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A mobile network that allows USERS to donate 10% of their bill to an organisation or charity of their choice has launched in the UK.

The People's Operator (TPO) will also donate 25% of its profits to charities, including the NSPCC and Childline.

Chairman Andrew Rosenfeld said he hoped TPO could spread internationally.

The network, which went live on Monday, will initially operate as a pay-as-you-go-only SERVICE, with contract options becoming available EARLY next year.


Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20394691

"" Steven Sinofsky, the Microsoft executive who TURNED its Windows franchise around and just led the effort to release Windows 8, is leaving the COMPANY, effective immediately.""

Full Story...Thanks for linking that... interesting read.. Especially the CONTENT at the end in which Microsoft may offer to buy NETFLIX

Quote

Potential outside candidates could include Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings, who said last month that he wouldn't stand for re-election to Microsoft's board in order to focus on Netflix. But some have SPECULATED that Microsoft might be interested in buying the video service, which could put him in position to succeed Ballmer.

Millions of people are USING Android apps that can be tricked into REVEALING personal data, RESEARCH indicates.

Scientists tested 13,500 Android apps and found almost 8% failed to PROTECT bank account and social media logins.

These apps failed to IMPLEMENT standard scrambling systems, allowing "man-in-the-middle" attacks to reveal data that passes back and forth when devices communicate with websites.

Google has yet to comment on the research and its findings.


Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20025973

For those of you looking into investing in windows 8, retail copyes of it will start selling on October 25, 2012. I am sure their are mixed thoughts about this so it would be a good choice just to present that fact and let others make up their mind. I know my choice already has been made but for those of you who want it that is the detail on the retail date. Quote from: blindhelpfultech on October 07, 2012, 09:35:39 AM

copyes

Can't wait to see windows 8 and compare it to 7 and below.

3.11 Good
95    Bad
98    Good
Me    Bad
XP    Good
Vista Bad
7      Good
8 = ? ( BAD )

Beta of 8 didn't impress me... I am going to stick with Windows 7. Have this feeling its going to be the next bad MS Home OS version. Maybe MS will break the pattern!   

3.11 Good
95    Bad
98    Good
Me    Bad
XP    Good
Vista Bad
7      Good
8 = ? ( BAD )

I will probably wait for Windows 9 

Win2K was between ME and XP...but way closer to ME's release date...
In fact it may have been slightly before it.

Vince Cable, the UK business minister, has announced a raft of measures intended to update the UK's copyright laws. One of the most significant recommendations that the government plans to implement is the legalisation of "format shifting" - where users rip content from CDs or DVDs to for their own personal USE. "We are talking about big changes," said Mr Cable. Vince recently launched an attack on "rightwing nutters" in America who are trying to block the raising of the US government's debt ceiling and who are, he said, a bigger threat to the world economy than problems in the eurozone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14372698

My head is spinning with all the copyright regulation proposals on this webpage:
http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/


'Not very good law'
Millions of people regularly convert movies on DVDs and music on CDs into a format that they can move around more easily, although most do not realise that it is technically ILLEGAL. The review pointed out that if you have a situation where 90% of your population is doing something, then it's not REALLY a very good law," said Simon Levine, head of the intellectual property and technology group at DLA Piper.

EDIT: When using chrome formatting errors appear after copying and pasting. Quote from: Transfusion on August 03, 2011, 04:02:45 AM

My head is spinning with all the copyright regulation proposals on this webpage:
http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/


[size=1.231em]'Not very good law'[/size][/color][/font][/size][size=1.077em]Millions of people regularly convert movies on DVDs and music on CDs into a format that they can move around more easily, although most do not realise that it is technically illegal.[/size][/font]
[/size][size=1.077em]"The review pointed out that if you have a situation where 90% of your population is doing something, then it's not really a very good law," said Simon Levine, head of the intellectual property and technology group at DLA Piper.[/size] [/color][/size][/color][/font]

One example that would be tolerated under the new regime is the Welsh rap song Newport STATE of Mind which was based on Jay Z and Alicia KEYS' song Empire State of Mind.
Still from Dr Who, BBC Greater leniency around copyright could produce more works such as Doctor Who, some argue

Despite winning many fans on YouTube, the track was removed following a copyright claim by EMI. It is still available on other websites.

"There are all sorts of things that are genuine artistic works which are nevertheless based on parody, caricature and pastiche," said Ms Hall

spending 15 hours in front of video games

Just this week they started shipping huge drives  for laptops. Click on link of the full story and way a terabyte is new for laptops.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217488/Samsung_ships_1TB_internal_hard_drive_for_laptopsToshiba and Western Digital already OFFER 1TB internal laptop drives, but they are 12.5 mm high. This is the first (I think) that is 9.5 mm high.You are right. So this can be a piratical option even in very thin devices, like a tablet PC. I think a lot of PEOPLE will be interested in these drives.
Quote from: Geek-9pm on June 22, 2011, 03:18:03 PM

You are right. So this can be a piratical option even in very thin devices, like a tablet PC.

The iPad, the well-known tablet PC standard, uses flash storage, which is quite a bit faster than hard drives with spindles. Not to mention the hard drive would be more susceptible to physical shocks...

How bout SSDs?

and isn't iOS an extremely stripped down version of OSX? because they both run .app files, they both are based on UNIX, etc.

True, but if the SDD people y b up the sped and drop the price, The hard drive makers may be in deep trouble.
Unless they can put a tetra byte micro drive in a pocket knife.

Until the price comes down dramatically SSD drives are not worth the marginal performance boost they advertise...

Why i've always wondered are boot times so important ? ?
And considered even as a mark of performance ? ?

Why i've always wondered are boot times so important ? ?
And considered even as a mark of performance ? ?

I like to be able to hit the power button on my pc and see my desktop within a few seconds...

Mojang’s fight to retain the NAME for their upcoming fantasy card trading game will go to court. It’s the result of a LEGAL CHALLENGE made by Bethesda earlier this year claiming that the word “Scrolls” infringes on their The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim trademark. Notch cheerily ANNOUNCED the news earlier on Twitter.

Full story: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/09/27/mojang-vs-bethesda-scrolls-battle-heading-to-court/Is scrolls the multi-million 3d fantasy adventure, or is that skyrim? Which one is the trading card game? OH! The names are so confusing!  Quote from: BC_Programmer on September 27, 2011, 09:27:48 AM

Is scrolls the multi-million 3d fantasy adventure, or is that skyrim? Which one is the trading card game? OH! The names are so confusing! 

Quote

“The Document FOUNDATION has attracted more developers with commits in the first year than the OpenOffice.org project in the first DECADE", says Norbert Thiebaud in a statement. Theibaud was a first-day hacker who jumped on LibreOffice code on September 29, 2010, and is now a member of TDF Engineering Steering Committee.

According to data from The Document Foundation, there have been around 7.5 MILLION downloads of the LibreOffice suite since its first stable launch in January. In addition, it estimates another ten million users are installing the code via USB stick or CD burned by one of these downloads.

Vignoli SAID that LibreOffice was now the office suite of choice for the vast majority of Linux DISTRIBUTIONS, and in the next year there will be more of an effort to attract enterprises and users of Windows systems.

The full ZDnet Title is:
Quote

Microsoft: Hey, we're supporting Apple's iOS, too
By Mary Jo Foley | November 3, 2011, 6:39am PDT
Summary: Microsoft’s Bing and Hotmail teams are both doing more to IMPROVE their experiences on iOS, Android — and, oh, yeah, Windows platforms, too

I have no idea where you find this stuff...
But keep moving...

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)

Alleged IMAGES of the HTC Edge, RUMORED to be the world's first quad-core smartphone when it launches in early 2012, have surfaced ...
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395998,00.asp#fbid=m0mLIjsLNWi

Google has overhauled the way it serves up RESULTS in response to SEARCH queries.

The update is designed to work out WHETHER a person wants up-to-date results or historical data.

Full story: HTTP://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15590285Interesting.  Thanks for posting about this.  In other news, google search for 'Do a barrel roll' for a few seconds of amusement. Quote from: BC_Programmer on November 04, 2011, 06:01:59 PM

google search for 'Do a barrel roll'

In other news, google search for 'Do a barrel roll' for a few seconds of amusement.

Beyond Barrel Roll: 10 Hidden Google Tricks

http://mashable.com/2011/11/03/google-easter-eggs-2/

Minecraft is the winner of a new arts award for computer games.

The prize was announced at the finale of the GameCity videogame culture festival in Nottingham. (UK).

FULL story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15509330


Awesome love Minecraft. It is definitly one of the most unique games to come out in  a while, but I like sauerbraten better. Quote from: Linux711 on November 04, 2011, 07:52:01 AM

but I like sauerbraten better.

Perhaps there is some complexity involved in the gameplay that allows opponents to build structures? I wasn't able to figure it out. At the very least if that feature exist it sure isn't very discoverable.

I still have no idea how you can even draw a loose parallel between them.

Biggest point being that that game is a FPS game. Minecraft isn't an FPS game.

You press E during the game to start building.

For example, build a lava pit under your enemy before he kills you, etc. I like it because you can make whatever you want and don't need the materials to do it.

It's because you are probably unaware of how you make cubes to build objects (press E to make stuff). If you played the game a bit more, then maybe you'd see the similarities.

That's not why I think they are similar. It's because you build out of cubes.

Really man, you need to just give it a chance, before just dismissing me as an idiot.

So that's it? it shares a single concept in common and uses it in a completely different genre and suddenly they are "similar"

Yes, because they are the only two games I can think of where you build out of 3D cubes.

Ok, then tell me of some others like that. . .

Google has started a pilot project allowing the public to look inside shops and other businesses found on its maps.

The FEATURE is an extension of the firm's Street View technology, which already LETS users view 360-degree exterior images.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15493333If I WANDER into the wrong restroom, will I be arrested? 
Quote from: Geek-9pm on October 30, 2011, 12:54:27 PM

If I wander into the wrong restroom, will I be arrested? 

If I wander into the wrong restroom, will I be arrested? 

What do you think of the new Gmail interface ?

https://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en-GB/newlook.html

It will be made STANDARD for all new USERS, and CURRENT users will be UPDATED to it soon.

A lot of people are saying it's not really up to the hype...

I didn't realize Apple had ever delivered otherwise.

BT is to launch a fibre optic SERVICE that will deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps (MEGABITS per second) to some UK homes by SPRING next year.

The service is only LIKELY to be made available to a minority of people with others promised speed boosts of up to 80Mbps.

Full STORY: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15180835

Dennis RITCHIE, who is one of the creators of the C programming language just passed away.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/tech/innovation/dennis-ritchie-obit-bell-labs/index.html

Since most of DOS and a good part of WINDOWS was written in C, his passing is POSSIBLY more SIGNIFICANT than STEVE Jobs.Do we need to vote?

Not sure of the best way to do this so I will just copy the messages direct from the BBC Click Twitter feed.

BBCClick BBC Click
Just come across scam SITE buyitplayit.eu . Offers seductively low pricing on goods which never ARRIVE - and try to steal ID too! AVOID!

BBCClick BBC Click
Buyitplayit.org also a scam shopping site. Often APPEARS near top of search results on electronic and related kit. Caveat emptor!

Mmm hope the URL's are not linkable... if they are then do NOT buy anything people, and if you do then on your head be it.  There not linkable, COOL. Copy the full URL out, including the HTTP:// Quote from: immental1200 on October 04, 2011, 09:44:35 AM

Copy the full URL out, including the HTTP://

"The FREE software UPDATE, which promises 200 new features, has been so popular that Apple's servers appear to have struggled to keep up with demand."

Did Apple not EXPECT practically all their iOS 4 users to WANT to upgrade to iOS 5?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15288003The servers are also struggling GETTING 5 million new phones activated...

Didn't know where else to put this, but wanted to give a heads-up...

here's the LINK - for you stellar DEFENDERS here!  Hope ONE of you can get some "REAL" work that pays!!

http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/company/DiceId_10397179/

AMD has released their new line of CPUs. They are a complete redesign since the last architecture in 2003.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%2050001028%20600213781&IsNodeId=1&name=Socket%20AM3%2b

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=6&subid=1942Not getting rave reviews...The Phenom II X6 1100T is a lot faster than the FX-8150. The 229 W TDP of the Bulldozer isn't exactly appealing, either. Most applications aren't written to support 6 cores, let alone 8 cores.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/processors/1287799/amd-fx-8150/2
Applications like SONY Vegas Pro aren't utilizing all the cores properly. However, AMD still wins in multitasking.

http://wccftech.com/amd-bulldozer-fx8150-pitted-phenom-ii-x6-1100t-clocktoclock-benchmark-comparison/
Some people are comparing it to the release of the Pentium 4 Prescott and even the notorious GEFORCE FX5800. Quote from: Transfusion on October 26, 2011, 05:22:32 AM

Most applications aren't written to support 6 cores, let alone 8 cores.

Bulldozer isn't exactly appealing, either. Most applications aren't written to support 6 cores, let alone 8 cores.

I agree with you though, the majority of programs don't use multiple threads/cores.

Artificial intelligence researcher, JOHN McCarthy, has DIED. He was 84.

The AMERICAN scientist invented the computer language LISP.

Full STORY: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15444222

Future microchips may have only one type of component, capable of rewiring itself to do different jobs.

Researchers from Northwestern University in the US have developed a material that can radically CHANGE its electronic properties.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15351071Not so sure this would be a good idea. It would probably TAKE LONGER to perform functions. Quote from: bobsklarservices on October 19, 2011, 01:05:33 PM

Not so sure this would be a good idea. It would probably take longer to perform functions.

If a computer had to rewire itself every time a user wanted it to execute a different function, don't you think that it might just take longer to execute said function?

Steve Jobs said he wanted to destroy Android and would spend all of Apple's money and his dying breath if that is what it took to do so.

The full extent of his animosity towards Google's mobile operating system is revealed in a forthcoming authorised biography.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15400984





On a side note, lets just take this article for what it is and not an excuse for people bothering each other.... here's hoping. Quote from: Mulreay on October 21, 2011, 12:07:30 PM

On a side note, lets just take this article for what it is and not an excuse for people bothering each other.... here's hoping.

Not quite sure what you mean by this... Are we allowed to say what we think of the article and what it says?

The book also delves into Jobs' decision to delay surgery for nine months after learning he had a neuroendocrine tumour that normally grows more slowly and is therefore more treatable. Instead, he tried a vegan diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments he found online, and even consulted a psychic.

Way not to treat cancer. He has always come across to me as a vain, egotistical "I'm always right" kind of person. 

I like the comment I saw the other day: "Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field ultimately claimed the life of its creator." I hope his death serves as a cautionary tale for those who are entranced by woo medicine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cancer_Society
n 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility conducted by Nye Lavalle & Associates. The study showed that the American Cancer Society was ranked as the 10th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 38% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing Love and Like A lot for the American Cancer Society

In a paper published by Samuel Epstein, "American Cancer Society: More Interested Accumulating Wealth Than Saving Lives," Dr. Epstein, Professor emeritus, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, University of Illinois, charges the American Cancer Society's focus is largely based on profit and wealth accumulation while giving little focus to actual cancer research. [13]

In 1995, the Arizona chapter of the American Cancer Society was targeted for its extremely high overhead. Two economists, James Bennett and Thomas DiLorenzo, issued a report analyzing the chapter's own financial statements and demonstrating that it uses about 95% of its donations for paying salaries and other overhead costs, resulting in a 22 to 1 ratio of overhead to actual money spent on the cause.

If you want to have a cancer pissing contest, my mother died of it, my father has got it right now and I have recently lost 2 friends and my father-in-law to it. So don't. play. that. card. Please. What was it you said before? Oh right. "I don't think this should be turned into an argument."

As for Steve Jobs, he had available to him some of the best professionals He was strongly motivated, had sorceress and associates to help him.

I'm not sure why you did that..

He had a sorceress?

...and even consulted a psychic.

You did it first.

The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks is suspending its publication of classified files.

Wikileaks said that it would focus instead on raising funds to ENSURE its future survival.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15434493 Quote from: Mulreay on October 24, 2011, 03:30:20 PM

The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks is suspending its publication of classified files.
Wikileaks said that it would focus instead on raising funds to ensure its future survival.

an "arbitrary and unlawful FINANCIAL blockade" had been imposed by Bank of America, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union.

"A handful of US FINANCE companies cannot be allowed to decide how the whole world VOTES with its pocket," he added.

Portal 2 has been crowned the ultimate game of the year at the Golden Joystick video game awards.

It beat competition for the top prize from the likes of LA Noire, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Gran Turismo 5.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15393928It wasn't that great. But given it's competition it's no surprise it won. Quote from: BC_Programmer on October 22, 2011, 10:28:09 AM

It wasn't that great. But given it's competition it's no surprise it won.

Don't Cheetos make the keyboard orange ? ?

Don't Cheetos make the keyboard orange ? ?

This is cancelled out however when they spill Lime Soda on it.

There is balance in nature.

As it should be...

Researchers have found evidence that the Stuxnet worm, which alarmed governments around the world, could be about to regenerate.

Stuxnet was a highly complex piece of malware created to spy on and DISRUPT Iran's nuclear programme.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15367816How MIGHT the Average Joe prepare himself for this worm?To be FAIR as it stands I don't think it's ANYTHING you or I should REALLY worry about.

Quote

"The threat was highly targeted towards a limited number of organisations for their specific assets."

In other words, Duqu is not designed to attack industrial systems, such as Iran's nuclear production facilities, as was the case with Stuxnet, but rather to gather intelligence for a future attack.

The STORY is a month old. But it may be news to many.
Quote

The World's FIRST 4TB Hard Drive, Seagate GoFlex Desk, AVAILABLE Now For $249.99.
...The new GoFlex Desk 4TB drive has the space to CONTAIN over 2,000 HD movies. ...
The highest capacity hard drive in the industry.

Yes, it is absurd.
How do the calculate that 2000 HD movies fit on a 4TB drive?

The average encoded HD(720p) movie is 2GB. Which jives with my file sizes.

What would you do with 4 TB in you pocket?

If you recorded the same movie 2,000 times on it it would still work right ? ?

From Computerworld.
Quote

iPhone 4S teardowns reveal A5 processor
The same dual-core, Apple-designed processor powers the iPad 2
By Gregg Keizer
October 14, 2011

Computerworld - Preliminary teardowns of Apple's iPhone 4S have confirmed what rumors claimed for months: The new smartphone is powered by the same dual-core processor used in the iPad 2.

Two teams -- one from iFixit, the other from IHS iSuppli -- have taken apart the new handset and published their results.
...
Talk had circulated EARLIER that the iPhone 4S might offer 1GB of system memory, double that of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.

iSuppli said that the 512MB showed Apple's confidence in its IOS mobile operating system.

"The use of this low density of memory highlights the efficiency of Apple's iOS operating system compared to those of competitive smartphones, which use twice as much SDRAM,"
...
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9220877/iPhone_4S_teardowns_reveal_A5_processor

It would appear that Apple have confirmed that Steve Jobs has DIED, thoughts are with his family and friends. I won't link to anything as there are going to be so many. I will link this

The apple website is already bogged down-very hard to access it.

Ironic, just as the 4S is released. Quote from: kpac on October 06, 2011, 03:10:36 AM

Ironic, just as the 4S is released.

Yes, perhaps the S should stand for "swan song": http://pomeroy.me/content/job-done

He just recently stepped down from CEO, for health reasons, but I would have guessed he might be around for some years yet.

What Jobs was (it is going to take a while to get used to using the term was...) a genius at was Design philosophy.

Jobs hasn't been CEO for a while. In fact, I don't see any connection between Apple's generally higher price point and Steve Jobs. Prices didn't lower the first time he left the company.

While many of us “geeks” care about the specs of a product over design and easiness, the general public would much rather use an easy out of the box product that looks great, and in steps Apple.

http://hallicino.hubpages.com/hub/_86_Mac_Plus_Vs_07_AMD_DualCore_You_Wont_Believe_Who_Wins
This performance comparison should be the conclusion of the "user-friendly" debate.

Wow somebody dies and members on CH can turn it into a tit for tat... hows about we just respect Steve Jobs, pay our respects and walk away?

Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died.

As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, "I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad he's gone." Nobody DESERVES to have to die - not Jobs, not Mr. Bill, not even people guilty of bigger evils than theirs. But we all deserve the end of Jobs' malign influence on people's computing.

Unfortunately, that influence continues despite his absence. We can only hope his successors, as they attempt to carry on his legacy, will be less effective.

ISPs face changes to the WAY they advertise broadband services.

From April next year, providers will no longer be able to advertise maximum speeds for net packages unless 10% of customers can actually get them.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15105760I put this on my blog :L
What a coincidence.And, relating to the news article.

At long last

I have been unimpressed with getting rubbish speeds from talktalk, BT and a few other.
I was pleased with plusnet and virgin telling you what speed you could actually get, and the "this may not be accurate" bits.

Stop confusing people with broadband speeds ISPs !I have to agree, I pay £45 a month for my 50mb/s broadband from Virgin but at least I get that.I think 10% is setting the bar way too low.  I know that the number will never be 100% due to a variety of reasons, some being not under the control of the ISP, but the minimum number for advertising should be well over 50%.Nobody around where I live get's ANYWHERE close to what they're supposed to get. Quote from: rthompson80819 on September 29, 2011, 06:17:45 PM

I think 10% is setting the bar way too low.  I know that the number will never be 100% due to a variety of reasons, some being not under the control of the ISP, but the minimum number for advertising should be well over 50%.

Totally agree with you there. 10%? When was serving 10% of your customers what you promised them ever acceptable as service?

With my ISP True Internet (in Thailand) I reach my maximum speed most of the time, but sometimes peak hours can slow down a bit.

They do guarantee that at any give time I will achieve at least 50% of my package speed. If I'm not getting that, they send a technician out to investigate if there's interference between my jack, the lines, and the terminal box in my area. I don't know if that's good service or if it has something to do with the fact that everyone in their Bangkok call center knows me by name... but that's another story.

Totally agree with you there. 10%? When was serving 10% of your customers what you promised them ever acceptable as service?

With my ISP True Internet (in Thailand) I reach my maximum speed most of the time, but sometimes peak hours can slow down a bit.

They do guarantee that at any give time I will achieve at least 50% of my package speed. If I'm not getting that, they send a technician out to investigate if there's interference between my jack, the lines, and the terminal box in my area. I don't know if that's good service or if it has something to do with the fact that everyone in their Bangkok call center knows me by name... but that's another story.

Well, most Thais are usually very calm, even in a confrontation (which they try to avoid). They have what we refer to as a "mai pen rai*" attitude. I, on the other hand, am not Thai and I am not always very calm. I don't let things slide and I won't put up with nonsense, especially when I'm paying something.

I really got to know them earlier this year when I was on the phone with the 5 times a day trying to sort out some issues between True, Blizzard Entertainment, and a bunch of World of Warcraft players who use True. True introduced some minor throttling of certain protocols (mostly BitTorrent stuff), and this somehow affected WoW's semi-proprietary protocol (they use a modified version of something, I can't remember the details now). Anyway, after 3 weeks of helping True sort it out over the phone and also trying to coordinate discussion between them and Blizzard, people get to know you. I also ripped one of their customer service reps a new ...hole for being rude and trying to lie to me once. It's actually a really long story, like I said, it went on for weeks. Documented and buried on the WoW tech support forum somewhere.

I came to the realization that they all knew me when I called them one day, got some person and they were like
"Thank you for calling True. What is your telephone number?"
"02-345-6789"
"Your name?"
"Quaxo."
"Oh, hello again Quaxo (not my real name). You're calling for the supervisor?"
"Um.. yes. You know me?"
"Yes. Everyone here knows you."

*mai pen rai (ไม่เป็นไร) has many uses, something to the effect of "nevermind" or "don't worry about it".

For the FIRST time since 1996 IBM's market value has exceeded Microsoft's.

IBM's closing price on 29 SEPTEMBER was $214bn (£137.4bn) while Microsoft's was a shade behind at $213.2bn (£136.8bn).

FULL story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15124005

Cloud gaming service ‘OnLive’ has finally launched in the UK. The way you buy and play games may never be the same again. Seriously...

Full Story: http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/5e/news/onlive-launches-in-the-uk-67915e.htmlThis seems all awesome, but
Quote

Instead, players become subscribers who merely control the action, while all the processing takes place on powerful remote servers. Access to games is practically instant, and all user inputs are effectively streamed back in near real-time.

The way you buy and play games may never be the same again.

Ah... finally some first-hand testimony from immental1200.


Lag was very high, poor graphics-what are your download speeds? What was the game you failed to run on the p4 computer? What do you think of OnLive? Just a novelty or does it have the potential to be popular in the future when high-bandwidth internet becomes more affordable?

Consider this a warning.

Onlive is a service that you subscribe to that allows you to stream games and play them over the internet. You don't need a powerful PC, just a powerful internet connection, because the hardware is stored on the server side. Sounds great? Too good to be true? Well, the tech may or may not work well, but it's the fine print that you should be careful about, especially as websites are currently giving out "free" subscriptions to the service.

1) You "buy" full games at retail prices over the service.

2) If your account is suspended, it is deleted. No records are kept. This means everything you "purchased" is gone with it.

3) If you don't make a payment for one year, your account becomes suspended.

4) Even if you do make payments every year and stay subscribed to the service, onlive reserves the right to remove any game from the service after three years. That doesn't mean you're no longer able to buy it, it means you're no longer able to buy it OR play it.

5) If the service fails (likely because of BS like the above) you're obviously also quite screwed.


Yeah. No thanks.

Ah... finally some first-hand testimony from immental1200.

Hello,
 I just thought I would talk about new upcoming technologies, that could change CPU's forever. Firstly, a new technology is that instead of using wires to connect each component of the CPU, then their is also biotechnology, such as using DNA to implement logic gates, and CPU's. Their is also the bacteria CPU.We should move tis to another area.
Humans still do not really understand how living things deal with information.
In Cybernetics the premise is that a living thing can be emulated by some machine made by men. While the DNA testing is still in its design stage, eric winfree, is showing lots of flexibility, while DNA CPU's are slower than the silicon versions, it is still in the development stage, PROMISE from winfree and adleman. Quote from: Geek-9pm on September 26, 2011, 11:06:14 AM

Humans still do not really understand how living things deal with information.

Hello,
 I just thought I would talk about new upcoming technologies, that could change CPU's forever. Firstly, a new technology is that instead of using wires to connect each component of the CPU, then their is also biotechnology, such as using DNA to implement logic gates, and CPU's. Their is also the bacteria CPU.

What do you mean? Deal with how?

What does this have to do with computers, which were created to serve humans?

Depends. If the behavior is very simple, it would be of limited use.
But the behavior of the frog has many variables as inputs. That is the area of interest.

Computers are just machines, not entities. I doubt you could program a computer to feel hurt with today's programming languages and hardware.

I don´t believe that any computer of whatever technology past present or future can have mental contents by definition.

But the behavior of the frog has many variables as inputs. That is the area of interest.

That ability if applied to man-made machines could allow you to drive your car on auto-pilot on a busy four lane highway. The automobile itself would instinctively brake, accelerate, swerve and curse  the car that tried to cut in front of you. And it could read the road signs and make decisions about when to change lanes for the next exit. All by instinct. No thin king ability.

Quad-core ARM CPU. Apple?

The fill title is:
Support for quad-core ARM CPU shows up in Apple's Xcode, but why?
Here is the Link:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/09/support-for-quad-core-arm-cpu-shows-up-in-apples-xcode-but-why.ars

Yes, at this point it is just rumor. But read the article!
===========================================
At he rate things are going, soon we can EXPECT quad-core CPUs in:

________________
and
________________

(fill in the blank please.)
Not REALLY a rumor, the code is there. It's speculation now as to why. It may have just been implemented for the purpose of experimenting, as the article SUGGESTS. It wouldn't be the first time odd code has turned up places for things that were considered possibilities but never ACTUALLY saw the light of day.I think a better question is why it needs special support. It's a IDE/programming environment, it should be the Operating Systems job to 'support' multiple CPUs, not something that needs to be compiled into every PROGRAM.

There are alot of posts and emails going round about an new alternative to the old limewire. This is FAKE. The new software is just a virus and nothing more. Watch out for this!It would undoubtedly be of greater help to those you seek to warn if you were more specific as to the e-mail(s)  that you are referring to. As an assist to those who might be inclined to react to said e-mails. truenorthWho uses or would use Limewire ? ? Quote from: patio on June 07, 2011, 07:57:10 PM

Who uses or would use Limewire ? ?

Lime-Wire has Been Shutdown for Good

Want to know what other people are using as their REPLACEMENT?

Personalized Download Code: LW39
Enter it Here
**http://new-instant-download.com/1/promo/index.asp?aff=11677&camp=feb11_lime_jun03

Our lime-wire replacement has been adopted by millions of lime-wire users from around the globe.

Same great features, tons of files and it's easy to use

Enjoy,

Tom Lee
MP3Share™
Founder

Please do not share this code with anyone ELSE. Thank you for your cooperation

legitimate alternative to Limewire.

No such thing.

More legitimate than the one Geek got in an email. It actually works.

Well, there is legalized gambling.
Therefore legalize copyright infringement.

So then, shall we conclude that -
Anyone who offers a
so-called legal alternative
to lime-wire
is telling a lie? -anonymous

That is not acceptable.

There are alot of posts and emails going round about an new alternative to the old limewire. This is FAKE. The new software is just a virus and nothing more. Watch out for this!

The last "legal" shared file for the public I heard of was a torrent copy of "Sintel" http://www.sintel.org/

August 12 marks the 30th anniversary of the IBM 5150 PC, whose debut was widely considered to mark the beginning of the PC era.

Balderdash...

The PC will not be replaced anytime soon...

Think of C-Band satellite dishes, Dial-up modems, the eight track tape players, 45 RPM phonograph records, red and blue 3-D glasses.

Thirty years is not to bad for a a major new technology. But the foundation for the Personal Computer was established earlier by the Apple ][
 and the early CP/M boxes sold by Kay pro. And not to mention Amiga and Commodore. Anybody remember Adam Osborne?

Think of C-Band satellite dishes, Dial-up modems, the eight track tape players, 45 RPM phonograph records, red and blue 3-D glasses.

IBM PC release Date August 12 1981.

Apple II: January 1983


There were of course many other "PCs" at the time, but none of them were compatible with one another. the IBM PC was the first one to really be accepted as an industry standard.
N
Those all have very specific purposes. The PC does not.

The IBM 5150 PC was not the first personal computer. The Apple II was on the market then, as were computers from Commodore and Atari and from several vendors selling CP/M micros. But it was, by any measure, the most important.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/8301-30976_1-20091890-10348864/reporters-roundtable-happy-30th-birthday-ibm-pc/#ixzz1UrxodNKy

Personal computer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about personal computers in general. ...

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator. In contrast, the batch processing or time-sharing models allowed large expensive mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time.
...
In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold the Apple I computer circuit board, which was fully prepared and contained about 30 chips. The first successfully mass marketed personal computer was the Commodore PET introduced in January 1977. It was soon followed by the TRS-80 from Radio Shack and the popular Apple II. Mass-market ready-assembled computers allowed a wider range of people to use computers, focusing more on software applications and less on development of the processor hardware.

Through the late 1970s and into the 1980s, computers were developed for household use, with software for personal productivity, programming and games. One such machine, the Commodore 64, totaled 17 million units sold, making it the best-selling single personal computer model of all time.[
...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer

It was not an industry standard.

The only thing close to an consumer standard were the PCs make by Apple, Commodore and Radio shack.

Think of C-Band satellite dishes, Dial-up modems, the eight track tape players, 45 RPM phonograph records, red and blue 3-D glasses.

Until the IBM PC came and became one. There weren't any significant number of clones of those other machines. There were countless clones/compatibles of IBM PCs, however.

Taiwanese chip designer Via is suing APPLE claiming the US firm has infringed patents it owns. Via said the disputed ideas were USED in Apple TV, the iPod, iPad and iPhone and the software they run on.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15033551Nice find, Mulreay.
This has the potential to be one of the big things s this year. It is not just about some odd-ball CHIPS, it is about microprocessors, which TAKES the issue to a higher level. Wall street and the major media are looking at this closely.

EDIT: A VIDEO done about a moth ago about Apple and patents.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/74411308/Patent bickering. No matter what happens, consumers lose.They're being sued by Samsung for a similar reason.

A missing dot in an email address might mean messages end up in the hands of cyber THIEVES, researchers have found.

Full STORY: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14842691Its shocking story, where no one claim or SUIT a case because it TOTALLY customer/user/sender fault but some how its a cyber crime to create doppelganger domains. Now we must should take care about sending confidential EMAILS to any one.

What do you think so ?Never trussed yore spell chequer to fined awl yore mistakes.Its very horrible story. We must need to recheck our emails before sending to any one. This is one of the common mistake which I usually do.

A great collective gasp issued from tuned-in Firefox fans when Mozilla announced   that it was switching to a Chrome-like release schedule for its   browser. The goal was to make Firefox more adaptable and to keep pace —   though not with Chrome specifically, but rather with the   rapidly-evolving web.

One side effect of a RAPID release schedule   is skyrocketing version numbers, something both Google and Mozilla want   users to ignore. But that’s a tricky proposition when users have been   raised on slowly-climbing digits trailing the names of their favorite   apps. Rather than cling to traditional versioning ideas, companies are   now pushing channels — constantly updated snapshots of the different   development stages of a PROGRAM. Both Chrome and Firefox now offer   stable, beta, and bleeding-edge VERSIONS to suit a user’s wants.

Full story here: http://www.extremetech.com/internet/92792-mozilla-takes-firefox-version-number-removal-a-step-furtherFireFox should stop immediately chasing the competition...they were in front in my mind all along...
What a marketing shame...totally unneccessary.Personally, I like simple version numbers, like 3.1, or 6.22.  Firefox's 3.6.18 was a little to MUCH for my feeble brain to grasp.  I don't think version numbers need to be always in whole numbers, but xx.xx.xx is a little too much for most users.You must like the new scheme:  5, 6, 7, 8, 9,...Didn't MS sort of prove how pointless it was to remove version numbers with the whole "name products after their year of release" thing? Quote from: Computer_Commando on August 15, 2011, 06:22:35 PM

You must like the new scheme:  5, 6, 7, 8, 9,...

Actually, I don't have a problem with say 5.3, 6.7, etc, it's the version 6.731.84.99.34.22.51 that I have a problem with.

Well good thing there are no real world examples of the latter.

No, but I had a bad feeling things were headed in that direction.

The The Open Source Hardware Summit is begging for help.
IMHO looks like a good idea that nobody wants anymore.
Quote

Help The Open Source Hardware Summit!
Folks, the Open Source Hardware Summit STILL needs some sponsor support. ANY ONE can sponsor the summit and EVERY bit counts. If you enjoy the wonderful world of open source software and hardware PLEASE considering supporting the summit!

Where do you find this stuff ? ?

Intel will be pushing Ivy Bridge platform into 2012.
They want you to buy what they have in stock. Then come back later for the new stuff.
FULL STORY
Quote from: Geek-9pm on September 04, 2011, 06:25:50 PM

They want you to buy what they have in stock. Then come back later for the new stuff.

Umm... OK.
 What is your point?

They want you to buy what they have in stock. Then come back later for the new stuff.

Your alarmist nature is almost comical in it's hyperbole.

Glad it makes you laugh.

The expresion "Decline of the Desktop" is mpt my invention. It is a topic of discussion among IT workers and manufacteurs. The news from Intel is seen as a precursor of waht isn coming.

Ther has been a steady decline in teaching Mathematics  at a high nlevel.

Moste stuesnts are going into areas that do not really need the power of a Desktop Computer with an advanced CPU.

Other thatn playing games, the fundamental reson for owning e a computer is going away.

As for social networking, web nsurfing, database lookup - you can do that with a dumb terminal. The same way it was done twenty years ago.

Intel is shifting is nfocus more on mobile devices. Which continue to sell well all over the world.

...One might argue that mobile devices make thing more convenient, well, that depends. I for one don't understand how paying out the nose to send ASCII text you type on a mushy keypad is something to be desired, but that's the status quo.

Yahoo fires Bartz as CEO, names CFO to fill void .
Here is the AP version  of the Yahoo STORY...

Quote

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo Inc. fired Carol Bartz as CEO Tuesday after more than 2½ years of financial lethargy that had convinced investors that she couldn't steer the Internet company to a long-promised turnaround.

To fill the void, Yahoo's BOARD named Tim Morse, its chief financial officer, as interim CEO. Bartz lured Morse away from COMPUTER chip maker Altera Corp. two years ago to help her cuts costs. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, said it is looking for a permanent replacement.
...
http://news.yahoo.com/yahoo-fires-bartz-ceo-names-cfo-fill-void-014518629.html

Update: Did this interview just cost Bartz $10 million? Yes, she had a non-disparagement clause.

Environmental Groups Keep the Pressure on Apple in China

Full story: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/09/02/in-china-environmental-groups-keep-the-pressure-on-apple/
Even Foxconn, which has been under intense scrutiny after 12 employees in their late teens or early 20s jumped from company buildings in the first half of 2010, ranked slightly HIGHER than Apple on the NGOs' TALLY of responses.


Way to GO, Foxconn. OH wait, isn't Apple dependent on Foxconn? And what is this:
All bull ...
Marketing 101..."if you say it ...it'll be true"...See if I was apple I would label it as stuff like 'Fat Free', 'a Peanut free PRODUCT' and of course 'contains no preservatives' that would confuse people, but since it has none of those it should be totally above the belt for them.