Posts by cordwainer 1

MYSTERY of 19th-century DEAD WALRUS found in London graveyard

Gesundheit.

You MERCILESS FIEND... you put that audio file on AUTOPLAY

What part of NO AUTOPLAY ANYTHING don't web designers get...

considering it has been listed as one of the Top Ten NoNos in every "Dos and Don'ts of Web Design" article for the past 20 years?

NO autoplaying video. (I use Click-To-Plugin myself. Nothing plays, or even loads so much as a preview frame, unless I want it to.)

No autoplaying music. (I listen to music often, with headphones, while I work. Aside from some moronic site interrupting one of my favorite songs, and my concentration to boot, the commenters who noted the volume of "surprise" audio is usually painfully high are absolutely right.)

No autoplaying voices. I know how to read. (And the product the speaker is so excited about is usually a scam anyway.)

Any site that manages to slip ANY autoplay item past AdBlock and Click-to-Plugin gets specifically blocked. Permanently.

Extreme? Look, the world has become a constantly noisy place. It's one of the reasons so many of us are irritable all the time. We're bombarded everywhere we go.

Silence really has become worth its weight in gold, and 1000 times rarer.

UK discovers Huawei UK staff auditing Huawei kit: Govt orders probe

Re: General Principles

"The United States is no longer a normal civilized democracy. People, including U.S. Citizens, can be whisked off by the government to Guantanamo without due process and held there indefinitely, while any incriminating documents are somehow "lost."

"The NSA believes it is acceptable to spy on anyone in the world, including its own citizens, also without probable cause, warrants, or due process - yet hypocritically, along with Great Britain, believes the alleged "right" to collect any and all information, secretly, and keep it indefinitely, should be reserved only for "democracies" that would never DREAM of abusing it.

"Of course, thanks to the many holes in their systems, and the numerous leaks, no agency such as the NSA can give credible assurances that vulnerabilities haven't been designed into its equipment - even if the threat may still be overblown at present because of the technical difficulty of not getting caught (thanks to whistleblowers such as Snowden).

"In the future, though, much more insidious vulnerabilities and abuses of legal and democratic processes and human rights may be possible."

There - fixed that for you.

Windows 8.1: So it's, er, half-speed ahead for Microsoft's Plan A

Re: If car manufacturers were to do the same...

That comment would seem to imply that a desktop computer and a mobile device are analogous, to the point having the same interface makes sense. However, it's pretty clear they are not. Just because a mobile device such as a smartphone - or even some tablets - performs certain computing functions doesn't make it a personal computer.

All are tools which perform certain tasks and functions, some more complex than others, some requiring greater processing power...and some requiring a completely different interface for smoothest use.

But what's even MORE worrisome about Windows 8 than the dumbed down previously-Metro interface is how much functionality and how many features were also ripped out from UNDER the hood. It isn't just a matter of looks, or, to use the automobile analogy, paddle shifters instead of the standard stick. There are some serious changes to the underlying code and how Windows handles routine tasks, including many worrying omissions, that make Windows 8 unsuitable for a majority of professional and business environments, and even a huge number of home users.

Maybe, just maybe, if everyone used computers only for email, web browsing, and word processing, having a "consistent" interface, or dumbing down the OS to such an extent would make sense.

But anyone who uses their desktop computer as a heavy-duty tool for dozens or hundreds of tasks - from system administration to desktop publishing to gene sequencing - will be not only frustrated but balked by Windows 8. No matter how much one might TRY to like it, adjust to it, slap third-party interfaces on top of it....it simply can't handle much of what Windows has historically handled. It WILL trip up experienced Windows users at some point, regardless of their level of expertise.

The anger at Microsoft is specifically at their boneheaded assumption that users as a whole care more about form than function, and that "one size fits all." Sorry, MS, but most of us still care more that we be able to get our work done, work that comes in millions of sizes and shapes....and in Windows 8, you've failed even to get function right.

Showing bad form in the interface and with regard to customer feedback is merely the insult added to the functional injury - one Microsoft is obviously trying desperately to hide.

Re: Search as primary means of navigation?

"the 83-speed gearbox is in the back seat; the steering wheel is hidden in the glovebox and there's 3 anchors and a parachute hanging off the back.

made me laugh out loud (which in a house that had been otherwise silent for over an hour scared the daylights out of the cat, thanks a lot...pardon me while I fetch the stepladder and attempt to detach the feline from the ceiling.)

Boffin's claim: I have found how to get girls into tech

Re: Big deal, I can get tech into girls ..

Nicho's comment didn't refer to a woman's "sexuality." It referred to women as if they were, all in all, nothing more than a few handy orifices into which objects can be inserted.

"Objectifying" a human being means acting or speaking of them as if they have no brain or mind, no intellect or ability, but are only an object to be used for a physical purpose.

Whereas sexuality is a combination of the physical, mental and, for many people, the spiritual - sexuality is not a synonym for sexual activity, but a term referring to every aspect of one's intimate physical feelings and relationships - whether or not batteries are included.

Those who clam Nicho's comment is actually "objectifying" men rather than women are ignoring who is controlling the "getting into" part, and who is being treated as a brainless hole.

Flash flaw potentially makes every webcam or laptop a peephole

Re: Surprise! > Chrome

There are not only PPC but also Intel Macs still running OS 10.5 Leopard, and even 10.4 Tiger. Chrome won't work on those either as it requires OS 10.6 minimum.

Fortunately, however, many of those Macs are still vulnerable to the Java exploit that must be manually dealt with in older OS versions. So while users may not get the exhibitionist enjoyment of being secretly voyeured via webcam, they can still look forward to other forms of clandestine computer control :-D

Apple reveals payouts for parents of in-app purchase nippers

Re: My darling daughter

Completely agree with your reply, nicely stated. (Though I admit to mixed emotions with regard to the original comment, given there ARE parents who do such genuinely appalling things even I sometimes wish a parenting license existed.)

The future of cinema and TV: It’s game over for the hi-res hype

Re: organic transcoding

Which one of Monty Python's four Yorkshiremen are you?

Our week with Soylent: Don't chuck out your vintage food quite yet

Re: don't chuck out your vintage food quite yet

Most sites where one can sell old stuff define "vintage" as 20+ years.

Foodwise still quite a stretch, yes, unless one counts wine or beer (isn't beer sometimes called "liquid bread"?) . . .

Except for Necco wafers, which I understand are so artificial as to be almost indestructible. I swear I remember a story some years back about a stash of decades-old Necco wafers that were still perfectly edible, and apparently almost indistinguishable in taste from new ones. Anyone else recall the article or have a link to it?

Bon appétit ancienne,

[atomic bomb because it's labeled "Eat this" and because the ancient Neccos were probably found in a fallout shelter]

Ground control to major strum: ISS's Hadfield sings Space Oddity

Oh, my...

Tears in my eyes

Apple asked me for my BANK statements, says outraged reader

YGTBFKM

That acronym is the only possible response....and mind you, I've been a Mac owner since 1985. But I swear some of their decisions the past few years are jaw-droppingly, mind-bogglingly WTF??!!!!

It all used to be so easy, and friendly, and fun, and my hardware was so simple to upgrade and add to, and my OS so....so....stable (sob)

Weeping and forlorn,

c

Adobe kills Creative Suite – all future features online only

Re: 'It's NOT what it looks like!'

Pervert

Re: Just made a Corel user out of me

Adobe has confirmed if you stop paying the subscription, the software stops working. That's what the objection is to, not the purported "cloud" aspect.

It's not cloud software, really, that's the problem. The software resides on your computer, yes. It doesn't require you to be online 24/7, no.

The problem is, it's software rental. The product will no longer be purchasable. The End User License Agreement terms will be completely altered. You will no longer be able to buy software that works indefinitely unless you are willing to pay a monthly fee indefinitely.

Your are correct, however, that uses aren't dependent on a daily basis on Adobe's servers, and that failure to connect ALONE doesn't disable the software immediately.

Re: On the other hand?

Yes, any number of posters have already noted the same potentially positive points you did. A subscription model is wonderful for a lot of businesses and individuals. It simply isn't wonderful for everyone.

The negative reactions all seem to be an objection to being shoved against the wall with only one option: buy a subscription, or going forward you won't be able to use the software at all without one. Stop paying monthly, and "your" software will stop working.

(BTW, I have to ask: what is the difference between marketing to "organisations" and "end users"? The "end user" is the entity using the software, whether the entity is a group or an individual. That comment doesn't seem to make sense - could you clarify?)

Re: Some clarifications

"If you stop paying the subscription then of course your software stops working."

That statement as a whole, and the phrase "your software", are mutually exclusive. If it's my software, it should go on working for as long as my hardware and OS are compatible with it.

If nothing else, this makes a subscription-only model untenable. As others have pointed out, businesses and individuals will not be able to access or use old files created with the subscription-only software that has stopped working.

I have lost count of the number of clients who go back to files from years ago and need to make changes to them for some newer purpose.

Being unable to do this makes a mockery of the entire concept of "backup" in general, and again simply makes "your software" a, well, direct lie.

End users need some control over their tools and the products created with those tools. Adobe is taking away as much control as possible, and all control under some circumstances.

Sorry, but I can't see how this is anything but a "lose/lose" situation over a period of more than, say 5 years. And 5 years is NOT that long a time. Good luck being able to do anything with "your" files in 10 years, as you actually can now.

The problem as always is that "one size fits all" doesn't....

A monthly fee works for many companies, may even be more cost-effective. For others, it's untenable, possibly to the point of financial impossibility. Many will no longer be able to stay upgraded to the "latest" version, because they can't afford to go on paying forever.

I paid, happily, for my copy of CS5. It was an investment, and well worth it. But I can't afford a never-ending ever-increasing monthly payment.

Well, OK: I expect that, to an extent, when it comes to overhead, e.g., electricity, rent, etc.

I don't expect it, or intend to incur it, when it comes to purchasing "tools." Nor do I believe it is fair for a company to "sell" newer, better tools ONLY to those who can afford to make larger and larger "payments" forever, yet never end up owning anything.

Obviously, if Adobe sticks to this decision, "renting" Adobe tools will become the only option. As a result, If a company or individual can't pay a monthly fee for however long they are in business, or however long they need the Adobe tools they currently use, they will either be forced eventually to give up Adobe tools completely or, if dependent on them, go out of business.

How does that benefit anyone, even Adobe? And why can't they offer both options, for that matter?

Companies are not only trying to lower day-to-day expenses, they want more control over FUTURE costs. It's no longer affordable - or practical - for any but the largest corporations to be at the mercy of arbitrary price and fee increases when it comes to business-critical tools and functions, including software and IT in general. Even the "warhorses" of enterprise software are starting to lose market share in favor of open-source alternatives, customizable and controllable in-house or with minimal outside assistance.

Yes, a subscription model works beautifully for many. It is the best and only option for some. However, where it doesn't work - where it doesn't "fit" - it tends to fail miserably.

I have to wonder if there aren't hidden costs as well. For example, what are the tax advantages/disadvantages of purchase vs. subscription? Is there as big a tax write-off or deduction for a software subscription as there is for the purchase of something like Adobe CS? And so on.

If "cloud" madness continues to infect those who make some of the best "tools" on the market - to the point companies and individuals can no longer purchase tools they've used for years, but only rent them - a majority may have no choice but to look at and/or switch to tools from other manufacturers.

(Psst...All you graphic software companies out there? Your biggest competitor just knocked themselves out of the running where product PURCHASE is concerned. So go for it. Good luck. We're all counting on you.)

Google's Schmidt calls for 'DELETE from INTERWEBS' button

But why does Schmidt REALLY want this... :-D

1) There's never been any such thing as a right to be forgotten. Even in pre-digital ages, stupid and harmful things people did when they were young and foolish came back to bite them later. That's life. You can't legislate away consequences. Spend the time and effort instead teaching kids to understand what they do today can potentially completely screw up their lives later. Laws that only "bolt the stable door after..." etc. are useless.

2) Too much information already gets erased from the sum of human knowledge, whether we intend it or not. On the whole, given enough time, society inevitably loses huge chunks of both irrelevant and useful data. Even what we really NEED to keep - what we benefit from preserving - is too often trashed. The last thing we need is laws increasing data attrition.

3) Far, FAR more worrisome than being haunted by the past? Digital information storage gets us no closer to preservation of NECESSARY knowledge from one generation to the next. In fact, it may have worsened the loss of knowledge.

For example, as has been discussed ad nauseam, we can still read documents recorded on stone, clay, papyrus and paper, from thousands of years ago. Groups and individuals used to honor oral traditions as well. But we've short-sightedly argued digital storage is superior to these "antiquated" methods....despite the scary fact we have NO guarantee digitally-recorded information, in any format, will be accessible or recoverable a hundred years from now, much less a thousand.

Heaven forbid we compound this looming potential disaster by handing people a more effective way to wipe out archived data.

4) Society can't afford to "forget" some things because of the harm a "right to be forgotten" could do to society as a whole. One simple example: criminal records of ADULT offenders should never, and hopefully will never, be expunged or forgotten. For society to "forget" most crimes would eliminate one of the biggest deterrents to crime.

Sure the fear of being dogged by a criminal record for the rest of one's life won't deter everyone. And sure, some people will have trouble escaping mere association with crimes, even victims of those crimes (and I do sympathize with innocent victims).

However, the knowledge breaking a law today can crush your future hopes, dreams, and achievements, ruin your life; prevent you ever getting what you most want...well, that's a proven deterrent to crime, a proven deterrent to a lot of stupid, potentially disastrous actions. Stopping and thinking about the consequences does a hell of a lot more good than trying to go back later and erase the record, pretend it never happened.

Besides, people go on turning their lives around and recovering from past actions, even horrible ones - and they do so without begging for the past to be "forgotten". They acknowledge what they did, make amends if they can, and build a better future where they don't do those things anymore.

======

So when any individual starts pissing and moaning that the past should have a "delete" key, the first question I ask is: What does that individual WANT everyone to forget? What is there in that person's past that would warn others not to be, say, the next victims of a similar "mistake"?

Let's ignore the technological ridiculousness of Mr. Schmidt's statement (a delete key for the Internet? Sheesh, what a maroon) and direct our energies toward a worthy and more enjoyable goal: Finding out what Eric Schmidt would like to make go away...and why it matters to him all of a sudden.

Scuttlebutt, anyone? I'm all ears. :-D

Thousands rally behind teen girl cuffed, expelled in harmless 'explosion'

Re: OOPS! Why all the downvotes?

I'm confused about what the downvoters are downvoting - in other words, could someone clarify what the downvoters are disagreeing with?

That it's easy to purchase household chemicals with which to make some kind of explosive? That's simply a fact - kind of hard to disagree with.

That Gumby doesn't think the girls should have been charged? I don't think so either - it seems a ridiculous overreaction to the what happened - and the majority here seem to agree, so why would that sentiment be downvoted.

That the girls were stupid? Well, I would have phrased it differently. THEY probably aren't stupid - but what they DID was kind of a stupid stunt, because they did it at school instead of somewhere they wouldn't have gotten in trouble for a chemical experiment. They pretty much knew what was going to happen.

That making something go "bang!" on school grounds merits a short suspension? That's fairly common. And Gumby has a point - some experiments can have rather disastrous, or life-threatening consequences.

That most of us as teens did similar things? I kind of doubt "most" of us pulled a prank like that at school (pranks are still a minority activity).....

but Gumby has a point here too: in public or taxpayer-funded locations, there is less tolerance now than there was in the past for pranks that might cause a bomb scare, i.e., for anything that resembles an explosion or gunshot.

I didn't upvote Gumby's post, by the way, didn't see any reason to vote one way or another.

But COULD someone clarify what is being downvoted? I'm not understanding what's so objectionable about the comment....what am I missing?

Software bug halts Curiosity: Nuke lab bot in safe mode

Um...

OK, a lot of this is over my head, and I'm no expert on Shannon, solar phenomena or interplanetary chats.

But how the hell is that theory related in any way to the problem of communicating clearly with Mars when the Sun is in a direct line between it and us?

A solar storm can spew enough electromagnetic interference to black out the entire province of Quebec, make the Aurora Borealis visible as far south as Florida, cause underground electrical currents on Earth, disrupt at least 200 power grids across an entire continent, jam short wave radio, and send a bunch of satellites tumbling out of control for hours. Even the effects of lesser storms can be noticeable and problematic in similar, if milder, ways

All the damned redundancy, compression, checksumming, or whatever on the planet can't guarantee similar interference won't royally FUBAR communication with Curiosity, possibly for good depending on what garbled version is actually received.

Especially considering a message to Mars is NOT going to be a relatively safe 90-ish million miles from the Sun, but traveling through its immediate neighborhood. At the mercy of often unpredictable, nearby events, aimed in random directions, such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, high-speed winds from coronal holes, and charged particles zooming along an inconveniently intersecting magnetic field line.

NASA has done some dumb things for sure, but you'd have to be an utter fool to try sending a command to the rover while the Sun is dead center in the line of transmission . . . or to cite that Wikipedia reference in resp . . .

Oops! That almost went ad hominem. My apologies.

Here's the $4.99 utility that might just have saved Windows 8

No, there are HUGE differences, even for "regular" people

There is a long, long list of features and functionality removed from Windows 8, including features "regular" people use (whatever that means, considering most Windows users are familiar with the basics).

Check out some of the lists of "features removed in Windows 8" all over the internet. Some of them are going to frustrate and trip up both home and business users rather badly.

By the way, Windows 8 doesn't HAVE a "Start Menu", so what do you mean by the "start menu's size"?

Is world's first space tourist Dennis Tito planning a trip to Mars?

Re: Just what you need

No, it's not true. Yours is that special contempt that appears whenever people rightly point out there is certainly a place for spending on exploration and pure curiosity, scientific or otherwise - but there is a moral problem with allocating funds to research another planet when too many people are actually dying from lack of life's necessities, such as sufficient food, basic housing, even minimal medical care, etc.

Plenty of people are indignant at obscene spending on private jet fleets too, or blowing $500,000 on a necklace yet never giving a dime to charity, etc., etc.

Many poor people, by the way, are also excited about scientific discovery and space exploration . . . but not if it turns out the funding for those was increased while funding for food, education, health care, and so on, was decreased.

We simply can't keep robbing from basic needs to fund desires - and it doesn't matter if the ones stealing are the rich or the government or the guy next door who connects his hose to your outdoor faucet to water his desert-climate perfect green grass lawn. Anyone would be indignant at going thirsty for the sake of grass - ditto for starving while Curiosity snaps photos.

And, no, that "indignance" is not special or specific to science. It's your average humane indignance at warped priorities.

Said by someone who is, at present, extremely poor, but still enjoys following Curiosity's discoveries . . . but who also has lived in a homeless shelter for 6 months for lack of medical insurance to treat the condition that kept me from being able to work for almost 2 years. There were no funds to help me get off the street, as I'm single with no children. A few thousand of the hundreds of millions spent on sending probes to Mars would have made all the difference, you see.

Higgs data shows alternate reality will SWALLOW UNIVERSE

Re: Moot

How is a statement of probable fact "trolling"? Humanity, sadly, doesn't seem to be overcoming its tendency toward mass violence, or the bigotry inherent in the "us vs. them" fear-based struggle for survival. I certainly hope DAM is wrong, but he's hardly the first to point out we're rapidly running out of sufficient resources for an ever-increasing population. . . and, as a species, unwilling to work together to share those we have.

Re: however, as we all know

No, the cake WAS true.

But someone left it out in the rain. Now we'll never have the recipe again. Hélas.

Official: Cloud computing invented by two technophobic old geezers

Re: One is Buzzword Compliant

Is that BWC 9000 or 9001?

Samsung mocks Apple lawsuit in SuperBowl teaser ad

Re: Au contraire...

Your phone may not have been cheap, but at least it wasn't cheap.

[Score: Language flexibility-1; Chance of worldwide mutual comprehension, ever-0]

Kill that Java plugin now! New 0-day exploit running wild online

Re: Does it work on Linux?

Also the in-flight seatback system on many major airlines, you know, the little screen that lets you play games, see your flight progress and airspeed. etc. I know it runs on Linux because I've seen it reboot (one of my row-mates pointed at it and said, "Hey, why is there a penguin on your screen?)

Speaking of which, what OS do the PLANES use?

"Prepare for boarding. . ."

Re: Yogi Beera. . .

Might you mean Yogi Berra? (I think Yogi Beera is the guy who said, "It ain't over 'til it'sh orvrrrzzzzz...)

John McAfee the Belize spymaster uncovers 'ricin, terrorist plots'

Re: WTF

There is probably something wrong with my brain, but the "extensive spork network" substitution set me giggling helplessly to the point of hyperventilation. Please don't do that again.

Who's using 'password' as a password? TOO MANY OF YOU

Re: This is victim blaming!

Er . . . we DO tell people not to enter other people's houses and take their stuff, don't we? Or did I misunderstand what "laws" are?

:-D

I'm sorry, your post is missing required data . . .

You omitted the name of your former IT manager's current employer ]:->

Just bought an Apple product? Need support NOW? Drop an F-BOMB

Isn't it true ANY word not in the system's vocabulary will work?

I may be wrong, but I think MOST (though certainly not all) systems will transfer you to a representative if what you are saying is unintelligible, i.e., the word you use is not part of the voice recognition system's "vocabulary".

If so, it's possible the f-bomb IS in some systems' vocabulary, along with - for all one knows - an entire dictionary of Verbalizations Associated With "frustration approaching the point of homicide, suicide, telecide, or recording the attempt and uploading it to YouTube as "Voice Mail HELLLLL!!!!!!! [F-bomb] YOU [insert company name here]!!!!!!!!!"

I base the above partly on a limited knowledge of a few voice mail systems, and partly on the spectacular success I've had reaching a human being simply by reciting Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky". Without pausing. In its entirety if necessary.

My only failures have been with systems apparently flow-charted to eliminate f-bomb and gibberish nonsense, in which all of a number of increasingly terse variants on, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't get that . . ." eventually lead to, "We seem to have a problem. Please try your call again later."

However, if my understanding of the underlying algorithms is entirely off the map, please feel free to respond with courteous corrections and/or vicious mockery, as usual.

c

Re: Hitting # or * a few times can sometimes work too

Also "representative"

Nobody knows what to call Microsoft's ex-Metro UI

You've all failed to notice Microsoft's nefarious plot...

"Windows 8 Store Apps" may be official, but even speakers at the BUILD Conference reverted frequently to the shorter "Windows Store Apps", as does Microsoft's own Dev Center. Those forced to say it repeatedly will, as people tend to do, shorten it further to WinStoreApps or others of that ilk.

Microsoft knows this, of course, but has seemingly failed to provide an alternative to the original, reasonably snappy, 'Metro'.

Don't believe it for a minute. After all, haven't they stuck basically to "Windows Store Apps" for months now? A term with an obvious - even prophetic - acronym neatly built in? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Surely I can't be the only person who looked at the phrase "Windows Store Apps" and immediately thought, "What the... WISTA?!"

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Rally, people, rally, for we're in the fight of our lives. The Wista UI is the VVista UI. VV for VVengeance.

VISTA II

Rejected it, did you? Thought Microsoft had swallowed its defeat gracefully, as it did the crushing of ME? Made peace with Apple, talked nice about Open Source? Fools! Can't you see what's right in front of you? Wista UI is nothing more than its alter pronunciation and ego "VVista We", promising an experience multitudinously worse than ME (plus the additional drama of lawsuits from Nintendo).

Laugh at the WUI if you dare, but brace yourself against the "WuoooooooooooEEE!" braying through the halls of techdom as Windows' latest incarnation calls you to the upgrade trough.

Yet the horror of Vista reincarnated pales beside the appalling prospect the Wista UI might spread to older versions of WIndows, even to other OS's.

You scoff. I see. Tell me, do you really think Microsoft hasn't already locked and loaded a titillating taste of Tiles, aimed at the unwashed masses unwilling to upgrade? The myriad mockers of the Micro$oft way? Even the Fruity and Sphenisciform challengers of The One True OS?

Does a Ballmer sweat in the woods?

Mark my words. No WIndows OS is safe from the risk of being retroactively overlaid with the Wista UI; the threat of such potential abominations as WINTSTA, XP SPWISTA and - I shudder to think of it - Vista Wista.

(I'll get my co. . . Oh. How convenient. The contents of my closet are already on the lawn.)

Hmm, I think I'll order an iPad Mini on Amazon ... Oh no I won't

Oh c'mon people

It's a reductio ad absurdam, but it points out a real problem with advertising in general, and some types of feature comparisons. Both tend to mislead buyers, and neither consistently answers the primary question:

Will the product do what the buyer needs it to do?

Is it a tool capable of performing the task the buyer has in mind?

I can look at Amazon's comparison - or MaFt's sarcastic version - all day, and they're equally useless for determining if I can, for example, transfer all my MP3s, from an ext2 formatted USB flash drive, then play them in order or shuffled or in playlists...Oh, and also have the tablet check the Internet for associated album covers once a day to fill in ones I'm missing.

Yes, an absurd example. But MaFt is correct, "Sadly" a number of buyers will be misled by a product comparison of the type posted by Amazon.

Seeing two items compared leads people to believe they are comparable. Worse, it leads some to believe they are equivalent.

Advertisers know this. It's part of the psychology of advertising. No matter how irrelevant the information for the buyer's intended purpose, advertisers and marketers know a clever comparison will inevitably make a percentage of people believe even wildly different products are somehow interchangeable.

Let me repeat that:

Comparison charts like Amazon's are designed to make a certain number of buyers believe two products are equivalent. Interchangeable. Capable of performing the same functions. Close enough to each other, there's no "reason" to buy the more expensive one.

Like MaFt, I dislike that kind of chart. But what he attempted to say via sarcastic example, I prefer to say flat out:

I dislike those charts because they are designed intentionally to mislead consumers. Every word in them may be true, but the end result is much a lie as the most blatant false advertising, which to my mind makes them worse.

So one upvote from me for MaFt

Re: Or . . .

"Sense" of humor possibly? I'm a long-time Apple user myself, and I plead guilty to past fanboiage. Um, well, yes, perhaps the occasional relapse. Also eating the pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie in one sitting. And speeding. Once. Maybe twice. (ahem)

But DJGM still owes me a new keyboard.

Re: Both products are a big fail.

Well I'll be hornswoggled...It's the Old Time Religion. You don't get that kind of evangelical fervor from today's fanbois (sorry bunch of johnny-come-lately's and where were they when the rest of us were in the trenches fightin' for our last Performas)

"iPad 4 is the only true tablet. . ."

Let me hear you say AMEN !

WD blames hard drive woes on dominant mobile gear, feeble PCs

Re: gfwfg

But at least they float

Pirate Bay moves to the cloud to confound copyright cops

Re: Quality and slickness

Hear Hear! Though could we include the U.S. Congress while we're at it? A cloudier bunch would be hard to find.

NZ bloke gets eel stuck up jacksie

Frankly...

I'm more worried about, "Have students write and illustrate their own stories about an eel," depending on how many young students have read THIS story.

Work for beer, Neil Gaiman's wife tells musicians

More to the point: how is AFP not violating the Kickstarter rules...

Out of curiosity I've been looking through the Kickstarter guidelines, and found this page: http://www.kickstarter.com/help/prohibited

The list on that page is titled: "Prohibited Items and Subject Matter," and underneath, "In addition to our guidelines, there are some things we don't allow on Kickstarter," one of which is "Financial incentives (ownership, share of profits, repayment/loans, etc)"

It's clear the intent is the prohibited items may not be used as "Rewards" for backers. (BTW, Rewards are required, and may not exceed $10,000 in value. A list showing number of $5 backers, $100, $1000, etc. would make it probably simple to see how much of AFP's "budget" was spent on rewards, including how many $10,000 Rewards AFP is paying).

But it also seems pretty clear "things we don't allow on Kickstarter" includes "repayment". Somehow I wonder if that doesn't include repayment of loans made BEFORE a Kickstarter project was started.

AFP wrote:

"first i’ll pay off the lovely debt - stacks of bills and loans and the like - associated with readying all of the stuff that had to happen BEFORE i brought this project to kickstarter. for the past 8 months or so, i wasn’t touring - and therefore wasn’t making much income - but every step of the way, there were expenses. so, during that time, i borrowed from various friends and family who i’d built up trust with over the years."

Yes, well, where is the itemized detail of what expenses comprise the $250,000 she gives as the total of all that? Exactly what is the cost of the recording (made BEFORE the start of her Kickstarter project), noted only as "pretty whopping"? What bills? What expenses?

Moreover: considering "loans" and "financial incentives" are not allowed as Rewards, how has AFP gotten away with listing the Loanspark Collective - a company SHE helped start - offering "creative interest" as an incentive for interest-free loans?

If I contribute to a project that receives over $1 Million Dollars, I expect the required recipient accounting of how the money was spent to be an actual report with actual numbers - not an emotional, badly-written narrative with vague references to "expenses" and "bills" and not "making much income" for 8 months prior to the Project start.

By the way: I'd also note Ms. Palmer received almost $200,000 more than the winners of TV shows such as America's Got Talent and others of its ilk. None of those winners seems to have had any trouble financing everything they need - INCLUDING paying musicians - in order to produce their first "project".

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the guidelines, so I welcome input from anyone who can clarify what is and isn't required and/or allowed by Kickstarter.

Admittedly cynical,

c

Wikipedia collapses threatening the very fabric of civilisation

Re: the Klingon children!

Won't somebody think of the Klingon children?

Where but Wikipedia can we quickly gain a grasp of their culture and language? I don't notice Britannica providing this vital information. Isolationists, all of 'em.

Microsoft dumps Metro from Windows 8

My apologies for the off-topic rant, on topic...

Please note the acronym for The Interface Formerly Known As Metro, read backward, is MAKFIT, so I vote for calling it the MAK interface.

Second choice would be dogs, of course, in keeping with other OS's animal motifs. Perhaps:

Microsoft Poodle - The First Non-Shedding Windows. No More OS Allergies!

Re: Metro is so Retro, so they should call it

The biggest problem is making the damned thing mandatory. Sure, some people will love it; some commenters are already defending it. There's no reason they shouldn't like it....except when they go on to claim the naysayers must stupid if they can't figure it out.

Nope. We're not stupid. We simply don't WANT to use it. We see no real benefit in it, aesthetically or as part of a tool intended to get things done.

Nor do we want to support the fast or slow retraining of end users and waste millions of work hours for no good reason. And let's not even go into the incompatibility with existing software and hardware that has become the norm with every new Windows version, costing the end user more wasted time and money.

How hard would it be for Microsoft to offer a "The-Interface-Formerly-Known-As-Metro" option for those who love it, and leave the same old consistent, everyone knows it already, Start Menu/Toolbar/Desktop for everyone else? Particularly corporations?

Who are, by the way, in huge numbers still using Windows XP. (Haven't any of you checked in with, oh, maybe a large U.S. health service or hospital lately? They can't afford patients dying because of a tiny incompatibility with Vista discovered a bit too late...say, while the doctor is performing surgery).

I'm not a Microsoft hater....but I am fed up with them spending more and more time trying to "compete" in areas where they are playing catch up, instead of seriously digging in and giving us the kind of OS they used to be capable of.

Sorry, MS, my customers are in droves sticking with XP, the ones who got new computers with Vista or Windows 7 in the majority don't like it in comparison (some loathe it). The ones who never used Windows before, not so much of a problem, because they mostly only use it for web browsing, word processing, etc., online email, and they assume the little quirks they encounter are normal.

But older users, especially the businesses I support? Most of them are asking WHY they need to upgrade when all it means is frustration and expense? I'm trying to get them to give 7 a chance-how sad that is.

The home users go on about how they particularly hate Mail, not being able to set up separate users like they did in Outlook Express, and major gripes about windows constantly Snapping to full screen (until I show them how to turn that off - not real easy for your average user to find, you know? And why the hell would you make that the default anyway?)

Maybe you scoff at those as small things, but MS, you aren't getting the point: Those small bits of frustration add up after a while - a ribbon here, an over-simplified search interface there, another change in terminology - is it Shut Down? Turn Off? Are they the same? What happened to My Documents?

Every minute of productive time a user loses, while they wrestle, however briefly, with something different that didn't need to be changed - that seems to have been changed solely for the sake of change, or "hipness", or a marketing team's suggestion, or to be more like a competitor (why?) - builds up.

Lose enough minutes, and you've lost an hour. Lose an hour of time you intended to spend on a task, because the tool you use to accomplish it was redesigned and no longer comfortable or familiar...well, an hour is a lot of time to lose if you're on a deadline, or have promised to be at your daughter's baseball game.

It doesn't take much before another Windows user snaps....and asks me about getting a Mac. Or about, "that Linux thing".

Congratulations, Redmond. Your own OS is becoming the best free advertising there is for other platforms. Daddy Bill must be so proud.

Beak explodes at Samsung's evidence leak in Apple patent spat

Re: Have the courage to speak up under your own name!!

LOL - OK, you have a point there. The "Have the courage..." was intended as more cartoonish, but the whole thing came across as a rant. I apologize and withdraw the comment as overlly snitty and pompous. May I try again?

I really do think (sorry) it's ridiculous to suggest, Judge Koh should be investigated for, or suspected of, taking money from Apple. There are no facts, no evidence to support an accusation of bribery.

Yes, it does frighten me how many online discussions seem to sneer at the concept of "innocent until proven guilty." It's disturbing how prevalent assumption of guilt is - demands the "obviously" guilty be punished immediately, no need for a trial - you can SEE they're guilty! Um, yeah, I think that's a little scary.

So I also can't agree there's "obvious" bias based solely on commenters saying the judge "seems" biased. It would be nice if they included examples, because I haven't seen any evident bias in this case yet.

What I do see is Samsung made some bad mistakes. Not submitting the Sony evidence on time is just one. Ruling that evidence inadmissible was not "bias", but adherence to rules of evidence (unless you can show Apple also submitted evidence late that was admitted). Going public can only come back to bite Samsung; e.g., if they lose and file an appeal, they've tainted any future jury-selection nicely.

Though I will admit, it's hard not to assume all corporations "bend" the law when convenient, including Apple.

p.s. What's wrong with Cordwainer 1 :-(

Re: Have the courage to speak up under your own name!!

LOL - OK, you have a point there.

The "speak up under your own name" part was meant as more cartoonish than anything. But you're right, it came across angry. My apologies. I withdraw the comment as overly snitty and pompous. Let me try again, as more of an adult:

I do think it's going too far to suggest Judge Koh be investigated for, or even suspected of, taking money from Apple. There is nothing I can see, no facts or incidents to support, the suspicion of bribery.

I don't see how excluding Samsung's evidence shows anything except their attorneys made a bad mistake. I also haven't read anything explaining WHY they screwed up getting the Sony evidence in on time.

Unless someone can show Judge Koh admitted evidence from Apple that was also submitted late, her decision looks like strict adherence to rules of evidence, not bias. (Of course, the expectation is she will be equally strict about all evidence, and all rulings.)

As far as "innocent until proven guilty" - that's a comment I'd make about thousands of on-line discussions. It does scare me how many people seem to believe it should be the other way around. (Yes, even corporations...though I admit it's hard not to think of them as guilty of something most of the time.)

p.s. What's wrong with Cordwainer 1? :-(

Re: Evidence

I'm sorry, but is the definition of "bias" in your comment that you feel the judge is ruling too often in Apple's favor for your taste?

Following Rules of Evidence is hardly sufficient reason to question a judge's impartiality, especially to the extent of investigating her for taking bribes.

Otherwise a judge's partiality could be questioned almost every time he or she made a ruling for one side or the other. Accusing a judge of impartiality on that basis would be laughable.

But so is stating "obvious bias" and questioning Judge Koh's partiality based on....what? You don't seem to have given any reason for your statement, or provided any proof of "bias", obvious or otherwise.

Your comment, to me, is instead a scary example of why the innocent often have a LOT to fear...from people like you, who believe they should be "investigated" on the basis of nothing more than, perhaps, disagreement with their ruling, or even with the law itself.

Scary because you wrote as if one of the most important concepts underlying U.S., U.K. and many other countries' jurisprudence doesn't even exist. Or did you simply forget even a judge is: "Innocent until proven guilty"?

Provide some evidence yourself, or withdraw your baseless, faceless accusation Anonymous Coward!

And next time at least have the courage to speak up under your own name!!

Cowards. Bah.

Screenplay

Of course, Production to begin as soon as the trial is over. Working title is

"12 Angry Smartphones"

(i hear Alec Baldwindows is playing the Zune!)

Airline leaves customer on hold for 15 hours

excellent synopsis, and question

I've been writing a number of articles on customer service, and the concept it's not actually that expensive or problematic to do it right. Is there any possibility I could use your comment in one of the articles? I'm not sure how Reg readers go about contacting one another, but if you might be amenable, I'm sure we could figure it out.

It is amazing how "penny wise and pound foolish" companies are; also how they don't get it's far LESS expensive to adopt the concept of the customer being always right. Obviously the customer isn't, but the expense of proving it is senseless.

Regardless enjoyed your summary of ridiculous, unprofessional events, cheers,

C

Anonymous declares war after French firm trademarks its logo

Er, about your banter....

All good up until "numpties". Obviously, from context, a derogatory term, but would you be so kind, if you have a moment, as to provide a trustworthy translation? Many thanks,

Literate but "missed that one" in California