* Posts by hillsy

20 publicly visible posts • joined 5 May 2011

Juror jailed for looking up rape defendant on Google

hillsy
IT Angle

Modern crime dramas

Or you have a CSI-esque image enhancement system that can zoom on the reflection in a shop window of a $20 bill across the street, read the serial number, and convict the Bad Guy. Complete with "tchtchtch" sound effects as the serial number digits roll into view on a big counter in the middle of the screen, "bing" when there's a match, and a nice big red flashing dialog box just to make doubly sure.

I wish my UIs were as exciting.

IT-related even if completely off-topic.

Atlassian get top G'day gong

hillsy
Thumb Down

We used to use an Atlassian product.

We don't any more. 'Nuff said.

Yahoo! cofounder! Jerry! Yang! quits!

hillsy
Coat

anti_spam(Gmail) > anti_spam(Yahoo)

At least in my experience. YMMV, etc.

hillsy

Yes

Type your comment here - plain text only, no HTML

Voyager probe reaches edge of Solar System's 'bubble'

hillsy
Alien

For some reason, that put me in mind

...of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GrantNaylor_RedDwarf.jpg

Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers.

Ubuntu savaged by rivals infected with fondleslab fever

hillsy
Linux

I use Mint

I also donate to the Mint project. Because desktop Linux needs at least one good distribution* where the direction of travel is community-driven, rather than being arbitrarily dictated by the likes of Canonical & Mark Shuttleworth.

* Yes, I'm aware there are others. I'm sure they're great. But I like and use Mint, so that's the one I support.

Google gives up on saving world from cheap coal energy

hillsy
Mushroom

Look at a satellite view of Google HQ

Loads of the roof area is covered in solar panels. Looks like they're internally dogfooding the idea, at least.

Explosion, because I'm sure you could get a few megawatts off that.

Woomera: Ghosts of Britain's space past

hillsy
Coat

Number 8

Is some version of Gloster Meteor, I believe

hillsy
Pint

> I look forward to finding out what the plane with the asymmetrically-placed hole on its nose is

Box number 7? That's a Canberra. I think 5 is an Ikara. I know some of the others too, but wouldn't want to come off as an anorak or anything.

I was in Woomera for a couple of days about 15yrs ago. It was pretty quiet, but people did live there. I think these days it's run by the Australian MoD and if anything is a bit more active.

Mm, Silverlight, what's that smell? Yes, it's death

hillsy
Linux

I have encountered several websites that *used* it

However, I never installed it. Either the site didn't *require* it, or I went someplace else for my content.

Amazon’s shares slashed as profits drop 73%

hillsy
Coat

"Not really sure why people buy any Kindle devices these days when the iPad runs the Kindle app"

I bought one because I wanted to be able to read e-books. I wanted to be able to read them in direct sunlight. I didn't want to worry about charging the thing every few days (or even weeks, as it turns out). I didn't care about games, video etc.

And, importantly, I didn't want to spend the sharp end of five hundred quid for the privilege.

Everyone's needs are different, but considering the number of Kindles Amazon has apparently managed to shift it seems like I'm not alone in wanting these things.

Ballmer disses Android as cheap and complex

hillsy
Joke

In Soviet Cupertino, iPhone calls YOU!

(...particularly if it's got Siri)

Lenovo aims to seize PC crown within 3 years

hillsy
Thumb Up

Amen to that

My second-hand (but still-in-warranty-because-Lenovo-warranty-is-excellent) ThinkPad T500 is probably the best laptop I've ever owned*.

I'd be extremely disappointed if they started cutting corners. There are plenty of cheap and trashy PCs out there already, but not so much upmarket stuff.

And their Linux support is excellent, if that sort of thing matters to you.

*To be fair, one or two of my work HPs have been OK too.

Pay Jobs due respect - by crushing the empire he created

hillsy
Linux

Canonical use systems other than Ubuntu

Their design people, for example, have been fairly open about it in the past. Some other areas less so, such as the brochure I got sent that extolled the maturity of Linux on the desktop but was made in InDesign ;-b Maybe it was their design team who did it.

More on topic, this is the first Matt Asay article in some time that didn't make me want to pull my hair out. Kudos.

Yahoo! fires! CEO! Carol! Bartz!

hillsy
Joke

They tried, but...

...the handset was running WinPho

No pain, some gain: Ubuntu Oneiric Ocelot examined

hillsy
Coat

"change purely for the sake of change [rather] than anything a user might call useful"

Right there. That review phrase sums up the last few releases of Ubuntu for me.

Amazon swallows UK online bookseller

hillsy
Thumb Up

Well played, sir. Well played.

^-- see above

Has Steve Jobs killed the consumer hard disk industry?

hillsy
Big Brother

"the devices belong to Apple and the users are just renting them out"

This reminds me a bit of the classic "switch to Mac" parody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEvYETWVK6M

"I don't feel like I'm operating the Mac so much as I'm just there sharing the Mac experience..."

HP exec: WebOS tablet will trounce iPad

hillsy
Coat

Number one plus? Jesus, that's...

...number two.

(Nod in the direction of "Team America: World Police")

Reg reader lost for words over blank HP keyboard

hillsy
Coffee/keyboard

Reminds me of...

...this:

http://www.erratika.com/supercoder-2000/