Every OS Sucks February 26, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Funny , add a commentIf Apple’s store is to believed then I should be recieving my Apple TV fairly soon, on which more when it arrives and I get a chance to play. To pre-empt this I decided to have something of a sort out of the miscelaneous clips etc that I have collected over the years. One of the one’s I came across was this one;
Enjoy.
Amazing bowling February 24, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Miscellany , add a commentThis is just bonkers. Getting one of these would be good, getting both is just showing off!
How men and women shower
Posted by Drew in : Funny , add a commentThis made me smile, especially as it is almost identical to a conversation I recently had with friends about their habits.
Speed Cameras - I say good! February 18, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Rants , add a commentI was reading the news the other day when I came across a story about a group of chancers trying to get out of their speeding fines. This was the final straw. I have been going to put this rant down in writing many times but this one finally tipped the balance.
So, what was the gist of their appeal against speeding fines? Some medical condition meant they’d overstepped the limit? A faulty car that had strayed beyond the limit? A terrorist had hijacked them and made them do it?
Well no, they actually didn’t contest the fact that they had knowingly exceeded the speed limit at all, instead “they” chose a much more inventive reason to excuse their law breaking. I say “they” because this one has no win no fee written all over it. The “reason” they gave was that the signs has a 2cm black border around the speed limit signs which was not explicitly stated in the regulations relating to road signs and therefore the speed limit couldn’t be enforced.
No I’m not joking. Read the article and then read the court records. This is true. These idiots made no attempt to say that they hadn’t broken the law, just that the law didn’t apply because of a 2cm black border around the sign. A reasonable person may think that if you can see a 2cm border around a traffic sign then you can seen the much much bigger number of the sign denoting the speed limit and therefore drive accordingly but apparently such subtle reasoning is beyond this bunch of losers.
This was the final insult. I have seen so much regarding speeding, it appears to be something of a national obsession. Apparently we should all be able to drive where we want and at whatever speed we want. The massive amount of publicity around speed cameras is epitome of this debate.
I have seen different points to this argument that I will cover off now;
Speed Cameras are a tax on motorists. Why? Please explain. I have passed hundreds if not thousands of speed cameras both fixed and mobile and not yet had to pay a fine*. To make it even easier in this country we mark fixed speed cameras with bright yellow cases and mobile ones have signs for miles before telling drivers that they are entering into an area which may have cameras. Why therefore am I not paying this “tax” when so many others apparently are?
If I have to look at my speedo so much I’m in danger of having an accident. This is the one that really makes me laugh but seems to get repeated in local newspaper letter pages time after time. Let’s break this down a little.
Looking at the speedo causes accidents. Well now does it? Does this mean that you also don’t check your rear view mirror because you may crash? Do you not check your wing mirrors in case you veer off the road and end up in a hedge? Nope didn’t think so (at least hope not). Why does checking your speed make you any less in control than checking your mirrors? To make matters worse most of the people who make this claim probably answer their mobiles or change CDs while driving and don’t see that as an issue.
The main argument for the above is that concentrating on speed is actually dangerous. So what this comes down to is car control. What people who make the above argument are saying to me is that they can’t control their cars. They won’t of course admit this as they all think that they are the best drivers ever. However, seriously, if they can’t keep their cars at a reasonably constant speed then they aren’t really skilled.
This of course takes us to one of the key issues. When we see signs with the red edges and big black numbers what we are seeing are speed limits. That is, speed limits not SPEED TARGETS. In other words, if your car control is so poor that in order to stick within the speed limit you need to constantly check your speedo, try dropping to 5mph below the limit, that even if you are crap you should still not exceed the limit.
Everyone speeds, it’s not like it’s serious. Try telling that to the families of the people killed every year by people who had they been driving within the limit would probably have avoided the accident or if not have caused less damage. This is a standard “it won’t happen to me” response. Trust me, it will. The more you speed the higher your chances. You won’t believe me of course. So given that this is your approach to risk and probability then to any speeder out there, I’d like to play poker with you 
My Soapbox now well and truly out
OK so a rant is a rant but now I get the trusty soapbox out!
I treat 30 and 40 mph zones as sacrosanct. As such I get abuse on a daily basis. This I don’t mind, I’m more than happy to have stand up with anyone on this subject. What worries me and gets me going most is how many of these people stuck on my backside (with no chance of stopping should we have to break by the way) are women with children in the car. This isn’t a sexist thing, it’s an observation based on fact. The problem I have is that this driving is quite often on the way to or from a school and therefore is around other parents and their children.
So I pose a question to any parent out there. If, and I hope this never happens to you, a knock on the door comes and a policeman in a white covered hat tells you that your child has been knocked down by a car and because it was travelling at 45 in that 20mph school zone your child didn’t stand a chance and is dead what will your response be? Will you say, the honest answer now;
- We all do it - they couldn’t have known - it was just an accident - fair enough
- I want them charged murder
I think I know. I also think I know the response when the driver gets a 12 months suspended sentence.
Now the next time you are driving past a school at 45 instead of 20, which answer will you want when the police have you in a cell?
Oh but then again, you were only speeding, everyone does it and don’t the police have “proper criminals” to go after?
Apple iPhone - A Design Too Far? February 17, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Technology , add a commentJust over a month ago at MacWorld Expo, Steve Jobs finally announced the long rumoured Apple mobile phone cum music player, inventively named the iPhone (someone’s trademark acknowledged). Needless to say that this was met with the amount of hype and hyperbole that only an Apple product announcement can bring. I’m not about to rehash the debate over the Jobs speech and whether this really is a major advancement “revolutionising” the mobile phone. It isn’t. End of.
Now at this point I need to say, in my one and only attempt to pacify the Apple fanboys, that I am a big fan of Apple myslef. I am writing this now on my MacBook Pro which is the computer I use most despite owning a number of them. This is the latest in a long line Macs I have owned. If like me, you’ve used your own money to buy Apple kit for over 10 years then I may allow comment from you :-).
First of all the obvious positive. I like the look of the iPhone, I’m going to use this name from now on - it may not be the final name but it’s easy to type, and it has the usual Apple flair for design.
Second. Err. Just hold tight, I’ll think of something.
Nope, nothing springs to mind. I’m not saying there is anything particularly wrong with it, it’s just that nothing really encourages me to swap my current phone for it. What I want from my mobile is what is important to me personally so let’s take a look;
- Long battery life - lots of talktime and even more importantly lots of standby, my phone needs to be on 24×7 so the longer it goes between charges the better
- A reasonable size - I don’t want something too small, need to be able to hold it and send all those text messages but I don’t want to go all 80s and be holding a brick
- A phone - now I know this is the controversial one but I use my phone for calls and texts and while having a music player built in is useful it isn’t the main reason for me having it
- Easy texting - I probably send SMS messages more than anything else so I want to know that I can do that with ease
- High speed data - this is a bit of a new one for me but now that Google has brought out GMail for mobiles I’ve started to use it on the road and as always in these cases once you start you find other uses so 3G/EDGE is a real help
- I need to keep my incomming numbers (I have two on the one device) and am happy with my current provider (Orange)
So, how do I think the iPhone meets my requirements and will I be changing?
Battery life. Hmmm. Not a phrase I think anyone at Apple has ever heard. For my sins I owned a Mark 1 iPod. It was great. It played music and had a great interface, was simple to use and the transfer from iTunes was a doddle. Cool. Then about 9 months later I could play at least a single track before needing to recharge. Still in warranty I had it replaced and got an bigger HD in my iPod for free and wow, it actually worked. Then 10 months later I was using my portable player just fine - as long as it was plugged in to the mains, batteries not so good. So, lets just swap that again. When the 3rd one after 12 months was starting to suffer the same fate then I gave up. Just iPod? Nope, same problem with iBook, PowerBook and I have every confidence with the current MacBook Pro. The difference though is that if the battery on my latest MacBook Pro goes before I want to swap the whole device I can change the battery no problem. Not so with the iPod. How about the iPhone? The iPhone has stated battery life that is quite impressive but my long history with Apple doesn’t fill me with hope. Verdict: minus.
Size. It’s from Apple. Design is their thing so it’s going to be pretty good. The measurements (115 x 61 x 11.6mm) are not a million miles from alternative devices that do music and “organiser” things from Nokia and SonyEricsson. The weight at 135g is more than I’d like (present phone that also plays music - not a feature I bought the phone for but it’s there - is 95g) but it’s not going to cause muscle ache making calls. Verdict: neutral.
A phone. This is after-all the main reason for the device. It’s not possible to give a proper review of this until one has been seen in the wild but as of now it looks pretty good. The one thing this device had to have going for it is the UI. Saying it runs OS X was in my view a mistake when the next statement was that it wasn’t open to 3rd parties but the fact remains that Apple know how to do user interaction and this device shows that very well. Everything I’ve read/seen thus far tells me that this is going to be a good user experience when it comes to contact management and calls. The device is also being listed as Quad Band which is a definite plus for anyone travelling around the world. Verdict: plus.
Text messaging. This is a tricky one. I write text messages using as best I can real words and try not, unless hampered by character limits, to indulge in txt tlk (sic). One of the biggest issues I’ve faced moving between handset manufacturers is the difference in predictive text software. Having used Nokia handsets for many years I got into the swing and then found when I moved to a Motorola handset that I had to relearn an entire lexicon. On the face of it the iPhone should be great for this, a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard should make life easier. But. A decade ago I wrote software for a living and this was pretty specialist stuff and one of the input devices of choice was the touchscreen. Now I realise that technology will have moved on but my mind is still back to when I used to stand at exhibitions and have to type names into the software using the touchscreen. The lack of tactile feedback makes a startling amount of difference. I can’t at this stage shake this. Verdict: neutral.
Data. This looks good. WiFi and EDGE with Safari to browse. Large screen. This one is a winner. Verdict: plus.
Provider. Now we get to it. I need to keep my mobile numbers, I have two of them - one personal and one work - and not only have I had them for a long time I also don’t use landline telephony for my personal use so whether personal or work a lot of people know how to contact me using these numbers. I’ve also been with my provider for over 14 years and am happy to stay with them. That is, there is no reason for me to change. The announcement at MacWorld was a US only affair and made it clear that Apple had entered into a sole carrier agreement. Further announcements followed and they were along the lines that Apple would be seeking a single European provider. This may have been a “spokesman” and therefore total bollocks. But even if Apple were looking at one carrier per country in Europe this would still put so many minus points onto the scorecard to stop the decision in its tracks. My hope would be that the language to this point has been from people with no understanding of the European mobile market and as such a total pile of dung. But as of now that’s what is on the books. Verdict: minus x 2.
Final Verdict
I think the iPhone looks excellent. I’ve seen many of the features that are claimed to be “a revolution” on other devices but Apple are as ever very design savvy and have wrapped up all of these elements into a pretty snazzy device.
On the basis of what is known now though I won’t be changing. It’s close and some of my concerns may be dismissed a couple of years from now when the iPhone has been in use with real users for 18 months or so, hopefully in Europe. The price has been widely touted as an issue but in real terms it isn’t a million miles from the actual handset price of phones here in the UK, the point that Apple need to get though is that anyone on a contract with one of the main providers probably gets the handset for free or not much more if cash is needed - this comes from having a partner relationship with more than one of the carriers. Of all the reasons that I have for not getting one personally (and not replacing the 350 phones I control professionally) the battery life is the first. This may be resolved and we’ll know 12 months after it goes on sale. The second and by far the more important issue is in the choice of carrier. I won’t change my own mobile to another carrier for any phone, however good. For my professional view? Take this and multiply it by 350 :-).
Stuff On My Cat: Stuff + Cats = Awesome February 13, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Funny , add a commentOK so every now and then I come across something that just tickles me and this is one such site. Nope, it has no actual merit but I like it :-).
Stuff On My Cat: Stuff + Cats = Awesome
MOAB - Time for Apple community to take stock? February 2, 2007
Posted by Drew in : Rants, Technology , add a commentI picked up on a blog post today, the author posted a summary of thoughts on the Month of Apple Bugs that ran throughout January.
Tales of Being TJ » Blog Archive » What did I learn from the MOAB? Not much
Having read the post I commented as follows;
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I would agree that the hype around MOAB has all but obscured any legitimate aims that the group may have once had. However, I would far rather people be raising what they feel to be issues to get them out into the community where they can be checked to see if they are valid. Simply holding the line that OS X is secure and anyone who says otherwise clearly has an agenda that is “anti-Apple” is a total nonsense. Complacency has been the source of decline of many endeavours. The security community has been having debates following disclosure of potential vulnerabilities for years (check out Bugtraq if you haven’t already) but nowhere have I seen the kind of response to a suggested issue than within the Apple realm.
And whilst finding most of Tj’s piece would form part of a reasonable debate I have to say when I got to the following part I was amazed.
“As it is, the only user on my Macs is me. So I don’t worry much about local users. That means #28, 22, 21, 15, 17, and 14 are essentially unimportant to my daily living.”
I don’t argue that this isn’t true for Tj but does that mean if vulnerabilities don’t happen to impact on a proportion of the user base that they should just be ignored? As someone who does have hundreds of Macs on a network I obviously want to know of potential problems, even if only to be able to satisfy myself that I can’t exploit them with the information generally available and therefore rest slightly easier.
I’ve owned my own Apple kit for many years and use OS X for most of my personal computing. However I am not naive enough to think that Apple have somehow managed to assemble a team of perfect developers and testers who ensure that there is not one single error in the software that they release. Yes OS X is relatively secure. Do I think it is impervious to attack? Not a chance in hell.
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To be honest I find the whole situation surrounding Apple on the one hand quite bizzare and on the other quite reminiscent of times past. Back in the day when USENET was king the comp.sys.[insert favourite system].advocacy groups had similar material! I think the Apple fanboy attacks on anyone who dares to criticise is up with the worst of the c.s.a material.
The conspiracy theorists manage to see a plot that Machievelli himself would be proud of. The MOAB was in January therefore must be tied to Microsoft for the launch of Vista. Seriously? The only people I know who have even heard of MOAB are people who already own Apple kit. There are it seems many many people who would rather see such a plot than accept that OS X isn’t bullet proof. Personally I don’t care if it was Microsoft sponsored, if any of the issues that they raised are exploitable and as a result of disclosure get fixed, whether in OS X or any App that runs atop it, then I’ll be typing these entries on an even more secure machine and that is all that matters.