Posts by That Awful Puppy

Fujifilm X-Pro1 16Mp compact system camera review

While I haven't yet had a chance to try the Fuji lenses, and the Leica lenses are far beyond my reach, financially speaking, you really shouldn't put Olympus lenses in the same basket as the others. I shoot Nikon now, mostly due to my penchant for enjoying pictures of black cats in coal mines (and the occasional band in a dimly lit club, though the mines are usually at least three stops brighter), but oh those Zuiko Digital lenses. The good ones (i.e. not the kit zooms) defecate all over Canon's L offerings, after dumping a substantial, erm, dump, on Nikon's top of the line glass. If the XF lenses are even close to ZD, well then, I reckon the missus might just scalp me in the near future.

WANT!

Not that I have the money for it, of course. Well, there's always the OM-D.

Nikon D4 DSLR review

Re: How much? @Glesga

Oh, but there is a need to do post. While film tends to have a character of its own, the digital files (in pro cameras at least) try to be as neutral as possible, leaving you more latitude for post, which is exactly why you HAVE to do post (even if it's just a general curves, saturation and sharpness adjustment).

I know that in most cases, I fine-tune the exposure manually in post (Yes, I'm the kind of loser who's often off by 1/3 of a stop, if not more. I know, I wouldn't last a day back in the, erm, day.), then just apply a nice curve/sharpening/sat preset of my own making, and well, Bob's your uncle. Not a lot of work required, but FAR more control than with film.

Disappointed

10 comments so far, and still no obligatory "Well, this doesn't even come close to my Hasselblad."

If Hotmail was a person it could have kids now. But it would be a crime

In my unfortunately very limited experience in such matters, the 15 minutes include the disengagement of the bra strap, frantic attempts at the removal of the belt, the "did I put it on the right way around" meditation, as well as the post-coital "I need to say something cool now" deliberation. As to the 2 minutes 7 seconds, well, you, sir, are a stud among men.

Joking about one person forcing the other to have sex with them = incredibly unfunny.

Joking about the lawmaker's apparent inability to anticipate teenagers disappearing behind the bike shed and coming (oooh er) back in 15 minutes = mildly funny and only offensive to prudes.

Neal Stephenson on swordplay, space and depressing SF

Re: Fanboi

Oh, do fsck off, I nearly got over that odd craving, then I remembered it's been almost a year, if not more, since I last read the Baroque Cycle. Well, at least I'll get some exercise out of lugging those three bastards around again.

Canon debuts EOS M compact system camera

> 2012

> Still banging on about open sores support in a camera.

Pentax K-01 16Mp APS-C hybrid camera review

Re: I'll stick with my aging Hasselblad & CF-39 back ...

I'm sure it takes fantastically detailed images of your cat.

NASA counts down to nuclear tank invasion of Mars

Re: Excuse my ignorance...

Of course the foot is no less rational than the metre. After all, it's trivial for anyone to convert feet into, oh, let's say, miles (after you guess which kind of mile we're talking about). So, how many miles in 457 feet?

On the other hand, converting say 457 metres into kilometres requires the wholly counterintuitive process of shifting the decimal point a three places to the left.

Re: Stop!

I just laughed out loud at the mention of lithobraking, earning me a few odd looks at the cafe. Well done, good sir.

Facebook replaces non-Facebook mail addresses on Timeline

All your email are belong to us

Etc etc.

Gettin me coat.

Apple's iPhone 5 connector said to be a control freak

Re: How about Apple spend some time fixing the damn power cables?

I still use the cable I got with my iPod nano in 2007, and my other Apple cables have also failed to, erm, fail yet.

Are you a hot BABE in heels and a short skirt? SCIENCE is for YOU

Re: In real life ...

Not sure. In my class of about 60 people, there were about 35-ish women, of whom at least 20 were passable, with about 10 being quite lovely. One of these is now a proper, if slightly Gothic, MILF, and I've lost track of the others.

That was Biochem, mind. Pharma, in our neck of woods, is renowned for having a world-class collection of totty, as is Medicine, while Chemistry, and anything that has to do with electricity, is really fecking awful.

In real life ...

There are loads of eminently shaggable science students and scientists. But of course, having them take their kit off and posing for a calendar would be sexist.

Hiring three models and having them behave like complete idiots, on the other hand, is EU-fecking-approved. After all, the video has the all-important racial diversity.

Reloaded Doom 3 shoots onto shelves this autumn

Peasants

I had a DX2!

Voyager ticks one box for interstellar arrival

Here's to humanity in general

And to the fantastic blokes who built the damn thing.

How about we start concentrating on such things, rather than on building fscking commercial satellites?

Americans stand against UN internet-tax plan

Re: "and the UK ISPs want to know why they shouldn't get some licence-fee cash."

You know what, I live quite a distance away from the UK, and I would very gladly pay the license fee + a bit extra just to have access to BBC programming. As it is, I pay 132 EUR per year for the privilege of watching complete and utter drivel on our national TV, and - get this - I pay this not because I own a telly, but because I'm connected to the national electricity grid. No way out - you have electricity, you pay nice gentleman money for TV, or nice gentleman break knees.

Syrian secret police endorse male hair remover

Oh my

Haven't laughed so hard in ages. Actually had to piss sitting down in order not to splash my kidney champagne all over the bathroom, I was laughing so hard.

US doc finally fingers elusive G-spot

Re: Journal of Sexual Medicine?

How about lightening up a bit? It might be pure, erm, bollocks, it might not be. The story is fun to read, but not nearly as much fun as looking for the damn spot, whether it exists or not.

Pint, because you deserve one for providing us with the other side of the coin, as it were.

Death Star dinosaur aliens could rule galaxy

Sounds likely.

About as likely as me schtooping Monica Bellucci.

Windows XP support ends two years from now

I love XP

I have a few XP virtual machines I to run really poorly written legacy software I earn the majority of my living with, and at the end of the day, I just shut down the virtual machine and enjoy the declining loveliness that is OS X.

NJ lab claims plasma fusion breakthrough

Re: Re : "Would it ... fit on the head of a shark?"

Yes, a fairly sizeable one, though I imagine it would be thoroughly cooked as well. I think my non-sexual fantasies will start shifting towards "sharks with friggin <jolly destructive technology with almost no waste heat>". Alas.

Re: No radioactivity?

No difference between helium nuclei and alpha particles, other than the energy they have, but alpha radiation is stopped by a bit of air, and as the helium nucleus slows down, it acquires two electrons from a reputable donor, turning it into delicious He, which is a good thing, because we're running awfully short of the stuff.

As to the atoms, well, the enormously high temperature makes the electrons go "I'm outta here!", leaving just the nuclei. In case of H, this is just a single proton, and in 11B, there are 5 protons and a 6 neutrons. Combine the two, as the article you linked to explains, and you end up with a single nucleus of 6 protons and 6 neutrons. These, however, are unstable for reasons far beyond my comprehension (and that of most mere mortals, top boffins excluded), and split into 3 He nuclei with 2 protons and 2 neutrons each + a rather decent amount of energy. As mentioned above, the alpha particles thus created are then slowed down and turn into lovely helium, making this almost too good to be true, if they ever manage to scale it up.

Battling remote-control helicopters

Re: Range

Actually, the civilised world uses metric, full stop. It's just you lot that still do road signs in non-metric units, and the less said about the the uncouth heathens on the other side of the pond, the better.

'Thermal cloak' designed, could solve major chip, spacecraft issues

Re: much bigger than spaceflight or cloaking stuff, or even cooling chips..

Mr Entropy would like to have a quiet word with you.

Lingerie-clad she-devils romp past watchdog

Re: So for all you guys out there...

Yes, some men would be offended. And I'd tell them to shut up, because they could take it. Or, if they couldn't, they'd beat me up, which is quite frankly preferrable to reading pseudofeminist whining about non-issues.

Re: How to mark International Womens Day

"Apparently, not distinguishing between fact and fiction is OK, as long as you can complain about it."

Fix'd that for you.

Re: So for all you guys out there...

Some of us would, yes.

I tend to prefer my naked flesh to be of the female variety, but you know, whatever rocks your boat. And I'm quite sure there are a few gay commentards who don't enjoy the sexuality portrayed in this video, as well.

How about you calm down, maybe watch a few ads you enjoy, and try to not be all stoplikingwhatidontlike.jpg?

Coat, for obvious reasons.

Anonymous smacks Panda in revenge attack

Re: Getting even!

In a way, yes, it's quite silly. On the other hand, it's tremendeously bad publicity for Panda. I mean, would you really hire a physical security company if they got their lobby vandalised every time they apprehended a suspect?

US shuts down Canadian gambling site with Verisign's help

Re: global law

See also: stoplikingwhatidontlike.jpg

Quantum computing in our lifetime - IBM breakthrough

Re: Re: Fusion is one exception

Actually, cure for cancer isn't a real thing. Cancers are very different from one another, and it's impossible to find a silver bullet that will kill them all.*

I'd say we've made some damn good progress on this front, though.

* I really hope I'm wrong about this.

Wikileaks regains relevance with Stratfor doc-drop

Suggestion for improvement

Dear sir,

While I'm very happy with the your astroturfing services, I would suggest that instead of posting as AC, you post a few anti-Apple/Android rants first, thus building up a certain degree of credibility, and only then try to discount Wikileaks as a criminal enterprise using your nickname.

Yours sincerely,

Col. Awful Puppy, Ret.

Department of Shills and Astroturfers

Stratfor

Death to Office or to Windows - choose wisely, Microsoft

Re: What rubbish

I do hope you were going for extreme sarcasm.

(Hint: Read the man's bio at the end of the article.)

Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards

A very educational game, oddly enough

I'd have never learned English if it weren't for the promise of monochrome pixelated boobs in this game.

Heartland Institute documents leaked

Wrong, little grasshopper

See AC, 8:14 GMT.

Boffins claim breakthrough in hovering robothopter experiments

I loved that little bastard

Great first line defense for slow decks, I always thought.

Fortunately, I got a life later on.

Ahem

"... nobody's that interested in building mighty 'thopter-craft to replace choppers or jets."

Muad'Dib would like a word with you.

Fondle my slab, baby: Inside the tactile world of Apple-fan iDating

Oh God

If I ever evaluate potential incubators for the next generation of my genes based on their computer preferences rather than their hip and tit size, someone castrate me, please.

Sincerely,

a complete Apple fanboi

TDK ST-700 High Fidelity headphones

Could I just point out ...

That the word you're looking for is "discreet" rather than "discrete"?

Carry on.

IT guy answers daughter's Facebook rant by shooting her laptop

Because it's far more dramatic. And in this case, drama is good.

A real-life, Texan version of

Red Foreman.

My imaginary huge Stetson is off to this gent.

Pentax Q compact system camera

Thank you for not making me act on my own pedantic urges. I strongly agree with you, good sir.

And ...

... we have the Pentax girl.

(No Paris icon, because she seems much less prone to venereal diseases than the esteemed Ms Hilton.)

No bail for Kim Dotcom

I remember hearing about this bloke on German news about 10 years ago. He was described as a top hacker, and while I couldn't program a VCR, just listening to an interview with him made me realise he knows less about programming than I do, but is apparently a marketing genius.

Also seemed like an annoying twat, which I suppose is his lifelong occupation.

Honda NSX reborn as a hybrid

Oh god, I want this. Not usually a car person, but I have a thing for Hondas.

Facebook VERY SLOWLY rolls out Timeline

No "bitch" in title?

El Reg, I am disappoint.

2011's Best... compact cameras

Alas ...

The X1 is a true Leica, not a Panaleica.

Also, even though Panaleicas are just Panasonics with Leica branding, they're infused with the special Leica magic. Apparently, the so called magic bit is set in their firmware, making any pictures they take utterly glorious.

Learning about chip design from Silicon Roundabout

Surely, this must be trolling

Or it's a caricature of the "social media" types. Or a modern art performance piece. Or something.

Pass the eye bleach, please.

Desktop virt used to cope with Starbucks workforce security

Dear sir,

Please learn how to write a coherent marketing blurb.

Yours sincerely,

Col. A W Puppy, ret., Mrs.

tl;dr version:

WTFamIreading.jpg

Also, Citrix, from the end user's perspective, is just so many shades of fuggin awful I turned down quite a few well-paid projects just to be able to avoid it.