@AC

Wiping the machine was probably your downfall. He either skipped it as faulty, or passed it onto someone more technical. Most probably the former.

Best thing you can do in this kind of situation is keep your head down and harvest everything you can from the guy. The cops far prefer the old "caught him red handed with the stolen goods" than anything complicated and technical.

I confess, I would probably Frape him a bit just for the giggle.

re: Er...

You silly billy, he could have dismantled his mast, and used it to fashion some oars with the solar panels as the paddles.

re: The wind isn't always there when you need it.

Ummm, neither is the sun ;-)

At least when there is no wind, you have some nice clam weather to sit about in

Glad you bobbed back intact.

Now go fix that engine!

Christina Hendricks....

Oh... No... sorry, I've gone again.

@Gary F

Yes, Android 2.2 supports tethering.

I agree, that's an annoying omission by both Google and Apple. I've had a long line of Nokia devices which would tether straight out of the box, and I used them for that on several occasions when I had no other internet connection. I remember using an N70 in 2005. I think the 6600 I had before could do it too via irDA, but I don't remember using it.

I don't understand the more money than sense iPhone users either. I can see the 3GS being justifiable now that they're old stock and almost free with a pack of cornflakes, but the whole "must be at the cutting edge, here's my wallet" urge completely escapes me when it comes to mobile devices these days.

Sorry....

Did someone say something, I got distracted by boobies.

GOT IT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61cxvXxqeEA

Skip to 4:40, unless you speak Italian and want to listen to a nunn talking.

Indeed...

Everyone calls it the V for vendetta mask, but if you read the book, the mask worn is described as a Guy Fawkes mask.

Re: nasty gases

A lot of time is spent ensuring that things on board do not release nasty gases. Astronauts will unfortunately produce some smelly, but non-lethal varieties, but you've got a limited supply of oxygen, so you can't just go venting it into space just because someone has been on the sprouts!

Given that washing facilities are also rather basic, I think it's pretty certain that a space station does get pretty smelly.

@LMFAO!

So in summary, no different to any of the others then?

@Naughtyhorse

Unfortunately "Math" and "Maths" is one of those divisions in our common language, one of the few which if very obvious when spoken, and yes, it makes me cringe too!

Not an Aussie

I'm a Pome, and I've certainly heard "Peter" used this way.

Re: AppleCare, not Genius Bar

I know, but it does make for a great mental image :-)

Thanks for the pro-tip, but I'd already worked out that a techie worth his salt is very unlikely to want to be slapped in a retail store doing 9-5:30 and faced with the public asking dumb questions - most of us have enough of that from immediate family members! ;-)

Oh the plus side...

They're aren't many fanatical follower of any teaching who have received such an obviously "Get a grip" slap round the chops, so maybe he might stop being quite such a loon.

Then again, he'll probably go completely postal now and go down in a hail of bullets whilst screaming "There is no god!!!! Muwahahahahaha" - He doesn't strike me as the kind of person who could just go quietly.

Re: Family Radio website design

Really? Looked the same to me, complete with the end of the world date still displayed.

I couldn't access it at all over the weekend, so assumed he'd only paid for his hosting in advance until 22nd, which would have made sense!

With his level of conviction I would have expected a date dependant change, so it would now be showing message normally reserved for the front bumpers of trucks, namely "If you can read this, you're f*cked".

Re: Yeah but , no but!

I assume you are referring to the Android log in token... The problem which was already fixed in the latest OS versions (unfortunately delayed by manufacturers and carriers), and then fixed for all on the servers by google?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/18/google_android_security_fix/

Seems like a perfect example of why having software updates delayed by a middle man is a bad idea.

re: pay for voice

...a feature I switched off within the first 20 minutes after discovering I seem to be playing on a server full of high pitched teens with all the communication skills of a three year old... Aka a constant, one-way stream of incomprehensible babble.

The total inability to adjust a microphone level correctly (even though a pretty level indicator is provided) can lead to only one conclusion, they are all deaf from the terrible music they listen to these days... So in conclusion Simon Cowell has destroyed multiplayer online game communication.

I think you'll find my theory is solid.

Re: Steve Button

But where do you want to draw the line? I might not be ginger, but I've gone through my life being a tall lanky streak of piss four eyed computer geek.

@Field Marshal Von Krakenfart

Yup, you're right, the EU did indeed mumble something about UK chocolate not containing enough cocoa. I don't know what happened to that, we probably just ignored them, we tend to do that. They're a strange lot over there in Euroland and they come up with some odd ideas being cut off from us for so long. Who would have thought that 24 miles of water could have such an effect on them :o)

Anyway, Euroland does indeed have some superb choccy, although having partaken in an office test where we had squares of choccy with increasing levels of cocoa, only females seem to be able to endure above 75%. All us guys were pulling faces by that point and reaching for the "weaker" stuff.

Re: Wrong!

Plus I doubt there is any CPU upgrade you can perform that would result in a 300% performance increase which didn't involve buying a completely new motherboard and replacing all your RAM because it's last year's style and now completely wrong.

re: Flavoured paraffin?

LOL! Nice one!

Having also tried the kisses (I was forced to by an American friend. She force feed them to a room full of us Brits and just couldn't understand the unanimous verdict). I'm starting to wonder about how it compares to another hideous form of "chocolate" that has been described to me by a Polish friend. Apparently it was something the Eastern block had to endure before the wall came down. My friend refers to it as communist chocolate which, she said, contained 0% cocoa, or maybe less!

No idea where I'd find some of that now. It would be funny if the USA and USSR were both eating similar brown vomit flavoured paraffin.

Indeed...

In this example everyone else was doing the normal, slow down gently for the cameras, then accelerate +10mph afterwards, all pretty normal on the A12, it's just a couple of morons, one in an Astra VXR (with a number plate to match) and another in a Golf GTI, who decided everyone was accelerating too gently and buried the loud pedal into the carpet straight after the cameras and then proceeded to use all three lanes as a slalom! The VXR almost did a pit manoeuvre on himself when he cut across in front of me he was so close.

So it wasn't so much their speed which was worrying, it was their driving style and ability (both youngster who thought they were Lewis Hamilton I guess). If anyone else had been driving with the same lack of attention or consideration to others as these two clowns were and did something quite normal like changing lane without indicating, there would have been a huge pile up.

Luckily as I'm also a motorcyclist, I have long known to treat all other road users as if they are complete idiots who are out to kill you, because 9 times out of 10, you'll be spot on!

@Lee

Okay, who's up for seducing his wife and causing a divorce?

No, I don't know what she looks like!

Re: Webapp

A large percentage of apps on iPhone/Android/Ovi are little more than that. Nothing that couldn't be implemented by a properly written mobile CSS definition and used via the browser.

There are some superbly implemented websites out there which show just how much can be done without any need for an (wr)app.

What?

James Hewitt owns Wales?!!!

@Chris 244

Your maths is a little confusing.

1) A USB port will shut down and throw up a warning if you try to draw too much current. It won't fry.

2) 5v * 500mA = 2.5watts, so a USB port can supply 2.5watts per hour, so it could just about keep up with a XOOM drawing 24Watts over 10 hours.

Re: Apple trolling.

I thought that when I first read the article, but it's just badly written.

There are actually two sets of figures in there. Samsung have beaten Nokia just for general phones, and Apple have beaten Nokia when you specifically look at Smartphones. Given all the previous headlines you would be hard pressed to find anyone that thought Nokia were still dominant in the European smartphone market, but they were, right up until now.

The victory must be a little tainted for Apple though. Sure they have knocked Nokia off the top spot for smart phones, but if you use the OS view, they were passed by cross manufacturer Android a few months back.

@Yes. This.

I bought the N97 (stop laughing at the back), and I must confess to looking at the N900 a few months later when it came out with lust, but I was trapped in the N97 contract, so the N900 wasn't an option on contract, but I thought of buying myself one.

Luckily (in hindsight) the pitiful support provided by Nokia for the N97 convinced me that there was no way Nokia deserved any more of my money, so I stuck out with the N97 for over a year before reaching the end of my tether and buying a Desire Z (I'm still in the N97 contract).

I can't compare it to the N900, but I can compare it to the N97. They keyboard is okay, but I preferred the N97's, so I expect the N900's keyboard was also superior. The camera is also not up to the 5mp camera in the N97. It's okay, but nothing special. Then again the N95/N97's Carl Zeiss camera was rather exceptional, so not quite measuring up to that isn't too much of a surprise, and the Desire doesn't have a lens cover that scratches the very thing it is supposed to protect!

Software wise, well I don't need to tell you how much there is available for Android. Lots! Custom firmware, yup, plenty of that. Forums and grass root hackers, yup, plenty. It's as much yours as you want it to be.

Having said all that, I haven't even rooted mine. It works fine. Way better than the N97 which invariably required a wipe and reinstall every month!

Development environment, simple. Unlike Symbian the instructions and documentation are clear, the package links are all together on one page, they all download, and they all work first time on Windows, Linux and OSX. Plus completely free. I tried a few times with Symbian and Qt, but the Nokia website was so disjointed with instructions a version behind and multiple packages on multiple pages, I never got either to work! You know you should give up when even the simplest built in example apps throw up cryptic missing package messages.

Anything I miss? Well oddly enough (given how people slate resistive touch screen) I miss the accuracy of being able to use a fingernail to tap a link. Now I have to zoom in and use the side of my finger instead when there are many links close together (or use the little trackpad joystick thing). Only other thing I can think of is the headphone remote only has pause, forward and backwards. The Nokia one also had volume up and down.