* Posts by Wonderkid

91 publicly visible posts • joined 30 Apr 2007

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Arizona Super Bowl fans cop eyeful of todger

Wonderkid
Paris Hilton

Uhm, a cockup? Eeeh...!

Not much more to say really. Will leave fellow El Reg readers to add additional penial puns involving such fine tags as stiff, hard, penetrate and more.

Paris, because in such a situation, she would reward her naughy staff with a big raise...

I'm a sceptic now, says ex-NASA climate boss

Wonderkid
Flame

Response to those replying to my post

Wow. (Debate is good, so this is all good.) I see some have posted from the USA. I was refering to the weather in southern England, and do agree that a lot of it is cyclical, but my main point is that even if one ignores climate change or it's precise causes, carbon based energy is dirty and poluting anyway. It is unacceptable that those with vested interests in carbon fuels are doing little (serious) work to offer an alternative. And no amount of spin doctoring or green graphics on their corporate websites will alter that fact.

The comment that climate change groups and scientists hype the threat to receive funding should be treated in the same manner as any other issue - judge each on a case by case basis. I for one simply care for the future and a time when our current carbon based economy is replaced with practical sustainable energy solutions that work. And if an all new industry made of brands you have yet to hear of profits from that, great! At least their investors, employees and other stake holders will sleep better. And we'll all live longer too as there will be less particulates in the atmosphere.

I have to say, it is terribly sad that people today are so lacking in vision. It is no wonder that on this very day the UK has been informed by the IMF that it is going to suffer the worst of the downturn. Where's the innovative industrious spirit to create something new and invent ourselves out of recession? Go unplug from Facebook and make stuff! For the sake of kids at the very least.

Wonderkid
Flame

How much was he paid to change his mind?

Hmmm?

(As someone who has lived through over 40 seasons, I can vouch for the fact it is getting warmer here in the UK. I have photos of deep snow at our home in the 1970s. Where is it today almost 25 years later? We get a sprinkling, some sleet, and that's winter! And what about the effect on the natural world, with animals, plants, fish, birds and more showing signs of distress or confusion.)

Follow the money. Because the people who have a lot of it thanks to oil and coal are the sort who don't really give a damn about nature and will be quite happy in their manmade solitude sitting at their terminals managing their stock portfolios. If they actually cared, they would use their immense wealth to fast track in a Manhatten Project like manner the development of practical alternative energy production and distribution methods. Google 'Better Place' for a good example.

SpaceX erects Phallus Falcon 9 rocket

Wonderkid
Paris Hilton

Oh behave, Austin! There's enough smut...

...in that article to fill a whole episode of Benny Hill! And if you say SpaceX fast enough, you may just find one more excuse to interface with the dirty side.

Paris, because like all ambitious blondes, she's fond of succesful re-entry...

NASA warns of 'space Katrina' radiation storm

Wonderkid
Alert

Room for industry/gov innovation here...

... a) Shielding on our critical devices & infrastructure. b) Government publications (online + print backup) that inform the public what to do in event of solar storm. c) Switch to P2P communications and hybrid sustainable local / grid based power. If one fails the other is a fall back. If both fail, wrap up, jump up and down and eat veg from your allotment...

Apple unveils 17in MacBook, iLife tweaks, Tony Bennett

Wonderkid
Jobs Horns

Why lack of Blue Ray option on 17"?

While I believe that with the advent of high speed broadband (& larger capacity USB drives) other removeable media (in particular CD sized media) should die, if the 17" MacBook Pro is built to last a long time, it is puzzling that Apple have not done what they did so well with what was probably their best ever laptop, the black plastic Lombard / Wallstreet series. They featured twin removeable bays where you could choose between two batteries, or one battery and your choice of media drive, such as CD, DVD etc. These machines were stylish, had great keyboards, LED battery level indicators (like the current series) and in a way, a more natural shape. Thick and heavy by today's standards, but just more thoughtful in design. During tough times, I do not understand why Apple are turning out laptops whose Windows based equivalents from HP, Dell, Tosh, Asus and others sometimes do more for a lot less money - most including Blue Ray drives too, whose large capacity will appeal to the very customers Apple target with the 17" - content producers who need large capacity media to hand to their clients.

And where was the new Mac Mini? Next week maybe.

SpaceX assembles Falcon 9 rocket

Wonderkid
Go

@Tom: Indeed, and Elon Musk is...

...one of the people who will help make it happen. As a colleague of his, I can verify he has the smarts and passion to achieve this and much else too. He had already achieved a great deal prior to Space X and I am sure this is really only the start. He's young and the world needs entrepreneurs to take us out of the doldrums, not just government ego trips.

Harvard prof slams US nut allergy hysteria

Wonderkid
Thumb Up

He is spot on...

...not many years ago, not a single person I knew (out of the 300 at my school) and in my social circle were alergic to anything other than cats - myself included. I knew one person who claimed to be alergic to nuts, but never showed any symptoms, and this person was very much one to adopt the latest social trend. With more serious threats to life and liberty (such as war) having wained, I think people today have risen up Maslow's list of needs and so seek lesser reason to complain.

We are all probably guilty of this. If there's a war or other major threat to our the lifestyles we take for granted, people will shift their priorities. Cigar anyone?

Supersonic fighters could snuff out hurricanes

Wonderkid
Stop

Tampering with nature?

Can any El Reg readers out there confirm whether nor not hurricanes are part of the natural cycle of things, and therefore, despite carnage on the ground, are a force for good? If so, then surely we should leave them alone. If American houses were constructed to the same level of the bricks and mortar buildings here in the rugged UK, perhaps they would suffer less damage? Most of the buildings damaged beyond repair in the States when hurricanes hit appear to be wooden, metal paneled or mobile homes. Brick / concrete buildings appear to remain standing - even in the strongest hurricanes. Modern day early warning systems appear to work wonders too. I vote, leave nature alone and apply some human common sense instead.

Why no c*nt and paste for the iPhone?

Wonderkid
Jobs Horns

Why not make it so that holding down finger...

...switches iPhone / iPod Touch into 'Select' mode. You then simply drag to highlight the characters desired as per regular desktop OSes. (The current magnify widget that pops up could be triggered instead by a double tap or work with the clipboard function.) Anyway, once the selection is made, an on screen pop up menu (like the one that appears when you hold down a finger on some continental keyboard characters) would provide the appropriate clipboard options: Cut, Copy, Paste etc.

The mind boggles how Apple can produce brilliantly constructed products and then compromise them by skipping on one or two almost essential features or design flaws, such as the curved back of the iPhone that makes it wobble on a flat surface, or the missing stereo Bluetooth on all their iPod family devices? Is this cost cutting, rushing to market, Steve being silly or to get us to buy the next version?

Astronaut space dump pong-bomb frag shower today

Wonderkid
Happy

Latest cold war weaponary?

To Russia with Shivers.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Windows Mobile smartphone

Wonderkid

Get an Nokia E71 instead...

...it's slim, stable and while lacking a touch screen, is far more practical. I use mine in conjunction with an iPod Touch that doubles as a sales tool. Customer plays with the Touch, while I can still take calls, make notes etc. Battery life on both is great. WM devices are with their superficial fancy GUIs, to quote, like putting lipstick on a pig. The E71 GUI is not pretty, but it's not pretending to be anything either, yet gets the job done remarkably efficiently. Sony Ericsson should have used their design brilliance to create a nice Symbian, Android or custom OS that was robust from core to shell. For those bashing the mention of the iPhone, having used the iPod Touch now for a few weeks, I can understand the enthusiasm for the iPhone, despite it's flaws. It does everything it does well, fluidly and in a manner that no other manufacturer has come close to emulating. My problem with the iPhone is the battery life, poor camera and lack of a tactile keyboard.

Bloke knocked up kebabs close to corpse couch

Wonderkid
Unhappy

Kebab ingredients anyone?

(Taskes like missing chicken?)

Samsung Omnia 16GB smartphone

Wonderkid
Go

@This is an absolute horror

Good choice on the E71. I have been using one to literally run the business for the last month or two. It has replaced my laptop. I use the photo viewer (in conjunction with an iPod Touch thanks to it's nice multitouch screen) to present to customers (iPhone battery life not good enough for those long days!), the (editable!) spreadsheet to calculate our pricing etc, the camera to record installations of our product (for training purposes), the radio to monitor the collapse of the banks while I trade in real money :-), the MP3 player (that is a LOT more convenient to use when jogging than the iPod Touch - I cannot comment on the Omnia's as I have not used it) for relaxing on the train/tube, the email client to monitor and respond to my gmail, yahoo and corporate email. (Not push, but you can configure the E71 to check the email automatically every 15 mins for one account, and every 30 mins for one other.) I understand that Nokia or a 3rd party are to announce a nice corporate friendly email client for S60 soon anyway. In summary, the Omnia is really a consumer device while the E71 is VERY robust, the battery life is awesome and it is in my view, a far more business like device than even the Blackberry - and a lot slimmer too. I just wish the camera took decent low light pictures, but that is my only real gripe.

US woman shot by cast iron stove

Wonderkid
Joke

Buttshot?

Sorry!

Spy chiefs plot £12bn IT spree for comms überdatabase

Wonderkid
Stop

Why not invest these billions...

...in improving life for people here in the UK. If it's a nice place to live, less people will want to blow it up. A large investment in public information displays for example. Have you ever stood at rail, but or tube stops and wondered why in the 21st century you're faced with useless, obsolete or missing route and/or timetable information displays - if any at all.

'Water bears' survive in outer space

Wonderkid
Alien

More ammo to Sir Fred Hoyle...

...who argued that life on Earth could have originated from up there, rather than down here. "Son, your great great great E234 Grandpa was a water bear. So when you next look up to the stars, think of how far he came so you could be here today..." ;-)

BlackBerry, HTC eat into Nokia Q2 market share

Wonderkid
Go

E71 better than both alternatives

Owning an E71 and having toyed around with HTC Diamond and a BlackBerry Bold, I have found the E71 a way more practical device. The touch screen interface on the Diamond may look nice on the screen shots / advertisements, but it lacks the usability of the iPhone and other devices that get you direct to the feature you want. It just isn't a productivity tool, no matter the OS it is running ontop of. And BlackBerries, while making email easy, are pretty much rendered obsolete by the E71 and other phones with a good mail client and tactile keyboard. (I have programmed my E71 to notify me every 15 mins of incoming emails, not full push, but good enough!) Nokia need to get tech people into each town centre to help people configure their E71 for email or put up a very clearly written web page. A good product needs to be given it all (as Apple have done with the iPhone) and the E71 is a great product. Battery life and compact robust sexy form factor really make the difference. And no, I don't work for Nokia!

Price cutting rivals eat into Nokia's market share

Wonderkid
Go

They should focus on their good phones, like the E71...

...which I have had for a few weeks now. I agree that their GUI is flawed, unlike the consistent and better thought out GUI on non smartphone Sony Ericssons and of course, the iPhone. However, the E71 is a lot lot better. Mine has yet to crash and the physical ergonomics are excellent. Plus, the battery lasts for ages, it does everything, in fact, I have dumped my laptop because with the exception of 'power user' tasks (PhotoShop, large spreadsheets, illustration etc), it does it all from Blackberry like email management to multi tasking office suite and cut and paste between it all. All in a very thin sexy robust form factor. Try one.

Psychologist invents new uber-wiki

Wonderkid
Go

Not the first...

...a few weeks ago, I was discussing with one our semantic web chaps referencing specific items of data to the 'owner' or 'author' using RDF and/or a personal version of our gonumber.com precision directory. Either way, this would have mind boggling consequences.

Acorn alumni to toast tech pioneer's 30th anniversary

Wonderkid
Happy

Well architected platforms...

...that made these possible over 20 years ago:

In 1985 on the Beeb...

http://www.owonder.com/pagemaker_bbc

In 1988 with three networked Archies...

http://www.owonder.com/bitbopper/classic

Ten of the Best... Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Wonderkid
Thumb Up

The Sony HBH DS200 are excellent

I have had a pair for a year or so to use with my SE K800i and more recently, a Nokia N95 8G. The sound quality and battery life are excellent. And if you plug in your own head phones (in my case, some larger Sony neck band variety), the sound is even better. The only flaw is that sometimes the Bluetooth connection drops, but that is the phone, not the headset. (Occasional drop out is worse on the Nokia than on the SE. After all, Ericsson invented Bluetooth, so I guess they should know!) BTW, the foam bits from the headset that comes with the HBH DS200 fell out ages ago.

US says the next war will be all in our minds

Wonderkid
Flame

I sense a great disturbance in the force...

...the last great bastion of human dignity, privacy, is about to take a final step over the precipice. "I think, therefore, you know."

Sub £200 mini laptop launched

Wonderkid
Stop

Pointless - EEE PC 701 costs the same now...

...and has 4G of SSD and originates from a far more reputable company. My EEE PC 701 is the most reliable 'computer' I have ever owned. Other than when Firefox runs out of memory, it never crashes. I have seen them priced new as low as £175.

Top Jock cop calls for universal DNA database

Wonderkid
Flame

Passing the blame here...

...he is admitting that New Labor's touchy feely leftist policies are not working, but rather than simply put more police on the beat, he wants technology to be used as a substitute. How convenient - yet how dangerous - for reasons already highlighted by other Reg readers above.

US woman celebrates cloning of 'precious Booger'

Wonderkid
Flame

Polluting the gene pool in both senses of the term...

1. This woman if obviously so stupid she believes the soul and character of her puppy will return in these clones. How many more idiots will ignore naturally born animals who are waiting in dog pounds for a loving owner with more than air between the ears? This woman's existence is a threat to the human gene pool.

2. Surely cloning may interfere with the natural order of things and possibly introduced defects into the canine gene pool?

Orange UK: the iPhone's latest colour carrier?

Wonderkid

Vodafone please

If the iPhone comes to Vodafone, I'll get one. While I cannot speak for others, I have been with Vodafone for several years and their coverage (3G included) is excellent - way better than the alternatives. Being how good Vodafone are at supporting business customers, I never understood why they didn't take on the iPhone being Apple are moving it in that direction with the support for MS Exchange etc.

Dell adds multi-touch to Latitude XT

Wonderkid
Jobs Halo

Isn't this copying Apple's multitouch tech?

Surely Apple have patented the spreading fingers technique for zooming in and out of images?

North Americans just don't steal handsets, apparently...

Wonderkid
Heart

Street crime in America very different

Having lived in the States for 10 years, I noticed a significant difference in (street) crime from that in the UK, well, London to be more specific.

a) In the US, a phone being stolen from your pocket, coffee shop table etc does not happen as often because a thief is more likely to suffer the consequences right away if he or she is caught. Crime is often limited to ghettos, armed robberies and temporary loss of sanity/planned murder in the case of (school etc) massacres and the like.

b) Here in the UK, we are, alas, so timid, a street thug will think nothing of 'nicking' your phone, whether it be at knife point or off the coffee shop table because if you catch him, what are you going to do Mr. well toned Englishman? And if one of New Labor's Community Officers witnesses or hears about such a 'minor' offense, we all know terrified the thug will be don't we?

A heart symbol because I love the tough "three strikes and you are out" policy implemented in (some) American jurisdictions. It works in New York, and it should be made to work here. Because if you catch / step them early, they won't move onto bigger things later.

Anyone else share this analysis?

Sony to bring E Ink eBook reader to UK in September

Wonderkid
Jobs Halo

Let's see what Apple does...

There would be no better application of their multi-touch technology than a lightweight slightly larger than iPhone form factor device featuring a full color next generation non-volatile ultra thin eInk multi-touch screen with full integration with iTunes. (iBooks?) This is the next logical step for Apple and books are the easiest to distribute, after all video and music is bandwidth and storage intensive, yet a book occupies little space. And of course, Apple have some proven DRM technology.

HOT: Several years ago, there were some rumors in a well known site or newspaper (I forget which) that Apple were secretly buying up the rights to books world-wide. So, this may not just be conjecture...

Asus Eee PC storms Euro PC maker chart

Wonderkid
Happy

People vote with their wallets...

I own a 701 EEE PC (4G, 7" screen) running Linux, and with the exception of Firefox that now locks up daily as I'm running out of memory, the machine is extremely reliable - way more so than any Mac or PC I have ever owned, so ASUS deserve this success. All said, if Apple could shove OS X into something with the same form factor with an SSD drive, I would happily spend £500 on it. Until then, a black EEE PC 901 is on the radar. (BTW, I am driving my wide screen Philips 200XW 22" monitor from my EEE PC at 1600 x 1200 resolution! Neither devices are supposed to support that and yet are working just fine. Not bad for £350 worth of hardware in total!)

Apple iPhone 3G

Wonderkid
Happy

This review is fair and spot on

This is in fact a very impartial and honest review. No need for a flame war, whether you're for or against the iPhone. The review tackles each issue as it would for any other phone. I don't plan to get one until they sort out the on screen keyboard. Once it is possible to fire off an email or text message at the same speed (or quicker) than something like the excellent Nokia E71, then we'll be talking. iPhone 3?

Raptor and Eurofighter go head to head

Wonderkid
Stop

A load of leftist tosh...

...but one only realizes in the last few paragraphs, ruining and otherwise interesting article. Defense is what it says, being prepared. Because while the past is stone, the future is fluid...

Asus blames lack of Linux Eee PCs on Atom hold-ups

Wonderkid
Gates Horns

Absolute b*llocks!

This is Microsoft all over again. Since their formation, they have almost arm-twisted manufacturers into favoring their OS and it is only competition from OS X and the Open Source community that is finally making their job a lot harder. But it looks like they have won over ASUS & PC World. Exhibit A: There are Atom equipped XP variant netbooks from ADVENT at PC World - and they are shipping in quantity. (I know, I have been there and seen them.) Exhibit B: XP and Linux EEE PCs (and none ASUS branded machines) both run nicely on Atom or no Atom, so what does the processor have to do with it? I am willing to bet the hold up of Linux variant 901/1000 series that ARE now visible at Amazon.co.uk yet NOT at Anvika & PC World is tied directly to Microsoft and no one else. Atom shortage, my behind! MS are strong arming ASUS to hold fire on Linux models. Simple solution! Let your dealer know you want a Linux based machine and they will be forced to let market forces override corporate arm twisting by frightened in Redmond.

Criminal record checks could hit over 14 million people

Wonderkid
Flame

Solution to this is simple...

...do not apply for a position where these laws or requirements are enforced. Just as one uses market forces to choose which product one buys, if one votes with ones CV, then eventually such laws will be scrapped because so few people will apply for these positions. We in the UK have become weak, disarmed and monitored so are unable to do as the French and Americans have done and revolt in the streets against such madness, but we can 'go on strike' - if that is an appropriate term.

Germans develop submarine-launched UAV

Wonderkid
Paris Hilton

@Daffy The Duck

You are right! Well, with time, human mind scrambles things. Funny thing is, I have no idea where I got the name Richard Widmark from. Worrying! Just reading up on VTTBOTS now on IMDB and Wikipedia. Cannot believe it was made in the 60s! That really was the inspirational decade. What did people smoke back then to keep their minds so creative and fertile...? I wonder... ;-) Paris, because I had a blond moment...

Wonderkid
Happy

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea?

Those greying or thinning up top may remember Richard Wydmark et al in the 'sparks guaranteed to fly from the control panel every episode' futuristic submarine adventure where a cool looking yellow flying mini sub / aircraft would pop out of the mother sub to carry out various missions. Looks like we're on the way to scifi becoming scifact! (Without the rubber monsters and shaky cameras...)

PC World pips Asus to UK Atom sub-laptop premier

Wonderkid
Linux

No 20G SSD + Linux = No Way

The whole point of the original EEE PC (I have a 4G 701) is that it is robust and reliable. I have just switched to Desktop from 'East' mode and connected it to a nice 16" LCD and full size Logitech keyboard creating a nice desktop setup. The 901 with 20G of SSD and Linux and a decent battery will be perfect. The only benefit the Advent has over the EEE is the keyboard. But the forthcoming EEE PC 1000 solves that one.

Google a broken hell for five-year-olds

Wonderkid
Black Helicopters

William Golding

Any entity that relies upon young, possibly arrogant still maturing individuals who have yet to gain true industry and/or life experience is going to suffer the consequences. If you want a very good example of this, consider 'Great' Britain today. It is broken, and things appear to be getting worse on an almost daily basis. A number of mission critical entities world-wide today lack common sense, discipline - and most importantly, values. If trust in such entities is to be restored, then due process and value based leadership needs to be restored.

Asus readies iMac attack with all-in-one Eee

Wonderkid
Linux

Actually, web centric world makes this viable...

...as I type this, on my Leopard powered 2006 model MacBook Black, that is crashing left right and centre and suffering serious connectivity and syncing problems thanks to some possible bugs in Leopard 10.5.2 onwards, I am really working hard to transfer as much of my life to the web centric lifestyle. (IE, editing, publishing and sharing online.) If that is the case, then if I can purchase a low cost 'terminal' with a decent quality display, this could be it. I already use a 7" EEE PC that cost £1000 less than my MacBook, and while it is not capable of running 'power user' apps such as Illustrator, PhotoShop, Final Cut etc, it does handle 100% of my business tasks with aplomb, never crashes and has a very intuitive Linux front end. Oh, and no pricy upgrades. To those attacking Asus about quality in comparison to Apple, their products look nice and are built tough. Go take a look at any of their monitors or laptops in real life - as good as any top end Sony gear. My thoughts on Apple are they should make a massive effort to get the iPhone OS on ALL their devices and stop bloating (desktop) OS X, as it's becoming like Windows Vista: Confused and unstable.

An iPhone with a keyboard?

Wonderkid
Heart

What about 3rd party keyboards - today?!

Am breaking my new rule of ceasing to post comments any more as have work to do, but this is a hot topic that could effect the future success of the iPhone - a device that despite a fluid GUI and excellent syncing skills, has flaws that could limit it's success against devices like the new Nokia E71. (A device that even records VGA res video, ironically, great for the market the current iPhone is targeted at!) Anyway, what is stopping Griffin, Belkin, Kensington and other purveyors of quality (i)peripherals from producing a range of mechanical keyboards that connect to the iPhone using a user selectable option of Bluetooth, WiFi or physical cable/dock connector? A nice leather bound wrap around case with a keyboard in one half would be perfect! Just unfold, and type away - or even fold the case around and have it prop up the iPhone on a desk while you blog your review: "Typing this from the 9:39 to Reading from Paddington using the new iType from iExtras, Inc. It's really great! Ouch! Bugger!! My coffee fell ov..." (Heart icon? Ah, Guy, one day, we'll catch up again. Think AMX Pagemaker, PCW etc...)

In-flight device maker sues everyone seeking flash memory bonanza

Wonderkid
Paris Hilton

Prior art from 1988-1991...

http://www.owonder.com/udis. Furthermore, another British company prototyped a digital recording device that stored the recordings on solid state memory cards. (no time to research them in Google, but they got some press in the late 1980s I believe.) The Paris angle? This company is behaving like a clueless blond devoid of ideas.

Orange launches dance-powered phone charger

Wonderkid
Happy

Why not use body heat?

This thing is bulky and Brits don't like wearing geeky stuff - unlike their buddies across the pond where they simultaneously wear around their (somehow larger) waists Blackberries, dedicated 'cell' phones, pagers? and the always useful Leatherman. So, based on idea I had in the 1990s entitled 'Power Pants' - Orange should consider squeezing juice from the parts of your typical Bopping Brit where there is always guaranteed to be some surplus heat: The crotch! Introducing: Thong Power! A thin cable would then run up form the belt area into the phone, iPod etc. Related puns: Nookia / Bony Erection / Samhung / Tottyrola (Motabona?) / LP / oh, alright, I'll sink even lower: Semens...

Android delays hurt self-realisation

Wonderkid
Boffin

Android VS iPhone

iPhone is a 'safe' platform to develop for - similar to Nintendo Wii really, a quality proven product that's easy to use and fun - and most importantly, there is only one device form factor - so your app is going to run just fine as it is. However, that is also a flaw. The iPhone platform for all it's sexiness does not extend across multiple form factors due to Apple's very slow role out of products. On the other hand, with Android, Google have ensured the OS and GUI can adapt to a wide range of form factors - from screenless to touch screen plus slide out keyboard. And that will make it attractive to vertical markets, from the elderly (one button per key relative) to turnkey industrial (slide out keyboard, RFID reader etc etc). Effectively, Android could become the new Windows CE, but with the benefit of an iPhone like slick GUI and enthusiastic developer community.

The war on photographers - you're all al Qaeda suspects now

Wonderkid
Coat

This happened to me - twice!

1) I was on King's Road in London on a lovely sunny day at a cafe with my mother. After our coffee, I stood up and took some photos of the scene - buildings with people in front of them, etc etc. Same thing I have done for over 30 years. All as a hobby and chances are, a good portion would be erased (I was using a digital SLR.) To my shock and horror I was approached by not one, but TWO, I don't know what to call them, but council people or something in orange jackets - one of whome was not even British. He asked me NOT to take any more photos and what I was doing. I was so shocked (this is a public space, NOT GCHQ) and don't recall what I said, but he claimed there were lots of celebs in the area and it was illegal to photograph them. Huh? (I was not using a zoom and was not dressed like the paparatzi.) I refused to erase the pictures and walked away. (As I hope others will do in such circumstances.)

2) I was in Chiswick and taking photos of small businesses as part of my own web design work. A policeman came up to me and asked what I was doing and after lengthy explanation, made me sign a form and gave me a receipt to say I had been checked out and all was ok. (Across the street, a person of colour with a camera was ALSO being quizzed by the police.) The explanation given on this occasion was that I was being asked for politicallty correct reasons. IE, I am white and so out of fairness to the person across the street, they had to find someone else taking photos too so he didn't feel embarassed. And in a way, I understand. I was close to the tube station (NOT photographing it), but they may have had a point, but the issue is, all of this (and more crazy laws) are making living in this country stressful, confusing and in a way, pointless. If this 'war on terror' is to go on for 50 years (as claimed by Bush and Blair a while back), then it may be best we all leave and come back when it's over? Else what exactly are we defending?

3G iPhone not ready for the enterprise?

Wonderkid
Stop

iPhone market confusion

As per an earlier posting of mine on the day the 3G iPhone was announced, Apple have created a device with no obvious market. a) The iPhone's most amazing feature is the way one can browse though photos with the swipe of a finger - and pinch to zoom in - it has to be seen. Yet the camera is useless, so unless you have time to sync with iPhoto to get pictures from your 'other' camera, you're out of luck. b) The lack of a mechanical keyboard option is a no no for corporate types who bash away emails. c) If it's an iPod, then why no stereo bluetooth? And again, why no decent camera (that music loving youth like) or an FM radio so people can actually discover NEW music to then download from iTunes? d) And you cannot even purchase tunes from the phone anyway - unless from WiFi. My more ugly and multi-touch less Nokia N95 8G actually does almost everything - and I don't need to even sync it with a PC. I can take great photos, download music over HSDPA, send and receive email and more. By nothing thinking about any specific market, Apple have put themselves in a very difficult position. Watch what happens with Android where by the nature of the platform, custom solutions can be created for target markets. What is that expression? "Know your customer" Apple should have focused on the market they know best: The consumer. The perfect customer TODAY for both iPhone models is the technically hopeless mother, aunt or grandparent thanks to it's friendly operation. For corporate use, the new Nokia E71 seems not only brilliantly executed but quite sexy too. (BTW, I would buy a 3G iPhone if it has a 5MP auto focus camera with flash, over air music downloads and stereo Bluetooth. I could stream radio over the HSDPA so not so bothered about that omission.

T-Mobile doubles 0870 call costs

Wonderkid
Happy

Simple, use Skype Out...

...isn't it less or free that way when you call one of those 08XX numbers?

Tory trash talk fails to halt bin bugging plans

Wonderkid
Flame

Why no alternative before punishing people?

Why doesn't the government offer an alternative to over use of packaging BEFORE stressing people out with these fruitless fascist efforts?

Microsoft chases satnav market

Wonderkid
Linux

Blue sky of death...

..."In 100 metres, please turn... crackle sound"

Screen: "CORE EXCEPTION ERROR - RE-BOOTING"

Driver: B*llocks, what do I do?

Car (powered by Linux): "F*ck knows, ask BILL BILL"

Driver: Bill Bill is pulling a sickie.

Car: I warned you when we went to Halfords. Next time, you know what to buy!

Driver: SkyNet? I am having issues with my technology, please initiate an immediate intercept and take me home. I'm taking the bus...

O2 prices up the latest iPhone

Wonderkid
Jobs Halo

iPhone for all it's wonders is a shopping machine only...

...Apple have developed the most technologically advanced and sexy gadget ever - no doubt. But if you pay attention, dear Reg Reader, you'll notice how clever Apple are - as a business: a) No FM radio, so you cannot listen to one second of free music or talk radio - and perhaps even discover some music to purchase on iTunes. And even if there WAS a radio to discover said music on, b) you cannot as yet purchase music on the iPhone, you still need iTunes on a Mac or PC. c) The lack of a removable battery is a major flaw for mission critical applications, where you may need to swap out on the fly. What if the battery fails altogether? (As happened with two in my MacBook?) I type this listening to the radio on my N95 8G after having used the 5MP auto focus camera to take some nice pics that I can upload to Flickr at the click of a button. I so wanted iPhone 2, but it's simply a shopping machine - not a do it all device. Apple? For iPhone 3, I want a) Home/Today screen, like Windows Mobile and Symbian (all your tasks, apps etc on home screen), b) Stereo Bluetooth c) FM radio d) Dock in the box, not an extra! e) 5MP auto-focus camera with dual LED flash f) VGA res video recording g) Front camera so I can video conf when phone is mounted on the dash in the car (with auto switch off of incoming video to avoid distracting driver.) h) Faster wireless, such as 7.2MB HSDPA so I can download content quickly and enjoy faster SatNav operation. Then, I can shop AND have useful device! (Disclaimer: iPhone is brilliant, but not good enough for us one gadget is enough Europeans.) Good Steve because I feel guilty being negative.

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