Posted September 30, 2005
Sony, my favorite Proprietary Format
Manufacturer, today announced they’re adding another Memory
Stick to the line. The
Micro.
With reduced power consumption (1.8 V), higher-density (in theory 32GB) and
small form (15 x 12.5 x 1.2mm) it’s the media we all
need for
the next generation PSP / Sony Phones. I say need, because Sony does this thing
where you can’t really use
the older, bigger Memory Stick formats in newer devices.
My Pro Duo (1GB) stick works in my
Sony Camera, it also fits my Camera and my Mobile Phone… but that doesn’t mean
I can share files or photos - due to directory structure… bastards. Anyway, no
ideas on sizes / prices.Since
we’re talking I’m yelling about Sony, Today they also announced
they’re going to patch the Firware on the PSP to 2.1 which will disable the
homebrew hack that allows downgrading to the homebew-savy 1.5 Firmware. Fuck you
Sony. Specifically going after people’s use of a device after you’ve sold it to
someone. Well, I’m never going to buy a UMD Game (unless its ridiculously
discounted or unauthorised by Sony) because of PSP’s press guy, bite
me.
It is not what the device was designed
for…
Patrick
Seybold (Sony’s Resident Tosser
Spokesman)Update:
I can
actually take the Pro Duo out of my Sony F717 and stick it in my PSP for
slideshow playback, that’s nice. But y’know.
Posted September 27, 2005
I backup my iBook once a month or so to an
external Hard Disk. The 40GB Drive inside my iBook has always worried me, after
reading the how-to’s on
replacing the (very well hidden)
Hard Drive in the dual-usb models I really didn’t want anything to go wrong with
an already second-user laptop. Well, last night I did my monthly backup (notice
to other Tiger users Carbon Copy Cloner
works on 10.4 now!) using Mike Bombich’s *snigger* freeware tool “Carbon Copy
Cloner“, this little app takes advantage of a few UNIX tricks that
will clone your hard-disk contents to whatever external medium you want (iPod
even), the beauty of cloning - a built-in feature of any Apple
Application - is that you can clone a bootable copy of any disk… the “forks
are preserved” and so I can boot from an iPod or External Hard Disk as if I were
loading up from the hard disk inside my
Mac.But I’m not booting from the hard
disk in my mac, because around 2AM this morning - while watching an episode of
Ghost in The Shell - my iBook’s internal hard disk broke. Lucky I made that
backup, eh? Well, it gives me a reason to upgrade (to 60GB
at 5400RPM) and have a look inside my iBook. I can’t say the timing is
good - I’m in the middle of designing a website for work, it’s all safe on the
server, but I don’t have the portability to edit on my ‘commute’ to the office
in Elgin (something that may have led - with its bumps and bashes - to the
demise of the current drive). I’ll make do - I have a Dell for backup, battery
life of 30mins, woo!Oh - if you’re in
the market for a new laptop hard disk, looks like Fujitsu
are the way to go… apparently making the disk ’silent’ is high on their
priority list, theirs and mine.
Posted September 24, 2005
What is life for,
why do we suffer?
Why do we work so hard?
If not to enjoy the fruits of independence.
Garrison Keillor from “A
Prairie Home Companion“Near
the end of this segment “The
News from Lake Woebegon“, which in the most part is improvised,
Garrison tells the story of a man who seeks a moment of peace, for himself. He’s
not ill, upset or mad… he’s married, but — well, just listen
to it. Even if you fail to grasp the message of the piece - I guarantee you’ll
enjoy his Minnesotan drawl. You might learn something from this wise old man
too.
Posted September 21, 2005
I called Wanadoo today to arrange disconnection,
we’ve had a very painful year of broadband (unsupported, for the most part) due
to my choice of Operating System - on a
computer that just works why should I have to call Technical
Support? you may ask, I’d ask “Why do Wanadoo
send me SHIT in a box… this isn’t a modem its SHIT and FUCK! I’m in a 12 Month
contract with these bandits…” etc. *Please feel free to add your own
Callum-Shouting-at-a-screen voice
later*Anyway, that’s that - and I’m
surfing around with my MAC (That’s Migration Authorisation Code) in hand, Demon,
PIPEX, Zen… Tiscali? Well, I want: No-caps, 1MB+, 256 Up, a few e-mail
addresses and webspace 100mb+… for less than ¬£17.99 a month - its
possible, give or take a few of those frilly extras, my core ‘need’ is simple:
unrestricted 24/7 - no limit what-so-ever access. We’ve got GMail these days,
and I don’t really need a whole 1MB (Oh, yes - in Britain, that’s premium -muhahaha),
I can take a hit on upload speed too - I guess… Webspace the clincher? Well,
then I saw this. And wept– Apple
are so good to me. (only the slightest hint of “a little over-due Steve?”
sarcasm).My .Mac account has been
upgraded to 1GB of Webspace… which makes choosing my Broadband ISP easier -
although I still don’t feel like signing on for another (3rd) year of .Mac-ey
goodness I appreciate the update, the clean integration with Tiger - service
improvements and all that Sync-ing is fun too…. hmm, I’d consider staying on
if I can find a dirt-cheap ISP.
Posted September 13, 2005
Well, let my start with a confession - for about
three years I’ve sworn by my Microsoft “Wheel Mouse Optical” (another reason why
Microsoft don’t rule on Marketing?). The main feature: IntelliEye “Optical
Technology” (good for 2002? - 33%
Faster) it was my first optical mouse and yes
I stared at it… pointed it at my dog, brother, small furry woodland
creatures… hardly a ‘laser’ but its coming.It
was responsive, clean, simple - useful. I got myself a Mighty Mouse the other
day… oh, lordy - that M$ Mouse sucked. In my new-world of clean-white
precision there is no lag, and no ugly scroll noise, nor is there a stupid LED
that (I imagine was put on the back of the mouse as part of design)
![studio2f.com [vindication]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2780051709_539026d034_s.jpg)
