Posts by Ted 3
24 posts • joined Thursday 29th October 2009 23:09 GMT
Posted in AT&T drops Facebook phone to 99 cents
Before any says "Still $0.99 too much"
It occurs to me that some may jump to the conclusion that $0.99 is still $0.99 cents too much for a Facebook phone.
But is is probably $173.18 too much, on average.
Cos according to Syncapse's wild-stab-in-the-dark, I mean reasoned and entirely precise estimate, the average Facebook is worth $174.17 to Facebook as of April 2013 (http://www.syncapse.com/value-of-a-facebook-fan-2013/#.UYx630pFNlI).
A highly improbable $173 rebate would sure shift some units!
Posted in Movie review: Star Trek Into Darkness
Re: Pegged out...
"The whole concept of a 25th century Scottish accent is weird anyway."
Scots seem to keep their accents no matter where in the world they settle, and how long they have been there, It seems to be a very 'sticky' accent. Thus, I would not be surprised in the 25th century there is 'standard Earth accent' and ' Scottish accent' as the only 2 variations left!
Posted in Movie review: Star Trek Into Darkness
@ Brewster
"And thus begins the age old battle between fans of ST:TMP and fans of the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. But I give notice that both sides will unite against anybody who suggest Star Trek VI or any of the TNG spin-offs are any good."
Actually, I will be the exception that proves the rule in to your comment.
I will come down on the side of ST2:TWoK as far, far superior to ST:TMP. I watched it (again) recently, and special effects aside, it stands up well over time.
I will then further add that I will not then suggest that the TNG was that bad, either the last few TV series or select movies. I will nominate First Contact as by far the best of the TNG movies and indeed one of the best of the Star Trek movies of any series.
"Forget volleyball, there are systems to crack"
I assume volleyball is a reference to the documentary "Top Gun" (1986), featuring a young Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer before he got fat.
Given that you are referencing primary sources, it pays to be accurate. Maverick flew F-14's for the Navy, not US Air Force. Indeed, the TOPGUN Academy (actual name) is run by the US Navy. The US Navy was said to have been integral in influencing the production of the recruitment video...I mean documentary.
So I can only assume the Air Force won cos their guys weren't playing volleyball, unlike their Navy counterparts.
Re: Beats me how anyone can sleep in one of those things.
Not only noisy, but cramped and claustrophobia inducing. Couple this with the multiple, tentacle type leads placed all over one's cranium for an EEG, and this adds adds up to an unpleasant night's rest.
Perhaps people dreamed of being "in a train tunnel being attacked by an octopus" 60% of the time. Thus, by describing this dream, the researchers were right 60% of the time (as per the quoted research)!
Re: @ Calling all lawyers
"I imagine it's covered in the Ts and Cs"
Just because it is covered in the T&Cs does not mean that it is enforceable. The terms and conditions must be reasonable, or else they are invalid. For example, there is a clause buried in the T&C's that by signing up you are giving up your first born child and also your liver for a live liver transplant, this would be ruled as invalid due to being unreasonable or unfair. Should someone feel strongly enough about this issue, they could have it tested in court, even if it was in the T&Cs.
Sadly, in order to point out such a clause is unfair/unreasonable, you would need to call a lawyer, thereby enriching not just your lawyer, but the defending company's lawyer as well. Oh well, such is life.
Those were my exact first reactions on reading the article!
You took the thoughts right out of my head...how did you get past my tinfoil hat?
Posted in Eight... HD camera smartphones
Gordon 10 is totally correct. You do not need iTunes (thank god) to transfer video or jpgs off an iPhone. However, Fuzz is correct in highlighting iTunes on Windows as a crappy piece of bloatware. That is why I always transfer photos off an iPhone on a computer specifically without an iTunes installation.
I see what you did there...
But you do realise that the article you link to is about 4 million *Brits*. This article you are commenting on is about 4 million iPhone purchase *worldwide*.
The UK is not the world.
Posted in Apple cofounder Steve Jobs is dead at 56
So sad
As an ex-Apple fan (the only product I have now is an iPhone 3GS), I have been viewing their direction with increasing dismay.
However, this news saddens me greatly. Steve Jobs may have been more showman than hardcore technologist. But his legacy in the tech world in general is undeniable. He is one of those rare people with that "X-factor" which is unquantifiable.
RIP. You are gone too soon.
Bad for Google, good for the rest of humanity
I agree that having Schmidt spout off his innermost fantasies is bad for the Google brand.
However, I would argue that it serves a useful purpose to have the Schmidt-mind-leaks widely disseminated, for the good of rest of the world that is not Google. It gives us insight into some of the true intentions underlying some of Google's strategies. It also serves to remind us that, though more benign than most other corporations (either inside or outside IT), we cannot assume that everything Google does is entirely benevolent.
Yes, Google's motto is "Don't be evil", but I think that we as the public should be the judge of that, not the Google PR department. My view: let Schmidt speak as often as possible!
Indeed, not before time
At last, some sanity!
However: "it’s almost certain that games depicting drug use...would still be refused classification, to keep them in line with how the classification system treats other content such as movies."
Like drug use is never depicted in the movies.
@ Figgus
Let's think back to 1981. January 20 1981, to be precise.
2 things happened that day: 1) Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president. 2) *Minutes later*, the American Embassy hostages were released by the Iranians. Yet history, and I have no doubt you, would ascribe their successful release to Reagan, and their non-release to that point to the weakness of Carter. This is because they were released *minutes* after Reagan became president.
Yet now, 1 and a half years into his term, you say that Obama had *nothing* to do with this? Note: I am not saying that GWB did not make a contribution, of course he did. But your position that Obama *after all this time as president* had no contribution at all is disingenuous, at best. Remember that as chief executive, Obama could have called off the search for Osama, whether implicitly or explicitly.
I do not think Obama is the Messiah. He has been so far a disappointment. However, I think you need to spin the reality to your own perceptions a bit harder here.
OK product, very average support
Agree with most of the posters.
I use Acronis for my personal computers as well as those for my small business. Initial setup (and the occasional tweak when needed) is a bit arcane. And yes, support is minimal. One time I had a fairly terminal issue, and their belated response was install the latest version. It worked, mind you, but the speed and comprehensiveness of response did not inspire confidence.
Have never had to recover yet (touch wood) so cannot vouch for whole of cycle integrity. But in the end, *anything* is better than Norton/Symantec.
Posted in Apple to lead fanbois 'Back to the Mac'
Loved OS X Cheezburger
...made me laugh out loud, it did.
Anyways, my suggestion is OS X Cougar, for those who appreciate a more "mature" operating system?
Posted in Ten unlikely iPhone insurance claims
Not sure I would want to use it again
I am glad to hear that you got your phone working again after dropping it in a public toilet.
However, I am not sure that I would want to hold that phone close to my ear/face/mouth ever again!
Posted in Air steward resigns via emergency chute
Yes, and...
Yes, and people running with scissors should also be prosecuted.
This flight attendant is is a hero to those in the service industries (and fellow passengers!) who have had to put up with rude and selfish people as part of their daily routine. Give him a medal, I say!
About Murdoch...
"Rupert Murdoch for instance - who also controls much of Australian TV"
I am as suspicious of Murdoch's influence as the next person (can't stand his newspapers), but please get your facts straight. There are 5 major free to air television station in Australia, which is the vast majority of the market. Murdoch owns exactly 0% of any of these. There is also Foxtel, the pay TV network, that only a minority of Australian's subscribe to. Even then, he only owns 25% of Foxtel.
More indiredctly, he owns a major film studio (20th C Fox in the US), but this is not a TV station. So yes, he would no doubt benefit, but he sure does not "control Australian TV", as you put it.
Oh really, Doug?
Let's see. The company I work for employs a few thousand people and has an annual budget in the several hundred million dollars. We are not in an artsy-fartsy industry and I can guarantee that there are no silk screens to be found. Funny how I've just been allowed to get a MacBookPro and an HP WinXP tower (Win 7 not supported here yet!). And my admin assistant has just got a MacBook to complement her ACER Windows box. I would say people here opt for Mac 50% and Win 50%, but the proportion of Macs does seem to be growing steadily over time.
No downvoting required
I don't see why you think your post requires downvoting. You put forward a valid point and argument. You are right - rebuying apps is an expensive hassle.
Perhaps the only point of difference I would put is that as an owner of a perfectly serviceable iPhone 3GS, I will not be purchasing an iPhone 4. I will wait until they sort out all the problems before considering whehter I will upgrade to another iOS device.
Posted in Apple rumored to put beefy iPad on diet
Since it is the iPad...
Since it is the iPad we are talking about here, shouldn't the names of the various sizes be consistent with the connotations of sanitary products, ie there would be the iPad Slim, iPad Regular and iPad Ultra - for days with extra heavy data flow.
I know...coat.
Posted in Steve Ballmer defaces fanboi MacBook
"...the world's largest company..."?
Microsoft is not "the world's largest company", not by a long shot.
From Fortune magazine, as of 2009 the world's biggest companies are...
1. Royal Dutch Shell
2. Exxon Mobil
3. Wal-Mart Stores
4. BP
5. Chevron
6. Total
7. ConocoPhillips
8. ING Group
9. Sinopec
10. Toyota Motor
Overseas only?
"Police chiefs have privately proposed that social networking sites hosted overseas should carry pop-up government health warnings"
So that means that it is only dirty foreigner websites which pose a security risk? Because, I suppose, it could never be conceived a website hosted in England could ever be involved in anything fraudulent or illegal?
Posted in China's The9 sued over Warcraft ditching
@ Matt 21 @asdf
asdf: "you are lucky if you don't invest in a company in this market that poisons infants to get ahead."
Matt 21: While this maybe true, I don't think US companies are much better. Coca Cola were ion trouble in Belgium for selling "poisoned" drinks a few years ago.
Very true Matt. Unethical and frankly immoral behaviour is not unique to Chinese companies.
Let's cite the example of Bayer. First, they sold HIV contaminated blood products for haemophiliacs. Then, when they could not sell the HIV laced products in the West, internal memos show that company sold the excess contaminated stock to Asian and Latin American markets as a "new heat treated product" that was free of HIV. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contaminated_haemophilia_blood_products for a starter article).
And there is Pacific Gas and Electric, the subject of the Erin Brockovich movie, which contaminated a whole town with hexavalent chromium, then lied to them, telling them that chromium is in multivitamins. True, but hexavelent chromium is not the same chromium in pills!
And of course, big tobacco, who have for years retained a retinue to lawyers, doctors, scientists and lobbyists to make huge profits on a product that they knew was harmful.
So in the end, you have to say that some Chinese companies are merely learning from the dubious strategies of some Western companies. Nothing surprising about that. And try to keep the Sinophobia to a minimum.
