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Index 2007

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Why daily blogging if you only get enough stuf scaped together for a day-blog by collecting a whole month?

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2007-12-01  ^:

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2007-12-02  ^:

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2007-12-03  ^:

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2007-12-04  ^:

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2007-12-05  ^:

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News - -

Nothing new here. Of course there are secret lists and agendas. And lots of goat sounds.
but I suppose keeping up a good enceclopedia without checks is not feasable..
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/04/wikipedia_secret_mailing/ )

 

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Asus seems overwhelmed with demand for the EeePC. Not surprising though with such grat portability.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/03/dealers_price_up_8gb_eee_pc/ )

 

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Need to get rid of those excess pounds? Not willing to leave your computer desk for it? No problem.
But I think it will be a hard-sell for data-centers ^_^
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/03/intel_competition_pedal_laptop_madrid/ )

 

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( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/03/livejournal_sp_six_apart/ )

 

Wurk - -

They are playing around with the servers again. I lost almost two hours of work yesterday. And some posts. And today I have been shunted from one server to another. I feel like a humming bird zisiting empty flowers.

 

 

 

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2007-12-06  ^:

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2007-12-07  ^:

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News - -

Wikipedia isn't democratic. Of course, reality isn't either. Actualy, Wikipedia is just like a real community. with angry, dirty feuds going on.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/06/wikipedia_and_overstock/print.html )

 

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AMD keeps strugling with it's four-core thingies.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/06/amd_benchmarks_down/ )

( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/06/opteron_delays_amd/ )

 

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Java history lesson.
( http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/12/07/microsoft_java_sun_infamy/ )

 

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Datacenter build-up and burn-out. As predicted by SUN. But even predicting it Sun managed to mis the train.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/05/sun_redshift/ )

 

Self - -

Yay, dentist visit. I called last Friday cause part of a filling had broken off. Then half an hour after calling another filling fell out. Go me for timing!  

 

 

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2007-12-08  ^:

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2007-12-09  ^:

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2007-12-10  ^:

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News - -

OK, it's your drive. And your file. But you cannot combine them. Thanks to WD.
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/07/western_digital_drm_crippled_harddrive/ )

 

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3D transistors may be the way to go. But a better explanation is needed..
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/08/unisantis_and_ime_3d_transistor/ )

 

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EeePC comes with Linux but can be run on Windows. A bit funny really, up to now it's always been the other way round, with vendors providing boxes that run on Windows and some individuals breaking it to install Linux. Now who is doing to do the next step, OS-X ...
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/07/eb_eee_pc_with_xp/ )

 

 

 

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2007-12-11  ^:

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It's clearing out again and getting cooler. Not yet freezing though. (3°C -- 12°C)

 

News - -

Nice tit-for-tat. A race between IBM and Intel.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/10/ibm_32nm_highk/ )

 

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Get a Violin startekit. At 120GB of RAM. In a way I doubt the prowerconsumption claim. Yes, one stick of RAM consumes less than one disk. But go up a bit and compare one of those 120GB or 160GB USB powered portable drives and a box of densely packed RAM of a similar capacity the equiation turns around. Of course if you want speed ...
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/10/amd_violin_memory/ )

 

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Not opening up for all possible upgrades and mods but at least some upgrade is allowed.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/10/asus_warranty_statement/ )

 

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Do you have a supercomputer hidden on the attic? Probably. OK, the questions are business-like. But the title got me thinking. I remember my second PC, a 166MH Citrix based box. I had it filled out with 64MB of RAM, (most standard PCs of the day came out with 4, top of the line ones with 16MB) And I had a 400MB and a 800MB disk. I know that sounds punny but then it was a monster. At work, a software company, we had an IBM midrange computer, AS400. That had only 16MB of RAM installed, and 6 200MB harddisks (8inch drives). And we worked with about 40 people on it.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/10/supercomputer_poll_200712/ )

 

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2007-12-12  ^:

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Ha, as precisted, it cleared out and started to freeze. Just lightly. Most of the day was overcast/misty so (-1°C -- 11°C)

 

News - -

Yay, good old times.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/12/commodore_64_anniversary/ )

 

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How bad is it when MS provides blocking for it's own service packs?
And that while there is a perfect blocking tool on the market already. Ok, it has a penguin on the cover and not a clippy.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/11/windows_sp_dalay_tool/ )

 

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I am not an MS fan and I am not in favour of striking out against copying but this is different. Buying one copy and use it on two or three computesr is one thing, copying and selling for proffit is a different thing.
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/11/microsoft_pirates_ebay/ )

 

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Life probably existed on Mars. Finding that life supporting conditions have existed is gopod new then. Of course with a pinch of TheRegister-salt.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/11/mars_microbe_men_nasa_rover_excitement/ )

 

Self - -

I got my brother's wireless-modem fixed.
Rather simple. The ISP had changed the user-names (company-take-over and consolidation etc.) so all that was needed was changing the userprofile in the modem. But my brother wasn't home (he works on a 6 days on 5 days off regime).
But my sister-in-law is a support-person's worst nightmare.
She uses the computer to browse and chat. But she doesn't know how to set up stuff. The support person asked her to type in an URL at the address bar. ... It took him more than five minutes before she knew what the address bar is. No, she isn't stupid. She just never uses the address bar, all the links she needs are on the homepage, so shile it was in plain view all the time she just didn't realise what he was explaining. Next hrudle. It's a notebook with a WXGA screen. Very nice width but not high at all, and with the anormal menubars en toolbar and other clutter at the top and bottom there isn't much room available. So mu brother set the browser (MSIE) up without menu bar and nuttonbar. It only has the dreaded address bar and page-tabs. And then the support person asked to check the internet options. On the tools menu. With the menubar hidden.
After half an hour he gave up and told her to get some non-analphabetical person to look at it.
I couldn't find the apssword for the settings page on the modem so I supposed I had to completely reset and setup the thing. Luckily the modem wes kind enough to say what the password was. Well, it said the user is ADMIN so the password must be ADMIN to. Right? Right indeed .... O_o'.
(I remember I did install and try out the modem at home but I did reset everything before returning it, with instructions of how to set it up for his ISP. But that was more than three years ago. )

 

 

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2007-12-13  ^:

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Yay for global warming. As long as I have to scrape ice off my car like this morning I doubt the global-warming chickens. (-2°C -- 11°C)

 

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Still worth boycotting WD. Sure their disk-cripling doesn't affect me but they want to shoot teir own foot so we should cooperate. End let them feel the pain.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/12/western_digital_filesharing_panic/ )

 

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The amazing thing about the Chinese space program is that it's running pretty much on schedule.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/12/china_probe_speech/ )

 

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Booing made a lots of chouting and boosting about the delays with Airbus. But they aren't getting ready on schedule themselves
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/12/787_schedule/ )

 

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If you are reading this you are a criminal.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/12/copyrights_and_wrongs/ )

 

 

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2007-12-14  ^:

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Every day a bit more ice. (-2°C -- 11°C)

 

News - -

Havving another stab at MS. This time Opera is handling the knive.
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/13/opera_ec_complaint/ )

 

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Sounds like they are shooting just because they have a gun.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/13/bennett_eff_neutrality_analysis/ )

 

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Toshiba keeps the ball rolling.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/13/tosh_sonos_flash/ )

 

Wurk - -

Everything goes wrong. The whole stock is wrong .... The system is bad, You have bugs ....
Yep, Everything works fine and suddenly during the nightshift thjings go wrong.

 

 

 

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2007-12-15  ^:

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2007-12-16  ^:

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2007-12-17  ^:

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Weather - -

It keeps freezing. But it's nice weather actually. (-2°C -- 02°C)

 

Wurk - -

Got a day off. So I go to work for just a couple of hours.
More as a stop place whileriding my bike.

 

 

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2007-12-18  ^:

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Yay for another frozen day. It has been perfect sunny weather for more than a week now. The only light disadvantage is a rather sharp North-Eatern wind. For the rest it's all perfect. (Except fo the coleagues who want to kill me when I say it's good weather ^_^) (-3°C -- 8°C)

 

News - -

Long live the free market. As long as it all stays in the US.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/us_maintains_internet_gambling_ban/ )

 

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Curious. Apple gets kicked because it fixes security vulrnerabilities without explicitly stating so. While the press has all but stopped blaring about MS when they blatantly refuse to fix or even acknowledge holes.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/15/apple_security_fixes/ )

 

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Speeding the bits along. The main advantage of fire-wire over USB is that it uses the highest speed when possible. With USB it's all to easy to connect a fast device and yet run the slow version-1 on it. And it's not clear how to change it.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/17/firewire_to_go_3200/ )

 

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Good step by our neighbours. The netherlands governement goes Open source. Now if only we had a gorvernement ...
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/17/dutch_gov_open_source_standards/ )

 

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2007-12-19  ^:

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It keeps nice and freezing. Lots of sun but not enough to thaw things out. (-5°C -- 1°C)

 

News - -

Lights out at Intel? Yep. OK not in a bankrupt way of speaking but optical. Selling off it's optical business.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/19/intel_emcore_sale/ )

 

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The Alliance against the Empire? Not likely to become a big battle, the Empire is to far ahead. But I wonder how long it will be befor everybody joins an alliance. As the costs keep rising even Intel wil run into trouble.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/chip_alliance_ibm_amd_intel/ )

 

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EeePC becomes more attractive at 16GB. But still way underpowered for Windows Vista.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/18/eee_pc_wii_japan/ )

 

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16GB disks? Yep, just in time for the EeePc
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/18/intel_preps_16gb_umpc_ssd/ )

 

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Intel again throws some code out to Open Source. Going for fast-talking penguins ^_^ . Intel often trows bits of software and drivers out to OS and it does so without great announcements. Curious strategy.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/open-fcoe/ )

 

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You'll never look at a toaster in the same way once it has hacked you MS Home Server box.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/networked_toaster_hack/ )

 

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StarWars on a larger scale. And no human intervention needed for the Wars part.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/death_star_galaxy/ )

 

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Updating the PS3. Added support for DivX, Blueray-1.1, updated codecs .... . And -this being Sony- updated trojans?
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/18/sony_posts_divx_update/ )

 

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Going fast, very fast. But it's taking a couple of decades longer than expected. I suppose we will have to wait till the Chinese get interested before things pick up real funding in the US.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/darpa_hypersonics_award/ )

(Interesting in-link: http://www.fas.org/irp/mystery/aurora.htm )

 

Wurk - -

( -- )

 

 

 

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2007-12-20  ^:

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Weather - -

It isn all open and clear anymore, mist came drifting in. But it still freezes. So the mist sticks to everything it touches. Delightfully beautifull on the naked trees and shrubs. Horendously beautifull on roads. (-4°C -- 1°C)

 

News - -

Finaly hovering off the production line. But the F35B's hovering capacity is not so spectacular. It is more an after thought like some Russian and Chinese planes had been fitted with once they heard abouy the original Harier. It doesn't make for a bad a plane, it just emphasises the problems and trade-off needed.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/19/supersonic_stealth_jumpjet_f35b_rollout/ )

 

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How to F§#k up a product?
( http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/12/19/quattro_pro_fcuk/ )

 

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Intel can rake in the money while AMD tries to get back on the rails.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/19/intel_delays_quad_penryns/ )

 

 

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2007-12-21  ^:

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Weather - -

The mist is getting denser. Both in the air and, frozen down, on the roads. (-2°C -- 2°C)

 

News - -

The virus war isn't over. Some ten years ago it was assumed virusses would go away becasue more and more people started using anti-virus software. And indeed, floppydisk transmitted virusses are all but gone. But that is just one species going extinct, new forms have sprung up.
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/dwindling_antivirus_protection/ )

 

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Anti-virus flags Ms Explorer as a virus. A false positive. False?
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/20/kaspersky_false_alarm/ )

 

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Taking away some toy is never going to happen without a lot of wailing and complaining. By now companies should know customers are just big kids.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/20/nokia_firmware/ )

 

Self - -

Maybe it's time I go looking for another dentist. Part of the new filling broke off again.
It is no drama, only a part broke off and it isn't causing problems or pain.. Just a bit inconvenient. Most inconvenient is that I have to go to the dentist again. And I am not convinced he will fix it right.

 

 

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2007-12-22  ^:

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2007-12-23  ^:

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It's about the end of the clear and freezing spell of winter. It still freezes at night but it thaws out during the day and it's overcast most of the day. (-2°C -- 5°C)

 

 

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2007-12-24  ^:

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Weather - -

What's the worst possible ice to find on the road? Yep, "black ice" caused by rain on frozen ground. Lucky though it was limited to my driveway and part of the street, once out on the roads it was gone. By noon all the clouds are gone and the sun is blinding. (-1°C -- 8°C)

 

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It's a strange deal between Samba and MS. It certainly is not for the money, $10.000 is less than peanuts to MS. I gues the ultimate move is legal.. Samba pays a price for legal peace of mind and MS gets a ticket out of monopoly litigation.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/samba_microsoft_agreement/ )

 

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Link-rot and censorship. Both are killing history. I am not convinced we need all articles in their original context, much of that is adds anyway and changes faster than you can click.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/it_history_archives/ )

 

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Yep Compaq is turned in a cheap-brand name. tststs
( http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/hp_compaq_germany/ )

 

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Price drops are likely to be the deciding factor. And that doesn't look good for blue ray which still cost way more than HD. It's also high time companies start looking into the next generation.
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/21/blu_ray_vs_hd_dvd_price_war/ )

 

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I love thin-client computing. Cause you don't need to pedal as hard ..... ^_^
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/mit_pedal_computer_feat/ )

 

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Linux roundup.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/24/inq-guide-free-operating )

 

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Rumors of course. But is Intel copying AMD problems?
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/21/rumors-swirl-intel-45nm )

 

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Open Software for Norway.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/20/norway-mandates-government-odf )

 

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Job's reality-distortion field penetrated?
( http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=758 )

 

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Now that would be a thing. Keeping a laptop running for 20H on, a single charge. This could make lugable computers really portable. Cause as it is now there is no portable available that will work a full working day on battery. Sure the really go ones can do two or three hours, and double that when usage is light and powersaving can kick in. but what is the use of a protable that runs all day on battery as long ay you don't do actual work on it?
Now with ten times the capacity you can get a full day's work -real work- done and still have spare. Or, if you are get a full day out of you laptop now, you could run the box a while week with those batteries.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/20/nanowire-batteries-ten-times
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/january9/nanowire-010908.html )

 

Self - -

Another sentist visit. Part of the new filling broke off. But it's still under guarantee. ^_^

 

 

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2007-12-25  ^:

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Weather - -

We are not having a heatwave but it isn't freezing anymore. But I do prefer cold and sunny days over this wet and uncheerfull weather. (-3°C -- 8°C)

 

 

 

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2007-12-26  ^:

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Weather - -

We are not having a heatwave but it isn't freezing anymore. But I do prefer cold and sunny days over this wet and uncheerfull weather. (1°C -- 8°C)

 

News - -

A nice bunch of announcements. But while we are still waiting on the four-core chips they don't sound so well.
( http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204803063 )

 

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Bha. Downloads offered for less than $1.99—or, ideally, for free—that contain an agreeable amount of advertising . Zero is agreable.
While most people can ignore advertising on the side, like a side-collum in a browser or billboards alongside the road, advertising interupting an activity is not toletrated as well. Of course that is what MS hopes for, cause it would induce people to pay for content they want in stead of getting everything for free. Of course that is assuming the adds only crop up in free content AND there is an add-free payable version available. But of course that will only happen for a couple of months, once the advertising agencies get a taste of it adds will crop up every where, paid for or not.
And yet there is a possible positive side effect.
If the pattent is granted and it is broad enough -most pattents are- then only MS can play. And MS can be handled.
( http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071221-microsoft-patent-app-could-open-doors-for-video-downloads--and-drm.html )

 

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The question is what Apple device will they come in?
( http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/12/24/apple-may-use-intel-menlow-platform-in-upcoming-umpc )
( http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071212-return-of-the-son-of-pentium-in-2008-intels-new-ultramobile-processors.html )

 

 

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2007-12-27  ^:

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Weather - -

You cannot call it rain, yet it isn't mist either. It's just something in between, a kind of drizzle with ultra fine droplets. One thing is certaing though, it's wet and uncomfortable. (4°C -- 9°C)

 

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year end is a time for reviewing. With an ElReg twist ...
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/24/quotes_of_2007/ )

( http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/12/27/2007_hot_air/ )

 

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Flash isn't safe. Not unexpected realy but it has gotten quite popular recently and often used by more artsy then techy people.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/21/flash_vulnerability_menace/ )

 

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Time to reconsidder Apple.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/24/apple-copy-windows-drm )

 

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Automatic reducing the volume in iPods. Sounds good but then again it's not going to be appreciated. Justa after a minute or so at 100Db you become partialy deaf so you need an even higher volume te actualy hear te music and just then the iPod tunes down. And the down-tuning also spoils the music enjoyment of the other passengers in te bus. Luckily you can turn it off so it won't be effective at all.
And please someone explain to me why this needs a patent?
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/24/apple-turns-music )

 

 

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2007-12-28  ^:

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Weather - -

There is no change lokking at the sky but the drizling-wetness has stopped. (3°C -- 9°C)

 

News/i> - -

Copyright crazyness. Tell me what is not copyrightable?
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/how_to_copyright_michelangelo/ )

 

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Pirate Bay grows.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/pirate_bay_traffic_boost/ )

 

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It are only climate moddels, not climate facts that all the global-warming scare is based on. And apparently the moddels and the facts don't agree.. But how can you explain that to half mindless green extremists?
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/anton_wylie_climate_models/ )

 

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Sony drops rear-projection TVs. Which sound pretty logical. Those rear projection screens were never more than a compromise. They were the only way to make large screen TVs without occupying a whole room. But they are not as bright as a clasic TV and still way bigger (deeper) and heavier than similar sized LCD or Plasma screens. And thier price advantage over those new flat-screens is all but gone.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/27/sony-dumps-rear-projection )

 

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Interesting move. It's not surprising that IBM licences it's chipprocess stuff to others. But SMIC isn't just another company, it is one of the mayor players making chips for a very wide range of low profile companies. And the 45nm process is rather advanced, it's not like IBM is passing on last years process.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/27/smic-license-ibm-nano-tech )

 

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It's an astonishing sum for storing plain old films. And an even bigger sum for storing bits.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/27/digital-movies-expensive-store )

 

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SCO ? Who is that?
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/27/sco-delisted )

 

 

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2007-12-29  ^:

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Weather - -

(4°C -- 9°C)

 

 

 

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2007-12-30  ^:

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2007-12-31  ^:

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Weather - -

(4°C -- 9°C)

 

 

News - -

Privacy? Google is your friend. Untill it starts playing tricks you'ld only expect from Microsoft.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/28/google_privacy_mission_impossible/ )

 

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Netscape gets buried. Heck I didn't even know it was still around.
( http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/29/aol_kills_netscape/ )

 

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What is the world comming to? tststs, DRM free music.
Luckily it's only in the US, cause everybody knows 'Mericans are honest people unlike the stealing and pirating skum populating the rest of the world.

( http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071227-3down-1-to-go-warner-music-group-drops-drm.html )
( http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/28/warner_sells_mp3_on_amazon/ )

 

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MS isn't taking over China on the quiet. Yet.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/28/china-takes-ballmer )

 

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How big is big enough? Well, if you want this 150 inch screen chances are you got to do some house-rebuilding as well.
( http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/28/panasonic-release-150-inch )