Monthly Archives: October 2006

Misc stuff

Cool links I’ve found recently:

Super (MOV to AVI conversion).

VB to Java converter. That is, it compiles VB6 code into a Java class. Latest update here. Q+A. (No, you can’t download it yet, they’re still working on it.)

Oh, guess who’s on about giving away Digital set top boxes again? Yup. I do like this argument, actually: It is not the Government’s job to champion new technology. It is the Government’s job to provide universal infrastructure and manage the task in a financially responsible way.

XML Notepad, which after a looooong time not being available, is back, and upgraded. (Requires the .Net Framework 2).

TV Guides: mine, mine, mine!

Joshua Gans asks: Who owns TV guide data? Apparently Packer is suing the pants off ICE-TV who provide a TV guide service to users of MythTV, amongst others. Gans reckons its a defensive move to protect Channel Nine’s ad broadcast revenue.

I dunno, it seems to me that this is going to fall on its head. Having a TV listing is copyrighted? Perhaps a particular one is, but recreating the simple facts of one, I don’t see how that violates copyright.

Vista and Visual Studio

Which Microsoft development environments will be supported in Windows Vista?

Not the ones you might think.

  • SUPPORTED: VB 6 — ah, my old friend
  • NOT SUPPORTED: Visual Studio .Net 2002
  • NOT SUPPORTED: Visual Studio .Net 2003
  • SUPPORTED, BUT WITH “COMPATIBILITY ISSUES”: Visual Studio .Net 2005

Good grief.

So, forcing the upgrade path for those older .Net versions? Or is it that they just can’t be bothered making it all work?

Meanwhile, Australian pricing for Vista is out. $751 for Vista Ultimate?! Yowch. Mind you, who really pays for a full version of Windows? Most people would be getting upgrades from previous versions, or OEM copies. Like Office, the full pricing is always exhorbitant.

Celebrity branding

Quick! What’s Scoble’s new company called? Something to do with podcasts. Podcast.net? Podnet.com? Oh, PodTech, that’s right.

Now, what’s interesting is his new ScobleShow which is a bit like the Channel 9 Scoble started up at Microsoft: video blogging things of interest. (Did he start it? He certainly seems to have been in at the start).

ScobleShow is a bit broader, of course.

What’s got me interested is the branding. ScobleShow. Obviously PodTech want to make the most of their investment in Scoble’s geek celebrity status, and they’re doing so with this name.

But what happens when Scoble eventually leaves? Will the brand go with him? Or will it die? Or will someone else try to take it over? Will PodTech have built up their branding and audience enough in the mean time that it doesn’t matter?

The 3210 is dead, long live the 5110

Last week, my Nokia 5110 started acting funny – switching itself off, and so forth. The backup phone, a Nokia 3210 was pressed into service. Gotta love those old Nokias, charger compatability is a lovely thing, even if the battery form-factors aren’t the same.

Anyway, I figured out that the dodgy LiI battery I’d upgraded the 5110 with was the cause of the problems, what with the housing seperating into two pieces and all. I figured I’d get around to fixing it and then the 5110 would then be the backup phone.

Owen proceeded to prove that the 3210 wasn’t as well made as the 5110. The 5110 has suffered hundreds of falls during its service life, due to a clumsy owner. The 3210 was destroyed by a 12 month old child dropping it in the carpark of Bunnings. LCD screen cracked, as well as the protective plastic over the screen. And yes, it was in a protective leatherette case.

With zero operational mobile phones left, I discovered I could repair the dodgy battery for a 5110 by filling it with PVA glue and clamping it for 36 hours.

As good as new. But now I don’t have a spare phone.