Posts by Bassey

Watchdog sniffs Rihanna's 'gently thrusting buttocks'

Bizarre

Never seen it but, taking Ofcom at its word that the performances WERE sexual and at the limits of acceptability, what was the "editorial justification for the type of costumes that the dancers were wearing, and the style of the dance routine overall".

I believe I'm correct in saying that the X-Factor is presented as a singing talent show and that these were simply guest performances filling-in between rounds of the contest. I'd really LOVE to know how the produces managed to explain why sexually explicity performances at the limits of acceptability by fill-in performers were editorially justified.

Whether people were personally offended or not (and ignoring the pointless "don't they know where the remote is" retards. You're watching prime-time Saturday night family entertainment with the kids. What the fuck is the point of turning it off AFTER they've seen it you freaks?) there are rules in place and OFCOM is there to enforce them.

A fifth of Europeans can't work out how much a TV costs

Re: Steve Davies 3

"I blame the schools...we used to do mental arithmetic every day."

As they do now Steve. And I know plenty of people educated in the 60s who wouldn't be able to answer that question. Many people from that era can't read or write either - my wife volunteers at the local school in the evenings teaching adults basic reading, writing and arithmetic and they are NEVER short of students in their 50s and 60s. The "Education Today" thing is just a myth put about by a lazy media.

A decent proportion of today's GCSE maths is done as a series of mental arithmetic questions. The students have a pen and an answer sheet. Nothing else. The teacher stands at the front and reads out a series of questions. You have X seconds to write down the answer (and only the answer - if you scribble notes or workings out you lose marks) before the teacher reads the next question.

But it is far easier for the media to make out that kids aren't taught certain skills or are lazy than to find out the truth.

Microsoft wraps Windows 8 in Ribbon UI?

Re; No

"For those of us who use computers professionally, the ribbon is a disaster."

Nice of you to speak on my behalf - except that it isn't true. Surely those of us who use computers "professionally" use keyboard shortcuts for most stuff so don't give a crap if something is in menus or not. If there is something I'm not familiar enough with to know its keyboard shortcut, the ribbon makes it easier to hunt for than several layers of nested menus.

Anyway, Windows 7 has gone most of the way towards Ribbons. All the apps use it (photo gallery, the video editor, DVD authoring, write pad etc). It makes sense for the rest of the OS to go the same way.

Honestly, there is no group in the world worse than IT for "We don't like change".

Blighty's official Space Agency starts up on 1 April

The beginning of the end

Could it not be that the "surprising sucess" of the UK space agency has been precisely BECAUSE the government has shown little to no interest in it? Now that it is of a sufficient size for them to get involved there is a risk they may end up regulating the crap out of it.

I don't think anyone would regard the funding of NASA as a model of effectiveness and efficiency!

Oxfordshire cops switch speed cameras back on

Cash Cow

Can the dozen or so posters suggesting the turning on of speed cameras is because it's a "nice little earner" for the police please explain why the cameras were turned off when budgets were cut? Wouldn't the police want to INCREASE the number of "nice little earners" during budget cuts?

Or would thinking about that too hard shatter your self-delusion that your speeding is fully justified and you are really just sticking it "to the man"?

Antarctic ice breakup makes ocean absorb more CO₂

One question

If, as has been alledged here and elsewhere, the Antartic ice-sheet is expanding quite rapidly, could this not be a contributor to global warming? The expanding ice-sheet would surely provide less sea for the prytoplankton, reducing their CO2 take-up?

Nokia deal to 'rocket Windows Phone 7 past iPhone'

Re: Historical Precedent

"At what time in the past has Windows Mobile ever had more than 20% of the market"

Erm, as this is about smartphones and, for most of the last 10+ years, MS was about the only company making smartphones that would be up until about 2007. And no, I didn't conisder UIQ or the early S60 devices to be true smartphones (and I owned lots of them).

Acer locates 'missing' tablet strategy

Re: Hayden Clark

"You're with your cool friends - would you dare to get this contraption out of its bag, while their poking and sweeping on their iPads?"

Sounds like your nights out with friends are an absolute riot!

Extended Lord of the Rings Blu-rays to hit Blighty

I love it

Pay more to see the scenes that weren't good enough to make the orignal release.

The 64-bit question

Software

The hardware drivers might be sorting themselves out but the software drivers are often still only 32-bit. We have an in-house written app that we send out to clients. It uses a very simple 1MB Access DB in the background and connects using JET database drivers. Lots of our clients are upgrading to 64-bit Win7 and complaining the software no longer works - MS has not released 64-bit JET drivers. Instead, they have switched over to ACE drivers which are not compatible. So we have to re-write the application.

MS themselves recommend installing the 32-bit version of Office 2010 as the 64-bit version has performance issues. The last time I checked there was no 64-bit flash.

I really wouldn't recommend going 64-bit for business just yet.

Catch Notes

Springpad

Sounds very much like springpad bar two important differences. Springpad doesn't support voice notes and doesn't charge at all. The wife and I find it dead handy to share notes - from her PC at home she can trigger a reminder on my phone to collect the kids or we can add things to a shared shopping list etc.

Chicken Little report: Sat-nav dependency spells DISASTER!

Funny

It's funny how many people extol the virtues of map and compass whilst criticising "folk today" for walking into stuff whilst following their GPS.

As a mountain Rescue navigator, I've walked into far more things (rocks, bogs, sheep shit etc) following a map and compass that I ever have with a GPS unit. A map and compass (along with counting your paces) requires far MORE concentration than a sat nav.

And just telling people they "should learn" is rediculous. Sat Nav is wonderful. It's cheap, easy and accurate and requires little training. You can pick one up, having not used it for months, and you are right back where you left off.

Learning to use a map and compass to a good level of accuracy (<10m in thick fog) can take a couple of years and requires you to practice monthly or so to maintain that level of skill.

I suspect most of the "it's about time people learnt" brigade probably last used a map and compass back in the boy scouts and assume it is a skill they still have. As someone who pulls people like you (usually dead) from the bottom of cliffs and mountains on a regular basis, I can assure you that you forgot those skills many years ago.

Even people who are good with a map and compass and use them regularly still make mistakes and it is just bloody hard work. SatNav really is the dogs bollox.

HP to put a WebOS in every PC

Re: sounds interesting

> does this mean a HP lappy could dual boot between Windows and WebOS?

No, that was my first impression too but it sounds a lot more mundane. As part of the crapware HP installs on all the Windows PCs it ships you will basically get an app that is a webos virtual machine. This will allow you to install and run webos apps from within windows.

I can't imagine many businesses being too happy that their work pcs are turning up with a VM installed that connects to an online marketplace. Although, of course, most businesses wipe their PCs the second they arrive on the bench though that would limit the effectives of HPs attempt to put webos on every pc it sells.

Samsung teases with trim tablet snap

Father Ted

This tablet is slim. Those tablets are faaar away.....

Samsung admits iPad 2 will be tough to beat

Re: Simples

"If you don't know why someone spends more than you probably don't know much about what people look for in one. I'll give you a clue, less hassle making it work!"

Absolute rollocks. There are, of course, always a few people that actually need and/or appreciate the more expensive product. However, the vast majority of people are buying the expensive one for a myriad of reasons that all come down to marketing.

They are buying it because their friends have one, their boss has one, an advert told them it had a "retina display" so it MUST be good, they saw one in a film being used by their favourite celeb etc etc etc.

Hungry boffins turn 3D printer into snack maker

Re: Quorn is quite nice tasting

I'm sorry but that is just untrue. Quorn has no taste. It tastes of whatever you add to it. I think David Baddiel described it best through the words of a character in one of his novels ("The Secret Purposes" I think).

"I've been a meat eater all my life but never, never have I had anything in my mouth that tasted quite so dead as quorn"

IT job seekers can't smell spell

Unreasonable Job Specs

Just a quick heads up on unreasonable jobs specs - where the job spec appears to be the definition of an individual rather than a broad set of skills.

It looks like that because that is what it is. The company already has an individual to fill the job. However, whether it be because of work permit issues or because policy states they have to advertise all positions (common for government or Council jobs), they are still advertising the role but in such a manner as to ensure their "guy" is the only suitable candidate. Work permit giveaways are often "must be fluent in English and <INSERTSOMELANGUAGE>".

If you see something like that it is almost certainly not worth your effort applying.

Health experts flip over McD's burger-flip toy

Not all bad

I should also point out that not all McDonalds Kids meals are bad. I took my kids there two weeks ago for the first time. They both had a happy meal consisting of Three Fish Fingers, a bag of carrot sticks and a Fruit Shoot (with some dreadful Scooby Doo themed toy which is now in the bin). Now, Fruit Shoots have too much sugar in but the Fish Fingers were actually rather good (the two year-old couldn't finish his so Daddy "helped"). The carrot sticks, on the other hand, were still partially frozen and utterly without taste. The boys spat them out. I got the impression they just keep a pack or two a the back of the freezer and never anticipated that someone might actually ask for them. It certainly confused the poor sheep serving us who seemed utterly unaware that you could choose carrot sticks as an alternative to chips. The fact that someone might not want chips with their meal just seemed too much for him to cope with.

Dell Inspiron Zino HD 410

Power?

Any ideas on the power draw? As a media centre PC I would have thought that was pretty important.

Australians safe from Mortal Kombat

Weird

"very detailed” realistic rendering - what of decapitations and dismemberments?

How do they know it is realistic?

MS fesses on silent security fixes

Crazy

I love a conspiracy theory as much as the next man (though, obviously, not as much as many around here) but come on people. If MS were to publicise bugs as and when they published the patches they could be advertising attack surfaces before anyone has had a chance to patch them.

How stupid would that be?

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

All the same

Last night I was watching a certain football match via streaming websites on the web - to keep up with things I had Chrome 9, IE9 RC and the latest FF4 beta all open at the same time in different corners of the screen - and it was nigh-on impossible to tell the difference between them. Appart from the fact that some sites told me they didn't support Chrome and that I should switch to FF or IE (down to Video Codec support) there was really no practical and almost no visual difference between them. FF still takes an age to start but is nippy enough once it gets going. Chrome and IE9 both start instantly and fly along. And, despite driving them all VERY hard last night, I didn't have a single crash.

Acer shows laptop lid look tablet

Re: Camera

I suspect that, at least in part, it is just "Feature tick box". In Dixons and the like, these things are displayed with a list of features with ticks next to them if they have it. If this device doesn't have a tick next to "5MP camera" and a rival next to it, at a similar price, does - joe public will buy the one that seems to offer most bang-for-the-buck.

Also, there are apps on the Android Marketplace which require a camera. I can imagine it being useful for something like Google SkyMap.

O2 to raise broadband prices by up to 27%

Re: Don't be afraid to pay more for quality

That's fine for those that can afford to pay more. Plenty of people are already cutting back on a lot of stuff just to make ends meet. The pretentious gits around here who keep telling me "you get what you pay for" and "quality counts" are really starting to get on my tits. Presumably there has been no recession in your little worlds?

Roberts Stream 63i

Re: DLNA?

It's uPnP which (basically) means the same thing (queue 1000 posts explaining the meaningless differences).

Norway to probe Sony's PS3 Linux 'downgrade'

Problem with their defence

I see a problem with Sony's presumed defence. If, as anticipated, they argue they removed the feature because it was being used to compromise security, then they are arguing that the console was not fit for purpose as sold. Seems a strange defence, saying "We had to remove an advertised feature because it didn't work properly and we couldn't fix it".

Fifa to give goal-line tech a shot

Long, complicated answer required...

but I'm going home soon so...

It's hard because;

The shape of the ball changes shape when it is kicked so deciding when the ball has crossed the line can be tricky; You can't use cameras because people are often stood in the way. You can't use generic sensors across the goal because people will break those sensors. So, you either have to track the ball, real-time, in 3D space and calculate when it has crossed the line (keeping in mind many cameras at once may loose track of the ball as people, posts, officials get in the way so you need a LOT of very high cameras) OR put a sensor in the ball which, as someone pointed out above, is going to be hammered about the pitch reaching speeds of well over 100mph and experiencing forces of many tens of Gs.

Why are people against it? Football is a sport, not a business. Sports are about people. Many people want to retain the human element. Footballers make mistakes. So do officials. It is part of the sport and helps to create the drama. In any case, technology cannot eliminate all the controversies. Take the Ashes series. Whilst the review system has been brilliant Bell was given not out by the review system because there was no "hot spot" on his bat even though he had CLEARLY edged it.

Right. Pub O'clock.

Punters 'pooh-pooh video on demand'

Re: InITForTheMoney

I think InITForTheMoney has hit it on the head. If VOD becomes ubiquitous and people stop seeing trailers for new programs then there will be an (even greater) incentive to just churn out the same old "brands" because that is what people will know. Broadcast TV is how people find new programs.

We had kids a few years ago and just didn't get time to watch telly for maybe three years. We now have a bit more time but never watch it. The TV has genuinely not been switched on this week. The last thing I saw was Top Gear on Sunday (crap). But that is partially because we just don't know what is on any more. Add to that the fact that our free time is precious and we really don't want to waste half an hour watching something that turns out to be complete crap. So, far more often than not I'll pick up a book or go for a walk. On Friday night we watch a film from Blockbuster rental by Post.

If they insist on forcing VOD on us they may actually end up weaning the public off TV all together.

Amazon fiddling with film streaming service, says report

Re: Amazon VOD

Both NetFlix and the Amazon VOD are US only.

Speedlink goes gold for Competition Pro silver jubilee

If it's their Silver Anniversary....

...why is the joystick gold?

Ten... wireless keyboards

Why Wireless?

Unless you need to use a PC from some distance away I really don't see why you would want a wireless keyboard. Most spend their entire lives sat on a desk where the wireless feature is utterly redundant. However, more importantly, why are Wireless keyboards SO expensive? A cheapy media keyboard with a wire is £10. A cheapy wireless one is £25. A fairly decent media keyboard is £20. For the wireless equivalent you are getting on for £50 - maybe more. Bluetooth adaptors retail for about £5 so why the enormous hike? In terms of materials I can't imagine there is more than £2-3 between them.

Is this just a case of the sort of people who feel the need to have a wireless keyboard sat permanently on their desk also being the sort of people perfectly willing to shell out £50 for the privilege of said fixed-wireless device so the manufacturers are simply making hay whilst the sun shines?

Malawi poised to outlaw farting

Fortune Teller

"those who pass the time by pretending to be a fortune teller"

Presumably then, real fortune tellers will still be allowed.

Hubble squints at most distant galaxy

Re: Mathematics

Actually, it isn't that interesting. The Universe is three dimensional. You are using 1 dimensional mathematics.

Pothole-spotter app aims to stop arse ache

Yorkshiremen Sketch

"By the word "fix" you mean a council van rolls up, three blokes get out, two light-up the other makes tea. Then after 45 mins they mix up a batch of what looks like Marmite"

Marmite? You get Marmite? Around here they have taken to filling the pot-holes with gravel. Then the gravel gets displaced from the whole resulting in a four-inch-high wall of gravel building up around the four-inch-deep pot-hole and thus making the thing twice as dangerous as it was. We have one on the appex of a very tight, blind, left corner on a very narrow road forcing you onto the wrong side of the road.

I could have sworn I saw a pack of cyclists at the bottom of one the other day. Made me smile.

Middlesbrough cabbie relieves lad of iPhone

Can't blame Him

Given that the kid couldn't even remember leaving the iPhone as a deposit and had already come out with the wrong amount once I'm not sure I believe his story 100%. Sounds more like he went back in, fell asleep drunk and the taxi driver (quite rightly) got fed up of waiting on the meter and drove off with the agreed deposit.

A fool and his iPhone etc.

Shaun the Sheep shorts to lure kids to Nintendo 3DS

Re: Age Bracket

I don't claim to be a walking encyclopaedia on the subject but I've never seen Shaun the Sheep on CBeebies. Shaun the Sheep is on CBBC, aimed at older kids, whilst Timmy (also from Aardman and about a small sheep but, in this case, attending Nursery School) is on CBeebies and aimed at very young children.

Though, having said that, my 2 and 4 years olds love both of them.

Sky to rejig EPG to push HD

Re: Nice

Just set up your favourites. That way you will never see S4C again. In the same way, I won't be annoyed by all the HD stuff, no matter how much they mess around with the EPG because I always use the Blue button to switch to my favourites view.

Online sync'n'store services

Re: SugarSync

I'll second the SugarSync recommendation. Used it for many years. Every once in a while I look around to see if there is a better/cheaper alternative but not found one yet. I keep my wife's and my PC's backed up and have a series of folders synched across the two and it just works beautifully. There is also an Android client but I've yet to come up with a reason to use it.

T-Mobile imposes swingeing cuts on fair use data limits

I'll be cutting up mine then

When I visit the UK I've always used a T-Mobile SIM because their data rates are the best. Looks like I'll be cutting up my SIM card and getting either a GiffGaff or a "3" SIM instead.

EU in Chinese garlic-crushing operation

OLAF

So there's an organisation that really knows its Onions.

CES wrap: let the battle of the tablets commence

iPad's big lack

The big problem with the iPad, from my point of view, is the lack of USB or a card reader. It would be an ideal device to take away and use for viewing photos in the evening. But his Jobsness' obsessive-compulsive determination to maintain iTunes control over the device prevents this. It is a media-consumer but Jobs makes getting media onto the device incredibly difficult.

On the plus side, it is beautiful :)

Apple unwraps app store for proper computers

Licensing

How does the licensing work for the apps? If you have two Macs, both logged-in to the iTunes account, can you install the same application on both Macs or are you restricted to one? If just the one, how DO you install it on more than one Mac?

Computers are not like Phones. A Phone is (almost) always used by one person and so will have a unique iTunes account.

Computers are often used by an entire family, with each person having their own iTunes account. I don't see how tying software to iTunes works in this case.

School caretaker harassed after Islamists hack EDL

Re: Sad Day

You admit that the guy is a bit of a numptie but you are perfectly willing to accept his word that it might have cost him his job? There is no suggestion from the school that his job was under threat. As far as you can tell from the article the headmaster was merely warning him that some violent nutters were making threats against his wife and his family.

But hey, why let facts stop a good old fashioned rant? You know, it used to be that people exercised a bit of common sense and gave others the benefit of the doubt before mouthing off....

Oops, sorry.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

What?

I didn't understand a word of that. Could we not have a review from someone capable of describing the game in English rather than Ogre or whatever that was? Or are you just assuming the only people interested in the game have been playing it for years?

Google Maps for Droid phones becomes a LOT better

Buildings

Cardiff seems to have 3D buildings.

Blighty's kids nosedive down global reading, maths rankings

What a bunch of...

....miserable, moaning bastards you all are. Jesus, it's like listening to the "Yorkshiremen" sketch from Monty Python - only you lot don't appear to be taking the piss. Do you really all have such an appalling opinion of young people? Have you ever tried talking to them (god forbid)? In my experience they are generally well mannered, well meaning people who just want to get on in life - just like me when I was there age.

It's hardly surprising we have some of the worst figures for mental health amongst our younger people though. With their own elders all so willing to shoot them down at a moments notice I'm amazed the poor little feckers can bring themselves to get up in the morning.

Moaning bastards, the lot of you.

Diary of a Not-spot: One man's heroic struggle for broadband

What you really need

Excellent story and I can't help but admire your persistence - I would have given up a long time ago. Of course, what you really need is for someone senior within BT to move into the area. It's amazing how quickly an area can get upgraded when a senior BT exec decides they like the rural way of life/low house prices.

Brits now spend more on debit cards than rustle or jingle money

Strange

I must admit to be completely blown away by the news that, until August, most transactions used cash. I know very few people that use cash for anything other than maybe beer. Surely anyone with common-sense uses their cards for all purchases (paying off credit cards monthly) to gain the extra protection and make the most of cash-back.

Gear4 UnityRemote

What a complete load of rubbish

Firstly, universal remotes start at about £15. Mine cost £35 and controls five devices with ease (the wife and a four year-old cope fine). So the £100 already looks pricey assuming you already have the required iPod or iPhone.

But then what happens when I go out and take my iPhone with me? Either no-one can use any of the electronics in the living room OR you have to have all five remotes sitting around AS WELL. Or another universal remote control.

I remember when all Windows Mobile devices had IR transceivers built-in and Universal remote software was available. Even then, when free, it was a pointless waste of time/brief "wow. Look at that" distraction because of the need to have another means available to change channels.

This is genuinely the most pointless piece of tech I've ever come across for £100. To see it score so well is flabbergasting. What were you thinking Reg? Has the eggnog season come early to Vulture towers?

LHC boffins turn lead into quarko-gluotic Big Bang incrediblo-stuff

Christmas

Do you reckon atom-smashing physicists decorate their labs/offices for Christmas? I hope so but I just can't see them running tinsel around the 27km of the LHC.