Posts by Matthew Brown

Mozilla plots Firefox interface overhaul

Bugger the interface

Fix the bloody memory usage!

O2 could impose out-of-contract iPhone lock-in

This is all

Very disturbingly American.

Mozilla plans to tie Firefox 3.7 pigtails in pretty Ribbon

Oh come on

Nobody likes this no-menu nonsense that we've seen lately. Mozilla are starting to follow trends rather than doing decent UI design.

Orange data users turning red as data dries up

DSL was partially down here

Some protocols would work, but http was sporadic. Some sites worked, some didn't. Streaming live video was useless. Not chuffed at all. Seems to be slightly better today, but I don't want to tempt fate.

Paris because I reckon she works in their customer communications department.

Office 2010 to come loaded with WGA's bastard child

No one would care

If they'd just be honest about it. You want to protect your revenue, big wow - admit it and we'll stop giving a rat's ass. Well, most of us anyway.

IE icon too familiar for Microsoft EU settlement?

This...

...has gotten out of hand. They want to change the icon? Seriously?

Spooks' favourite IT firm tells Reg readers to grow up

What a bloody fool...

The man is either being deliberately disingenuous, or has his head in the proverbial sand.

Data storage and misuse is no different from governments being given broad powers to control the general population - the guy who implements them may (MAY) be on the level; He's not the one you have to worry about. It's the twenty or so guys who come into office after him that you worry about.

State intervention in any aspect of a citizen's life (even in the form of simple observation and tracking) must be viewed as a necessary evil, and accordingly kept to a minimum. Improved security does not justify any increased risks of infringement of personal liberty and freedom.

Kent Police clamp down on tall photographers

When refusing to identify yourself...

Is grounds for suspicion and arrest, we truly have crossed the line. :(

BT brings jobs back from India

Regarding the more serious issue of their losses...

I would say that it's impossible for a firm as large as BT to survive a global recession unscathed thanks to the internal politics.

Safety wonks condemn digital TV satnav

Question...

How is this different from any number of exec and luxury cars that have TV reception built into their in-car entertainment centres in the factory?

Conservative US shock-jock to sue Wacky Jacqui

He's clearly an asshole...

...but he should be let in. Proponents of ideas we dislike should not be silence, they should be challenged. For in our refusal to debate them and fight their hared with reason we engage in a form of self censorship that is far more dangerous than any idea he could bring to our shores.

Also, hi Jacqui - heard of the internet? You're pushing against the ocean.

EU calls for tougher data laws

Well, if the ICO won't do it

This is the only option left for proper data protection.

Swedish couple demand right to name baby 'Q'

Au contraire, mon capitaine...

Perhaps they are trekkies and have great plans for their sprog.

Peugeot preps 4WD diesel hybrid

Nice, but...

Come on Pug, put this technology in the 308 RC and then I'll be impressed.

Konami nixes Six Days in Fallujah

Aww

This actually sounded really interesting. :(

Tory terror police were 'fishing' for Liberty

I would rather risk...

...the Tories _starting_ to exploit these powers, than let the existing administration continue to do it as flagrantly as they do.

Police ad urges: 'Trust no one'

Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot...

At least they were honest about it.

Ballmer hails Windows Mobile for Welfare™

Nota Bene

"But then since Microsoft only provides the software, why not offer phone makers the choice of including the more expensive technology?"

Because they want to make sure that manufacturers default to Windows for their mainstream phones - rather than only for their higher priced ones which may happen if they included such touch technology support.

It may sound somewhat spurious, but I would bet real money that's what they're up to. That plus the fact they've learned that they may finally have learned bloat is bad.

Microsoft promises 'lessons learned' on IE 8 download day

Umm...

Some clarity wouldn't hurt here guys.

Jungle Jane pump-and-dumper claims 'pretty healthy' sex life

I've heard of a bank job...

Is this a blow job?

Eircom to block Pirate Bay

Have these people...

never heard of proxies?

iPhone 3G finally unlocked

Fashion Accessory Unlocked

Geeks fail to give a shit.

Native Client d**k-swinging met with fake Googasm

Ohshi-

Native code? D: I meant native client.

Google what now?

Damn, I never even heard of Native Code until this article >_>

Abbey IT upgrade 'chaos' hits small biz banking

For the love of god...

How long has this been? I can't even get to the damned abbey business website let alone log in and find out what they've buggered up. And I actually do need in. D:

Reg readers in the dark over extreme porn

Or put another way...

"We have no idea what we're talking about. Go talk to those people over there... *points to IWF* they know things about ipods and stuff. I think his son makes websites."

Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet'

In some ways

This is reassuring. It means there's still a communication medium that has them scared shitless.

Malware authors play Mario on Daily Mail website

Oh snap...

"which we won't name in case people are tempted to visit it"

And the nanny state arrives on El Reg. D:

HP cancels Christmas in the UK and Éire

Silly HP

You need to keep your workforce motivated during a down-turn.

Mandy preps list of UK businesses to save

le sigh

Why is this weasel still in government? And if Brown wanted to neuter him by keeping him nearby, why did he give him a position like this during an economic crisis?

Also - welcome to socialism 101: The state knows best in all matters.

Home Office to hand out more Tasers to police

Well

It's probably easier than training them to actually prevent/solve crimes.

Scots vote out ID cards

This is how I like my governments...

Sensible and not actually passing any binding laws.

I wish I'd actually voted SNP.

NASA's curious climate capers

Hmm

Since only "England" was in the red zone, can Scotland start mass producing V8 supercars then?

Ahem.

Paris for the foolhardy behaviour and lack of geopolitical awareness.

BNP races to get membership list off the net

@AC

"Its not saying they can't vote for whomever they want to, just that they can't be an active member."

The distinction is sufficient enough to imply that we should be able to impinge upon people's democratic rights just because we dislike their political opinions. It's still wrong.

I didn't know about...

..the fact cops couldn't join certain political parties. Even if it does limit the BNP's reach, that's a little worrying.

Actually that's very bloody worrying. The state nor your employer should have the right to dictate your political leanings.

Still sending naked email? Get your protection here

hmm

I set GPG up some time ago but I've yet to find anyone outside my technical acquaintances who either a) noticed or understood the public key, or b) cared.

This is going to take time. Quite a lot of time.

Dawkins' atheist ad campaign hits fundraising target

Nice

Not sure about the wording, but the idea has value...

Das überdatabase: Inside Wacky Jacqui's motherbrain

Epic democracy fail?

Just think, if old Gordon had actually held an election after he was handed office by Tony, none of this would be happening...

Well, mostly.

Martin Sheen backs Paris for president

Hilton for America

She's as close to Jed Bartlet as the yanks are going to get. Might as well go for it!

Dick Smith pr0n mobe heads for eBay

IDB?

Just how anal would you have to be, to complain about this sort of thing?

Malicious gossip could cost you your job

Why the hell...

Is this not getting proper coverage in the print and television media? It's the same with the road charging and the DNA database.

Ban using mobiles while crossing street, says US legislator

So...

How long till Ken Livingstone tries this in London?

Teachers cower in face of cyberbullies

er...

They couldn't handle old-school (no pun intended) bullying when it was happening - why is it such a suprise they can't handle it in a more evolved form?

Vote now for your fave sci-fi movie quote

Ahem...

"Second star to the right... and straight on till morning" - Kirk, The Undiscovered Country.

A quote within a quote, but still. ;)

Ryanair battles ASA over 'saucy schoolgirl' ad

Little Miss RyanAir

"This bunch of unelected self-appointed dimwits"

I love RyanAir. Ever since their reaction to airport security restrictions, they've had my utmost respect.

So based on this new Calvinistic approach, will they now pull all the adverts for The Garage nightclub that feature photos from thier "school disco" night? Or any such club night for that matter?

Besides... the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK is more likely to show school girls as being promiscuous than this advert is. Dirty buggers!

Dreamhost billing cock-up shocks customer bank accounts

So very very close to disaster... for them

Luckily, I hadn't updated my card details from last year and they couldn't bill my old account.

This is amateur hour crap.

Excuse me sir: there's a rootkit in your master boot record

You know...

If it wasn't so damned dangerous, I'd feel misty eyed at the nostalgia of this stuff.

Simpler times too, when most virus writers were after your pride not your credit card.

German Wikipedia attacked over Nazi symbolism

So to avoid promoting fascism...

...the Germans like to restrict free speech.

Every time the issue of Nazi symbolism in Germany comes up I chuckle at the irony.

Come on everyone, chuckle with me.

Europe too cynical for iPhone

It's not about the price, or the software...

It's about the marketing. The iPod came out of nowhere. Be honest now, how many folk in the industry actually saw it's popularity coming? The iPod sold because it looked cool, made MP3 players "easy" to use (I know, I know, but The People thought so...), and was gradually endorsed by cool bands and celebs.

The iPhone was built up for months by marketing executives in both the phone industry and Apple before it even existed, not to mention the press coverage of it. How long did we have people punting supposed "this is what it will look like... probably" photochops? Months. Maybe even a year.

Apple missed the buzz. In the US they let the hype reach it's peak and start to fade away before actually releasing the product. By the time they released the damned thing over here people were barely talking about it outside tech circles. Sure folk like ITV did little bolt-on reports on it during the evening news, but no one cared.

Of course, they could've still salvaged a reasonable level of sales revenue had they targeted people like us... but they couldn't because they knew the actual phone was about as technologically advanced as a Siemens A60, save the fancy graphics.

Put simply - they tried too hard.

Cambridge computing profs 'desperate' for applicants

@Chris W

Er, sorry for the double post...

Chris this kind of crap is why we have a problem with employability in this country: I went to a former PolyTech (Glasgow Caledonian University) and I worked just as hard as anyone at Glasgow or Strathclyde, and am just as capable. Go back to the 80s, they miss you mate...