Duey Finster's Blog

iPhone 3G Review

2009-04-09T04:15:00.001+01:00

I recently got an iPhone 3G and away from all that Apple mania; I thought I would give an honest review. This is framed in the mindset of all the past Nokia devices (which I have posted about here also) which I have owned.

Okay so where to start? Well I think a good place would be what I could have bought instead. Strange place for a review; but its good to see what is out there and what I was looking at beforehand.

1. Nokia XpressMusic 5800

Nokia make great phones; I have stuck to the reliability of Symbian on their earlier phones for quite some time. I love Nokia; they mean reliability when you need your phone most - always a top feature other manufacturers never got quite right. Maybe its part inertia on my part - I can't really say. Long story short is that this was a major competitor: over the iPhone it has expandability and a lot more hardware features (like RDS Radio), can play a lot more formats also. Downsides: Got terrible reviews for poor Symbian integration with touch; that plectrum looks downright stupid; it is not as sleek as iPhone in form factor (although it is smaller), screen didn't seem as good to me.

2. HTC Magic

Follow up to the HTC Dream or GPhone; this Android device has probably the coolest developer OS around. Lots of activity is going on around Android at the moment; so the first phones to land in the UK and Ireland should be more polished (using next gen Android: CupCake). Their is even rumors it will be adapted and put on net books: possibly making it the standard of mobile devices if given enough time. This will only bring more cool apps in time and reduce Apple's iTunes Store lead. Downsides: Not available yet; so I couldn't buy it. Doesn't have as much apps yet. Isn't as polished in the software interface as iPhone. All of these can be resolved with time however...

3. Palm Pre

I hold out a lot of hope for this! Also Linux based; it promises a cool, open Web developer community as all the apps are online. Web apps need a lot more thought for offline use in my opinion, so I am reserving judgement on this. The interface seems to rock; and developing for it looks super easy... Downsides: not out yet, thus lack of Apps and pricing info.

4. Some junk WinMob

Says it all really: a smart-phone but for less than a good plain old non-smartphone. Always made by some obscure Taiwanese outfit - not that is a bad thing; after-all most iPhone parts come from there. For those on a budget this was my last option; but darn cheap; just over €115 for one! I could have bought one for every member of my immediate family for the price of one iPhone: makes you think, doesn't it?

On to the review of the iPhone:

Pros:

Beautiful Interface:
It looks amazing: lets be honest. I have never seen a phone look quite this good.

Fingers:
Using only your hands is great; lets face it: you cannot forget your hands. You can forget a stylus and even the iPhone itself; but those hands are sticking with ye!

Time:
I use my phone for time; Apple has it displayed elegantly, in the same place, almost in all the phones' screens. I love this as I can keep myself aware of what I have to do next... All in glorious 24hr goodness, they way time was meant to be displayed...

Lots of apps:
The App store grows bigger every day and all those little useful Apps are really handy.

Quick Interface:
The software interface is very fast at getting you to where you want to go; to that Twitter application or your Web mail etc.

Maps and Location based services:
I have seen the future: and it is the Internet that is location aware. iPhone has taken the first tentative steps in this area with allowing apps to use location; as well as building it into the camera and maps applications.

Great iPod:
Apple doesn't lie on this one. It is a great iPod. The best? I haven't decided yet... but it's not far off...

Safari:
It is the real web you get on an iPhone. Not only that: it is surprisingly comfortable to navigate with. I haven't seen a mobile phone device come this close before. The N810 has a great browser with flash; but all round Safari wins on ease of use. I heard the earlier versions were very buggy; maybe I got in just as Safari matured properly.

Accelerometer:
Changing the view of applications as you rotate the phone was a masterstroke. Some things just need to be viewed vertically; others horizontally. The iPhone just makes it happen: seamlessly.. no buttons and no fuss. Thumbs up!

SO-SO

Camera:
Not a lot to complain or praise about the camera. It does it's job... Their is no flash or other trickery other phones have to offer; so any sub-optimal light and the iPhone may as well just not have a camera...

Cons:

Cost:
Its darned expensive! I bought it contract-free and to say it burned a hole in pocket is an understatement.

One Inbox:
Nokia has this one on the button. I don't care whether its SMS, MMS, E-Mail or a message through telekinesis: put it in one place please... It's easier to check; and logically it makes more sense to not have to visit ten apps for each. Bonus points for allowing developers to hook in things like Twitter..

Smudgy:
It smudges and scratches like nothing I have seen. They tried to make it too shiny; at the cost of usability. I would prefer a grippier, less pretty surface: but I am sure I am in a minority on this. I could probably have even been overheard muttering "Smudgy piece of ****" . Add to any price the cost of a cover...

Keyboard:
Yes I know how ugly hardware keyboards look: but they do work. The on-screen keyboard to me: sucks. I much prefer the N810's on-screen one that I can use with my thumbs. Using my index fingers just doesn't feel right; and more to the point: all onscreen keyboards are crap. This is a major TODO for any willing iPhone competitor...

Background Apps:
This may sound like a minor niggle: it's not. Only apps you can run in the background is the phone, iPod, Safari and Mail. I don't even think Safari and Mail are true background apps; in fact I know they aren't: they suspend when they are not at the forefront.

Status:
iPhone OS 3.0 is set to fix notifications; apps will be able to display a number next to their icon. I personally don't think that is good enough. Is a notification area as seen on other phones (you know for like calendar?) too much to ask? I would prefer that as the idle screen rather than the pretty picture.

Activation:
I already feel Apple doesn't trust me; but to force me to run around trying to find a computer with iTunes to activate the thing (I wasn't near home) is just pure stupid. Do it over the air (for free; at your expense) or just don't bother. Fail on this, major fail.

Rat race jailbreak:
Apple should just give up.. People are going to crack these no matter what. You only inconvenience your customers (hint: not the networks; us little people) with all this DRM nonsense. EA has it right: do the minimal DRM for contract purposes.

Pay to release even a free app:
Its a shame Apple thought 30% markup wasn't steep enough... But even developer of free applications have to pay $99 to release it on the store. It would be fine if you could get the app another way... This just causes more junk apps to appear at a cost... If they did this on OS X it would be suicide; why not open up the iPhone to free software?

No 3.5G:
I expect this was due to power; which is totally forgivable and understandable. But a nice feature would be 3.5G for extra speed; I expect this and 4G (WiMax?) will appear in later models..

Eircom Responds...

2009-03-26T15:32:00.000Z

Dear,
[My Name]

eircom has not agreed to block any Internet sites from being accessed by
end-users. As part of the settlement of the above proceedings, it was
agreed that eircom would not oppose an application by the Plaintiffs to
seek to have eircom block access to the Pirate Bay website. The Music
Industry will still have to establish, in the normal way that there is
an appropriate basis for the relief which they seek from the Court.
eircom is not supporting or consenting to the application. The
settlement makes no provision for any site other than the Pirate Bay
website.

It is important to note that:

eircom will not monitor its customer's activities at any stage.
eircom will not implement any form of monitoring equipment or software on its network.
eircom will not provide personal details or any information relating to its customers to any third party, including the record companies.
No personal data will be transferred from eircom to the
record companies which would enable any customer of eircom to be
identified. eircom has agreed to keep confidential and will not
disclose any information concerning its customers to the record
companies and it will in particular observe in all respects the laws on
data protection.

With Thanks
Thomas Ryan
Head of eircom Customer Care

Love letter to IRMA's Solicitor

2009-03-07T20:10:00.002Z

This post is a continuation on the previous one. IRMA is the Irish Music Rights Organisation which represents the big four record companies and their bottom line: never the artist. They have recently tried to regulate the Internet and have forced the biggest Irish ISP: Eircom; to use the three strikes rule and boot people off the Internet... No Judge, no Jury, no evidence of a crime.. Just an IP address and a sanction which you cannot contest.

I have sent a poignant email to IRMA's solicitor based on their letter of attack on the ISP's. If you think any of the language is too harsh by me; please have a look at a sample of the threat letter this solicitor sent out here. This is a legal firm who were suing individuals for thousands of euro; which I would hazard a guess most couldn't pay. So in my eyes this is a form of legal terrorism; and a joke letter to give this solicitor a heads up that there are people out there like me who read and know the tactics of the Irish Music Rights Organisation; and the parent companies like IFPI, RIAA and the Anit-Piracy Bureau they spring from.... It is my opinion that nothing short of punishment (jail time) for frivolous threat letters should be carried out, plus damages (x10 like they do in their cases) to individuals and companies wrongly stressed out by this. I will compile a blog post of all the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) that IRMA has spread soon; and a rebuttal of why their actions may even increase piracy. One thing is for sure; my analysis will be a whole lot cheaper (free) and probably more accurate!

Note: I have taken out names, but the legal firm and the acting solicitor can be examined in the letter above ^

Dear [Solicitor for IRMA's name],

It is my position that you are morally bankrupt through your actions via IRMA vs. ISP's. If you need independent advice on how this technology works (I am in Computer Science; but I can explain things slowly; so who knows?) I would be most delighted to help. Please note my hourly rate is at least twice yours; but I'm worth it!

I look forward to hearing from you in 7 days; lest I contact a credit agency for non-payment. As this email constitutes services rendered by me. But I am willing to trade for legal advice on disbarment of a solicitors firm I know which abuses the law; only because I am a reasonable person!

Kindest Regards & Love,
[My Footer]

PS: This is intended as Humour... only slightly...(joke!). I will publish any response you make on the Internet; so keep this in mind; if you don't wish it so; don't respond.

Rest assured I will publish any response; but I don't expect one....

This post is censored by IRMA

2009-03-07T04:08:00.003Z

I always hoped for better for Ireland; but it seems the thieving hand of "rights" organizations which pretend to represent the artist have struck gold. Being able to cajole and bribe the largest Irish Internet Service Provider (ISP) - Eircom; has worked only too well. Although Eircom has said it will only obey by having a court order - it has agreed never to oppose these - which makes it complicit in the act of censorship. My Letter to Our ISP, Eircom, IRMA, EFF:

Dear [OUR ISP],

We are a loyal customer of yours. We are writing this because we're concerned about recent news regarding IRMA (Irish Music Rights Ass.) relationship with your company (the recent letters sent out).

It would seem that they are seeking to become self-appointed censors of Irish Internet communications. We do not think that a third-party company should be permitted to arbitrarily decide which Internet sites Eircom users; or more importantly any Irish Internet user should be allowed to visit. Will IRMA want to block sites that merely link to copyrightable material, proxy sites that circumvent the block, blogs that criticize its actions? This is a very slippery slope and should be nipped in the bud.

In the recent high profile case against The Pirate Bay in Sweden; IRMA's handlers (IFPI, RIAA) have shown their hand: they don't even understand the underlying technology. John Kennedy, CEO. IFPI:

Kennedy said he qualified as a lawyer since the 70’s but hasn’t practiced recently. He was asked if he understood BitTorrent. Kennedy said he did, but in “very vague terms.” When the defense lawyers asked more detailed questions, about uTorrent for instance, Kennedy said he’d heard of it but had no idea of the details. It was very clear he knew nothing about any remotely technical issues.

This is the the kind of people who wish to regulate the Internet. Questions need to be asked that if you follow IRMA's requested actions does this open you up to legal action for any other kinds of material which rights holders are protective of (Church of Scientology) ? and can you retain common carrier status like An Post; and need warrants issued instead of some rights organisation sending you a vague letter pretending to represent XY&Z ?
We understand the 'concern' about Internet piracy. Artists definitely need to be paid for their hard work. It is an important issue in this day and age, and it must be addressed correctly. Censorship is not the answer. It is avoiding the issue. As has always happened in these cases, it is normal customers who are inconvenienced and have their free speech restricted the most. We need solutions that work, not knee-jerk reactions that are doomed to fail. We recommend you read the EFF’s whitepaper on a better way forward for online music. http://www.eff.org/wp/better-way-forward-voluntary-collective-licensing-music-file-sharing

There are opportunities here that are being missed. I think it would be for the benefit of both artists and music fans if a solution could be found that combines the technologies developed by the pirates with a fair system for paying artists.

There was a very similar case in Italy where ISPs were forced to block The Pirate Bay’s website after pressure from the music industry (the result was that Italian traffic to the site increased by 5%) . The ban was judged illegal in court under European Directive, 2000/31 CE which is also applicable in Ireland.

If this ban goes ahead, Eircom and indeed Ireland will have a tarnished image on the world stage as a place where misguided efforts to protect revenue supersede freedom of communication. We would also be strongly considering abandoning our Internet subscription for an ISP who doesn't cave to these demands, and we imagine many other business' will too.
Please, make the right choice. The world is watching. Your decision will have an important impact on the future of the Internet in Ireland.

Yours faithfully,
[Footer]

I will posting more on this issue as it happens. Stay Tuned! If your Irish and/or in Ireland: please visit: http://blackoutireland.com/

Linux Desktop Environments?

2009-01-26T02:08:00.001Z

What are Desktop Environments? Wikipedia defines it as:

In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface...... A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers, and desktop widgets. (See WIMP.)

I would add a file manager and browser to this list also! Let's look at the two most popular consumer Operating Systems (in three variants) and their Desktop Environments:

OS Name	Widgets	Window Manager	File Manager	Browser
Windows XP	Luna	Stack Window Manager	Windows File Explorer	Internet Explorer 6
Windows Vista	Aero	Desktop Window Manager	Windows File Explorer	Internet Explorer 7
Mac OS X	Cocoa	Quartz Compositor	Finder	Safari 2.X

Now take Linux; really a Kernel, but packaged means an Operating System. Which way you package it makes all the difference! You still use the same drivers, the boot process is still the same, but when your machine finishes its boot and launches all that graphics stuff anything can appear: anything. It's abstraction to have no real graphics in a kernel other than that which are drivers to control hardware. This is very strange to people who think in the Windows way (nb. I used to be one of these). At the end of Windows XP booting I have never seen anything but Luna; and most people don't know its called that. So it is very strange for people my age and slightly older who grew up over DOS and Windows 3.1/95 line to have this fundamental shift in logic.

When most people say Linux they 'never' (as Home Desktop user) normally mean the Kernel; they mean 'Gnome', 'KDE', 'Fluxbox', 'Enlightenment' and I could go on! To confuse further; people who say Linux may mean 'Ubuntu', 'Fedora', 'OpenSuse', 'Mandriva' which are all packaged versions of Linux Kernel with a Desktop Environment such as Gnome or KDE (and GNU Toolkit). So here's the table:

Desktop Environment	Widgets	Window Manager	File Manager	Browser
Gnome	GTK2	Metacity	Nautilus	Firefox/ Ephiphany
KDE	QT	KWin	Dolphin/Konqueror	Konqueror
XFCE	GTK	Window Manager	Thunar	Midori

The interesting part...
Yes there really was a point to all of this rambling! The point is the you are not bound to any graphical way in Linux: there is none. It is completely your choice what you choose to use. If you go with a pre-package distribution the choice is made: Ubuntu uses Gnome, Kubuntu uses KDE, and Xubuntu uses XFCE. The really neat part: all can co-exist happily on the same machine. I have KDE, Gnome and XFCE all installed right now. I can open up Konqueror in Gnome; Thunar in KDE and Epiphany in XFCE. All my KDE programs appear in my Gnome menu and vice-versa; same with XFCE. This is a strange concept from being able to use say Mac OS X Finder on Windows: it can't be done! Open source plays nice ;) Now for the part I like; lovely screenshots to help you on your journey to choose!


Gnome 2.20	KDE 4	XFCE	Enlightenment

NB. I wrote this post as I noticed some in my Computer Science class struggled with this concept, in many ways I couldn't understand this at first either... so I just thought what would normal people think? My response is this post; with a few screenshots to hopefully brighten things up! Wikipedia has a more in-depth comparison of X11 Linux-compatible Desktop environments here for those interested.

Ubuntu in four years

2009-01-21T23:09:00.001Z

Last year was me celebrating four years of using the best operating system out there: Linux; and the best distro Ubuntu. Ubuntu was my first foray in to Linux; and I haven't left it since; although I have tried all the other major distros. I started with the first version of Ubuntu; Warthy Warthog:

Warthy had a text only installer and it took me quite a while to not only get used to the idea of this strange operating system; but the fear of leaving Windows-land where all that power usage knowledge would mean nothing. It meant nothing in terms of the registry and other superficial stuff; but the more I used Ubuntu and Linux the more I liked it. In fact in 2005 I ditched my XP installation altogether. I noticed there wasn't an Irish Ubuntu users group; so I mailed one of the few people (around 5 I guess) that were around Mark Shuttleworth to set it up and get a website going. It was an ill-advised effort since I was too busy with examinations really to take it on; so I gave it up soon after. But it is still going today, people are still involved.

Hoary
Next came Hoary in 2005 and I was blown away how fast improvements were made; I still couldn't believe all this could be free... It seemed too good to be true really; I thought if Mark Shuttleworth ever left that would finish off Ubuntu and that would be it. While that might be still true; other distributions out there do tremendous work: Fedora is one I'd use if there were no Ubuntu.

All I can say is this: while I was definately interested in Information Technology before (and knew I was heading for a Computer Science course); I owe a lot to Linux and Ubuntu for showing me the nitty gritty (that I wanted to see) and has helped me immesureably in my College life. Of course now that Ubuntu is one of the most polished Linux distrobutions out there it helps me when I need to get away from the nitty gritty too ;) To end this post it is only fitting to see the latest version:

KDE 4.2 Beta 2

2009-01-04T02:35:00.006Z

Recently I downloaded the Kubuntu packages of the new KDE 4.2 beta 2. For those of you who don't know; KDE is the K Desktop Environment; which includes a window manager (KWin), common desktop applications, its own menu (Kickoff), browser (Konqueror), file manager (dolphin) etc. Basically it is the most popular desktop environment on Linux next to Gnome.

KDE 4.2 Beta 2 with Kickoff Menu visible

What is so special about KDE?
The philosophy of KDE is the advanced configuration it allows through its Graphical User Interface (GUI), this is versus Gnome which chooses sane defaults and leaves configuration in hard to reach places and out-of-sight. This isn't to say KDE doesn't choose sane defaults; it does and is very user-friendly. KDE has always been the more Windows-like of the major desktop environments and this hasn't really changed in KDE 4.X series. KDE is available in popular distributions of Linux such as Kubuntu, Mandriva, OpenSuse. The special part about 4.X series is that for the first time for any Linux desktop environment; it is fully cross-platform, easily installs and works on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X.

KDE 4.2 Panel; with KOrganizer calendar open

Whats new in 4.2?
Stability. Ever since KDE started the really beautiful 4.X branch they have gotten harsh criticism for stability problems. This is not surprising as KDE 3.5 was the result of years of bugfixing and stability fixes and was really rock solid stable; in fact I don't remember it crashing at all in the times I used it; but I have been a Gnome user for a while. This criticism was deserved; but perhaps premature: KDE always stated this almost ground-up rewrite of everything major wasn't going to be pretty and it wasn't. I used KDE 4.0 and KDE 4.1 and both crashed frequently; especially Plasma since it powers almost everything on the desktop.

Desktop Effects
With this release comes the introduction of desktop effects; if your graphics card is supported. I think this is a great move since projects like Compiz required hacked in dectection of KDE or Gnome and I suspect this was coded in; it really makes sense to have desktop effects in the core; as it will really help stabilise them as the KDE4.X branch matures.

Better Customisation

You can now control height and length of the menu bar; as well as add many more plasma applets to it. The Kmenu replacement Kickoff has stepped up to the plate in this release and features almost a complete set of icons for any application (much to my chargrin in earlier release a lot of ? icons could be seen). Also more customisation and preference panes of Plasmoids are allowed.

Desktop Effects in KDE 4.2 Beta 2

Full major feature overview is here.

So whats the final assessment?
When this is released I definately recommend you try it! This is the first release of the 4.X branch I would be happy to install and support on my family's desktop. Since I don't often get to access it physically to fix problems; this is one area I couldn't trust either 4.0 or 4.1 to behave. It still isn't as feature-completed or as stable as 3.5 series; but in my opinion it is damn close and approaching fast; get it while its hot!!

Kubuntu Instructions to get KDE 4.2 Beta 2 on Kubuntu Intrepid 8.10

Firefox and Opera lead the web video way

2008-12-09T18:01:00.002Z

I downloaded Firefox 3.1 beta 2 (after trialling other development snapshots over the last few months) to see Ogg Theora video support is coming on really well. Opera, as well as Mozilla has committed to including this royalty-free video codec for web use. This is really good news; as one Opera Developer said:

Something however is still not quite there about web video. The video solutions mentioned above are proprietary closed solutions that rely on plugins to display in a web page - what we need to make video a first-class web citizen is an easy, open solution to integrate video into web pages, and native support for video in browsers.

In short, we need a < video > element in HTML, and we must also agree on a baseline video format that will be universally supported, just like the GIF, JPEG and PNG image formats are universally supported for images. It's important that the video format we choose can be supported by a wide range of devices and that it's royalty-free (RF). RF is a well-established principle for W3C standards. The Ogg Theora format is a promising candidate, which has been chosen by Wikipedia.

So all that basically means that video should be a first class citizen of the web like images. For too long has it been wrapped up in Flash and Silverlight. They could still wrap ogg theora and degrade nicely if no plugin for their format is detected (dependent on Adobe and Microsoft which is unlikely). Anyhoo enough of all this text; how about some nice video?!?
Theora decoder not found

Profiling Firefox Extensions I have installed

2008-11-29T14:42:00.000Z

My Current Firefox Extensions: A-Z
Adblock Plus; because ads are for people that don't know how to avoid them! Not only do they stop your banwidth from being wasted; they make a ton of websites more usuable. It takes care of Flash Ads as well as static ones; using a filter that is constantly updated. So even if some of the webs more devious and sneaky advertisers try to circumvent it; AdBlock can have a fix to everyone online within hours. It is definately my favourite extension! I don't block certain ads like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft (the ones with decent reputations) as that is how the people behind really good websites I frequent make a living. But for all the rest trying to do pop-ups and pop-unders; I am sorry your days are numbered! (Some people higly recommend flashblock but I haven't had a need to use it with AdBlock Plus yet).

CustomizeGoogle adds neat tricks to Google services such as always using a secure connection to Gmail; links to other search engines, page histories, Favicons to search and streaming results pages. Comes in handy once in a while; but I don't use it daily.

FireGPG adds the full encryption and signing power of PGP to your Firefox browser. They have built in buttons for Gmail and right click options to sign, decrypt, encrypt and much more. A must have for privacy-aware people out there. Only downside is you need to create a Web of Trust with the keys you choose to use.

Foxmarks: synchronises your bookmarks, passwords accross any computer with Firefox installed (they have plans for Internet Explorer and Safari). It is definately my most used extension; comes in handy almost daily. I use a lot of different computers; and Foxmarks keeps them all in sync! Only thing they are missing is extension syncing (while keeping your preferences); but hopefully that will happen in the future!

Gears: enables offline access in Google Reader and Google Docs. I have been hoping for awhile that they would extend this to gmail; but no such luck yet. It is mildly useful; but I wouldn't use it daily.

PingFire allows you to use Ping.fm service to send quick status messages to Bebo, Facebook, Twitter, Jaiku, Blogger, Wordpress.com and 100's more. Really useful to alert people to what you are up to!

SpeedDial: Opera's innovative approach has been replicated in 100's of Firefox Add-ons; not least this one. But this is very handy when you have a handful of websites you visit every day. It has a window with squares filled with images of the websites which you most frequent. It makes checking news and your favourites websites a breeze. Customisation options for the tinkerers among us are quite good also....

Research proves video games lack harm

2008-11-27T21:43:00.003Z

I am not a big gamer; I primarily love systems and how they work. I do own a PS3 (amazing hardware I might add) and I prefer FPS and generally devious natured video games (like the GTA franchise). Does that make me a bad person who wants to kill people? Of course not; nothing could be further from the truth. But some people stick their fingers in their ears and shout "LA LA LA Columbine LALALA Terrorists LALALA Violent Video Games!". They say it is destructive to childrens young precious minds. The "Think of The Children" argument always disgusted me; its like shouting Fire in a packed room when their is no danger: it is false, just to garner attention and a sickening twisted version of the facts. Are violent video games harmful to kids? Probably; I wouldn't advocate giving them access since they; just like movies are clearly rated for Adults.

What is so hard to understand about that? Its is clearly an issue of parenting and morals whether you allow your child access to such material. So it is clear the real issue is the lack of proper guidance by parents; either to not bother enforcing the ratings, block their children from receiving them as gifts, or monitor to check if they spend pocket money on such items. They gladly do so for other adult items like adult content, movies, cigarettes and alcohol; why not video games? Today's consoles even have ratings built-in (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) which are enforceable by a password the parent can set. This makes it a breeze to block adult games and really hard for the average child (never mind adult) to circumvent. They could still play it at a friends house of course; you can't lock your children down, but even so you can actively limit their exposure to such material. The study points out what others and I have always known: Video games don't corrupt a mind by themselves, other factors (mainly social/upbringing) have a much bigger impact (Highlighting mine for brevity):

Research at Smith & Jones seems to imply that feelings of anger and powerlessness often pre-exist a compulsion to play violent games. In some cases these people find each other in the gaming world and form a bond based on those feelings of alienation and anger.
Mr Bakker believes that if there was more commitment from parents and other care givers to listen to what their children are saying then these issues of isolation and frustration could be dealt with at source and bring many young people out of the virtual world and back into real life.

"If I continue to call gaming an addiction it takes away the element of choice these people have," he says. "It's a complete shift in my thinking and also a shift in the thinking of my clinic and the way it treats these people."
Mr Bakker sees a time when addiction centres like Smith & Jones could close down if parents and adults in the community took more responsibility for the habits of their children.
"In most cases of compulsive gaming, it is not addiction and in that case, the solution lies elsewhere." - Courtesy BBC News

How the LED was born....

2008-11-23T23:55:00.003Z

SSH Guide

2008-11-17T08:00:00.002Z

Note: This Guide was written for use by my Computer Science class on Linux (and Mac OS X where noted). I haven't used SSH on Windows; but hopefully someone can make sure this guide works also on Windows by noting differences). SSH comes with nearly all Linux distros and all Mac OS X releases.

OS Specific Colours: Linux - Mac OS X - Windows

Download SSH For Windows

Windows: You need to follow README located in Start > All Programs > OpenSSH > README to set up password directories and files. After that is done; just do Start > Run; type cmd and hit enter to get Windows command line. All commands beginning with SSH should run unmodified.

By default it allows access to your username and password; which is okay but not totally secure! If you are logging on from a machine which has the same username as one you are trying to access you can drop 'myusername@' bit. mylaptop represents the IP address of the machine you are trying to contact!

$ ssh myusername@mylaptop

To forward X server (use the flag -Y on Mac OS X) :
$ ssh -X myusername@mylaptop

To use a different port (where port is WXYZ) also: (use the flag -Y on Mac OS X):
$ ssh -X myusername@mylaptop -p WXYZ

How to get it more secure:

Generate your own key (this will ask for a password; can be left blank but not recommended):

$ ssh-keygen

Copy your key to machine you want to login to:
$ scp ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub mylaptop:~/.ssh/authorized_

keys2
(This command uses SCP (Secure Copy) to copy your key into a list of keys allowed on remote machine. You also have an authorized_keys2 on your computer)

Edit Configuration File:

Finally edit configuration to make it more secure (nano is a lightweight text editor - this command will be very different on Windows; since it won't have sudo command, nano editor or the SSH configuration file in the same place; I currently have no clue what it would be on Windows):
  $ sudo nano /etc/sshd_config

       Options I recommend changing (hash at the start means it is commented out; so remove to take effect) :
           #Port 22 - change to whatever; recommended between 2000-65000

       Enable these three:
           #RSAAuthentication yes
           #PubkeyAuthentication yes

#AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys

       Set to 'yes' and uncomment to allow forwarding of visuals:
           #X11Forwarding no

       Set to 'yes' and uncomment if you want to use your machine as a proxy:
           #AllowTcpForwarding yes
           #PermitTunnel no

Now save the file with you changes ( CTRL and X; it will ask to save; enter Y and enter key). These will not come in to effect until to stop and start the SSH server!

Stop/Start on Linux

To stop SSH server, enter:
$ sudo /etc/init.d/ssh stop
To start SSH server, enter:
$ sudo /etc/init.d/ssh start
To restart ssh server, enter:
$ sudo /etc/init.d/ssh restart

Stop/Start OS X

To stop SSH Server, enter:

$ sudo /sbin/service ssh stop

To Start SSH server, enter:

$ sudo /sbin/service ssh start

That is it!
Most of the options you can skip based on preference. I recommend not allowing password only login and setting up keys. It is much harder to break; and there is no 'known' way to break it....

Web Multimedia Project 1

2008-11-16T23:40:00.001Z

As part of Computer Science you do a couple of general modules which are general in nature about computing; but I think that just reflects the broad use of IT in every part of society today. As things go digital or are created digitally; understanding of this concept is vital; that is where Web Multimedia comes in. For my first project of this second year; I had to do a movie made of stills with custom sound effects. Restrictions on sources of images and sounds (very high percentage had to be self made). Here it is:

Gmail Video Chat

2008-11-13T00:03:00.005Z

I am an avid Gmail user through Google Apps. I use the calender, chat, code, sites, pages, docs the whole lot. One of my friends even jokes "You should just work at Google Marketing". Yes I like most of Google's products; but I am a products guy; I use whats good, cheap and fast (pick two). Google has the cheap down due to ad-revenue; for the moment anyways in the current financial turmoil.

So I was delighted when I seen Gmail Video and Voice released. I have used it on my computer and I can say thats its really good: better than SIP video; better than Skype on the quality front. Google Talk has always had the clearest voice calling from my usage of it vs. the others.

My family use Gmail; I have converted almost everyone I know to use it. Most of my Computer Science class have it (some just use the student hotmail); so I will really use this feature. There are a few problems however:

Google Talk itself has no video; a curious decision
It is not encrypted like Skype; there should be an option
No Linux client: Unbelievable when Mac OS X is supported!
Not compatible with Nokia Internet Tablets; an early testbed for Google Talk Video
Open Standards but not Open Source: patent issues with licensed video codecs

Features missing which would really benefit me as a CS student:

Multi-way voice calling
Multi-way Video calling
Whiteboard function (Integration into GDocs?)
Compatibility with SIP video
Scheduling of Video/Voice through resource availibility option in Google Calendar

These are mainly organisational for group projects etc. which would be very handy not only to me; but business through apps and Google the company itself. Get working on it Google!

Innovation Right Here: Dept. of Education is Wrong

2008-11-12T00:55:00.004Z

I usually get both of Ireland's daily national papers to my email inbox every morning. I think it's very important to catch up on the latest news; as I think you are more informed and have conversation pieces to talk to people (for those awkward silences where "Ye the weather is terrible" just won't do). So I was highly informed when I read this piece: DCU head hits out at 'out-of-date' O'Keeffe.

"There is a tension between the traditional expectation that universities will primarily teach students, and the more recent requirement for universities to underpin economic development and attract corporate research and development into Ireland . . . not to mention the role of universities as agencies of cultural regeneration and of tackling disadvantage and structural poverty," said Prof von Prondzynski.

I couldn't agree more. I think it is disgraceful that students who try to improve themselves; their standard of living and their community by getting a great education are penalised with higher fees. The equal access to education that the state is trying to promote will be further harmed by an increase in fees. It is [relatively] cheap to go to college as it is; and still the economic underclass are under-represented.

Nothing is for free don't get me wrong... But these students turn in to some of the hardest and most innovative workers in the world; and most get a really good salary to match; which means they pay the most tax on average of any socio-economic class. People in the super-rich category can afford to off-shore; not so for these professional people. People in the lowest socio-economic classes pay the standard rate of 20% as they'd earn under the average industrial wage (about 30,000) and rightly so. So that just leaves the 'higher' if-you-will middle class (although all terms are relative; I don't agree with the labels personally); which pay disproportionate amount. So the Government s policy seems to discourage many of these people from actually educating themselves and getting a good job. This shocking tidbit sums up the government:

"I think he (Batt O'Keeffe) has a view of how universities should operate which is fairly far removed from what my view would be. For example, he raised the issue of whether we do too much research," said Prof von Prondzynski (Dublin City University Head)

Too much research? Oh my god; I actually cannot believe I read that. Maybe I should write to Batt O'Keefe and remind him what research gets you... Just in the Tech field alone (which I know most about); research is everything. The Internet? Check, American Military Research (Arpanet). The Web? Check, CERN Particle Physics Laboratory. Graphical Interfaces? Check, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Not to mention the massive contribution by Bell Labs/AT&T to Unix etc. These are only ones right off the top of my head. All I can say is I hope 3rd Level (as Colleges are known in Ireland) gets their own government minister (and department) and is free of this man: Batt O' Keefe and his 20th century Department of Education.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

2008-10-25T13:17:00.001+01:00

Seriously: what an awesome song. Every Geek should love it! It's got the famous line "My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM". If this is not in every Geeks top ten songs; then I resign! I even listen to it as I type this! Anyways enough sounding like a DJ who just got his Payola check off the RIAA; I'll just post the free video so y'all can watch.... :

Barenaked Ladies also do a cover of it interspersed with their own song (King Of Bedside Manner):

Hurling: Four in a row?

2008-10-19T13:16:00.002+01:00

One cannot help but be amazed at Kilkenny; true masters of the Irish Gaelic Sport of hurling. I mean as my previous posts mention I have moved to Kilkenny; and rural South Kilkenny at that. They live and breath Hurling down here: it's literally a way of life. That is why they are so good; no mystery here folks: its is literally bred into children in schools and everyone plays it. More people playing means even though Kilkenny is only around 100,000 people it still has a large amount of people to pick from and they get the best training which equals the best results.

The City's mayor Pat Crotty said (paraphrased as I read it and cannot find the quote): "People say Kilkenny winning all the time is bad for hurling, not with displays like that". That is referring to the utter decimation of the county that adjoins South Kilkenny: Waterford. They were beaten by the biggest scoreline in over 50 years I think it was; yes it was a savage display. I speak as a Kildare man from a county that has achieved little to no success (sorry lads lets face facts!); and I wish they would emulate Kilkenny's prowess and agility. The press raved about how it was the best display of Hurling this century. As things go I was working; but the vibe was unreal. I was also working when over 25,000 people showed up to greet them home.

Anyways in South Kilkenny where my folks live is called Danesfort; and to prove how into Hurling they are they even have a song (bear in mind this is not a town or village; its basically a pub, church and houseS with less than 80 people living here); proof if it's needed Kilkenny are mental about Hurling:

Geek Thug: "I Had to Beat Up a Girl"

2008-09-25T13:15:00.000+01:00

I just read one of the most informative and insightful blog posts of my entire life. Half serious a guy takes a look back at when he had to beat up a Girl. Weird stuff!

Yes, you read that right, I had to beat up a girl … not a woman. She was asking for it and she deserved it.

I Had to Beat Up a Girl

Yamaha YQ: Aerox; best moped ever?

2008-09-17T13:14:00.002+01:00

Well I think so! Got one there 2 months ago and forgot to write a blog post about it. I got a '01 model for a bargain price I believe; but this theory has yet to be tested (I'll wait for a year to be up). As I mentioned before in previous posts my parent's house is now in a remote location with no train/buses anywhere nearby. So transport was essential! At this time also there was a major crack down on learner drivers not being accompanied by a fully licensed driver (of two years). So by the time I'd saved the money for the car; got 10 lessons and convinced anyone I knew with over two years full driving experience to accompany me; even to work - was just to much hassle - hence the moped which has no such onerous requirements. In fact only one it does really have is that you can't have passengers - I won't be carrying anyone anyways - so I am not too bothered. Anyhoo take a look at the photos I took when I got it. I have done it up since then: new tyres, resprayed exhaust, full service; new mirrors; repaired exhaust; flushed out radiator and put in proper coolant just to name a few. So it sounds allot better and drives better than ever!

Wordpress 2.6

2008-09-10T15:45:00.002+01:00

Open Source star of the blogging world:

Summer: One Month On.....

2008-06-29T23:24:00.004+01:00

Well one month in Summer 2008! Summer has been okay so far; I've had nothing much to report hence lack of Tech posts. Sure the iPhone 3G looks good, Google/Yahoo/Microsoft spats interesting but after a while it become a bit circular and repetitive.

I've recently started working at the UK's leading retailer for touring/car/bike and accessories; as well as a move to the south east of Ireland; that much further to the capital: Dublin. It's Ireland's smallest city and home to Ireland's very first Parliament about 400 years ago: Kilkenny. It's steeped in culture and it's the only city in Ireland to rival Dublin's culture, nightlife and restaurants and hold it's own.

I am trying to acquire a moped (aka. Scooter or Italian 'ped) to have a run-around to work and back. I am doing it in reverse however as were still moving to our house in the county of Kilkenny (in the city rentig at the moment until it's ready!). I'll be getting Scooter first, then license so in other words it will be arseways! Their is always a backlog in summertime as students like me clamour to get driving!! Whoops should have scheduled during the leaving cert (Ireland's answer to SAT/GCSE)!!

More will follow soon as I complete the move and get the bike; expect a few picture posts dedicated to the bike!!

I've decided: I'm decidedly middle class

2008-05-14T22:36:00.003+01:00

I had a trip in to the faire capital city of Ireland today: Dublin. Okay I'll get this out of the way: I had a Frappacino in Starbucks and I'm a student; so not too poor of a student ;)

But I saw the inside of Brown Thomas for the first time. I don't shop for fashion at all: but what I found was the kind of vulgarity and fake-ness I'd expect of London or New York; not Dublin. To paraphrase Bono: "In America if you have your mansion on a hill people look up to you and think 'I want to be like him and afford a house like that one day'; if you have the same mansion in Ireland people say 'look at the fucken eejit on the hill with that house; thinks he's god or sumthen'" and that to me was always an endearing part of Irish culture; people around you being the great leveller if you thought you were the bomb. Inside BT (Brown Thomas) was all the names you'd expect; all the major names more at home in Paris, London or New York. I confronted my friend who was showing me round about my opinions (in my usual polite manner: just say it). To my surprise he agreed 110%. Yes he said: for the people who buy this stuff can tell who else is wearing it; and I think he meant that by this logic movers and shakers also wore all the brands to look the part. Soon after he told me he was also learning Golf because he knew it would be a great benefit for his future career: "All important people also play golf" he assured me.

I see this divide in society and I admit it bothers me. Where I go to College, there is an estate across the road which is by any standards not had the full benefit of the Celtic Tiger (the Irish Boom Economy). I get the bus from this place and everytime it bothers me that I see some social problems: everything from unruly kids trying to ruin the place to alcholics. But I also have people in my class from that estate: some of the nicest you'd ever care to meet. I've been asked by them my opinion on where they live and what do I think other people think.

Then comes my home town. It is on the border of Dublin (city) and Kildare (farmers and horsebreeders) and we've got a mix of both. But Leixlip is decidedly middle class; low enough crime; not much social tension to be heard of; certainly nowhere near the likes of South Dublin (seen as upper class) or North Dublin (seen as lower class). Which is why I don't feel comfortable in either: maybe middle class is the real stigmata?

Will Google Buy Skype?

2008-04-09T23:46:00.004+01:00

It's been all over the tech news world lately; apparently Google is muling over taking Skype off of Ebay's hands. Ebay has already written down the value of Skype as a large loss on their purchase price of $2.6 billion in stock and cash. But would Skype's G-branded future be any better?

I think it would be. Skype is a strong international brand for voice calls, instant messaging and video calls; but of course it competes directly with Google Talk. Skype as a company has made a lot of mistakes; but they actually produces some of the best technology for p2p VOIP out there in the marketplace. Skype is particularly strong in redundancy, cost of network operation (since it's p2p every user carries' each others traffic; most people have no idea of this fact) and routing around the most draconian network admins out their through their routers.

All of this is a strict propreitary network and is centrally controlled at the moment for Ebay. All voice is encrypted accross Skype; but it is well-speculated that Skype has a back door to snoop on anyone it so wishes (although it would never publicly admit to this). Legislation hasn't caught up to protect voice calls like they are on "traditional" PSTN [Pretty Simple Telephone Network].

I think Google could open up Skype's network; to what extent is anyone's guess. I hope they integrate XMPP like Gmail Chat capability (which is an open standard); and do the same for voice/video (could take a while based on patents) . I predict the client will most likely stay propreitary and closed-source; as opening it up could reveal back-doors; patent and copyright issues and more. But overall I think the transaction could go quite well for both parties...

Letter to EU Commissioner on 95 Year Copyright Extension [Updated]

2008-02-16T15:43:00.004Z

I recently read a Slashdot article "EU Commissioner proposes 95 year copyright". I am a staunch supporter of the European project; or at least the ideals it is based on to create a peaceful, demcratic union of countries with a common background and share similiar goals. Intrigued by the article I read it only to find out that a local man who used to represent my area was responsible. I had to write to him to ask how he lost his mind....

Dear Mr. McCreevy;

I am writing to you from Kildare. You have served our county over the years; and I even thought you would become Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) one day (being the Minister for Finance is a front-runner position- let's be honest) but then you went to Europe.

But that's not the subject of this correspondence. I am writing to you to voice my disgust for your proposed levies and taxes in conjunction with an even longer copyright extension. What are you thinking Mr. McCreevy? The average musician does not live for 95 years. I am responding to points made by you in the International Herald Tribune (Original article: AP Newswire; Published 14/02/2008) and the legislation proposed at your level in the commission (through which you will have direct influence).

1. Your Misguided view of copyright:
"If nothing is done, thousands of European performers who recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s will lose all of their airplay royalties over the next ten years," said EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, the union's internal market chief. "These royalties are often their sole pension."
I don't know about you Mr. McCreevy; but I will have to set aside money from my earnings for my pension;. why shouldn't artists? Copyright is supposed to encourage innovation; not reward old creations. Copyright on these works should have rightfully expired on these a long time ago; forcing these musicians to create more music we all love and enjoy, instead of idly collecting money for work done sometimes as much as fifty years ago. These Musicians were already paid for their works a long time ago; and they signed it over to a [record] company. You are only enriching a company that contributes zero cultural value back by extending a copyright term. This has been proven time and time again if you would do your research.

2. Extra Copies / Levies
The EU executive also wants to look again at reforming copyright levies charged on blank discs, data storage and music and video players to compensate artists and copyright holders for legal copying when listeners burn an extra version of an album to play one at home and one in the car.

Why should as a consumer I have to pay twice for a music recording? You know this will only have the effect of driving up the cost of a CD and increasing piracy? "You can't charge me twice if I choose to pirate it!"; and this is how a lot of consumers will see it; like double tax evasion only easier with less risk! You must recognise also that the music collection agencies are run by cartels that is the music industry (Big Four: SonyBMG, Warner, EMI, Universal ) which is almost never fair to artists? (Look at SoundExchange in the United States for this). What about when I use disks for backup of my data (which is the only reason I use them for) why should I pay royalties for music I never pirated? How also can you tell which artists deserves more royalties than the next? You can't; and that is why this idea is so stupid you should put it to bed now!

3. Who it benefits?

The extension would not benefit only stars such as French crooner Charles Aznavour or British pop star Cliff Richard, McCreevy said. Session musicians who played on a recording would also be able to draw on a new fund.

Ah-ha-ha-ha You see Mr. Mc.Creevy case in point! These men actually own; or have very liberal licensing terms with their record companies; allowing them in the first place to be spokespeople for longer copyright terms. The same cannot be said for the vast majority of artists; who don't have that luxury. Please remind me what exactly these men have contributed to society musically in the last few years? Oh riiiiiight; thats nothing; zero; zilch! What about others of that era? Elvis? dead and buried! Beatles? no longer around! and I could go on and on and on about how they are literally getting money for nothing..... The only beneficiary will be the record companies who own the recordings to 70's and 80's material which is lucrative (for this see Michael Jackson owning some of the Beatles catalogue).

My plea to you is to stop this insanity and work towards less copyright restriction not more. Copyright was originally designed to safeguard an original author to make back the time and the effort he/she put into the creation which benefitted society (ie. compensation usually in the form of monetary gain). With this understanding it's plain to see these people have long since got back many times the creative energy they put in and societies debt to them has long since passed.

Regards,
Your former constituent;
N Grogan

14/02/2008

P.S. I am eagerly awaiting you reply and any comments you have on what I have said...

I got a reply from someone in the commissioners office (I have removed the name); better than nothing but I'd still like to hear from him on the matter.... Anyway here it is:

Dear Mr Grogan,
Thank you for your e-mail of 14 February concerning the term of protection for sound recordings.
The Commissioner has noted your most interesting comments. These will be taken into account in the elaboration of the formal Commission proposal.

Why I think Amarok rocks....

2008-02-14T14:49:00.008Z

I just purchased an Amarok hoodie and t-shirt; and I couldn't be happier supporting one of my favourite open source projects! What makes it so good? Have you ever heard of Amarok? Chances are if your an OS X or Windows user; you haven't. All this is about to change! The amarok team are busy porting it from it's UNIX underpinnings to Windows and OS X.

Whats to like about Amarok then?

The blazingly cool name: Amarok is an intuit name for a wolf and also is cool phonetically: am a rock!
Album covers in full glory (see picture right)
Full lyrics support; even for the most obscure songs you have laying around!
Wikipedia integration: truly a gem; you can do what Amarok says "Rediscover your Music" in looking up artist, song or album in the free encyclopedia.
Playlists form the backone of the player; great for people like me who like to compile sub-sections of songs for car journeys and the like!
Smart playlists: you get playlists which can update based on how your rate them; which artist or what genre; sorting conditions ar infinite! Example is a 5 Star playlisat with all my top rated tunes!
Dynamic playlists: built from your static and smart playlists; it can show the last X songs you played and Y upcoming. So I could select my 5 star faves and my Strokes favourites; set it to show 5 last played songs and 15 upcoming. I never need to edit the playlist again as it will auto choose and update the list!
Statistics: Show all your stats on your collection! From favourite artists to most played albums: it's all there waiting!
Last.fm & Tags: Tag and compiles your music listening tastes with integration in the most popular social music site online!
IPod integration is second to none (as well as many 0ther popular players!)! Amarok will convert it to mp3; sync podcasts and playlists; transfer ratings and even submit listened tracks to last.fm!
All the added extras: Equaliser with presets; Random and Repeat capability; Visualisations! You can even sort you collection by mood with Moodbar installed!
Scripts!?! One of the coolest thing is scripts: think Firefox extensions only slightly more powerful!
Built-in editing of song names; album names and all info! Don't bother telling Amarok to add the music you just ripped; as long as it's in your music folder its automatically picked up and added!
An intuitive interface: built for function and power: Amarok is almost perfect in its balance between feature and function. The OSD )On-Screen Display) with show you any details your playlist does; like Artist Name; Album name; Rating and how long a track is!

Man I am exhausted already and I haven't even covered all of the features; their is just too many hidden gems I wouldn't be doing you justice by telling you them all (see: Scripts)! That's why Amarok rocks my world! (As a side note: yes I will get my picture on this page eventually!)