Re: Did someone's synthesiser say boycott?

Boycott shmoycott!

Re: data rate explanation?

Now I'm no expert in the field but as far as I can tell this isn't being sold for AV use, so whether it is 'crap' or not is immaterial.

It IS being developed for encoding/decoding of optical communications, where that is probably more than enough accuracy to support various multi-level encoding schemes.

Re: Puzzled

Offline maps for starters. Very useful when route planning whilst out of coverage or to avoid roaming costs abroad. It's the one reason I used Symbian for as long as I did.

Re: No brakes?

Won't do much as it will only put mild pressure on the rear brakes. Net effect will be just like having to tow a dead weight, so might reduce acceleration. I do know of someone who managed to do a whole motorway journey in her Range Rover with the handbrake on - I think a new set of pads/disks was all that was required.

Re: @AC, 15:27

Move to the 5GHz band then, at least for your laptop/PC usage. Plenty of non-overlapping channels and hardly anyone uses 802.11a/n kit in residential settings. Of course, most smartphones and tablets only do 2.4GHz, but a separate network on channel 13 should do for them.

Re: The Bridge on the River Kwai

Looks like it was filmed on 35mm film so easily enough resolution in the native stock for a 4k TV.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050212/technical

Re: Oh Danny Boy(le)

It is not 'so bloody great', it is the *concept* that is 'so bloody great'.

If I may, erm, agree with that statement. The concept is fine but it is the current structure that is wrong. Like with software design, sometimes you have to start with a new codebase cos you can't keep cobbling new features onto an old design, so with the NHS. Keep the ideas but redesign the mechanism of delivery. Bring in private operators (objects) under a standard API (service agreement), then let them get on with managing their own processes. If they do not perform adequately, remove management and reboot. Take metrics from patients (outcome and satisfaction) and build that into the contract.

Re: Yes Mr Cameron, except...

Call me naive, but I should imagine someone would come up with some sort of standardised data access method. Profound, I know, but it might just be possible.

As for dismantling the NHS, doesn't sound like a bad idea. As long as treatment is free at the point of use and of good quality, who cares! Do you refuse to use your GP because he/she is a privately run business? Do you even know that GPs are not part of the NHS?

Re: May I ask what the point of these things are?

Well, in my case I am a PAYG pikey, running up a bill of less than £2/month. It's true, I have no friends.

On the other hand, I have a contract mobile broadband SIM from Three, paying £8/month for 5Gb and a Mifi that I use for my laptop, my daughter's iPod (when she doesn't mind being seen out with me), my tablet and even my phone.

Like someone else said, if the battery on the device dies, you've still got the phone to use.

Also, got to remember that most phone contracts charge a lot more for "tethered" data.

Re: Good for them

You might not need stuff, but there are quite a few people living on this planet who don't enjoy your decadent western lifestyle and really could do with things. You know, those people you see on your digital 3D LCD TV who don't have twitter accounts, are still awaiting their first general purpose computing device and could do with a bit of help in the medicine/food production/general survival department.

We could :

a) Tell them to stop having so many children.

b) Decline to offer assistance and help in improving their circumstances, thereby limiting population growth naturally.

c) Keep bunging aid, so that they are forever dependant on the largesse of richer countries and tied to doing our bidding

d) Give them the opportunity to grow and prosper through free trade, and take a chance that they wish to acquire the trappings of a successful modern economy.

Seems like China has tried a and is now applying d, so "stuff" has to be made from "something" which has to be obtained from "somewhere", and if it's not from corrupt African dictators then the sea bed seems like a valid option.

Re: Points to ponder...

I'm sure M$ are considering those very points, and no doubt many more. The whole point of research is to find out what is possible, and how. And if it's not possible, what needs to be done/invented to make it possible.

Re: The difference is clear?

I did exactly the same and saw a THD of -93dB, which isn't even 16 bit! £3 worth of DAC for £150? I bet it doesn't do DTS or AC3 either but is plain PCM so not much use for watching movies. And a cheap'n' nasty digital volume control can only lose bits on the way so giving even poorer THD.

Re: Avoiding the tinfoil hat for a moment...

You don't *need* to manipulate people to reduce population growth. All you need to do is give people the chance to get out of poverty - and the best way of doing that is to give them access to plentiful quantities of cheap energy with which they can make life more comfortable and productive. Then the pressures on having a large family (because survival rates are low and children are a resource that can be put to work) dissipate. OK, so on a per capita basis CO2 might go up, if there's a lower population then the total CO2 (or whatever gas is flavour of the month) will go down.

Gaia needs nuclear/shale/whatever.

Re: 'nix

'nux, surely?

Re: Simple solution

What, all the time? That'll make the weekly shop for 5 people a bit of a challenge...