Sign in / up

* Posts by Tzael

257 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Jun 2009

Page:

Man buys iPHONE 6 and DROPS IT to SMASH on PURPOSE

Tzael
Reply Icon

All about build quality

If extras like screen protectors and rubber cases are essential purchases then how come my Lumia 920 was dropped, run over by a taxi, left out in torrential rain for 20 minutes before I realised it was missing, and still worked perfectly fine when I finally found it again?

I'll admit I've not been so abusive with my Lumia 1020, although in its case I did demonstrate the effectiveness of the Gorilla Glass to a friend by first taking a pair of kitchen scissors to the screen and scratching it repeatedly before handing the scissors and phone over to him and letting him have a good attempt to scratch the screen. We then took it a step further and started hitting the screen with the handle end of the scissors to see if it could take a pounding. No scratches or cracks or any other defects despite our efforts to inflict some damage.

6 1

Microsoft's rumoured $2.5bn Minecraft gobble expected on Monday

Tzael
Reply Icon
Big Brother

Re: That's a shame...

On the plus side it means Google or Apple won't be able to buy it and turn the game into a personal data mining utility.

5 1

Signiant to SkyDrop files into Amazon and Azure clouds

Tzael

SkyDrop - similar-sounding name to SkyDrive aye? How long before Sky takes them to task over it and encourages a name change?

0 0

I want virtualisation on my iPhone, and I want it NOW

Tzael

You're holding the next virtual battleground in the palm of your hand

Yeah, but you're not holding it properly...

2 2

Developer unleashes bowel-shaking KILLER APP for Google Glass

Tzael
Boffin

Glasshole killer app involves dog turds

The killer app for Glassholes will be the dog turd spotter - as you walk around your glasses scan the terrain and identify potential piles of turd that it can then highlight on the display, thus allowing you to avoid the embarrassment of getting crap all over your shoes. It's about the only useful app I can think of for Google Glass.

9 1

Swedish teen's sex video fine slashed: Unwilling co-star girlfriend furious

Tzael
Reply Icon

Re: today

There has been a general decline in overall awareness of consequences for one's actions over the last two decades, most notably brought about by further 'nannyfication' of states around the world. Think about it, what's the worst punishment that'll be imposed on a teenager for misbehaving these days given all the laws that are supposedly meant to protect them? Then think back to 20+ years ago and consider the punishments that were handed out for misbehaviour back then. If people grow up thinking they're untouchable then they develop the notion that they can do what they like without repercussions.

3 1

Wait for it, waaiiit for it: We update an Atom tablet to Windows 8.1 Pro

Tzael

Short movie

Would have to be a short movie if you're doing the update on a Surface RT - took less than an hour including the download (2.11GB). A 45 minute episode of some TV show would suffice!

0 3

What Surface RT flop? Nokia said to be readying WinRT slab for September

Tzael

3G for success?

If Nokia include 3G they could be onto something... I bought a Surface RT after all the price drops and tbh it's not all that bad, the only issue I've had is the reliance on the wifi connection - not always practical in the countryside whereas a 3G signal is more readily available.

0 0

Waiting for a Windows Phone update? Let's talk again next year

Tzael
Reply Icon
Thumb Up

Re: basics

Windows Phone 8 - copy any custom ringtones to the ringtones folder on your phone, as long as the file is 30MB or smaller and isn't protected by DRM then you can use it as your ringtone/alert/alarm call. That was easy!

4 1

FLABBER-JASTED: It's 'jif', NOT '.gif', says man who should know

Tzael

Acronymity...

GIF - Graphics Interchange Format...

Are we all supposed to say 'jraphics' from now on?

31 2

The Metro experiment is dead: Time to unleash Windows Phone+

Tzael
Reply Icon

Re: Flagging emails?

"You can't even flag up a message in the Windows Phone email client - a remarkable omission for a platform that's pitched at enterprises."

Yes you can, select 1 or more emails, choose the "set flag" option. Similar process for unflagging, just choose the 'clear flag' option for the selected emails. Gomez is spot on, this is basic functionality that has been in Windows Phone since its launch.

2 0

Microsoft: Worried about web privacy? Tell us everything...

Tzael
Reply Icon

Re: Has anyone (including author) ever read their policies?

ShelLuser thank you for the voice of reason. Isn't it odd how a company that does more than most to protect the privacy of its customers is the one that gets painted as the big bad wolf by the media? Even when MS try to do something that helps distinguish them as a company that cares about privacy we see articles posted on various news sites applying some 'spin' to make it sound like MS are doing something bad.

And the masses lap it up as gospel truth without even bothering to look at it objectively...

3 1

Cut'n'paste UK launch for cut-price Motorola Android

Tzael
Reply Icon

@Tapeador

Sorry, I forgot to use the sarcasm markup tag.

0 0
Tzael
Happy

Tempted

I've been looking for something new to replace my antiquated iPhone 3GS, this looks ideal. I wonder if it can be hacked to run ICS? Need decent AV software on there too, avoid the malware plague. Knowing of Google's heritage, I find it's reassuring to consider that security and data protection are a primary focus of their development efforts, unlike Apple who tend to disregard personal privacy altogether. None of that phone-home nonsense either!

Definitely close to getting my wallet out.

1 2

Teleconferencing 'shifts hundreds of NHS bed-blockers out the door'

Tzael

Big saving or just a little?

"Virtual meeting re-ablement triumph saves £150m"

So the article mentions saving 150k per year, is the overall cost benefit being evaluated over 1000 years?!

1 0

Friends fooled by Facebook Timeline 'removal tool' scams

Tzael

What timeline?

I've not seen Facebook's timeline feature in months, bliss!

Then again I've not used Facebook in months, not easy when most friends insist on running their social lives through the site. Facebook: encouraging seclusion and loneliness in the masses since 2004!

5 5

Facebook IPO plunge sparks tidal wave of lawsuits

Tzael
Reply Icon
Happy

@jonathanb

"when another student does what Zukerberg did in his student days"

What's that then, steal someone else's idea?

8 0

Google snubs Euro watchdog's 'abuse of dominance' claims

Tzael
Reply Icon

@Michael Hawkes

So by your logic Microsoft should have been left alone to do whatever it likes with Windows regardless of any practices that might affect competition?

I already use Bing - rarely use Google and since AltaVista was dumbed down I had to find an alternative that I could rely on to provide unbiased search results. Reality is that Google is taking the mickey with their deliberate exclusion of competitors, knowing full well that most people start their internet browsing session on the Google home page and can be led wherever Google wants to take them. Something has to be done, unless manipulation of the general public is perfectly acceptable in most peoples' eyes.

5 3

ALL NHS patient records online by 2015

Tzael

How much is this going to cost?

Given CSC's failure to unify patient records it's going to be interesting to see if this turns out to be another black hole to funnel the country's funds in to. Then again the government may simply force all PCTs or CCGs, and therefore all hospitals and GPs to use software from one of EMIS, INPS or TPP. Therein lies the problem though, if you force use of a particular solution then you are met with resistance if it's not already in place.

1 0

CSC axes another 640 UK IT workers

Tzael
Stop

What's wrong with buying British?

Why do we have to outsource these contracts to overseas companies? We've certainly got the required skills in the UK, and with CSC laying off a good portion of their IT workforce in the UK it's not exactly going to be difficult to find employees to carry out the work.

All too often we're seeing overseas companies winning UK government and infrastructure contracts, companies who have little first-hand knowledge of the UK, and who ultimately funnel the (excessive) profits out of the UK thereby damaging our economy.

4 0

Anonymous crashes Formula One site over Bahrain protests

Tzael
Reply Icon
WTF?

Re: One man's........

You obviously didn't read the BBC News article about the Force India team's exposure to the tear gas deployed by the police. Here, this link will help:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17767985

The reason two of the Force India drivers are going back home is precisely because they were directly exposed to the measures used by Bahraini police. They saw the injustice first-hand.

Now quit your propaganda nonsense and accept that the majority of F1 fans agree that the race in Bahrain should not go ahead. Your speculation that the Force India team members "may have been able to smell the residue of tear gas" is a gross subjugation of the actual facts - facts readily available from both Force India and a number of news outlets who have interviewed members of the Force India team.

7 2

CompSci boffins tout file encryption for Google Docs

Tzael

This won't last long :(

Got a feeling that Google will say this infringes on their T&Cs. They won't allow encryption for Google Docs unless they have the ability to decrypt the documents.

2 1

Techie stages 'strip down' protest at TSA 'harassment'

Tzael
Reply Icon

If it were a woman who staged the protest you'd be screaming "pics please or it didn't happen!" :P

9 0

Facebook updates data archive tool, upsets privacy warriors

Tzael

When delete actually means delete.

So when will Facebook offer a means to delete historical data that isn't currently visible on a user's profile? Somewhat rhetorical question, but it's nice to dream.

2 0

Nature ISN'T fragile nor a bossy mother-in-law - top eco boffin

Tzael
Reply Icon
Coat

Hah I don't know whether to upvote or downvote your post! You paint environmentalists with a broad brush stroke conveying a very negative impression - downvote deserved. Then you rightly point out that it is fear of nuclear power that has helped fossil fuel and highly inefficient renewables (i.e. wind power) to prevail - upvote deserved.

Hmm, need a clincher - and for that I think it's best to point out that it;s the general public who have a fear of nuclear power, whereas most environmentalists I liaise with are keen to promote nuclear as a green source of energy. Downvote it is, sorry!

6 5
Tzael
Reply Icon
FAIL

Re: Best interests? Whose interests?

I never said they were funded by lobbyists. I said they got access to government funding (grants) because of lobbying by the corporations who provide the majority of The Nature Conservancy's income.

2 7
Tzael

Best interests? Whose interests?

The Nature Conservancy - take a guess who its main funders are... Take a guess how many lobbyist scandals it has been involved in...

When you know the history behind the organisation (don't rely on a heavily moderated Wikipedia article) is it any wonder they're feeding BS to the public?

PS On top of the huge wedges of cash they get from private firms they also have access to a large chunk of US tax payers' contributions. They got access to those funds using funding and lobbying from their main funders, in an effort to make the organisation appear to be more credible.

9 10

Foxconn is world's 10th biggest employer: 1.2 MILLION on payroll

Tzael

NHS no more...

NHS employment numbers will fall dramatically over the next 2 years now that the Lords have passed the NHS reforms bill. End result, many of those employees will be laid off, or transferred to private suppliers of services.

1 0

Facebook 'cloaking' flaw allows unexpected snooping

Tzael

Barely a flaw, maybe a tiny crack?

Flaw? This is a bonefide feature of StalkerVille!

Seriously though, this is hardly some major exploit, hack, or even a flaw. If people add complete strangers to their friends list then that's their own choice, and those strangers have access to everythinng that any other friend has access to. Unless you're fussy about privacy settings on Facebook, in which case you'd be very unlikely to add a stranger in the first place!

7 0

Charge of the Metro brigade: Did Microsoft execs plan to take a hit?

Tzael
Reply Icon

Re: Why?

Andrew, that's not cricket.

You managed to dodge my question and build yourself a bit of street cred with your immature insults. Simply _why_ do you feel the need to install a touch-centric OS on a device that doesn't support touch input?

As for disabling the Metro UI it's easy. As another commenter has pointed out it was a registry modification in the developer preview, now it's simply a case of adding a custom toolbar to the taskbar that points to your start menu folder. Once done you never need to switch back to Metro if you don't want to.

Now where's my pint? (cricket)

0 7
Tzael
FAIL

Why?

I said it before Andrew, why upgrade a computer that doesn't offer touch-input with an operating system that is primarily focused at touch-input devices?

Alternatively you can turn the Metro UI off altogether if that's your main beef with Windows 8. You did know that right?

2 25

NHS strikes new deal with CSC for electronic patient records

Tzael
Stop

Who cares if they make a profit? They should have delivered on the original contract, and they failed miserably. They should be paying the NHS for their failure, not the other way around.

4 0

Two Brits in court over Michael Jackson back catalogue hack

Tzael

Security, get a clue...

Why the fuck was back catalogue material connected to a public network?

12 0

Metro breakdown! Windows 8 UI is little gain for lots of pain

Tzael

Upgrading is optional

There's always Windows 7, upgrading isn't essential. If a computer doesn't have touch screen capabilities then why upgrade it to an OS that has an interface driven by touch screen interaction?

The very latest is not always the greatest, it all depends what it's intended to be used for. Windows 8 caters very well to Microsoft's attempt to get into the tablet and smart phone markets, but for desktop systems and existing laptops it's probably best to stick to an OS designed for that generation of hardware.

1 1

Brazilians unveil Microsoft SkyDrive's secret – revealing pics

Tzael
Reply Icon

Starting to think the anti-MS crowd will downvote anything these days!

0 2
Tzael
Stop

Not news

Uhh this isn't new. I'm in the UK and I've had full access to SkyDrive via my Windows Live account. Those screenshots look identical - just wrap a web browser around the image and you get exactly what I've been seeing in my Windows Live account for months. If these are from a desktop app then it's simply a web browser control pointed to the Windows Live web site.

5 3

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter expose Google's 'evil'

Tzael
Reply Icon
Facepalm

Re: As I've said before

Tesco doesn't provide a service that allows customers to search for supermarkets.

1 2

Nokia partners with EA in major WinPho game push

Tzael
Reply Icon
Happy

@Paul Shirley

Yeah really! I was even spun out the other week during an advanced BDD course I was attending. Out of 16 attendees, 4 of us had Windows Phone 7 devices, and surprisingly none of the developers on the course were employees of companies affiliated with Microsoft (most of us are working on embedded code, medical devices, etc, not solutions dependent upon Microsoft technology).

Imagine that, a training course attended by low level programmers who prefer the good ol' days of Unix and CLIs where 25% of the participants have a Windows Phone 7 device - I rest my case.

2 1
Tzael
Reply Icon

Old joke - new twist

This joke's getting a bit old now, and for added twist I'm getting used to hearing WinPho7 ringtones and SMS jingles on the bus and train daily so the joke doesn't even ring true.

Great, you've got me making puns now. Are you satisfied?

0 4

Google open sources JavaScript testing tools

Tzael

Deflection, nice try Google

An attempt by Google to deflect media attention from all their recent cock-ups? Here, have some half-baked code we couldn't be bothered to package up into something immediately useful to the development community.

Seriously, a decent unit testing framework for Javascript is very useful to developers. TDD is definitely preferable as more and more development teams embrace the benefits of Agile, yet what Google have chucked out to the development community is mediocre at best, though at least it helps deflect attention from the negative Google stories circulating in the press lately.

C'mon Google fanbois, downvote without even looking at the mess they call Google JS Test.

1 2

HTC reckons 'WinPho will give Android a run for its money'

Tzael
Windows

Frankly it's hilarious how people who have no direct experience of Windows Phone 7 love to come here and waffle on about how crap and bloated it is - any techie with an ounce of decency would put a Windows Phone through its paces for a real-world usage comparison and a) stfu or b) dump their existing phone.

2 0

Drinking alcohol wards off asthma

Tzael
Pint

I was wondering why my asthma cleared up after I left home as a teenager...

2 0

Google's Native Client goes live in Chrome

Tzael

And people give Microsoft a hard time over dicking around with their own alternatives to web standards... C'mon Google, get a clue!

10 1

Microsoft: No Windows 8 ARM support for x86 apps

Tzael
Windows

Or...

"will mean significant developer time has to be spent porting applications for system on a chip (SOC) devices"

Or more like 30 seconds adding the build configuration for ARM devices in Visual Studio, as well as the usual x86 and 64 bit build configurations.

5 5

Diebold demos cloud-based ATM

Tzael
Reply Icon

Re: Errrmmmm....

It's new, it's cloudy, it's a selling point!

1 0

Insulin pump attack prompts call for federal probe

Tzael
Coat

On off on off on off on ...

Does this mean hackers have discovered 'off switches' for humans? Yes I know, bad taste, I'll get my jacket...

0 0

New DVD discs claim 1,000 year life

Tzael

Dive by 10, or 100?

Given the supposed longevity of the original CDs and DVDs, should we just divide the supposed lifetime by 10 to get a more realistic figure?

2 0

Reusable e-paper rolled out

Tzael
Reply Icon

Reusably grim

Yeah, no word on reusable toilet paper yet...

1 0

Anonymous hacks US gov contractor, airs dirty laundry

Tzael
Meh

Over-dramatisation

"...have claimed responsibility for brazen attacks..."

Yeah right, way to try and compare an example of incompetent security being exploited to an act of physical violence. If a member of Anonymous resorted to violence and started shooting at employees of the FBI, CIA etc _then_ you would have the right to call it a brazen attack.

2 0

Page: