Posts by Richard Speight

Is this really Google's problem?

Although I think the AC above is missing the point somewhat (this is not about ads served up after someone mistypes a brand name into Google, it's the ads on pages such as delll.com the point you towards the real Dell -- Dell end up paying Google simply because someone mistyped the domain into their address bar).

However, is it really Google's job to ensure that the domain serving up the AdSense is owned by the owner of the brand? It's fair enough to register delll.com, so long as you're Dell. Okay, it's pretty easy to tell if you are Dell or not, but what about the millions of less well known companies?

To get the domain, you have to register it through a registar. Surely it's their job to ensure that you're entitled to it.

Paris, 'cos she's a type ho.

Well!, Jerry! was! right!

Jerry was correct when he said that Balmer's offer did not reflect the true value of Yahoo!

He was waaaay over.

Paris, 'cos we don't know her true value...

So... RTFA

<quote>... if HP have been knocked off the top spot in Europe, who now has it?</quote>

Er, Acer.

It says so. In the article. You know, the one you just read.

Paris, 'cos she's worth a second look too.

Some people just like complaining...

I think that because this is Apple, people expect too much. Apple products have always been about evolution, not revolution. More Porsche 911 than Nissan GTR (and I know which of those I'd rather have).

Personally, I like the look of the new laptops. And I think, with the new manufacturing process, they'll look and feel fantastic in the flesh. Unlike seemingly everyone else on the internets, I'll reserve judgement on the display until I see them. Yes, I ordered my MBP last year with a matte screen; but my main issue with glossy is that they smear when you try and clean them (at leaste, the Sony ones do). Being glass, I don't expect this to be a problem for Apple.

Regarding the Firewire whingers: how many other consumer laptops (aside from the occaisional Vaio -- and they're usually more expensive too) have Firewire?

I like the look of the new keyboards too. My wife has a Vaio CR with the 'chiclet' style keyboard, and I prefer it to the last gen MBP. I think when her CR dies, she'll upgrade to a Macbook. Even after upgrading the Vista OS to XP, the CR is still pretty flakey (Sony and their weird drivers, as usual). I like the way Macs are just so well integrated, and everything just works as it should. It turns out that you don't need to keep fiddling with your OS to keep you computer running!

@Webster Freaktard. Don't stop posting. Ever. You're hilarious!

Oh, and re. the Air complaint about lack of optical drive. My work Thinkpad X-Series doesn't have an optical drive, and I've never missed it. It and the Air are not consumer laptops. Get it?

Paris, 'cos she likes multi-touch too.

Ceci n'est pas une title

"Ainsworth said the MoD holds data records for 200m people."

Really? That's a lot of people.

Even if the MoD had data records on all the people in the UK, plus all the places we'd invaded recently, that's a lot of people.

Or do they have records on everyone in the UK since, ooh, the early nineteenth century (I'd imagine that would get close to 200m).

Or are they saying they have data on 200m people, so that when they express 1.7m as a percentage, it looks really small? Or am I just being cynical, and really they're just incompetent?

Pars, 'cos she's liable to overstating her figures....

Stereotyping is too easy...

<quote>the researcher said, his eyes, nose and throat had become severely irritated.</quote>

That'll be the 40 Gitanes he smokes a day then.

Pars, 'cos she often has a tickling sensation at the back of her throat (sorry. Coar. Taxi).

I'll probably be getting one...

As Matt says, this isn't enterprise grade.

Also of interest is the fact that any NAS can be made wirelessly Time Machine compliant with a simple Terminal command (I forget what it is, but I'm sure it can be Googled). There is a bit of a risk -- Time Machine thinks that the data has successfully been written to disc when the router says it has received tha packet (but before any actual disc writing). Thus there is a possibility of some data not being written. Time Capsule gets around this with some magic jiggery-pokery.

The other issue with using most consumer NAS is that they use Samba, which is just way to slow (maybe Vista users don't notice, what with the cripplingly slow network storage access you get -- DOCUMENTED PROOF ON MANY WEBSITES, WEBSTER YOU FRUITCAKE).

I also want to replace the hopeless wireless router that Sky force on you (now that I've found a way of extracting the hard code -- and guessable -- username and password). I think Sky's idea of security is to rebrand a Netgear router that has such a poor range that only someone in the same room can attach to it. Hoorah for 802.11n!

I think people miss the significance of MS & HD DVD

MS were heavy backers of HD DVD -- they didn't just pick the format because it 'wasn't Sony'.

All standalone HD DVD players mandated the use of Microsoft's iHD (basically Windows CE) for interactive features -- Blu Ray uses Java. The codec for HD DVD is VC-1 (essentially WMV). Okay, so this was eventually agreed as a possible codec for Blu-Ray (as a bit of a sop to MS, I think); the preferred codec is H.264 (essentially MPEG4) -- which is an open ISO standard (the ISO rejected VC-1) and used on the majority of new Blu-Ray (older Blu-Rays used MPEG2 codecs).

So this, and the reason MS built in HD DVD support for Vista, was the basis for Microsoft's attempt to own the next Hi-Def video codec. Sadly, it's not worked out for them. It seems H.264 is the way to go (maybe they need a catchier name!)

I don't think we'll be seeing a Blu-Ray add-on for the X-Box (not even sure if the X-Box comes with Java, so it probably wouldn't work with all the interactive nonsense anyway). More likely, we'll see an expansion of the Live HD downloads service as Microsoft's next attempt to gain acceptance of WMV/VC-1.

So, to summarise, HD DVD was -- in many ways -- an MS platform more than it was Toshiba's. We're more likely to see Tosh become a BDA member than MS.

Paris because a lack of a hi-def format version of 'One Night in Paris' probably prolonged the format war...

Not a mandatory charge?

Then they should tell their fecking idiot call centre monkies. I was 'bumped off' Bulldog's network once C&W decided consumers where too much effort. Even to move to another unbundled supplier would require me to get a line with BT (why? who knows).

BT insisted they *had* to charge me the £126 reconnection fee. I asked that they 'flipped the switch' in their exchange (I assume they have computers and that for provisioning -- but what the hell would I know, I only work in Telecoms); and if that didn't work, to send an 'engineer' out to look at the physical line (and exactly what engineering qualifications do these people have anyway?)

Needless to say, I paid through gritted teeth, and passed on the costs to Bulldog (recorded delivery, itemised costings, etc, etc.)

Still, not what I'd call 'customer service'.

Why is the iPhone being classed as a smartphone?

Probably the same reason every single Nokia Series 60 device is classed as a 'smartphone', as well.

PH because her Sidekick -- while definitely not a smartphone -- is still smarter then she is.

64MB??

64MB seems pretty small these days. I guess we can relive that 80's cassette tape style lo-fi sound quality too!

I quite like it, and may even consider buying a couple if they were half the price...

Count me amongst the unsatisfied

Well, I've got a Vista Media Centre (you can stick your American spelling) PC, and the GF has a recently purchased Vaio laptop with Vista.

I've pretty much given up on the MCE PC, and am beginning to wonder how much I'll get for it on eBay. The thing just doesn't work well enough. It constantly crashes or does weird things. I'm seriously considering getting an Apple TV and hacking it. I don't want to record stuff, just use the music and photo features, with occasional downloaded video. Shouldn't be too tricky, but the MCE struggles...

The Vaio is more perplexing. It started out okay, but seems to e getting steadily flakier. There's nothing odd running on it (a few standard apps, and Office 2003). It's already had one complete re-install (due to some iffy Bluetooth drivers), but is seriously slowing down again. Even the missus is complaining, and she never notices these things. I'm beginning to wonder it it's worth down/upgrading (delete as applicable) it to XP. Let's see if Sony make all those weird and wonderful drivers available for XP first...

So, Vista. The best thing that could have happened for XP, Linux, and Apple!

Marmite

Frankly, blowing up jars of Marmite is too good for the filthy stuff.

What's Paris Hilton's take on this?