Posts by Craig 18 publicly visible posts • joined 28 Aug 2008
If by some miracle it was enforced, let's say...
The networks could always put it in their contracts that there is a penalty for resellers who missell their products. This way the yellow stuff would trickle down the chain to where it does deserve to be, and they would pretty quickly stop this.
Not holding my breath though.
Let me first say I'm actually blind myself.
Small point here, noone uses moon. Next to noone. Braille maybe, but not universal... but moon is pretty rare. It just isn't space efficient enough.
As to touch screens, look up the Meistro and Trekker devices at www.humanware.com. That/s an interesting set up where tyey use an overlay over the screen. There is also a package called Mobilespeak Pocket for Pocket PC PDAs (windows mobile), cna't eremeber the address right now but they have an option where you place your pointer on the screen and it announces the keys on a virtual keyboard as you move around. It doesn't use the standard one, it uses the whole screen as an audio virtual keyboard. These things can be worked around.
Most people who use speaking phones use the various versions of Mobile Speak, or Talks at www.nuance.com/talks. There are other phones that have integrated speech, but they're aimed at the older market and are very primitive. I'm perfectly happy with my Nokia E65 and Talks combination, which cost me about £150 for the Talks software from a UK distributor on top of the phone. I dread to think how much the talking set up for the iPhone would cost since specially designed hardware of any kind tends to bump up the price, a prime example being the visually impaired designed Pac Mate running Windows Mobile (www.freedomscientific.com) fpr the princely sum of $2,450, or from a UK reseller (they all have the same prices so you can't shop around) they charge £1650.
Hell I'm not even sure how ITV and Channel 4 are surviving. The BBC at least puts out the occasional original show, but I'm lucky to watch it twice a week. Okay 4 has Paul O'Gradie or however you spell it which seems popular enough. There is nothing else I ever watch on terrestrial channels though, ever.
I doubt there would be any more content overall than there is in the SkyPlayer, or the VPlayer... not to mention what SkyPlus and VPlus do for competition.
I notice they also didn't complain when SkyPlus and VPlus reduced the ability for channels to directly compete by placing programming opposite certain other programming on other channels. Lusers.
"Special permission" refers to driving in a zone not normally permitted for vehicles, stop whining about it and read the damned article properly.
As to the reaction, well frankly I'm of the opinion it's bloody inconsiderate of Google to not seek the opinion of the public even if purely out of not wanting to cause trouble. No it isn't illegal, but it's likely to cause a stir as anyone with half a brain should realise. It's also not illegal for Ann Summers to put their underwear adverts on the side of a vehicle and drive it round town, but it doesn't mean they're going to do it.
Yes I know there is a difference, but I'm just pointing out it's about consideration and sensitivity. Google deciding they can do whatever the hell they please without even a hint of decorum just bothers me, and I do worry about what they might pull next.
They spent tons of cash developing a space pen, but forgot about a little something called a pencil. Sure they remembered a little detail like impacts.
Hmm I suspect being in a vacuum this model of the Mobile Opression Palace would show up much better on an infra red missile than the original model, though you'd need to adjust the fuel system to run in a vacuum too.
Mine's the one with the FingLonger on the back.
Combination of the drone idea, perhaps launched from onboard the vehicle, with a camera array and software to collate and process the live video images from the camera array into a 3D view accessible through glasses/monacle/goggles with a sensor to detect head movement and pan the view automatically perhaps?
The drone there to provide overhead view to see behind cover and just generally get an overview of a wider area.
If the hardware and software could be made to work and fitted into a tank it would give you a completely unobstructed view, without any exposure at all. Of course the trouble is the cameras themselves would still be vulnerable, and the software would have to be designed to compensate for any failure as much as possible.
First, there are indeed lots of ways for people with disabilities to use the internet. I myself am cmpletely blind and my computer uses synthetic speech. As previously mentioned there is voice recognition (amazing how many people reposted the same thing about the injury even after this was mentioned) and on screen keyboards. Also tablet PCs with hand writing recognition.
Secondly, text is far more convenient than voice when you need speed. Quicker to send, easier to edit, and easier to skim through. Also don't kid yourself that government people would use standard set ups to send/receive email, they probably use at least uncommon protocols designed for high security. A list of emails with subjects is far easier to prioritise than voice messages, since (if you're not blind) you can just glance at the sender and subject to see what it is about as well as any possible priority level system in place.
Once upon a time it would mean calling your secretary to see if anyone had left any messages. However the nature of the world is changing rapidly, and like with television and radio you can either embrace it or hide from it. Of course radio and TV was less of a leap because all policicians love the sound of their own voice, and are used to speaking in front of an audience.
As to email being a fad, there is a huge difference between professional communications and social communications. Im and to some extent SMS are more used for social situations, email is just not currently beatable for business communications. It's the new fax, and how many individuals owned fax machines as compared to businesses? It of course also depends on how much the business depends on communications, more likely with business to business focused companies than shops selling to consumers.
Wouldn't be the first time Gates got a kisser full of custard...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhe0H8RDNcc
(hope that's the right link)
Though probably worth noting most of the people taking part in the experiment -
A) Most likely don't do much more than poke around the internet, possibly using a little light word processing and some e-mail.
B) Again most likely wouldn't know a crash if you bent them over their desk and inserted it.
Paris because -
She has been bent over many times, probably over many pieces of furniture.
Like anyone dealing with Microsoft she knows how a good shafting feels.
If electric cars actually became common (perhaps at least 10-20% market share?) it would make a lot of sense for car parks to have electric hook ups in either all parking spaces, or at least in designated areas of the car park. Perhaps instead of single ticket machines in odd places they would put smaller devices nearer to the spaces, linked in to the electric distribution to charege you for teh electric as well? Not necessarily every space, but for a cluster of spaces.
Some uses such as long distance trips would be a problem, but it would probably be good enough for a lot of people... a lot more than otherwise. It could charge up while you are at work, do your shopping, go to the cinema or whatever else you do. Even if it's only on for half an hour or an hour it would still probably give you that bit extra mileage.
This prototype has to adhere to aircraft regulations, thus the reason they're keeping it below 20kg. If they were given a development deal from whatever military source (UK or US) this would likely not apply.
Thus they have something they can show off to civvies just in case the military doesn't pick it up, and they can show off the flight concept to the military in the hopes that they do.
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