Asus Eee mania is getting out of hand. We’ve had the Eee mini-laptop and the Eee PC and now we have the Eee Monitor.
Of course, it’s not just a monitor but looks to be one of those All-in-One PC thingies - a type of hybrid monitor/PC promoting a lack of power and poor upgradeability that I never got my head around. Still, it’ll give those offerings from HP and Apple’s iMac something to worry about.
 |
 |
Last year, we wrote about how cigarette vending machines in Japan were using facial recognition software to make sure the buyer was of an appropriate age. As we noted at the time, it seemed unlikely that such a system would work very well, and, indeed, The Raw Feed lets us know that it’s easily fooled by a magazine photo of an older person. Not too surprising, of course, but you would think that someone would have tested for such things before putting the machines into practice. Unless, of course, they really don’t care about the age of the buyers.
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
Nikon has just unveiled its latest digital SLR camera for ‘prosumers’ and professionals but, if you think that the £2,000 price tag for a digital snapper is too much to stomach, look away now.
The Nikon D700 is a 12.1megapixel camera with an FX-format CMOS sensor that boasts a high sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6400 and continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second. Start up time is a rapid 0.12 seconds, and there’s a shutter release time lag of only 40ms - both equivalent to the flagship Nikon D3. The camera is also compatible with the latest UDMA CompactFlash cards, that allow for 35MB per second recording speed.
|
|
Late last year we mentioned that Google was tiptoeing into the content distribution game, using its AdSense network. The program seemed very limited (and somewhat confusing). Basically, with all the various sites out there (including us) that used AdSense for some advertisements, Google would let them choose from a (incredibly small) selection of videos to include on their sites. The videos would run with ad overlays, potentially providing a little bit of revenue to the partner sites. The whole thing seemed extremely forced and not all that compelling. Most sites have plenty of options for adding content, and this didn’t seem to add much of value.
Google is now trying to expand that by getting content creators to create content specifically for this program, kicking it off by signing a deal with “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who is creating new content just for this endeavor. It definitely helps to get a big name involved — and we still think that it’s worth watching what other services Google tries to provide to its AdSense partners, but it’s still not entirely clear how compelling an offering this is. Yes, having good content in the pool will certainly help — but Google is going to need to do a better job explaining why this is different than just embedding videos from YouTube.
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
I have problems with “Compress Old Files”. When I run disk cleanup, deleting old compressed files takes a long time and may not finish after an hour.
Reza Masoudi
JS: Compress Old Files is a feature of the Disk Cleanup tool (cleanmgr.exe) in Windows XP, but it does not delete files. What it does is take files that have not been accessed for a specified number of days and compress them to save disk space. This wasn’t a bad idea when hard drives were small and expensive, but it’s not such a good idea now. The files that benefit most from compression are things like Microsoft Office files, and these are already compressed as standard when saved in the new Office 2007 and OpenOffice file formats. The files that take up most room - sound, image and video files with extensions such as jpg, mp3 and avi - are already compressed. Trying to compress them further takes a long time and they can end up larger than they were before. If you’re really short of disk space, it’s better to back up some large files to CD or DVD then delete them. External hard drives are an even handier option, but these should also be backed up.
Disk Cleanup can also perform a number of functions such as removing temporary internet files, removing downloaded program files such as ActiveX controls (not always a good idea), removing restore points (a bad idea) and uninstalling Windows components that you don’t use (possibly a bad idea). As such, it provides a useful one-stop shop for people who don’t want to be involved with the operation of their PCs. However, I think it’s better to get slightly involved and download CCleaner from ccleaner.com, which does most of the same jobs. If you need to compress files, you can do this separately. Bear in mind that Windows XP needs lots of disk space to store its swap file (code that temporarily doesn’t fit in memory), hibernation files, temporary files, directory entries etc. You should always try to leave 2GB of hard drive space free, and never less than 1GB, to keep XP running at its best.
I have some unwanted software installed on my laptop which I can’t remove using the Windows uninstall tool. Can you suggest any free software that would do the job?
Mel Hallworth
JS: Add or Remove Programs, in the Windows Control Panel, is usually the safest way to uninstall programs. However, some programs come with their own uninstallation files, and these should be visible in the program’s Start menu folder, or in its folder in the Program Files directory on your hard drive. If neither of those applies, there are several free utilities that will do the job. The one you are most likely to have already is CCleaner. If you run CCleaner and click on the Tools icon, Uninstall is the first tool. The main problem with uninstalling software is removing the right registry entries without also removing ones you still need. CCleaner includes a good registry cleaner, and will also back up any changes it makes, so I tend to trust it.
However, there are a few more specialised uninstallation utilities, such as ZSoft Uninstaller 2.4.1 and Revo Uninstaller. The ZSoft program is quicker and has more features than Add/Remove programs, such as search and analyse, and it looks reasonably safe to use. Revo Uninstaller has lots of extra features including Auto Run Manager, Evidence Remover, and Unrecoverable Delete. It looks powerful, but could do a lot of damage if used carelessly. There are other options at SnapFiles. Bear in mind that some programs are designed to be hard to remove completely, either because they need to resist viruses that try to remove them, or because they have hidden anti-piracy features, or both. It’s a good idea to run a web search for the word “uninstall” plus the program’s name, to see if a special tool is available.
When I minimise Windows programs they no longer go to the Taskbar but disappear off the screen completely.
Phil Boddey
JS: The programs should still be running, so you can Alt-Tab to them. If so, Kelly’s Korner has a registry tweak to fix the problem: Line 240.
When closing down Windows XP I get lots of ads, which I have to close as well. I bought AVG8, but the ads still come.
Sean Brogan
JS: There are no legitimate programs that display ads on shutdown, though it could be an adware program that you installed along with some free software. AVG should have identified it. Try running it again in Safe Mode. If that doesn’t solve the problem, try SuperAntiSpyware.
Nicola Richard wanted a simple way to scan slides on a Mac and I suggested the Plustek OpticFilm 7200i AI film scanner. Roger Larkinson says Plustek’s OpticFilm 7300 (£169.99) “works well. The CD includes SilverFast software for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), and software for OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is available as a download, I believe.”
· Get your queries answered by Jack Schofield, our computer editor at jack.schofield@guardian.co.uk. More at blogs.guardian.co.uk/askjack
|
|
This one is getting passed around pretty quickly, but as he retires from Microsoft, we couldn’t resist highlighting this fantastic internal email from Bill Gates complaining about the usability of some Windows features. It’s old — from 2003 — but it’s difficult to read it and not identify with some of the complaints. It reads like thousands of angry ticked off blog posts from folks who run into ridiculous situations with Windows. The only difference, of course, is that this one comes from Bill Gates. Some excerpts (though, you should read the whole thing):
So I went to Windows update. Windows Update decides I need to download a bunch of controls. (Not) just once but multiple times where I get to see weird dialog boxes.Doesn’t Windows update know some key to talk to Windows?
Then I did the scan. This took quite some time and I was told it was critical for me to download 17megs of stuff.
This is after I was told we were doing delta patches to things but instead just to get 6 things that are labeled in the SCARIEST possible way I had to download 17meg.
So I did the download. That part was fast. Then it wanted to do an install. This took 6 minutes and the machine was so slow I couldn’t use it for anything else during this time.
What the heck is going on during those 6 minutes? That is crazy. This is after the download was finished.
Then it told me to reboot my machine. Why should I do that? I reboot every night — why should I reboot at that time?
So I did the reboot because it INSISTED on it. Of course that meant completely getting rid of all my Outlook state.
So I got back up and running and went to Windows Update again. I forgot why I was in Windows Update at all since all I wanted was to get Moviemaker.
So I went back to Microsoft.com and looked at the instructions. I have to click on a folder called WindowsXP. Why should I do that? Windows Update knows I am on Windows XP.
….
At some point I get told I need to go get Windows Media Series 9 to download.
So I decide I will go do that. This time I get dialogs saying things like “Open” or “Save”. No guidance in the instructions which to do. I have no clue which to do.
The download is fast and the install takes 7 minutes for this thing.
So now I think I am going to have Moviemaker. I go to my add/remove programs place to make sure it is there.
It is not there.
What is there? The following garbage is there. Microsoft Autoupdate Exclusive test package, Microsoft Autoupdate Reboot test package, Microsoft Autoupdate testpackage1. Microsoft AUtoupdate testpackage2, Microsoft Autoupdate Test package3.
Someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable? The file system is no longer usable. The registry is not usable. This program listing was one sane place but now it is all crapped up.
When asked about the email, Gates claims he sends similar notes nearly every day, as that’s his job. If that were the case, though, wouldn’t you have expected Windows to actually get better?
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
As the concept of The Streisand Effect has become more and more well known, the question I’m most frequently asked is whether or not a company stupidly demanding something be taken down is really being done by someone that understands the likely result and is just using the resulting “attention” to their advantage — that is, are they pulling a “reverse Streisand Effect.” It’s often pretty difficult to sort out these cases from the real Streisand Effect, and when in doubt, it’s often best to just assume the simplest explanation that the company really was acting stupidly.
However, in this latest case, I’m really not sure — and am starting to suspect a Reverse Streisand Effect by J.C. Penney to promote a new viral video. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that J.C. Penney is pissed off at its ad firm Saatchi & Saatchi for “leaking” a “fake” ad that “appears to be endorsing teen sex.” The ad involves a young boy and girl practicing getting dressed as quickly as possible before the boy goes over to the girl’s house to hang out in the basement, while the girl’s mother is upstairs. Supposedly J.C. Penney “instructed Saatchi to take any action it can to have the ad removed from the Internet.”
Uh huh. And now, suddenly, that ad is all over the internets. The whole thing smacks of mock outrage with a demand to takedown content knowing that it will only spread far and wide. So what do people think? Is this a Reverse Streisand Effect or is J.C. Penney just clueless?
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
An interesting post from Braden Cox talks about how Ticketmaster’s new “paperless ticket” initiative, which Ticketmaster claims is all about making the experience convenient for event ticket buyers, isn’t at all convenient compared to traditional ticket buying methods. The so-called “convenience” is because ticketbuyers supposedly won’t have to wait on a will call line to pick up tickets that were ordered. Of course, most will call lines only matter if you didn’t order in time to get tickets sent to you. Furthermore, to get into the event, you now have to present both the credit card you used to make the purchase and a photo ID — meaning that rather than just handing over a ticket, you need to hand over two separate cards, which then need to be scanned into a machine, slowing down the whole process. Also, if you bought multiple tickets everyone has to be there at the same time to get in and of course, you can no longer resell your tickets. This doesn’t sound particularly convenient. Instead, as noted in the comments to Cox’s post, it appears to really be about cutting out the resale market. Of course, Ticketmaster may find that this backfires on them. Part of the value of the ticket is its resale value. Remove that and you lower the value of the ticket, meaning fewer people willing to buy those tickets at existing prices.
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
Back in March, we wrote about a complaint to the FCC by cable companies about how Verizon was abusing the number portability system to try to retain customers. In April, Kevin Martin took his expected position in siding with Verizon, the telco. However, it appears that only Martin was convinced. All the other FCC commissioners went in the other direction and sided with the cable companies, smacking down Verizon and telling it to stop.
What’s impressive, though, is the response and the amount of misinformation flying around. Even before the official vote, Verizon’s policy guys put up a blog post claiming that this decision would hurt customers. That resulted in a spirited discussion in the comments on that post between Verizon’s public policy guy and a cable lobbyist. There have also been some interesting discussions among public policy followers, with some, like James Gattuso, buying Verizon’s take that this is bad for consumers, and others, like Karl Bode, noting that Verizon’s spin on this appears to be pure “nonsense.”
The reality appears to be somewhere in-between. Verizon is clearly overplaying the situation in claiming that the FCC is saying that it cannot market to customers who have chosen to leave Verizon for cable. That’s not what this argument is about, and James Gattuso is incorrect in suggesting that the “question at hand” is really about whether or not Verizon can contact customers who have agreed to switch and ask them not to switch. That’s certainly the way Verizon wants you to think about it, but that wasn’t really the question. No one is saying that telcos (or cable companies) for that matter, can’t try to convince customers not to switch. What the FCC has said is that Verizon cannot abuse its position to block the switch while it tries to convince customers not to switch. That’s what Verizon is doing. When it gets the request from the cable companies to switch, it basically goes into procrastinate mode, even though it’s required to process the switch. It codes the switch request as a “conflict” which gives it extra time to resolve the “conflict” before obeying the switch request.
That’s not the same as simply asking the customer not to switch. It’s abusing the technical process for marketing purposes. The FCC has not said that Verizon (as Verizon claims) cannot try to entice customers to stay, or to win back those customers who have decided to leave. All it has said is that Verizon cannot stall and block the change request, once it’s been placed, in order to try to win back the customer before the change is made. Once the customer has committed to the change, Verizon should be required to process it, rather than block it. So, don’t buy the story about Verizon no longer being able to win back customers or entice them with reasons to stay. That’s got nothing at all to do with this decision.
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
The first computer with memory capable of storing a program, ‘Baby’, celebrates its 60th birthday today in Manchester.
Originally named the Small Scale Experimental Machine, but later nicknamed Baby, it weighed in at a non-baby like 1 tonne, took up a whole room at the University of Manchester and has been described, by some, as the first modern PC. Baby held 120bytes of memory and ran its first mathematical task on June 21, 1948.
|
|