Posts by Tim J

Jeremy Clarkson tilts at windmills

@Matt Eagles

Most amusing Matt!

I see from other responses that your comment about the loony lefty Clarkson managed to fly well over a few heads here - whoosh! (like a speeding Clarkson on the so far SPECSless M40...)

Dell hits all the wrong keys – again

My preferred keyboard...

...is the somewhat bizarrely named IBM/Lenovo "Preferred Keyboard" - it's the best, no nonsense keyboard out there that I've come across, you can't go wrong with it.

I just thouht that, whilst we were on the subject of keyboards, I'd chuck in my tuppence worth.

The UK model can be purchased here:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3HW7

(And no, I don't work for any company that would benefit if you were to all go out an buy one tomorrow!)

Apple swipes £121 for 'free' MobileMe trial

@Ron Eve and others - re Card pre-authorisation

"Flames aplenty. Facts a few" said Ron. Well, it might have helped his case if he'd been a bit more clued up himself - indeed, there appears to be widespread confusion here so let's introduce some facts...

What appears to have happened in the case of MobileMe is that Apple has *pre-authorised* cards for the sum of £121 - a pre-authorisation is not the same as the money actually being taken, instead what happens is that the bank or credit card company reserves the requested amount - a typical application of this happening is when you book into a hotel the system will ringfence a certain sum as a deposit, and anything up to that sum can then be charged onto that account if you then do a runner (even if you cancel your card). On a less dramatic level, it can help to ensure that a hotel customer will have enough dosh in their account/ enough credit available to actually pay the bill when they leave (though this isn't a guarantee as other offline transactions may have subsequently been billed to the account, but let's keep it simple!).

What Apple and countless other companies do is utilise this facility for a different purpose - that of ensuring that the card details submitted by users (or potential customers) are valid, and - as the article states - they do this by pre-authorising the card for an amount "typically the equivalent of one US dollar ($1USD)" (the text from the MobileMe T&C's actually just uses the word "authorization" but I'm certain that what they actually do is a pre-authorisation - they're just keeping the language simple so as not to get too technical).

Or at least Apple should have pre-authorised the cards for US$1 - however it appears that they've managed to pre-authorise them for £121 - which at around US$240, somewhat more than the promised US$1.

This thus means that people who used debit cards can't get access to that £121 in their bank account, whilst credit card users will find that £121 of their available credit has disappeared. A potential problem for both sets of people, though debit card users are more likely to end up in trouble because of this if they don't have a lot of slack with regards to their bank account (i.e. no overdraft facility, or just as likely not enough of an overdraft left!). This could mean that direct debit payments get returned, which may well lead to charges being imposed by both the bank and the company collecting the payment.

In essence, Apple (or indeed anyone) screwing up like this entails some of their customers getting screwed up, and as such it's a surefire way to royally piss people off.

But hold on, its not Apple's fault, it's their customers fault... apparently.

It's never Apple's fault

The Mactard quoted in the article says "Your ignorance is not Apple's mistake."

Eh? How about Apple's ignorance about how the world outside the United States operates not being the customers mistake! If Apple can't adapt so they can do business locally then I suggest they don't bother in the first place.

I do like Apple Macs - but their legion of brain dead fans who'll leap to their defence regardless of the facts is a completely unsavoury sight and is really quite off-putting and in my mind at least damages the brand.

Apple have messed up here, and have almost certainly screwed up the finances of some people who operate without much of a safety margin. Is it remotely possible for an Apple fan to actually acknowledge this?!

Paris - because she certainly doesn't like it when a pre-authorised transaction gets debited too early... or something...

Unpatched Windows PCs own3d in less than four minutes

@Cameron Colley

Go fuck yourself Mr Colley. You said...

"MS's biggest crime is letting people who have no idea how to use a computer think that they're superusers.

If you can't use Linux then you can't actujally operate a computer -- you can only play games produced by Microsoft and Apple."

Most people have better things to do that learning all the ins and outs of Linux... actually, let me rephrase that - I'm no Linux hater, indeed full respect to the penguin aficionados out there - but people have different priorities. I spend a significant part of my life working, writing carefully written reports amongst other things, and outside that time I swim almost every day, enjoy cycling, watching football and playing it (badly), cooking, reading, seeing friends, volunteering, going to galleries, making love (to someone other than myself), and generally doing stuff that doesn't involve being sat in front of a small screen.

And now you tell me that basically I shouldn't be allowed to use a computer because I don't know how to use Linux - how stinkingly elitist and full of shit is that. I keep my Windows fully patched and scan for malware of all sorts regularly using a variety of different tools and observe good computing practice, and help my friends and family to do the same.

When I step back and take a look at this I do wonder whether a Mac would be a better idea, as a computer that would entail less time fannying about making it work as opposed to more. You're merely confirming my suspicions about Linux - that it is an operating system that you need to get highly involved in. I want to get highly involved in things other than my computer's operating system.

Whitehall orders green paint for IT dept

What a pessimistic view

At least the government appear to be trying.

I reckon long-lasting thin client terminals are one of big ways forward, as is ensuring that computers get re-used and recycled to the greatest extent possible.

Putting electronics in the rubbish only for it to be incinerated or out in landfill should absolutely be frowned upon, for a whole host of reasons.

Turning off unused equipment is an anathema to many techs, and this is an attitude which *has* to change.

French get pre-pay iPhone 3G

Any downsides?

Can anyone say if there are any downsides to using an iPhone (either the original or 3g versions) on a different network - I was under the vague impression that the 'home' networks (i.e. those who Apple have a deal with) somehow offer extra iPhone functionality via their networks.

Or am I just getting this muddled up with the fact that some networks had to expand their EDGE coverage so as to support the 1st generation iPhone?

Voicemail and email make beast with two callbacks

@Jon Press

But Inniu may well be making money from the incoming (diverted) calls as they could have things arranged so that they receive at least part of the network termination charge - voila, they have a business model (of sorts!).

Whether their product works out for you seems to be pretty dependent upon whether your price plan lets you use your inclusive minutes for call diversion - if not, you're paying for every second someone leaves you a long and laborious voicemail message! Of course the ability to have said messages delivered by email might suit your needs. I'm happy with old fashioned voicemail, but maybe I'm just complacent!

O2 buckles under 3G iPhone demand

Not sure Jobs is in a position to bollock anyone

Apple's MeMobile online service - which is what .Mac has transformed into - is supposed to be up and running today. But it ain't - at least not as of Saturday 00:30 UTC.

Go to <www.apple.com/mobileme> and you'll just get a splash screen advertising the new service - but no opportunity to actually login.

Meanwhile go to <www.mac.com> and you'll just be redirected to <http://www.mac.com/maintenance/>, which displays the following message:

"MobileMe web applications not yet available.

The MobileMe transition is underway but is taking longer than expected. While core services such as desktop mail, iDisk and sync are available, the new MobileMe web applications are not yet online. Thank you for your patience as we complete the upgrade."

The Wikipedia entry for MobileMe has a humerous account of the up then down then up then down nature of the MobileMe launch under the 'Release' subheading here <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobileMe#Release>

...at least it did until the Apple PR droids and - more to the point - the shiny-shiny happy Apple fanboistas deleted it because of course no rotten fruit emanates out of Cupertino.

I digress - point being, I'm not sure Steve is really in a position to give a Jobsian bollocking to anyone for screwing up, so I think the o2 MD shouldn't worry too much about getting a call from California. Not that the MD's new iPhone will be working anyway...

Ha ha ha ha ha...

...ha ha ha ha ha!

This'll teach you poncy technology poseurs, all so utterly soulless that you resort to buying yourself an identity by being one of the first few to have an item of consumer technology.

I just hope the whole o2 network goes down this weekend.

The iPhone 2.0 update - don't do it, kids

It's called the cutting edge because you end up being lacerated.

Wait till next week. Simple.

MS takes Windows 3.11 out of embed to put to bed

So many memories of OSs past...

... but astonishingly no one's mentioned BBC Basic yet. Back in the 80's that was the dogs nuts.

Obama bloats Vista by 11MB

Black helicopters

The answer is simple... Vista SP1 somehow broke the NSA backdoor into Vista - so MS needed an excuse to issue a patch it. Voila, not the next President Barrack Osama provided that opportunity.

Paris... because she knows about black choppers and broken backdoors...

Fears mount over missing Webroot founder

Appropriate?

Is it really appropriate to enable comments on this story?

I hope Mr Thomas turns up OK.

ICANN approves customized top-level domains

Search

In a chaotic world of multiple domains I can't help but think that search will become ever more important. Google, your days are very far from numbered.

Police protester snap did not breach rights

You couldn;t make it up

If we were like any other decent country we wouldn't stand for this kind of shit.

The trouble-making activist should have been taken to the nearest station for a collision with a door, the corder of a table, a sink and a fist. Then he might have learnt not to go around wasting police time.

US imposes 72 hour pre-reg for Visa waiver travellers

They can get your details already

If the Yanks want your details they can get them already. Don't think the NSA and GCHQ don't have backdoors into every database that matters, whether it be the HM Customs & Revenue's tax and National Insurance databases, the Identity & Passport service database, the UK's Police National Computer, the regional NHS registries, the electoral roll, the customer management systems of telcos such as BT and Orange, and perhaps most crucially the credit reference agencies such as Equifax and Experian (which I understand do a more than just credit checking these days, as they offer a more general identity checking service too). Unless you've made a concerted attempt to "stay off the grid" then you're not going to be hard to find and identify.

'Safe' mobile phone battery firm goes titsup

@Tim Re: Anti-Terror batteries

Where do I get one? Together we can defeat the evil alkquaedaline terrorists who threaten our world with their powerful zinc and manganese dioxide reactions,

Google starts Street View in Europe

Re: It's perfectly legal

Anon coward said:

> As for "...be mindful of the fact that although they may be in a public place, not everyone wishes their images to be captured".

It's fucking irrelevant what they wish. The only thing that's relevant is that it's lawful.

-----

Try this - actually what I wish *is* fucking relevant - not least because on the ground at that moment the law is fucking irrelevant when compared to the relevant thing, which is that I'm bigger, harder and tougher than you are - i.e. I don't give a fuck if what you're doing is technically lawful, you still won't do it to me.

I ain't joking - I don't mind being in the background of a shot, but I will not have dickwods stick a camera in my face and expect me to acquiesce to a portrait photo. And yes I will kick up a fuss and indeed kick off if necessary.

Have some manners and have some respect, rather than just having a smarmy attitude.

@Peter Ford - blurry CCTV faces

When CCTV footage is broadcast on television (such as on Crimewatch), the faces of innocent bystanders are normally blurred so they are not identifiable - the same happens when stills are printed in newspapers.

Downing Street removes Labour Party link

A justfied victory for the bloggers...

...and won't they bang on and on and on about it, congratulating each other in what is in effect a mass circle jerk. Thankfully for the sanity of the nation most people will remain completely oblivious to their hysterical ranting. The problem is that lazy/overworked/unanalytical journalists seem to regard bloggers as an easy way of trying to work out what 'the authentic voice of the people' is saying, when in actual fact it's far more likely to be talking about curry/ house prices/ breasts/ the weather/ breasts etc.

Google to open suspect Orkut albums to Brazil police

Why oh why oh why...

...can't these guys (and it is mostly guys) just be normal and want to shag women - proper, grown up, developed women - or indeed men, as their preference may be - whatever, as long as they're just adults. Seriously. Just lay off the kids, there is no need.

London Olympics drives dash for terrestrial HDTV

HDTV... how about some HQTV

Whatever the technology used to broadcast and view television, however good the picture might be it doesn't mean the programmes are any good - and there are so many programmes today that are absolute bollocks, a complete waste of time and money and do absolutely nothing to enliven the human spirit or enrich the mind of the viewer.

By all means let's have high-def TV, but please can it be accompanied by some more high-quality TV as well.

Paris, because she's totally bored of watching some dumb blonde on TV prattle on about nonsense and would like to know more about Renaissance art and the Higgs bosun.

HSBC e-payments system goes titsup

Prince Albert yesterday... but not Today

Evan Davis, the BBC's economics editor and now one of the presenters of the Today Programme on Radio 4, is widely rumoured to have a Prince Albert...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/nov/06/broadcasting.observerreview

He studiously refuses to comment about said rumours, seemingly taking great pleasure in maintaining the air of a man of mystery. Whilst Mr Davis may well have once had more than his RDA's worth of ironwork about his person, I bet he doesn't take pleasure from any such metal adornment these days - it wouldn't quite be in keeping for one of the Beeb's top news hounds to be setting off metal detectors left right and centre whilst out and about reporting on the latest sharp movements in gilt edge stock or whatever.

BT 'security upgrade' causes email headaches

@Jonathan

Have you even read the article??? The whole problem here is with people who have their own (ISP-independent) domain names who are trying to get them to work with BT internet (aka BT Broadband, aka BT Yahoo Broadband etc etc).

These people are explicitly trying to *avoid* using an @btinternet email address.

China unbans the Beeb

BBC working with the Chinese authorities...

Not sure Steve Herrmann, the Editor of BBC News Online, quite got across the right message when he said:

"We will endeavour to continue working with the Chinese authorities to improve our access in other areas."

Perhaps all stories that the BBC thinks the PRC might view as dissenting, destabilising or undermining the regime will have a new HTML tag inserted...

<PRC_firewall_block_this_page>

...so that the great firewall of China can easily block it out.

Of course that's not what he meant, but it sure does sound like it. If this was a Murdoch owned enterprise we were talking about instead of the BBC then I would be tempted to suspect such things.

Mozilla CEO blasts Apple for putting security of the internet at risk

How to bring Apple Update to heel

I agree that offering an update of a product you don't have 'sucks', as you yanks would say.

However I've managed to get Apple Update under my control. I don't let it automatically check for updates, but have changed the preferences so that it only checks for updates manually (to change the preferences launch Apple Update, then press 'cancel' to stop it checking for updates, then select the preferences from the menu bar).

Meanwhile I do allow iTunes to check for updates - thus when it launches it will inform me if there is a new version available. I am thus informed of iTunes updates but not about "updates" to products I don't have such as Safari.

I can of course occasionally check Apple Update at my leisure to see if there's a security patch for QuickTime for example. But I don't really ever use QuickTime as a standalone app, so I don't really see this a big issue.

ICO queries Heathrow T5's huge fingerprint scam scan

If you've got nothing to hide...

...you've got nothing to fear. Really.

Let's just get on with it and give the government a complete set of biometrics and a DNA sample for all citizens and residents of the UK. End of debate.

I bet a lot of you whining 'liberals' are actually criminals in hiding...

Paper clip attack skewers Chip and PIN

If you've got nothing to hide...

...you've got nothing to worry about.

Er... though do remember to keep your PIN secret at all times... er... I'm confused.

Where's a government minister to tell you what to think and not to worry when you need one? Hiding, perhaps? Got something to worry about, have they?

I'm just going to go back to nicking things, it seems much safer than attempting to pay for them.

Essex youth's cop headbutt heads for YouTube

Little Hitlers...

They say an Englishman's home is his castle, well in that case the street is his moat - and he should have every right to patrol it as he wishes.

The defendant's great-grandfather may well have fought the Nazis, so this modern day freedom fighter is just staging his own war against the little Hitlers in uniform that prance around infringing ancient English rights laid down under the Magna Carta.

What is this country coming to when a man cannot defend himself against the over burgeoned powers wielded by self-appointed Sheriffs. What ever happened to our ancient freedoms.

Let us rise up and cast down this tyranny which so oppresses us.

I shall start a defence fund for this brave gentleman, in the name of England and all that is good about Englishness we must all contribute.

Unbundling could cost you £125

Stay with BT

The best thing to do is to keep your main line rental with BT - you can still have LLU broadband, no problem, just don't switch the rest of the line away from BT - i.e. keep paying the BT line rental.

The benefit of this is that you can still take advantage of a whole host of indirect access providers, who provide cheaper calls than BT - that can either mean dialling an access code before you make your call, or even easier you can opt for "Carrier Pre Selection" where all your calls, or at least all calls of a certain type (international, mobile etc) are automatically routed via another provider - and you can even over-ride this if you want to use BT or another provider for these calls.

Or you can go for a really fancy solution of having a customisable dialler box programmed to route your calls via the cheapest provider on a call-by-call basis.

The advantage of staying with BT is that they are obliged to let you access all these other competing services - if you start paying your line rental to someone else (e.g. TalkTalk or Tiscali) then you will forfeit this capability.

Scientists warn on climatic 'tipping points'

State of denial...

Judging by most of the above comments, it still seems like people are in a complete state of denial about this.

Things look bleak, yet no one seems to give a fuck.

Beeb iPlayer gets Firefox-friendly

@Matt

I think you misunderstand the EU's "Television Without Frontiers" directive, which states:

<quote>

Freedom of reception and retransmission (Article 2a)

It is confirmed that, as a general rule, the Member States must ensure freedom of reception and must not restrict the retransmission on their territories of television broadcasts from other Member States.

<quote>

http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/tvwf/provisions/index_en.htm

Read it carefully - it definitely does *not* state that broadcasts from one member state can be retransmitted in another member state without the permission of the broadcaster. What it is saying is that a member state cannot prevent the reception of a channel that is licensed by another member state - e.g. the UK cannot prevent Al-Jazeera English from being received in the UK, as it is licensed by the French media regulator CSA.

Also, how on earth do you figure that the rights owners losing out if you can't see their programmes on iPlayer outside the UK - given that as a non-UK resident you are not paying the licence fee, hence you are not contributing anything to the BBC?

In fact the rights holders would be losing out if you were able to see their programmes for free on the BBC iPlayer.

BBC overseas

Eh? Hold on... why exactly should people outside the UK get access to BBC content for free? They haven;t paid a licence fee after all?

(And yes, there are a very small number of people in the UK who haven't paid a licence fee coz they don't watch 'live' broadcasts, yet can still legally watch on-demand iPlayer content - but as has already been pointed out, the number of people who currently do this is so insignificant as not to be an issue - at least for the moment).

Making television programmes isn't some kind of new world utopian creative commons fantasy that doesn't cost anything - making television is still an expensive business. Cast, crew, presenters, editors, researchers etc etc have to be paid for, as does all the expensive kit - this isn't some charitable endeavour.

@Steve Browne - Re: Licence Fee

Do you make use of any of the BBC's online services, including their News website? Do you listen to BBC radio? Indeed, do you listen to BBC radio online?

Anyway, chill out! I was just floating an idea, one that has surely already been pondered by the BBC, Ofcom and DCMS.

@David Haworth

Thanks - I hadn't really looked into the current situation with the iPlayer, I just remembered the warnings that were issued by the TV Licensing people in the summer of '06 which stated that online viewers of the live (streaming) World Cup coverage needed a TV Licence.

Ashley Highfield's blog post from is entirely consistent with that - i.e. under the current law the critical distinction is between 'live' and on-demand TV programmes.

It does however create the interesting scenario that if you don't have a licence you cannot watch streaming BBC News 24 online, but can watch many of the reports that are airing on that channel via the on-demand BBC News player - indeed you cannot watch Newsnight when it goes out live online simultaneously with the BBC2 broadcast, but shortly after the programme has finished you are able to watch the whole thing on-demand online.

If the licence fee funding model is to remain in the future (and I'm thinking here of a time when people will download HDTV programmes on-demand via an iPlayer type service), perhaps every household or premises that has a broadband connection should have to pay as well...

Licence fee

If I watch BBC iPlayer streaming flash content, or indeed streaming BBC News 24 online, do I have to pay a licence fee? I suspect the law is spectacularly unclear on this point.

Spy satellite to slam Earthside

Stop worrying...

As fans of surveillance technologies always say - if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear.

EU debates privacy of IP numbers

A permanent cookie

When it comes to my home broadband connection I'm very wary of static IP addresses - they are, in effect, a permanent tracking cookie. So when IPv6 comes along and all out networked devices - including mobile phones, cameras and even cars - have an IP address, the privacy issue will become very important. I'm glad the EU is already looking ahead and thinking about it.

Heathrow 777 crash flattens servers

ID cards

If the UK had compulsory ID cards this incident would never have been allowed to happen in the first place.

FBI to get UK biometric database hookup?

Something to hide? I think so...

I'm pretty sure that both MarkW and Chevvy have something to hide - but of course we can't be certain of that until a complete fingerprint and DNA database exists for all citizens, and is shared across the free world.

Chevvy's line about being innocent until proven guilty is the giveaway here - those who are hostile to giving the police their DNA are surely fearful simply because they don't want to prove themselves guilty.

The police state argument is false too - there would be less need for police if everyone knew they would get caught if they committed a crime, as most people wouldn't do it.

No problem

Good, law abiding, patriotic individuals have nothing to worry about. We should all have to give the authorities our fingerprints and a DNA sample, it would make life easier for the police.

BBC's iPlayer launches Christmas Day

Xmas day launch - bad idea!

So the BBC iPlayer will be launched on Christmas day. I see two problems ahead!

The first is, will the BBC's servers be able to cope with the demand as technophile youngsters keen on a break away from the family shenanigans try and download the iPlayer and then download content on Xmas day afternoon or evening - and if there is a problem will there be anyone around to fix the BBC's servers?

The second issue is whether a whole host of inebriated, less than 100% sharp Britons will be able to cope with actually installing the app on Xmas day. It'll hardly be good viral marketing if thousands of people struggle to install the iPlayer on the 25 December, even if the problems are of their own making (i.e. the lack of a clear head caused by booze, food coma and other festive distractions).

Privacy breach nuked in Canadian passport site

If you've got nothing to hide...

...you've got nothing to worry about.

Ofcom grabs reins on premium rate scams

070 personal numbers are moving to the 06 range

The changes other people are asking for are already on their way.

'Personal numbering' in the 070 range will have moved to the 06 range by mid-2009, and there will be a ceiling to the cost of calls to these numbers. It will be possible for call charges to these services to cost more than this ceiling, but if they do they will have to start with a free announcement about the cost of the call, giving people an opportunity to hang up and hence making them far less attractive.

This was all announced in Ofcom's July 2006 report "Telephone Numbering - Safeguarding the future of numbers".

Both the summary and the full report can be read from this page:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numberingreview/statement/

Net Asbo slap for boasting Bebo teen

All teenagers should be ASBO'd

On reaching 13, all teenagers should be issued with an ASBO and should then have to work their way towards it being rescinded.

Those who were bothered would clear their name, whilst those who weren't bothered would be placed on probation at age 16 until they mended their ways. Possesion of an ASBO would also entitle the authorities to use corporal punishment on these toe-rags until they learnt the error of their ways.

Beeb coughs to Panorama WiFi-scare travesty

Sod Wi-Fi...

...whatever that is - I'm more concerned about whether we should be letting electricity into out homes.

Virgin downs 1and1 and Germany

World of Borecraft

Ditching access to World of Warcraft should be considered a public service, as it might have forced all the pasty anti-social WoW addicts to leave their dim hovels and engage with the real world...

Who am I kidding, they've probably got a whole series of Star Trek sat on their hard-disk for just such an occasion.

3 drags rivals into court over number porting

@Joseph Hill - Re: use of </sarcasm>

Don't do it - your comment was absolutely fine until the inclusion of the pseudo-HTML tag, a practice I feel is by and large reserved for nerds who can only formulate a sentence as if they were writing in a computer language. Your comments however didn't need to be qualified by using the aforementioned suffix, they were perfectly lucid already. We're not Americans, we don't need to signpost what we're saying.

Why is the iPlayer a multi million pound disaster?

No DRM

I think the BBC's whole archive should be opened up to anyone who wants it and available in any format for anyone to download and keep forever. The licence fee should be abolished and replaced with a Pay Pal honesty box. Meanwhile anyone who loves making good television will happily do it for free, just like people who loves facts have written Wikipedia. In fact as well as watching programmes at home, people can help to contribute towards making those programmes by helping with editing and script writing via a DIY-BBC-TV portal.

The digital world makes ownership of creative creations collective. We're all just as much authors of the Sistine Chapel ceiling as Michealangelo is.