Posts by VinceH

Re: Dirty minded people at the DVLA

Down the mines, where they belong!

Re: To put it into perspective ...

Conclusion: Researchers have a hell of a lot of cats.

Re: still...

"I know it's 'just like a bee sting'..

but I was putting my shirt on in the hotel about 2 months back, and just caught sight of one in the collar just in time."

Many years ago, I was bitten by a little critter that I was removing from the bath. (I don't kill them; I take them outside and let them go - possibly a result of having had a pet tarantula for many years, I dunno). When I nudged it onto my hand and lifted it, the spider dug its fangs in. It hurt, but more because I didn't expect it than anything else.

"I did photograph it before dispatching it to an aquatic afterlife, and it was definately a falsey."

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo - I still put the spider out, but as I did so a family member turned up and promptly squashed it before I could dive back in and grab my camera. I've since tried identifying it, and the best match I've ever come up with was a false widow - but I wouldn't compare the bite with that of a bee sting, so I'm not sure.

I wonder if Paris is a biter? I bet she is.

Re: Why do we want the internet of things?

Internet of Mings - the part of the internet providing porn for ugly people.

Internet of Flings - the generic name for dating websites.

Re: Doesn't look good

"I really don't know what console to go for in this generation."

I know what console I'm going for in this generation: None of them.

I'll stick with my PS3. I have plenty of games for it that I haven't yet even started on (sadly, I don't get much time to play, so the occasional day of gaming is a nice treat), and the supply of new games won't dry up immediately - and over time, as more people upgrade, there will likely be more second hand games available as well.

A pint for Sony for not making it backwards compatible. Nice move, guys.

"Surely the most powerful weapons of airport terror these days are an unattended bag or a tweet."

What about a tweet about an unattended bag?

Personally, I shudder to think what the consequences of that could be.

Re: Tonight's "Adventures in Space and Time"...

Is that a hint at something you are already aware of, or just speculation?

Re: They turned me down for the job

I don't understand, either. That's the most realistic looking R2-D2 model I've ever seen. Fantastic. You deserve a pint.

Re: To boldly go......

" I have always wished I could be one of them and if I was offered the chance to launch tomorrow, I would be there ready and waiting."

Join the queue! (And have an upvote for the sentiment!)

Re: Careful what you wish for.

"And' don't forget that whilst they're "teaching youngsters about the perils of internet piracy", they're not teaching them how to avoid dodgy managers and rip-off contracts with big media companies which mean that they end up with most of the money whilst the artist ends up with a pittanance..."

So the question little Johnny should be asking in this lesson is "Sir, what's the difference between someone who creates, and someone who copies?" to which the answer should be "Someone who copies is ripping off the media companies, while someone who creates is someone the media companies would like to rip off."

Re: copyright clowns

"as torrents decline in use who will they blame next?"

There must, quite obviously, be some mysterious, secret network protocol that only the pirates know about and use, and nobody else can detect, because the overall loss of the media companies to piracy will soon be so great that we don't yet have a computer system capable of calculating it.

Re: You can still be anonymous

Talking about demanding a mobile number, I had an email from Google+ yesterday telling me that my (largely unused) Google+ account was now eligible for "a unique Google+ custom URL" along the lines of google.com/+Name

I had a look. I read the terms and conditions - and saw no mention of phone numbers. So I decided to grab my name, and told me I must first verify my phone number.

(Repeating the exercise now to get the exact wording, it's "You must verify your mobile phone number by entering a code sent in a text message (SMS), before you can claim a custom URL.")

At which stage I changed my mind.

According to Google, this is "to protect our users from abuse, we sometimes ask users to prove they’re not a robot before they're able to create or sign in to accounts. Having this additional confirmation via phone is an effective way to keep spammers from abusing our systems."

I know spammers can be stupid, but I'm sure even they understand the concept of cheap throw-away SIMs, which makes that explanation more than a little weak, IMO.

Re: Cold Frenzy

Lord Elpuss, you deserve a pint for that word.

Re: Careful -

Or if it's on a mobile device.

Re: Optional

@Yet Another Commentard

"Why don't you just switch off the facebook web page and go and do something less boring instead?"

I think that's how it went, but I could be wrong.