* Posts by butigy

14 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Sep 2011

UK launches 'consultation' with EU over exclusion from science programs

butigy

Re: Reap what you sow

The issue about Horizon is about access to research programs and sharing results and benefits of research. Sure we can pay to do our own research, meanwhile 27 other countries will be forging ahead much quicker. This kind of thing is frustrating to scientists so many of the best will leave the UK, hampering our efforts even more.

ZX Spectrum Vega+ blows a FUSE: It runs open-source emulator

butigy

It's Sinclair Stupid!

The review seems to miss the point that this is a retro take on a Sinclair product. The ZX80 was designed to flicker the screen when you pressed the keys for example, and although the Spectrum was pretty nice it was no iPad. Steve Jobs would turn in his grave but would Sir Clive mind so much? I don't know. Lol.

BA CEO blames messaging and networks for grounding

butigy

Re: Director?

Actually I don't believe that's correct. If you hold yourself out to be a director then it's possible you can be treated like one also the concept of shadow directors but that's a bit different.

NASA tried turning lost spacecraft STEREO-B off and on again... but it didn't work. True story

butigy
Linux

Re: "... and the months and years tick by"

Sorry but I can't resist commenting. Simple physics peeps. Gravitational force is GM1M2/distance squared where G is a constant and M1 and M2 are the masses in question. Since F = ma then if you put this through the wringer what you get is, as demonstrated by NASA on the moon, a feather falls as fast as a rock. So your space station's acceleration towards the sun due to gravity would be the same as earths given the same distance from it.

Diffie, Hellman scoop $1m Turing Award for key work on crypto keys

butigy
Big Brother

Erm... didn't GCHQ get there years earlier?

Frustration with Elite:Dangerous boils over into 'Refund Quest'

butigy

Re: Arguing over nothing

Anyone saying there is no contractual commitment because this is an investment is plain wrong. If you read the blurb on Kick starter it does say that the developer is contractually obliged to deliver the rewards they promise. After all these aren't investments we're making when we give money to a kickstarter project (no dividends or interest, no return of capital).

SCRAP the TELLY TAX? Ancient BBC Time Lords mull Beeb's future

butigy

the beeb is great

I think the BBC is great value. Even Radio 4 on its own is worth the licence fee in my view. Change the funding structure at the peril of destroying the best output.

'No, I CAN'T write code myself,' admits woman in charge of teaching our kids to code

butigy

Doh

It is really important that people learn how computers work, even if it doesn't ultimately form part of their day job. I'm not sure I'd start with HTML and jQuery as shown in the video accompanying this story, but then perhaps other people wouldn't be quite so interested as me in grammar classes and Von Neumann architecture - but that's where I'd start. And types of computer language, files, databases, big data, communications, security, encryption, data protection / personal data. You can debate what to put in here. The key for me, is what a crying shame this scheme is run by somebody who has no clue about the subject matter. Coding expert? Not required. Half a sausage on the barbecue? Essential.

Windows 8.1 Start button SPOTTED in the wild

butigy

I think you are missing the point. I have just bought a new computer, it should 'just work' without time consuming config hassle or licensing issues inherent in sourcing different OS versions.

I can (and did) happily install another OS (Ubuntu) but prefer to use is in a VM while keeping Windows as the primary OS - for now anyway. Is this somehow 'wrong'?

butigy

windows 8.1 Classic Shell style

Microsoft, if you're reading, please download Classic Shell for Windows 8, configure it so you get a Windows 7 style start button and menu, and so that the start screen is bypassed completely.

Welcome to Windows 8.1 - or how I think it should be.

Aga-saga doyenne ponders how to put ebooks in public libraries

butigy
Pint

Yes, already widely available in UK, to users of Kobo for example, but not users of Kindle. In US Kindle can do this also.

Lovefilm Germany goes titsup for a FORTNIGHT

butigy
Thumb Down

What's the point anyway?

What's the point anyway? I recently signed up for a streaming account to LoveFilm UK and could find none of the films I wanted to watch for download. Doesn't seem to work on Ubuntu either. Needless to say I cancelled.

Schoolkids learn coding at GCSE level in curriculum trial

butigy
Linux

at last!

Presumably from the department of the bleeding obvious.

well better late than never!