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FUNCTION RANDOM - All Things Technological On Your Mind

Started by Camazotz Automat, August 17, 2012, 04:04:35 AM

onan

Quote from: MV on February 28, 2015, 10:44:12 AM
Twitter is such a shitty way of communicating with people.
I'm not sure that is always a bad thing.


wr250

bluray players ,hacked. https://www.nccgroup.com/en/blog/2015/02/abusing-blu-ray-players-pt-1-sandbox-escapes/

hack is similar to the rootkits sony put on music cds.

in other words the security of the disc content is paramount, the security of the player (either windows or linux)  os is left to languish.

wr250

Quote from: wr250 on February 28, 2015, 05:58:10 PM
bluray players ,hacked. https://www.nccgroup.com/en/blog/2015/02/abusing-blu-ray-players-pt-1-sandbox-escapes/

hack is similar to the rootkits sony put on music cds.

in other words the security of the disc content is paramount, the security of the player (either windows or linux)  os is left to languish.
note that i mean a player on a windows computer, and the standalone, hardware blueray players mostly run embedded linux.

Anyone on PS4, and want to team up on B.F.4, my gamergate is-theeArtVandelay.

analog kid

Anyone tried Hola? It's an VPN in the form of a browser extension, that lets you watch Netlix from other countries, among other things.

https://hola.org/access/popular

There's also a media player that works like Popcorn Time, which streams media from torrents. Which I'm not entirely sure how safe this is.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: analog kid on March 09, 2015, 04:20:40 AM
Which I'm not entirely sure how safe this is.

if you get a btguard subscription, you'll have nothing to worry about.

area51drone

Quote from: boba FETT on March 03, 2015, 09:53:11 AM
Anyone on PS4, and want to team up on B.F.4, my gamergate is-theeArtVandelay.

Fuck I love BF.  I wish I had more time to play it, but I don't own a PS4 or XB1, shit I don't even own BF4 yet for the 360.   What do you think of BF4 vs 3?

area51drone

Quote from: MV on March 09, 2015, 10:21:57 AM
if you get a btguard subscription, you'll have nothing to worry about.

Or use bit lockers, and something like icefilms to access find them.  Or get yourself a usenet account somewhere and have fun with NZB.

b_dubb

I have technologically novice friends who need an email client for use on Windows 7. Any favorites? 

Heather Wade

Quote from: b_dubb on March 10, 2015, 08:47:23 PM
I have technologically novice friends who need an email client for use on Windows 7. Any favorites?

Windows Live Mail works pretty good and it's free.

Quote from: area51drone on March 10, 2015, 01:23:27 AM
Fuck I love BF wish I had more time to play it, but I don't own a PS4 or XB1, shit I don't even own BF4 yet for the 360.   What do you think of BF4 vs 3?

Now that EA fixed the most of the bugs BF4 is fun. It was unplayable for the first 6 months. Metro on 3 is my favorite. BF 4 is more NOOB friendly...

b_dubb

Quote from: (Redacted) on March 10, 2015, 09:21:50 PM
Windows Live Mail works pretty good and it's free.
They have an email provider. I was thinking along the lines of Thinderbird.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: b_dubb on March 11, 2015, 12:28:40 PM
They have an email provider. I was thinking along the lines of Thinderbird.

i think the simplest thing to do is set up a pop account through gmail.  requires no software on the machine, you can check your email from any device, better malware detection, better spam filtration, good user interface, blah blah.  i really push my customers to eliminate email software from their lives, and probably at some cost to myself since i think it makes them significantly less likely to call me back with issues.

area51drone

Quote from: b_dubb on March 11, 2015, 12:28:40 PM
They have an email provider. I was thinking along the lines of Thinderbird.

I use both thunderbird and live mail, one for work and one for personal.  Thunderbird is a piece of shit, IMO.   If their email provider does pop or imap, live mail will still work for them.   I think it's the best mail program I've tried, and IMO, it's superior to using gmail, yahoo or hotmail's websites.


b_dubb

Quote from: MV on March 11, 2015, 12:55:58 PM
i think the simplest thing to do is set up a pop account through gmail.  requires no software on the machine, you can check your email from any device, better malware detection, better spam filtration, good user interface, blah blah.  i really push my customers to eliminate email software from their lives, and probably at some cost to myself since i think it makes them significantly less likely to call me back with issues.
I like this solution.  Thanks for the pro tip Mr. MV.

zeebo

Quote from: MV on March 11, 2015, 12:55:58 PM
i think the simplest thing to do is set up a pop account through gmail.  requires no software on the machine, you can check your email from any device, better malware detection, better spam filtration, good user interface ...

You had me up until "good user interface".  Gmail & Yahoo Mail and others, even Hotmail, used to have nice simple utilitarian interfaces.  But imho nowadays they're all broken, overengineered, built for smartphones not computers, etc. 

I would actually jump back to local software like Outlook Express / Thunderbird or whatever ~but~ I hate tying my email addr to my ISP so I won't.   (Some time ago I tried setting up Gmail's POP config so I could keep my gmail acct but access through local 'ware but it was disasterous so I gave up on that.)

Sigh, I wish we could just go back to plain text emails from a monochrome monitor.

The Apple Watch commercial is not very exciting.

It's been talked about before somewhere on the forum, but I think it's going to crash and burn.

I could easily be wrong. Maybe everyone will copy Apple and in another year I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for the Google Watch.

But I just can't see it.

Or as Robert Anton Wilson would quip, "I can't get my horns through the door."

Quote from: zeebo on March 14, 2015, 04:21:25 PM
But imho nowadays they're all broken, overengineered, built for smartphones not computers, etc. 

Sigh, I wish we could just go back to plain text emails from a monochrome monitor.

But they are REQUIRED to over-engineer everything and make web pages a huge pain in the ass. They have to keep their bloatware infesting coding jobs, don't they? Of course they do. And security, my God, think of the security issues that must be addressed (supposedly) by installing yet more godless flash.

Job hater.

cweb

Quote from: Camazotz Automat on March 15, 2015, 07:19:06 PM
The Apple Watch commercial is not very exciting.

It's been talked about before somewhere on the forum, but I think it's going to crash and burn.

I could easily be wrong. Maybe everyone will copy Apple and in another year I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for the Google Watch.

But I just can't see it.

Or as Robert Anton Wilson would quip, "I can't get my horns through the door."
There's actually a site where you can sign up to rent an Apple Watch for $45 per week.
https://lumoid.com/apple-watch
QuoteThe Apple Watch is available in April and we will have limited units for you to try, before you decide to buy one. Join our waitlist to be the first to know when it becomes available!
For $45, you get to try up to 5 devices for a week, including the Apple Watch Sport. If you buy the Apple Watch Sport, then $25 will go towards it's purchase.
Hopefully that's what people do, so they can discover just how useless it is.

Plus Samsung has has a smart watch out for a while. And it's $150 cheaper.

b_dubb

Cam you get points for quoting RAW. But I think you're wrong about Apple Watch.  Can you remember what your initial assessment of the iPad was? iPod?

Time will tell. No pun intended.


b_dubb

Nope. Too obvious. I don't go for low hanging fruit. Which is why I try to stay out of General Flatus Of FALKIE thread.

analog kid

Quote from: zeebo on March 14, 2015, 04:21:25 PM
You had me up until "good user interface".  Gmail & Yahoo Mail and others, even Hotmail, used to have nice simple utilitarian interfaces.  But imho nowadays they're all broken, overengineered, built for smartphones not computers, etc. 

I would actually jump back to local software like Outlook Express / Thunderbird or whatever ~but~ I hate tying my email addr to my ISP so I won't.   (Some time ago I tried setting up Gmail's POP config so I could keep my gmail acct but access through local 'ware but it was disasterous so I gave up on that.)

Sigh, I wish we could just go back to plain text emails from a monochrome monitor.

Gmail has a "basic HTML" view, which is what I use. It's pretty light, with no frills. I just think the standard view is a bit sluggish here on my slow internet.

Quote from: b_dubb on March 15, 2015, 08:49:01 PM
Cam you get points for quoting RAW. But I think you're wrong about Apple Watch.  Can you remember what your initial assessment of the iPad was? iPod?

Time will tell. No pun intended.

If my memory serves (and if I am using the search feature correctly), I've never ~said~ anything negative about either device on this forum, so you must be asking about my assessment outside of this forum. I do in fact remember believing the iPad would not do well and was shocked at how imitations followed so quickly. I still don't get the allure. I've only tinkered with the first iPad. I also tried reading some eBooks on it, but went back to the Kindle.

I vividly recall being neutral about the iPod, but condemned earbud headphones and the blind worship of MP3s in general, not iPod specific. Those opinions still stand, but the devices themselves are fine and mp3s have their place for convenience, but not as a replacement to high quality sound.

Being thrown by the success of the iPad was precisely why I quoted Wilson, and as you know, that allusion to horns is a metaphor for an inability to break out of one's particular reality tunnel.* I believe Wilson would have been all over the Watch and would say give it chance. It's unfortunate he's not around to brandish it.

Part of what forms my opinion/tunnel is that the whole "wearables" thing makes my eyes glaze over and the other major factor is Apple's price per unit.

I see a comparatively small segment wanting the watch, but the demand won't be large enough. Users will continue to lean toward their iPhone instead of buying an expensive extension for it. And even if they buy the first generation, it's difficult to imagine any willingness to purchase a new watch again and again as done with mobile phones. If that's the case, instead of repeat sales, it would require new customer demand for the watch to maintain high sales.

I will enjoy the spectacle either way. If it's a hit, welcome to the "Watch Wars."

But I just don't see it getting longterm legs! Are you considering buying one? Or will you opt for 2nd gen, assuming there is one?

*from Prometheus Rising

Quote from: analog kid on March 15, 2015, 09:39:03 PM
Gmail has a "basic HTML" view, which is what I use. It's pretty light, with no frills. I just think the standard view is a bit sluggish here on my slow internet.

Same here!

area51drone

Quote from: analog kid on March 15, 2015, 09:39:03 PM
Gmail has a "basic HTML" view, which is what I use. It's pretty light, with no frills. I just think the standard view is a bit sluggish here on my slow internet.

The problem with gmail or any other web based email is you can't easily store emails locally and back them up.  Not only that, assuming people aren't using ad blockers, you have to view ads to see your email?  Bullshit.    Also, you have to fucking go log into a webpage to view them.   Another bullshit.   Even on my phone, the default mail app is superior to gmail, hotmail or yahoo, and I have accounts I use regularly on all three.    Zeebo is right, the web mail stuff is over engineered and utilizes way too much javascript.  Using a desktop mail client does not keep you from accessing your mail on any other device, and it makes it far easier and faster.

I just listened to yet another business report stating Apple is experiencing negative sales growth on its iPad.  Not just stalling, but going backward.

"a negative compound annual growth rate for the ipad"

And that such negative growth will continue through 2018 or longer.

Also, tablet sales across the board continue to drop like a ~lead balloon~.




area51drone

Quote from: Camazotz Automat on March 18, 2015, 05:39:35 PM
I just listened to yet another business report stating Apple is experiencing negative sales growth on its iPad.  Not just stalling, but going backward.

"a negative compound annual growth rate for the ipad"

And that such negative growth will continue through 2018 or longer.

Also, tablet sales across the board continue to drop like a ~lead balloon~.

Once you have one that you're satisfied with, it's usually good enough and you'll keep it around until it breaks.   They need to encourage software bloat to spur sales.

Quote from: area51drone on March 20, 2015, 01:52:24 AM
Once you have one that you're satisfied with, it's usually good enough and you'll keep it around until it breaks.   They need to encourage software bloat to spur sales.

At the slow rate I'm using my iPad 1, the device is going to last until I'm a little hunched over man in an assisted living complex, using it as some kind of animated serving tray on which to serve associates booze, with of course interesting photo albums at our fingertips for conversation.

I've got it ensconced in an armored OtterBox case. I have to say, the device and the case look hip as hell.

And I need all the help I can get in that department.

http://www.otterbox.com/

(An aside to area51drone: A brief sighting of a beautiful, vintage pinball machine in the film The Theory of Everything.)

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