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* Posts by Steve I

365 publicly visible posts • joined 29 May 2012

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Ten technology FAILS

Steve I
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Re: Not quite... :-)

I should stop really - I'll end up turning the discussion of iOS and Android pros and cons into a farce...

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Steve I
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Re: CDI != VCD

Ah - but did you know at the time that the artefacts were awful or was seeing video of a shiny disk impressive in itself?

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Steve I
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Re: Video CD.

Indeed. Actually, most of the breaks for disk side-swaps are in sensible places, although I'm glad I picked a player that did the flip automatically (5 or 6 seconds of black screen) and CLV(?) disks got about 1hr per side, so one disk for a typical film.

Not sure about rot though - I will have to check some older disks thoughly now that I don't have too mess around with video cables to play a disk, as it's all routed through the new amp (although the 4K upscaling is probably of little benefit...)

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Steve I
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Re: Not quite... :-)

JDX - I managed to post rabid pro-iPad/Android/Blackberry/Win8 comments, dissing every other platform, in the review of the Google Nexus - the up/down ratio was interesting as was the fact that people will up or down vote the most stupid, illogical comments, if it doesn't say the right thing about their adopted mega-corporation...

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Steve I
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Re: Video CD.

Also, for over a decade, until DVD came along, Laserdisk was the premium home video format. What else would you run through your projector & 100"-screen home cinema - VHS?

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Steve I
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Re: Video CD.

Laserdisks are lovely :-)

Picked up loads (i,e, my collection went from about 15 to 100+) when DVD started to pick up in the late '90s.

Picture quality of the best LDs is close to DVD, sound quality is the same (or perhaps better, as I believe it's less compressed) and some of the LD box sets (espeically the Disney ones) are really nice with books, artwork etc - like comparing album art for a double LP vs a CD. I'm sure LDs will be more collectible than DVD for this reason.

LD may also be the only place where you can see Han shoot first (Star Wars) in digital 5.1 surround sound - I'm not sure if the first realese of SW on DVD had Han or Greedo shooting first.

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Steve I
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Re: CDI != VCD

Wasn't there an MPEG-2 board available for the Commodore CDTV, to enable VCD playback?

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Steve I
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Thumb Up

Not quite... :-)

I was just wondering if anybody could be so anti-Apple as to give this a thumbs up, when lo and behold...!

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Steve I
WTF?

What do you mean "For every iPad there's a failure? The iPad should be listed in with this lot for it's lack of innovation, 2nd-rate (if that) technology and poor feature set.

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Pong creator turns nose up at Nintendo Wii U

Steve I
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Re: If anything

But try telling any of your PC-illiterate friends that all they need to do is add some RAM and install a new GPU and just see the look on their faces...

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Steve I
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Re: If anything

I'm sorry to inform you, but use of the phrase 'pray tell' does not actually make you sound sophisticated, but instead tends to remind people of a Viz character who appeared in the 'Postie' strip once - pretentious student twat, I think his name was.

PCs inherently tend to be noisier than consoles and have more wires and look messier than games consoles with keyboards, mice and (usually) desks & monitors etc. Now if your wife doesn't mind this, then good for you.

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Steve I
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Re: If anything

I doubt it - for most people, the cost and complexity of setting up a gaming PC don't outweigh the benfits of better graphics. Add to the the ability of a console to sit in your living room and make use of your high-quality surrpoing sound systems and large display screen.

Sure, you can connect a PC up to these bits of kit, but them you have to factor in keeping a PC in the living room.

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Driverless trucks roam Australian mines

Steve I
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Alien

Re: And I, for one.....

"...ten-four, rubber duck."

Is there a robotic chartreuse micro-bus with 11 long-haired Friends of Jesus (who may or may not be robotic) ?

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Just bought an Apple product? Need support NOW? Drop an F-BOMB

Steve I
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WTF?

Your comment could be interpreted as saying something good about Apple. You ( and probably I) will be down voted shortly...

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Samsung Google Nexus 10 tablet review

Steve I
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Re: Just another wannabe iPad rip-off

"Just another Apple fanboi"

Touchdown! The crowd goes wild...

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Steve I
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Re: who chooses an Android tablet over an ipad?

But to Joe Public, buying an Apple TV vs understanding & configuring DLNA, isn't an obvious choice...

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Steve I
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Re: Media consumption?

"Just because *you* don't use it for a particular purpose because your life is set up a particular way doesn't mean that others won't get use out of it,"

What nonsense. Only my requirements matter. And they are a monchrome screen on which I can do CAD, with the cursor controlled by 2 rotating white dials (one controls drawing in the x asis and the other in the y axis) combined with a patented, inverted 'shake-to-clear' feature. I also require infinite battery life.

Until recently there has only been a largish 10" model available (in a rather fetching red plastic) but a few years ago a 4" 'mini' version was launched...

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Steve I
WTF?

Stupid review...

Why get this when Windows RT just launched? It's different, not just another Windows Mobile clone like iOS, Android and Blackberry plus full interoperability with 95% of desktop PCs will soon enable it to dominate the market. Anyone who says differently is a moron. Please feel free to advertise your 'moron' status with a downvote.

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Steve I
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Re: Stupid review...

"For completeness you could have done one for Windows RT and maybe BlackBerry but nicely done either way."

I'm trying, but don't know enough about Windows RT...

LOL! What am I like! Thinking that knowing about something is a pre-req for commenting on it!

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Steve I
WTF?

Stupid review...

At £140 for a 64Gb Blackberry Playbbok 64Gb, which will do all of the web/email/music & movies you'll ever need, and run Android apps, anyone who buys anything else must be a moron.

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Steve I
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Re: Stupid review...

Yeah - I expect the voting to really take of when the children are back from school. After all, have you ever met an adult that behaved like iOS/Android fans?

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Steve I
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Re: who chooses an Android tablet over an ipad?

That's fine and choose what works for you - I won't downvote anyone for that. But if you *honestly* believe that you can't do functionally equivalent things in the iOS world...

The key phrase to all of this is "...but personally I don't want or need ..." and anyone who has different wants or needs to anyone else automatically gets downvotes by the schoolkids.

Let the nit-picking begin...

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Steve I
WTF?

Stupid review...

Just another wannabe iPad rip-off. For the cost of a tank of petrol (gas) you could have the real thing. the vast majority of people aren't interested in customising their tabs and just want the large ecosystem and app choice that iOS offers.

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Steve I
WTF?

Stupid review...

This machine is so obviously superior in every way to the iPad, being Android, yet this fails to come across in the review.

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APPLE reveals complete updated blueprints of SPACESHIP JOBS

Steve I
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Re: Fecking whatever

"Wish I had a hadron

Ya, this doesn't really get a rise out of me either."

Are you envious of Apple's planned erection?

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Steve I
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Facepalm

Re: And will it still appear on Apple maps as a car park in Grimsby?

Indeed - they should pull all the architects and interior designers and get them to work as iOS devs worksing on Maps.

"Can you teach me to program? I don't care if it takes all afternoon".

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Steve I
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Devil

You'd never survive...

A tragic accident would befall you. You'd be in the bath one day, when your Samsung phone, carelessly left on the side of the bath, will fall into the water and due to a tragic battery malfunction, electrocutes you.

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Ten four-bay NAS boxes

Steve I
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Coat

Re: useless

"considering this is a site with a target audience of IT professionals"

This is The Reg - I don't know what the 'target' audience is but the actual audience is a bunch of schoolkids playing technological Top Trumps and arguing about who's adopted mega-corporatiion is the best.

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Steve I

HP Microserver...

Just looking to get a NAS of some some - would the HP be a good buy? Currently available for about £100 with cashback.

Looking to host & share photos, videos and music (in an iTunes library) via iTunes home sharing & DLNA to an DLNA capable AV amp and TV and to backup multiple Macs via Time Machine.

Recommendations on FreeNAS or some flavour of Unix/Linux?

Does FreeNAS play nicely with DLNA? Anyone configured the HP for Time Machine backups using AFP?

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Steve I
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Unhappy

Re: I don't get NAS boxes...

"dont forget to wrap some foil around your hard drives"

but I only bought enough foil to make a hat...

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Apple granted patent for ebook page-turning

Steve I
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Perhaps...

Apple are taking the piss, and laughing their chuds off every time one of these gets granted and the anti-Apple brigade start foaming at the mouth.

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Apple MacBook Pro 13in Retina display review

Steve I
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Facepalm

Re: Worth it to me.

I try to be tolerant but you're spouting bullshit about something you know nothing about. I used to build my own high-quality PC desktops; my last mahcine was an expensive HP 17" laptop with Intel P4 3.0Ghz desktop-class processor. All oft hese were used my me alone. The Macs on the other hand are used by everyone; each machine has multiple user accounts onthem.

I also get asked to build/repair/upgrade friends' and family's (Windows) PCs. My support time for MAcs is measure in hours; for Windows it's days. As I said, your experience may be different.

Mind you, I am total awe of your psyhic abilities and mind-reading skills. Shame you don't have the courage to put your name to your beliefs.

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Steve I
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Worth it to me.

Personally (and your mileage may vary - apparently not everyone's requirements are the same) the 'Apple Tax' is worth it.

I have 4 Macs at home, in daily use by my wife and 7 & 8 year old children plus my own maschine and as I'm away from home during the week, I don't want to spend my weekends rebuilding Windows systems (Vista/7/8 may be different from XP, but once, sorry - twelve times - bitten, twice shy). On the rare (very - maybe 5 times in perhaps 30-40 machine years and spanning 8 machines) occasions that an OS X re-install has been required, it's been a 1/2 hour job.

One of the machines is 6 1/2 years old and just suffered a HDD failure. New drive, Time Capsule restore - job done. There's also 2 Core Solo Mac Minis and an early Core 2 Duo Macbook and my 2 1/2 year old i7 MacBook Pro.

So would I pay £1500 for machine that in 6 years time is still as fast, looks almost as good as the day it was bought and has cost me probably less than 4 or 5 hours of maintenace time? Definitly.

But then again, when I see a Ferrari I don't think "Stupid idiot - he's only doing the same speed as the wife's Prius whilst getting less mpg/passengers/luggage" etc.

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iPhones now 'safe' for Restricted UK.gov info, but not Secret

Steve I
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Re: "CESG is currently working on updates ..."

Yes - that would work (rolls eyes).

Mind you, strange how updated documentation can result in an OS gaining a higher security rating.

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Steve I
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Oh this makes me so glad/mad!

I can/can't believe that someone would write something positive/negative about an OS/phone/tablet that I hate/use/have no interest in. Why do/don't these idiots/geniuses/fanbois/fandroids just agree with me and do what I do, which is obviously the best idea? I can see totally/no reason whatssoever why someone might/might not have different requirements to myself.

Please comment using the above form, deleting as applicable.

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Steve I
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Aaaaannnnnnnnnddddd............

......let the mouth-frothing begin.

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Ten gaming headsets

Steve I

Any chance of a quick guide each headset's multi-imput capability? Currently using a £50 pair of Orb GPX2s and I need at least Xbox & PS3 game and voice with easy switching between the two, and a 3rd (TV?) input would be nice. Looks like the Logitech F540s might be best...

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iPhone senses you typing on table, bit of wood etc, turns vibes to text

Steve I
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Re: I'm calling bullshit on this

Umm,, how do you research the impact of something without researching the something first?

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Steve I
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Re: A "designer"?

Engineer: "OK - tell me the user requiremnts and I'll see what I can come up with"

MArketing: "No - show me every doohickey you can make, and I'll pick a cool one"

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Steve I
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Re: very clever but

"using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut"..

Hmmm, ok if we place the walnut on a flat plane defined by the line xy and then attach the handle end of the sledgehammer to a pivot point p, such that when allowed to rotate about a pivot the face of the hammer, as defined by the line ab will impace with the walnut...

Sorry - got carried away...

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Steve I

Interesting...

So how could this actually work? How would you build a box that could do this?

Lets assume the accelerometer is infinitly sensitive. How can a device on a surface detect where the surface was being tapped? As the shock wave from the tap moves across the surface and under the phone, it's going to cause the phone to move (to perhaps minutely 'rock' in effect ). Can the phone use the direction of the movement to detect the direction of the tap? What about triangulation using multiple microphones (which most phones have) ?

Thje device would still need some way of detecting which key each tap represented, even if if could pinpoint the tasp su cm-accuracy as required (maybe ask the user to tap the 2 'shift' keys before typing...)

OK, I'm done. Anyone with an engineering brain?

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US condom rules 'will cause nasty RED RINGS on porn stars' todgers'

Steve I
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Re: Never heard of Magnums I guess?

What? The empty wrapper? I guess you also get the benefit of the yummy ice-cream too...

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Apple seeks cooling fan patent for iPhone, iPad

Steve I
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"...how much air do they think they can get through the 3.5mm hole?"

The size of the exhaust is irrelevant, I think. What's important is the size compared to the volume of air you need to shift through it, which in the case of a phone, is also pretty small.

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Apple iPad 4 Wi-Fi only tablet review

Steve I
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Paris Hilton

Re: WTF?

"Yes. But since apple released an updated version in an incredibly short space of time, they clearly didnt think it was good enough."

Oh I'm sorry - I take it back. I assumed that you thought it wasn't good enough - I didn't realise that you thought it was OK until Apple decided it needed an upgrade at which point you suddenly weren't happy with it.

It's tech - buy what you want, when you want it. Accept that a newer/bettter version will come out and that your gadget will still mostly do the job you bought it for

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Steve I

How dare you...

...come here with your reason and logic. this is El Reg's iOS vs Android battleground, so some tawdry tech discussion site.

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Steve I
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Paris Hilton

Re: Good review

"Me fail English? that's unpossible!"

Just like that time when I was caught out with fire thing - who would've thought that flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?

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Steve I
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WTF?

WTF?

"I will never buy apple again. I bought an ipad 3...The 4 is everthing the 3 should have been...i was able to send the ipad back, and now im looking at the nexus 10."

so let's get this right:

1. The iPad 3 was released and you thought wasn't good enough but you bought it anyway?

2. You were able to return it just because there was a new version.

3. You didn't want an iPad anyway?

And this makes you cross with Apple?

I've met people like you before...

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'iPhone 5 is so easily scratched we just can't get them out the door'

Steve I
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Re: a marketing ploy

By Jove, you're right! It *doesn't* mention if the scratches are on the inside or outside! In fact, it doesn't say that scratches are the issue AT ALL!

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Apple engineers 'pay no attention to anyone's patents', court told

Steve I
Joke

Don't Samsung...

pay meticulous attention to Apple's patents and call it R&D?

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