Category: news

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ADSL Sloowwww

Today my ADSL internet connection was really really slow.

I initially thought it might be something at my end, but a quick check of my ISP’s status reports showed that they were having issues with a specific gateway (and it was the gateway I was connected to).

Despite turning off my router (as recommended by my ISP) intially my speeds remained poor and with little connectivity.

A few hours later it does seem back to normal. With such poor connectivity it makes me realise how dependent I am on my internet connection for everyday stuff, as well as entertainment and information.

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Wireless just went…

So there I was about to write a new blog entry when my wireless went down (again). Quite weird in that I could ping other devices on the network (even use VNC) but could not access the router via a browser or even ping it.

In the end I just unplugged the router and the Airport Express, waited ten seconds, and then plugged them back in again.

Now working.

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Nikon Coolpix P5100 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and it didn’t go down well with the reviewer.

Ultimately, for us, the P5100 was a disappointment, but not a surprise.

I really like the Digital Photography Reviews as they are so thorough including sample and comparative shots, if you want to get a camera, I would check the review on Digital Photography Review first before anywhere else.

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Oops

When checking to see if something works, one of the first things you should do is check that all the cables are plugged in…

There was me thinking my EyeHome  had died, the reality was that I had previously unplugged all the cables (except the power cable) in preparation for changing my under-television configuration.

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EyeHome Stopped

It’s looking like my EyeHome media streamer has stopped working (again).

The last time it stopped working it was the power supply, which was replaced. I have no idea what the problem is this time. The standby light is on, but the green light fails to come on when I use the remote to power it up!

Trouble is that Elgato no longer make the EyeHome and I don’t think that the new(ish) Apple TV will connect to my (not so) old television without spending extra on expensive cables.

There goes my plans for using my new Airport Extreme.

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Warp speed if you please Mr Sulu

According to the Guardian, there is a conference next week in which scientists will be discussing how best to achieve warp speed.

Captain Kirk and his crew may someday be followed on their travels across the universe at warp speed by the rest of us. If scientists meeting for a one-day international conference next week have their way, the starship Enterprise’s warp drive will no longer be the stuff of science fiction but a viable means of travelling vast distances at faster than the speed of light.

Really?

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18.

…the FZ18 is a well built camera with a brilliant user interface and a superb range of photographic controls. The excellent quick menu gives you comfortable access to all important settings and the entire menu structure is designed in a way that’ll let you know your way around the buttons without any problems after a couple of days or so. There is a very comprehensive range of manual controls, so the choice is yours; you can leave all the thinking to the camera or adjust all settings to your preference. We found the FZ very responsive and quick all around and the efficient stabilization system is a very welcome feature, especially at the tele end of the very long lens.

They do seem to like the camera.

Personally I am not a great fan of this kind of camera format, too big to be easily carried even though generally you will get better pictures, but likewise none of the flexibility you get with a digital SLR.

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Blocking Illegal Downloads

Reuters is reporting that most companies do not block employees from downloading illegal content.

Most companies do not stop staff from downloading music from the Internet, despite the risks posed to work computers, a survey has found.

I have to admit that I do like Mashable’s take on the article.

Of course, we all know that this is because most of those computer managers are leeching ten times more data than regular employees, and they don’t want to lose their uber BitTorrent ratios. And, when the boss asks why he’s getting all those weird e-mails from the RIAA and MPAA, they can always point to “that weird guy who works in the tiny office on 3rd floor and never talks to anyone”.

I suspect that this is probably quite true! Not necessarily always the manager, but at least the support teams.

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Lots of Texts

Well it would seem that we Britons like our SMS text messages. At the last count we were sending one billion of them weekly!

Britons are now sending more than one billion text messages per week according to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA).

From the BBC.

Personally I am not a great fan of SMS in the main as I don’t like small phone keyboards, liked it when I could use it through my Mac OS X address book, but have generally either used the phone or e-mail.

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3 Launch Skype Phone

The mobile phone company “3” has launched a new handset that allows you to make free Skype calls to other Skype users.

The BBC is reporting that:

Mobile phone provider 3 has launched a new handset that will allow users to make free calls over the internet via telephony service Skype. Users will also be able to use Skype’s instant messaging service, 3 said.

However unlike Skype users who can make cheap calls globally, 3 customers won’t be able to do this.

But while people using Skype on their computers are able to make cheap global calls to any phone number, this will not be possible via the new 3 handset.

It’s quite a dramatic move for a mobile phone provider, who generally try and block Skype or VOIP as it is a direct competitor to their core business.

Wonder how others will respond.