The picture tells it all really. We are one of the few households in the UK currently to have a Sony PSP!
Daily Archives: July 28, 2005
Chateau Naughton ’05
After a terrifying year during which I feared I had pruned our vine too severely, we look like having a bumper harvest this time around. All that’s needed now is some sunshine and warmth to ripen the crop.
The customer is always wrong
There — I’ve said it! It goes against every marketing man’s credo. I suppose in some industries (retailing, for example) it’s reasonable to proceed on the basis that the customer is usually right — because you can respond quickly to sales feedback. But in relation to technology (where the lead times for radical technologies are more substantial), the customer doesn’t have a clue what he wants — until one day you provide it. And you can’t build a serious technology business by being customer-focussed at the outset.
I’ve always been convinced of this, but thought that I was just a loner — until I read this lovely rant by Quentin.
Thank You Tony
I’m not making this up. There is a web site called ThankYouTony.com. It was set up “to thank Prime Minister Tony Blair for his support of the American actions in Iraq”. The blurb reads:
Whereas, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, has vigorously supported the United States in the disarmament of Iraq;
Whereas, the United Kingdom is a strong and loyal ally to the United States;
Whereas, Prime Minister Tony Blair has committed substantial military forces of the United Kingdom to the current action in Iraq;
The American people extend their heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Tony Blair for his courage and leadership; and
Extend their deep appreciation to the United Kingdom and the men and women of its armed forces.Click Here to Thank Tony
And click here to throw up. Don’t you just love the ‘whereas’ stuff!
Good news from Microsoft
Avast, ye scurvy dogs! From Good Morning, Silicon Valley…
Microsoft on Tuesday officially launched Windows Genuine Advantage, a program designed to temper the widespread counterfeiting of the company’s software by requiring Windows users to verify their operating system’s authenticity. From now on, you must prove you paid Microsoft before downloading updates through Windows Update, Microsoft Update for Windows content, and the Microsoft Download Center (critical security updates will be available to users with or without WGA validation). Customers who discover they have a counterfeit copy of Windows are eligible for a legitimate copy of the OS at no charge, assuming they’re able to provide Microsoft with a proof of purchase.
Why is this good news? Simply because piracy of the Windows operating system has been one of the factors serving to obscure the real (and exhorbitant) cost of Microsoft-based computing. In most of the poorer parts of the world (and virtually the whole of Asia), people run Windows-based systems on pirated software — which is why they have not yet thought seriously about Open Source (i.e. free) software. After all, Windows has been — to them — ‘free’ software. But all this is going to change as Redmond seeks to claw back its rightful royalties. So at Ndiyo we are delighted by this turn of events. More power to Mr Gates’s anti-piracy elbow.
Update:: it was cracked within 24 hours. Sigh. Thanks to Bill T for the news, though.
Open source beer
Richard Stallman has always emphasised the distinction that free software is “free as in open rather than as in ‘free beer'” when trying to communicate the spirit of the free software movement. Now comes an intriguing twist.
Students from the Information Technology University in Copenhagen is trying to help by releasing what they are calling the world’s first open source beer recipe.
It is called Vores Oel, or Our Beer, and the recipe is proving to be a worldwide hit.
The idea behind the beer comes from open source software. This is software whose code is made publicly available for anyone to change and improve, provided that those changes and improvements are then shared in turn.
SunSignals
Here’s a neat idea for anxious parents heading for the sun. SunSignals are little adhesive patches which change colour when the level of UV radiation they’ve absorbed reaches danger level. UV rays break chemical bonds in the substance used to impregnate the patches, causing a pH shift which causes the colour to change from yellow to deep orange. Neat, eh?
An open letter to Hillary Clinton…
… from Steven Johnson, writing via the Los Angeles Times
July 27, 2005
Dear Sen. Clinton:
I’m writing to commend you for calling for a $90-million study on the effects of video games on children, and in particular the courageous stand you have taken in recent weeks against the notorious “Grand Theft Auto” series. I’d like to draw your attention to another game whose nonstop violence and hostility has captured the attention of millions of kids — a game that instills aggressive thoughts in the minds of its players, some of whom have gone on to commit real-world acts of violence and sexual assault after playing. I’m talking, of course, about high school football. I know a congressional investigation into football won’t play so well with those crucial swing voters, but it makes about as much sense as an investigation into the pressing issue that is Xbox and PlayStation 2.
Lots more good stuff in the letter. I particularly like this passage:
Another key question: Of all the games that kids play, which ones require the most mental exertion? Parents can play this at home: Try a few rounds of Monopoly or Go Fish with your kids, and see who wins. I suspect most families will find that it’s a relatively even match. Then sit down and try to play “Halo 2” with the kids. You’ll be lucky if you survive 10 minutes.
But the irony will probably be lost on the former First Lady.