Posts by Blacklight 187 publicly visible posts • joined 6 May 2008
HomeEasy (www.homeeasy.eu) make both an SMS receiver, and an RF remote which can turn a heating remote on/off (either zero voltage or in-series with a thermostat).
Quite nice to ring/sms the house on the way home and have the lights on, heating on etc ready to get in. They do door openers too, but I don't have them.
Their parent/sister company does wifi remotes too, but they are not "sideways" compatible, usefully :\
If Sony added this to the PS3 as an app, it'd be quite nice - although obviously they may well need to recommend upgrading your HDD (or buying an external one).
The PS3 browser blows extremely large chunks, and there is no YouTube "app" (just in-chunk-blowing-browser). Got a PS3 eye/camera? Then you have a microphone for voice control. Got it wired up to the 'net? Then you have broadband access. Oh yes, and the DVD/BluRay already there.
Google/VirginMedia have recently added YouTube remote support to the VM TiVo box, and it's really nice to browse YouTube on a big screen whilst searching via your phone (rather than hideous remote or on-screen keyboard).
It's the use case for the e-ticket...
1) UK (or indeed most) Airport security stations (where your boarding card is needed - "DO NOT USE MOBILE PHONES IN THIS AREA" - so if you haven't printed your on-line boarding card/barcode - hosed.
2) Screens - if you do get the barcode up on screen, it doesn't always scan.
3) Signal - No signal, no download - although one airline did provide me with a PDF I could save, with a barcode, but again, see (2) above.
4) Print Quality - following on from (3) - I've printed a PDF in decent quality, only to find one of the two barcodes on the paper didn't work. This also seemed to be the case with the people in front of me in the queue.
So, if you can use the phone to get a printed ticket from a machine, do so!
"Monitors" (such as British Gas give to customers for free) are fun and informative. I know what costs what in the house now, have verified the new washing machine & fridge are actually more cost effective, and that all the "stuff of standby/permanently on" stuff in the house (like DECT phone base stations) costs me 9p an hour, to "idle" the house - so there is room for improvement (save pennies), which I like to know.
However, "Smart Meters" which collate and distribute said information for other people (gummint or power companies) - not something I want. I don't tell BP where/when/how fast/slow I drive my car - I just pay for what I need/use.
"Just wondering why using opendns isn't making any difference."
OpenDNS = just DNS with bells on, all it does is return an IP for a site.
If your ISP ONLY "blocks" at the DNS level (by handing you the IP for a webserver with "Stop being naughty" on the homepage) then "any other DNS provider" should work.
However, if your ISP block at the IP level, then you won't get out. Or, if they engage DPI, and look for a known hostname (which may change IP address) then that'll be blocked too.
It's trivial for your ISP to force route your web and/or DNS traffic via a proxy for inspection. Hell, I run DNS interception at home to ensure all machines (regardless of local config) use OpenDNS via my router, and DHCP option 252 to shunt all non-HTTPS web traffic via my home proxy (with adblock).
All the Piriform apps (not just CCleaner) are worth getting. Defraggler (as mentioned), Speccy & Recuva (damned handy).
Also - consider photorec - free deleted file recovery tool which is very thorough and useful when things go wrong.
If you use Eraser (as you suggest), why not grab Sandboxie too, to further bolt down web browsing and ensure no little nasties get to remain on your machine via Flash/Java etc, without having to block their usage. It also uses Eraser (if you have it) to clear itself up on exit.
Then of course there is Soluto - for optimising boot, and Secunia PSI to keep track of what needs patching and again increase security.... :)
I had to check the date there for a second. Not April the 1st yet, is it? Bugger.
It *would* be cheaper for them to use an existing CPU set & architecture, but as mentioned, that means the devs have to learn another set of skills.
Also, no backwards compatibility? Again? Seriously? (although again, if they move away from Cell tech, nothing would work without an emulator, and as one commenter suggests, that would take SOME doing).
Unlock codes are sadly also easy to do - buy disc with leaflet, install game - enter code from leaflet and game plays. Code flagged as "used" (ala PSN) and tied to your PSN account, so you can at least move consoles as you can now, in case one dies.
BUT, and this is a big but - at present, if your PSN account is banned, you can still play offline. If you can't validated your games/codes, due to a banned account, you can't play? (as if you are banned you need a new account, etc etc).
Similarly if they also (or alternatively) banned the console, then it's technically useless - are they going to refund you all your money/console etc? Seriously risky propositions ahoy.
So *IF* it's true, it's a bloody stupid idea!
Useful program, SandboxIE.
You can force any (well known) browser (or, if you configure it yourself, lesser known ones) to run entirely sandboxed. Any files that change from that app (inc. LSOs) can be wiped on exit , so only your existing session is affected. The only thing that will recur after that, is your IP.
Try it.
Disclaimer: Happy SandboxIE user - nothing to do with the developer :)
but I suspect scope creep.
The link in the article relates to a G+ help page, here : http://www.google.com/support/profiles/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1192471&p=public_profile
If you read the help page about OVERALL profile privacy (here : http://www.google.com/support/profiles/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=guide.cs&guide=1355574&answer=1151728&p=search_visibility&rd=1) it (still) states :
If you choose not to have search engines index your profile, your profile itself won't appear in Google search results. However:
"Your profile will still remain visible to anyone with your profile URL.
Other pages and content (including websites, blogs, and Google products such as Picasa Web) that link to your profile can still appear in search results on Google and other search engines.
Changes you make to your profile visibility setting may be reflected across search engines at different times, depending on when each search engine crawls your profile page. (Learn how often Google crawls the web.)"
If you pay all of the contract, they have reclaimed their subsidy payment, and should remove the subsidy lock. Period.
I went to an O2 store, and asked how much the PAYG "buy it now" handset was. I was told. I coughed politely, and said would it be unlocked? They said "no".
So, even if you buy it outright they won't unlock it, and I would presume they aren't subsidising the handset if you pay top whack for it?
You know what'd be really good? (and I reserve the right to claim rights on this one!)
Link the cell to existing WiFi and allow it to shovel outgoing calls via another route - let's say, SIP...so if you don't have WiFi, the cell nabs your call, routes it over SIP (via a home asterisk PABX or on board trunk for example) and saves you cash.
That would, obviously upset the operator - so even if they didn't support the idea, some cunning 'on wire' jiggery pokery betwixt the cell and your network could reroute it mayhap?
Still, the more important question is this : If I have a Voda based mobile, and so does my neighbour, and I install a Voda cell, does it nick his calls too? Or can it be trained to only recognise certain devices?
What's to stop them :
a) cloning their own SIM cards
b) reporting the SIM missing, and ordering a replacement?
To many workarounds, unless the government are also going to try to blacklist the SIM with the telco for that month....
Then you'll have the parent's saying "They need a phone for safety"....just wait for the first fight/accident where someone couldn't call for help....
I watched the little presentation they provide on how their system works :
http://www.phorm.com/about/introducing/phorm_priv_rev4.html
So, if I visit a camera site, I'm given a camera advert? Now, if I visit a site selling something (anything!) I EXPECT advertisements - in fact, I'm fairly sure the site owner will provide links to adverts of their OWN CHOOSING (Google Adsense for example?). I don't object to most adverts (except those full screen/page delay bloody things) - however I DO object to the fact that my browsing would be routed via a third party, and the content altered 'in flight', and I'm "just" the browser, not the content/site owner!
I would heartily recommend all site admins get an SSL certificate - they aren't expensive, and they'll stop Phorm (or anyone else) rewriting the content as it's all encrypted - unless of course this is a MITM system which is capable of rewriting/recertifying pages - and if it is, then I'm sure we'll all be objecting to someone intercepting banking information etc - not just browser history.
Do NOT want, am NOT interested.
So how will this work?
I have a VM account (accessed via POP3) AND a Gmail account.
Both have different user names. My GMail account picks up my VM email, as I've chosen to give GMail my creds.
What happens when this moves? Do I suddenly get two GMail addresses? Can I get one GMail address to access the other and aggregate my email for me? Are VM going to pass my VM login details to Google? (as of course, we'll all need to just carry on logging in with the same user/pass combinations) - or are they going to be running some massive LDAP auth thing?
*head/desk*
You forget (deliberately) the new "HomeEasy" range of home automation kit from Byron, and sold (for the first time I think) en masse by B&Q.
Yes, they are still around £20 a socket, but compared to Lutron and other systems, are dirt cheap - and with a little fiddling, can be driven from remotes like the Philips Pronto etc. Given the range of the transmitters is low, I suspect these things will be around for a while - especially once they bring out versions for non-incandescent bulbs.
I like the ability switch the heating on from the lounge, especially now :)
GSM phones are programmed to "recognise" emergency numbers (i.e. 112, 911, 999 etc) and they should then initial a call to 112 (the GSM standard emergency number) which should be picked up by the nearest cell and routed accordingly.
However, again, YMMV - dependant on the manufacturer - if you buy a handset in country A, and roam to country B - it may not know country B's emergency number is a valid emergency number - but if you dial country A's emergency number, it should still connect.
VoIP, being IP enabled, means someone could be signed in as a "presence" agent from anywhere you can get an internet connection. You can make calls from a VSP from any phone (via ringback), or anywhere you can get a SIP client to function - and the VSP will send the same CLID - so you'd "appear" to be at whichever DID of whichever VSP you were using.
Admittedly, the above isn't likely for a home user ringing for an ambulance/fire engine (unless it's a phreaker or SWATter), however - take the example of a company with a VPN across multiple sites using a shared VoIP PABX - and one of those sites has an emergency and rings 911/999, and the outgoing call goes via the centralised point using the main switchboard number - where do they send the emergency services if the call goes dead before anyone gets an address? Or do they ring back and hope a sysadmin can internally find the call and supply details?
Hell, cordless DECT phones in the UK have warning stickers on them saying "don't rely on this in an emergency/powercut" - as the good old landline handsets have their own power & no batteries.
Are you going to sue your ISP if you only have a broadband VoIP connection and their UBR fails and you can't call out in an emergency? I doubt the VSPs or ISPs will fall for that one - read your T's & C's....
Various VoIP providers may bill via Credit or Debit card - and if you move, they only have the address you *may* have supplied at the time.
One of my VoIP providers does request my physical address on their web interface - in the event of an emergency services call, however it's dependant on me - and also they bill electronically, and I pay via credit/debit card (which may vary depending on mood) so it's not fixed.
If you're after least cost routing, my rule is always have a paid-up landline available. My ATA is configured to dump emergency services calls direct to the POTS/PSTN interface, to get around any confusion....
YMMV - but if you may rely on it - know how it works...
