After registering for this service, i have to say i am surprised. Watch old footage again.
Unlike the iPlayer, you login and stream the footage, without having to download any software. It streams very well and can be used via media player and real player. I have found that real player works a lot better, and loads a lot faster. At present it is limited to certain programmes, but there are plans to add lots more. Grange Hill, Blue Peter, radio repeats, landing on the moon and launch of the Concorde are just a few of the online clips. What more could you ask for:)
Give it a go http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/trial register for a logon and you should get a response within five days. Let me know what you think, leave a comment if you get to try it.
Thursday 30 August 2007
BBC Archive Trial
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Misuse of Power at work means Bullying at work
Two-thirds of UK managers believe that lack of management skills is the major factor contributing to bullying at work.
According to OutLaw New misuse of power was listed as the most prolific type of bullying used within the workplace.
A survey by the Ban Bullying at Work campaign questioned 512 senior managers across the UK in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute ahead of the fifth national Ban Bullying at Work day which takes place on 7th November.
The other main factors, given by managers themselves, which contribute to bullying at work included unrealistic targets (cited by 27%); authoritarian management styles (56%); personality (57%); and failure to address incidents (37%).
The survey also asked managers what they believed was the most prolific type of bullying used. Misuse of power was cited by 71% of managers while 63% cited overbearing supervision and 55% cited exclusion.
http://www.banbullyingatwork.com/main.asp?id=home
Source : OutLaw News
Monday 27 August 2007
Only In America would you see such a terrorist overreaction?
Two people who sprinkled flour in a parking lot to mark a trail for their offbeat running club inadvertently caused a bioterrorism scare and now face a felony charge http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20441775/
India and Pakistan Archive Launched on the BBC
The BBC have launched an online archive...check it out ...http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/trial/open/about.shtml
Friday 24 August 2007
Sony Ericsson P1i
The Sony Ericsson's(SE) P1i is the long awaited replacement to the P990 and in my opinion, the most functional phone with pretty good looks on the market today.
When you first look at this phone you will immediately notice the high quality of materials used. The front face has a metal look rim with piano black centre piece. The back has a shiny crossbar covering the speaker phone and a black matt finish. It feels weird - i have never seen a phone with this type of finish.
Having owned the second generation of the P series in the form of the P900, i did not expect this phone to be of such quality.The P series has always been a handy pda style phone, but has also been a bit bulky and dim on the software front.
Sony have reduced the phone by about 25℅ and made the phone feel very solid. When holding it in the palm of your hand, it feels good and you can tell everything feels like it has been ergonomically designed just for you. They have got rid of the flip based keyboard from previous models and added a two key roker styled qwerty keyboard.
This basically means that there are two letters assigned to each key, which are raised slightly on the edges. Having taken this from the previous W series of phones, it was questioned if they would improve the usability of the keyboard. Most users say it has, but it still a matter of you either like it or hate it.
Physically, the phone has the traditional jog dial on the left, with a back button just underneath it. On the right there is a short cut button which you can assign and personalise. Underneath, this there is a memory card slot and camera button - which controls the 3.2 million pixel camera on the rear or be assigned to use the video calling camera on the front one. There is a 2.4 inch touch screen with and improved trans-reflective screen and a stylus neatly tucked away on the left of the handset.
Sony purchased UIQ Symbian software sector of the Symbian company. Therefore, the front end is UIQ and back end Symbian, similar to that of the Nokia N95 and Communicator. The difference is that Sony have personalised their own version for their own phones. Its pretty obvious Sony Ericsson have not wasted any time trying to make the interface sexy or even friendly. As the phone can be personalised so much, they have left it to the end user, do what they want. So if you take a look at mine, i have the i-phone theme and if you go to the SE site you can even access a development area to make your own theme.
There is enough software on board to keep you busy. Doc editor, pdf reader, compatible spreadsheet creator and even a business card scanner. The provided external 512 mb memory will be enough to install any extra software. So far i have added google mail, ebuddy, new themes and ring tones, google maps and opera mini 4. There is already a opera browser pre installed and even a online media player, which allows you to stream online music or videos via the inbuilt 3G connection or wifi capabilities.
This phone has had little software enhancements, which make this phone a little gem.For instance if u cant take a call, you can reject it and set it up to send an automatic response via text. Like “cant talk spk later“ or the fact that when you miss or reject a call you can set a automatic reminder to call back. The phone even allows you to have predictive text input in english and a second language of your choice. The second language will be detected automatically and is handy if your trying to learn a new language.
The RSS feeder is handy for people like me who love to get the latest info on the go and it will even update audio feeds, when required (like podcasts). The RSS feeder also has a time schedule, which means you can set for it to update your feeds in the middle of the night. If you have average 3G coverage it will take about ten minutes to download 30mbs of data. That's equivalent to about one hour of a podcast.
Specification
Size 106 x 55 x 17 mm
4.1 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches
Weight 124 g
4.4 oz
Available colours Silver Black
Screen 262,144 color touchscreen
240x320 pixel
Memory Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
Phone memory 160MB*
*Actual free memory may vary due to phone pre-configuration
Networks G
SM 900
GSM 1800
GSM 1900
UMTS 2100
Performance Talk time: Standby time:
UMTS 2100 3 hours 30 min 250 hours
GSM 900 10 hours 440 hours
GSM 1800 10 hours 440 hours
GSM 1900 10 hours 440 hours
Compared to the Nokia N95
The Nokia is a lot larger as a phone and offers GPS and HDSPA, allowing you to browse and download at 1.5 mbps instead of the more common 300k found on the SE. That aside the Nokia does not have a touch screen and is ugly. Yes it has a 5mp camera and cover unlike the SE - but its a camera phone and if that is what determines your choice of phone, i would think again. Camera phone wont be better than a standalone camera.
I played with Nokia for a day and i did like it, but not enough. It has no class and is boring. Having a PDA with internal GPS is good, but i find it takes too long for a signal. The Nokia is action packed but it is a shame it looks like a mobile phone from the early 90's.
Compared to the iPhone
Not sure what to say really, check out the opera Mini Browser - it does what the iPhone apparently does so well. Now look at the TWUIK video. Yep, these are Java based applications that will eventually sit on most phones and allow you to add widgets. Actually, you can already add midlets onto most phones as it is.
The iphone has wifi, but no 3G. No, keyboard or numeric buttons. Yes, it is a very eye catching phone, but when you look at it again and again -you think it is just an ipod. I am sorry, but i don't think this phone is all that. In your hand it is very delicate and does not offer half of the features as some of the other phones on the market.
Applications are already out there to allow you to personalise your own phone with features like the iphone, so what is so unique. : )
Check the TWUIK video out - these type of applications can be added to any phone.
In conclusion this is a slim feature packed phone that can be used not only as a business phone, but also as a little handy personal phone too.
www.expansys.com - £370
www.o2.com - with contract £30
See more pictures and videos at www.ablag.com
Thursday 23 August 2007
Man arrested over wi-fi 'theft'
The BBC has reported a story of a guy being arrested because he used someone else's wifi connection.
See here for the full article : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6958429.stm
Tuesday 21 August 2007
Digital Radio On Your Mobile
I started using this feed about six weeks ago and i think its something everyone who listens to the radio should look into
ok,so many mobiles have fm transmitters that allow you to listen to the popular stations like radio 1, however, if you are like me and like to listen to those that are digital based stations like five live extra,then this site is worth checking out. It is compatible with most phones and pda's - the only catch is that you need to have a data plan. If you dont, you are looking at about five minutes of streaming taking up roughly 3mbs of download.
Check it out at www.Radiofeeds.Co.Uk/pda
published via mobile
Thursday 16 August 2007
Google Part One - iGoogle
In the last few weeks I have been discussing the latest range of Google tools with my friends and family. To my amazement, the majority were unaware of them and did not understand the benefits. With this in mind I will try and cover off some of the tools in my future posts.
Part one iGoogle
There are so many tools out there these days to make your life a lot easier. So far the handiest one for me has been iGoogle. Google’s homepage personalisation site has been around for sometime now and is becoming popular with those who use the Google search engine.
In essence Google is allowing you to create your own Google homepage “iGoogle” , and allow users to view exactly what they want too – personalised for their eyes only. You can search from hundreds of little gadgets and widgets and add them to your own personalised page. All you need is a Google account and a few minutes to set it up.
So what is the point?
Well if you take a look at my page for instance, I have added my gmail in one corner and a feed from my blog in the other. So for instance my blog is at http://www.ablag.com/ and if you go to iGoolge and add “a gadget” feature you can add my feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/ablag) (alternatively subscribe to email updates from my site). So as soon as I update something on my blog, you will see it on your iGoogle homepage.
Click image to enlarge
The beauty of it is, it is not just me. There are thousands of feeds, gadgets and widgets out there that you can add onto your homepage. From the latest BBC News to the weather in graphical form or your facebook profile with updates from your inbox.
As the site is personalised to your account, once you have logged out, you can go to another machine anywhere in the world and log in and view the same info.
It is brilliant for reducing surfing time and those who are information junkies like me - You go to one page and see everything. Instead of logging in and out your mail, writing your own paper based reminders and going through websites for the latest weather. Google have even gone to the extent of creating an off-line version and a web history feature. The web history feature I immediately turned off as it seemed a bit spooky that I could logon anywhere in the world and view my last search history. Okay not spooky but I do have some data retention and privacy issues with it.
One thing I must recommend is the bookmarks feature. Bookmark something at work and when you get home, you can access it – just by logging back into iGoogle. Those who use a great deal of RSS feeds will also benefit too – whether they be sound based or graphical.
Give it a go and if you have any problems, give me a shout.
Paying for a virus checker?
Recently Norton announced that there was a major hole in one of its Norton products and informed all users to complete an automatic update immediately. A “nasty bug” residing in two ActiveX controls used in Norton’s PC software could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on another user’s machine. A lot us started to pay for full-recommended virus checkers because that was the only way we would get peace of mind. Most companies allow you to have 30 days free use and then make you subscribe. I have found that all this does is cause you issues and slow your computer down.
Update issues and slow processing have made using my machine a nightmare. In my case, Norton would make my machine hang whilst it was updating or warning me that my live status was out of date or that my subscription had finished.
Over a year ago I turned to non commercial products such as AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/). Allows you to have a spy ware checker and a virus checker, all for no charge. Okay, they do not have any technical support team that you can phone or ask for help, but hey, which support company has never told you to reboot or reinstall? We are all pretty clued up and can work most problems out or know someone who can help.
I can only stress how easy this product is to use. If you have a constant internet connection, it will update as your machine automatically and you will not be bothered by alerts etc. It is takes up little space and does not take over the machines memory allocation and therefore, your machine won’t be fighting the process hoggers like Norton.
This virus checker combined with a firewall such as zone alarm – once again free (http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/home.jsp) for about 30 days and then limited but sufficient functionality. If security experts are recommending these products and reviews, show them blocking more virus’s than most commercial products –why should we pay.
Verdict: Highly recommended
Thursday 9 August 2007
BBC iPlayer Part II
Friends who have used the player have said it is a handy tool to watch programmes again. However, only being able to watch them again for up to seven days is a bit limited.Other big problems include the beta only works on Windows media player and you have to download the whole programme you are watching. This could be up to 400mb and could be a big issue for those with bandwidth and download limits.On the positive side, the quality is excellent and you will get to watch top gear or heros again. What i would like to see is the availability of watching repeats over longer than seven days and to be able to stream the programmes over the web instead of hogging the bandwidth and waiting for downloads. With today’s cheap storage and the BBC being one of the worlds most used site –why are they not streaming? The technology is there and we could even go a step further with repeats on your mobile. Come on the license fee itself is worth it if you can get all this.
Worth downloading but not sure if it is worth the hassle of waiting around for programmes to download. Part I
Do i need a SSD based laptop?
Answer.com says
solid state disk
A disk drive that uses memory chips instead of rotating platters for data storage. Used in battery-powered handheld devices as well as desktop computers and servers, solid state disks (SSDs) are faster than regular disks because there is zero latency (there is no read/write head to move). They are also more rugged than hard disks and offer greater protection in hostile environments.
Non-Volatile and Volatile
Most solid state disks use non-volatile flash memory; however, some use volatile DRAM or SRAM chips that are backed up by a built-in disk drive or UPS in case of power failure. Also called an "electronic disk," a solid state disk emulates the sector format of a disk drive and is generally a plug-for-plug replacement for it. As memory has gotten less expensive, the storage capacity of solid state devices has increased tremendously.
So do i need one?
I went through some similar questions when I was looking at buying a Sony UMPC. The main advantages I found were that if you are going to require a portable device that is going to be knocked about, then yes it is worth the extra money.
You can drop a laptop and the screen may smash...but at least, you will know the SSD is still in one piece and working. Other advantages include a performance increase over standard hard drives for intensive tasks and as it takes less power to function - in theory your battery should last longer too.
Read/Write capabilities used to be an issue, however, I no longer think this is the case and it should not be an issue when purchasing.
The cost will come down soon, as there are many UMPCs such as Sony's UX range and the Samsung Q1 that already have SSD within them. Samsung have also built a drive that is ipod compatible - so it shows where the market is going.
In the short term - if you take a new vista machine with a standard drive and one with ssd - there will not be too much difference when it comes to performance. However, as you do updates and add software, a standard drive will slow down (depending on how many times you defrag etc), where as an ssd based machine should stay at the same performance speed.
