Recent Posts

1551

Living Room / Re: Games and startup problems (grief I am getting sad)

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 21, 2011, 04:58 PM »

Does a Wii count - I have one permanently plugged in (but it rarely gets used).

1552

Living Room / Games and startup problems (grief I am getting sad)

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 21, 2011, 01:44 PM »

OK Portal 2 gave me the bug and now ...

Having said that there are a few games I have downloaded from Steam that have had problems starting on my system (WIn 7 64-bit) and I think I have found the problem.

FWIW I offer it hear ... I found that some games (especially older games) load to the taskbar and the screen flashes a lot (presumably trying to change to the correct resolution etc.) and finally gives up and just sits on the taskbar until I close it using the task manager.

This was really frustrating but I discovered that part of my Samsung monitor setup installed Multiscreen which was starting with windows. This tool allows the monitors to be divided into separate screen areas that you can send windows to etc. - useful but not essential.

Exiting Multiscreen solved the problem and now all my Steam games work fine.

1553

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GAOTD: EASEUS ToDo Backup Pro

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 21, 2011, 01:37 PM »

They also currently offer Easeus Partition Manager Pro on DotTec (again):

http://dottech.org/freebies/22187

1554

Living Room / Re: So Apple really is a religious thing...

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 21, 2011, 06:17 AM »

Commoditization of products for a consumer economy means building in "breakability" (planned obsolescence) so that people need to go out an buy a new one.

-Renegade (May 20, 2011, 07:35 PM)

Apple have taken it one stage further - change the version number and the product needs to be replaced.

Am I stupid not understanding - I just bought a DVD of Black Swan (fantastic film by the way) but it came with a digital copy that I can watch anywhere. Of course I really want to take a film designed for the cinema that is enjoyable on a large format TV and watch it on my 2.5 " handheld device. Does anyone actually watch a film on an iPod - if so are they mad? I can understand the odd clip on YouTube (which of course you can't do) but feature films - really? I know lots of people who have iPods (sadly) but the only videos they watch are short things off iTunes to prove the device plays video (Apple users don't seem to believe that any other player can play videos) - otherwise they just use them as an expensive MP3 player.

Also Apple pioneered the brilliant strategy of non-changeable batteries - and charge so much to send you someone else's iPod with a new battery that you may as well just go and buy a new one. Given the state of the planet this is pretty much criminally profligate behaviour with limited world resources. Of course other manufacturers have joined the con game.

Even cheap printers are cheaper to throw away than buy a set of ink cartridges - has everyone gone mad?

1555

Developer's Corner / Re: Book: Learn Python the Hard Way

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 20, 2011, 11:02 AM »

Alternative method which is much more fun: http://tinyurl.com/5bzs2j

1556

Living Room / Re: So Apple really is a religious thing...

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 20, 2011, 07:27 AM »

Moral of the story -- you don't need to be a prick

-Renegade (May 19, 2011, 08:47 PM)

But Apple likes it if your are ...

Just watched the BBC documentary that the article was based on and it was more frightening than the article! If you can't watch it on BBC iPlayer at least read the article at http://www.bbc.co.uk...ws/business-13416598 and see the photos! I haven't tried it but you can download a torrent of the episode if you search the usual places - unfortunately it is in RAR compressed format which may be best avoided.

It didn't just hit out at Apple - it was about brand loyalty in technology. Having said that the store opening in London's Covent Garden was terrifying with people travelling from California and China JUST for the opening and camping outside in the street before the store opened. I have only seen the kind of behaviour shown at the opening at evangelical revivalist rallies - talk about mass hysteria! The staff looked as mad as the punters/mugs.

Listening to children talk was especially scary - the level of brain washing is incredible.

Did you know that Sony sell Playstation 3 at below build cost - just to get BluRay drives into people's homes. They have also changed philosophy on allowing porn on BluRay media in a step to kill HD-DVD. Sony get paid a license fee on every single BluRay disk sold in the world, including blanks, and can dictate what is 'acceptable' content ... what kind of control is that?

Facebook doesn't advertise on iPhones - but refused to admit that it is because all revenue from advertising in 'apps' goes to Apple!

The biggest joke was the XBox - the biggest selling game station now (by a long way) but no one they interviewed knew it was produced by Microsoft and the product labelling is really tiny - probably in response to the perceived 'elderly' corporate image (not helped by the classic Windows 7 launch party video).

1557

DC Gamer Club / Re: Portal 2 - Team Portalday Night Live

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 19, 2011, 07:58 PM »

True - it was a bit chilly and I forgot my woolly hat there .... 

1558

Living Room / Re: So Apple really is a religious thing...

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 19, 2011, 04:53 PM »

I would tend to agree, especially now, that Apple does have good industrial design and materials. That being said you do pay for that benefit. You can get a machine on the Windows side that is as well built for a similar or lesser price (e.g. Thinkpad), but not usually as visually pleasing in design. And the price difference is not that much either - quality just costs money.

- Oshyan

-JavaJones (May 19, 2011, 04:30 PM)

In what way is the quality particularly better? They use exactly the same components from the same factories - Foxconn motherboards (the factory with the suicidally depressed workers), Intel CPUs, stock memory, nVidia graphics (only usually a generation or two behind PC builders at a similar price mark). It all makes sense - the technology is much cheaper for them so their profits hit the sky and rather than innovate or push the boundaries of new technology they let other manufacturers iron out the issues in hardware and then claim that Macs are more stable because they don't use that bleeding edge technology.

OK the white packaging looks nice (I have a white laptop that everyone thinks is a Mac until they notice it doesn't have an apple on it) - but mine cost £350 instead of £800 and when bought had a higher spec than a Macbook. OK I'll admit it had Vista on it (drek...) but having slipped in a Windows 7 disk it upgraded and runs beautifully.

1559

Living Room / Re: So Apple really is a religious thing...

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 19, 2011, 04:44 PM »

Sorry superboyac I have to agree with JavaJones - there is nothing inherantly easier in using MacOS X than Windows 7.

Most of what is perceived as easier is simply what you are used to - and people who are used to Windows find Mac very confusing.

I have used both Windows and Macs since the 80's and both simply require you to insert a disc to install something and follow the instructions. Both bung a shortcut on the desktop and or the task bar so basically to install and use an application is pretty much the same process.

As someone who fixes Macs (yes they do go wrong) as well as Windows I find MacOS far less documented and far hard to find what you are looking for.

A common issue I deal with is setting up Wireless networking. On a Mac you have to go into the System Properties and find the network connection and fill in confusing forms, on Windows 7 you click the icon that says "Wireless Networks are available", click on your router and type in the wireless key and youy are done - far simpler and much less confusing to the average user.

This isn't an isolated example - there are lots of things that I have seen Mac users struggling to work out - such as installing a download from the internet - which seems convoluted and confusing compare to Windows just double click and follow the instructions. Ask the average Macv user how to uninstall an application and they look blank at you - most don't have a clue where the actually application is installed or if it requires any special procedure to uninstall it or simply dump it in the trash.

Finally the whole use of the top menu bar in Mac causes lots of confusion - personally I think free floating windows that have their own context menu are much easier to manage than constantly having to check that the menu at the top of the screen is actually what you want at that moment!

I know these are personal opinions but they are based on talking to many users of both systems that just want to use a computer (like a washing machine or a microwave) and don't understand any of the jargon.

It's pay your money and take your pick. I just don't see how anyone justifies spending the stupid amount of extra cash on exactly the same hardware (or often rather lower powered hardware) to buy a Mac when they haven't got a specific reason or need (other than marketing-hype and style snobbery).

The same goes for other Apple products - are iPods inherently better than most other MP3 players - even the ones that Apple stole their original ideas from? The iTunes lock-in seems to be an advantage to Apple fans whilst anyone with a degree of sanity can see it is a pretty stupid restriction from the users perspective. If the other company produced a product that locked consumers to a single music store there would be anti-trust lawsuits - strangely Microsoft aren't so restrictive!

1560

DC Gamer Club / Re: Portal 2 - Team Portalday Night Live

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 19, 2011, 03:53 AM »

It was a real workout, wasn't it ... 

1561

DC Gamer Club / Re: Portal 2 - Team Portalday Night Live

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 18, 2011, 08:22 PM »

You'll have to imagine ;-)

'Tis great fun. I am not a game head and this really had me hooked!

Thanks Josh - now it really is time for me to disappear to the land of nod!

1562

General Software Discussion / Re: email troubles

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 15, 2011, 07:06 PM »

They won't agree with you but I would guess the problem is at the ISP end.

I used to have almost the exact same problem with Yahoo - but not with any other providers (including Google and my own servers). Given that the settings were unchanged and setting up the account again from scratch made no difference the problem must have come from Yahoo's servers - my ISP use Yahoo to provide email services but they simply refused to believe that there could be an issue. Same happened for a period when I (and loads of other users) kept getting issued 'dead' IP addresses and the solution was to disconnect the router and reconnect until you got an IP that worked. They also insisted it wasn't at their end.

Most recently my ISP disconnects me at about 10 minutes past midnight on a fairly regular basis. There are no 'lock out' periods in the router and the Internet signal goes off line for a minute or so. Again they refuse to discuss the idea it might be a problem of their making.

ISPs are a law unto themselves!

Probably your best solution is to try using webmail for a while and read/delete all unnecessary email before trying to POP the important stuff. Is there the option to auto-forward to another account in the webmail? If there is you could set up a free account and forward email to that account and pick up from there instead.

If that doesn't work set up a GMAIL account and add your pop account in there to collect emails into the GMAIL account, you can then POP the GMAIL account into your mail client - you would at least see if GMAIL has problems popping the account too or if it is your computer.

1563

Living Room / Re: The end of the line for cursive writing

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 15, 2011, 06:55 PM »

It reminds me of a UK education minister back in the 80s saying we don't need to teach kids to do sums any more as they all have calculators. He had a point but where is the understanding and ability to estimate.

-Carol Haynes (May 15, 2011, 06:25 PM)

I distantly remember something like that. But it entirely misses the point -- that being that the ability to do math is a general logic and thinking skill. The skill in itself leads to others. Like a gateway drug.

-Renegade (May 15, 2011, 06:36 PM)

I think that is pretty much what I was saying (sort of). However, how many of us honestly work out long division without recourse to a calculator in the real world, or to add up a long list of financial transactions. So Keith Joseph had a point - but without understanding there can be no extension and development of learning.

Having said that, as an ex-mathematics teacher, the chorus of "it must be right because the calculator says so ..." used to drive me to distraction - especially when it was out by a factor of 10000 and they were working out the price of sprouts.

Sums are only one part of mathematics (I never understand why Americans do math in the singular?? Do you only do one sum and then stop) but sums do form the basis of all sorts of pattern recognition and are a brilliant tool fr training kids to by systematic and critical.

In the same way writing skills are enhanced by being able to use all forms of writing - and fast fluid writing frees the thought processes. Until exams allow the use of laptops (And presumably the day is coming) kids have to learn to write efficiently and cursive script is the way to do that. Dropping cursive writing is almost issuing kids with a learning disability!

1564

Living Room / Re: The end of the line for cursive writing

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 15, 2011, 06:25 PM »

It reminds me of a UK education minister back in the 80s saying we don't need to teach kids to do sums any more as they all have calculators. He had a point but where is the understanding and ability to estimate. Working on the principle that kids don't have to use cursive writing is really limiting them when they have to write exam papers as cursive is designed to be much quicker and less stressful on tendons.

Watch out RSI and CTS ?

1565

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 15, 2011, 04:08 AM »

Seems pretty stable on my system - the only time I have probs is if I accidentally press the windows key.

-Carol Haynes (May 14, 2011, 06:59 AM)

the windows key problem can be easily fixed. use something like WinKey Killer, the original website is no more but the program can be found here.

Lanux what's your name on Steam - I don't seem to have received an invite or have you listed?

-Carol Haynes (May 14, 2011, 06:59 AM)

no worries, you've already added me, this is me..

-lanux128 (May 14, 2011, 11:32 PM)

LOL - can't imagine why I didn't guess that!

1566

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 14, 2011, 06:59 AM »

but.. but.. Gabe claims that "Mac is 5 times more stable than windows running games".

note: oh, btw Carol have added on Steam.

-lanux128 (May 13, 2011, 08:57 PM)

Seems pretty stable on my system - the only time I have probs is if I accidentally press the windows key.

Lanux what's your name on Steam - I don't seem to have received an invite or have you listed?

1567

Living Room / Re: Microsoft buying skype for US $8.5 Billion

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 13, 2011, 05:12 PM »

Shocking isn't it! Well I was ... I'm a sensitive flower 

1568

Living Room / Re: Microsoft buying skype for US $8.5 Billion

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 13, 2011, 09:21 AM »

Now we can share a big one (so to speak) as I just merged the threads ...

1569

Living Room / Re: Farewell Skype ...

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 13, 2011, 09:19 AM »

But mines better

1570

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 13, 2011, 04:20 AM »

You could try registering with Steam and buying Portal 1 from there. It is very cheap (£6 in the UK) and a great game and I can't see why if that works Portal 2 shouldn't - the engine and graphics don't look hugely different to me.

The Windows spec for Portal 2 is marginally lower: ATI Radeon X800, nVidia Geforce 7600 GT or Intel HD Graphics 2000 (alternatively any card with 128Mb memory, DX9 and support for Pixel shader 2.0b)

1571

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 13, 2011, 03:37 AM »

You should buy a proper computer them

Seriously though the Mac spec says:

OS X 10.6.6 or later
Intel duo core (2GHz ore better)
2Gb RAM
Min 7.6Gb hard drive space
Radeon 2400 or nVidia 8600M or better

so if you Macbook betters that spec give it a go. You'll need a two button wheel mouse or game controller  though - can't see it being a comfortable experience with a Mac mousepad!

1572

Living Room / Re: Droid Texting - Fail!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 12, 2011, 12:26 PM »

Can't see why a UK Phone would have any info for Canadian towers (or any other country for that matter). Surely it just looks at what is there? When I visited Niagara it jumped on to Bell and my carrier doesn't even have an arrangement with Bell!

1573

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 12, 2011, 03:21 AM »

@Carol:
Stamina makes up for experience? 

-Shades (May 11, 2011, 06:25 PM)

No it doesn't - stamina just makes your muscles hurt more and your teeth fall out (not to mention the grey hairs) when you get older.

1574

Living Room / Re: PORTAL 2 AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 12, 2011, 03:17 AM »

Now I need to try Portal 2 in the multiplayer version - unfortunately I am a sad loser and don't have any friends so it is a bit tricky!

-Carol Haynes (May 11, 2011, 05:58 PM)

You on steam? Add username Metshrine and you will have your very first friend

-Josh (May 11, 2011, 06:00 PM)

How kind - taking pity on the old dear! Will do Josh. Now all we have to do is find a time when we are both online v(Sorry my id is really boring - carolhaynes. Are nicknames a boy thing? I have never really worked out how to thimk of one?)

I am assuming that folowing my last comments you are neither random nor teenage 

Have you played the multiplayer version yet?

1575

Living Room / Re: Droid Texting - Fail!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on May 11, 2011, 06:05 PM »

Interesting question - when I was in Canada recently I received texts from a friend in Toronto but couldn't return them. We had identical Blackberry 9700 Bold phones - SMS just wouldn't work on mine they got bounced back. The only difference - mine was on a UK carrier (via Rogers) and he was on Rogers as a customer. You would have thought that since we were both connecting via Rogers it wouldn't be a problem but obviously my text winging back and forth across the big pond got tired and just cam home to complain!

The other odd thing was that standing side by side at the top of the CN Tower his phone was on 3G but mine could only get EDGE. I called Rogers and my UK teco - both said I should get 3G and neither could work out why I couldn't. I get 3G in the UK in appropriate locations.