Author: Gary Cutlack
The BBC's TV detector vans are simply a form of psychological warfare
The UK’s Information Commissioner, who’s been a very busy man/department recently, declined a freedom of information request to reveal how many TV license detector vans the BBC operates – because it might stop people believing they exist.
The shadowy fleet of TV-detecting vans is supposed to be able to pick up tell-tale signs that a TV’s being used inside a house, but the ICO ruled that revealing how many vans the BBC actually operates – and the technology they use – might undermine the level of threat they pose. And lead to us not bothering to pay our licence fees any more…
Asus also does BIG and EXPENSIVE and HEAVY laptops like the 14.1" B80A
Asus isn’t just there for the small and cheap things in life. It also creates monster power-laptops that you might think twice about carrying about with you for fear of dislocating a shoulder.
Like this thing here, the B80A, a new prestige, top-of-the-line model for the power business user who is buying things on expenses so doesn’t mind how much it costs.
Packing a Core 2 Duo of your choice up to the T9400, a 14.1″ screen, Windows Vista and hard drive support for SATA models running at a battery-eating 7200rpm, it is every bit the laptop for the image-conscious man in a suit about Euston train station. Here is how Asus describes the needs of the business user…
The YoYotech Fi7epower MLK1610 is the fastest PC in the world
If you have £4000 spare and want a PC that may be able to do some anti-aliasing in Crysis without requiring the frame rate to be measured in minutes, this is the combination of off-the-shelf components for you.
The YoYotech Fi7epower MLK1610 packs a Core i7-965 Extreme Edition CPU, a minimum of 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a dual-processor HIS Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card that’d be more than capable of running Solitaire, plus 1TB of storage space. And an 80GB solid-state drive for quick boot-ups…
Sony in yet another burning battery mess – 100,000 laptop batteries recalled in latest safety concern
Poor old Sony is infuriating laptop makers the world over once again, today issuing a recall of over 100,000 batteries it has supplied to numerous portable computer makers.
The recall involves batteries manufactured by Sony in 2004 and 2005, which were supplied to the likes of HP, Toshiba, Acer, Dell and Lenovo. Sony says there have been around 40 overheating incidents involving the batteries, and, like poor workmen the world over, it has blamed the quality of raw materials and factory errors for the problems, rather than just admitting it’s rubbish at making batteries…
Samsung stretches out its OLED display technology to a whole 40 inches
The OLED tech war is raging in the laboratories of companies across the planet right now, and here’s what Samsung’s boffins have managed to come up with – a 40″ OLED TV.
Massively superior to its past OLED test developments, this latest model features a stunning contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 – and manages to pull off the full HD spec 1920×1080 resolution, or 1080p to give it its common name. It’s pretty much a finished OLED telly, although Samsung has not revealed any launch date plans…
eBay Nutcase of the Week: Man launches "ObamaAuctions.com" to help fund Barack's push
Your old Nokia 3310 could help Barack Obama become president of the United States of America. We bet you never thought that would happen when taking out the contract in 2001, did you?
That’s the idea behind the alarmingly short-sighted ObamaAuctions.com, a site where users can sell their stuff and pledge a proportion of the funds to the Obama campaign. You could, if you want, buy this anti-cellulite cream – and relax in the knowledge that 75% of the cash raised will go to support Barack’s bid to move into a very nice house in Washington for at least the next four years…
VIDEO: Energy & Efficiency, episode 6
Today I will reveal how you can save POUNDS by recharging all your gadgets for FREE! Yes, that’s right. For free. How can this be done? Have I invented something? Have I learned how to harness the awesome power of the sea? Have I mastered cold fusion in my fridge?
Or am I just lying to get attention? You’ll have to watch the below video to find out, as there’s no point me saying what the secret to a lifetime of free electricity is here if I’ve spent ages doing a video about it. That’s not how it works.
So there you go. I’m typing this using electricity I didn’t have to pay for…
Security watchdog the ICO is currently looking at 277 "data breaches" in the UK
At the moment it’s all about banking crisis and how shares aren’t even worth wasting a match on burning the certificates, but cast you minds back a year or so ago. Back when there was only one issue on our minds – data privacy.
Since the numerous high-profile cases of last year, when the government couldn’t stop leaving discs, laptops and USB drives all over the place, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office has received 277 new complaints and warnings about people’s personal data possibly being held in insecure fashions.
The NHS is the biggest culprit, with 75 outstanding cases of possible embarrassing fact-disclosure currently on the books of the ICO…
ATTENTION NINTENDO: Half of all people in the UK are planning on buying a Wii this Christmas
Whoever’s in charge of Nintendo’s manufacturing facilities needs to get themselves a big stick and start poking – Nintendo’s Wii looks almost certain to be a sell-out across the UK again this Christmas.
A survey by the bean-management specialists at Moneysupermarket Shipping has found that more than half of people who’ve already decided what they’re buying this year are going to go through the LIVING HELL of trying to track down an in-stock Wii….
Pioneer's two limited edition 50" KURO plasmas – yours in "Pure White" and "Beige Grisé"
Pure White and Beige Grise are the exciting names of two new colours Pioneer has invented to jazz up its KURO range of HD Ready plasmas a little. Pioneer’s home business product manager Jim Catcheside offered us the following explanation about why white and beige TVs are best…
“With these Limited Edition KURO TVs we want to offer our customers the opportunity to customise their viewing environment even further by harmonising their TV with their interior design. The minimalist White and luxurious Beige Grisé KUROs are an excellent means to express one’s individual taste and style.”
The KRP-500AW and KRP-500ABG both use Pioneer’s media receiver technology…
