Posts by zourtney
15 posts • joined Thursday 18th June 2009 17:52 GMT
Are we native yet?
"The approach is similar to what Firefox has done with the TraceMonkey extension to its JavaScript engine. TraceMonkey does not use adaptive compilation, but it works to detect code loops and covert them to assembly code."
Cool. That answers this question:
http://arewenativeyet.com/
This works
I posted this link earlier, but it's "buried" back on page 1. This is the procedure which got my machine working again, +1!
Side note: the Command Prompt (step 6) is only available to the Administrator account. The "Administrator" account was disabled on my machine as I the sole user and had admin privileges. Ultimately, the file had to be edited from a different machine.
Hope this helps someone...
Link
I was greeted with this issue on Friday morning. It took the IT guy several hours (several computers, and several OSes) to fix it using the steps described at:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/1c9a7151-b48c-4a98-aae7-a4b82682ea8e#bcabda57-7338-499f-aee2-d708e76df315
Apparently, if you have the admin account turned on, you can get to the recovery console from the diagnostic GUI. I was not so lucky..!
Liability
Auto insurance primarily protects others. Health insurance primarily protects self. But you knew that :-)
uTorrent?
As mentioned, uTorrent is missing from the suggestions list. The only thing I've ever downloaded using uTorrent is Ubuntu ISOs.
Torrents are legitimate, thank you very much.
E-Ink Phone, please
+1. The devices we use every day, often out in direct sunlight, need to start using e-ink. Or a similar, better technology. It seems *perfectly* suited to entry-level mobile phones. Why is this not being done?
Downgrade workaround: restore + RecBoot
They really should offer an official downgrade path. That seems unlikely, but if you're having serious performance issues and are interesting in downgrading, it's worth the hassle.
I was able to downgrade by putting the phone in DFU mode and doing a restore using an older IPSW file. These files can be found fairly easily and are about 250-300mb.
After that, you'll need to kick your phone out of recovery mode because the older OS isn't validated by iTunes (I think that's why, anyway). I used RecBoot on Ubuntu, and it worked like a charm. (Warning: trying to get RecBoot to work on Win7 64-bit may cause literal headaches)
There are tons of tutorials online, if you wish to go this route. Still, I'm sure we all wish iOS4 would "just work" instead. :-/
Practically unusable
I haven't tried the 4.01 update (on my 3G), but 4.0 was practically unusable. I'd type a full sentence before it showed on the screen, have to wait 5+ seconds for a page to respond to panning, etc. It was so thoroughly aggravating that I wanted chuck the device into the nearest body of water. *Surely* the testing team noticed this. But, as anyone in software knows, marketing decisions can trump developer concerns.
I downgraded to 3.1.2 last week. From time to time I still get excited that my phone is functional again..! It was worth the headache. iOS4 brings new meaning to "iPhone killer."
Posted in Canon Digital Ixus 200 IS
Viewfinders and Pocket Lint
Just to fuel the viewfinder discussion...
I've owned two Canon pocket cameras over the past 8 years, models S200 and SD600. The optical viewfinders on both quickly collect pocket lint and obscure the small viewing hole. I'll admit, I'm pretty rough on my cameras, carrying them in my jeans pocket pretty much every day. Nonetheless, it seems to be a consistent design flaw ("under engineered feature?") on the models I have owned. Perhaps they've revised this since the mid-2000s models, but I doubt. And honestly, I don't think they expect anyone but "old people" to be using viewfinders these days. Personally, I wouldn't miss it if it were gone.
The underwhelming specs sound about like what I'm used to in a Canon pocket camera. But they have treated me well. I'll be keeping this one in mind for when my old SD600 finally bites the dust (it's close!).
Posted in 3D TV gets cold shower from Avatar man
Too dorky, too expensive
I watched Avatar in 3D. I actually felt that this was the first 3D movie in which the technology was not used in an abysmally gimmicky way. Nonetheless, I didn't feel like it added THAT much to the experience. I don't foresee this technology actually catching on in-home until we can ditch the dorky glasses.
Also, like many others, I have I forked a lot of money to buy an HDTV. So, I'm not even going to consider buying a new set until my new one is 5 years old, explodes, gets a Wii remote through it, etc...
Posted in VW unveils slippery four-seat hybrid
Available in the USA?
For some reason, we in the US seem to hate diesel cars. It seems that Europe has dozens and dozens of diesels that never make it here and I don't know why. Will this be another one to add to that list? I surely hope not.
Posted in PS3 phone out next month
Logical (for the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player)
I like the idea, though the PS3 seems an odd place to shoe-in this technology.
As smartphones become the norm, the demand for interoperability with household electronics and appliances should be rising. I have thought multiple times, "if only the iPhone had infrared I/O..." The possibilities!*
Better yet -- start manufacturing TVs, stereo equipment, etc with WLAN capabilities. You'd never need a device specific remote control again -- just install an application on your phone (or a WiFi device with full OS, like an iPod Touch).
-----------------------------------------
* ...well, if Apple actually encouraged open development. Screw the iPhone -- I suspect the Android platform will take hold and become a dominant mobile-device OS because of their openness to developers. And once again, Apple will lose market share because of their closed-system approach, just as all the software dev types flocked to Microsoft's more open model when I was yet a wee tot.
@ AC 15:46
Quote: "it's a tool for communication, not a life changing decision!"
Thank you; at least someone around here still has some sense! My wife and I got iPhones afew weeks ago because we needed phones, and it seemed a nice upgrade.
The new 3Gs came out the next day -- I simply said, "Oh well." I probably would have known something was coming down the tubes if I had been trolling the Apple rumor sites. But who wants to live in that land of fanboi nonsense, victim to Apple's orgasmic press releases? No thank you -- in the end, it's just another **thing**.
Yes: I enjoy the device.
No: It will not change my life.
Posted in iPhone 3.0 - born on schedule...
Landscape Texting: Yay or Nay?
I am finding the landscape texting mode to be less useful than the standard ("portait"?) orientation. In portrait mode, the multiline conversation bubbles take about 4/5ths the width of the screen, which is fine. But landscape mode does not resize these bubbles; they take up only about half of the screen width. Therefore, with the keyboard is visible, you'll probably have to scroll to read the last message in its entirety, unless it's less than about 100 characters. This is a big oversight, in my opinion.
