Re: Simple is best
NI can just join Ireland - NI/UK citizens are already allowed to be Irish Republic citizens. Good Friday agreements etc.
334 publicly visible posts • joined 20 Aug 2007
I had this:
"There was a Philips Matchline S-VHS machine (VR813) from the early nineties that could be set to output RGB in the setup menu. The picture in RGB wasn't that great as it tended to enhance the flaws in the VHS format (such as poor blue colour reproduction and dot crawl etc).
It was quite a feature packed machine in its day, as it also had an on-board Fastext decoder, which meant it could record and play back subtitles and teletext pages from S-VHS recordings. You could even use it to set timer recordings via Ceefax by selecting the desired program with a cursor"
which was able to supply RGB to my Philips TV
It also had the 'S' connector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video
I remember when I saw a demo of the Philips 1500 in Mackross (sp) Cardiff when I was 11 - 1972
http://www.rewindmuseum.com/philips.htm
When I asked my dad when we were getting one, he said "no chance".
Fast Forward (see what I did there?) to very early eighties and I was home for christmas - either Dec 1980 or 1981. My cousin worked for DER and my dad had managed to 'borrow' a Fergusson 3v22 from him (purple clock, big piano keys, tapes £15/E-180.)
We liked it so much, we went shopping at the weekend and came home with an Hitachi VT8000 vhs. It had nice silver touch-solenoid controls and the air-damped eject tray 'sighed' when you ejected the casssette.
so, for a while, we had 2 VHS recorders! the bees knees or what - one in each lounge.
You had to leave a £50 cheques as a deposit when you rented a film from one of the VHS rental boutiques. I think the first one we rented was Carrie! happy days
The other industrial derivative was Hawkeye or M-Wrap.
While the Hawkeye uses the same size cassette as VHS, it incorporated new circuit technology, etc. The wrap had at times been referred to as “M” wrap.
Also, VHS is short for "Video Home System"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS
hence, "I'll record that on the VHS"
(in the USA, they seemed to use VCR - Video cassette Recorder?)
that's this one: The Game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)
bet there have been a few treasure hunt episodes.
eg The Chase where they hunt DNA fragments in competition with Romulans, Cardassians and Klingons (Oh My)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)
or Gambit, where Picard does his archaological pirate bit looking for a vulcan/romulan artifact?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambit_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)
Written RTL but a transliterated germanic language!
Yiddish גוּט טַק אִים בְּטַגְֿא שְ וַיר דִּיש מַחֲזוֹר אִין בֵּיתֿ הַכְּנֶסֶתֿ טְרַגְֿא
Transliterated gut tak im betage se vaer dis makhazor in beis hakneses trage
Translated May a good day come to him who carries this prayer book into the synagogue.
(from Wikipaedia)
Each neighbourhood would have its own replication units, where consumer goods could be fabricated from bio-materials, sourced locally.
I don't see the requirement for domestic units, but on industrial and commercial business parks, it could work.
Some raw materials could come from recycled rubbish from the Council with electricity coming from wind, solar, tide and Energy-From-Waste plants.
getting the programming supplied by Google, Netflix or Amazon and being able to use your existing account (commission to go to the airline).
HOWEVER, I'd expect the quality to be seriously better than the crap screens available atm.
Ideal use for in-flight VR headsets?
(however, on the budget airlines: pay-and-display seating. coin-operated oxygen masks [Oh, you'd like to /breathe/ during the flight, sir?] )
when I was between handsets, I had to use my HTC Desire - too small for me now, (He's 55, you know...?) if compared to my Z1Compact & now Xperia Z3 Compact, which seems to be the optimum.
It just seems to me that all iDevices are the 'wrong shape' somehow.
it's horses for courses.
I had the transformer tf101 and my partner had a tf201.
I always used mine undocked and he used his docked.
I now use my Xperia Z2 occasionally with the 'sort of matching' PS3 keyboard and my partner uses his Z4 with the matching keyboard as a mini-laptop - he does a lot of typing on the train.
I've been using my trust asus 1050 , but upgraded it to Win7/SSD and now win10.
I think my next PC will be a Win10, but 12" screen combo.
It really depends on what applications you want to use and that determines the platform.
I love DAB for the extra stations.
Yes, I'm disappointed that the PVR functions have not become widely available.
The DAB stations like BBC 6 Music and Planet Rock have actually encouraged me to buy more music - and on vinyl, no less.
I have a Pure portable DAB which I use when out and about, rather than use data.
I think this LG proposal is quite interesting. I've certainly used the built-in FM radios on my HTC and Sony handsets.
Most useful is the 'listen again' functionality in the BBC Radio and individual stations 'apps' for the shows you've missed. sort of makes live recording redundant...
My first job from college was as 'junior operator/programmer' for a carpet manufacturer. My manager was a fearsome ex Midland Bank executive - she was good as gold once I got to know her - and my technical manager Bob, was a really cool ex USAF guy from Colorado.
I was responsible for the end of day and lunchtime orders consolidation batchwork.
ICL ME29 a bit like this https://www.flickr.com/photos/wades_world/4385072758/ with EDS-80 'exchangeable' disk packs for backup. (72MB formatted!!!!)
Anyway, I'd inherited the JCL and CL command files. The command to backup to disc was CRAFTSEC and the command to restore the files was CRAFTREST - note that you can type them with the left hand...
Of course, on the afternoon shift, I typed CRAFTREST instead of CRAFTSEC and overwrote the afternoons data files.
Fortunately, I was able to restore the lunchtime backup and 'roll forward' the afternoons TPMS transaction log files! (once I'd worked out how the system hung together - phew...)
Needless to say, I changed the names of the commands to something harder to type and rewrote the content to something a little more robust on the checking.
Nice machines the ME29's.
reset - enter - load - enter
to reboot it.
LD #ABCD
GO 21
to start a program from the console!
8" floppy discs for loading microcode updates and for me to keep copies of my COBOL programs!
I have a lot of respect for the old-school ICL engineers. The South Wales guys were bonkers, and great company. They really knew how to look after the hardware and the customers.
[sigh] I still miss my ICL VME Series39 machines too! but that's another day...
yep, done that one.
We had a set of near identical ICL DRS TeamServers same monitors, same chassis etc.
I was housekeeping on machine-a , turned around and was distracted by something, turned back and ran the rm command on the machine-b (I think it was development housing allocation, so not production, phew).
but, yes, was able to boot from the tape cartridge and recover from the most recent backup!
This reminds me of my first 747 experience.
I'd won a competition prize-draw for a trip to India.
1993, I think.
My mother and I were 'VIP' guests of the Gov. of India tourist board and our Air-India flight was on a very new 747-400.
The interior surfaces were decorated with a traditional flower design and when the inflight monitor/displays were not in use, they used the same motifs as on-screen wallpaper, which I thought was a nice touch.
I've been on a few El-Al 747's since and a Heathrow to San Francisco but it's the Air India flight that sticks in my mind.
I reckon one of the first 'modern' sites was out "out in the UK" which became "out everywhere" and was primarily for gay mane, at the time. Emphasis was on going out and meeting people via "coffee posses" which were very popular ISTR. All this was soon after 1995. It too has died a death mainly due to (a) Facebook & (b) hand-held dating apps.
I am in contact with quite a few of my primary and secondary school friends on Facebook.
The nicest part is definitely the old photos. Most of the nastiness seems to have gone as peopkle have mellowed with age :-)
during day 2 of a three day strike, we had a powercut in our area.
Naturally, when I received the telephone call, I did NOT reload their IDMS/TPMS systems.
However, I had to pop into my local pharmacy to pick up my prescription...
The locum on duty was an older retired chap and it was not his pharmacy.
They had an Amstrad CPC computer that they used for printing the labels for the medicine - not working after the power came back-on.
I said I'd take a look, otherwise I couldn't have my medicine.
Fortunately, I was able to restart his amstrad, start the labelling program and get my label printing for my medicine.
As a reward, he gave me a bottle of aftershave, that we was going to put out as a tester! Quids In!
I'm sure I ran a version of ICS in a VMWare player VM on my 2003 laptop.
If anyone has a dire need to do this, then build a VM or just get a 65GBP Lollipop Smartphone off eBay (other online retailers available)
I am seriously considering getting a transforming Win10 laptop. As long as the common apps are available (facebook, twitter etc) then why bother porting...
Also name-checked in Larry Niven's "Ringworld" - which is a cut-down Dyson sphere as a 'strip' and also in a joint work with Gregory Benford - and this one is truly awesome!
http://us.macmillan.com/shipstar/gregorybenford
their hemispherical Dyson 'sphere' the self-propelled ShipStar
follow-up.
My Z1C was discharging and not charging properly from the micro-usb.
Went into Carphone Warehouse (18months into 24 month contract)
unfortunately(!) they could not repair OR replace the Z1C, so I had to have a Z3C instead :-)
only realised when we tried to fit the nano sim into the micro-sim slot!
(replaced gratis as I was still under warranty with CPW)
I might still get a pair of Z5C's in March, though...
we have a pair of Z1C Xperias at home. Did almost all our hokliday snaps & videos with them last year. I have the Z2 Tablet and it's great.
I don't have an upgrade until next March, so I hope they'll be around long enought for the Z5 compact! Especially if they persue the minimal Android skinning plan.
... with the slight yellow-tinted screen.
As soon as I noticed, I took it back to the store and the screen was replaced. Under warranty.
Another Xperia had a power supply / battery discharge issue and was fixed - under warranty. 2 different issues, supported by Sony and the shop. Also, all the Android updates for the Z series have been fairly timely. 9not as fast as some, granted...)
well,
something of a hobbyist handset!
Three years ago, I bought a non-name dual sim chinese handset.
yes, once I installed the google services and changed the launcher it was really good. Also had a micro-sd slot. Cost me about 100GBP. came with an extra swappable battery too.
Unfortunately, after 14 months it stopped charging.
I really hope Xiomi do well in the west. we need an alternative to Samsung over here and Sony seem to be dropping the ball - or at least, advertising that they have the best ball!
agreed.
I've always hated that ios/copycat look of all the programme icons spewed over the home screen.
that's where the widgets are supposed to be.
It's also how they displayed the samsung devices in the apple vs samsung court cases, to make sure that the supposed copycat device looked like the apple interface.
yep! Planet Rock, err, Rocks!
as does BBC 6 Music.
I actually have three DAB radios - A 'pure' upstairs, an Asda cheapy in the kitchen and a 'pure' portable for the car. (I used to tuck the 'speaker' cable along the edge of the windscreen before plugging it into the head unit. nowadays I have to use an FM transmitter!)
In the house, I usually use the freesat version, or stream to chromecast or use PS3, depending on where the station is.
Most often in the car, I 'send' from my Xperia using the RadioPlayer 'app'. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.radioplayer&hl=en_GB (yes, I have plenty of data!)
I have backed 2 projects via Kickstarter.
One is a new thin wristwatch which is 18 months late delivering.
the other is a 'fan' CD/DVD theatre project.
I may never see the wristwatch. I will be slightly disappointed, but the investment was only the cost of a Chinese dual-sim android device!
The CD/DVD was worth a few rounds of drinks. I suspect that they will get the funding for that and they are not re-inventing the wheel, just renting/buying studio facilities.
caveat emptor quod veteres Romani, ut dictum est;
... the old ICL DRS-300 computers that were modular and could multi-window.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICL_DRS#DRS_300
ICL were often way ahead of their competition, but never quite set a global standard...
Each module was, unfortunately, the size of an A4 box-folder, but flexible despite that!
there was plenty of poster advertising for the Z-Series.
I walked past an entire Samsung demo in my local shopping centre to buy a an Xperia 'T' outright from CPW.
Moved to the Z1 Compact for the 4G - although I could have waited, as it took ages to arrive on O2!
As I've said many times before, love the sony Camera experience (still & video on the Z series) and I like the Walkman software "I'm listening to it on my walkman" sounds so much better....
(and the design language and the minimal skinning and the NFC connectivity)
The Samsungs are soooo plasticky!
my preferred method is definitely to buy the handset up-front and keep the connection + data part separate. I was on £10+£7(unlimited data) for ages.
I did go the 24month route for my Z1 Compact which has 5GB data/month, but by going through Carphone Warehouse, it meant that the handset is 'unbranded' by the network operator, but I still kept the same network operator. I probably won't CyanogenMod this handset, as I like the Walkman & Sony Camera parts. To be fair to O2, their handsets are only lightly 'branded' and certainly not sim-locked to Network. (or have not been, in my experience)