog has been updated with some clarifications:

http://blogs.mysql.com/kaj/2009/01/12/on-open-source-and-open-competition-in-a-not-so-open-world/

In addition a local news site has this article:

http://www.crikey.com.au/Media-Arts-and-Sports/20090114-The-Internets-Feral-Goldfish-get-it-very-wrong.html

In particular clarifying: "One traveller, based in Germany, already had a valid visa. But in an online chat an Australian MySQL developer scared him off".

Secondly "The other had applied for an online Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). It was rejected with the words: "SHORT TERM BUSINESS ETA APPLICATION WAS NOT APPROVED NO AUTHORITY TO TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA HELD BY PASSENGER." But ETAs are often rejected. Resubmitting as a "proper" visa application is often successful. Alas, too late for that."

Yes the Australian government often sucks (especially immigration), but not this time.

-Andrew

Bees on cocaine: The facts

Andrew Punch
Coat

I live near Macquarie University!

Come to think of it the other day I let a bee in my house. His car had broken down and wanted to use the phone. I turned around for a second and he stole my wallet. Probably needed some money for his next high.

The Apple Armada - Still worthy of the Jolly Roger?

Andrew Punch
Jobs Halo

Capitalist Socialism

How is receiving a "hand-out" from a corporation (in the form of philanthropy) different from receiving a "hand-out" from the government?

The United States needs to get off its ideological high-horse and put in some common sense safety nets.

But I'm in Australia so I'm already sorted. Free high quality hospital care, most GP visits free, subsidised trade schools, subsidised universities, government unemployment and pensions. All with a LOWER tax burden than the US (http://www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/RN/2005-06/06rn18.pdf)

Apple sued over Jesus Phone 'hairline cracks'

Andrew Punch
Paris Hilton

Too much power from the 3G bandwidths

Is it just me or does this quote make absolutely no sense?

The crack problem sounds annoying though...

Intel, Asus plead with Web 2.0 for notebook of the future

Andrew Punch
Paris Hilton

MF laptops on a plane!

Getting the peons of the internet to design a laptop? We all know how well that worked when the peons of the internet designed a movie...

Paris... because the ideal laptop design would incorporate her.

'U-turn' West: MI5 watching 'great' terror plot right now

Andrew Punch
Pirate

More suicides than terror deaths...

... so logically we should all be locked up to protect us from ourselves!

Data centers embrace The Great Outdoors

Andrew Punch
Flame

90 degrees or cooler???

I could put a data centre in my kettle.

Kremlin pushes Cyrillic alphabet net

Andrew Punch
Paris Hilton

Why shouldn't Russia be allowed to use their own language?

If you were forced to type every english domain in the cyrillic, greek or arabic alphabet you would be upset too.

Domains should be available in native languages. Japanese users should be able to use kanji. Chinese users should be able to use chinese characters.

If the URL is written in another language it is likely the content is in another language too. In addition the current system for representing unicode domains has allowances for ASCII compatibility anyway.

It may be a good idea to segment it (e.g. cyrillic only available for xxxx.ru sites). Those of us in the west must not force our own language preferences on others.

Paris... because she likes going overseas to Canada and Mexico.

-Andrew

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