Fonterra Word Association Game

Let's play a game shall we?  It's a word association game.

Fonterra
Dirty Dairying
Melamine
Dicyandiamide
Botulism
Fonterra

For life??  More like "fails life".

Prince Charming?

Asiana fake pilot names

Apologies to the grieving families and friends, but I have to admit that this story had me in stitches.

US television station KTVU approached the NTSB (National Transportation Transport Board) and asked them to confirm the names of the pilots in the ill-fated plane which crash landed in San Francisco.

According to the NTSB, a 'summer intern' exceeded their authority in confirming the names to the TV station.

The names were duly read out live on air.

(Source: YouTube, KTVU)

Setting aside the racial element, the really funny thing is that the fake names are in 

ascending order of panic you might expect in the cockpit immediately prior to the crash.

I'd like to find the person responsible for this little gem and shake them by the hand.  It's an awesome bit of comedy.

Want to know the really, really, REALLY funny thing?  The airline is planning to sue the TV station.  Claiming ...

"We decided to sue KTVU because Asiana Airlines thinks their news defames our pilots and our company's reputation," Kiwon Suh, an Asiana spokesman, said.

Surely that should be spokeman We Su Yu As?  

Of course the Asiana pilots didn't manage to dent their companies reputation by crash landing the plane did they?

Give it up Asiana.  All you'll reap is more comedy at your expense.

Apple - rotten to the core

The market darling Apple company has been found guilty of price fixing of ebooks in collusion with five major publishers.

The publishers (Hachette Book Group, MacMillan, HarperCollins, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster) settled out of court, leaving Apple to face the wrath of Judge Denise Cote.

In her ruling, US District Court Judge Cote said...

"The plaintiffs have shown that the publisher defendants conspired with each other to eliminate retail price competition in order to raise e-book prices, and that Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing that conspiracy.  Without Apple's orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did in the spring of 2010."

Apple have released a statement since the ruling asserting their innocence - even though their co-conspiritors have already cut and run...

"Apple did not conspire to fix ebook pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations. When we introduced the iBookstore in 2010, we gave customers more choice, injecting much needed innovation and competition into the market, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. We've done nothing wrong and we will appeal the judge's decision."

Obviously a case of a rotten Apple.

Best headline (Christchurch Press) "Judge throws ebook at Apple"

More >>

Story on techcrunch.com

More detail at guardian.co.uk

Tickle me, Elmo.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv/8866726/Lawsuits-against-Elmo-actor-thrown-out

The headline says it all really....

Telling it like it is..

... I hope he rots in hell.

Retired Poughkeepsie Detective Captain Charles Mittelstaedt, about James Nichols on the discovery of the remains of James' missing wife JoAnn Nichols.

(image - Poughkeepsie Police Department)

JoAnn went missing in 1985.

Her body was found behind a false wall inside the family home following the recent death of James.

A forensic report indicates she died from a blow to the skull.

Full story on stuff.co.nz 

Leak-proof Tampax ad.

With ads like these - who needs boring TV programs?



I like a laugh ~ Alexi Sayle

Did you see the limb come off?  Cool!

Of course Zombies are attracted to blood.  Don't go there....

Microsoft backs down after Sony kicks console ass

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/blogs/game-junkie/8825103/Microsoft-backtracks-on-next-gen-vision

Microsoft has made major concessions with it's Xbox One.  No longer will the console require an online connection and games can be bought and sold just like the 360.

This reversal marks a huge backdown by the software giant.  So much so that wags online are now calling the new console the Xbox 180.  You've gotta laugh.

 One wonders how Microsoft got it so wrong.  Did they really believe that punters would accept their draconian vision of game ownership and access?  Really?

More than the telling public storm, is the fact that PS4 sales were leaving the Xbox One dead in the water.  Some markets reported PS4 sales were outstripping Xbox One by 7 to 1.  Horrifying figures for Microsoft.  Of course a viral video from Sony mocking Microsoft's ineptitude probably didn't help in the humiliation stakes either.

I'm still not buying an Xbox One.  Not until I can play my current back catalog of games on it (see my previous blog post).

Come on Microsoft, do another 180 on this issue and you'll have a full 360.  And you'll have a console I'll be willing to purchase.

More > http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/8831970/Microsoft-Cries-Uncle-on-Xbox-One-Battle

Xbox One - not "The One" for me

Microsoft has had another brain fade in announcing that it's much touted Xbox One will not play older games.

http://au.businessinsider.com/xbox-one-will-not-work-with-old-xbox-games-2013-5

http://au.businessinsider.com/why-the-new-xbox-one-wont-play-old-xbox-360-games-2013-5

When I heard this I was astonished.  Backwards compatibility should have been a must to get users to carry over from their previous consoles.

When I bought my Xbox 360 I gave away my original Xbox with some of the games I didn't like.  I kept the games I did like because they played on my new console.  I was happy with this.

According to Microsoft, their new console "It uses an “x86″ architecture for its processor and the others relied on a “PowerPC” architecture."  Therefore it won't work.  Rubbish!  They simply haven't bothered, gambling that punters will flock to the new Xbox One and abandon their old machines and games. Nope.

Expect a reversal on the stance from Microsoft.  Just like their Windows 8 reversal on the need for a start button.  They'll bring out an update which opens access to old games when their sales targets are missed by miles.

You heard it here first.

I'm keeping my Xbox 360 until it dies.  If I can't play my current selection of games  on the One, I'll replace it with another 360.  Chew on that Microsoft.

The Ford Falcon folds it's wings

The much anticipated announcement has finally broken, production of the Ford Falcon will be discontinued from 2016.

Of course Ford nutters are horrified, the rest of the world won't be surprised.  You see the Falcon is a dinosaur.  An inefficient behemoth that is decades past it's use-by date.  I say this as a previous Ford owner - my very first car was a Cortina.

Now-days, Falcons can be roughly grouped into three categories:

Type I (car older than 10 years) - the car will be rough, lowered and on it's way to, or from a crime scene.  It will be driven by a shaven headed male Bogan who still thinks it's cool to do a burnout from every standing start.  Cops love these guys because they are too stupid to be difficult to catch.  Occasionally driven by the Bogan's skanky moll on her way to court, or Prison, to see her man.

Type II (less than 10 years old and driven aggressively) - these are driven almost exclusively by fat males who still think they're 21 and have ABs.  They drink too much, laugh too loud and are generally obnoxious people to be around.  They wear offensive shorts, have acres of pale flesh and are prone to road rage.  Their wives hate them.  If you're being aggressively tail-gaited by a Ford Falcon Ute chances are you're seeing a Type II.  Be very afraid.

Type III (any age Falcon in excellent condition).  A true enthusiast with a passion for the brand.  Most commonly seen on Sunday drives with the husband driving and the wife in the passenger seat.  They will be packing a thermos and actually use maps.  These people are fun to be around if you share their obsession, otherwise they tend to bore.  Their Falcon will be pristine or actively on it's way to becoming so.

Hillary is not British.

The Brits are the latest group to be inducted into my informal "Hall Of Journalistic Infamy".

It doesn't take much to get inducted.  All you have to do is publish rubbish.

The UK's own Daily Telegraph is the latest offender.  They have claimed Sir Ed Hillary as a Brit!  The offending article can be found here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10067613/Our-man-in-space.html

While it's true that the expedition to Everest was British, Ed Hillary is most certainly NOT.  He's one of us New Zealanders.  And we are rightly proud of him and his legacy.

The New Zealander Sir Ed Hillary  (image Stuff.co.nz)

It's noteworthy that Australians have also tried to claim Sir Ed.  C'mon Aussies, we gave you Russell Crowe so don't try to pinch our Ed.

Circulation increasing

According to this blog's stats, I'm increasingly popular in Germany, USA and Russia!  An international audience.  How cool is that?

Delighted to have you as viewers.  Welcome!

  

Entry	Pageviews
New Zealand	554
Germany	180
United States	174
Russia	108
United Kingdom	89
South Korea	31
China	21
Australia	20
India	10
Philippines	10

Obama speech on Gun Control failure

In his speech upon the failure of his gun control reforms, US President Obama let rip:

...But if action by Congress could have saved one person, one child, a few hundred, a few thousand — if it could have prevented those people from losing their lives to gun violence in the future while preserving our Second Amendment rights, we had an obligation to try. 

And this legislation met that test.  And too many senators failed theirs. 

I’ve heard some say that blocking this step would be a victory.  And my question is, a victory for who?  A victory for what?  All that happened today was the preservation of the loophole that lets dangerous criminals buy guns without a background check.  That didn’t make our kids safer.  Victory for not doing something that 90 percent of Americans, 80 percent of Republicans, the vast majority of your constituents wanted to get done?  It begs the question, who are we here to represent? 

I’ve heard folks say that having the families of victims lobby for this legislation was somehow misplaced.  “A prop,” somebody called them.  “Emotional blackmail,” some outlet said.  Are they serious?  Do we really think that thousands of families whose lives have been shattered by gun violence don’t have a right to weigh in on this issue?  Do we think their emotions, their loss is not relevant to this debate? 

So all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington.

In a country obsessed by guns you've got to wonder what it will take before reforms are passed.  Another Waco? Colombine?

Get ready America - the next human tragedy is just around the bend.


Read the full transcript of Obama's speech here: http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/17/president-obamas-speech-on-gun-control-bill-defeat-transcript/#ixzz2QraFKHAk

Bitcoin = digital currency

Technology commentators are awash with stories of the impending doom of the fledgling Internet currency the Bitcoin.


The Bitcoin has been around since 2009 and works as a peer-to-peer currency.  This means you trade directly with the other party to complete the transaction.  No bank is involved. 

Bitcoins work a little like a credit note.  You can gain them by selling stuff to people (who pay in Bitcoins), and use them to purchase stuff and services.  Think of Bitcoins as virtual money.  There is no physical object which you can hold and say "This is a Bitcoin".

Being virtual there are no borders, and relatively little taxation. This makes the currency a favorite of the criminal fraternity who favor the anonymity and lack of traceable records.

Read more about it here >> http://rt.com/op-edge/bitcoin-combination-desperation-innovation-733/

This is a terrific idea, but I'm a bit late to the Bitcoin party.  I've only just heard about it, for all the wrong reasons.  It seems that the virtual money is plummeting in value.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57579241-93/bitcoin-drops-another-35-percent-as-exchange-reopens/

Dang. 

It will be interesting to see if this virtual currency can bounce back from the huge losses it has recently encountered.

Baseball mascot mocks Irwin death - Crikey!

http://media.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/selections/baseball-team-mascot-mocks-irwins-death-4173064.html

Verdict:  Hilarious.

Goodbye XP - it's been a blast

Microsoft has announced the date that it will stop supporting Windows XP.  You have one year from today to before XP will become officially 'unsupported'.  Here's how the NBR reported it:


http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/microsoft-calls-time-windows-xp-still-used-500000-nz-computers-ck-138309


XP was released in 2001 - so is showing it's age with three iterations of Windows (Vista, Win7 and Win8) having been subsequently released.

It's a shame, but progress has to be made.  The fact that the operating system (OS) will no longer be supported does not mean that it will stop.  Microsoft will just stop issuing updates and support for it.  If you have an old XP system running on old hardware it will keep going.

I love XP.  It's a wonderful, faithful old companion.  I like it's simplicity and the way it worked.  I spent many thousands of hours playing Doom II on an XP system - these were some of the happiest times of my IT career.


What shall we do with old hardware which won't run the later versions of Windows?

1. Keep running XP on it.  As mentioned above, XP will keep going.  When the hardware breaks then dump it.

2. Upgrade the hardware.  This sounds great, but is not really an option.  The costs are prohibitive and you would be better buying a new system.

3. Install Android.  Yup - you heard me right.  I installed Android 4.0 onto a pen drive and use it to boot my old XP laptop up.  Android works wonderfully on old humble hardware and will become my laptop's OS should XP die on me.

The Android OS is free to download so you have nothing to lose.  Search the Internet for instructions using the keywords "x86 Android" to find out more or use this link to the Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android-x86

Zombie prank backlash begins

Told you...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8303606/Authorities-taking-zombie-prank-seriously

How can this be taken seriously?

"Local authorities in your area have reported the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living," the message warned. "Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."

C'mon.  It was fun.  treat is as such & move on.

Oh, and by the way - if you encounter a real zombie you should endeavor to run away.  If forced to fight - go for the brain stem which must be separated from the body or destroyed.  Cricket bats and shotguns are effective.

The Dead they are rising....

Wonderful news - hackers have broken into the broadcast of a local US TV station and faked a broadcast of the Zombie apocalypse.

TV-station-broadcasts-zombie-attack-alert

Magic!

This is evidence of hackers having a sense of humor that is so rarely found - especially in the corporate world.

Obviously the TV station concerned will bleat about the cost of the attack and bemoan the fact that hackers have infiltrated their most secure system.

Except that it wasn't secure was it?  I bet it gets upgraded now.  Which is the point.  Hackers and exploits of this nature point out problems in IT systems.  Media attention will ensure that this one gets fixed - and fast.

This exploit was a blast.  An absolute wheeze.  I love a good prank - and this was brilliant.