Posts by Bananimal
16 posts • joined Tuesday 15th April 2008 21:53 GMT
Pointless vapourware is pointless
Why the long thread.
Posted in Why do Smart TV UIs suck?
Embed XBMC
Manufacturers can skin it how they like, and as long as they don't hide the feature for me to skin it I can end up with an interface I want to use.
There are a number of app remotes available like Yatse that would do the job, someone might even feel the need to update the official XBMC app. The manufacturers could always build their own remote app to access some of their own unique features.
We might even see some development being fed back into XBMC for the greater good.
Re: If MS go the Apple route
But if Microsoft want to control the hardware their software is deployed on to a greater extent, it will restrict the freedom they have historically given to OEM's. A more compelling reason then presents itself for OEM's to move to *nix based solutions.
Could prompt the first significant landgrab for *nix in the consumer/SME space. If people got used to using popular *nix based productivity tools in the office, who knows what could happen next.
Posted in So, what IS the worst film ever made?
My top 3
Sucker Punch
Battlefield Earth
The Avengers
Sucker Punch in particular is unutterably stupid. As a fan of stylish films with no substance I should have enjoyed it and yet it plumbed new depths of banality with every frame.
I tried really hard to get into Battlefield Earth. I took a 3 hour break to get wasted and started the movie again and it still couldn't deliver.
I couldn't make it through The Avengers, and I watched all of Switch starring Ellen Barkin.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: @ Probing analyst (PS)
I'm not going to spend any time composing a detailed rebuttal highlighting the multitude of reasons that you are not correct as you are an arse.
The Raspberry Pi is an excellent piece of kit for the money and I'm sure it will become a valuable educational tool.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: @ Probing analyst (PS)
Still wrong.
Even assuming a monitor or TV needs to be purchased new, you're vastly overestimating cost.
Your assumption on what a family might allow on the family TV is your problem, not a problem everyone else has. I'd be happy for my kids to make use of the TV for something like this.
Most schools already have a bank of PC's and associated peripherals like monitors, you appear to be assuming they are going to bin all the old kit.
Love it
Use of Weapons was my introduction to the Culture and I think its a great starting point and could make a great film, Excession also has great film potential. I didn't really like Consider Phlebas, can't remember why.
So many to choose from...
And so many could be awful in the wrong hands.
Vurt - Jeff Noon
Only Forward - Michael Marshall Smith. Spares almost got made by Spielberg with Cruise but instead we got Minority Report
Excession - Ian M Banks
Use of Weapons - Ian M Banks
Anything by Neal Stephenson, particularly Anathem. A huge budget serial of the baroque cycle culminating in a 3 parter of Cryptonomicon would also be nice.
dishwasher vs handwashing
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/built-in-dishwasher-vs-hand-washing-which-greener.php
Posted in HBGary 'puppets' FAIL to convince
Drashek
Whatever happened to Drashek?
Was the bot/lunatic question ever answered?
Posted in D-Link Boxee Box DSM-380 media streamer
Missed some features.
The reviewer has missed some key features, not least the media indexing feature which makes this such a good media device for people that keep all of their media in a digital format. I can't be bothered writing descriptions for every film I've stored and making sure there is an image associated so my wife can easily pick a film, and with this I don't have to. It scrapes IMDb and displays posters and descriptions for her. I don't know of any other media player that does this at all, never mind does it well.
I agree it has a way to go on the online media front, particularly in the UK, however for allowing easy navigation and playback of stored media my wife hasn't used better, and she's a normal consumer rather than a geek.
O2
You need to set a static arp entry on some routers to get it working over the internet rather than through your local network, like with WakeonLAN.
O2 appear to have worked with Sony Ericsson to provide a fix for their customers http://www.sonyericsson.com/remoteplay/o2_uk/
Posted in 3 to offer iPhone next year
Don't get the 3 hating.
Yeah their customer service isn't great but neither are the other networks if you have an actual problem (thats one that exists outside of your own head).
If you were on O2 then you'd have a genuine coverage complaint. I used to be able to maintain a reasonable 3G signal on 3 all the way home on the train, an extremely busy commuter route, O2 can barely manage a consistent signal never mind a 3G one and then there's still the issue with the quality of service.
N73?That would be the one with a million software updates and bugs that was released 3 years ago.
Doesn't this already exist
Haven't 3 offered a video mail service on their network for a fair few years now? Its been a few years since I had a 3 contract but I distinctly remember pointless rambling videomail messages from my dad from when he'd videocalled me by mistake.
Is this just another example of Apple trying to patent something that already exists.
Posted in Universal thaws out The Thing
Remake...
...Dune.
Don't laugh, I'm serious. We either get the best science fiction film ever made or it will bankrupt the studio that makes it.
Its win win for us.
HSDPA
<quote>The O2 network is fully HSDPA-enabled and we will be further increasing the maximum speeds available on HSDPA throughout the year, up to 7.2 MBps.</quote>
Really?! Last time Ofcom checked they weren't even fully 3g enabled. The only time I've connected to HSDPA on O2 was in the Arlington business centre in Leeds (where a large chunk of their customer services is based). Certainly don't get any in Glasgow in any of the areas that I can on the same handset with a 3 sim card. I can't even maintain a 3g connection on the short train journey home (3's network copes admirably on the same journey).
