Posts by Paul Murphy

Surely that's the point behind testing?

Locate a problem, work out what's causing it and then devise a 'cure'.

Has there been any aircraft that has flown perfectly and hasn't been changed over the course of it's lifetime.

sigh - non-news.

ttfn

Sounds as though it's got everything but bluetooth.

Quite a neat package, it'll be interesting to see what happens when it hits the streets.

ttfn

Davenport Lyons == scammers then.

Sounds like it so far.

Everyone here knows the intricacies of trying to determine blame (for copyright infringement) based on IP address, so I won't bother going into that.

I can't wait until someone points out that 'using P2P <> copyright-infringing sharing', and see the puzzled look on the lawyers faces.

I wonder how they will justify an infringement penalty raising over time 'well it does cost us £500 a letter you know'?

It's a real shame that defense lawyers aren't free, that would probably help with fraudulent accusations.

If someone dies from a heart-attack (or whatever) from reading one of these letter does that make DL complicit to murder?

Anyway I hope that DL have to pay compensation for those who have been falsely accused because DL thinks that bullying people for money is acceptable.

ttfn

So .

Is the album any good? after all this marketing hype I'm tempted to buy it.

ttfn

Has anyone noticed..

That we are an island nation?

we are surrounded by water.

It's too deep to walk on, and too soft to run vehicles on.

We need a navy to not just protect ourselves, but look after our immediate interests - let alone ones which are further away.

To get any of our stuff to another place we need to use ships or planes.

Planes are pretty expensive to use just to transport things around (think trying to do Overlord using just Dakotas) so we need to invest in a navy that can take things around the world.

I would agree that our needs as a nation are more closely linked to the navy than they are to the air force, and indeed there is more justification for navalising our air force than there is for providing air cover four our navy soley from land bases.

There are many stories of bad ideas in Britain being carried through to some rediculous conclusions:

Beecham and the gutting of our rail network, Sandys and the termination of some truly useful stuff ie TSR2, SR.177, our space program.

Sigh - do i need to carry on?

We need a well integrated navy, able to protect itself properly and with enough flexibility to operate well.

Put catapults (steam, liner accelerator, weight and pulley or rubber band come to that) and arrestor wires on the carriers and ideally make then nuclear powered.

Stay away from the jump version of the F35 - it's not going to be able to do the job properly now, let alone when modifications are needed.

Stop pussy-footing around issues and make some proper decisions that allow our armed forces to protect us and themselves properly and do a decent job of what they are asked to do.

ttfn

hmm - let the chase begin anew.

Hopefully ISPs will start to realise that taking on these people as clients doesn't pay in the long-run.

I can dream can't I?

ttfn

New bluetooth device found ...

connecting.

Interesting article, but I must agree that MBTs will have some life in them yet, as will the artillery.

Armies aren't fought by just one type of weapon, but a mixture. the mixture dictates the forces ability to take on certain foes. Just as using tanks in cities isn't ideal, so using lasers to guide networked rockets isn't the final answer (jungles, rain and fog come to mind as potential show stoppers). The basic idea is interesting but it's still trying to fight conventional armies, when so much of todays warfare is anything but conventional.

I can see a role in Afghanistan, since an ambushed convoy could defend itself very effectively, but for the traditional blowing up a wedding role an aircraft would be the thing.

Artillery is cheap (per round) and flexible in terms of the type of round delivered, though not the most accurate.

Tanks are expensive to run, but for the close support of troops in open country they are the best solution.

What would be even better though would be if america would stop trying to be the worlds police and just concentrated on their own problems. If every nation just concentrated on defensive forces and their only external troops were given to the UN then maybe this sort of expensive toy would not be needed.

ttfn

So when do I get my Mr Fusion Car?

Good news - I hope that ITER is a success and fusion power becomes a reality.

Next problem - making batteries/ accumulators to store all this energy. If fusion power takes off we'll need a lot of batteries or other ways of keeping leccy portable.

ttfn

ooh - was that sarcasm?

>as a pig soared 10,000 feet overhead.

Please tell me, I can't tell any more :-(

ttfn

So M$ effectively break the intertubes...

Then complain that sites aren't compliant??

Wouldn't it have been better to make your browser work properly in the first place MS?

Unfortunately i doubt this will prompt everyone to just say no to all versions of IE and just use one of the alternatives instead.

sigh.

ttfn

Sounds as though some other lists are needed...

1) Top 30 games for parents who can't or won't bother parenting,

Maybe it can teach basic values such as helping people (you know .. doing quests), making friends and trying to get along.

2) Top 30 games which aren't like real life,

You know - like all of them!

3) Top 30 games that will teach parents to say NO to their children, rather than caving in a buying them whatever they ask for.

I can imagine a Wii game where the 'child' has to get the 'parent' to buy sweets etc. but the parent has to not only say no, but also stop the little'un from dropping things in the shopping cart - at the same time as getting things which are on a list.

Hold on - that might make the second list .. hmm

ttfn

Time to invest in solar leccy panels and storage tech then.

It's a real shame that in the early days of the motorcar the petrol-powered versions came out on top.

If we had 100 years of battery development under our belts I wonder if climate/ oil dependance would be big issues. *

ttfn

*of course they would, since our problems are more to do with trying to get an advanced lifestyle and being willing to throw things away rather than thinking long-term.

An old idea ..

1) go to the moon,

2) find a small rock

3) fling said rock (rather precisely it has to be said) at a target (on Earth due to gravity well) - using a rail gun/ monorail arrangement with a rock holder on top.

4) get a bigger rock goto 3 until country containing targets capitulates,

5) profit !!

Copyright Heinlein 'Moon is a harsh mistress' 1966 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress)

just a thought is all I'm saying...

ttfn

err...

'.... the company's world sales target of 5m BD players will not now be reached, though he reckons equipment suppliers won't fall far short of it: they'll set 4.5m units ...'

So they were planning on selling 5m, but due to a lack of supply they will only be selling 4.5m.

Looks as though some severe lack of planning is to blame, how can increased demand (due to lack of competition from HD) cause a drop in the numbers they were planning to sell?

Maybe because actually people don't really care that much about buying into another format and having to buy all their films/documentaries again, and having to buy a non-cheap TV to watch them on (oh AND a special cable that will _allow_ you to watch them) to make the upgrade worthwhile.

Sounds as though the excuse-cupboard has been opened and whatever fell out has been used.

ttfn

Easy -

It will prompt them to take a brisk walk in the fresh air.

To calm them down - it works for me at any rate.

ttfn

So hopefully it won't be too long until ...

We don't 'need' to upgrade our computers every 5 years and our OS every 3 years,

Programs written now aren't just out of date, but un-runnable 10 years later,

We can stop wasting resources by constantly running after the moving goalposts of performance.

ttfn

If it was a bluetooth enabled eye/ camera...

I wonder if she could get hold of some video glasses and mod them to play the footage through the missing eye screen.

That way she could have binocular vision if she wanted, or whatever she wanted to see with whatever eye she wanted (I'd better stop this thinking I'm getting a headache.)

Also thinking of Jordi (?) from STNG and the idea of having a device that also detects IR etc, not just visible light.

Of course if the eye was fitted with wi-fi then the whiole family/ neighbourhood could watch :-)

ttfn

Obviously early days,

And you can't judge people by something as simple as 'I posted a video on the intertubes' .

But at least O seems to be a clued up/ prepared person, and not a bible-bashing religious fanatic.

At last america (they need to deserve the capital A they used to have in my books) looks to stand a chance of getting back on it's feet.

Hopefully the selfish greed (here in the UK and there) can be lessened, that would be nice.

ttfn

So where is this green energy coming from?

why don't they say?

I bet it's from some glowing rods they found in a cupboard.

ttfn

Harking back to the good old days ...

Our answer would have been to send in the gun boat(s) - why not revive that tradition?

Make, oh say 10, fast(ish) monitors, with one large 'bombardment' gun and a couple of bofors equivalent guns, and enough armour so that they will be fine with RPG fire.

Have them patrol an area with support from a support (duh!) vessel for as long as they need, and with the remit of following any aggressor against any vessel they deem fit.

I suspect that they would come in handy for all sorts of tasks.

The major problem would be balancing ocean-going, low-freeboard, well armoured and reasonably fast.

ttfn

When did body bags come out?

They certainly weren't around in WW2, so a coffin, dumped in a ditch, slung onto a cart or train were the most likely options.

That's if anyone cared and survived whatever did you in.

ttfn

Make windows7 install the size of a floppy disk. or two.

and able to run in 640kb of memory, and boot up more quickly (on todays hardware it would be interesting to see how fast boot up would be) that would also be nice.

I see the price stays about the same though. ($100 ­­ = £85 ?)

ttfn

I cant see that IBM and Apple are competitors

>IBM hit out at that claim by arguing that: "Electronic devices large and small are powered by the >same type of intelligence, the microprocessor

What? they also use silicon, plastic, electricity and 'software/ firmware' but those are also not relevant. IBM and Apple don't compete 9unless I am missing something) so IBM will have to do better than that to convince people.

ttfn

'My work here is done'

It's a good phrase, and you have earned it by the sounds of things.

The voters may not have known who you are, but I hope they thanked you for helping them be part of their future.

ttfn

I _WAS_ going to suggest ...

a fire-hose arrangement that fired alcohol, which would be anathema to certain religions thus repelling them, and possibly affect their boat driving skills.

_THEN_ I remembered that we were talking about the navy, so there would be no stock of alcohol left by the time the ship left port.

carry on sailor...

ttfn

So if he 'lives' in WoW ...

Why is he filing a lawsuit in RL??

ttfn

Why not ....

Charge £300 pa road tax and then _if you do less than 10,000 miles pa_ you get money back?

or

Raise fuel prices so that people pay per mile?

or

Give massive aid for people wanting to get greener cars say a £8,000 voucher? (maybe even giving everyone a G-Whizz when they reach 18)

or

Use the road tax to improve the roads - or even better the public transport system!

or

stop treating people as if they were criminals (well - aside from the ones who ARE criminals at any rate)

ttfn

Stick a generator on the back

long range as well! :-)

So they get rid of their engineers and open the servers?

What could possibly go wrong with that?

I hope the sand-boxing is strong enough so that disgruntled ex-employees don't wipe the databases or anything.

Reading this it seems to me that Yahoo are rather desperate - though as long as they make a profit they should be able to stay in business I would have thought, just tell the shareholders that there won't any dividends for a few years.

ttfn