re: Tube surfing

A very worthy sport, that should actually be part of the Olympics. Beginners would do well to practice on the Jubilee Line Extension, as some of the smoother rides are there. A step up to some gentle lateral motion on the DLR (no idea why they sway from side to side in a straight line, but you can get your eye in while relying on the computer controlled acceleration) before you're ready to join the big boys on the Circle Line. As the trains jump from track to track, it makes for some exciting competitions that truly separate the men from the boys!

Only time

I seldom go to the cinema for much the same reason. However I've found the perfect way to do it. If there's something I *really* want to see and think will be good on the big screen, I take a day off work and go by myself in the early afternoon. As long as it's not half-term, you pretty much get the screen to yourself, it's off-peak so usually cheaper and no kids - utter bliss!

Still most good films are just as watchable at home. The exceptions are the big blockbusters/CGI-a-thons where it pays to be immersed in the action. Example - last film I saw in cinema (on my own, place to myself) was the Star Trek reboot.

You say

"only if I can get Keira Knightley to be my decoy"

*cough*

"I've got Quad speakers!"

You have *FOUR* speakers?? Big man on campus! ;-)

Because..

Multi-tasking <> multi-threaded...

Eh??

As wonderful as I'm sure your intentions are, I'm not sure what "potential physics" you could relate to a science *fiction* show such as Doctor Who?

No

MIMO antenna systems are already in use - they actually use the same principle to improve a signal at the other end.

You can lock rotation

But, inexplicably, you can only lock the rotation via the iOS settings. And only if the device is capable of multi-tasking. Clearly it's a very CPU intensive option that only the latest hardware can support.

Apple, who loves ya baby?

Outwith

Could you add "amongst" and "whilst" to your list of words to be shot please?

Doesn't say that

It's already possible to identify if something is on the IWF list. An informative message saying "this is blocked" instead of the nefarious and incorrect 404 error would be no different, and wouldn't require handing out a copy of the list either.

The "transparent procedures" presumably means "not the shoddy proxy implementation that changes the source IP address and causes all sorts of problems for content that isn't on the IWF list but is on the same server" that causes problems with fileserve etc on Be/O2/VM/BT systems, and witnessed in the Wikipedia/Scorpions debacle a few years ago.

Slight difference

At sea, they would have had access to fresh air, sunlight and a chance of surviving even if the ship went down. The majority of the crew would have likely spent their life at sea as well, so was hardly a change of scene or routine for them. Claustrophobia doesn't really occur when you've got access to a window that opens, or a deck.

Plenty of people went insane though, but they'd have been chucked in the brig, or overboard.

Flipside

I couldn't figure out the difference. I went to a Scottish school, and then Edinburgh University. By 5th year of school, I had a Higher in maths. As part of 6th year, I was able to do what's called CSYS (Cert of Sixth Year Studies) in maths as well.

When I got to university for a BSc in maths, the first year was spent covering what I'd covered a CSYS, so was an absolute doddle. By contrast, my English counterparts had barely touched any of the stuff I'd already done, and had a relatively hard year.

I could never reconcile the differences though. In hindsight I could probably have started in 2nd year, and completed a Scottish degree in 3 years, whereas the English students would take 4.

Do you mean

Offshoring? Outsourcing has been a standard practice for longer than 10 years. Cleaning companies are a very good example of outsourcing, and makes much more sense than hiring your own cleaning staff. Outsourcing is not the evil thing it's made out to be.

If on the other hand, you dislike offshoring, then I struggle to see what the alternative is if you're giving a blanket ban on all foreign services and, by extension, products. Just looking round this office I'm seeing very little UK-made products - hello China and Taiwan.

Draw up the borders and isolate the UK from any foreign parties if you like, but recognise that the rest of the world will operate in a global economy, and that maybe instead of bitching about it, you contribute to how the UK can find its place in it.

@The BigYin

Not only are you missing local sales tax from the US prices, you're also missing import duty, warranty costs, built-in restocking fees (US charges to return products, UK doesn't - but guaranteed you're paying it somewhere), not to mention shipping and distributing it into the UK and the general higher cost of doing business here. It's unfortunately not as easy as you make out to compare US/UK prices. You also need to consider what the spending power of the $ is compared to the £.

Import if you like, nothing is stopping you. You may save some money, but you forfeit your warranty and statutory rights, so are effectively getting less for your money. It sucks, but "rip-off Britain" is less tangible than you might think.

@HansG

Adverts you say? SD you say? 4 months later you say?

Or alternatively get them from the US, at 720p, with the adverts pre-clipped, 4 months early.

O2 -> Be

In true Be style (where they don't seem to be able to employ any sys devs), they're currently unable to transfer O2 customers to Be. You have to cancel and re-join up. During which time, you'll be without Internet, and if you were on a congested exchange, may not be able to join again (if the DSLAMs are full - Poplar for example)

Oh dear

To the AC tool who thinks driving with dipped headlights at night in a built up area is wrong, I direct you to rule 115 of the highway code:

"You should also use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen"

Sidelights, or parking lights as they are officially called (for a reason), aren't enough to make you visible. Hell, even if it's raining you should have dipped beam on.

I'm amazed you're allowed on the road with such limited knowledge.

Sinatra

"South of the border" is a fairly well used description of Mexico. If they'd said, "south of the border, down Mexico way", would you have got it then?

@Title

"All of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games have the option to switch into 'lefty mode', for those of us of the sinister persuasion"

Erm, yes, but we're talking about the "real" guitar, which won't allow for that. You'd have to restring the guitar (probably with new ones due to the different lengths required), flip the string guide (if it's not fixed in place), adjust the bridge and the tuners, and hope the pickups aren't tuned to the expected strings. In electric models, the guitar is now upside down, and usually rather uncomfortable, not to mention the machine heads are on the underside now.

And that's before even getting into the complications of the midi pickup interface, or hoping the game copes with it.

@The Cube

"stalls as they try to engage second gear"

Sorry, that comment made me spit my sandwich halfway across the office, and some very strange looks received - thank you for that :-) But more because I heard the grinding of the gearbox in my head.

"Real" guitar

The RB3 guitar is interesting, I agree. But it's at this point that GH/RB fans will realise that what they've been doing till now is *nothing* like playing a real guitar.

However if they put in the same effort, they may find they learn a real instrument. The paybacks won't be as immediate though, which may put off a lot of people.

No timestamp

Erm, it won't - the time doesn't appear at the top of many apps. Besides, having the time set wrong is hardly noteworthy - could be wrong by accident, or could be wrong deliberately (operating on a different timezone). Would barely get a "ooh, your clock is wrong".

Subjectiveness

Of course they're subjective - that's why it wasn't constructed by one person :-)

Critics are usually blessed with understanding of what makes a film "good", notice things that you see unconsciously, ignore gratuitous "ooh that was cool" moments etc. You can usually recognise a form of critic by their ability to complete the sentence "I liked/disliked that film because <blank>" with more than "it was good and had Keanu Reeves in it"

@Adam T

I think you missed my point - when the glorious day of reckoning comes, and all boxed copies are banned, then "Digital: £1825.89" *will* be the cheapest, as there will be nothing to compare it to. Admittedly it will also be the most expensive..

Phase 2

I'm sure it's just around the corner when it's decided that the *only* way to get software onto a Mac is via the App Store.

Still, we should be grateful, right? At least that way it won't be more expensive than the boxed copy, as the boxed copy won't exist....

Check out

The Big Bang Theory - Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification episode where he cameo's then :-)

"I never got that turtleneck thing"

re: Moses

Surely it was God that invented the paving slab if we're basing it on the commandments. There are some who think God invented the iPad too though :-)

@JaitcH

"Passengers who are bumped in a foreign country should always remember that every airline agreement permitting flights to countries contains a clause that each airline is responsible for the removal of all passengers from a country that were brought in to the country."

"Bumped" means there wasn't enough room on the plane for them. Yes, under those circumstances I'd say Ryanair has a duty of care. However if they turn into idiots and abuse staff (as in this case), they're well within their rights to eject them and let them find their own way home. If that were the case, they wouldn't be able to sell single flights.

There are some countries who have requirements on visitor visas to prove they have a return ticket, but it's not the airline's responsibility to ensure they make it.

IANAL etc, but that's what embassies are for.

@Pablo

"Because Obamacare is NOT nationalized healthcare. It's simply a requirement that each person buy health insurance from one of the same miserable insurance companies that already exist."

It's the same thing, it's just making sure that insurance companies (and their lobbies) buy into it. National healthcare would be the same thing, with the gov cutting out the middle man - something big business wouldn't care for.

We in the UK pay for healthcare too, but we just pay for it through tax and NI contributions. Obama has just done a sleight of hand with how it's paid for, and kept the lobbies on board. The alternative would be a tax increase and a massive reduction in health insurance.

@Jim 59

Really? You were taken aback? By Jezza's humour? The majority was said by Hammond, the food criticisms were by May - Clarkson barely said a word other than repeating the "sleep a lot" bit.

The bandwagon can currently be found outside the Daily Mail's office, maybe you should go there and complain about Speedy Gonzales - something which apparently is quite popular in Mexico. Meanwhile I'll be complaining about the Austin Powers movies.