Posts by IT_Frogman

Freeview HD - your questions answered

Disappointing

So just as most of the non-technical population gets used to Digital TV, they change the rules again? This will just add more confusion to an already confusing environment full of half-truths and spin - you only need to see the comments above to see how many people don't understand how it's all working!

For the moment I'll stick with Satellite derived HD - mainly because they have the highest bandwidth.

On Freeview, the best thing that they could do is shut down all those little dodgy gambling channels and shopping channels, and increase the bandwidth available to the rest, meaning better picture. Of course, they won't do that as it would mean they would make less revenue to pay for the system. :(

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

Anti-Competitive?

Definitely. Although it remains to be seen if anything was done about it.

As an aside, I've been lucky enough to be trialling a few handsets recently for a business test alongside the iPhone (BB Bold 9000, Nokia N96/N97, Various HTC Handsets, Sony Xperia X1 amongst others) and to be honest, nothing still comes close. Although I am almost 99% positive I will move my contract to Orange in February when my O2 contract expires. Unless they can give me a huge discount on my tariff for the same stuff I get now (unlikely).

For the haters - If you've never used one and you're in denial because you hate Apple or hate the thought of the phone, then how can you comment if you've never used one?

You should read http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/28/charlie-brooker-microsoft-mac-windows

James Martin apologises for cyclist outrage

@AC - 10:45

"If you dropped the smug attitude and as long as you didn't hold me up every bloody day (and for more than a few seconds too) then I wouldn't have to hate you."

I think you hating cyclists is the least of your worries. I think the problem here is you need extra space because you are unable to control your car properly, due to the space you need around it for your enomously inflated ego. Do you have a private plate on your car by any chance?

Disappointing

I cannot believe quite how intolerant people are of cyclists!

The views expressed in this thread just show what is wrong with this country, and the arrogance of those who think just because they drive a car that the road is theirs and theirs only. Previous bad experience with bad cyclists only go to compound your views, but actually you're being discriminatory. As someone else posted - because you can't get your bigoted views out on a racial minority, is it kick a road minority time?

I notice most of the outspoken people are hiding behind the screen of anonymity.

To be honest - the more of you that stay off your bikes and in your virtual little metal bubble, the better for those of us who enjoy freewheeling through the country and know what it's *really* like. :)

As I said on the other thread - I'm just glad Apple don't make bikes as you'd all have exploded.

(BTW - I do drive a car myself, but have some tolerance towards other road users).

Cyclists give TV chef a Wikikicking

Disappointed

As an IT professional, an avid and long time El Reg reader and commenter, car driver (who pays over £400 a year in VED) and cyclist, I'm actually very disappointed with a stack of you for showing how bad you lot can get. You have shown what an intolerant lot you can be at times!

However, I'm glad Apple don't make bikes otherwise I'm sure a few of you would have gone into a frenzied meltdown and the levels of sectioning being carried out this evening by the mental health services would have gone into overdrive!

You have to remember, from your highway code, that a cyclist has as much right as you do to use the road. Paying vehicle excise duty does not give a car a divine right over the road - so get over your impatience when a cyclist is in front of your car - they have as much right to be there as you do.

There are car drivers out there that are much worse than most cyclists - especially the old men with the flat caps and cushions on the back window, that drive at 20mph everywhere and don't understand the rule of the right of way when the parked car is on their side of the road.

How pissed off would we all be if Lorry Drivers decided to get all arsey (after all, they pay alot more 'tax' than we do to be on the road) and think that forcing cars into hedges was good sport? Bus drivers already seem to think that cars are fair game - the 'please let buses pull out' sign should read 'please let buses cut you up at the earliest opportunity'.

As it is, I do get very pissed off with Red Light Jumpers (just search any cycling forum for RLJ and you'll see how many other Cyclists do too), and those who seem to think that riding two abreast is acceptable. I saw two this evening whilst on my way home, and I was sad thinking it just doesn't help the cyclist's case.

BMW offers e-Mini tryouts to UK drivers

London Only?

Typical London-Centric Attitude again.

To make this realistic they should test it up here in Yorkshire where the hills are steep and the battery would be punished :)

Tesla Model S poses for cameras

Just stunning

Probably one of the best looking cars out there.

And Holzhausen is the ex lead designer at Mazda - so there is more than just a little shade of the mazda 6 and all the new mazda range come to think of it.

The reason why it looks like any other car? If they made it look too ultra-modern, no-one would buy it. I think this looks very much like a car that will sell by the bucketload assuming the price is right. However, they are just leading the pack - if this takes off, expect world+dog to release a viable electric car - but they would have to compete with the best aspects of the tesla to work.

Hopefully this will spur development of better, longer lasting and more powerful batteries (see the Sony press-release last week about their new Lithium batteries) much like Mobile phones and laptops have driven the battery market so far.

Sony reveals slim PS3, drops price

Sold Mine Anyway

I had a PS3 for about 6 months. Apart from watching Blu-Ray movies I didn't use it for much else. Possibly the odd play on Gran Turismo. I did manually upgrade the Hard Disk, but it was a bit of an expensive white elephant. (I have an Xbox which is ultimately a much better games console)

I ended up getting a much better Sony BDP-S550 from Amazon (for a very very cheap price - at the time £10 less than the S350! Methinks they messed up the price) to watch Blu-Ray films on, and sold the PS3.

As it happens, all the Sony Blu-Ray players are designed so you can't stack anything on top of them. The BDP-S550 and S350 are so shallow depth-wise, you cannot put anything on top of them - they have to sit on the top of the stack.

'Norfolk Broads Idiot' nailed on YouTube

Unsurprising

I was on holiday on the Broads a couple of weeks ago. Especially up near Horning and Wroxham there seemed to be a massive population of day rental boats driven by pissed up lads who had the boats running at full tilt all the time. The broads authority patrols seemed fairly powerless to do anything. We were moored at Wroxham broad one afternoon and the patrol boat had to warn endless people about speeding.

Although just as bad were the £250k gin palaces that come in through the sea locks in Yarmouth and Lowestoft and think 5 or 6mph is for wimps.

Had one come past me like he was on fire - the ocean going gin palaces are 800bhp twin engined jobbies that'll do 20-30knots easily

All the rental boats are limited to about 10mph, but none of them have a speedo, so if you're doing 1900 revs with the tide you can be doing 8mph, but maybe only 4mph if you're going against the tide. I took a little GPS with me to check my speed as they radar check you everywhere!

Camera catches Samsung's OLED iPhone wannabe

Video Quality?

Antipodean lady - 'Look how bright the video looks on the Organic LED Screen?'

Me - 'Shame it's only running at seemingly 12 frames per second and very juddery. Here - look at my iPhone playing the same trailer at full frame rate and sharper image'...

:)

iPhone 3.0 - born on schedule...

@matt 40

'no folder in camera'...

I though that - but it's not what you think - try taking a picture and see what happens...