Posts by Vision Aforethought

Undead deleted photos linger on social networking websites

Lord Of The Flies

People, not wanting to sound old and crusty, but if you just study the history of Facebook and do some (deep) research, you will clearly discover that this is not a company founded on good will, but like an oil company, it will do anything to make money. (It's very origins are dubious.) Just as Google got burned with their Street View feature, these companies are run by people who while very savvy, are too young to be aware of their station. Meaning, they don't know the difference between right and wrong. Microsoft, for all their flaws, are run by wiser people who probably shudder at the blatent missuse of public trust by their younger competitors or partners. (Microsoft's service was proven to be the most reliable at deleting files.)

The decade of appalling (and embarassing) voyouristic celeb culure, 'reality' TV and worse has sadly created a generation of self serving people (and politicians, in particular here in the UK) who should not be in any position of power.

Google: Let us keep search data or die

@Midas Touched: Spot on

Values, like fees, are cleverly promoted to hook people. IE, "Our service is free - for the first 6 months." Likewise, "We do no evil - until we have enough of you hooked." I have to say, as someone impressed with some of Google's technology, it amazed me how stupid they are when it comes to some issues and their failure to monotise some of their offerings, when it would be quite simple, then they would not need to use these outlandish 'threats' to obtain yet more of our personal data. For example, there are now advertisements at the base of some YouTube videos, so why isn't Google making money of that? And how about improving Google Docs - and making it so good, people will pay for it? And then Google can encrypt all our data so it's as secure as we dignified freedom loving humans like it.

Daimler buys ten per cent of Tesla

Well deserved...

...Daimler Benz started it all with regards to the internal combustion engine, and Tesla are the first company to make a serious practical electric vehicle, so what better a partnership. This is probably the best news for the planet in a long long while due to the strength it will give the leccy tech industry. Now we need Better Place to be factored into the equation too.

The Great Spotify Mystery

Business model is easy...

1. As they are currently doing, insert ads into the playlist every 15 mins or so - just like radio. They can even advertise new tunes similar to ones you are listening too - as Apple's iTunes Genius does. (I object to any demographic info being shared - I want to be who I am, not labelled, but don't mind my music taste being shared with a 'puter.)

2. If Spotify listener wants to own the track, he or she can buy the DRM free file for use on their gadget(s) de jour.

3. If listener wants to have a Spotify party, with no ads, but with unlimited music, then why not allow them to buy (say) 6 hours of unlimited usage? (Buying tracks for a party is silly as you may not like all of them.)

Oh, and remember 'PONYUP', the first concept for DRM free music, possibly coming in the future.

ContactPoint goes live despite security fears

Easily the most unethical act by this gov...

...since their last unethical act. Anyway, this begs the question, at what age is the 'child' removed from the database? (By the way, if I had children, I would refuse their details to be held in this databsase unless I as a parent had FULL control over the information held.)

What we have here is a government so lacking in comprehension of their station (think Lord Of The Flies by William Golding) that they do not know when they sin nor see the dubious flaws in their actions. Just look at the expenses fiasco.

Vodafone gives up on roaming charges

This catch ridden offer offer is why...

...people are in so much debt today. Let's see now: a) Unlimited texts: Did you know that if you send a text longer than 160 chars, you pay for the two or more texts required to delivery the full message? b) 08XX numbers: They are not included in your free minutes, yet more and more firms are making them their point of contact, such as your bank or favourite computer manufacturer. c) You take advantage of this latest Vodafone offer, only to forget it expires in August and are billed into submission. Not to mention, you have to keep a list of countries on you. d) Sending an email is pretty much free (on a data plan), yet sending an MMS costs 38p! So much for technology making life easier. The issue here is not the cost, it is the deceptive terms that mean consumers will mistakingly pay far more than they intended, making cash flow management impossible - no matter their good intentions. Why are we British so easily duped?

Apple prepping 32GB iPhone 3.0?

@robin thakur: Yes, but...

...the iPhone is difficult to be creative with. It is, after all, a very slick money making machine for Apple. You buy one, and rather that listen to the latest tunes on the (FM) radio for free (as I do on my none iPhone phones, are forced to purchase music from iTunes, or apps from the appstore. You cannot use a stylus to get creative, nor beam pics, ringtones and tunes to your friends. And despite the excellent photo browser, if you want to carry nice photos on your iPhone, you have to go out buy a real camera, snap away, plug you iPhone into your computer, upload the pics to iPhoto and then sync with the iPhone. (And it's a pain, I have an iPod Touch V2 - lovely device, but the whole issue of sharing and other every day instinctive tasks is impossible. It is all very constraining.) Apple need to improve the camera, allow for finger or stylus input, make sharing content easier, extend the battery life and improve the call quality. Remember, for all it's brilliance, the iPhone is not a very good phone! (I often lose connection to my iPhone buddies as their batteries die or the signal drops.) On the other hand, a Nokia N95 8G does everything well, just not as slickly. The video recording is amazing, the camera is tops and it multi-tasks well. The Nokia Maps software and GPS are great - and work out the box for 3 months for free. And you can beam any content to other Bluetooth devices with ease. I currently have a Sony Ericsson K800i and Bluetooth my pics to my Macbook. Try doing that on an iPhone.

Again, the iPhone GUI is amazing and you are spot on about LG trying to copy it embarassingly, but they have built in a mass of features that make their phones useful. All said, as per my prior posting, Android is going to force Apple to open up. I have played with an HTC Magic, and despite initial sceptism, I was impressed with the GUI. It is fast intuitive and clever - even the on screen keyboard is more reliable than the one on the iPhone thanks to Google's nice finger proximity detection. And with browsers becoming more versatile and capable, 'apps' will become obsolete anyway. You'll simply hit a site and it will BE the app. It's all about the funky AJAX, dude. Watch this space!...

Sounds boring and lacking originality

The original iPhone, from a GUI angle, and then with the superb app store, was (and still is in some ways) a revelation. However, the world has moved on. There are phones out today with true multitasking, mechanical keyboards, FM radios, Bluetooth sharing and excellent cameras. (A resolution of at least 5MP plus a good lens is essential to create a print that looks good A4/letter sized or when viewed on a wide screen home display/Apple TV etc.) If all this next iPhone is is a slightly improved 3G iPhone, a lot of us (this poster included) will choose to a more flexible platform where the quantity of manufacturers will guarantee a phone for everyone. For example, the forthcoming 5MP camera & OMLED display equipped Samsung i7500 (and rumored 'Bigfoot' with slide out keyboard) - both run the rebelious open Bad (green) Robot OS. And that is not something Apple can afford to ignore. Open up Stevie, you cannot get away with being (overly) greedy and controlling forever...

(Good Stevie icon because he's learned before and as the wide range of iPods prove, Apple can appeal to a wide sector of the market when they put their creative minds to it.)

Palm Pré to launch right ahead of iPhone 3.0?

Well, paradigms shift

While Apple are currently rock solid, they have totally failed to take 'the cloud' into account - or introduce a downturn friendly OS X device. Palm, who don't forget, produced some fantastic devices before their flawed entry into the Windows Mobile world, are capable of some ground breaking innovation. If they produce devices that are tightly integrated into the cloud, affordable and most importantly, easy to develop for, they may make it yet. BUT only if they produce a number of devices, including an affordable 'Netbook' with a full size keyboard and even some desktop terminals. Their Folio may have been just a few years too early. But today, it may be relevant.

Apple's hardware today is in my view, while sexy, massively overpriced (their new laptops are based on yesterday's technology, even if well built) and not at all 'cloud' friendly. Yes, you read that correctly. Now if they produce a tablet based on iPhone OS, then Palm have problems because Apple will then have a full suite of devices.

Each time a major technoligical paradigm shifts, it is always new or 'different' companies who take the lead.

As it happens, I think the greatest threat to Palm is Android, not Apple. And in fact, Android, if backed with a killer app and some good games, could take them both on. It's all going to be about price over the next few years - and slick cloud integrations, something only Google and Android do well to date. Go play with an HTC Magic, and you'll see what I mean.

USAF slammed for pranging Predators on manual

Not surprising - if you have flown a flight sim...

...you'll know how hard it is to land. In fact, it is harder than landing a real aircraft where you can instantly look around to confirm your barings and 'feel' the aircraft using more tactile controls.

Even a well trained 'pilot' sitting in a room surrounded with displays cannot be as focused and on the ball. There is no risk (of death) and therefore no stress to generate the essential adrenaline required for such a focus intensive operation as landing a $$,000,000 aircraft.

Profs: Facebook, Twitter users are lazy, thick, amoral

I concur with this study

From experience in business and socially, I have found a direct correlation between the behavior of those who frequently use Facebook and/or Twitter. I do not count those who (like me) have created accounts simply to see what it was all about, but do not use the services on a daily, even weekly basis. Here are my (plain to see) observations:

1. Lacking in social skills that would be common prior to online communications

2. Exceptionally poor at returning communications of any sort

3. Socially short term. IE, will arrive for an event only to 'move on' later to another 'event' perhaps itself triggered by Facebook, Twitter etc.

4. Unfocused in their work, significantly reducing their productivity

5. Obsessed with their online status and number of friends or followers

6. Trying to impress 'someone'. Thing is, who?

7. Generally unskilled. None of the people I know who are excellent at something (music, coding, rowing, other aspects of life) have time to use such services that are a drain on personal productivity and the physical activities that are good for ones health and mental wellbeing.

The excuse that such services help people keep in touch is untrue. All those I knwo who are true friends go to the effort of exchanging new phone numbers and/or email addresses becuase they value their friendship to such a level they will make that effort.

Either way, while these services do have their pluses, they will not continue to grow once people realise their bodies have evolved to use all 5 senses.

Apple bullish on iPhone refresh sales

Apple are light years ahead

I'll be the first to critique Apple (they do screw up once in a while), but the iPhone (not the Mac or desktop OS X) really is 5 years ahead of the competition. When Apple announced the iPhone I believe they stated it had been 5 years in development. It shows. Today, I have acquired a Samsung Tocco UltraTOUCH 8MP camera phone. While the camera, video and radio are unique or way better than what iPhone offers, the GUI, while quite fun, is years behind where Apple were two years ago. I got to play with an iPhone yesterday again and as I scrolled through some Twitter feeds on it's slick smooth screen, I realised that it was very hard to argue against owning ANY other device. Even the top Blackberries, Nokias and Sony Ericssons have nothing that touches the iPhone's usability, stability and processing power. Ironically, I don't think enough people have toyed with one to realise this and Apple's marketshare could in fact become equivalent to that of the PC market that MS owns, IE, over 50%. Android, while offering creative possibilities to developers, fails as a 'solution' for the person in the street.

All said, if Apple fall over when it comes to DRM and application openess, another company with industrial and software design savvy could hone Android into something equal or better.

Brits not sold on eco handsets

Solar handset

Samsung and LG showed fairly reasonable solar panel equipped handsets - that would be useful as it could trickle charge constantly during the day - solving one of the two issues here, battery life.

It is sad people today are not as ethical or concerned as in the 70s and 80s. Back then, shows like Blue Peter encouraged charity and creativity, while today, it is self promotion, celebs and victim mentality. I know this is not the forum for such sentiments, but every day spent in the UK gets more depressing. Sadly, I'm probably alone on this so expect to be flamed.

Pure Flip Mino HD

Why not just use a mobile phone?

Why is it that companies produce these things when most modern phones (such as the new Samsung & LG models) can record video at 720 x 480? Not quite HD, but with the addition of stereo sound and a slight increase in resolution, that would mean one less gadget to carry around.

Why the iPhone's megapixelage alone won't matter

New Samsung ('Tocco 2') 8MP UltraTouch...

...that I am evaluating produces the most superb daylight images of any camera phone I have ever seen. (I have not tried the Sony C905 that is supposedly the best to date.) The Samsung doesn't have a Xenon flash, but for lower light snaps, the LED flash is incredibly bright. The phone (S8300) while not suited to business, is a great 'social' phone. (It also shoots video at 720x480 30FPS). If Apple can put this sort of camera in the next iPhone(s), it will mean less to carry around and of course, be idea for blogging decent quality pics direct to MobileMe, Flickr etc. The images from this Samsung are good enough for most photography needs. When viewed normal size in iPhoto on my widescreen monitor, (no zooming), it is impossible to tell them apart from those shot on my old SE K800i or even Pentax K10D. Agreed, when you zoom in, the lack of optical resolution is apparent (the lens in a phone cannot of course ever be manufactured to the size of the glass in a pocket digicam or DSLR), but for most uses, the quality is enough. And with more and more imagery purely for viewing online, perhaps shooting for A3 print quality is not longer going to matter for most people?

Brits build e-car friendly solar parking bay

Not a new idea...

...they have already announced and started installing these in the US, California in particular.

Either way, a good start. A blend of these atop 50% of roof space, with the rest of (strong enough) roofs turned into gardens, and we'll be sorted.

Phorm CEO clashes with Berners-Lee at Parliament

Phorm are the devile incarnate

These companies (FaceBook is no different) are run by people who never had ethics and have no comprehension of their station. Tim Berners-Lee on the other hand has wisdom, common sense and a compassionate forward thinking grounding, so speaks the truth. The sooner people rebel against any entity that collects our data and infringes on our privacy and dignity, the better. The long term soliution is the law, but the problem is, the government is in bed with the corporations because they like to snoop too.

OLED-equipped 'open source' EV shown at Geneva Motor Show

Vehicle 'skins' next?

So, in the not too distant future, we'll be able to hit 'SkinMyRide.com' and download le pattern de jour - perhaps even have your AutoSkin change depending on the time of day and location?

"No M'Lud, I was not driving a black BMW three series, mines the swirly green and yellow effect, well, it was at 9pm anyway..."

Reg Reader poll on notebook quality: results are in

Apple Macbook White 2009 model

Just got one of these. While the performance of the hardware is good enough for our needs, somewhere along the line, Apple have cut corners - something that I feel unfair considering that even at £719 this is a high price in today's market. (The aly Macbooks are way overpriced.) a) The casing is a bit flexy, even more so than our 2006 model Macbook Black. b) The keyboard feels cheap. c) The battery does not allign with the casing, in fact, it sticks out creating a ridge on the underside. We had considered getting a £500 Dell Studio as an alternative - that machine is built like a tank, has a super keyboard and many more I/O ports, including HDMI. Only reason we chose a Macbook was that OS X blows Windows away from every angle. Apple do need to bring out a touch SSD based 'throw it in your backpack' £500 Macbook. A combination of the tough ASUS EEE PC 901 and a 13" Macbook. And no CD/DVD drive. Who uses them anyway?

Wacky Jacqui Smith says whole country crusading against CCTV

@Feckless bint: Sounds like Oxford, am I correct?

Or is this every British city centre?

BTW, the day I arrived in Oxford to live for the first time in 20 years, I rounded the corner from George St onto Cornmarket St about 8pm on a Friday or Sat night. (I cannot recall.) Right outside the HMV shop lying on the ground in a pool of blood, was a young white male. His head was covered in blood while a throng of about 25 clueless Emos and others were simply 'looking on'. A 'friend' was on his mobile telling whoever he was talking to how their evening had been messed up by the (apparent) motiveless attack on their friend. (Someone had walked past and beat him senseless in full public view.) Anyway, stunned that not a single person of authority was around, I called 999 on my mobile. After getting them to send an ambulance pronto, I got put through to the Oxford police station. Before I finished telling them what was going on, the intelligent man at the end of the phone informed me, "Oh, it's ok mate, we're watching it on CCTV." Stunned (but not surprised), I told him in as polite leather hammer manner as possible that it may be prudent if they get off their fat arses and come help the young man and patrol the area, being it was a Fri/Sat evening and the people need protecting from themselves. (The ambulance and police did arrive within about 3 minutes - I then walked home satisfied that my job was done, but still worried about the young chap.)

I should point out that the local services here have done NOTHING to get the pack ice of the pavements making it impossible for the elderly and infirm to get around. Traffic wardens flood the city issuing tickets up until 10pm every day (Sundays too!) and they are on Cornmarket St ticketing immigrant cyclists at £30 a pop (a weeks rent to a starving student) for innocently cycling through the ped area. (No warning, just an instant fine!)

What we have here dear Reg readers is a government who implement a For Profit system of law and order. If they cannot make a penny out of an action (such as helping a young man lying dying on the street), then it's not worth dealing with really is it?

Britain has become a state so divided between those who profit from the misfortune or innocent errors of others, it fails to comprehend it's station. (I lived abroad, and returned to this horror - so it's more obvious.) And it will only get worse as fear based faiths and lefty control freeks gain more control of this nation. CCTV and other cold inhuman technologies automate our lives into one constant hell.

It is no wonder the BBC and lefties hate Mrs. Thatcher. For all her flaws, she had principles and stood for values that would elliminate the need for said technology and fascist dictats. Where's common sense when you need her? (Not in Ms Smith's world.)