Claimed...
Any word on how these 'modded' boxes are detected? Or is it just those who've been accused by other people on XBL have been booted?
112 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Jun 2009
This is one source quoting one angle; unfortunately for fans of shooting down everything Microsoft, there's a perfectly good report saying pretty much the exact opposite, pointing out that Microsoft's share of search advertising dollars has INCREASED over the last year - report here: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=139620
This is an interesting illustration of the grey area into which local authorities are moving. For example, other local councils in London provide residents' cards offering cheaper leisure centre activities, skills training and so on. But at the moment these use the old-fashioned system of recording applicant details at the time of application, but then simply checking that the card looks valid every time it's waved at a service.
Hillingdon is going a step further by actually making sure that the back end and the front end match; whether it's intrusive is unclear, but it's reasonably apparent that most such services will move in this direction eventually. So - intrusive ID* or logical offering for residents' services?
*I should point out I'm against blanket ID databases in principle; but I'm left quite confused about this one
It's a somewhat worrying trend: the G20 demonstrations and police violence illustrated perfectly that when they think they're not identifiable in photos, the police feel that they don't have to be accountable for their actions, be that beating up protestors, setting dogs on sedentary happy clappy climate types or simply not wearing numbers. In a way it suggests that they're above the law... which is a worrying trend, and makes them more akin to secret police than civilian services.
And as for Filament - 'possibly offensive to women' - really?!! T&A is fine in a man's literature magazine, and not offensive to women, but a man's tackle is out of order, in a magazine bought only by women looking ? WTF?!!
I own the D2 DAB and have done for a couple of years and do really rate it. Unfortunately, it's just about the only player in the market at the moment that handles expansion cards well (as John B mentioned above) and has decent sound quality. However, the DAB reception, while a great idea (Test Match Special on the move is always welcome!), seems quite sensitive to location and position of the headphone cable.
OK, I may not agree with some of his other views, but surely he should be applauded for his all-too-brief stint of plain-speaking? Of course the problem is that while Twitter has a remarkably low penetration (for something that generates so much press/ tw*ttery), lots of people will be association be outraged...
I find it interesting* that while phones such as the iPhone, Palm Pre et al have detailed reviews encompassing ease of sending messages, use of keyboard etc, the WM handset reviews invariably focus more on the graphical interface, built-in camera, if present, and so on. Obviously not all handsets can have a 16-page review, but it's a bit shonky, and reviews like this really don't add a huge amount to a decision-making process
*-I say interesting, but it's often irritating
I for one will be looking to take the train where possible from now on, as frankly the 'requirement' from dodgy airlines like Sleazyjet and Ryanair that you give them passport information etc is getting right on my wick.
Shame it's taking companies to stand up for our basic right to free travel within Europe without scrutiny every step of the way, though.
As a former Shuttle owner I was interested to read the review - personally I'm impressed by the way Shuttle constructs their systems for air flow and cooling, and it's generally worth the premium you pay for the SFF.
However, I found mine to be very sensitive to ambient temperature changes: in winter or an air-conditioned office it was stable, but in summer, or with slightly restricted airflow (or possibly underneath a TV, for example), heat build up was much more of an issue. In the end I switched to an off-the-peg gaming laptop, and touch wood I haven't had the heat-related problems of the Shuttle.