hockeyshooter's blog

Charlie don't surf - yet

2012-01-11T15:10:00.003Z

"Nicholas Negroponte, the brains behind the One Laptop Per Child initiative, is detailing a new plan to inspire the world’s poorest children to teach themselves to read using tablet computers.

Negroponte said that within a year his team would be dropping tablets into remote villages by helicopter – without staff – and letting children teach themselves how to use them."

Sorry but I can't help thinking of Wagner being played through loudspeakers and some Yank shouting "Charlie don't surf - yet".

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/02/negroponte_tablet_airdrops/

YouTube RSS feed

2012-01-09T15:35:00.001Z

The URL for an RSS feed from your YouTube channel is:
http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/yourchannelname/uploads

Why YouTube make it impossible to find that I don't know.

"Witness" to M25 Accident

2011-11-06T15:04:00.001Z

With the news of the M5 pile-up fresh in my mind, on the way home from Brands Hatch last night I was witness to the resulting carnage, not the actual event, of what initially looked like quite a serious accident on the M25. Transit and trailer both on their sides, lanes 2 & 3 blocked, Armco levelled for about 100 yards and two lamp posts knocked over - one into the other carriageway. I was the only person not involved who actually stopped - everyone else casually drove round the wreckage and disappeared into the night.

I checked first to see if anyone was trapped or injured - fortunately not - and dialled 999. We ended up with five fire engines, an incident support unit, two police cars and an ambulance. And they shut the M25 in both directions. All this on bonfire night.

As I didn't witness the actual event, the police didn't want contact details, but Essex Police did actually ring me back later.

Out of interest, there are eight points listed in the Highway Code are as to what you should do:
* Turn on your hazard lights to warn approaching traffic of potential danger [I keep a reflective jacket in the car too].
* Make sure other drivers switch off their engines and extinguish cigarettes for fire safety reasons.
* Call the emergency services yourself or get someone else to do so. Give full details of the location of the accident and any casualties. The operator will advise you on what to do before the services arrive.
* Make sure that any uninjured passengers move to safety, away from their own vehicle and passing traffic [the hard shoulder should be a safe haven, but unfortunately some drivers think that if the road is blocked, the emergency lane is for them].
* Leave anyone with injuries where they are – you could do more harm than good – except if they are in danger from fire or explosion.
* Do not take off a motorcyclist's helmet unless you have no option. Again you could cause serious injury.
* Give First Aid if needed.
* Wait until the emergency services arrive.

Line breaks in Drupal

2011-10-17T14:53:00.004+01:00

If you're tearing your hair out trying to make Drupal keep line breaks and new paragraphs in the body of your Posts, Stories, etc. make sure Drupal itself isn't filtering out your <p> and <br /> tags.

* Go to Administer > Site configuration > Input formats
* For each one that you're using, in the Operations column click Configure
* Click Configure in the title line menu
* Go down to the Allowed HTML tags box and add the tags <p> and <br />

If you don't do this, even though your chosen WYSIWYG editor will happily add tags to your text, and even save them in the database, but Dupal will then filter them out again when displaying the page.

QuickTime Player 7

2011-05-25T12:03:00.002+01:00

Perhaps Apple have realised the new QuickTime player that comes with Snow Leopard is pants because they provide, on the Snow Leopard install DVD, a version of the old player. Follow this URL to find out how to install it:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3678

If you're installing Snow Leopard as an upgrade, it will retain your QuickTime Pro license key.

Snow Leopard Sucks

2011-05-25T11:07:00.000+01:00

The more I use Snow Leopard the more I come to realise that its a lesson in how to abandon over 15 years of development of useful, easy-to-use software that people actually want to use in favour of something that might be prettier but is actually vastly more complex but yet with reduced functionality and a horrendous user interface. I have to wonder what's happened to all the designers and developers at Apple who actually knew what they were doing?

Its alright - we know where you've been...

2011-02-11T19:39:00.001Z

These are the permissions you are expected to grant to Yahoo just so that your Flickr images can automatically be posted to your Facebook account. Sorry but I really don't think you need to know any of my information, let alone my friends' information.

Apache websever configuration

2010-11-05T11:02:00.002Z

In configuring Apache to allow various directives in an .htaccess file, if you find yourself banging your head against a wall since you have used:

AllowOverride All

...and some directives still are not accepted, its because this line doesn't actually allow everything - to do that you need to use:

AllowOverride AuthConfig FileInfo Indexes Limit Options=All,MultiViews

Obviously the more things you allow, the less secure your server...

JW Player API

2010-10-08T11:59:00.006+01:00

Thanks, authors of JW Player, for wasting at least 3 hours of my life because you have changed your JavaScript API and not published any documentation for it!

Quoting an entry buried in the help forum:

The v4 [and v5] player uses a completely different API, details here: http://code.longtailvideo.com/trac/wiki/FlashAPI

Sadly, that URL doesn't work. Now I expect Open Source software to have either completely useless, or just plain absent documentation, but we (and a great many others) have paid for this player - so its not acceptable.

Build a menu bar on-the-fly with JavaScript

2010-02-19T11:40:00.002Z

Its not necessary to use either PHP or SHTML to include a dynamic menubar in a set of web pages - you can do it with JavaScript.

First define arrays containing all the links and the link text you want for the links - make certain the two arrays have the same number of elements!

Then have a loop that goes through these arrays, displaying them on the screen in order. You can do a bit of string testing to work out what page you're on and have that link displayed differently - perhaps in bold or just not underlined. Output all the HTML using document.write

Here's an example:

var textArray=new Array('home','news','people','places','views', 'faq');
var linksArray=new Array('index.html','news.html','people.html','places.html','views.html','faq.html');

for (i=0;i < textArray.length; i++) {
  var str = window.location.toString();
  var urlbits = str.split('/');
  if (urlbits[urlbits.length-1]!=linksArray[i]) {
    document.write(''+textArray[i]+'');
  } else {
    document.write(''+textArray[i]+'');
  }
  if (i!=textArray.length-1) document.write(' | ');
}

Note how the last line in the loop misses off the delimiter for the last item.

Save this JavaScript in a separate file - something like menubar.js - and include it in the same place in all of your HTML pages using a conventional link to an external JavaScript file:

<script type="text/javascript" src="menubar.js"></script>

My links here are just straightforward links, but they could equally be styled bullet list items, buttons, images, whatever.

Parsing RSS with Dubin Core using PHP5

2010-02-18T10:31:00.002Z

With the built-in XML functions of PHP5, its now pretty straightforward to parse well-formed RSS data, eg:

$link = $node->getElementsByTagName('link')->item(0)->nodeValue;

But when using getElementsByName you run into problems if you want to grab data in Dublin Core fields - this won't work:

$creator = $node->getElementsByTagName('dc:creator')->item(0)->nodeValue;

To solve this you have to use the getElementsByTagNameNS function and declare the namespace you are using - obviously in this case Dublin Core:

$creator = $node->getElementsByTagNameNS('http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/','creator')->item(0)->nodeValue;

Air tax increase comes into force

2009-11-01T11:05:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Air tax increase comes into force
The first of two rises in UK airport departure tax has come into effect, adding up to £30 to the cost of flying. The price of the shortest flights rises by £1, with Air Passenger Duty on business and first class journeys over 6,000 miles up from £80 to £110."

Isn't the idea of environmental taxes to encourage people to use less harmful forms of transport? If so, surely the tax should be higher for internal flights - where you could take the train instead - and lower for trans-continental flights, where you don't have a choice. Or perhaps this tax is just to raise money...?

BBC NEWS | UK | Air tax increase comes into force

Canon 1D Mk.IV "launch"

2009-10-27T19:20:00.009Z

Well, not exactly a launch - more of a preview - today at Pro Photo Solutions, held at the Design Business Center in London. All courtesy of the nice people (Colin) at SimplyDV.

I was hoping for a proper "hands on", particularly to do a proper test of the flash metering - which to date on Canon is complete pants. Unfortunately Canon UK only had two pre-production samples of the new camera, both tied very firmly to the deck and with card doors sealed, so you couldn't actually take any photos. All very disappointing.

Due to catching too late a train, I missed most of the initial press briefing, but attended a half-hour seminar later in the day. I was a bit worried what Canon UK were saying about the camera being more "susceptible" to blurred photos due to the resolution being so high and the pixels so densely packed. Not sure I entirely believe their argument - if it happens with this camera, why not also on the D1S Mk.III ?

There was much talk about the various Custom Functions that can be used to tailor the operation of the AF system. You can control how fast the AF reacts to changes, how many of the 45 AF sensors are used, how the selected AF point can be expanded, how large the AF areas are (that's a new one), etc. etc. "Do read the manual", the Canon UK man says, as you can basically duff up the AF operation completely. Let just hope all the AF issues that plagued the Mk.III (and some - including my - Mk.IIn) bodies are firmly behind us now.

Much was also made of the hiked ISO range. The standard range available without recourse to yet further custom functions is 100 to 12800. With a bit of fiddling, however, this can be expanded to 50 to a staggering 102400! Canon reckon the quality is "two stops better" than the already impressive Mk.III - meaning that if you were happy to work with ISO 800, you'd be equally happy with 3200 on the new body. Why hide this extra range away? Canon say its because the quality isn't really what they consider acceptable - I can live with that. Of course, the proof is in the pudding and I was miffed I couldn't see the quality for myself.

I asked, for the benefit of SimplyDV, about the camera's HD video capabilities. Via custom function (there are a lot of them) you can pick between full HD at 25fps or lower the resolution to 720 pixels or even VGA to get 50fps - could be useful for scientific or educational applications,as well as straight-forward slow motion. You can also switch from PAL to NTSC to get different frame rates.

Sadly, in the questions section at the end, predictable - and pointless - questions came from the floor regarding the camera's crop factor and the choice of resolution. Why is it that people cannot understand that if you want a "full frame" (35mm-sized) sensor, you simply buy a different camera? This new body is aimed primarily at sports, news and wildlife photographer who need the extra reach that a crop sensor body provides.

So, what's my verdict? Well, sadly I can't give one. Nowhere near enough real hands-on for my liking - the lack of real cameras for us media types to play with rendered the whole exercise somewhat pointless.

Phones and email tapped 1,381 times a day

2009-08-11T11:40:00.001+01:00

"Phones and email tapped 1,381 times a day | UK news | guardian.co.uk
Police and other officials tapped phone calls and emails an average of 1,381 times a day last year, according to a report released today by the interception of communications commissioner, Sir Paul Kennedy.

A total of 504,073 surveillance requests to phone and internet companies were made in 2008, the equivalent of one in 78 adults being targeted. The figure was slightly lower than in 2007, but 60% higher than in 2006, the year covered by Kennedy's first report."

I particularly like this quote:
"'The government forgets that George Orwell's [novel] 1984 was a warning and not a blueprint. We are still a long way from living under the Stasi but it beggars belief that it is necessary to spy on one in every 78 adults.'"

Phones and email tapped 1,381 times a day | UK news | guardian.co.uk

ERA2: with Students near Howick

2009-08-07T23:07:00.000+01:00

Students near Howick,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

Our one and only day with real SXR369 students, at the two bays near Howick. Slight variation from the setup we had tested earlier in the week, but essentially the same: cabled link from switch to omni for one site, then a long panel-to-panel hop to the omni for the second. Nearly everything worked to plan, although only half of the students opted to make use of the system.

ERA2: Collingwood College again

2009-08-06T23:51:00.000+01:00

ERA2 SXR339 geology field trip,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

Another day of testing, due to the need to demonstrate the setup to the two geologists who would be tutoring the Additional Requirements students tomorrow. Set up the two 17" monitors for the first time, but still problems being able to see the screens in sunlight, so Trevor and Mark went into Durham to buy a small tent and two picnic tables.

ERA2: Whitby

2009-08-05T23:03:00.000+01:00

Base of operations,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

A very much tide-dependant site for the students since everything they need to look at is either covered or inaccessible at high tide. Due to the timing, we had to start work after the morning low tide, with the tide coming in, which was a bit worrying and eventually forced us to pack up and scarper. Re-visited the location in the afternoon for some different tests. Weather with a mix of light rain in the morning and hot sun - and thousands of thunder flies - in the afternoon.

ERA2: Scremerston

2009-08-04T22:58:00.001+01:00

BGAN,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

Extensive testing at the most northern site that the students visit - Scremerston, just south of Berwick Upon Tweed, which is less than 70 miles from Edinburgh. Ran two very long cables, via the switch, from the BGAN down to the beach. Added extra wireless hops to create the longest link we'd ever done - started to have problems hearing end-to-end with the PMR walkie-talkies. Equipment mostly worked very well.

ERA2: testing at Collingwood College

2009-08-03T22:53:00.002+01:00

We stayed at Collingwood College today to do some testing of VoIP and bandwidth uing iPerf. Also tried some backhaul tests with both 3G and the BGAN terminal. Managed to FTP files up to the off-site server. Lewis could see into our machine via the 3 (Three) dongle but not via Vodafone or BGAN.

ERA2: Cullernose Point

2009-08-02T22:20:00.002+01:00

near Seaton Sluice,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

More examination of possible sites for future visits, accompanied by a proper geologist. Tried a single omni aerial on the beach on a cable from the switch at the top of the cliff, but couldn't get a proper signal to the Asus. Two locations actually used by students this year: Rumbling Kern and Howick Haven. Tested wireless link to extremes - geologist and laptop moving around rocky outcrops out of site of the omni, yet video and VoIP still working.

ERA2: Seaton Sluice &Hartley Bay

2009-08-01T22:17:00.001+01:00

Seaton Sluice,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

First day of in-the-field recon at three possible sites, accompanied by a real geologist, at Seaton Sluice and Hartley Bay. Two very handy pubs nearby!

MoD seeks to cut soldiers' payout

2009-07-28T10:19:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | UK | MoD seeks to cut soldiers' payout
The Ministry of Defence will go to the Court of Appeal later to try to significantly reduce the compensation awarded to two injured soldiers. One, who was shot in the leg in Iraq, received £46,000, while the other, injured in training, got £28,750. Both had their payouts increased due to complications, but the MoD is arguing that they should only be compensated for their "original injuries"."

I already knew the MoD was tight, but this really takes the biscuit. Wonder just how many of the tight-arses behind this decision have even been shot at, let alone injured in the line of duty? Will they even remember the names of these soldiers when they retire on fat, civil service pensions?

BBC NEWS | UK | MoD seeks to cut soldiers' payout

Ofwat calls for lower water bills

2009-07-23T09:03:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Business | Ofwat calls for lower water bills
Proposals set out by water regulator Ofwat will see average household water bills fall between 2010 and 2015. Taking out the impact of inflation, the proposals, if accepted, would see the average water bill fall by £14 to £330."

How come Ofwat can control water prices, whereas Ofgen are completely powerless against the money-grabbing electricity and gas suppliers?

BBC NEWS | Business | Ofwat calls for lower water bills

UK has enough helicopters - Brown

2009-07-22T15:20:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | UK has enough helicopters - Brown
Gordon Brown has said the UK has enough helicopters for an offensive in Helmand - and said lives lost during the past month were not due to a shortage."

So says a guy whose probably never been shot at once in his life.

"It comes after Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown rowed back on comments in a newspaper interview that the UK did not have enough helicopters. The PM said the minister had 'corrected any misrepresentation' of his comments."

In other words, he's been told to retract his statement since it contradicts the aforementioned tight-arse.

But its not just helicopters they're short of.

BBC NEWS | Politics | UK has enough helicopters - Brown

Remembering the moon landing 40 years on

2009-07-05T10:30:00.001+01:00

"Remembering the moon landing 40 years on - The Daily Record
However, the Americans' progress was dwarfed by the Soviet's Sputnik in 1961, when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space."

Er, check your facts guys. Sputnik was a series of robotic space craft - none were manned. On 4th October 1957, Sputnik 1 because the first human-made object to orbit the Earth. Gagarin's flight didn't happen until 1961, the first flight of the Vostok programme.

Remembering the moon landing 40 years on - The Daily Record

MPs launch probe of massive net snooping project

2009-06-17T09:32:00.001+01:00

"Unrealistic, disproportionate and misleading, experts say
MPs and Lords will launch an investigation into the Home Office's £2bn plan to store details of every online communication, after a critical report by the London School of Economics branded it unrealistic, disproportionate and misleading.
IMP would be unmatched in the world as a communications surveillance mechanism."

MPs launch probe of massive net snooping project • The Register

Pothole go-slow to 'calm traffic'

2009-04-16T09:10:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | England | Essex | Pothole go-slow to 'calm traffic'
An Essex parish council wants potholes to be left unfilled for longer to act as a "natural traffic calming" measure. Navestock parish councillors claim repairing potholes is costly and allows motorists to drive faster."

You can bet the dipstick that came up with this has never ridden a motorbike.

BBC NEWS | England | Essex | Pothole go-slow to 'calm traffic'

Police arrest 114 in(?) 'power demo'

2009-04-13T12:55:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | England | Nottinghamshire | Police arrest 114 in 'power demo'
More than 100 people have been arrested in Nottingham over a suspected plan to target a power station. Police said 114 men and women were arrested in Sneinton Dale on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass and criminal damage. Officers said they believed those arrested were planning to protest at nearby Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station."

One step closer to the Police State - people denied the right to protest.

BBC NEWS | England | Nottinghamshire | Police arrest 114 in 'power demo'

PM heralds 'green economy' Budget

2009-04-08T09:04:00.000+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | PM heralds 'green economy' Budget
"Prime Minister Gordon Brown is promising this month's Budget will plot a 'green' route to economic recovery."

So says the man who is doing a great job of propping up the World's airline industry, expanding airports like Heathrow.

"Trials of electric cars, a roadside network of vehicle-charging points and incentives for environmentally-friendly carmakers are among planned measures."

And where's the electricity coming from? Gas, oil and coal-fired power stations, of course. There's no such thing as an environmentally-friendly car.

"He said that moving the UK to a low-carbon economy would create 400,000 new jobs over the next eight years."

Where the hell did that figure come from - sounds like he just plucked it out of the air.

"Green economy budget" - this is just going to be another excuse to increase taxes.

BBC NEWS | Politics | PM heralds 'green economy' Budget

PM curbs top public servants' pay

2009-04-01T08:53:00.000+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | PM curbs top public servants' pay
Senior civil servants, top NHS managers and judges will get a lower than recommended pay rise of 1.5% next year, Gordon Brown has announced. Senior public sector staff should lead by showing 'restraint', Mr Brown told MPs, who will get a pay rise of 2.33%"

Nice ironic reporting by the BBC, there.

BBC NEWS | Politics | PM curbs top public servants' pay

Call to scrap 'illegal databases'

2009-03-23T19:37:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Call to scrap 'illegal databases'
A quarter of all government databases are illegal and should be scrapped or redesigned, according to a report. The government spends £16bn a year on databases and plans to spend a further £105bn on projects over five years..."

Telling those of us who are concerned about the creeping intrusion of this Government what we already know, I guess, but perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel.

BBC NEWS | UK | Call to scrap 'illegal databases'

Motoring justice?

2009-03-17T21:53:00.003Z

Compare these two stories:

A motorcyclist whose bike's mudguard was held on with bootlaces has been jailed for 10 months after reaching speeds of up to 150mph in Devon. Michael Robillard's Suzuki 600 also had a loose seat as he sped along the A380 Exeter to Newton Abbot road. Robillard, 23, of Lymington Road, Torquay, admitted dangerous driving at Exeter Crown Court. He also admitted not having a licence or insurance, and failing to stop for police. He was banned from driving for two years.
BBC News | Bootlaced bike in 150mph chase

A peer who was jailed last month for 12 weeks for sending and receiving text messages while driving on the M1 has been released by the Court of Appeal [after serving 16 days]. On Christmas Day 2007, Lord Ahmed's Jaguar hit a stationary car in the outside lane of the motorway two minutes after he had sent the last of the messages. The driver of the other car, Martyn Gombar, 28, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, died in the crash. The Appeal Court suspended his sentence because of "exceptional" mitigation relating to his community work.
BBC News | Texting peer's road safety pledge

Speeding, no injuries - 10 months jail
Texting, quite possibly leading to a death - 16 days

Call that justice?

Campaigners lose Stansted battle

2009-03-13T18:38:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | England | Campaigners lose airport battle
Campaigners have lost their legal battle to block the expansion of Stansted Airport in Essex. Airport owner BAA wants to increase passenger numbers from 25 million to 35 million a year and outbound flights from 241,000 to 264,000 a year."

Well now - isn't that a surprise. Once again, the environment takes a back seat as the Government ably demonstrates they're in the back pockets of the airline industry.

What's up with ScribeFire?

2009-03-06T09:30:00.002Z

All its recent releases (and it does seem to get updated incredibly often) seem to be buggy (this is in FF2). Its now incapable of making a successful posting on the first attempt. And what's with this image - img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif - they insist on putting (and I insist on removing) from the bottom of its posts?

Bank to pump £75bn into economy

2009-03-06T09:27:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | Bank to pump £75bn into economy
The Bank of England is to create £75bn of new money in an attempt to revive lending and the battered economy. Bank Governor Mervyn King said the policy - called quantitative easing - was about pumping money into the wider system rather than simply to the banks."

"quantitative easing" - trust New Labour to come up with some bullshit term for it.

BBC NEWS | Business | Bank to pump £75bn into economy

Company sold workers' secret data

2009-03-06T09:24:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Company sold workers' secret data
The information watchdog has shut down a company which it says sold workers' confidential data, including union activities, to building firms. A raid on The Consulting Association in Droitwich, Worcs, revealed a serious breach of the Data Protection Act, the Information Commissioner's Office said. The ICO said a secret system was run for over 15 years enabling employers to unlawfully vet job applicants. Action is being considered against more than 40 firms who used the service."

Shouldn't the question also be raised as to how they got hold of this data in the first place? I can't think the employees provided it themselves, so it must have come from somewhere. The Government perhaps - did they actually sell it or even give it to them? Or perhaps they just found a set of CDs on a train?

BBC NEWS | UK | Company sold workers' secret data

British 'careless' with liberties

2009-03-01T17:20:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | Politics | British 'careless' with liberties
British people have been 'careless' with their civil liberties, but that is beginning to change, former shadow home affairs minister David Davis has said."

Oh, come on - when have we said "yes please, lets have yet another national database"? Its not us being careless - we're not having a say in the matter.

BBC NEWS | Politics | British 'careless' with liberties

Straw vetoes Iraq minutes release

2009-02-24T18:59:00.003Z

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Straw vetoes Iraq minutes release
Justice Secretary Jack Straw has vetoed the publication of minutes of key Cabinet meetings held in the run-up to the Iraq war in 2003. He said he would use a clause in the Freedom of Information Act to block the release of details of meetings in which the war's legality was discussed. Releasing the papers would do 'serious damage' to Cabinet government, he said, and outweighed public interest needs."

Presumably vetoed because he knows what a bunch of deceiving tykes it will reveal the Government to be.

"'There is a balance to be struck between openness and maintaining aspects of our structure of democratic government,' he [Straw] said."

There was no democracy involved in the decision to go to war - the Cabinet's decision was a complete travesty.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Straw vetoes Iraq minutes release

Pay recycling costs, stores told

2009-02-17T09:22:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | Pay recycling costs, stores told
UK supermarkets produce too much packaging, almost 40% of which is non-recyclable, local councils say. The Local Government Association argues supermarkets should pay towards the collection of their packaging as an incentive to cut back. In a survey of 29 common grocery items, it found Waitrose had the most wrapping while Tesco had the least."

Rather ironic given yesterday's posting about Tesco - and the fact I shop at Waitrose. From personal experience, I don't agree with the above. However, the level of packaging is still excessive.

BBC NEWS | Business | Pay recycling costs, stores told

Ministers 'using fear of terror'

2009-02-17T09:15:00.000Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Ministers 'using fear of terror'
A former head of MI5 has accused the government of exploiting the fear of terrorism to restrict civil liberties. Dame Stella Rimington, 73, said people in Britain felt as if they were living 'under a police state' because of the fear being spread by ministers. 'It would be better that the government recognised that there are risks, rather than frightening people in order to be able to pass laws which restrict civil liberties, precisely one of the objects of terrorism - that we live in fear and under a police state,' she said."

She has been critical of Government policy before; this is quite outspoken - but she's right on the money.

BBC NEWS | UK | Ministers 'using fear of terror'

Typical Tesco waste

2009-02-16T16:13:00.002Z

Typical Tesco waste,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

This photo demonstrates one of the reasons why I never shop at Tesco. Lots on the packaging about how bad the cakes are for you, but nothing about how, or even if, the incredibly wasteful container can be recycled. What's wrong with a cardboard box? Or a paper bag?

Photographers angry at terror law

2009-02-16T13:44:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Photographers angry at terror law
Hundreds of photographers have staged a protest outside Scotland Yard against a new law which they say could stop them taking pictures of the police. The law makes it an offence to photograph police officers or military personnel if the picture could be used for a purpose linked to terrorism. The National Union of Journalists said the law could be used to harass photographers working legitimately. The Home Office said it was designed to protect counter-terrorism officers."

...but you can just bet that, just like other "anti-terrorism" legislation recently introduced, it will be applied in other circumstances.

BBC NEWS | UK | Photographers angry at terror law

Anti-terror tactics 'weaken law'

2009-02-16T13:36:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | World | Anti-terror tactics 'weaken law'
The UK and the US have 'actively undermined' international law in the way they fight terrorism, a report by judges and lawyers has said. The independent International Commission of Jurists carried out a three-year global study. It concluded that many measures introduced to fight terrorism were illegal and counter-productive."

Anyone with half a brain (and that obviously discounts the Bush administration) could see that abducting and torturing people, and even using foreign interrogation centres to get around your own laws, isn't exactly taking the moral high ground.

"Mr Chaskelson, chairman of the panel, said: 'In the course of this inquiry, we have been shocked by the extent of the damage done over the past seven years by excessive or abusive counter-terrorism measures in a wide range of countries around the world. Many governments, ignoring the lessons of history, have allowed themselves to be rushed into hasty responses to terrorism that have undermined cherished values and violated human rights. The result is a serious threat to the integrity of the international human rights legal framework.'"

It is a shame that the panel doesn't go a step further specifically name Bush.

BBC NEWS | World | Anti-terror tactics 'weaken law'

Price of petrol creeps up in 2009

2009-02-13T18:44:00.002Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | Price of petrol creeps up in 2009
The price of petrol at the pump has been steadily rising since the start of January, figures have shown. However, the price of crude oil is now 40% lower than the last time petrol cost 90p a litre, back in March 2007, according to the AA."

Blatant profiteering by the oil companies again - and of course the Government benefit, so they're in no hurry to say anything untoward.

BBC NEWS | Business | Price of petrol creeps up in 2009

Government plans travel database

2009-02-08T11:30:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Government plans travel database
The government is compiling a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons. Computerised records of all 250 million journeys made by individuals in and out of the UK each year will be kept for up to 10 years.

The government says the database is essential in the fight against crime, illegal immigration and terrorism. But opposition MPs and privacy campaigners fear it is a significant step towards a surveillance society. The intelligence centre will store names, addresses, telephone numbers, seat reservations, travel itineraries and credit card details of travellers."

The Police State expands ever further. Pretty soon we will have to ask permission to travel. This country gets more like Eastern Europe under Communism by the minute.

BBC NEWS | UK | Government plans travel database

Miliband defends secrecy stance

2009-02-05T17:47:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Miliband defends secrecy stance
David Miliband has told MPs that releasing classified US information could do 'real and significant damage' to British national security. Publishing details of the treatment of Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed, against US wishes, could damage trust vital to intelligence sharing, he said."

Bush has gone - there's no need for the UK Government to be afraid of him or his cronies any more. Miliband is obviously scared that revealing anything about Binyam Mohamed's treatment will open the floodgates of evidence pointing at yet more UK Government complicity in CIA torture.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Miliband defends secrecy stance
'No torture pressure' - Miliband
Ministers face torture pressure

Halifax claim 1.9% house price rise

2009-02-05T11:22:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | House prices 'up 1.9% in January'
The price of UK homes rose by 1.9% in January, compared to December, according to the Halifax."

Does anyone really believe that? How come the Halifax often report rises when others report drops?

"Last week, a survey by Nationwide suggested house prices fell by 1.3% in January, and they said job worries were putting off people buying homes."

See.

BBC NEWS | Business | House prices 'up 1.9% in January'

From Nokia 6124 to Flickr via Shozu

2009-02-04T14:04:00.001Z

Walton Church,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

Impressed with how well Shozu is working on my new Nokia 6124 mobile phone. There doesn't appear to be any location data being sent, but then this phone doesn't have built-in GPS. But the app works pretty seemlessly, showing a little popup each time I take a photo to ask if I want to send it straight to my Flickr account. Vodafone have helped too by reducing significantly the cost of data on PAYG - you can now get 24 hours of "unlimited" data traffic for just £1.

Webcam revisited

2009-02-04T12:34:00.001Z

Once again struggling with an IP webcam and encountering D-Link's daft choice of Direct-X as the only way to display the video from their cameras. Meaning that only IE 6 users can view them. An now, additional security in IE 7 means you often can't view with that either.

Go-ahead for new Heathrow runway

2009-01-15T17:05:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Go-ahead for new Heathrow runway
The government has given the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow, saying it is the 'right' move for the country."

Sod the environment, eh? I'm absolutely disgusted by the Government's decision to build this runway. It shows complete contempt for the environment and destroys any remaining credibility they may have had when it comes to green issues. What hope do we now have in persuading other countries to kerb their greenhouse gas emissions having made this decision? We should be cutting flights, not allowing more - regardless of how "green" the aircraft may purport to be.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Go-ahead for new Heathrow runway

Non-DRM iTunes contain your email address

2009-01-13T13:50:00.001Z

"iTunes Plus: Be warned: your account information is stored in every file
Although iTunes Plus files feature no copy protection, files downloaded still contain the email address you have registered with iTunes. So although files can physically be shared with, and played by, friends and family, any of your purchases that end up on file-sharing networks, for example, can be traced back to you."

Personally, I'm happy to continue to purchase DRM-protected files - in the unlikely event I want an MP3 version, I just burn a music CD from iTunes, then rip the tracks back in again. But the above is just damn sneaky - I certainly hope they've put that in the small print somewhere.

iTunes Plus: Everything you need to know - Crave at CNET UK

No.10 on Photography in Public Places

2009-01-12T22:18:00.001Z

"Number10.gov.uk | Photographylaw - epetition response
There are no legal restrictions on photography in public places."

Well, that's a good start. However, it goes on to say that in each situation "it would be an operational matter for the police officer concerned". So I don't think this has really addressed the issue at all. They can quote pretty much any law they like and tell you to clear off - or worse - should they fee like it.

Number10.gov.uk | Photographylaw - epetition response

'Carbon cost' of Google revealed

2009-01-12T21:10:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Carbon cost' of Google revealed
Two search requests on the internet website Google produce 'as much carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle', according to a Harvard University academic. US physicist Alex Wissner-Gross claims that a typical Google search on a desktop computer produces about 7g CO2. However, these figures were disputed by Google, who say a typical search produced only 0.2g of carbon dioxide."

That's staggering. It really is about time that a serious effort was made to make computers considerably more efficient.

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Carbon cost' of Google revealed

Bush warns Obama of terror threat

2009-01-12T20:51:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Bush warns Obama of terror threat
Outgoing US President George W Bush has warned his successor that a terrorist attack is still the "most urgent threat" to the US."

Bush has been using scare tactics on his public for the last 8 years, so he's applying it to the new President now. I think you'll find, George, that drugs and global warming are already killing a lot more of your citizens.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Bush warns Obama of terror threat

Blogging direct from iPod

2009-01-12T12:09:00.001Z

Thought I'd try an application that would allow me to post direct from my iPod to my Blogger blog. Works too!

Home Office denies remote snooping plan

2009-01-06T11:33:00.001Z

"Home Office denies remote snooping plan • The Register
The Home Office has denied it has made any change to rules governing how police can remotely snoop on people's computers. Any such remote hack is governed by Ripa - and the rules have not changed. But European discussions on giving police more access are underway..."

Surely no one can deny now that we - and that now seems to include the rest of Europe - are becoming a Police State?

Home Office denies remote snooping plan • The Register

UNIX_TIMESTAMP 'bug'

2009-01-02T20:05:00.004Z

Not really a bug as such - its just an issue you have to consider and work around - in the UNIX_TIMESTAMP function in mySQL and is related to the twice-annual 'summer time'/'daylight savings time' clock change. My code was saving the right date into the database - it was just fetching it back again that introduced an error. I tried to store the date 31st March 2009 but when I recalled the data, it was displayed as 30th March. So I added some comments to my HTML to see what was happening:




If you use a 'date' field, the date ends up a day out, if you use a 'datetime' field, it ends up an hour out.

Fortunately there is a workaround:

UNIX_TIMESTAMP(your_date_field)

...has to be replaced with:

UNIX_TIMESTAMP(CONVERT_TZ(your_date_field, '+0:00', 'SYSTEM'))

Nanotech could mean sharper snaps

2009-01-02T19:15:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Technology | Nanotech could mean sharper snaps
Researchers in Scotland have been given nearly half a million pounds to try to improve digital camera images."

So, its not the photographer at fault after all...?

BBC NEWS | Technology | Nanotech could mean sharper snaps

Retailer Morgan in administration

2008-12-31T12:15:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | Retailer Morgan in administration
French women's clothing store chain Morgan has gone into administration, the latest retailer to be hit by the sharp fall in consumer spending.The company, which expects to report a 9% decline in 2008 sales, said it still hoped to be able to sell the business."

These companies must have been running really close to the edge if a mere 9% fall in sales is enough for them to collapse.

BBC NEWS | Business | Retailer Morgan in administration

Calls for 'speed-limiting' cars

2008-12-30T10:24:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Calls for 'speed-limiting' cars
Speed-limiting devices should be fitted to cars on a voluntary basis to help save lives and cut carbon emissions, according to a new report. The government's transport advisers claim the technology would cut road accidents with injuries by 29%. The device automatically slows a car down to within the limit for the road on which it is being driven."

More demonisation of drivers from the New Labour Nanny State. If they brought these in, surely you'd never ever see a police patrol car again? Meaning that everyone could use their phone, drink, tailgate, etc. to their heart's content?

BBC NEWS | UK | Calls for 'speed-limiting' cars

Windows 'My Network Places' slow?

2008-12-25T19:14:00.003Z

If you find that your 'My Network Places' window under Windows XP (and possibly other versions too) takes ages to load, its because every time you mount a network share, Explorer adds a shortcut to this window. If they are shares that aren't normally mounted (such as servers only accessible over VPN after login) this can drastically slow the construction of this window. According to the following MS Help page, you can add a new registry entry that prevents this:

The Explorer.exe process stops responding when you use network shortcuts in Windows XP

Technorati tags: Windows network shares shortcuts registry

Dynamic HTML select objects

2008-12-10T15:14:00.005Z

Want to use JavaScript to remove all elements of a select object? Don't do this:

for (i=0; i < form.yourSelector.length; i++) {   form.yourSelector.remove(i); }

...and don't do this either:

l = form.yourSelector.length; for (i=0; i < l; i++) {   form.yourSelector.remove(i); }

Instead, do this:

l = form.yourSelector.length; for (i=0; i < l; i++) {   form.yourSelector.remove(form.yourSelector.length - 1); }

Menezes verdict choice restricted

2008-12-04T16:18:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | Menezes verdict choice restricted
The jury at the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes will not be able to consider a verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner has said. Sir Michael Wright said that having heard all the evidence, a verdict of unlawful killing was 'not justified'."

The whole exercise was a waste of time, then, was it not? All the actions that led to the guy's death were the fault of the police. So if the inquest cannot blame the police, what's the point?

BBC NEWS | UK | Menezes verdict choice restricted

Iraq advice 'should stay secret'

2008-11-28T19:16:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Iraq advice 'should stay secret'
Releasing records of the cabinet's Iraq war meetings would do 'serious harm' to war planning, says a government lawyer."

You mean, it might make government ministers feel responsible for their actions? Well, we can't have that, can we?

"Addressing the final day of a three-day Information Tribunal hearing in south London, the Cabinet Office's counsel Jonathan Swift appealed for minutes from cabinet meetings on 13 March and 17 March 2003 not to be disclosed to the public. He said 'a general risk of disclosure would do serious harm' to the decision-making process. He argued that if the minutes were published 'cabinets are likely to be more cautious how they approach the matter in the cabinet setting' when it came to 'war and peace decisions'."

Well, all previous enquiries have ended in a whitewash - might as well have another one do the very same. Perhaps cabinets should be more cautious when it comes to sending our soldiers to fight politically-motivated, illegal wars?

BBC NEWS | Politics | Iraq advice 'should stay secret'

My iPod continued

2008-11-27T10:07:00.001Z

Just remembered that another thing I use the iPod for is keeping a mobile copy of my work calendar - via iTunes it sychronises with iCal - excellent integration and far better than anything Outlook and my Windows Mobile PDA can manage. I also use BusySync to publish free/busy data to Google Calendar, so anyone, anywhere can see something of where I am and what I'm doing.

My iPod Touch

2008-11-26T15:09:00.007Z

Never thought I'd own an iPod. The few times I'd tried them, I could never get on with that wheel-like interface. But as I'm part of the OU's iTunes U/Podcasting project (I am currently building the website, backend database and XML creation system) I've now become the posessor of an iPod Touch.

"Designed by Apple in California" they proudly state on the iPod's box - but where are they made? And why don't they say?

Apple's iPod now takes about 40% of the world's solid-state music player market and it is by far their biggest money spinner. To cut manufacturing costs, they are of course made in China in factories owned and operated by Foxconn. A bit old now, but here's some links to articles on "iPod City":

Inside Apple's iPod factories - Mac - Macworld UK
Apple responds to iPod factory claims - Mac - Macworld UK
BBC NEWS | Business | iPod 'slave' claims investigated

What of the iPod itself? We'll, its a very impressive bit of kit. The wireless functionality means that its much more than just a music player - I have a Sudoku game on it, plus I use it to read web forums, to keep up with Facebook (although its only partically functional) and to post messages to Twitter. The touch screen is easy to use and the predictive text typing works very well. I'm subscribed to the SkyNext podcast, plus I can play movies on it. Battery life is good and even the standard earpiece headphones do a reasonable job.

But then for £210 (16Gb model) it should be impressive - you can get a fully-functional Windows laptop for that money.

Lexar Launch SD WiFi card

2008-11-25T15:08:00.004Z

Lexar have now launched an SD card with built-in 802.11 wireless so you can send images directly from any SD-equipped digital camera via a wireless network. How do they get it all in such a tiny package - when it was introduced for Compact Flash, it was surprising enough!

Whether they just took over the company that developed this approach or have simply licensed the technology from them, I don't know. Unfortunately its only available in the USA at the moment, but I'm sure it will be here soon.

Lexar – Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi Memory Card

Obama wins historic US election

2008-11-05T11:20:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Obama wins historic US election
Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States. 'It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America,' the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago."

Very surprised that Obama managed to win in Florida - I thought the voting machine there wouldn't allow you to select Democrat...

"But he added: 'Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.'"

Glad to see mention of planetary issues so soon, but please don't let his concerns end here - this is just the start. I'm sure that over the next few years, we'll hear more about how the Bush administration suppressed evidence on climate change.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Obama wins historic US election

UK energy bill rises 'double' EU

2008-11-05T11:13:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | UK | UK energy bill rises 'double' EU
Energy prices in the UK have increased twice as fast as the European Union average, according to latest figures. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statistics showed gas and electricity bills rose 29.7% in the past year compared with 15% in the EU."

More evidence of "rip-off Britain".

BBC NEWS | UK | UK energy bill rises 'double' EU

Fire fear sparks battery recall

2008-10-31T09:22:00.001Z

"BBC NEWS | Business | Fire fear sparks battery recall
Laptop-makers including Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Toshiba are recalling 100,000 Sony-made batteries due to fears they may overheat or catch fire."

Great article, BBC - no indication of model names/numbers and no link to a website that might tell us.

BBC NEWS | Business | Fire fear sparks battery recall

October snow 2008

2008-10-29T14:03:00.001Z

October snow 2008,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

First snow at this time of year in this part of the country since 1974. Its mostly gone now though.

Peers throw out 42-day detention

2008-10-13T19:01:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Peers throw out 42-day detention
The House of Lords has rejected the government's controversial plans to extend the period terrorist suspects can be held without charge to 42 days."

Hurrah!

BBC NEWS | Politics | Peers throw out 42-day detention

Records bureau staff work to rule

2008-10-13T18:57:00.002+01:00

"BBC NEWS | UK | Records bureau staff work to rule
Hundreds of staff from the Criminal Records Bureau in England and Wales have started a work to rule in protest at a 0.5% pay rise."

One half of a percent pay rise? That's as insulting as a high street bank's interest rate. So low its not worth the effort. Treated like that, they shouldn't bother with a work-to-rule - just go on strike.

BBC NEWS | UK | Records bureau staff work to rule

Stunning New Google Satellite Imagery

2008-10-10T09:48:00.001+01:00

"Sneak Peek: Stunning New Google Satellite Imagery
The Geo-Eye1 is described as the world’s highest-resolution commercial satellite. GeoEye spokesperson Mark Brender tells Wired.com that the satellite can take photos at a resolution of up to 41 centimeters — close enough to zoom in on the home plate of a baseball diamond. Due to federal law, though, Google will 'only' get images that have a 50-centimeter resolution — meaning the imagery will capture details down to about 20 inches."

You'll be able to see if the neighbour's dog is in the garden (hello Barney!).

Sneak Peek: Stunning New Google Satellite Imagery

MoD computer hard drive missing

2008-10-10T09:30:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | UK | MoD computer hard drive missing
An investigation is under way into the disappearance of a computer hard drive containing the personal details of about 100,000 of the Armed Forces.

There is also said to be a small amount of information about bank
details. It contains details of passport numbers, addresses, dates of
birth, driving licence details and telephone numbers."

Was it an external - portable - hard drive, by any chance? Lessons still not learned?

BBC NEWS | UK | MoD computer hard drive missing

Gurkhas' joy at court victory

2008-09-30T19:12:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | UK | Gurkhas' joy at court victory
Cold London rain could not dampen the spirits of retired Gurkhas as they celebrated winning the right to stay in the UK. Dozens of them milled about outside the High Court, sheltering from the September rain in the portico of the ornate Royal Courts of Justice, as a judge inside was ruling on their two-year legal battle. They successfully challenged immigration rules which said that those who retired from the British Army before 1997 did not have an automatic right to stay."

Congratulations guys - well deserved. The ban was absurd pettyness by the Government.

BBC NEWS | UK | Gurkhas' joy at court victory

Personnel records stolen from MoD

2008-09-27T21:43:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | England | Gloucestershire | Personnel records stolen from MoD
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investigating the theft of computer files with the records of thousands of serving and former RAF staff on. The information was stored on computer hard drives at the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency at the RAF Innsworth site near Gloucester. The theft of the files took place on 17 September, within a high-security area on the base.

A spokesman for the MoD police said: 'We can confirm that an investigation is being conducted by MoD police, with the support of Gloucestershire Police into the apparent theft of three USB portable hard disk drives. In view of the ongoing nature of police inquiries, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.'"

Portable - when will people learn? Stop storing personal data on portable devices!. For goodness sake - its not rocket science.

BBC NEWS | England | Gloucestershire | Personnel records stolen from MoD

Large discounts by home sellers

2008-09-27T13:11:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Business | Large discounts by home sellers
Home sellers are being forced to accept offers on average 9% below their asking price, said the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics)."

Or put it another way: home sellers are still asking for prices 9% above what their houses are worth in the current market.

BBC NEWS | Business | Large discounts by home sellers

The philosophy of a cyborg - Pt.1

2008-09-26T18:45:00.005+01:00

Watching my Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles DVDs this afternoon, it occurred to me that when we write a cyborg character into our science fiction, we often give it a desire to become Human, or "more human". Why is that? Is it supreme arrogance? Do humans consider themselves so close to perfection that something we created would automatically desire to become a reflection of its creator?

In the first Terminator movie, the Arnold Schwarzenegger character wishes to mirror human characteristics in order to better fit in to its environment, to better achieve its aim of wiping out the Connors. So this is an exception.

In Red Dwarf, as soon as it breaks its core programming (with the help of Lister), the robot Kryten frequently expresses a desire to become Human. In one episode, it actually achieves that aim but discovers its not all that it's cracked up to be. He believes he has "betrayed his kind" and wants to change back.

Surely an intelligence would see the flaws of its creator and therefore not wish to mimic them?

UK opposes green aviation target

2008-09-26T16:48:00.000+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | UK opposes green aviation target
The UK government is lobbying for aviation to be excluded from an EU target to increase renewable energy. Documents passed to BBC News reveal that Whitehall wants the industry exempted from a general target of 20% renewable energy by 2020."

Here we have New Labour protecting the airline industry again.

"The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) says it is pointless holding aviation to a legally binding target if there is so much uncertainty over biofuels for planes"

Well, they do have a point here - its apparent that in some instances, the production of biofuels has had a decidedly negative impact on the environment. But that's no reason why curbs on emissions from the airline industry as a whole shouldn't be in place.

"A BERR spokesman said the rules demanding a percentage of renewables on new and refurbished homes were too prescriptive. It should be up to member states to decide on their own strategies for homes, so long as they stayed within the overall target, he added."

Given the current Government's desire to concrete over the entire South East of England with houses, I think this just as serious. It completely trashes their "eco town" ideas.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | UK opposes green aviation target

BBC NEWS | Hundreds at mass 'eco-town' demo

Technorati Tags: environment, energy, airline industry, BERR, green, pollution

Kelly attacks Thames airport plan

2008-09-24T20:02:00.003+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | Kelly attacks Thames airport plan
London mayor Boris Johnson's idea of building a new airport on the Thames estuary is 'irresponsible', Ruth Kelly has told the Labour conference.

The transport secretary said the idea, aimed at easing congestion at Heathrow, was also 'opportunistic' and would prove 'environmentally disastrous'. Ministers are set to decide on a third runway at Heathrow later this year."

Unless the Government drops its plans for Heathrow, I don't see how anyone in their ranks can make comments like "environmentally disastrous".

BBC NEWS | Politics | Kelly attacks Thames airport planTechnorati Tags: politics, green, environment, airport, expansion

Freeserve and ten years of boom and bust

2008-09-22T23:09:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | dot.life | A blog about technology from BBC News | Freeserve and ten years of boom and bust
In Bradford today the National Media Museum is holding a little party to celebrate the tenth birthday of an Internet Service Provider. Why is that interesting? Well this particular ISP can lay claim to have brought the web to the mass market in Britain. What's more, in its rapid rise to fame and then back to obscurity, you can read much of the history of boom, bust and technological change in Britain."

Freeserve were my first ISP - via a 28k modem. My first domains were bought from and hosted by them too.

BBC NEWS | dot.life | A blog about technology from BBC News | Freeserve and ten years of boom and bust

Record one-day jump in oil price

2008-09-22T23:05:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Business | Record one-day jump in oil price
The price of oil has jumped by more than $16 to $120.92 a barrel, the biggest one-day gain on record."

So much for petrol prices going down. You just knew, didn't you, that the oil industry wouldn't tolerate any significant reductions.

BBC NEWS | Business | Record one-day jump in oil price

Britcar 24 Silverstone

2008-09-22T22:08:00.004+01:00

Got some decent photos at the Britcar 24 weekend at Silverstone. The start of the 24 hour endurance race was marred by a bad accident - hope the drivers are ok.

Recession good news for Lloyds?

2008-09-18T14:24:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Business | Thousands face axe in HBOS merger
Thousands of jobs could be lost in the wake of Lloyds TSB's £12.2bn takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS). While Lloyds dismissed claims that up to 40,000 jobs faced the axe as "ridiculous", it refused to rule out compulsory redundancies. The takeover will lead to cost savings of in excess of £1bn, Lloyds added."

I can't help thinking that this "crisis" is a dream come true for some of these big financial organisations. Normally, such a big merger wouldn't have been permitted given it will reduce high street competition in the banking sector by such a degree - the Monopolies and Mergers Commission would have said no. But the recession has given Lloyds an opportunity to clean up. Just keep an eye on the bonuses that the directors of these companies receive in the coming months...

BBC NEWS | Business | Thousands face axe in HBOS merger

AA: Petrol price fall expected

2008-09-17T13:30:00.001+01:00

"Petrol price fall expected - AA - News - Virgin Media
Falls in the world price of oil have not been reflected at petrol pumps, the AA has said.

Average UK petrol prices have barely fallen in a month despite oil prices going back down under the 100 dollars a barrel mark, according to the latest AA fuel price report. The AA said it anticipated a drop of 4p a litre for petrol and 6p for diesel in coming weeks."

About time too - funny how increases in the price of oil are immediately felt at the pumps, but drops take a good few weeks to filter through...

Petrol price fall expected - AA - News - Virgin Media

Police expand car journey surveillance

2008-09-15T09:43:00.001+01:00

"Fears over privacy as police expand surveillance project | UK news | The Guardian
The police are to expand a car surveillance operation that will allow them to record and store details of millions of daily journeys for up to five years, the Guardian has learned.

A national network of roadside cameras will be able to "read" 50m licence plates a day, enabling officers to reconstruct the journeys of motorists."

Big brother really is watching us. Does any other country on the planet - even the paranoid US of A - watch its citizens to the extent our Government does?

Fears over privacy as police expand surveillance project | UK news | The Guardian

Why hasn't petrol dropped back to £1/litre?

2008-09-15T09:13:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Business | What is driving oil prices so high?
Oil prices have hit a record high at $100 a barrel.

The biggest catalyst for oil's seemingly remorseless rise has been the simplest economic driver there is: the balance between demand and supply. Demand is at an all-time high, fuelled by the continued breakneck economic expansion of the Indian and Chinese economies."

When this story first appeared on 2nd January this year, petrol prices were approaching £1 a litre.

Now that oil has again dipped to around the $100/barrel price, how come the price of petrol hasn't dropped back to that level? Its currently around £1.12/litre.

BBC NEWS | Business | What is driving oil prices so high? - 2 Jan 2008

BBC NEWS | Business | Volatile oil prices slide again - 11 Sept 2008

NMCC Motocross, Crick

2008-09-14T19:29:00.006+01:00

The Northampton motorcycle club finally managed to host a race, this time at Crick near J18 of the M1. This summer's weather has been so poor, at least one event had to be cancelled - this time, it was ideal.

Technorati Tags: motocross, sport, action, photography

No university meddling

2008-09-12T20:47:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Education | No university meddling - minister
Universities Secretary John Denham insists the Westminster government is not going to "start meddling" in the way universities choose students."

That makes a change for this government - they've done nothing but meddle with school education.

BBC NEWS | Education | No university meddling - minister

Mark Thomas Arms Talk

2008-09-09T14:19:00.002+01:00

Mark Thomas Arms Talk,
originally uploaded by hockeyshooter.

Mark Thomas visited the OU today to give a talk on his feelings on British higher education receiving funding from the arms trade. A replay of the event will shortly appear.

Comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins dies

2008-08-29T21:08:00.000+01:00

"BBC NEWS | UK | Comedy producer dies in accident
The former BBC TV head of comedy has died in a road accident in London. Geoffrey Perkins, 55, worked for many years for BBC Radio, where he created the game Mornington Crescent in I'm Sorry Haven't a Clue. He also produced the radio series of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first BBC Radio comedy in stereo. He also worked for Hat Trick productions on shows including Spitting Image and Father Ted."

This came as a bit of a shock.

BBC NEWS | UK | Comedy producer dies in accident

McCain picks female running mate

2008-08-29T20:38:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | World | Americas | McCain picks female running mate
US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, as his surprise running mate. At 44, she is three years younger than Barack Obama and is credited with reforms during her first term, but she is relatively unknown in US politics."

Now, tell me that this isn't a sly move to pick up Hillary supporters who don't like Barack!

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | McCain picks female running mate

Sync iCal and Google Calendar

2008-08-28T14:58:00.001+01:00

"BusySync - Sync iCal and Google Calendar - from BusyMac
With BusySync it's incredibly easy to share iCal calendars with family or coworkers on your LAN without the need for a dedicated server. Shared calendars can be viewed and edited by multiple users, and changes are instantly published and synchronized with all users on the network. You can even make changes to shared calendars while offline and your changes will sync when you reconnect to the network."

At last - some Mac software that will allow you to publish one or more iCal calendars on the web (via Google Calendars) without getting into the horrendous sync problems you inevitable end up with when using software that goes both ways. And it doesn't need 10.5 or the very latest version of iCal either! UK cost is £17 inc VAT.

BusySync - Sync iCal and Google Calendar - from BusyMac

iPhone ad rapped

2008-08-27T09:36:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Technology | iPhone ad rapped as 'misleading'
A television advert for the iPhone misled consumers, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.

Two complaints to the watchdog noted that the advert said "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone". But the ASA said because the iPhone did not support Flash or Java, the claim was misleading.

Apple had argued its claim referred to availability of webpages, rather than their specific appearance."

Ah, so its great that you can get to the URL of a Flash website - but its not actually important that you can read any of it? Come off it, Apple - that's never going to fly.

BBC NEWS | Technology | iPhone ad rapped as 'misleading'

Shell V-Powers their profits

2008-08-26T16:12:00.001+01:00

Filled up with Shell V Power (99 RON) again yesterday and thought I'd take a leaflet about their drivers' club. If you opt for the "money off petrol vouchers", you get 1/2p per litre bought and the lowest value voucher they'll send you is £2.50. In other words, you need to buy 500 litres to get anything, and at the current price (118.9p/litre), that's £594.50 to get £2.50 back - or 0.4% discount. Whoopy do!

Shell earnings last year? £13.9Bn - or £1.5m per hour.

Are these two facts related at all?

'Massive failure' over data loss

2008-08-22T10:47:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Politics | 'Massive failure' over data loss
Ministers have been accused of a "massive failure of duty" after thousands of criminals' details, stored on a computer memory stick, were lost. Details of 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales were lost by private firm PA Consulting.

The missing device includes un-encrypted details about 10000 prolific offenders. It also includes the including names, dates of births and some release dates of all 84000 prisoners in England and Wales - and a further 33000 records from the police national computer.

PA Consulting is one of the companies that has been involved in developing the government's controversial ID card scheme - opposed by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats."

So they can't even keep hold of a small dataset - what are they going to be like with the whole country's data?

BBC NEWS | Politics | 'Massive failure' over data loss

Peru moves to end Amazon protests

2008-08-19T21:31:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Peru moves to end Amazon protests
Some 65 Amazon tribes say the law will make it easier for big energy companies to buy up their land, parts of which are known to be rich in oil and gas."

This is very bad news. Again big global businesses are being allow to ride rough-shod over the lives of indigenous people. Whilst it would be bad news anywhere else in the world, to allow any increase in the industrialisation of the Amazon rainforest is tragic.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Peru moves to end Amazon protests

A-level pass rate and A grades up - yet again

2008-08-14T19:42:00.002+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Education | A-level pass rate and A grades up
There has been another increase in the A-level pass rate and the proportion of entries awarded the top A grade. Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications show 97.2% of entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland passed, up from 96.9%. A grades went to 25.9% of the entries, up from 25.3% - and in Northern Ireland more than a third achieved an A."

The pass rates are set by the exam boards. The only way that a higher percentage can pass is if they change the percentages. And that's exactly what they're doing. It started with the Tories and New Labour (aka Thatcherism continued) are perpetuating the trend. They're not getting easier - the kids aren't getting brighter - the exam boards are simply letting more people pass.

BBC NEWS | Education | A-level pass rate and A grades up

Microsoft sees end of Windows era

2008-08-05T09:16:00.001+01:00

"BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft sees end of Windows era
Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows. Called Midori, the cut-down operating system is radically different to Microsoft's older programs."

Well, if its "cut-down" its already radically different from any version of Windows!

BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft sees end of Windows era