* Posts by Andrew Cooper

24 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Dec 2007

Asus N56VM 15.6in notebook review

Andrew Cooper

Price

I got this the other week for £699 from Comet (which it still is, according to their website).

I wanted an screen with a half-decent resolution, as doing dev on the usual rubbish 768 vertical is not a pleasurable experience. With it's full HD resolution, this laptop is a rarity in the PC market.

Apart from that, it seems pretty nippy to me, but it's early days yet.

Feeling heat from Macs, Microsoft sells PCs sans crapware

Andrew Cooper

Re: WOW

> But they're listening from somewhere about 5 light-years away

Sound-years, surely.

Brits not buying into Freeview HD

Andrew Cooper

Blame the World Cup...

Something I notice prior to the World Cup was that a lot of the box shifters (Currys, Comet and their brethren) were not *selling* the Freeview HD sets, instead opting to clear out their old stock of Freeview SD with attractive sale prices.

It's not surprising sales have been slow.

BT bids bumpkins to beg for better broadband

Andrew Cooper

Population versus Premises

I don't think a village with a population of 1,000 would really cut the mustard with BT.

I doubt they're going to take a serious declaration of interest if, for example, next door's new-born baby registers themselves.

Adobe debuts What Jobs Hates™ v10.1

Andrew Cooper

That was hard...

http://fpdownload.adobe.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player_ax.exe

Try clicking the "problems downloading?" link when it tries to install DLM.

Three In-Car Wi-Fi

Andrew Cooper

Missing the point...

Yes, of course you can do this with a laptop and internet connection sharing, but the point here is that this is simple, doesn't require booting up a laptop, and doesn't require *yet another* sim card and data contract.

My particular favourite feature is that it's just straightforward, common or garden WIFI. No more installing crapware and drivers on your computer. No more reinstalling everytime you change provider or modem. Just simple turn it on, it works.

UK.gov issues death warrant for ID cards

Andrew Cooper
Stop

er...

Are you sure about the biometric passports bit?

Don't we have treaty obligations to be fulfilled with biometic passports?

Google: Street View spycars did slurp your Wi-Fi

Andrew Cooper
FAIL

That explains that then...

We have moved house recently.

Googles collection of MAC addresses explains why my HTC Desire occasionally thinks its still 25 miles away in Stockport, when it's connected to WiFi.

Silly rabbits.

IE8 for Windows 7 beta in 'reliability update'

Andrew Cooper

Re: Windows Error Reporting?

Fair point on your main OS, but if you're bothering to get involved in a beta programme at all, surely you'd be more likely to send them?

Hydrogen motoring too heavy for pundit

Andrew Cooper

Narrow view

> getting 1kg of hydrogen from water takes about 60kWh of electricity

Maybe so, but then water is an extremely stable molecule. At present, don't we get our FCX hydrogen by cyphoning it off natural gas before it's fed into the mains gas supply?

> setting up a hydrogen filling station infrastructure of any meaningful size is going to be Biblically expensive

If only we already had a filling station infrastructure in places like Swindon and Sheffield...

Bottom line, the charge-times on the electric vehicles are going to have to be reduced to a single digit number of minutes, not a number of hours to be practical, and that's where the Hydrogen vehicles have got 'em beat.

Main BBC channels to be broadcast live via web

Andrew Cooper

Exemption for battery-operated TVs...

Isn't there an exemption to the TV license for battery operated TV's?

Laptop / UPS anyone? :-)

David Tennant quits Who

Andrew Cooper
Boffin

The Master's return

> Even in the Canon nothing is written in stone

Doesn't he mentions something wishy-washy-vague about how "the timelords resurected him to fight in the Time War" and about how they thought he'd be "the perfect soldier"?

That turned out well, didn't it?

Ford cars to gain prang-preventing radar rigs

Andrew Cooper

Re: Not exactly new

...and the Honda CRV.

Does Microsoft already own the BPM space?

Andrew Cooper

Re: BPM for ERP?

Microsoft Dynamics GP includes some workflow features to do exactly what you describe, although it was new in the last release and as such is a bit limited.

Can clearly see the direction they're going though...

Sovereign immunity blocks DMCA suit against Air Force

Andrew Cooper

So...

Having realised this, will the Air Force (or any other branch of government for that matter) ever pay for software again?

Microsoft, take note!

EU abolishes the acre

Andrew Cooper
Stop

Say it with me people...

Avoirdupois!

(yes I know that this is weight and not area, but still!)

Trousers Brown: Blighty faces 'food security' threat

Andrew Cooper

Well, yes, but...

Lewis, I don't disagree with any of what you've said here, nor do I imagine does Gordon Brown. But to talk of energy security is to speak of something that is, at best, a medium-long term solution.

Gordon Brown is an economist at heart, as well a politician looking to be able to do something that will produce a measurable improvement on something that effects everybody - today.

In economic terms (and by that I mean the laws of supply and demand), what he's advocating would produce instantaneous changes on prices, not the long term changes that energy security would provide.

Course all of this is a moot point, as the current "ballistic" food prices are most likely caused by two years running of crap harvest yields. If this year is a turning point on that, we should see lower food prices next year anyway.

BBC begins fresh Freeview HD TV trial

Andrew Cooper

Firmware anyone?

Anyone know whether new hardware is necessary, or whether this could be handled by a firmware upgrade?

Crimestoppers learn the joy of text

Andrew Cooper
Coat

And the award for the best T9 fuck up goes to...

My favourite is "smirnoff", which on my phone appears as "poisoned".

"Those kids in the park have a bottle of poisoned and are drinking themselves to death!"

Griffin Evolve wireless iPod speakers

Andrew Cooper
Jobs Horns

Wonderful idea...

... but does it *have* to be iPod? *sigh*

Veggies a 'perversion of nature': Official

Andrew Cooper
Coat

"reproduction depends on animal protein to a large extend"

bet the viagra folkes are shitting themselves...

Terrifying farm mechanoid plan for Japan

Andrew Cooper
Coat

"strap-on robot suit"

too easy

Paramount poised to drop HD DVD

Andrew Cooper
Coat

Re: Oooohh - Burn!

Surely HD-DVD is not the mesiah?

Researcher: 'Second wave' HD adopters favour HD DVD

Andrew Cooper
Thumb Down

Freeview a killer?

Personally, I won't be buying an HD TV until there's some concensus on how FreeView HD broadcasts will be.. er.. broadcasted. Seems to me that any kit sold today marked HD-ready cannot possibly do FreeView HD without at the very least a firmware upgrade, or more likely, additional boxes.