Normal service after 10 days !!

I found the throwaway comment about systems working again after 10 days amusing as even now the Aramco networks are compromised. This is almost certainly a result of them tightening up their own security but until yesterday any emails I sent to any Aramco address were rejected by their system. Even now emails are only accepted with plain text and containing no weblinks or addresses and attachments don't seem to get through.

What an apparently great guy. I know you shouldn't judge from just a short written article but Mr Moore comes across a genuinely nice person who had to cope in a very difficult situation.

I think many people, myself included, would be interested in reading a more in depth account of his life including both before and after the hostage situation. I don't really know if writing a book would help in any way with psychological issues, but I suspect it would be a good read.

It would be nice to think you could pass on my best wishes to him for a more peaceful and happy future.

It's a bacon sandwich poll

Only the first page offerings actually qualify as all the rest include eggs, cheese etc and are therefore more than bacon sandwiches so are ineligible. I had to vote for the A90 as that is essentially the basic bacon sandwich and it looks well made with nicely cooked bacon.

Given a free choice of bacon based sandwiches I like the look of several of the others and would even contemplate the peanut butter version as I can be a bit adventurous. The bacon choices in some of the others look pretty good as well and addition of black pudding elevates the end result to stratospheric levels, but the poll is clear and therefore all others must be disqualified.

but what's next ?

This will probably be the latest and greatest when it comes out. For a period (unless there is some unlikely horrendous fault) it will be the one to beat, but then Apple will finally launch the iphone 5 and perhaps there will be a new Sony and Motorola and even Nokia ? Each time the later top of the range device comes out there is a good chance it will be an improvement over the last.

I am wondering where the size will finally stop. I seem to think 5 inch screens were laughed at as ridiculous when the norm was 2.8 to 3.5 inch screens but flagship phones are heading dangerously close to this size now !

Its a good idea

The principle is correct, in that thorough handwashing is a major contributor to public health. However, as has been mentioned already, only a national video is required and I am pretty sure that health authorities already have such a thing. The money should have been spent on promoting it and not on making it in the first place.

Or maybe...

get the screen on a stand at a steep angle and mounted high up so the veiwing angle is horizontal, put an input device level and lower down in front of you and keep the actual workings out to one side where the weight, heat and noise from it doesn't affect you. You could even have a smaller separate input device at the side of the main input device and use that for manipulating images on the screen so that you don't haver to bend forwards.

I think I have just invented the PC, I wonder if it's too late for the patent ?

Can I be first

To mention the ZTE Blade/San Francisco that I will be sticking with for just a bit longer. I am not sure that this new phone would offer much in the way of improvement for an substantial extra cost.

Hide the chart !

Don't let that chart out into the open. It appears to show that violent video games don't lead to violent people and that must be wrong. Even if it was true we must not let that get in the way of a good story.

It sounds generally OK

This actually seems like a sensible plan, so I must have misunderstood something.

Currently I haven't really messed about with downloads and have stuck with my own version on dvd. I have ripped one or two of these for convenience sake but actually don't pass around to other people as that would be a bit naughty.

If the price is right then I might well consider the ease and convenience (and it had better be easy and convenient !) worth looking into and possibly spending a bit of money on kit if needed.

Hmmm

I think I may have commited a similar offence as I have accessed my wifes email. Arguably there might be mitigating circumstances as she also accesses my mail. Strangely enough we have a trusting relationship where we have things like a shared bank account and shared ownership of property etc.

More and more I feel out of step with the modern world.

But ...

Dare I get one for my wife ?

Android is probably a bit too messy and time consuming to work well for her (she likes "geeky" stuff and is technically competent but doesn't have the time to constantly monitor, adjust and tweak to keep things running).

Apple and iOS she doesn't particularly like and would find restrictive as she does want flexibility at times. Tight integration with Windows is required for business use.

Blackberry doesn't seem to offer the hardware form that she wants and the recent 3 day outage has put her right off.

Currently she still has a Nokia with Symbian and she has aleways liked Nokia's build quality and to be honest, styling. Strangely a key feature for her is absolute volume of the ringer. She sometimes works in noisy environments and needs a substantial ring tone volume level which surprisingly many phones are pretty feeble at.

This review picks up the point that phones these days are definitely multimedia devices first and have a phone function as an option, but this isn't always well integrated.

I might just pass for the moment, or maybe take a punt on the Lumia710 as a cheaper first pass which one of the kids can take on if she doesn't get on with it.

Apple were probably right

You have to think that if Apple had developed a prosthetic arm with a dock for the iphone there would have been some people insisting on surgery just so they could have one fitted.

Holy Shit !

That's just plain scary. I can see that these things are possible but whether they are desirable is a different matter.

Maybe I am just getting old and out of touch with the modern world, but I want to live my own life on my terms, not as suggested/dictated by a digital overlord.

It's not even the 1st of April

At those prices I am actually tempted, and I haven't even been looking for one.

That's assuming that the prices are genuine.

Another ...

triumph of style over substance, form over function or whatever.

The only thing to be said is I hope that plenty of people have the money and the stupidity to buy them and hopefully subsidise the better but less bling products for the rest of us.

Sounds like a better idea

The problem with facebook is it's too messy trying to keep people apart. What you might want to discuss with some friends, might not be what you want your parents/spouse/children to see, or vice versa. This could be a better way although whether you would trust it is a different matter.

Interacting with people in the real world still seems to work for me.

Just turn it off anyway.

Since you will probably struggle to get a connection through large parts of the flight due to being out of range, why not do everybody a favour and turn it off anyway ?

Alternatively, if you must be at someones beck and call all the time then only book flights where you can use the airlines own phone. You can subsidise the flights for the rest of us by paying over the odds for the priviledge.

Note to self

Don't read BOFH whilst eating a pot of yoghurt.

Dammed if you do and .....

Hats off to the police this time, and I guess someone in the force is breathing a sigh of relief that they jumped the correct way. This could so easily have taken 2 days of discussion before going round and finding several bodies. Alternatively it could also have ended in bad headlines as "heavy handed cops storm a house to arrest a bloke due to a prank caller". It's a tough call and too many people are too quick to judge and condemn.

Consequences ?

Whilst it does seem an incredibly over the top reaction it does serve as an interesting reminder that there are always consequences to your actions. Even when the actions are apparently virtual/online. Not always the consequences you intend or want either.

Ah the good old days

I remember being really impressed 20-25 years ago with the accuracy of Decca off Bridlington. It took us to within 100 metres of a mark in foggy conditions allowing us visibity of it.

These days the GPS on my phone knows which room of the house I am in if I use the Sat view on Google maps as the marker switches around as I wander about the house.

Should I wait?

My wife is starting to have performance issues with her slightly older single core netbook and has also expressed considerable interest in the ipad, tablets and touchscreens in general. I had been considering the purchase of one of the dual core mini laptops/notebooks and pondered adding a cheap tablet for the novelty value.

I had eyed this up and thought it might be interesting, but is it worth hanging on a bit longer for??

Darian Gap?

Perhaps I am behind the times, but I didn't think the road connected all the way. I seem to think there is a bit of a gap in the middle through Central America.

I am not bothered enough to sit through hours of BBC footage to see how they get through however.

How much!!!!

This seems like a good idea based on US systems and requirements. However, I am a bit gobsmacked at how much was being spent on the iphone contract in the first place!

I can't help thinking that carrying a phone, an ipad and a mifi around might give a better and cheaper experience, but it isn't going to be as convenient.

Another confident cyclist

As another cycle commuter (OK, not all the time these days) I would say that whilst I understand the issues of cyclist passing through/jumping red lights. It's still not something I would do as it just sets a really bad example and tends to lead to "retaliation" or remonstrations from motorists (I have gone through temporary lights at roadworks however, as there is often room to pass safely inside the cones out of the traffic flow).

A bit more tolerance and understanding of each others views from pedestrians, cyclists, motorists (including taxi & bus drivers etc) is whats really required.

Subtitle

It's not much of an article (short and to the point) but the title and subheading is a work of genious.

Thats all.

perhaps we are just old and cynical

My own kids really do not see any problem with broadcasting their details, location, movements or thoughts to all and sundry. They complain that I block too much of the info that they would like to freely broadcast. It seems all their friends are quite happy doing this and the occasional hiccup or problem caused by the wrong information or the wrong people finding things out is apparently funny rather vthan a problem.

I guess the Swedish kids prosecuted for bugging the staffroom and spilling the beans via facebook would just be passed off as funny.

I sometimes wonder if I am just too old to realise this.

A bit like work really

I can't help thinking the guys that run this could have run a legitimate business as succesfully. It must have taken a substantial amount of effort and planning, along with substantial work time to keep everything running along. It's a shame they didn't try a more legal basis for their enterprise.

Always the same problem.

Perhaps it's just mu Yorkshire upbringing, but to me, the problem with these sort of devices is always the running cost. I don't mind paying for the device but the costs of the data always seem a bit pricey.

Maybe it's just me.

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

I quite like the way this is going, although the suspense is starting to get to me as well.

USB key?

Following a recent event I would go with the USB key as an intoductory source as well.

I recently attended a local government event concerning educational choices and at the end was provided with a 1gb USB key for completing a short questionaire on the event. Upon returning home I puched it into my daughters laptop just to see if they had included any presentation or further information. I was a little surprised to find that the only thing included was a copy of the conficker virus which wasn't what I was expecting. Fortunately I do like to keep the anti virus up to date on the kids computers so it didn't cause a problem. I did wonder how many of the hundreds of other USB sticks they gave away would have ended up in unprotected computers.

When I called the next day to advise them they didn't seems overly interested or concerned but then again I wasn't really talking to anybody who would understand.

Want one.

Put me down for both the boots and gloves, and one of the rock cracking credit cards as well.

Alternative theories?

Whilst this does sound distinctly dubious science one does have to be careful not to lump all so called alternatives together. It's also worth remembering that science moves on and what was once considered clear fact is eventually discovered to be incorrect, and the wacky theories that were dismissed are proven (flat earth anybody? circulating blood? bacteria?). Homeopathy seems to have a concerted campaign against it at the moment but if you do a little research you discover that "there is no evidence" isn't true and there are randomised, double blind medical trials demonstrating positive outcomes, and that vetinary use and use with very young children rather dimisses the placebo response. The supposed science behind homeopathy sounds wacky but at least one physicist who designed trials to disprove it ended up proving that there are some strange principles at work in so called memory of water. I think the water has to be deionised and then exposed to materials in a specific manner to maintain effect or something. It is interesting to read up on and I suspect that science might find some new principles behind it even though Homeopathy might be a net loser as a result.

I also still await further discoveries concerning pyramid investigations which whilst there are outlandish claims there seems to be a glimmer of unusual principles somewhere at the back of it.

Health warning

Maybe it's time to reconsider the BBFC rating or perhaps issue a health warning to all cinemagoers.

What next?

So what's next on the agenda? It might be interesting to see if he could get away with interpretations of a few other religious texts. I must admit that the Koran was the first to spring to mind, but Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish etc texts would probably be fun as well.

Of course he might want to find a safe house first, as one or two people might be a bit more upset about it than the Christians seem to be.

Sounds good

It all sounds pretty good, but I can't help feeling it also sounds pretty expensive.

I still worry about the increased damage these vahicles do to the environment compared to my old Land Rover. Which may struggle to get 30mpg but is currently just 15 years old and is likely to go on for a long time yet before being ultimately scrapped. When it is eventually scrapped I would guess that a decent chunk of it will be recycled as well, without releasing too many more toxic chemicals which might not be the same as the shorter lifetime hybrids with their dodgy cocktail of "interesting" materials.

What about stopping?

It's all very well accelerating at ridiculous speeds to get to Mars in just over one month instead of a year. But I hope the brakes are good because you might want to stop when you get there!!

SCC?

I have bought exactly on size and price. I accept some compromise on performance but the alternative "thin and light" notebooks are seriously more expensive for insufficient performance gain.

The form factor is appealing and the price is reasonable so people buy a "little notebook". If they are migrating from a mif range PC of 4-6 years vintage then the performance will be comparable or improved anyway.

Reasonable expense?

I haven't got the time to check any details but since Sooty did check the link to find that he claimed an average salary as "additional costs" is this indeed a salary paid to a staff member as costs?

MP's are an easy target at the moment but some are not as bad as others.

@ Simon Neill

"Everyone pulls a sickie at some point, its part of life and employers know this."

In your world this may be true, but don't drag us all down to your level.

In my world I am entitled to paid days off which I book as part of my annual leave entitlement, including ringing in on the day and asking them to book me on holiday. I do not decide to "pull a sickie" by calling in when this is not the case.

When I am too ill to work then I am entitled to sick leave and would have no qualms about calling in sick if this was the case.

Perhaps it's my age as I am now mid forties and don't understand the lack of pride and lack of self esteem that the "yoof" of today seem to exhibit.

Can be had for less.

Got one recently to partner an ASUS E901 SCC (not a Netbook, don;t want to be sued). It works great and is particularly neat and lightweight. It was just over £50 including delivery but the cashback deal took it below the £50 mark. It only gets carried around when absolutely necessary but is a convenient size when you do need to have one.

It's also useful for simply reading CD's of data from other sources and the kids have used it to play DVD movies or play games from in their bedrooms.

I like it and there are different colours but the reddish colour looks fine to me.

It wouldn't be Friday without a funny!

Keep up the good work.

Are you it's mother?

Because to me that looks like one of those things that only a mother could love. I know these things are subjective but it looks like it took one too many hits from the ugly stick when that was put together.

Apart from style I still have a real problem with these electric sports cars that have a range of 100 to 200 miles. For a city car where there is a distinct possibility of short runs followed by charging time this seems acceptable. For a good day out driving somewhere then the range between charges has either got to be 300-400 minimum or the recharge time has to be got down to 15-20 minutes so you can pull in for a coffee and charge up whilst doing so. Of course exactly where you would plug in whilst in Starbucks/MaccyD's/cafeNero or wherever is a different question.

Guilty !

I confess that I have helped with the sales figure as I have just bought a Wii for Christmas. As it happens I got one through play.com using topcashback.co.uk to eke out the pennies a bit further. They seem to have plenty stock at the moment and at £169.99 including free delivery it looked like a fair price.

Didn't really consider either the PS3 or Xbox as it's a whole family present and with young kids the Wii just seems more appropriate. The graphics might be far inferior but I don't need detailed images of people being killed and maimed I just want some silly fun for 8-14 year olds.

Homeopathy

Ferry boat seems to imply that Homeopathy is faith based and may not work. This seems to stem from a lack of knowledge and lack of critical thought. A thorough check of ALL the data would reveal that in general there is sufficient evidence of the success of Homeopathy but at best some very sketchy theories on how it actually works.

An understanding of how something works is useful but you don't need to understand how and why gravity works to appreciate that stepping of a high building is a bad idea.