Posts by Rich of Observationz

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  • Hard News: Relieving Ambiguity,

    the same ones piling in on the autistic 18 year-old.

    I guess for many of these people (DPF's commentors) a computer is their only friend in the world - so they get pretty upset about one being "violated".

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Relieving Ambiguity,

    A National-led government would not have an opinion on the matter.

    So basically, it would be up to the management to decide how they want to run things. For me that's the problem with the SOE model, at its worst. TVNZ isn't owned by its managers. It's owned by the taxpayer and a responsible government *has* to take a view on how it's run.

    If they sold it to Murdoch or O'Reilly, at least the taxpayer would get some money. Just dropping it is like gifting a billion dollar (guess) company to the people who happen to have been hired to run it. Nice work if you can get it, eh!

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Radio Times,

    I like National Radio and have no involvement in its production or funding. Apart from my hooping friends on This Way Up at the weekend.

    On the left-wing thing, it seems to me that right-wingers are either:
    - stupid (Peters)
    - intelligent but mad (Hide)
    - intelligent but selfish (Key)
    - intelligent but mad *and* selfish (Bush).

    Everyone else is left wing, and so aside from a quota of mad and/or selfish people, an intelligent media source will be intrinsically left wing.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Consumer,

    I'm looking at the MMS spec. I thought it used TCP/IP to the server, but I might be wrong in that - it's written in a special style that makes it pretty hard to understand.

    If it's implemented below IP level, then it would need a device driver change, I think. There'd also be a question, as most WM devices are dual core, around the capability of the radio side. Device drivers can be written by third parties, but need to be signed with a privileged certificate, which involves some sort of testing process (though not on every phone - things like Symbols which are targeted for enterprise use tend not to have signing requirements).

    Anyway, just to be less technical, basically I think what Matthew's implying is that Apple and the telcos are not in a happy relationship (unlike say Nokia and the telcos). So Vodafone is selling the iPhone as a matter of obligation, but is disinclined to offer it at an attractive price point.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: So far from trivial,

    You know, Veitch could walk into a police station and make a statement, then let justice take its course.

    If he did that, then I'd have no objection to his reemployment in the media or any other trade on his release (or indeed acquittal). Because then he'd have done his time (assuming he was convicted) and would be entitled to rehabilitation.

    I'm happy to read the writings of ex-lifer and Guardian journo Erwin James for instance, who I assume murdered someone (he never talks about his offence). That's rehabilitation - (allegedly) paying the victim off and doing interviews with Holmes isn't.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Consumer,

    Something I just thought is that the lack of MMS (and other 3G features like video calling or Press-To-Talk (PTT)) is one reason for the high package cost of the iPhone.

    The mobile telcos' subsidy model is based around likely consumer spend, so a phone that has access to spendy features will get a bigger subsidy for the plan price. Since the iPhone has minimal 3G featurishness and drives revenue streams like music downloads into iTunes rather than telco services like Vodafone Live, it doesn't attract much of a subsidy.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Consumer,

    Is the SDK of the iPhone sufficently open to allow a third-party to write an MMS implementation? (Windows Mobile is!)

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: User-generated Speechification,

    The OED, which is paid content thinks that media can be used as either a plural or singular noun.

    Wiktionary which is user generated, concurs.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Consumer,

    80% would not give up their car until someone prised their cold, dead fingers from the steering wheel

    At $10 a litre I guess they'll be cold and dead, having starved to death. Because few will be able to afford $500 tanks of petrol as well as food.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Hard News: Consumer,

    I did try a Blackberry. I hated the fucking thing

    Same. Sucked like a hoover. Had to enter a 9 character password every time it had been keylocked, or idle over 5 minutes. I noticed on El Reg a bunch of sysadmin idiots talking about how this had to be so, coz it's vitally important that morning tea invites and the like are kept secret by military grade encryption. Really.

    Thinking about it, Internet radio is *my* killer app for mobile Internet. If I can buy a device that can stream me George or bFM anywhere in the world at reasonable cost, then I'm in. Bonus if I can hit a key and download the tune I'm hearing (in 24-bit uncompressed FLAC glory, natch).

    Oh, and summon a taxi anywhere in the world at the click of a switch.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

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