* Posts by Alex Tingle

17 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Nov 2007

Michael Dell: Netbooks go sour after 36 hours

Alex Tingle

Stupid.

In other words, "people are stupid".

UK e-tailers scurry to scrap dodgy Heavy Metal covers

Alex Tingle
Stop

Chilling Effect

Of course it's exactly this sort of chilling effect that makes the IWF system wrong. There are no clear criteria for what's illegal. The IWF go about their work in secret, yet they can potentially devastate someone's business and they are completely unaccountable for their actions.

If we are going to have censorship, then it needs to be moved out into the open, and performed by an accountable public body.

Meanwhile, sign the pledge: http://www.pledgebank.com/boycottcensors

Brit ISPs censor Wikipedia over 'child porn' album cover

Alex Tingle
Stop

Let's boycott them...

"I will move to an ISP that does not censor my Internet access but only if 1,000 other people in the UK will do the same"

http://www.pledgebank.com/boycottcensors

Tell your friends!

Apple MacBook

Alex Tingle
Thumb Down

Aluminium is far too flimsy.

Thin aluminium is far too flimsy to use for a (fairly) large portable device. I've got a PowerBook with an aluminium shell. Never again! It scratches and dents in no time. If you take it apart the whole thing flops about alarmingly.

Until Apple start using titanium again, I won't give them a penny. I'd rather have a plastic EEE - at least it'll bounce!

Congestion charge means less traffic, more congestion

Alex Tingle
Thumb Up

Sounds like progress to me.

So they're using the extra capacity for bus lanes, cycles lanes and pedestrian areas?

Great!

Heavyweight physics prof weighs into climate/energy scrap

Alex Tingle
Thumb Up

Play the Flash game...

Here's the game of the book: http://makesyouthink.net/games/climate-challenge/

(The makers of this Flash game did many of the same calculations, but present it as an educational game where you have to make policy choices and deal with the consequences.)

Researchers out Apple over unpatched iCal bugs

Alex Tingle
Flame

iCal == iCrap

The Leopard version is a massive step backwards, both in terms of usability and stability. It crashes on me every single day - so I'm not surprised there are security flaws too.

Hopefully this will make Apple get off their collective arse and fix it. Sadly I suspect they'll spend five minutes patching the crashing bugs and leave the rest of the app in its current parlous state.

Now, if it were open source I'd have fixed it myself months ago...

Social networking site bans oldies over sex offender fears

Alex Tingle
Coat

Will my life chip get renewed?

I'm 26 dammit! I've still got four^H^H^H ten more years!!

What did happen to all those London mayoral votes?

Alex Tingle

@Mike Taylor

Accredited observers have access that I don't think candidates and agents have. For example, they can go into polling stations and talk to voters.

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 sub-notebook

Alex Tingle
Thumb Up

Not Aluminium.

Last time round my choice was between an (expensive) Thinkpad and the (cheaper) PowerBook. I went PowerBook - it's very nice, but the aluminium case is flimsy and quickly accumulates dents and scratches.

Next time, I'll spend the extra, and go for the Thinkpad.

Wal-Mart stores drop cheap-as-chips Linux PC

Alex Tingle
Heart

EEE seems like a breakout success to me.

I've only got anecdotal evidence, but the EEE seems like a breakout success to me.

A friend of mine bought one, and I've personally seen two other people go straight out and buy one for themselves, just on the strength of playing with his for a few minutes. My friend knows of another two people who also bought one after they saw his.

These are all non-techies. They get really excited by the EEE, and immediately want one. When they find out how cheap it is, they just go and buy it there and then.

It that kind of viral success is widespread, then in a few months everyone will have one...

ICO tells Cabinet Office to release Iraq docs

Alex Tingle
Thumb Up

How long before the CPS get interested?

The sub-text here of course is that members of the Government may have exceeded their authority and committed a crime. That's pretty unlikely, because UK law gives the PM very wide discretion to basically do whatever he likes. However, we have signed up for the ICC, which means (at least in theory) that politicians who breach some "international laws" should be prosecuted.

So, how much evidence do we need before the CPS is compelled to take an interest?

EU commissioner backs record biz on copyright extensions

Alex Tingle
Thumb Down

Retrospective legislation.

Changing the rules after the fact is always a bad idea. Cliff Richard's part in this ended 50 years ago - nothing we do now will encourage him to work harder 50 years ago. Extending copyright now is just asking Cliff Richard's present and future fans to pay him *again* for work he's already done.

Nobody's arguing that artists recording *now* need this extra payment... a clear indication that the current copyright term is quite sufficient.

Apple ships Air

Alex Tingle
Thumb Down

Aluminium case? No thanks!

I'm got a 12" PowerMac, and I must say I'm very happy with it, except for the flimsy aluminium shell.

Even the smallest drop deforms the case. It's virtually impossible to open up (to change the hard drive, say) without crinkling. Oh, and it scratches easily.

Next time I buy a laptop, aluminium will be a deal breaker. Carbon fibre or titanium-only for me.

RIPA could be challenged on human rights

Alex Tingle
Flame

We should all refuse to co-operate on principal.

No-one, innocent or guilty should ever give the authorities the private keys to their data. RIPA is fundamentally unjust, and every conscientious person should help to resist it.

How to copyright Michelangelo

Alex Tingle

Not clear-cut in the UK.

I don't think that UK law is as clear-cut as you think. The statutes don't mention photographic reproductions. The assertion that a photographic reproduction is a 'new' work is, um, not self-evident.

Until English case law is established, we won't know whether the Bridgeman vs. Corel decision will be echoed over here. Even in the US, the situation is not 100% clear - the Bridgeman vs. Corel case was decided in a lower court - the precedent could be overturned by the Supreme Court.

Until the situation is clarified, Wikipedia is quite right to make the best use they can of what's available to them.

Confused BBC tech chief: Only 600 Linux users visit our website

Alex Tingle
IT Angle

My 2 pence...

I run a fairly large site (50-100000 unique visitors per month) that is not connected to linux or geekery in any way. I see 2.7% of visitors using Linux.