Posts by Rob

Site news: Unique commenter handles coming

can we have a tally?

i'm pretty sure there's at least 2 other rob's on here, i'd quite like to see a tally of the names in use, for no particular reason.

Apple adds 'S' to iPhone 3G

shiny != good

i'd just like to add that i think apple suck as well, for all the reasons pointed out above, plus itunes and the need to use it.

i have nothing against other people using/liking one, i just think they're idiots, a bit like the religious freaks really.

paris as she's vacuous enough to fall for the shiny lure

Japanese games group to ban twisted 'sex torture' sims

@tony smith

i thought you were being tongue in cheek for a bit but ultimately i do not think you were, this was a most disappointing stance for the reg to be taking.

will you in future be referrign to GTA as a "so called game" as it promotes actions that are far outside social norms?

and just in case anyone thinks i am condoning rape, i am not, nor do i condone murder, they are both terrible things, but we are talking about games here, not real life, i do hope you can not only tell the difference, but stop and think about it for a second in future.

Boffins develop bendy, squishy, foldable display

folded!

wow, you can fold it 1000 times? we should make paper out of it..

Yorkshire man wakes up Irish after brain surgery

jokes aside..

i can go along with someone's accent changing after a blow to the head, but speaking in another language they have never learnt before?

that's either lies/exaggeration, or something that deserves lots & lots of investigation, imagine what it could do for educating the world.. it's not quite at the matrix "i know kung-fu" but still, imagine the applications, someone must be investigating this seriously, shirley?

Mexico? US? Just don't go there, warns EU health chief

@Charles Manning

i think that may be because those are not airborne & contagious, on the other hand, i'm finding it hard to take this one too seriously after the bird flu non-event.

this one seemed to come out of nowhere as well, one moment it's

"oh there's a new flu to be terrified of in mexico" and barely a day later

"be afraid, be very afraid, it's reached the uk already!"

slow news day maybe, or are there global events ticking over that we are best not made aware of according to our benevolent leaders?

Windows 7 gets built in XP mode

@mage

but DX10 is the only reason most people have to upgrade, if they do a version of it for xp it'd pretty much kill win7.

if anyone else knows of a reason to upgrade from xp i'd love to hear it, i was nearly tempted by the ability to use more memory, but then i remembered that none of my games eat up the whole 2 gig i currently have on xp, so it seems a bit fruitless all in all.

Self-replicating machine replicates

interesting

i look forward to seeing them print their first car battery.

General Atomics unwraps new, Stealth(y) robot war-jet

non stealthy undercarriage?

apparently one look at the doors/flaps will confirm it, however it looks to me like they fold up flat against the body of the aircraft, what's not stealthy about them that i am not seeing here?

Whitehall to train pro-West Islamic groups to game Google

i've been thinking about this religion thing

this might seem a little radical to some, but bear with me.. it occurred to me that we could solve a bunch of the worlds problems by simply killing anyone who claims to believe in god, world hunger, power supply, wars, overpopulation in general.. all solved in one fell swoop. we could use the grounds of removing mental instability from the human gene pool as well.

i think it would be fair because all one would have to do to get through unscathed would be to say you didn't believe in god, the result being that anyone who's willing to sacrifice their life for an unprovable concept can then do so and leave the rest of us in peace to eat their food and burn their portion of oil.

-as it would include all of us, there's no one part of the human population being targeted, so there need be no worrying about being accused of genocide or some sort of ethnic cleansing, equality for everyone, all have to answer the question.

the vatican might not give it up too easily, but we could assume the whole country is god-oriented, would say yes, and just carpet bomb the place with those giant MOABs.

now i think about it, we could even scatter automated sentry guns with voice recognition around the world, they would only ask the one question "do you believe in a god?", to everyone they met and take appropriate action depending on a simple yes or no answer.

also, once done, we can use the ex-religious people's stashes of gold & treasure to fund more space exploration, the wins just keep on coming with this plan.

Report: Legalising drugs would save UK plc huge packet

how did this happen?

so does anyone actually know why cannabis and others are currently illegal, whereas the equally harmful tobacco and alcohol are not? -it's not like the weed is a new substance is it..

-i'm pretty sure it wasn't always the case, there were those opium dens in ye olde days, and i think i read somewhere that the 'merkins banned hemp initially because it was so useful and hence pissed of the big corps that manufactured similar things, but that all seems a bit far fetched really..

another eason i heard was that criminal cartels have so much money and power these days that the govt. pretty much has to try and keep them happy, not sure that's any more likely really..

DARPA: Give us solar cells you can use to build stuff

hmm

that could be interesting, there would probably be a fair bit of stress generated in an airframe that might be harvestable.

Profs: Sex with oldies or youngsters will give you the clap

age differences?

and there was me thinking that the only way to catch an std was to shag someone else who had one.

so presumably any couple with a 5+ year gap between them can now spontaneously generate an std?

i'd heard you can catch thrush from differences in yeast, pH, or something, but this one seems a whole step further on.

Paris, of course..

Conficker zombie botnet drops to 3.5 million

potatard

damnit John, you had to go spoiling a good little article by chucking in "mash-up" didn't you? -is there any potato involved? -no? then it's a fucking map isnt it?

Unauthorised Wolverine claws his way onto interwebs

@code monkey

you're spot on there, i don't think i would be nearly as opposed to all this drm crap if they didn't force me to watch 20 minutes of adverts, trailers & warnings on a dvd i just bought!

it infuriates me that i own the dvd player, i own the dvd, yet they can disable my navigation buttons to try and force me to watch their rubbish before the film starts.

obviously i dont actually watch them, just stick the dvd in 10 minutes before i flick the tv over to dvd from sky, but still, it's annoying.

-is it still ilegal to download a film you have bought does anyone know?

Workers take Caterpillar Inc managers hostage

@liam

i don't think it's meant to be funny.

Swindon embraces 4th generation

swindon, really?

i actually live in swindon, and based on my knowledge of the place i am very dubious regarding the accuracy of this story, maybe it's actually taking place in one of the smaller villages or industrial parks just outside swindon?

-based on the fact that swindon's main features are the magic roundabout, and the steam museum, a veritable cultural and technological marvel </hint of sarcasm>

Apple threatens Palm chomp

patent stupidity

i propose that any entity holding more than 10 patents be destroyed.

10 brand new, unique and innovative ideas ought to be enough for any individual to retire on, or any corporation to make a lot of money from.

it might seem a bit radical but i really think it would improve the quality of patents no end and benefit the world in general. once that's done we can go and turn all the advertisers and marketing goons into soylent green, solving several problems in one fell swoop.

Microsoft IE8 rolls out the astroturf

is that allowed?

i feel a bit taken aback that microsoft is asking it's own employees to spam their friends. surely they pay people for advertising normally..

it's a new twist on those crappy chain letters i suppose: "if you don't send this mail to 10 friends by the end of today, a fairy will die and your loyalty & usefullness to the company will be questioned"

is there no rule to stop companies meddling in their employees private lives?

Linux to spend eternity in shadow of 'little blue E'

apathetic or idiotic?

it's not just that people don't care about computers, i keep running into to people who seem to have no interest in anything, and no curiosity at all about the world around them, whether it be languages, food or just generally wondering how something works, computer stupidity is pretty close to the old not being able to program the vcr issue i think.

How does one explain to these people that they may not be idiots as such, but if they're not going to use their brains they may as well be?

it doesn't take much research to figure out vaguely what an operating system is, what the green "x" actually is/does or that the monitor is not the computer.

it takes even less effort to not care and suck up whatever's dumped in front of you, but the more you do of either, the easier they get.

-by implication there must be people go to pieces when they get a new microwave/tv/washing machine/car that does exactly the same as the old one in a slightly different way? -i've never met one that i know of but i would call them idiots, or luddites if i were feeling generous.

it all depends on your definition of idiot i guess, personally i think someone who's unable or unwilling to learn is an idiot, with the latter being by far the worst of the 2.

paris, because even she likes learning new tricks.

Software update nobbles Sky+ boxes

lifespan of sky+ boxes?

i have an unmodified box and it started sounding a bit like a vacuum cleaner over the weekend, i could also pause but not unpause, which was odd.

i guess i need a new box really, this one's about 4 years old now and has been pleasantly reliable over that time, up until last weekend :(

Vuzix iWear AV230 XL video glasses

damn the resolution

we need these in at least 1024x768, and both screens independently controllable please, then we can finally start getting some decent vr systems on the go by linking a pair of these to a wii controller maybe.

I've been waiting ages for vr, hopefully this is a good sign, or a step in the right direction at least.

AVG slaps Trojan label on Adobe Flash

@Jacob Reid

clamwin is also free, i use it in conjunction with avg as it only does on demand scanning as far as i know, it is tiny though.

http://www.clamwin.com/

it will also soon be in conjunction with avast rather than avg so long as the registration process isn't too long winded.

German boffins plan frictionless liquid crystal lubricant

nearly perpetual motion machine ahoy

nearly zero friction means you could build a machine that was in motion nearly perpetually doesn't it?

i can't think of any usefull applications for such a device but there might be some good toys in it.

im looking forward to getting a mouse & mat combo with zero friction though.

Wi-Fi phobes hijack disability legislation

re: a little emf?

it's unbelievable!

Intel to present 32nm chip while AMD shows off 22nm part

re: small rulers

i read somewhere that they use dwarves with really small rulers to measure those tiny distances.

Virgin Media accused of shafting customers on upload rates

those uplaod speeds sound good to me

lucky bastards getting upload speeds, my virgin cable connection has been shafted the last 2 weekends despite their 'server status' page saying all is fine and dandy.

on top of the fact that downgrading from 20meg to 10 got me a faster connection in the end (still nowhere near 10 though) this is enough to send me to the shops for an adsl modem.

enough's enough, i'm going to try sky bb.

US forces want man-hunting robot wolfpacks

big magnets

couldn't we surround the entrances to our undergorund septic tank bunkers with big fat electro magnets that will degauss any attackers?

Virgin probes Facebook safety, chav claims

re: Rule 1 of the internet

Hi there 1st AC!

you make a good point there, you've really narrowed it down massively!

as to that ozzie guy, what sort of muppet adds his boss & HR department to his facebook friend's list? -and then updates it with an "i'm skiving" message?! tool.

VbyV password reset is childishly simple

money saver

VbyV has actually saved me a fair bit of money lately as a result of not buying things from sheer frustration at the extra faffing.

it should either be optional or effective, not compulsory & pointless.

Net-stock fraudster Moller offers flying saucer on eBay

really that bad?

i was looking for a wire holding the saucer up in that video, but it looked quite convincing to me, i know you say he's been develloping it for a long time, but he's still got the best (only?) flying saucer/car about hasn't he?

does this not even warrant cautious optimism?

Hawaiian anti-LHC lawsuit thrown out

Excellent

Great read there Mr Page, you brightened up an otherwise dull day, thanks.

Damien Hirst buys Paris porn collage

'art'

I have to agree with most of the so called moaners here, modern/minimalist art goes right over my head, i suspect because i know very little about art, but mostly i just want it to be pleasing to look at in some way.

I also feel that if i'm going to take the time & effort to see someone else's work, they could at least have the courtesy to put a bit of time & effort into it and produce something that i, as a non-artist, could not.

i recently went to the tate modern, and frankly most of it looked like it could have been produced at a special needs primary school, for blinds kids. -i mean, a whole wall devoted to an 8 sided piece of paper!? -seriously, it was apparently from the "artist's" octagonal period.

Mills and Boon thrusts into pr0n market

Excellent

Not only a top article, but it has shown me where i have been going wrong, i'm off to learn how to fix dishwashers.

mines the one with the copy of the idiots guide to fixing household appliances in the pocket

US sees first airliner flight with laser defences

10,000 feet max?

if these are only going to be in effective range during take off and landing, it would seem to make more sense to put these anti missile devices in the airports rather than the planes.

i have to assume they have a good reason for doing it this way round, anyone know what it is?

UK gov announces Road Pricing 2.0 - Managed Motorway

well i never

that first premise doesn't seem to make any sense, he says cars on roads are the biggest problem roads have, well what the hell does he think roads are for if not for cars to move about on??

Paris, she's crying because Guy Fawkes failed.

Vodafone presents punter with £500k phone bill

@skyraker

Thanks for your words of support, we need more good people like you to join the movement.

Paris,as she also gets yodaboned from time to time

yoda bone

i also like it, i think it fits a niche, for those moments when you've just gotten off the phone to some customer service department.

yodabone: "getting fucked over from a distance by someone or something with greater power than you"

as in: "I got yodaboned by virgin internet last night when i called up to get my broadband sorted out"

or "bloody customer service just yodaboned me again"

"don't bother calling the student loan helpline, they'll just yodabone you"

paris, as she also buys her wine in boxes

BT opens wallet to send fibre to the home

what's the point?!?

I can't believe I'm seeing people on the register of all places saying what's the point to more bandwidth, games already struggle with 64 people in one server, not to mention a decent VR world. there's a whole bunch of cool things we could do with a shed load more bandwith.

Paris, as she also wants a bigger pipe

Boozers rejoice - it's the USB wine tap!

I agree with Rob

There's got to be some potential there, i mean think how much more pissed you could get if all you had to do to refill your glass was push a button on a usb device linked to, maybe a box rather than a bottle, but still, i'd get one.

The Moderatrix will see you now

personal pronouns

why do people who want to be seen as non-sexist not realise that using "she" or "s/he" instead of "them" "they" & "their" makes them look like twats?

Ex-Logica boss to teach UK.gov how to identify crap IT

going to follow logica's example then?!

who the hell thought he was a good idea to put in that position? logica are hardly a shining example of how to do IT are they, maybe one of his first recommendations will be "avoid logica"

another top move by uk.gov

paris for prime minister, she couldn't do much worse..

Sikorsky X2 superwhirlybird enters ground spin-up phase

@Lewis Page

Don't let 'em get you down MrPage, even if you did report on Sikorsky having developed a hyperdrive, I'm sure somebody would still be whinging about it one way or another.

Just wanted to add that I enjoyed reading this article, it was interesting, ta.

Mobiles help UK malls track shoppers' every move

malls? in the uk?

I thought we had shops, leave the made up words bastardising the english language to the 'merkins.

I know they are just trying to conjure up some sort of cultural identity, but please don't pander to it, they'll just play up even more.

MSI releases £235 desktop Eee PC rival ahead of Asus

noise?

looks like a very interesting bit of kit, especially at that price, anyone have an idea as to what sort of noise it makes? -should be nice and quiet if it has a brick-type psu, fingers crossed..

Boris backs weed for pain relief

@JonB

so is alcohol, just wondering if you had a point?

Paris, as she does.

Sony Bluetooth Walkman NWZ-A826K

sonicstage/itunes

apple's equivalent of sonistage is itunes, which they are still using, and whilst i would agree that SS is worse than itunes, they both still suck, there is just no need to have 3rd party apps required to use a device like this, as sony are now, finally, realising.

I got given an ipod mini a while ago, and whilst the shiny factor was enough to make me load it up with tunes once, & carry it around for a few days, it's just too much of a pain to use on a regular basis, unlike one with drag 'n drop support. -and that's not to mention the non-standard charger, what's wrong with charging over mini usb, which is pretty much available everywhere these days, unlike a proprietry apple cable, which isn't?

Paris, as she would prefer usb mass storage standards to be adhered to.

Aussie gov to treat laser pointers like knives and guns

@ImaGnuber

reminds me of that flymo scene in peter jackson's classic film, braindead

Paris, as she'd want to start a "save the sumatran rat-monkey" fund

You'll learn to love mobile TV

goddamn adverts

i hate adverts, i really do, who are those fuckers to tell me what i want or need anyway?

the bbc is license funded, no ads, ITV, C4, not funded, have ads, so far that makes sense, but I'm paying sky for their channels, so why are there adverts on them? (i'm guessing because they can & are greedy)

-don't even get me started on those atrocious 'brand' adverts that are not even trying to make me buy something, i mean do people sit there and go "oo, audi cars eh, never heard of them before, i think i'll get one because someone told me to"

surely these idiots will have enough cars or run out of money at some point?

I've been giving serious thought to getting out of IT and into politics, my main point would be to ban all advertising, no billboards, no ad breaks in the middle of films, no 60% of a magazine full of crap, and especially no radio adverts... -there might be an exception for non-animated text adverts, that take up no more than 0.5% of the viewing area, or somesuch thing.

it's almost too glorious to imagine

(oh, and compulsory sterilization for all criminals)

Paris, as she probably believes everything she gets told, by anyone (and would vote for me)

Apple sued over 'inflated' iMac claims

ooh, shiny

I get the impression that mac's are for non-technical people who think they are, and people who value form over function.

Paris, as her form and function are both worth checking out. (& she'd use apple stuff)