Saturday 30 April 2011
International Internet access
Roaming fees are ridiculously expensive. An article at Engadget suggests Xcom Global, though $US12.95 per day, for a USB dongle is $US388.50 per month.
More interesting are the comments, particularly the one which suggests a service called iPhoneTrip:
Engadget article:
Sydney to use natural gas to produce electricity on site
A typical power station uses heat to make steam which is used to drive generators. Waste heat is ultimately thrown away. In a new project in Sydney, the waste heat will be used to provide heating and cooling:
Friday 29 April 2011
Saurik: Why you should jailbreak your iPhone (video)
http://www.funkyspacemonkey.
And there's untrackerd, the jailbreak app that stops your iPhone from storing tracking information.
And there's untrackerd, the jailbreak app that stops your iPhone from storing tracking information.
Mobile phone radiation could interact with human tissues in a never-before-considered way
A majority of brain surgeons use mobile phones only in speaker mode.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Tuesday 26 April 2011
The best camera is the one that's available
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/04/hey-some-people-actually-use-the-ipad-2-to-take-pictures/
In practice, the best camera is the one you have with you. That's the only reason I ever use the camera in my phone. Given a choice, I'd always use my DSLR. But it's big & heavy, so it usually stays at home.
When something worth photographing appears, I grab the best camera available. If that was an iPad, I'd use that.
The photograph at the top of this item was taken using a Palm Treo with a resolution of 640 x 480.
The photograph at the top of this item was taken using a Palm Treo with a resolution of 640 x 480.
How much fuel does a hybrid realy use?
We've all seen the figures for fuel consumption, achieved on a test machine. "Your mileage may vary," & in fact it does.
For some real-world, long-term (since 2007) figures have a look at:
Monday 25 April 2011
Miren is a speedy alternative browser for Android
Some interesting alternatives suggested in the responses:
Sunday 24 April 2011
Why you should care about the iPhone location-tracking issue
"Bottom line, this data shouldn't stick around on your iOS device, because it does nothing but put you at risk. And you should care about that, because this problem can be and should be fixed by Apple, and you should demand that." – Wired, 22 April 2011
Saturday 23 April 2011
Friday 22 April 2011
They're all doing it! (video)
It's not just Apple tracking phone users. Microsoft, Google & RIM are doing it too.
The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it
This was previously mentioned in these pages. More at:
http://m.engadget.com/default/article.do?artUrl=http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/the-iphone-tracking-fiasco-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/&category=classic&subCategory=featured&icid=eng_featured_art&type=&postPage=
One more reason to jailbreak.
The item below, while excusing Apple at length, ignores two important points:
http://m.engadget.com/default/article.do?artUrl=http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/the-iphone-tracking-fiasco-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/&category=classic&subCategory=featured&icid=eng_featured_art&type=&postPage=
One more reason to jailbreak.
The item below, while excusing Apple at length, ignores two important points:
- In many jurisdictions, clicking on an "Agree" button when installing software does not constitute agreement. This recognises the fact that no one stops to read long legalese documents in the middle of a software installation.
- Most commentators, including HHG2Tech, are less concerned about what Apple might do with this data, but what a thief might do with it.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Cane toad breeding population located in Sydney
Cane toad (Bufo marinus)
Credit: coffscoastadvocate.com.au
If you're not familiar with the story of the cane toad in Australia:
There is an old song where a householder has a mouse, so gets a cat. After it gets rid of the mouse, the cat becomes a nuisance & so the householder gets a dog. To get rid of the dog, an elephant is the solution.
Australian experience with the cane toad has been similar, though not so amusing: sugar cane was introduced to the state of Queensland. An accidental introduction was the cane beetle (Dermolepida albohirtum), which feeds on sugar cane. On very little evidence, the cane toad was introduced to control the cane beetle. It didn't. Basically, the problem is: sugar cane grows 2 to 9 metres (7 to 30 feet) tall. Cane toads can't climb & can barely jump. So cane toads don't eat cane beetles.
What they do eat is almost everything else.
Cane toad tadpoles are poisonous if ingested & the adults have poison glands. Between their voracious appetite & poisonous flesh, cane toads constitute a major threat to native animals, both larger & smaller.
And it gets worse: toads have been invading adjacent states, partly opportunistically, on human transport, & also by their own efforts. At the moment, the front moves 40 to 60 km per year.
After Fukushima, time for more nukes
Nuclear energy has a long history of disasters and broken promises. Now, in the aftermath of Fukushima, the nuclear industry in Australia is suggesting building more:
http://m.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/call-for-renewed-debate-on-nuclear-energy-in-australia-20110420-1dp13.html
Maybe its the possibility of safe nuclear energy using thorium, that has the uranium zealots in such a hurry.
Maybe its the possibility of safe nuclear energy using thorium, that has the uranium zealots in such a hurry.
The vagina travelogues
Can't be too careful. An effort to avoid this kind of trouble quite a few years ago was the name of a word processor called "Samna". The name was chosen because it had no meaning in any known language.
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Google using Mitsubishi i-MiEV in Australia
At the moment, there are no mass produced electric vehicles available in Australia. There's the Tesla & the Blade (converted Hyundai), but neither are mass produced.
Mitsubishi are supplying their i-MiEV, but only to fleets at the moment. Google has a fleet in Australia:
Blade Electric Vehicles:
Solid state drives – 4 compared
SSDs have come a long way, getting bigger & faster over the last few years. Where are we up to? Giz compares 4 of them:
Tuesday 19 April 2011
 |
| Auckland, New Zealand – Skytower, tallest building in the southern hemisphere, looking upward through a glass ceiling to the floors above. White, angular structures are eaves of the floors above. Holes in eaves are presumably for drainage. White-to-yellow globes in top left corner are reflected lighting. |
The tiny HP Veer phone to get a big launch party on 2nd May
2.6 inch screen? I'm finding 3.5 inch too small.
Monday 18 April 2011
Sunday 17 April 2011
Saturday 16 April 2011
Friday 15 April 2011
Lowering Wivenhoe Dam Level "no safeguard"
Wivenhoe Dam was constructed for flood mitigation. It now seems to have been diverted to water storage.
Nuclear Firm Says It Has No Blueprint To Resolve Crisis
Nuclear industry has no plans for disaster? So what else is new?
Thursday 14 April 2011
Algae & Energy
Algae Could Replace 17% Of US Oil Imports
A new study shows that 17% of the United States' imported oil for transportation could be replaced by biofuel made from algae. Researchers also determined that the water needed to grow that algae could be substantially reduced by cultivating it in the nation's sunniest and most humid regions:
A new study shows that 17% of the United States' imported oil for transportation could be replaced by biofuel made from algae. Researchers also determined that the water needed to grow that algae could be substantially reduced by cultivating it in the nation's sunniest and most humid regions:
A Single Source For Clean Water & Fuel
Sewage-munching algae may soon be hard at work, cleaning up wastewater and producing fuel, all in one go:
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Northern Lights Spectacular (video)
At the moment, the Northern Lights are particularly active due to increased solar activity. The most spectacular video I have seen is this:
If you know of something better, please provide a link.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
iPhone Rising
"Five years ago the iPhone didn't exist but it now accounts for over 50 percent of Apple's revenue. I recently read that if you consider the iPhone business as a standalone business it would be in the top 10 most valuable businesses in the world."
On the other hand, in the 1960s, General Motors had even more spectacular statistics. At that time, if regarded as a standalone economy it would have been third in the world. More recently, it had to be bailed out of bankruptcy by the US taxpayer.
Not predicting anything here.
Anyway, more like the first paragraph at:
Optus Customers Pay To Fix Weak Signal
Remember a previous article, "Optus Femtocell Trial Could Improve Poor 3G Reception At Home"? Here's a slightly different take:
http://m.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/optus-makes-customers-pay-to-fix-its-blackspots-20110411-1da6b.html
http://m.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/optus-makes-customers-pay-to-fix-its-blackspots-20110411-1da6b.html
Monday 11 April 2011
Sunday 10 April 2011
Vimeo Releases iPhone App With Video Editing Features
Versions for Android & iPad are in the works.
http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2011/03/29/vimeo-releases-iphone-app-with-video-editing-features/
http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2011/03/29/vimeo-releases-iphone-app-with-video-editing-features/
It's Almost Easter So ...
On an iPhone, type "tilt" into the Google search bar of the Safari or Atomic browser.
Reputedly works on Android too.
Anyone able to identify any others?
Is Your Printer Spying On You?
Some laser printers include a virtually undetectable code in prints that can identify the printer.
Code sample at:
Saturday 9 April 2011
Broken Links
At this time (02:44 GMT Saturday 09 April), links to Gizmodo articles for yesterday appear to be broken. Nor can we find the articles by searching the Gizmodo site. Google results have the same problem. We are working to provide alternate links.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Friday 8 April 2011
Four Corners On The NBN Next Week
This one is only of interest to Australian readers: the long running ABC1 documentary "4 Corners" episode on Monday 12 April at 8:30 pm will be on the National Broadband Network. Rebroadcasts at the usual times & on iView. More details at:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2011/s3184746.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2011/s3184746.htm
Thursday 7 April 2011
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