Posts by Neil Graham

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  • Hard News: Make you crazy like datura,

    Check it out: the amazing NYT rent vs buy calculator.

    On mentioning this to my darling fiancé she exclaimed "Who would want to rent a calculator?"

    And that's why I love her.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Media 7,

    I wonder what the other 3.4% use? Netscape 3.7?

    More than you'd think.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_web_browsers

    Konquerer, Epiphany, K-Meleon and Dillo are likely contenders. Maybe a few nutbars using Lynx and Emacs as well.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Media 7,

    Cost per click ads appear when the space isn't sold (for technical reasons, something has to be served). They're usually uglier. If someone clicks on one of those, it makes me between 35 and 90 cents.

    The cost per click model does seem to be quite broken. They only pay when the ad works, so there isn't any cost to making a non-working ad. That'll be why they are ugly. It also incentivises people to head for the adblocking software. That also comes at no cost to the advertisers.

    I have wondered if there is a niche there for people to provide ad copy for other people, where instead of serving one of their butt-ugly uninspiring ads, you serve a better ad for the same product in return for a share of the improved click rate. If you dealt with things on the webmaster side there'd be more incentive to make things appealing to visitors.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Media 7,

    Congrats. Russell.

    How much wok is involved in a program like this?

    I guess the glass topped table, coffee mugs and chairs are a given, but what about the critical things like swooshy things in the backgound? Great big TV screens? Great big TV screens with swooshy things.

    Seriously though, hope it goes well.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: There's Always One,

    Mad Muslim involved in Mid-Air hijack?

    Surely the last word should be Melee there?

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Real Media,

    oh I forgot..

    teach her Visual Basic.

    hell no. :-)

    If it's Basic, It'll be Blitz. Let's you do pretties quickly, that counts for a lot when you're a kid.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Real Media,

    Sounds like a job for...Javascript!

    Hell no. For starters, see my link above. It's a copmarison between flash and javascript. Canvas is a joke. I found setting cells in a table was faster than plotting pixels.

    Then there's Silverlight, the so-called "Flash Killer" by Microsoft.

    Also hell no. It's another of microsoft's 'solution to everything' products. I'll take a look at it when it is actually running on all platforms, but I don't rate it's chances. Two out of three .net applications that I try don't work on my computer.

    Flash is an impressive job for what it does and the size of the download. There are good signs that they have the right attitude about openness.

    (the fact that that 6502 emulator is only 5k in flash is also a plus)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Real Media,

    I have been keeping half an eye on flash. The flash 9 VM is very nice. I even had a play with converting a 6502 emulator from javascript to flash. ( http://www.screamingduck.com/Lerc/6502asm/ Left side flash, right side javascipt).

    One of my many "I'll never get time to do it" project ideas, is something like that with a more sophisticated language.

    The idea that you can past some code into a text box and run it on your browser would be excellent for a learning tool. Programming youtube even.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: Real Media,

    I have been wondering when I should teach my daughter to program (4 years old atm). It's a bit tricky because the simplest thing out there is Logo, but Logo is very unsatisfying.

    also considering the merits of an OLPC XO. Or If I can't get one, something similar (anyone know of anything similar?)

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

  • Hard News: One Million Tunes,

    delusional, murderous homophobe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

    To be fair, he may just be a homophobe or delusional. As for murderous, I hear heads of states get a pass on that one. Actually I think it's becoming a prerequisite these days.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 118 posts Report

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