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Ben.geek.nz Forums » Recent Topics http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ en-US Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:23:07 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.1-alpha <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/search.php Ben on "Hey Orcon, can you hear me now?" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/hey-orcon-can-you-hear-me-now#post-1042 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:03:33 +0000 Ben 1042@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>For the last month I have been having trouble with my connection to Orcon. The connection has been disconnecting at random times, and moreso when under load, like downloading a large Linux ISO over bittorrent.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/02/hey-orcon-can-you-hear-me-now/">Hey Orcon, can you hear me now?</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "Things I learnt about the USA*" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/things-i-learnt-about-the-usa#post-2316 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:26:36 +0000 Ben 2316@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>*From the raw, unedited, and possibly irrelevant point of view of a first time visitor. Los Angeles feels untidy. From the trash on the freeways, to the smog, to the rambling suburban sprawl. I never felt invited. I’m sure it’s a powerhouse of world commerce and industry, but does it have to be so dirty? North American toilets are strange. The bowl starts very full, and water is injected near the u-bend to (I presume) start a siphon action. It seems very convoluted, and would appear to prevent any sort of “half flush” option. <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/vegas_0001.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-4816" title="New York New York" src="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/vegas_0001-300x200.jpg" alt="New York New York" width="300" height="200" /></a>Las Vegas is awe inspiring and embarassing at the same time. The scale is difficult to describe. I stayed at the Excalibur casino, where I was king, and walked daily through the Luxor pyramid to the conference venue at the Mandalay Bay. The walk took close to 30 minutes, via 3 casinos (reeking of cigarettes and alcohol at all hours), 3 malls, and two other conference centers. The nearest I got to being outside during that walk was the view of the gigantic wave pool – beside the shark aquarium. Some nights I took the free monorail back to my hotel. Passing between a Sphinx and a 10-story obelisk, and stopping outside the turrets of my castle. It’s madness on a grand scale, but that’s only three casinos. I took a walk one evening: past the New York skyline and scale statue of liberty; through the foyer of the MGM grand past the lion habitat; past the gigantic Monte Carlo hotel; through the foyer of the brand new 4-block-size Aria; finishing up watching the incredible Bellagio fountain – which is just opposite a near-scale Eiffel Tower. I think I got almost halfway up the Las Vegas casino strip. All the way harassed by people trying to hand me pornographic business cards promising “Girls direct to you!”, and being bathed by the glow of partially clad women from every second billboard. Despite the amazing sights of Las Vegas, the one thing I really noticed was the urban design. At every corner, intersection, and hotel entry, pedestrians are coralled like cattle. Directed with fences and sweeping concrete barriers away from the roads and into races and runs. I don’t know if it’s the almighty car or the desire to keep customers gambling, but it’s disconcerting. It’s certainly changed my views. Queen Street’s newly doubled barnyard crossings are utopian by comparison. We joke about portion sizes, but they are almost literally insane. I asked for a small coke as a courtesy when I used a Burger King bathroom in LA. The coke was about halfway between what I would call regular and large. Same goes for meals. Most Las Vegas buffets trumpeted “all you can eat, all day long”. We drove out to the Grand Canyon, via the Hoover Dam. The Dam is certainly an amazing piece of engineering, but I was more amazed by the water level. Apparently Lake Mead is it at its <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/LakeMead/">lowest level for many years</a>. I didn’t flush my hotel toilet so much after that. <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/gc1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-4814" title="Grand Canyon View" src="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/gc1-300x200.jpg" alt="Grand Canyon View" width="300" height="200" /></a>If Las Vegas was a car-mad fakesville, the Grand Canyon was serene grandiosity. My intitial view was from the <a href="http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/">Skywalk</a>. An amazing feat of engineering that quite literally takes one’s breath away as you step out onto the glass walkway. But it was the unspoiled view at right that made me cry. Mostly because it was that gorgeous, but partly because Dad had always wanted to see the canyon but never got there. The camera lens makes things much smaller than they are. To add some perspective, the far bend in the river was probably 30 or 40 kms away from my viewpoint. The river is as wide as a football field, but easily fit under my oustretched thumb. On the way back from the canyon, I experienced more USA hospitality by way of a 2.5 hour traffic jam caused by a security checkpoint at the Hoover Dam. Luckily it wasn’t nearly enough to dampen the Canyon experience, and was further alleviated by a full-volume blast of Sugar’s Hoover Dam as we crossed back into Nevada after nightfall. So I’m not quite sure how I feel. LA left me jaded. I’d probably come back to Vegas if only to share the jaw-dropping sights and giggling with my wife. But I’d recommend the Grand Canyon to anyone who gets the chance. America, Fuck Yeah? I think I’d say “America: Fuck”.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/things-i-learnt-about-the-usa/">Things I learnt about the USA*</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "The iPad Killer App" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/the-ipad-killer-app#post-1572 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:24:24 +0000 Ben 1572@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>I believe I have discovered the killer app.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/the-ipad-killer-app/">The iPad Killer App</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "Review: Blackbox C18 Noice Cancellation Earphones" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/review-blackbox-c18-noice-cancellation-earphones#post-747 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:03:34 +0000 Ben 747@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>The Blackbox C18 earphones use the same Phitek noise cancellation technology that V Australia and Singapore Airlines use in their first class cabins. Read on for my review…</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/11/review-blackbox-c18-noice-cancellation-earphones/">Review: Blackbox C18 Noice Cancellation Earphones</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] rob-nz on "Android robo-truck" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/android-robo-truck#post-1894 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:17:47 +0000 rob-nz 1894@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ Cool! <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/android-robot/#ixzz0hbsRt05f" rel="nofollow">http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/android-robot/#ixzz0hbsRt05f</a> Ben on "Surprising TiVo Uptake is Unsurprising" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/surprising-tivo-uptake-is-unsurprising#post-1825 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:29:28 +0000 Ben 1825@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>I seriously wonder at the decision making behind releasing something like TiVo, let alone TVNZ investing millions into it. It’s a fringe device at best, hobbled by ISP exclusivity, and with no point of difference other than the brand name. A back of the envelope calculation should be enough to pin that as a losing proposition from the outset.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/surprising-tivo-uptake-is-unsurprising/">Surprising TiVo Uptake is Unsurprising</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "Learning from the Vodafone HTC Magic Debacle" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/learning-from-the-vodafone-htc-magic-debacle#post-1877 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:08:20 +0000 Ben 1877@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>Today, for reasons yet unknown, Vodafone NZ has completely removed the HTC Magic from sale in New Zealand. They’ve removed all mention of it from their website, and removed existing stock from store shelves.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/07/learning-from-the-vodafone-htc-magic-debacle/">Learning from the Vodafone HTC Magic Debacle</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "MIXing about with Windows Phone 7" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/mixing-about-with-windows-phone-7#post-1680 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:46:14 +0000 Ben 1680@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>I won’t lie to you: I’m excited. It’s my first trip to Ameristan, and I’m hoping to get some hands-on time with some Windows Phone 7 gear.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/mixing-about-with-windows-phone-7/">MIXing about with Windows Phone 7</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "Navman MY500XT: Bouquets and Brickbats" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/navman-my500xt-bouquets-and-brickbats#post-357 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:10:17 +0000 Ben 357@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>It’s no secret that I found the Navman S200 appallingly irritating. So you can imagine my trepidation when I was accosted by a charming PR person (do they come in other flavours?), bubbling about the new Navman range, now with integrated traffic information for New Zealand. Casting aside my black mood towards GPS units, I grudgingly accepted the offer of a review unit. [...]</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/08/navman-my500xt-bouquets-and-brickbats/">Navman MY500XT: Bouquets and Brickbats</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] rob-nz on "Apple lawsuit against HTC" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/apple-lawsuit-against-htc#post-1642 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:29:25 +0000 rob-nz 1642@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ As everyone no doubt knows by now, Apple has launched a patent infringement lawsuit against HTC. Engadget has done a review of the 20 listed patent infringements and it makes interestting reading. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/apple-vs-htc-a-patent-breakdown/" rel="nofollow">http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/02/apple-vs-htc-a-patent-breakdown/</a> A couple of things are fairly obvious; this might be filed against HTC, but the number of OS level patents cited suggest Google and Android are squarely in Apples sights. Second,the suits are filed in two different jusisdictions, the ITC and the US District Court. The different patents listed in the two filings are also interesting for the glimpse they give into apple's strategy here. Lastly, it's interesting that multi-touch didn't get a look in. It may be that Apple realised that the prior work of the likes of Geoff Han and Microsoft in this field might make it a difficult barrow to push. Ben on "Video: Kitchen Gadgets" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/video-kitchen-gadgets#post-1611 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:38:29 +0000 Ben 1611@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>My kitchen is a temple to technology. Cooking is an adjunct, from which I find a reason to use the gadgetry available. I was pleased this morning to be able to share some of my latest acquisitions with Paul and Pippa.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/video-kitchen-gadgets/">Video: Kitchen Gadgets</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] Ben on "A Question: Which Phones Can I Use on XT and Vodafone?" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/a-question-which-phones-can-i-use-on-xt-and-vodafone#post-942 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:05:12 +0000 Ben 942@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>The question machine has transmitted a question about cellular networks: <blockquote>I have been importing small numbers of chinese cellphones that take dual and triple sims. These phones can handle 900/1800/1900 networks. Is it possible to throw a telecom sim into these phones? </blockquote> <div id="attachment_1723" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1723" title="XT Cell Site" src="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/XTCellSite-150x150.jpg" alt="Image credit Steve Biddle" width="150" height="150" />Image credit Steve Biddle</div> This really is an interesting question. Until about a month ago, there was no question at all. Telecom was on a CDMA network, and Vodafone had added WCDMA 3G to their GSM network. Despite the similarity in naming, there really is zero compatibility between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA">Code Division Multiple Access</a> (CDMA) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCDMA">Wideband Code Divition Multiple Access</a> (WCDMA) celllar networks. There was no way to take a phone from one network and use it on another. More recently, with Telecom launching their brand advertising agency’s wet-dream (aka the XT network), with its use of WCDMA and the associated SIM card phones, everyone is rushing to plug XT SIMs into Vodafone phones and visa versa. Their limited degrees of success can be associated with the variation in frequencies being used. Ignoring the complexities of encoded digital tranmission and cellsite handoff (among others), your cellphone is not too dissimilar to a transistor radio that can only listen on a set frequency. It doesn’t have a dial that you can spin to pick any frequency. If a cellular network does not use a frequency that your phone can hear, you can’t use your phone on that network. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/06/a-question-which-phones-can-i-use-on-xt-and-vodafone/">A Question: Which Phones Can I Use on XT and Vodafone?</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] parsley on "SheevaPlug Dev Kit" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/sheevaplug-dev-kit#post-52 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:39:11 +0000 parsley 52@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ Is this the product that makes the open source home automation community really take off? I certainly think we're going to see more products like this in the future, and the price will come down: <a href="http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/t-sheevaplugdetails.aspx">SheevaPlug Dev Kit</a> I'm thinking of ordering one of these from the US (they work with NZ voltage but you'll need a NZ-to-US plug) - if anyone's interested in doing a bulk order let me know. Ben on "LG SL90 Review: Skinny 42″ Full HD LCD TV" http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/lg-sl90-review-skinny-428243-full-hd-lcd-tv#post-782 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:06:10 +0000 Ben 782@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote>I often measure gadgetry in terms of ambivalence, but understand this: I have physical anxiety at the thought of having to return the 42″ LG SL90 I’m reviewing. It’s gorgeous.</blockquote> <a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/12/lg-sl90-review-skinny-42-full-hd-lcd-tv/">LG SL90 Review: Skinny 42″ Full HD LCD TV</a> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script>Popularity: unranked [<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>] rob-nz on "Geek rock..." http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/geek-rock#post-1468 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:33:58 +0000 rob-nz 1468@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ Gotta love geeks... <a href="http://bitURL.net/?pcxbvs" rel="nofollow">http://bitURL.net/?pcxbvs</a> Geek version of the Who's Baba O'reilly, played entirely on instruments bought from Thinkgeek