littertrayblog

Thoughts on Microsoft's potential acquisition of Yahoo!

2008-02-02T02:57:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to get a couple of thoughts jotted down on this merger...

1. Everyone is saying that they don't understand why microsoft is being so polite and friendly in their offer to buy out yahoo. It strikes me as simple - MS is a closed company, yahoo runs from open source standards. The managerial process of cramming these two companies together is going to be very painful (not to mention the technical issues), and so they are trying to keep bad blood to a minimum.

2. Google finally has some competition... as much as I feel that most of microsoft's products stink, google has been sucking pretty hard too. hopefully this will get both companies making better stuff.

3. Apple is NOT going to like Flickr going into MS hands... the release of Apple TV's new software release has been delayed, and I don't think that it is beyond the realms of possibility that it will launch without the demonstrated Flickr integration.

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Just too funny

2008-01-22T12:29:00.003-08:00

A cassetteboy track I haven't heard before!!!

YouTube - Cassetteboy vs. Jeremy Clarkson

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Just too funny

2008-01-22T12:29:00.001-08:00

A cassetteboy track I haven't heard before!!!

YouTube - Cassetteboy vs. Jeremy Clarkson

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Burst

2008-01-20T11:55:00.001-08:00

YouTubers have WAY too much time on their hands...

Embedded Video

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Amazing street 'art'

2008-01-18T01:36:00.001-08:00

Julian Beever's work kicks arse.

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Do Not Card.

2008-01-17T14:54:00.001-08:00

Super funny. Click to see it on the b3ta.com board

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WIN WIN WIN

2008-01-16T13:49:00.001-08:00

Hereford United - FULL TIME Hereford 1-0 Tranmere

Yay for them.

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ha!

2008-01-16T13:08:00.001-08:00

Ask H&FJ | Hoefler & Frere-Jones

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My predictions...

2008-01-15T12:03:00.001-08:00

6" iPhone OS based tablet.
WRONG! Not even a sniff. Having said that, the new MacBook Air looks lovely - if rather expensive.

Blueray in iMac 24"
WRONG! No update for the iMacs at all.

3G iPhone
WRONG! No mention.

Apple TV
RIGHT. Even better than I thought download HD movies direct to the drive, and Flickr integration.

Movie Rentals
CLOSE. $2.99 per movie up to $4.99 for HD. DRM kills it within 24 hours of first play.

No Mac Mini Update
RIGHT.

iPhone 1.1.3
       MMS:                              WRONG
       Basic Video                     WRONG
       DEVELOPERS KIT!            WRONG
       PhotoBooth Application    WRONG
       iChat... probably not        RIGHT
       Multiple text recipients     RIGHT

Pink Classics
WRONG

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Macworld 2008 Predictions

2008-01-14T04:57:00.001-08:00

OK, here goes... better put it to paper before it ALL happens.

6" iPhone OS based tablet.
3G, multitouch, camera on the front. Called the newton (maybe), costing £599 inc VAT available summer 08. Docking station with USB (or bluetooth) for keyboard and mouse, screen sits landscape in the dock.

Blueray in iMac 24"
Blueray has won... i think it might just get a spot in the top end consumer devices shipping from April.

3G iPhone
A sure bet. Shipping late august early september.

Apple TV
A much stronger second generation of the crappy white box. Bluetooth from iPhone control. Other features improved including...

Movie Rentals
USA only to start with at $2.49 per movie. Once you start playing them, they'll DRM themselves dead within 72hours.

No Mac Mini Update
Who would buy one when iMacs and MacBooks are so cheap.

iPhone 1.1.3
Software update to add:

       MMS
       Basic Video
       DEVELOPERS KIT!
       PhotoBooth Application
       iChat... probably not
       Multiple text recipients

Pink Classics
The old skool iPods will be available in the colours.

Right... let you know tomorrow how exactly right I am.

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smarties HERO

2008-01-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

from the b3ta board

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Hereford 3-1 Shrewsbury

2008-01-13T11:45:00.001-08:00

Coming from behind. w00t.

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I am an eco god

2008-01-12T12:43:00.001-08:00

At last... my crappy car is good at something! It did nearly 40MPG on a late night run from cirencester to cheltenham on thursday night.

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Kindle

2008-01-10T14:53:00.001-08:00

A very fair review of the Kindle from Andy Ihnatko. I just can't get past the looks, or the colour of the screen - but the idea of an always on internet connection is cool. oh wait... i have an iPhone with a unlimited data. scub that... i think the whole thing blows.

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Made I laugh

2008-01-10T14:40:00.001-08:00

Super funny episode of GE.TV: A Day at the Cat Show

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BBC NEWS | England | London | Codes to police stations missing

2008-01-06T12:01:00.001-08:00

The BBC is talking about how the entry door codes to police stations are missing. This country really needs to get its data security house in order.

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Just Deduce It

2008-01-06T06:21:00.001-08:00

Very funny indeed. Just Deduce It

via AceJet 170

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Really Cool Wii Remote use

2008-01-06T06:02:00.001-08:00

The guys is clearly NOT tom cruise, but the thing looks very promising

Cynergy Labs: Project Maestro

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I is so gunna eat ya ratz on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2008-01-06T05:54:00.001-08:00

Really happy with this shot of dishes - she looks like she is about to kill moley and toad. Obviously I wouldn't let that happen. The rats scare the crap out of her. She did try to pad toad just before this photo was taken - but he lunged for her (missed) and she ran away.

More shots of cats playing with rats on my flickr stream

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Just our luck

2008-01-06T03:57:00.001-08:00

We woke up early yesterday to wonderful blue skys. We quickly dressed (about an hour) and jumped in the car. The Forest of Dean has some great tracks, and Corbu really wanted to ride his scooter. As we drove the half hour from Gloucester, clouds gathered to the point where it was overcast, but still dry. Coats were put on, and hotdogs were purchased from the little green trailer. We walking towards the gate to the track, and it came down in sheets. We waited for about 20 mins in the car while Hannah had some milk, corbu ate his hotdog and tash and I had some very pleasant hot chocolate (£1.10 with whipped cream!).

I hate this country.

If you want to see my out of focus face at higher resolution, go to Flickr

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Time for a replay

2008-01-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

Hereford earn a replay in FA cup third round. Well done lads.

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Worst Mural Ever?

2008-01-03T11:28:00.001-08:00

An insult to art? Not at all.

This masterpiece is on the wall at our doctor's surgery. I don't know what I like about it more, the look of femininity and despair on buzz's face, his inappropriately contoured crotch, or the elephant's cutting commentary on our 24/7 connected media society with power sockets and aerial jack right in his neck (it also looks like he is squatting to poo).

Sadly it is inedlidgable for this years Turner prize as it was done in 1999. On the plus side, at least it kept him happy while we were waiting to be seen.

Bigger verions on my flickr page

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made me laugh

2008-01-03T06:24:00.001-08:00

b3ta.com board

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Sexiest Geeks of 2007

2008-01-03T06:01:00.001-08:00

I am not a sexist pig... oh... you want proof... urm... there are two blokes in the list...

Please vote FOR:

Kari Byron

Amber MacArthur

Amanda Congdon

Veronica Belmont

Kara Cooney, PhD

Blair Butler

Cali Lewis

And against:

iJustine ... now i've heard her interviewed a lot, and watched her on podcasts... she can just got to hell.

Also - why isn't Irina Slutsky on there????

Vote for the Sexiest Geeks of 2007

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...in a horrible font...

2008-01-03T00:28:00.001-08:00

Big one on flickr

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Gloucester Cathedral

2008-01-02T14:38:00.001-08:00

I was very nearly converted to Christianity by how beautiful the cathedral was this evening. I thought my photos had come out really badly - turns out there were some gems in there... check my flickr page for more.

On his own on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

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OLPC Loss

2008-01-01T12:50:00.001-08:00

OLPC's CTO Mary Lou Jepsen has quit the project and gone to make money elsewhere. I don't blame her - the machine sucks cock.

The videos I've seen have shown the machine to be slow, ugly and critically absurdly proprietary. As much as I hate to admit it, i think that this product is too innovative for the needs of its target market, and that putting windows on it would have made more sense. If cost was an issue, then ubunto looks like a better bet that the XO's operating system. Mac OS would have been nice, but that would obviously be out of the question. I'd love to be proven wrong, and it is possible that given a unit to play with my impressions may change, but so far so shitty.

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Freedom Fries

2008-01-01T10:53:00.001-08:00

This sounds a bit like freedom fries to me, but presidential candidate Ron Paul has launched his own 'Liberty Dollar' as a way of getting around US political donation restrictions. Sorts of seams like a good idea, but what a rubbish name.

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Selling Macs

2008-01-01T06:50:00.001-08:00

I spent a lot of time in PC World yesterday, and while I was there I played a little game. People were walking past the mac stands, half looking, but basicly scurrying past to buy £320 Avant lap tops running Vista. I watched the kiosk video that they leave running - it really blows. I swear it is half the problem - people don't see the interface being used. In 15 mins, only one person looked for more than a couple of seconds.

I force-quit the kiosk application and opened Photobooth.app and set the effect to show the rollercoaster effect. In the following 15 mins, four people lingered near the machine, two touched it, and one went off the the business centre to join the (45min) queue to see a sales person. To sell macs, you need to show apps FULL STOP.

Stores are also failing to show the kit off to its best - the above image (via The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs) shows just how crappy environments that they try to sell macs in. It IS a premium product (even if only 10-20% more expensive than PCs), and the experience needs to be better than a kiosk video, a horrible desk and sales people who don't know what they're doing. Get this stuff out of the big stores, and force Apple Premium Resellers to invest in pleasant spaces where people can use the apps and see why they should switch.

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Everyone uses RSS now

2008-01-01T05:55:00.001-08:00

Just a quick one to say that I haven't been watching how the bulls are getting on much recently. Turns out we're doing really well - 2nd in league two. Well done dudes - promotion in sight!

Anyhoo, turns out that the club has an RSS Feed now, so I have no excuse in the future.

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Andy Ihnatko

2008-01-01T04:47:00.001-08:00

Anyone who reads Ihnatko's words without at least a little grin has a stone heart. His blog is at Andy Ihnatko's Celestial Waste of Bandwidth

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Flock - yummy

2008-01-01T04:35:00.001-08:00

OK... i take it you have broken your new years resolution not to waste so much time on facebook, flickr, youtube and twitter. Me too.

Help has arrived in the form of a new web browser called flock. Flock integrates the above websites, meaning that they are only a click away, and that you can get what you want from them super fast and get back to working (or masturbation) without waiting for pages to load or seeing adverts.

Flock also has a fantastic RSS reader, with fab features such as article saving, folders, OPML support and really nice layout options. I have dumped NetNewsWire. Whats more, writing a blog is dead simple - just right click on a page and select 'Blog This' to open up a really nice editor that integrates with a selection of blogging apps.

Flock works on Windows, Mac & Linux, is free and will change the way you use the internet.

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No Agenda

2008-01-01T04:06:00.001-08:00

The podcasting format of blokes chatting about whatever comes to mind, is one that I really enjoy. I have really enjoyed every episode of The Talk Show with John Gruber and Dan Benjamin. The show set out to be weekly, but recently the timing of new episodes have been all over the place - there were none in November (to be fair babies were involved).

In my search for something more regular to enjoy, I stumbled upon No Agenda - Dvorak and Curry shooting the shizzle about politics, tec and the media. Curry's ireverence counterpoints dvorak's grumpiness beautiful - Dvorak has suggested a a drinking game based on the shot where you have to take a drink everytime says fuck.

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Cork'd changes hands

2008-01-01T03:00:00.001-08:00

The sale of corkd.com is very interesting - it represents one of the first instances of a home-brewed web2.0 company actually providing its creators with a return. I've never been a fan or cork'd design (and hay look, the news is 8 months out of date!), but the community and content are first rate.

No talk of how much it sold for, but well done guys... go get yourselves in the hottub.

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first!

2008-01-01T02:47:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to start with a quick first post to say what i'm using littertrayblog for: my plans (evil) for the next few months or so is to build up an back catalog, so that when I get time to design and publish a proper blog there is at least SOME reason for people to read it. I hope to blog about the web, technology, parenting and other grumbles