Posts by Patrick 17

PowerShell comes to MacOS and Linux. Oh and Windows too

Bash isn't really comparable to Powershell. The closest Unix equivalent to Powershell that's in common use is Python. I script on Unix and Windows, Powershell is great for accessing Windows features easily and is a very modern scripting language. However, I doubt it'll take off on Unix or MacOS as most people won't want to learn it .. but it's nice to have another option available.

Shock: Brit capital strips Uber of its taxi licence

Nothing will happen. Uber will bribe some politician who'll override TfL's decision. They'll pretend they've cleaned up but everything will stay the same. TfL and Uber will both make out they've resolved the situation. Black cab drivers will continue to protest and block the streets.

Hold on, France and Russia. Anonymous is here to kick ISIS butt

Anonymous (which'll now be known as the 72 virgins) look increasingly sillier with each attention seeking statement they put out. They're pointless and their attacks don't achieve anything. I wish the media would let them fizzle out in peace.

My TIGHT PANTS made my HUGE iPHONE go all BENDY!

I'm an mainly Apple user and have cancelled my 6+ order because of this issue. It's disappointing that Apple didn't anticipate this issue - most people (males at least) carry their phone in their pockets. Seems like a rather serious design fault to me.

The same guy who did the bend video also has another video of the Samsung Note 3 which doesn't result in a bent phone or broken glass.

Gay hero super-boffin Turing 'may have been murdered by MI5'

I always got the impression from Andrew Hodges' 600 odd page book on Turing (The Enigma) that the cause of death was rather ambiguous. If he was murdered then it will have been well and truly covered up by now. Much like we'll never know whether Gareth Williams was murdered.

Ho, ho, HOLY CR*P, ebuyer! Etailer rates staff on returns REJECTED

I spent over 6 months fighting with Ebuyer to return a TV I had ordered that they'd sent with an incompatible power supply. I had to complain to trading standards in the end. I'll never order from them again. At least with Amazon you get a decent returns policy.

Norks EXECUTE 80 for watching DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

There's a large amount of misinformation in our media about NK spread by groups with an interest in destabilising the government. If there were 10,000 witnesses then the report will be substantiated in the near future through other news sources, but in the meantime we can expect all Western media to print it as if it's solid fact as they've done with various other false stories (and neglected to publish corrections).

When I visited there I was told by both Brit and NK guides that SK soaps are quite popular there despite being banned and were sold at some markets. I'd be surprised they'd kill 8 people in front of 10,000 for a minor misdemeanour - it'd only weaken the government even further. They're more likely to target political adversaries.

Google smacks Surface with free Quickoffice for Android, iOS

Saves paying for Apple's office suite

Good for iPhone/iPad users too given that Apple has only made its office suite (Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto and iMovie) free with iOS hardware purchased after Sept 2013 -- ie. everyone else (the vast majority) still have to pay. Perhaps Apple will feel compelled to make their suite free for everyone rather than see more of its user base move to Google products?

Lenovo to ship all new PCs with Start Menu replacement

Pokki is utter rubbish, full of deceptive links to their app store. Start8 is definitely the best option out there (and I've tried most of them).

Crusading lawmen want more details on Apple's iOS 7 'Activation Lock'

Can't the thief just check the phone user's email address in the mail app then go to the apple website and use the forgotten password function to reset it?

There are websites offering to change the iPhone IMEI for a fee, I suspect this lock thing will be ineffective against a phone plugged into a laptop and overwritten with a jailbreak.

Review: Philips Hue network enabled multicolour lightbulbs

Bit of a gimmick

There's no need to change your light fittings - you can buy screw to bayonet adapters for about £2 on Amazon - they only add ~2mm to the bulb depth. I've had the Hue lights (I use with an iphone) since last year - they are a bit of a gimmick and I rarely use them these days other than as plain lights. I've got brick walls in my flat and the Hue router occasionally has trouble reaching the furtherest away bulb. The IFTTT.com site could make them a bit more fun though.

Anonymous joins forces with arch-enemy The Jester against Norks

Why do the media bother giving coverage to the rather pointless Anonymous? Their actions here are so pointless and achieve absolutely nothing other than making them look pathetic. Why don't they use their brains and attack South Korean and Chinese companies trading with DPRK and thus providing foreign currency to prop up the regime? Perhaps because that would require a bit of effort and research.

NORKS switch off 3G data for tourists

Story is wrong

At least according to Uri Tours's blog today:

https://uritours.com/blog/entry/3g-service-still-available-for-tourists

3 million Freesat receivers now out there, and boxes to get YouTube

The annoying thing is that Humax released their Freesat HDR1000S Freetime box with the Ch4 & Ch5 icons on the packaging yet both are still unavailable for in the past viewing. The box is littered with bugs including missed recordings. I wouldn't recommend it until they get serious about sorting out the bugs. If you mistakenly purchased one, you can add to the list of bugs here: https://sites.google.com/site/freesatlist/issues

Tiny tech ZigBee harnesses puny power of the press

Wireless switches sound a great idea - would reduce the cost of wiring a building by a fair amount.

I've got the Phillips Hue system at home which uses Zigbee to communicate with each bulb (you can control each individual bulb locally or remotely via phone, computer, etc). One thing I find annoying is that the hub can't always contact the the furtherest away bulbs (about 10 metres but around corner with thick brick walls). This is probably specific to the Hue system, but I wonder how far the radio signal from these switches will be able to travel and how it'll cope with obstacles.

Lloyds TSB, Halifax tech stumbles into the cold, goes titsup for hours

It's interesting to read this story. My mortgage payment from LTSB to Halifax went out last night but hasn't been credited to the mortgage. I rang Halifax's mortgage helpline this morning and they denied there was any sort of a problem and to check tomorrow. As a result of this I lose out by about £35 of interest charges.

North Korea releases first computer game

Game isn't fake; economic cooperation with DPRK is a good thing

Cooperating economically with DPRK/North Korea is the best way for it to gradually become a regular country. Trade and markets are slowly improving the lives of DPRK's citizens and allowing them to be less dependent on the government (who are clearly corrupt and uninterested in supporting the population). China has the most influence over DPRK and is pushing DPRK into becoming a market economy. Sanctions are making things worse for the average citizen (the government can always get around them).

To the person who said the game is fake and not from North Korea - you're wrong. Koryo Tours is a British company that takes tours to DPRK (and various other countries). I've travelled there with them myself. One of their guides, Hannah, helped publicise this game - she was recently pictured in the media on top of the pyramid of doom (Ryugyong Hotel) - the first Westener to go up there. They've done loads of projects with North Korea - the most recent being a North Korean film that's just been shown in a South Korean film festival. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryo_Tours if interested.

Freesat downs own website after Downton quickie

An addendum to my comment:

You can't record or watch HD channels with 'Freesat from Sky' but you can do both on BBC/ITV Freesat. The HD channels on Freesat are BBC One, BBC HD, ITV1, C4 & NHK (Japanese news).

It should be noted there are two services in the UK called "Freesat". There's the well known BBC/ITV Freesat or "Freesat from Sky" (that you get when you cancel your subscription).

For Freesat I'm using the new Humax HDR-1000S box which lets you scroll back in time in the programme guide to watch previously broadcast programmes. Though it currently only works on BBC & ITV with C4 & C5 coming "later".

It's sold with 500GB or 1TB disks though you can replace it with a 2TB one for storage for more recordings. See http://myhumax.org/forum/topic/hard-disk-upgrade-using-wd20eurs-2tb if interested.

There's a comparison on channels offered by Freeview, BBC/ITV Freesat and Sky Freesat here:

http://www.ukfree.tv/allchannels.php

Amazon steps over Groupon's festering corpse to set up UK deals souk

http://local.amazon.co.uk/Central-London -- Amazon's Deals site looks to be as bad as all the others. Full of the same deals - massages/facials at failing salons, dinner at low rated empty restaurants and so on. Often these offers are the same as what you get if you visit the venues' websites and look in the offers section.

I've used KGB Deals, Wowcher, Groupon & TimeOut Deals. I've found TO Deals to have the most unique London based offers. GroupOn is definitely the worst for spam that's hard to unsubscribe from.

Does anyone have other Deals sites recommendations?

Chinese passports to get chipped

North Korea

When I visited North Korea last year we were told (by British guides) that NK (DPRK) has several hundred thousand Chinese visitors each year because they're able to go there without needing a passport or permission. I guess the Chinese don't have to worry about them not wanting to return home. Apparently the Chinese visitors like it because it reminds them of how China used to be.

There are only about 2000 Westerners who visit NK - it's easy to visit but expensive as you have to be accompanied by guides, Chinese pay about 10% of what Westerners pay.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android smartphone

Disable keyboard vibration doesn't work

My partner bought this phone yesterday but can't find a way to disable the keyboard input vibration. The vibrate when typing option makes no difference whether it's ticked or not ticked.

Has anyone else come across this bug or am I just looking in the wrong menu?

Inconvenient truther hints at multiple iPhone October

I have a friend who works in the iPhone team of a very large UK internet retailer. He says they've been told there will be a slimmer & larger screened iPhone 5 (similar to Samsung Galaxy) and a cheaper cutdown iPhone - presumably the S model. Though who knows how reliable that info is.

'The most ambitious project at eBay for a long, long time'

What issues is this upgrade resolving?

This article would be more interesting if the author listed the current weaknesses in Ebay search and how the new Hadoop based search is going to resolve these.

Apple ups Mac Mini spec, lowers price

Disk too small

500GB seems so small when it comes to disk space - would probably have bought one if it was 1-2TB.

Apple annihilates Wall Street performance estimates

Android impact

It'll be interesting to see what impact Android has on their next year of figures.

Android seems to be taking off now as people become more aware the phones are cheaper and offer similar functionality. I'll definitely look into buying one when my iPhone contract finishes as the iPhone is too expensive in comparison.

Three unlimited data plan gets no tie-in option

Why is PAYG unlimited but monthly not?

I can't understand their pricing logic: for SIM only at £15 a month:

a monthly rolling contract offers: 1GB data, 300mins, 3000 texts

PAYG monthly topup offers: unlimited data, 300mins, 3000 texts

Iranian state telly bins foreign cuisine

Bit pointless

All the takeaway food I had in Iran a couple of years ago was perfect. The meat was absolutely delicious and all the veges were very fresh.

It's good if they're going to act to prevent the awful fried chicken and crappy hamburger shops that you get in the UK.

Though, I can't see the point of restricting the TV channels -- much of the population have satellite dishes and can receive foreign TV.

Sage Pay upgrade glitch forced poor password picks

Still no iphone option?

Sagepay doesn't work with the iphone - it used to for a while but then they changed a HTTP header and seem incapable of fixing it.

I've been forced to purchase a number of products on sites that don't use Sagepay as that's been easier than locating a PC. I contacted the sites to let them know and they said they knew about it as other customers had complained. It surely can't be that hard to fix?

EU to lift flight ban on carry-on liquids

Huh?

Does the author not fly or is he based in the US? In the UK Duty Free is usually on the flight side of airport security and there is no problem with taking booze and liquid purchases from there onto flights.

This scanner would presumably means we can now take bottles of water and so on from home onto flights.

Cameron cocks up UK's defences - and betrays Afghan troops

More cuts required

From the recent tv documentaries it sounds like there are massive inefficiencies in the armed forces. Hopefully these cuts will go into clearing out those. Merging resources with European military forces sounds sensible to me too.

Humax HDR-Fox T2 Freeview HD DVR

Still no remote record facility?

I have a Humax FoxSat (the Freesat version). It's a nice piece of kit. There are plenty of pages on the web with details on how to replace the hard disk with a larger one.

My biggest disappointment with Humax and their new internet connected boxes is that they haven't offered a remote recording facility. This would be fairly simple for them to setup and would mean we'd all be able to record programmes from our iPhones/Androids when away from home like with Sky+.

'Jetpack' inventors: US military showing interest. Honest

Crash and burn?

Interesting opinion pieces on them here:

http://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2010/0906.shtml

http://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2010/0830.shtml

Apple eyes kill switch for jailbroken iPhones

Sounds a good idea to me

Having been attacked & robbed of an iphone by a gang, it's frustrating that nothing could be done. So I'd be happy to see a remote disable feature that can be activated if requested by the phone's registered owner. The Police can block the phone from being used in the UK but they claim that stolen phones are just shipped off overseas. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the people involved are able to change the IMEI for continued UK use (they do so with other phones).

Remote killing Jailbroken phones is a stupid idea and will just result in more antagonism towards Apple.

BT Tower to open for first time in 29 years

BT Tower email ticket lottery

A helpful page for those wishing to visit:

http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2010/08/16/booking-opens-to-visit-the-top-of-the-bt-tower/

Swedes decline to FCKU2MF

E II R

I remember in NZ one guy managed to register "E II R" (with that spacing) based on the initials of his name, Eric Rice.

It wasn't until later when there were complaints the numberplate people realised the significance of it.

Want cheap international calls? Pay foocall for the privilege

Not foocall

They may claim their calls cost foocall but in the countries I checked they're more than double that of their competition.

This is a good comparison checker if making international calls via a landline:

http://callchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/intcallchecker/

Consumer Reports: 'We were wrong about the iPhone 4'

bumpers

Friends who tried to return theirs recently because of the signal issue were offered free bumpers (at an O2 store).

Sky punts 'truly unlimited' 20Mb/s broadband

O2

O2 only traffic shape their non-LLU customers - ie. those on BT exchanges that don't have the O2/Be equipment installed. Their account package is known as "O2 Access".

You can check whether an exchange is LLU for O2/Be here:

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php?page=availability-exchange-search

Grundig 500GB Freesat+ HD DVR

Humax

I've got a Humax box and recently replaced the internal HD with a 2TB disk. I've got mine connected to ethernet for iPlayer which makes a the box very useful.

One feature I'd like to see for internet connected Freesat boxes is the ability to remote record (as offered on Sky+).

If this box offered iPlayer and remote record then I'd definitely switch to it.

Freesat to get BBC iPlayer on 7 December

Hope it's better than the Wii version

I've got a Humax Freesat HD box with an ethernet port, so will be looking forward to trying iPlayer out on that. Hopefully at least some programmes will be available in HD.

I did try emailing [e-mail] a few weeks back but they responded and said the trial was only open to a "very small" number of participants.

I downloaded the Wii BBC iplayer channel last night and was disappointed - video and particularly sound quality is poor.

Anti-filesharing laws are go

more business for the Swedish anon VPNs

Filesharers will just start using Relaxxs, IPredator, and so on -- that's if they haven't already. This bill won't achieve much.

Though it will be interesting to see what rewards corrupt Mandleson will receive from the billionaires with yachts to whom he constantly seeks to sell the Government's lawmaking services..

Japan torture flick sickens UK film censor

Little point in banning it

Effectively banning it is rather pointless - all they've achieved is to bring more attention to it.

Anyone who wants it can just download it from thepiratebay etc.

Mrs Slocombe's pussy vanishes from Twitter

non-story

Isn't this just because the hash tag is too long in length? You can't search any hash tag over a certain length ..

Nokia N97

Disappointing

I moved to an iPhone a year ago after an N95 (and always had Nokia mobiles prior to that).

I've used resistive screens on several touch screens (hate them) and cannot understand why Nokia would use one on their new flagship phone -- they're so bad to use once you've used a capacitive type one.

Stephen Fry's N97 review was spot on. The N97 just sounds like a touch screen and keyboard badly shoehorned into the Symbian OS.

Nokia have seriously lost their way. I do hope they sort themselves out before they shrink into oblivion.