AIRSTRIP ONE

I’ve just heard David Steel talking on BBC Radio 4’s Question Time about the problem of youths drinking and the loutish and violent behaviour that often results. As I expected, he proposed putting up the price of alcohol.

I regularly see and smell young teenagers smoking skunk marijuana at bus stops and in parks. If kids of 15 and 16 are able to buy skunk weed at £120 per ounce, does anyone seriously think that hiking the price of booze will be a cure for their drinking habits? It is just nonsense and such a policy that will hit everyone including those adults who do have a sense of personal responsibility.

Lets shove these louts into boot camp or the army for a year or two and then we’d see how fast they learn a sense of discipline and responsibility.

BBC News have a weekly I(dio)T show called “Click Online” and every time it comes on I feel like reaching for the sick bag.

The content is old and distinctly crusty at the edges and the presenters try very hard to be young and “happening”. In fact the whole thing just ties a knot in my stomach.

An example of the content is a story today informing people about “Portable Apps” from a woman who looks and sounds as though she doesn’t have any practical applications at all. Quite apart from the fact that the actual technology discussed is as musty as a three-year-old fart in a jar, the piece milked the “hey wow kids, look at this”  factor without really explaining much about how Portable Apps work, how they can be useful for doing different things other than writing letters or the footprint they leave. Most of this programme’s reporting follows a similar format.

“Click Online” is like a programme about cars where no engine is ever shown or discussed and the presenters only ever talk about the colour. I wouldn’t mind, let’s face it, most TV is made for morons but “Click Online” does not deserve to be run on a news channel as an integral part of the news. If it belongs anywhere then on a regular channel like BBC1.

After my unsuccessful experience of trying to buy a Sony Vaio laptop from DABS, I’ve had to start from square one.

Sony have also contributed to the nasty taste in my mouth. To have released a laptop six months ago which one is unable to buy now seems like a dumb move to me so I’ve decided to blow them out. I’ve decided that I don’t like Sony any more and won’t be buying any of their products in the future. They used to make good colour televisions but seem to be more concerned with promoting a brand logo now rather than producing good electronic goods.

I reassessed the laptop question and opted for a Lenovo 3000 series PC. The N200 is a robust choice and seems to be well supported. It has a very nice deeply recessed keyboard unlike many laptops which seem to offer an ice rink upon which to type. The laptop specs could have been a little bit better but in the end I’ve opted for the peace of mind that comes with good build quality.

Determined not to buy one from DABS and after a little searching around for company reviews, I’ve opted to buy one from Laptops Direct.

On Friday morning I went to the laptopsdirect.co.uk site and the first thing I saw was a huge telephone number at the top of the front page. I picked up the phone, got straight through to a pleasant sounding chap called Simon and within five minutes had ordered a laptop. Simon answered all my questions and even gave me an unsolicited ten pound discount.

I don’t like the idea of a “pixel tolerance” at all. That a laptop manufacturer can legitimately put a laptop with 7 permanently lit or dead pixels on the market without it being classed as being in any way faulty is terrible. I had one blue lit pixel on a screen at work and it was extremely irritating. Laptops Direct offer a “Pre Delivery Inspection” for £25.00 which guarantees no bad pixels and I was happy to choose this option, especially when I was offered a £10 discount that I hadn’t asked for.

The Pre-Delivery inspection takes a couple of days and so the laptop should be with me on Wednesday.

Watch this space.

My order for a Sony Vaio laptop was accepted by DABS earlier this week but when I checked on the order status on Thursday evening the laptop was listed as “obsoleted stock”. Never mind that DABS assured me that they would be getting new stock. Never mind the time I’ve wasted. I think I expected that from a bullshit company like DABS. The thing that annoys me most is DABS’s use of a word that doesn’t exist - i.e. “obsoleted”.

I won’t be touching DABS with a barge pole and I’ll be making a point of advising my clients to avoid them. They have no way to contact them by phone. They provide no dead-pixel guarantee and they are an arrogant bunch of fucks who don’t understand the meaning of the words “customer service”.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that now is a strange time for our prime minister to be kissing China’s arse, so soon after the violent crackdown against protest in Burma, when a still as yet unknown number of peacefully protesting Buddhist monks and ordinary people were taken away to be tortured or killed by government troops?

Gordon Brown is cuddling up to a regime that has one of the worst human rights records on the planet. A government that routinely locks up anyone who disagrees with it in a country where whoring western technology companies are now complicit in this repression by willingly blocking off information in return for the rights to make large profits from advertising content.

Why, as stated by Brown this week, is Britain now the country that has the largest European trade links with China?

That the World should have allowed the Olympics to be held in Beijing is disgraceful. That, as yet, no athletes, spectators or media companies are talking about a boycott is shameful.

The West has been holding a trump card ever since Beijing was first chosen to host the Olympics but no Western leaders have had the balls to play it. When the Olympics start later this year, that ace will have been wasted and the game will be lost as a result.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

Right. I’ve just ordered the Vaio plus 2Gb memory and Vista Ultimate. I used DABS’s type-chat facility to ask a rep a few questions first because I am still a sceptic; let’s face it, everyone else says they will never be stocking this model again and this applies to even the Sony site so it is hard to see where DABS will be getting their new stock from.

Amer (1350): Good afternoon, how may I help you?
Customer: Hi. I’m interested in the Vaio NR11Z/S which is due in 5-7 days. Will these laptops be in manufacturers packaging and unopened?
Amer (1350): Can I have the quick linx code please?
Customer: sure it is 4QW8Q2
Amer (1350): Yes, this item should be in the manufacturers packaging and unopened as well.
Customer: Also. If I order it now with memory and Vista Ultimate will the memory and Ultimate be in a separate delivery?
Amer (1350): The items may be placed in the same box, or perhaps a different one, we would not know until dispatched from our warehouse.
Customer: Is DABS sure of receiving this model. I mean, if I order it now will it definitely be with DABS at some point in the future?
Amer (1350): According to our internal system, we are due more stock in on 21/01/08 but this date is subject to change from our suppliers.
Customer: OK. I’d just like to be sure that it will be in. I don’t mind waiting but it’s just that every other retailer says it is discontinued and I’m wondering how DABS will get hold of stock. Do DABS have its own supply hoarded away somewhere?
Amer (1350): Not as far as I can tell, the item does not say limited stock either, or available only while stocks last.
Customer: Just one more question please. I’d just like to confirm that I can buy the Vista Ultimate OEM version with it as I plan to install it instead of the Vista Home Premium?
Amer (1350): If it is available on our website, that should not be a problem.
Amer (1350): Do you have the quick linx code for this other item?
Customer: 4DFPQ2
Amer (1350): The item is in stock and available as well.
Customer: OK Amer. Thanks for the help. Take care and goodbye then.

I had a similar chat a few days ago with another rep and was also assured that there would be no problem with stock. Unfortunately I didn’t save that chat but hey, one can’t always be covering one’s self.

OK - so stock is expected on the 21st (in 5 days). That’s no problem. I’m a patient kind of guy and we all know that good things come to those who wait.

Keep tuned. Same place, same channel.

OK. So I’ve decided.

I want an Sony Vaio NR11Z/S.

It ain’t gonna be easy ‘cos even the Sony store say that it is now discontinued. This after only 4 months in the market place.

DABS are the only site that says it will have this PC in stock at any time in the future. Every one else says that they will never stock it again. Pretty sad for a good laptop that was released less than half a year ago. Such is the way of the World today.

I plan to order it from DABS in the next 48 hours. It comes with 2Gb memory but I’m getting an extra 2Gb to handle the Vista Ultimate that I want to install in place of the Vista Home Premium that it comes with.

Pretty simple you’d think. Watch this space.

Get this…

I’m buying a new laptop. I’ve decided on a Sony Vaio - it has the hardware I want and Sony have a reputation for good build quality. It also looks pretty.

It comes with Vista Home Premium pre-installed and no “real” installable copy of the OS (even though to provide one on DVD would cost pennies). If a laptop is advertised as coming with Vista Home Premium (OEM) it really should come with it, right? Wrong.

When one buys a new laptop or PC these days rarely does it come with the full OEM OS on disks. Instead it is “pre-installed” (sounds like they are doing us a favour doesn’t it?). A small utility is installed that can be used to create an image of the hard drive. The created image is stored on a hidden partition and if a revert to factory installed condition is ever needed this same utility will restore the image.

So what’s the problem? Well firstly this means that all the “bloatware” (i.e. branded and mostly unnecessary utilities) magically re-appears with the restoration process. That Wireless Connection Utility with Sony splash-screens that one doesn’t need because the Zero Wireless Configuration utility is already an integral part of Windows is restored also (whoopee!). So too is the Sony splash (advertising) screen and loads of other unnecessary crap that brands the machine as a Vaio without really providing any useful functionality.

Yes, this crap can be uninstalled (minus the rubbish that Windows uninstaller leaves in the Registry and Programs Folder) but this is hardly my definition of a “clean install”. When I install an OS from scratch I like to wipe the HD, create a new partition and format. Only then can a “pure” OS be installed without any other crap. If the retailer only provides the “rescue partition” then I can’t do that. Whatismore I have to live with 4-5 Gb of my hard drive having been eaten up just to store an image. With traditional imaging software I can save it out to a removable storage device without wasting any space on the internal drive.

OK - so this is the first injustice. Namely that the retailers say that a new laptop comes with a copy of the OS when it doesn’t. Effectively, new laptops all come with a pre-installed copy of the OS which is a very different kettle of fish. This is standard practice unfortunately but it is unfair and takes advantage of unsavy consumers. How would people feel if, when they bought a copy of “Blade Runner” from the Virgin Megastore, it was littered with Megastore advertising every ten minutes throughout the film?

The next point that I want to make is that when buying a laptop today, one is effectively forced to use the OS that accompanies it. If I buy a Vaio laptop with Vista Home Premium on it then I’m stuck with Vista because Sony does not provide any other drivers. I can’t, for example, easily install XP Pro on it. With a great deal of fiddling around it may be possible. Theoretically it might be done by going to the individual device manufacturers and finding the drivers but there is no guarantee that drivers for other operating systems even exist. If you don’t believe just how tricky it can be to install another OS on a laptop just Google around to see just how problematic down-grading to XP from Vista can be. (By the way, there are loads of people trying to do this; says a lot for Vista doesn’t it?)

I’d like to buy the Vaio and put XP on it but am unable to do so without running into so many problems that it would not be worth it. Hence I am being forced to use an OS that I do not want to use. I don’t want to use Vista because it is a bloated piece of crap that turns a good machine into one that runs with all the efficiency of a 1995 machine with Windows 98 SE.

The only solution is to stick more memory into it and install Vista Ultimate. By doing this I will end up with a machine that will be somewhat similar to one with XP Pro on it. It’s still Vista however and leaving aside the stupid little messages popping up all over the place asking me “Do you really want to do that?”, I’m left with an inferior OS to XP that may not run some of my older applications or peripherals.

In an ideal world Vista would be a “White Elephant” just like Millennium was. The only problem is that it will never be that simply because MS learned their lesson with Millennium and hyped Vista before releasing it. Unlike Millennium, it was also released at a time when absolutely everybody and their auntie was using PCs. They made sure that it would be put on every new laptop and that a super-sized portion of it would be flooded into the market place at Christmas. The sad fact is that everyone is going to be using Vista and, like it or not, it is here to stay.

My professional opinion is that XP is a much better OS. My job is in systems admin so I’m not making “back seat driver” comments when I say that. Fact: The average consumer is being treated like an idiot by Micrcosoft in cahoots with the hardware manufacturers. They tell us that Vista is “super dooper” and before most of us get a chance to make an informed decision we find that we have little choice but to use it. The real joke is that MS will release a successor to Vista sooner that most realise and we will be parting with hard-earned cash for yet another “upgrade” before too long.

Whenever we hear the term “nanny state” being used we all tend to think that it is referring to over-protective government but is this assumption really fair?

Who is constantly informing us of new “dangers”? Surely it is more often the media rather than the government and even when the information may have originated with government it is disseminated by the media. Regardless of the source, whether it be government, scientists or anybody else the media, once it grasps a new piece of “information”, is like a lion that sinks its teeth into its prey, masticating at peek efficiency to try and get every last molecule routed through to its taste buds.

A  case in point is the recent flap about light-bulbs.

Our government is a utilitarian collective. Its view essentially a socialist Marxist one that espouses the greatest good for the greatest number. Fabianite in nature, it now sees its main responsibility as the mediator in a giant balancing act that is designed to make Life fair for all. This is a very recent development and not so long ago is raison d’etre was very different. Given the nature of today’s government however it is easy to see why those who now govern us feel that it is their responsibility to tell us what sorts of light-bulbs to buy. Using unproven theory and by manipulating the science we are all being forced to become more “energy efficient”. Leaving the main arguments of this unfounded pseudo-science behind, we must ask ourselves why we are being denied choice and why ludicrous decisions are being made for us behind closed doors.

I order my groceries on-line from Asda and I made an order yesterday. I needed 100 Watt light-bulbs but for the second time, found none on Asda’s web-site. I used to be able to buy these no-name brand bulbs for 18 pence each. Now I can find no 100 Watt bulbs at all; not even the more expensive branded ones. I don’t like long-life energy-efficient bulbs. I think they are ugly and I don’t want to ruin the appearance of my lovely art-deco fittings by using them but I don’t seem to have any choice in the matter any more. Government legislation, based on weak science, has decided to “save me from myself” by deciding the sort of light-bulb I should be buying. The choice has been taken away from me and I no longer have any say in the matter. There is nothing I can do about it except to try and find sources for the old type of bulb until they dry up all together and then accept that I will have the choice of buying the new type of bulb or else face a life in darkness.

Now for my main point. The BBC is today reporting that there is mercury in the new bulbs and that it could be dangerous. Government advice for dealing with broken bulbs is given on the BBC web-site and is being reported on the television news today. They say:-

 ”Official advice from the Department of the Environment states that if a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes. A vacuum cleaner should not be used to clear up the debris, and care should be taken not to inhale the dust. Instead, rubber gloves should be used, and the broken bulb put into a sealed plastic bag - which should be taken to the local council for disposal.“

This is just absurd. Yes, mercury is hazardous but it has been present in fluorescent bulbs for the past sixty years and it has not been a problem because of the minuscule amounts present. The new bulbs contain even less than fluorescent ones and are unlikely therefore to present any real danger.

You can see what’s happening here can’t you. Fired by our “compensation culture” someone in the government machine has felt the need to cover themselves. They have warned about the very small potential risk of danger and the media, in particular the BBC, has picked up the story and milked it for all it’s worth. Why are there no printed warnings on the packaging? Do people know that they have mercury in their homes? Are the bulb manufacturers being irresponsible? etc. etc.

The BBC and the rest of the media is whipping up a storm in a teacup about something unimportant and no doubt next week they will be talking about the “nanny state” in another story. This is pure hypocrisy.

The “nanny state” really is with us; such is the nature of socialist-Marxist collectivist government, but surely the main culprit for the present climate of caution concerning almost every area of life must be the media. It is the media that imparts this sort of information to us all. They play with our fears, exaggerate the risks and point the finger of “blame”. Why? To sell newspapers, to achieve high ratings and to create their own “authority”.

As a boy I was given mercury in the science labs at school to use in experiments. I was fascinated by it and can remember taking small amounts of the stuff to play with. I would keep it in an ink-well and then play with it in my next class, rolling it around on my desk with a biro. I’d also take sodium which is much more hazardous than mercury. I’d roll it into little balls and on rainy days I’d pea-shoot it into puddles beneath those watching cricket so that it would produce a violent reaction with the oxygen in the water, fizzing about with a bright orange flame under peoples’ feet. I knew that both these elements were potentially dangerous but armed with that knowledge I protected myself from the dangers and had some fun.

The problem with trying to make Life 100% safe is that one makes it 100% boring at the same time. Kids today don’t even have anything as innocuous as copper sulphate to play with. They will never know what fun it can be to grow one’s own crystals. It is no wonder that science is being taken up by fewer children each year if all they can do is learn theory. Science is not pure knowledge. Science should be something “mucky” and something that one can get one’s hands on. Many of science’s greatest discoveries have come about quite by accident and no amount of reading theory can produce the circumstance and imagination needed to discover everything.

We do not need to be protected from ourselves. We need the media to tell us what is going on without telling us how to live our lives. We need the media to reflect our society rather than become the creator of it.

Being in the market for several new bits of electronic kit; a laptop and camera, I checked out vendors and prices at the beginning of December and have been monitoring my bookmarks closely ever since.

My choice for a camera jumped up in price at Amazon (UK) on Christmas Day and then went a bit higher a few days after Christmas. The price went up further still on January 1st. Almost exactly the same thing happened at Play (UK).

It was the same story with several of the laptops I was watching; they just rose in price and peeked on January 1st. The others just went out of stock.

When it comes to “sales” it seems that “The Emperor wears no clothes”.

Amazon are a particular case in point and I’m so fed up with them constantly mucking about with their prices that my New Year’s resolution is never to go back there again.