Posts by Mondo the Magnificent

Life beyond ThePirateBay..

So, another UK ISP blocks ThePirateBay, big kahuna!

This is nothing more than a failed show of force against the "best known" torrent site.

Right now the ISP lemmings are doing what they're told, but the problem of "illegal downloads" isn't going to disappear, it's just going to get more fragmented.

There are so many more well known torrent sites with quality content available.

I am subscribed to a private torrent site that has quality content, ample seeds and amazing download speeds. It costs me a whopping US$5/month via PayPal.

I mainly download the TV shows I cannot het here in France and the occasional classic movie too

Will it take 3 -5 years before we see another well known torrent site being shitlisted? If so, those of us who do download content really have nothing to be concerned about...

Metro = MS's equivalent to "FaceBook Timeline"

Microsoft and the vendors will advocate it...

People will bitch

Vendors will roll it out on new PCs

A majority of people will continue bitching

Microsoft will update it's features

Most people will stop bitching as they've gotten used to it and 'accepted it'

Sure, some of us will use our downgrade rights to Windows 7/Vista or even XP, but rest assured that a large majority of new PC owners over the next 5 years will be Metro users..

Ah...

..this article would probably have Eugene Kaspersky cracking his knuckles in frustration! I mean after all, who on earth believed Apple would be thorough enough to release an OS with security safeguards that actually work, combined with the addition of an App vetting process?

TBH, some wont be overly surprised...

Sent from my Jaibroken iDevice...

Beyond bloatware!

To quote the article "Being responsive while active is harder to do. The vendor's best laid plans can be screwed because the user's running a resource-hogging app. Since the manufacturer has no control over what the user does, we hope this is in fact Intel telling Sony, Dell, Toshiba and co. to cut out the bloatware. And about time too."

So, when is one of the manufacturers going to step away from Windows and release an Ultrabook with a decent LINUX distro (say Mint)

This way you'll get your compatibility, responsiveness, battery life and with a little luck, a resale price reduction.

Intel may be waving the Ultrabook yardstick but seriously, they're all much of a muchness, as in skinny, pretty but rather costly Windows 7 laptops.

That in itself will never entice me to buy one...

Mudrocks!

To quite BSkyB:

"We have invested billions of pounds in high-quality entertainment for our customers because we know how much our customers value it. It’s therefore important that companies like ours do what they can, alongside the government and the rest of the media and technology industries, to help protect their copyright"

In fact most people value it more when it's free!

Anyway ThePirateBay has taken a little bit of a nosedive lately and most people flock to alternative sites and those nice little intimate "Donate $5 via PayPal for membership" torrent sites with much improved trackers and decent seeds, which equals decent download speeds

But wait 'til Xmas: How do you wrap up an MP3 licence?..

Two ways:

Value method:

1: Go to Tesco

2: Buy Tesco music voucher

3: Buy envelope

4: Scribble recipients name onto said envelope

5: Stuff voucher into envelope

6: Seal and deliver

Upmarket method

1: Go to music store / supermarket

2: Buy iTunes music voucher

3: Buy Christmas card

4: Scribble message of goodwill in the card and recipients name on provided envelope

5: Stuff voucher into card

6: Stuff card into envelope

7: Seal and deliver..

Now it is raining out?

Other features not mentioned...

..exclusively for Japan are:

Godzilla Attack Survival Guide App

Earthquake sensor

Swivel camera for upskirt shots on trains and buses

Ah, but you forgot the "sell by date"

As a pre sales professional with over 20 years of being the voice of reason between the Sales bod and the customer, I've recently taken a career break. Why?

The reason being is that in the current UK Channel, youth seems to be the key factor. We're dealing with younger IT Managers who came straight of our college or uni with "certifications" better suited to today's Microsoft centric IT environment.

Therefore Channel resellers and vendors are seeking younger (and more dynamic[?]) team members to fill their ranks. They're cheaper to employ, have a better overall skills set and have a level of expertise in almost every aspect of today's IT world, i.e. VMware, Citrix, Wintel architecture, LINUX, MS .NET, SQL, networking, firewalls, storage and in come cases VB and C++ too!

This leaves us older boys looking a little dated, even though our core knowledge of storage or .NET is a lot more in depth due to us being involved in the evolution of technologies as well as having an understanding and accreditation in the key technologies employed by most IT departments

So, reading this, I find myself harder to employ as I creep towards 50 years of age, even though I've held 3 long term, high ranking positions in my 20+ years in the Channel trenches with a fairly shiny track record.

In almost every interview I went for, the only people my age were the retired policemen doing security at the reception area of the building.

Most large resellers and vendors contain the fountain of youth and it seems that 20+ years of experience combined with a decent track record just didn't seem to pay off for me any more... so that's why this "techie" is no longer employed within the Channel...

It's not just about skills sets any more... sadly

Antique allready?

How time flies.. I recall buying RTCW and loving the 3D rendering, however the game wasn't quite as good as I anticipated.

The sniper rifle was great as was the silenced Sten gun, which if I recall correctly, had a nasty habit of overheating.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a good step forward in bringing a new look to those classic sprite based games we wasted so many hours playing.

I do still own the installation CD and may just replay it sometime seeing as it's now considered an "antique" and may just hold a "classic" title seeing as ElReg has rekindled my interest in this no so old school 3D FPS.

Foresight...

Kaspersky looking to develop a solution for a problem that doesn't exist...

I wonder if Kaspersky's rant is also throwing down the gauntlet to virus / malware authors?

*Yawn*...

As per the title..

Must be a slow news day... now let's find something interesting to read..

More integration of existing technologies

My son was gifted with a brand spanking new VW Polo 1.6i for his 17th birthday

We had a Satellite Tracking system fitted due to the high vehicle theft rate in South Africa. The provider also offered a web portal to allow his paranoid mother to keep an eye on him when he was driving. She used this religiously for the first two years (until he was 20 and had no dings, bumps or claims)

One day while over in S.A. on holiday I used his car and decided it needed to stretch its legs, so I wrung the little Polo's neck on the motorway. Mom got win of this and threatened to deprive my son of his mobile liberties, until dad 'fessed up and saved the day.

This sort of tech has been around for decades, but as it's becoming cheaper to produce, it was only a question of time before it was integrated into new vehicles. I do see the merits of this, especially in a theft/accident scenario as well as hopefully lowering premiums for responsible younger drivers, but that's doubtful..

And for the record.....

...you are in the shit, sir!

Tablets.. PCs.. Tablets.. PCs..

When will someone actually acknowledge that a fondeslab of any brand is not exactly a PC?

Again another sensationalist report that tries to bundle two different technologies under the title of "Personal Computer".

Good to see our friends at ELReg (AKA the ZDNet News republishers) have another stab at one of the FoxConn rebranders

Pointless device...

I don't see the merits in this "accessory" at all, I have both an Apple and a Samsung fondleslab and I get along with them just fine without the urge to turn them into wannabe laptops.

I also have a desktop and laptop, which a fruit co. branded 13 inch of the aluminium variety and should I need to embark on anything that requires a lot of typing/editing, I use these opposed to the often tedious task of using Office-esque Apps on the tablets.

Whoop! No one ever calls me......

... but at least I can stay in touch with my "friends"...

Yes, wallflowers can now have a 'life'...

Nice...

..but will it move the earth?

It's my pot of cash bitch!

And I waste it on any overvalued purchase I want! Bitches!

Ideal product for...

..the next smartphone shootout! Sure the iPhone may not have all features of the competitors' handsets, but if submitted within this enclosure, it should survive and [technically] win the shootout..

What?

No explosives involved? Pffft...

Would the "Waterfall Scenario"..

..make people piss in their beds?

End of an era

A fitting end to the Shuttle Program as it was known.

Those old space birds completed some remarkable feats through the decades, sure the program wasn't with out its problems, but they were (and probably still are) way ahead in their day.

Rest assured tat in the next decade China will have an equivalent resuable space vehicle and this will get the U.S. Senate's asses into gear on designing and building a replacement.

We know that NASA are relying on the private aerospace sector to fill in the gaps, but I don't foresee any private organisation ever building something as groundbreaking as the Shuttles.

At least...

..they didn't discriminate against blondes...

Fair play!

Preparation is the foundation of success and it seems as if Sahas Katta was better prepared than the Microsoft chap!

I reckon all Windows mobiles issued to Microsoft PCGuys will now have the screen lock disabled and the weather widgets preloaded.. after all defeat is often part of the learning curve

Kudos to MS for keeping to their side of the deal, albeit through some justified protest by the winner..

The China Syndrome again?

China, hotbed of technology manufacturing!

It also seems to be the hotbed of patent/intellectual property violations, reverse engineering and hacking of Western government institutions.

It has an iron fisted government that turns a blind eye to intellectual property infringements, low paid workers and also censors what their general public can and cannot access via the international media and Internet.

Would you trust a Chinese company who's CEO, Ren Zhengfei was a Major in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) where he served as a military technologist to supply a national broadband network?

I wouldn't...

Is this....

..this first drop of here say that will turn into a tsunami of speculation?

The China Syndrome

Apdroid perhaps?

Typical of the Chinese culture of using western brand names to harvest an interest from the Chinese consumers who embrace all things Western!

Rights and wrongs..

To be honest it's bullshit that these people want access to a persons Facebook account to help vet the candidate.

I've read about people losing their jobs through Facebook Status updates. As someone in their 40's, I am not connected to anyone I currently work with in my current position. I never Facebook from the office systems or on my personal devices whilst at work. Why? I prefer to keep my social and work life firewalled off.

If a prospective employer were to ask me for my Facebook login, my answer would be "Sorry, I don't use Facebook at all" but then again at my age, I could probably get away with that bullshit reply

If I were younger (20's-30's) most prospective employers and their agencies would "assume" I have a Facebook profile and if I said I didn't, would they believe me? Probably not.

My response if ever pushed into a corner over a job I "really want or need" depending on my Facebook profile, I'd ask the person requesting my login details to send me a "Friend request"

I would allow them to "be my FB Friend" for an agreed period, then I'd remove them

How would the recruiter like it if I asked "Can I have a look into your handbag / wallet as this will be a key factor on whether I accept the position or not" They'd probably tell me to take a hike..

.

Risky business?

Perhaps Microsoft has every reason to be a little apprehensive entering the Tablet market.

As some may remember Redmond tried to enter the Portable Media Player market a few years back with their Zune product. It was intended to take on Apple's dominance of the portable music marketplace.

It failed dismally, not because MS didn't put enough thought into the product or didn't market it properly (if I recall correctly in excess of US$80M on Zune marketing alone!) but the iPod had already established itself as the product with Creative Labs' Zen in a firm second place.

This time MS are entering a market dominated by not just one, but two dominant platforms we know as Android & IOS

The advantage for Microsoft here is the fact they are not supplying the hardware platforms themselves this time round

Needless to say Samsung and Apple will the yardsticks with Kindle Fire being the joker in the pack.

Many people do like Microsoft's way of doing things and will embrace Windows based tablets with open arms and wallets.

It's not just up to Microsoft to make Windows Tablet 8 a success, but equally important for the hardware manufacturers to drive the product in a way their their products appeal to both the consumer and business markers, so commit to Application development and marketing.

I wish MS all the best plus I believe the competition will keep Apple and the Android tablet community on their toes.

The bamboo curtain...

So they've just revealed the fact they're also vulnerable, is this perhaps to take a little heat off the many reported claims from Europe, Asia and North America about hacks originating from China?

Like most Marxist despots the Chinese government isn't exactly forthcoming in releasing this type of info, but rest assured it does happen.

Perhaps this is a shift in openness or just China's way of claiming to be victims too?

Uhm...

To quote the article: "That made the iPad seller worth more than the entire American Retail Sector, as defined by the Standard & Poor's survey of the top 500 American retailers"

Shouldn't that rather read "iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac, MacBook and AppleTV 'manufacturer' and iTunes & Apple Store outlet"..

After all there's more to Apple than just the iPad, whoever authored that report needs to take a stroll into the Apple Store one fine day...

Not meant to big up or take down Apple in any way, just my observation of a piece of mediocre journalism

Ooh, Trojans..

if it is full of Trojans, I'd like to know which ones they are.. ENZ, Pleasures, Magnum or perhaps the legendary Trojan Vibrating Twister...

To quote the last "sensible" iPad 3 article...

IT'S JUST AN iPAD, FFS

It's just an iPad, FFS

Enough said..

I see a new business opportunity for the Chocolate Factory...

Google Boats!

Move over Richard Branson, Erich Schmidt has just begun to skim the surface...

End of an era..

Plus I don't think an Encyclopaedia Britannica DVD case will look quite as good in a bookshelf as an entire 32 volume of the books of knowledge did..

Whoah!

If this "UK Nuke App" can only be acquired via Apple's App Store, we'd better kiss our asses goodbye...

Perhaps...

..they've realised that they're located on, or near to the San Andreas Fault

It's 2012, the prophets of doom have predicted earthquakes and volcanoes, so 'relocating' just seems to make sense..

The China Syndrome

And while NASA scramble to the private sector for collaboration to help fill the financial shortfalls they're undergoing through budget cuts, the Chinese will continue moving forward with their state sponsored space program which has achieved significant milestones over the past decade.

Rest assured, as Arthur C Clarke 'predicted' in his book 2061 Odyssey Three, the Chinese will become the superpower of space. They're catching up and will eventually leap ahead of the Russian, U.S. and associated private aerospace industries.

Supplimental technology..

That's how I see Pads of any brand. Lighter to lug about than a laptop/ultrabook/netbook on your travels with a decent resolution and good battery life, enhanced by the convenience of WiFi Hotspots and 3G when and where needed.

However the PC will always be the workhorse for most, we use them to download and convert media like MP3's and video content into manageable formats and file sizes to compliment the Pads and Smartphones. It's all about storage capacity and believe you me, a 2TB hard disk is more convenient than a deck of SD cards.

Again the "Office" applications will come into the fray too, there are Office'esque apps for Pads, but what's available is better for editing and presenting content that's usually generated on a PC.

The no brainer is gaming, Pad based games aren't too shabby but they cannot compare to the mid-range to high end gaming PC or laptop. Remember, not everyone enjoys the console.

I don't foresee the PC being replaced by the 'fondeslabs' but remember that "most" Pad owners do in fact own a PC [or Mac] too, so if anything Pads may well eat a little more into laptop sales.

Memories!

One of the first Direct X games I remember. Man it was awesome, the controls were finicky as in you couldn't configure the arrow keys to steer/accelerate/brake, but I soon got used to the NumPad controls.

I also invested in a Diamond Stealth 3D to get the Direct X graphics support too and later hooked a 3DFX Voodoo card up too.

My favourite vehicle is the yellow tow truck and my favourite power up is "Electro Bastard Pedestrian Ray" Worst power up? Bouncy Bouncy.. which left you vulnerable while the car just pogoed around..

In fact I still pay it on my Mac in a DosBox, sadly no Direct X graphics, so it's crude graphics wise, but still very entertaining.

One day I may just hunt some legacy hardware down and build a Pentium MMX box with Windows 95 or 98 just to blast back into the nostalgic era of early 3D gaming.

Oh, I still do own an original install CD too.. the era before CD burners and piracy were mainstream

One minor detail still missing...

..and that would be the option to connect a USB hard disk to the Apple TV, the first generation supported it, but the 2nd generation left that feature out it relies on connected "computers" [of any genre] to store the media.

Personally I'd much rather have the content on a USB disk than having to leave any of the computers running whilst watching any downloaded content.

Just a nitpick at hat I think is still an excellent, discreet and easy to use product.

In essence...

..just another iPad that's been over hyped by the media and speculative fanbois..

A few improvements, but in the Apple tradition not a "rip it up and start again" approach which seems to work exceptionally well for them..

Predictable!

I emphasised the fact that this may happen on a few ElReg articles that have highlighted the increase in Chinese workers' wages.

So, whether it's Dell, Apple. IBM, HP. Nokia, Sony or Microsoft put against the ropes over the workers' rights, this shift to the Philippines shows that large manufacturers contracted to make and/or assemble tech items are directed to turn a profit, irrespective of who they manufacture for.

It's a game of economic chess where the production line workers are the pawns and when the manufacturers are checkmated by cost, it's time to set up the board in a more favourable area.