* Posts by yet another Matt

16 publicly visible posts • joined 17 Dec 2007

Orange says now everyone can be their own MVNO

yet another Matt
Boffin

Has a feeling of Déjà vu

I fail to see the difference between this and what companies already do. Many companies create a mobile "network" by re-branding a real network. À la Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile, I seem to remember when this thing was fashionable that the Financial Times had a mobile "network".

Is there a real technical difference here? Or are people jumping on the bandwagon because it contain the word "virtual", which recently left it's 1980s connotations of low-pixel computer generated worlds, and somehow became something synonymous with "saves you money"?

Déjà vu - now that does have a Wikipedia page.

Twitter falls silent in the UK

yet another Matt
Unhappy

Kept it quiet

I understand why they did it, and I don't blame them for it. It must be very expensive to send SMSs to so many people, on top of a very invisible profit plan. And I sure as hell would not like a system in the US where it costs me to receive a message.

But couldn't they have told us by SMS before they shut it off?

Net shoppers bullied into being Verified by Visa

yet another Matt
Thumb Down

More Secure or Less Secure?

When I was offered to create a username and password for my credit card, my first impression was 'Ok, I will.' But after my password being rejected I was very confused. There was a bizarre stipulation in it that meant the password cannot be more than 8 letters in length and can't contain special chatacters (so [A-Z, a-z, 0-9])

WTF?! You have to create a secure username and password that is less secure than the account I am using to purchase the item in the first place.

So I promptly skipped the page. I realised though, using something physical in your hand (your card) and something in your head (user&pass) is better than just your card. So it is better, sort of.

Netflix will stream movies on Xbox 360

yet another Matt
Unhappy

BT Vision and Xbox 360?

I've been harping on about this for a while now with no result. The very similar sounding, Janurary announced, BT Vision streaming to your Xbox 360 by the (very ambiguous) 'middle of the year' seems to have now vapourised.

Any idea when I might be able to see this working?

Oyster system failure causes travel misery

yet another Matt
Go

Not the cards

Despite how the lay media make it sound, the Oyster cards can't all simultaneously decide to stop working. They must have released an update to the barriers over night which buggered the system.

The barriers then buggered the cards, which is why some still aren't working today. Although I don’t know why all free roaming cards would be affected, which is the impression I get from the TFL statement.

Busses are worse because they only can be updated at the depots. But I did find that 184 to Turnpike Lane Station on Friday morning wasn't accepting my Oyster card either. I wonder if this was related or not.

Doesn't bother me though, they can be buggered for years, I'm not inconvenienced in the slightest. In fact, it's quite a convenience not having to pay.

Dutch government gags Oyster researchers

yet another Matt
Thumb Down

It'll come out eventually...

... most probably to some unscrupilous people who will take advantage of paying citizens.

If the report was released to eveyone it will hopfully act as an insentive to get the system replaced as fast as possible.

I know which scenario I prefer.

GTA IV website prompts outrage

yet another Matt
Dead Vulture

Bit over the top

I saw this article from a forum a few days ago.

I don't understand this article from 'The Sun' (you know it, that well respected newspaper). The page is found by the search engine which returns mostly random results and contains absolutly no indecent material. It contains a 'place holder' page from the police and you get the second highest wanted level you can get in the game.

So as far as I can make out, the guy in the seems to be upset that the spoof website's address contains the same name as his daughter.

He seems to be fine with violently shooting people in the head and simulated prostitution, but when it comes to a website making a humours comment on the police state like society we live in, it's time to get on your high horse.

UK punters love Nokia, hate McDonalds

yet another Matt
Dead Vulture

"The annual "Brands We Love, Brands We Hate" survey"

Isn't it more like monthly? I'm sure we had one of these not to long ago with Google and Apple on top.

Byron review calls for computer game ratings

yet another Matt
Flame

Surely she must know its the parents

Shes on 'Three', every bloody day, telling rubbish parents that they are doing it wrong, and she's blaming the industry?

I partly agree with her, there should be a fine, but she clearly hasn't looked at any game packaging during the making of the report. There already is a classification system, and it has a cinema style rating, after all, it's done by the BBFC. If it's anyone's at fault, maybe she should watch an episode of her own programme.

It is clearly an education gap though. For some reason parents don't buy Hitman the movie on DVD for little Jonny (maybe because it's rubbish), but will go buy Hitman the game.

The Xbox360 (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/products/family/xbox360family.mspx) and PS3 (@scott green) have parental controls built in. If parent's arn't using them, then again, that is education. But if little Jonny really wants GTA IV for £50 and finds that his console won't play it, how long do you think those parental controls will last.

Of course when some kid does something stupid like shoot up the school, no one wants to blame distressed parent, but they do want a scape goat. And it looks like the pretty lady has latched on to the trailing tassles of that wagon.

Prosecutors target first 'Facebook harassment' conviction

yet another Matt
Coat

Really Deleted?

Sounds like the easiest way of getting it deleted

Venturi Mini in-car FM music streamer

yet another Matt
Joke

Missed a few tricks

They went so far as to put a USB charger in, but no mass storage access? - that I can see mentioned on their site anyhow.

And the phone book doesn't work on Nokias.

Maybe these will appear on the Venturi (Maxi|Nano|Shuffle|Micro|Touch|v2)

@Myself - it does tell you what song is playing, it has a fair amount of info on their site

Nintendo to introduce online play charges

yet another Matt
Unhappy

Blunk

I was wondering who was going to blink first. It seemed inevitable to me that either Microsoft was going to have to stop charging for Live to compete with Nintendo and Sony. Or Nintendo and Sony started charging for their services so they wern't losing out on that extra bit of cash.

But with the online gaming being currently small time on the Wii and PS3, and money being a big factor, Microsoft's approach clearly has a bigger pull.

Seems to me, as a consumer, that services like Steam or SecondLife are the way to go. But with popular subscription titles like WoW around, I think we will all end up poorer if we want to play online.

Mozilla security chief confirms data leakage bug in Firefox

yet another Matt
Unhappy

Browser Transversal

When IE goes wrong you say 'use Firefox'. When Firefox goes wrong you say 'use NoScript'. Where is the Opera love?

Although, I can see a point where there will be an article saying 'Firefox and Opera are broke, use IE'.

Then again... maybe not.

Second-gen Eee PC a CES no-show

yet another Matt
Stop

@ David Gosnell

I doubt it, at least, I really hope not. That's probably like £550 once you include import tax. I'm not sure how a slightly larger screen and a different miniPCI card can more than double the cost.

Theres got to be more to it. Maybe we will find out when we get some pictures.

Personally I'm looking forward to the 10" model which is also omitted from CES. I hope this doesn't mean that ASUS are out of touch with their fans.

Cambs cops podcast 999 timewasters

yet another Matt
Flame

@ Steve

That is clearly a brilliant service.It's such a brilliant service they've even decommissioned it in Leicester, Rutland, Melton and Harborough, and is only available in a few small towns.

yet another Matt
Flame

Genuine Non-Emergencies

I always wince when I see these stories.

Is there a rule set out there that constitutes an emergency, because I haven't seen one? And I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of carrying around the local police's phone numbers, nor am I - as Neil wisely suggested - in the habit of phoning up premium rate phone numbers to find out.

What I worry about is that people may not phone in genuine emergencies, because they are worried they will be vilified. After all, a car, parked on double yellow lines in the middle of London is not a bomb until it explodes... or towed.

On top of that, whenever I have had the misfortune to dial 999 (and I'm not alone in this), the operators come across as rude -- although this does make a good deterrent. So I don't have much compassion for them.

I say, stop moaning and start working.