Death of Commodore/Amiga

I vaguely remember Commodore proudly announcing the appointment of the man behind the PCJr to head up their commercial proposition shortly before they destroyed their market by cost cutting all their best new products into uselessness.

He single handedly destroyed IBM in the PC world for years, and then destroyed Commodore completely. I can only assume he interviewed well.

I can't remember his name, but I do remember being rather annoyed at the time, as I was a proper Amiga fanboi - long before these apple fanbois, or fandroids got going. The real war was Amiga/Amstrad or C64/Spectrum before that.

These modern fanbois don't know they're born....

Somewhere I probably still have reams of 'C' containing the entire Amiga OS. Well the GUI part anyway.

And this product (to provide some vague justification for a rambling rant)?

Nah, don't think I'll bother thanks, but good luck to them if they can get some money out of punters.

evening out windpower

A bloody great big flywheel at the bottom of every windmill (or group of windmills). The mills power it up, the grid draws off power at a steady regular pace - even out the supply from 'anywhere between nothing and loads' to somewhere in the middle.

Quote this as prior art if you like when someone patents it.

Daily mail readers unite

When my family was burgled it took almost as little time to work out who the little scrote was. He was suitably punished. Being about 14 (I was 16 at the time) he was not 'set for life' and as far as I know he has gone straight (as of a few years ago, some 20 years later) It was upsetting, he was quite 'disruptive' in the mess he left, but once the shock had gone we bore him no malice.

This poor loser sounds like he really doesn't know anything else - the comments on here about 'obviously rehab hasn't helped him' are probably misspoken, it has almost certainly never been tried - and as a thought, why would someone take their personal possessions with them when burglaring? The only reason I can think of is homelessness.

If I was fresh out of prison, homeless and hopeless I think a quick non violent burglary would be just about the best outcome for all.

It is all very well pointing out what a hopeless loser he is (and let's face it he is), but he probably has no options now - jobs are not exactly falling from trees for those who do not have to explain big gaps in their work history, the recently incarcerated are stuffed. If we want to get ex cons to go straight we have as a society at least to make it no more difficult than for those of us with a natural disposition to play by the rules.

Just making prison less pleasant (and I don't personally relish it as it is) isn't going to make a difference, other than to allow the daily mail set to make tutting sounds about recidivists, and how it's 'in their blood'.

blackberry for android? that would be barking mad

Wouldn't that just be a not very good email client? Like all the others on Android and ios?

I've moved from blackberry to android with my last change, and in so many ways I love my new phone, sorry palm size computing platform with phone capability, but blackberry email rules, and rules really really hard. The reason for that is because they control the platform, so all the little design compromises that slip in are there to improve email, whereas on android/ios it's all about the 'user experience' and screen, and multi touch, and market place, and multimedia and and and. With the result that there are no good email clients. Not the way blackberry is a good email client.

You can see the difference by adding a 'imap to a normal server' email to a blackberry - it's also crap.

The magic is the combination of knowing the hardware inside out, controlling the server software, and writing the client.

If Blackberry want to play in the wider space they need to get better at the 'everything else', but email (and messaging, bb messenger is cool too), they have sorted. I miss the email, and it might on it's own be enough to push me back, even though in every other way my new galaxy s is worlds better.

6 trillion miles is all very well,

but can we have that in SI units please?

How many football fields is that?

Or is it aircraft carriers for length, I can never remember.

(in)finity

To answer;

1. Infinity, e.g. as in the existence of an infinite number of primes, is proven.

2. Finite sets do not contain infinite sets.

The set of the digits zero to nine has exactly 10 members, and yet all numbers (an infinite number of them) can be constructed without going outside members of that set.

Make it the set containing the digits zero to nine and the set containing the period (1 member), and then an infinitely larger than the previously infinitely large number of numbers can be constructed from members of these two sets, both of which have finite (and precisely defined) numbers of members.

Ok, so it isn't a proof, in fact it's bollocks, but it's AT LEAST as rigorous as the other bollocks.

For a slightly more rigorous answer to 2 above; yes that is correct, and your fallacy is that the universe does not contain the set of all possible primes, or indeed any infinite set (that we are aware of). It does contain symbols which allow you to manipulate infinite sets, and this (as my counter argument does robustly demonstrate) says precisely nothing about the infinite (or otherwise) scope of our universe.

IANAMAPOAWOWOWP (I am no a mathematician a philosopher or a wanky old weirdo obsessed with plato)

ifever

It is a phone.

It is cool, and it's users are generally enormously happy, and can on occasion be slightly smug. They are expensive products, if I spend that much on something I will generally be happy with it, and will have programmed myself to believe it is excellent. Most people do this.

Those of us who don't like the Apple business model can sometimes react negatively to our perception that Apple are smug, over bearing, and ethically questionable.

Quite frankly those who are advocates of Apple products, or even evangelists may appear to those of us who are not as perhaps not entirely rational, and we may even react to what we perceive as being manipulative big corporate tactics, but actually they are just reaffirming their purchase decision, and by doing so reconfirming their positive reasons for making that decision.

However I just wish WE COULD ALL just recognise that none of us, the 'lovers' the 'fanbois', the 'haterz', or the 'rationalists' are entirely rational in our views, we are all over reacting and falling into silly flame wars.

Look at me, most rational post on here by far, and yet....

...was it rational for me to spend 30 minutes reading an article, and comments, and then another 10 writing a reply regarding a subject that I am at best vaguely equivocal about.

mad, all of us

I'm not a fan of labour

and that is an understatement.

But on this occasion I'm going to stand up for them.

This is a minor correction, and an example of using digital media well. If you can come up with a substantive example then do so, and let's hang the evil minded lying bastards by the yardarms.

Otherwise please desist from whichever form of made up argument this is 'and if they did something else much worse than what they have done that would be bad, so they are bad'.

-gate suffixes

Stuff a scandal about water being complicated for journos. I want the original Watergate hotel to be in a scandal, because by the rules of extension that would now be a Watergategate.

@RegisterFail

No, that would be a competent store person, who shouldn't be sacked.

You seem to be arguing that a grandmother isn't equipped to make an informed decision, and the store clerk should unilaterally decide that a person younger than the rating should be allowed to own the game. Or are you suggesting that the store clerk should conclude that the grandmother would be playing the game because she handed over the cash, after saying 'give the man your pocket money?

I'm guessing you feel this way because it affects you personally?

I'm in favour of enforcing such limitations, rather than having mature content banned, which was firmly the bandwagon prior to the introduction of age limitations on games. Just ignoring the limits through technicalities (my gran bought it) will bring back that bandwagon. Not that it ever entirely left...

@ac 15:33

Let's indeed hope justice prevails. Unlike you I am willing to let justice take it's course. Out of interest how do you combine your view that he should go to jail for 50 years with your view that justice (innocent until proven guilty in a court of law) should prevail.

Even the Americans uphold innocence until proven otherwise.

Perhaps your justice is that of Stalin or the Daily Mail instead?

Win 7 a success?

I would imagine Vista SP3 will be quite a success. General comments have been positive from users, even users which you would expect to be fairly negative, with linux and apple users being at worst a bit smug about their systems still being better in certain respects.

I've never run vista, taking the micky out of my brother in law for being an early adopter of 'fistula' over the last couple of years, but I am giving serious consideration to finally upgrading our little fleet of a dozen or so machines here at work to win 7. Of course I'm also experimenting with linux, and I think that will continue, as the tools for interoperability with win only apps get better and better for us non it specialists who have to manage it resources. So for us it is a tough decision, whereas a well executed vista would have been a 'no brainer' - which is bad news for Microsoft, as a certain number of small businesses will make the jump to linux instead, and I very much doubt many will come back - 'free' is quite compelling, as is 'no vendor lock in'.

But at least MS is a consideration again, whereas if 7 had been another vista, well we'd have continued buying licences from ebay for XP until we couldn't, and then moved to linux - no question. Which for MS isn't just windows licences gone, it's office licences, it's SQL licences - we've already deserted exchange - but without windows the rest aren't even an option.

Win7 is a big deal for Redmond.

A No.10 petition is the answer

Demanding an independent commissioner of lying. Any minister or senior public servant found guilty of substantial distortion is automatically put on probation - 3 strikes and they are barred from holding public office for life, and their name is entered on a 'register of liars' for 10 years.

Include the stocks, and rotten tomatoes as well.

The commissioner for lying themselves will hold enormous power, but everything they investigate should be a matter of public record (regardless of outcome), which should keep them mostly honest. Further they should report to parliament, not the Government.

What's not to love about that as a structure. a million supporters for sure.

Those number 10 petitions, they are the way to change the world...

why don't they just...

...up the rate of VAT on telecom connections - from the current 15% to 20% - the collection infrastructure is already there, as is the payment structure, so whilst it is still gently bending over the electorate and inserting a broadband connection where there is no sun, at least it would be doing it honestly, and with less disruption.

Although this is a pointless tax, and will be wasted and fail to achieve it's stated ambition, this is what Government is for - to raise finance to achieve societal goals which are not commercially viable.

It's just a shame that in recent years Governments have forgotten that, and decided to try and control every aspect of our lives.

Oh, and @No, I will not fix your computer; it makes sense for Governments to nationalise natural monopolies (water, gas, sewage, the rail network (not necessarily the trains on them), the road network. Other services which can be subject to competition are better left in private hands - provided there is genuine competition that will usually deliver a better and cheaper service to the user. Telecom physical infrstructure is not necessarily a natural monopoly, but it is only with the advent of wireless that genuine competition has entered the market for the whole package - this is because the physical infrastructure was paid for by public subsidy (other than Virgin, which was paid for by very stupid and optimistic investors - probably the same ones who paid for the channel tunnel). What should have happened as soon as the technology caught up was a nationally owned company owning the lines, and doing the maintenance, and private companies providing the calls.

However that would be a pragmatic solution, rather than one which suits any particular ideological slant, so no chance.

post offices

I thought the one's under threat were the little local ones serving a community.

Just as a thought - I'd like to know the correlation between post offices serving as IPS centres (or which have the potential to so do) and those which fail to make a profit, and are thus under threat.

Would the correlation be -1 by any chance?

i.e. no overlap whatsoever.

In which case this saves post offices how.

Filthy, lying, low-life, manipulative bastards.

how interesting...

...that's the first time I've heard a compelling reason to buy a product from Sony Ericsson for a while.

tracking and identifying mobile phones

If you have it in your pocket when you travel through a zone with more than one aerial, then even if it is switched off (with some models) you can track roughly where it is, then if there is a camera nearby (and where is there not these days) there is a good chance of identifying you.

If you keep the battery out then your odds are improved. I would suggest acquisition should be at a car boot sale - you might buy a couple of duds, but as a busy terrorist you can probably live with that.

With the added bonus that instead of 'no subscriber information' the first info request will identify an innocent person (well, I say innocent, aiding and abetting a terrorist by selling them a phone is probably a crime).

Provided you only put the battery in out of camera sight, and add credit on a similar basis (having obtained the voucher off camera for cash) then you should be ok. Never ever put the battery in at home. Provided there isn't too much of your voice on tape to do a stress analysis against.

Of course, I think identifying the terrorist might take more than £60 of resources in that scenario, and I'm sure I've missed some stuff, so there is probably a better chance of identification than that. Anyway, surely every good terrorist uses a satellite phone?

@Stephen Gray

You're wrong (but you knew that would happen didn't you?).

My email comes in by port 25 smtp, then makes it's way to my computer by port 143 imap. Some people use port 110 pop3 - or even more obscure protocols

At no point do I use any port 80 (Http - or more loosely and commonly 'web') traffic to get my email. Some people do, but not everyone

The world wide web ('web') is a protocol/application driven by the hypertext/hyperlink concept pioneered by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in his seminal 1989 paper.

It sits on top of the internets pipes, and might even travel through them - if the pipes are bigger then bigger pictures can get through, or something.

I disagree with your shit story

But I will stand up for your right to write it.

[sic]

research

...one has to ask how much longer the UK will be able to carry out this kind of research....

Oh, for ages, just not with any home grown talent.

oh, that's so cool

I want a motherboard with a big red start button on it that I can't see in normal use.

Just knowing it's there will increase the stability of my experience.

Voting station

Christ, you lot are rough.

I've just rung the wife to check it was where it was last time, next stop would have been to look at the council website, but I've been voting for years. If it's the first time, it is pretty daunting, as it should be. Choosing who we appoint to <delete>rape and pillage</delete> guard and represent our interests is a serious matter..

Yeah, I know, crap joke. So vote for someone else.

bnp, public vs private

Serious question, my prejudice is that the BNP are a third reich recreating bunch of toss bags.

But it is a prejudice.

Much as theirs is that I am a marxist, foreigner loving part of some conspiracy to reduce their future prospects.

Mostly wrong*.

But I don't actually know much about them.

Yes, they have dodgy email addresses indicating nazi sympathies, but quite a lot of young stupid people don't actually know anything about the nazis other than that they wore cool uniforms, and are generally the baddies, so that sort of hero worship whilst indicative of low educational attainment isn't actually evidence of evil intent.

Yes, some are nasty racists - well news flash, so are some people who aren't BNP. Racism is simply a specific form of xenophobia, from which we all suffer as a natural phobia that decent parenting, education, and exposure can overcome.

I keep hearing that their secret plan is to reinstitute a genuine third reich, but is it, or are they just a not very nice bunch of thuggish nationalists who are emotionally and intellectually insecure (I feel on safe ground saying that given their public pronouncements).

Hyperbole is hyperbole regardless of whether it's 'them' or 'us' using it.

*Yes, mostly wrong, I am in fact a foreigner lover - as often as possible. Although only the pretty ones.

Anyway, any takers with true knowledge?

grass roots

I have thought for some time that it is time for technology to provide the answer.

It is possible to use the big central database for good purposes. The only one worth doing it for would be devolved democracy. Local votes, national votes, vote on the issues you care about, vote on pay of public officials, vote on everything of any import.

There are significant risks in the database state, but if you take control away from Chief Constables and Parliament to create policy then they can be controlled.

There are significant risks in any system. Every now and again we remember that.