And...

That 28-70 lens is not a G series, it's a D... It's got an aperture ring... Oh, and the label says f/2.8D :-)

Plus the "new" instant focus override is a standard feature of all AF-S lenses.

Widescreen bad...

Widescreen is a pain in the bum for laptops.

I'm typing this on my trusty old Thinkpad R52, and I think I'll still be typing on this in another couple of years... Sure it's not fast and the battery is shagged, but I simply can't find any modern laptop that offers me the same (or better) screen real estate as the 15" 1400x1050 screen without it being a hugely oversized desktop replacement weighing twice as much.

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I don't think you'd need to move onto hand and foot removal.

After ten offences I believe mouse and keyboard operation would be impaired to such a level that further transgressions would be prevented!

I have no loyalty...

I just go for who will sell me the phone I want for the price I want to pay.

Unfortunately there really isn't much choice. Vodafone still seem to be rather fuddy duddy. O2 are bending over and taking it up the behind from St Jobs. The only two in the running for my last upgrade were T-mob and Orange, and as I was already with Orange they sorted me out a deal. Better the devil you know and all that... Plus being a long term Nokia owner I am all too aware of the firmware updates (which applies to all UK networks), the first thing I did was debrand the firmware.

Well...

In the absence of artillery/air support it'll deal with a sniper hidden in a mud brick house/compound or tucked up behind some rocks in an equally effective way.

There's nothing fair about sniping, IEDs or war in general.

You probably can...

Well maybe not for the lens cover, but Nokia will change that for you if you report it. It was an early design/production problem. At least it has a lens cover!

As for the crashing/rebooting, well you probably can blame Vodafone, the networks delay/block firmware releases to the phones with their allocated model numbers, and what do firmware releases contain? Yup, bug fixes.

For some reason they feel they have to check each release to make sure it's compatible with their network (well that's what they say)... Odd since Nokia know a thing or two about mobile phones, and I don't see hundreds of Eurozone tourists stepping off the bus/boat/train/plane and finding their phone won't work on the UK networks...

Back in the days of the N95, Orange had their own version of firmware which crippled the VOIP over wifi function. That's when I hacked the model number of my N95 to generic Euro, and I've done it on every Nokia since. I've never regretted it.

Paul...

What firmware are you running. If you are using a network supplied handset then I doubt you have the latest V21. The networks are also delaying (and in some cases blocking) firmware releases. Yet another way the networks make the phones look bad.

If you change the model code to a generic Euro one you can get the firmware when Nokia releases it, not when some faceless/nameless gap year student from the network decides it's okay to issue.

However Nokia do take some of the blame, the firmware updates are supposed to be able to be applied without touching any user data. I have never found my N97 to be particularly happy after this kind of update, so I prefer to do a complete wipe and fresh install. Kinda like your 6 month old XP install needs.

So assuming you've now changed the model number to generic...

Remove any MicroSD. Back up your phone. format the mass storage, do a hard reset. Then update the firmware. Format the mass storage again and hard reset again.

You should then have a totally clean phone. Restore user files/contacts/notes/calendar/bookmarks from the backup. Don't restore device specific settings, they are invariably the one that have got messed up.

Stamping is unlikely to work.

Stamping will probably just damage the outer case of the drive. The data is on a bit of silicon which is enclosed in it's own solid plastic case soldered to the circuit board inside.

Even if you break the outer case, and the circuit board, getting access is just a matter of some soldering. Even if you did manage to snap the flash chip casing you'd need to snap the bit of silicon inside to really do the job properly, and that's hard because it's very small, and the entire flash package is a solid mass, akin to trying to break a stone by stamping on it.

I had a mobile phone run over by a landrover, and no chips or circuit boards broke. The plastic case cracked (it's not solid) and the screen broke (it's a long thin bit of glass). Everything else inside was fine, as proved by just replacing the LCD and everything worked again.

If you really want to destroy a flash drive you are better off hitting it with something solid that isn't going to cushion the blow, like a 7ib club hammer. Comparatively soft things like shoes and vehicle tyres just spread the force out too much.

Ditto...

I suspect it would have survived pretty well... If it would have managed to complete its journey unaided without getting stuck, or doing some internal damage is another story.

Yup...

I never said it would be pretty though... I'm planning on using the curves from a 1970s Volvo :-)

Ah...

So you mean she has a secret identity?

Diamond Bit?

Even easier...

It's even easier than that. Netbooks/Laptops are a compromise of space and parts. With a full size PC keyboard there is enough space underneath for 2 netbook motherboards, so they should be able to fit something in!

As has been mentioned, they managed it in the 1980s with the Vic 20, Commodore 64, Acorn Atom/Electron (won't include my beloved BBC Micro as 90% of the gubbins were in the rear of the case, not under the keyboard.

Give me a keyboard, a netbook and access to a plastic injection machine and I'll have one ready for you by the weekend!

Aye...

One that can do photo recognition and tell you when you've just committed a blue on blue would be nice.

Ummm...

Looking into the future by copying a 1960s TV series?

WHAT?!

Salt? With beer? Are you mad... You want an icon for tequila.

The network cause half the problem...

For some reason in the UK there is no such thing as a generic, network free N97, the best you get is the UK CV (country variant). When Nokia release firmware for the world+dog's generic N97 we can't use it (or see it as available).

Eventually someone does something after a month or two and the N97 CV phones can get it. The Vodafone/Orange etc phones still can't.

I got so fed up of waiting for bugs to be fixed, which I could see were resolved in a firmware version I was not permitted to access, I changed the model code of the phone to generic Euro.

I did the same with the old N95, IIRC if that was still set as an Orange phone I would be still using V11 firmware. As it is I have V35, came out last month.

Now I get updates when Nokia releases them, not when some faceless and nameless entity decides UK users can use them. Oh but we need to approve them say Vodafone/Orange et al... Yeah right, I see plane loads of foreign Nokia users getting off flights from Euroland and finding their phones suddenly not working on your network don't I. I think Nokia knows a thing or two about making a mobile phone. They own the patents for enough of the specs your network depends on!

Sometimes it's about control. Orange didn't want the N95 to be able to route VOIP via wifi when it came out... So it was knobbled. Change the model number to generic, install the latest firmware, install fring/nimbuzz/skype, take your pick, and enjoy free wifi VOIP.

Annoyingly talk of changing the model code is forbidden on the Nokia discussion forums, yet the delays in some countries getting the firmware means many are enduring bugs which have been fixed months ago! The result is a shed load of bad press.

They really should kick whoever delays the firmware releases up the behind with steel toecapped boots.

I'm confused...

Is that a list of rules handed down from the Pope or from HM Gov?

Depends...

It depends how you define emergency. You don't even need a SIM to dial 999, and I'm sure a lady in distress will get away with a 999 call to say her car has broken down in a dark country lane far more easily than a man would.

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If I remember correctly, you can buy a film to put on a laptop screen that undoes all that R&D that went on to increase the viewing angle.

Actually...

In a round about way a larger monitor can slow down a PC...

Larger monitor = higher resolution, which will work the graphics card a bit harder... If the machine is one of those nasty cheap designs with shared video and system ram, the ram used for the extra pixels is memory not available for windows to much on.

However I agree that most users shouldn't be trusted with anything more than a left click.

Hmmm...

My thoughts exactly...

As the old marketing man says, there is no such thing as bad publicity... Although Toyota might have just disproved than!

Choose your accident...

I think the chances of surviving an airship accident are higher than surviving a jet aircraft accident.

Even the famous Hindenburg accident had > 60% survival rate.

36 died (13 passengers, 22 crew, 1 ground crew), 62 survivors.

Airships might spark up in most impressive style, but jets tend to hit thing (mountains, the ground etc) at rather higher speeds.

Yes and no...

Very few companies bother to publish the level of pollution/energy required to produce a car in the first place, and dispose of the old one.

I doubt many cars could challenge my old bus when it comes to fossil carbon emissions, mine easily embarrasses a Prius (and I don't just mean when I use the brakes!)... One of the beauties of an old car (diesel) is they have a very simple injection system which can take a lot of abuse. In my case the abuse comes in the shape of recycled vegetable oil... Smells a bit funny, but far cheaper than the ever climbing fuel prices in the UK.

Actually...

I never said everyone drives a new car, only expressed shock that Linus didn't...

Just for the record my car is even greener than John White's (above), at 13 years old and containing a bio-degradable paper based navigation system.

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Not sure that's English English, American hackers perhaps?! :o)

Ummm...

Actually he wasn't. In the 1930s Hitler enjoyed and promoted "English" country "sports" such as fox hunting and game shooting and was partial to stuffed pigeon.

Re: It's not so bad

Do you often find invasive security checks that stimulating?

If so I'm sure you could request the full body cavity search.