Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

  • A Well-deserved Award

    I see that Cardinal Keith O’Brien has been awarded the “Bigot of the Year” award by Stonewall. Naturally, he and other members of the Catholic hierarchy aren’t best pleased. On the other hand, if the cap fits…

    To quote from the article:

    Colin Macfarlane, the director of Stonewall Scotland, said: “We’ve never called anyone a bigot just because they don’t agree with us. But in just the past 12 months, the cardinal has gone well beyond what any normal person would call a decent level of public discourse.”

    Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Macfarlane added: “The people that were nominated for bigot of the year have this year called gay people Nazis, they have compared them to bestialists and to paedophiles, and one of the nominees suggested that gay people should be put in front of a firing squad and shot dead.

    “So I think what we are doing is highlighting the very cruel, very nasty, very pernicious language that is being used by some people – and in particular by the cardinal, who won.

    The opposing view was expressed by Ruth Davidson:

    Stonewall’s decision was criticised, however, by the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson as she picked up her own award as politician of the year at the prize ceremony at the Victoria and Albert museum in London on Thursday evening.

    Davidson, the first openly gay leader of a major political party in the UK, was booed when she said it was “simply wrong” to call people names like bigot. “The case for equality is far better made by demonstrating the sort of generosity, tolerance and love we would wish to see more of in this world,” she said.

    “There are many voices in this debate and just as I respectfully express my sincerely held belief that we should extend marriage to same-sex couples, I will also respect those who hold a different view.”

    To my way of thinking, respect is something that is earned, not automatically given. And holding different views is one thing, but to hear powerful religious figures such as the Cardinal, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, spout the cruel, nasty, pernicious language that they regularly use about us is something that I will not countenance.

    I have no hesitation whatsoever in calling the Cardinal a bigot, because that is what he is. He has earned himself a well-deserved award.

     

    Update: and now, of course, he has shown himself to be a hypocrite. Hoist by his own petard. Just desserts.

    3 responses to “A Well-deserved Award”

    1. Mannie De Saxe Avatar
      Mannie De Saxe

      Interesting to read about other cardinals when our brand of cardinal-type bigot, George Pell, here in Australia, is very upset at the fact of a royal commission being called to investigate the Catholic church’s ongoing saga of paedophilia and the cover-ups institutionalised by the church
      The saga is the story of at least 50 years of cover-ups and silences and obfuscations and the tragedies of suicides and ruined family lives by countless hundreds and thousands, many of whose stories are yet to emerge.. Cardinal Keith O’Brien and Ruth Anderson sound as if they deserve each other! .

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Mannie, I’m afraid such views tend to go with the job description. Enlightened Cardinals probably don’t rise very high in the current Catholic Church, under the iron rule of Pope Benedict. Witness the sad results of this in the case of Sativa Halappanavar.

        Reply
    2. The Joy of Schadenfreude | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] This is the man who has consistently demonised us. […]

      Reply

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  • False Positive?

    I received an SMS message from my bank this morning telling me that my bank pass had been blocked because it had been skimmed.

    This I find very strange, because I have only used it twice in the last ten days. Once at a checkout in our local supermarket, and once to load ten euros onto my OV travel card at our local town station. In both cases, the card readers looked perfectly standard, and there were no obvious signs of tampering.

    There are also no fraudulent transactions showing up on my account either.

    The SMS informed me that I would be sent a new bank pass within five working days. I thought that seemed a long time to wait, so I rang the bank to see what could be done in the meantime. It transpires that the only way I can conduct any business at all is to go to my nearest branch and draw out some cash. That’s all very well, but they’ve closed the branch in our local town. I’d have to travel by car to the nearest big town – 30 minutes drive – to find the nearest branch.

    I asked if it would be possible to be told when and where this supposed skimming had taken place. “Oh no”, came the answer, “we don’t give out information like that”.

    Frankly, I don’t believe that my card has been skimmed at all, I suspect that a glitch in the system has produced a false positive, and I’m simply the dupe who has to put up with the inconvenience.

    Update: indeed, my card was not skimmed. I was in our local supermarket again today, and there were signs everywhere saying that bank pass cards may have been blocked – but the skimming took place in Doetinchem, which is a town 10 kilometres away. It looks as though the bank just decided to block all cards held by people living within a 20 km radius of the skimming, rather than just those cards that had been skimmed. That’s taking a very big sledgehammer to crack a very small nut, and simply irritates and inconveniences their customers.

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  • Blogging on the Surface

    Pardon the pun in the title, but I was reading a blog post by Barb Bowman, and I wanted to comment on it. Since her blog is closed for comments, I thought I’d make them here.

    You see, Barb has just purchased a Surface RT tablet, and she’s hoping that it will be easier to make posts to her blog, using the Surface RT and Word 2013, than from her iPad. According to her, using her iPad and the Blogsy App is “inelegant”.

    I have the feeling that trying to use Word 2013 to do blogging is equally inelegant. It may be a fine Word Processor, but an elegant tool for writing blog posts, it is not.

    Microsoft already has a very fine tool for blogging: Windows Live Writer – and it’s free. It works with a wide range of blogging platforms (WordPress, Blogger, TypePad and others) and works with your blog’s layout and themes. I use it for my blog.

    Word 2013, by comparison, is like trying to use a rock to paint the Mona Lisa.

    The trouble is, the Surface RT won’t run Windows Live Writer – it’s a traditional Windows application and these don’t work on the Windows RT operating system. Oops.

    Microsoft does provide a version of Word 2013 that runs on the Surface RT, but quite frankly, I think Barb would be better off using the WordPress App that she can get for free from the Windows 8 Store.

    3 responses to “Blogging on the Surface”

    1. technogran Avatar
      technogran

      Totally agree Geoff. Tried out Word to write a blog post and what a palaver! For a start, you can’t see how your formatting, pictures etc are going to look (preview) as you can with Writer, so when I published, the font was far too large, and my photo not presented properly in relation to the blog post size, photos and pictures are a nightmare as it places them inside your post at the largest size by default, and there is no way to alter this at all. As you say, its like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and it its Microsofts intentions to all get us bloggers moving to Word, then they are onto a looser. But we all need to fight for Writer’s survival, many bloggers are not aware of it as Microsoft tend not to ‘advertise’ its existence, so its up to us Writer fans to blast out its virtues to all and sundry! #SaveourWriter!

      Reply
    2. barb Avatar
      barb

      I mentioned and bemoaned the loss of WLW in that post. And have made a lot of noise elsewhere, but I don’t see any chance that an RT version will appear. I don’t find Word 2013 RT to be good for blogging either, but I had hoped it would at least do what it was supposed to do.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Hi Barb, thanks for dropping by. I don’t think there’s a chance of a Windows RT version of WLW either. What I’m more afraid of, like other fans of WLW, is that Microsoft will drop WLW itself in the not too distant future.

        If Microsoft continue to develop the functionality of their Modern apps (e.g. Mail and Photos) to the extent that they finally match what we currently have in Windows Live Mail and Windows Photo Gallery, then I would not be at all surprised if they just drop the whole Windows Essentials suite, and bang goes WLW…

        I think the writing is on the wall with the news that Windows Live Messenger has been dropped because Skype is now seen as the way forward in the IM space. Rinse and repeat with the other members of the Windows Essentials suite.

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  • Microsoft’s Surface RT Reviewed

    Reviews of Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet are now springing up like mushrooms in the tech and mainstream media. As was the case for reviews of the Windows 8 operating system, most of them can be quickly dismissed.

    However, two are worth reading in full. Once again, Peter Bright turns in a considered review, and the other is from Anand Lai Shimpi.

    For me, the interesting point was that Anand compared the performance of the Surface RT (which uses ARM hardware) with that of a Windows 8 tablet running the next generation of Intel’s Atom (codenamed Clovertrail), which is aiming to be as low power as the ARM hardware. The money quote:

    On the user experience side alone, the Clovertrail tablet is noticeably quicker than Surface. Surface isn’t slow by any means, but had it used Atom hardware it would’ve been even more responsive.

    The other clear advantage of a Windows 8 tablet powered by the Atom is of course the fact that it can run all your traditional Windows desktop applications and software drivers. The Surface RT can’t.

    I still find it strange that Microsoft’s Surface Pro has elected to use the older, more power-hungry, Intel Core i5 processor. As a result, the Surface Pro needs to have fan cooling. I really would have been interested in a Surface that used the new Atom processor. Perhaps that will arrive in 2013.

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  • Dissecting Windows

    As we rush towards the release of Windows 8 later this week, the number of articles in the tech (and mainstream) press on Windows 8 is increasing. Most of them are instantly forgettable, but in amongst the pap and dross is an occasional gem.

    One such article is Turning to the past to power Windows’ future: An in-depth look at WinRT, by Peter Bright.

    As is stated in the title, this really is an in-depth look at the software design of Windows throughout its history, and culminating in its latest incarnation: WinRT. It is a very technical article, so you’ll need to have some understanding of software design and programming to make head or tail of it. But even without that, you should be able to get a sense that the history of Windows is not just about software technology, but also organisational politics, both within and outside of Microsoft. For me, it was a trip back through memory lane, taking in some landmarks of the past. It also gave me a better understanding of the future of Windows, and the revelation that WinRT is not a replacement for traditional Windows programming libraries, since it is itself built on the same (sometimes questionable) foundations.

    Another excellent article from Peter Bright.

    2 responses to “Dissecting Windows”

    1. Mark Avatar
      Mark

      That was a great article – though I think he is ignoring the direction that Microsoft is going with WinRT.

      He states “Metro-style applications do not use WinRT exclusively. WinRT is very important, and I think that any reasonable Metro-style application will end up using WinRT, at least a little bit, but not exclusively.” yet Microsofts own documentation states that WinRT must ONLY be used if the app will be made available on the AppStore (which is the only way to get a Metro App) http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh694083.aspx

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Perhaps, but I suspect that the party line will be pragmatically bent. I’m pretty sure that this is already the case… Let’s revisit this six months down the road and see what the reality is…

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  • Microsoft’s Surface Drops a Veil

    With just over a week to go to the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has revealed the pricing on the first in its range of tablets, the Surface RT.

    The price starts at $499 for a bare-bones Surface RT tablet with 32GB of storage and 2GB memory, but without a touch keyboard/cover. That puts it on a par with Apple’s iPad, or to put it another way: not cheap, but premium-priced.

    The Surface RT is now available for pre-order in eight countries. Inevitably, this does not include the Netherlands, and there’s no word on whether availability here will come later, or, indeed, ever.

    The announcement also revealed a little more detail about the specifications of the Surface RT and the Surface Pro models. There’s also a comparison chart.

    While both models have sensors (ambient light, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass) built in, neither model has a GPS sensor. This strikes me as a rather surprising omission, particularly since some iPad models have GPS. Using Bing maps on the Surface would seem to be a very limited experience if the Surface has no means of discovering your location. I suppose that, with the Surface Pro, I could always use my GPS Logger connected via Bluetooth. I could install the Windows driver for the logger onto a Surface Pro; something that I don’t think can be done with the Surface RT. Still, on further reflection, this lack of GPS capability may not be a showstopper. I rather think that 3G and GPS capabilities go together in the chipsets, and since neither of the Surface models come with 3G built-in, then GPS is also missing. And as for the Bing maps experience, perhaps the Surfaces can do Wi-Fi positioning to provide location coordinates. We shall see.

    One other thing I notice in the specs for the Surface Pro (which will be available “soon”) is that it lists the CPU as “3rd generation Intel Core i5 Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000”. That also is a bit odd: using a Core i5 processor, rather than the next generation Intel Atom processor, the Z2760, codenamed Clover Trail. The selling point of the Atom Z2760 is that it is able to take advantage of the new “Connected Standby” capability in Windows 8, which allows longer usage time between battery charging. While the Surface RT, like all ARM-based devices will be able to exploit Connected Standby, Microsoft’s Intel-based tablet, the Surface Pro, will not, because it uses the Intel Core i5. Other manufacturers will have Atom Z2760-based tablets on the market as early as next week, e.g. Samsung, with its Series 5 Slate.

    I think I’ll wait and see how the tablet market develops. In the meantime, my desktop will get upgraded to Windows 8 next week.

    Update: it’s clear that many people are totally confused about the differences between the Windows 8 operating system (used on the Surface Pro), and the Windows RT operating system (used on the Surface RT). For example, I saw a question on a photography forum where someone asked if the Surface RT would be powerful enough to run Adobe Lightroom.

    Many people assume that Windows RT will run traditional Windows applications. Nope, it can’t; not unless the application developer recompiles the software code for the different hardware (ARM instead of Intel/AMD). In addition, this recompilation is not always possible, because the Windows programming environment for the ARM hardware is a subset of what is available for the Intel/AMD platform.

    We will see next week just what the limitations are in detail. For example, one question I have is whether the Surface RT will have the same level of handwriting recognition that Windows 8 has. I suspect that it won’t.

    Update 2: AnandTech has a comprehensive review of the Surface RT that is worth reading. I particularly like the fact that Anand compares the performance of the Surface RT with an unnamed (but shortly to be released) Windows 8 Tablet that uses the Atom Z2760. It’s interesting that the Atom out-performs the ARM-based Surface RT. Plus, of course, the Atom will run all the traditional Windows desktop application software and the Surface RT can’t.

    5 responses to “Microsoft’s Surface Drops a Veil”

    1. boma23 Avatar
      boma23

      Hi,
      There’s a really good article echoing your thoughts, and raising some other concerns on the Surface on Zdnet:
      http://www.zdnet.com/surface-rt-tablet-available-for-preorder-why-i-am-waiting-7000005924/

      Finally, I’ve put Win8 on my main work laptop this week, having beta tested it and dropped it previously (unlike my refusing to let go of the Win7 beta), and it’s actually going OK despit eh learning curve, but due to one thing – the multi touch gesture support on my new Aspire One 756-2623. WIthout this multi touch support for scrolling around, Win8 would be a nightmare. If going desktop, then I recommend getting one of the new multi touch MS mice to work with it.

      Also there’s a Windows Upgrade site offering a very cheap upgrade($15 in US), if you bought a Win7 machine anytime since June:

      In fact, at $240 from Acer’s ebay outlet, and a $15 upgrade to Win8 this little Acer is the Surface’s main problem – this slimline 11.6″ (“celeron” i3) dual core netbook flies along, has a full keyboard, and with the multi touch keypad makes Win8 perfectly useable.

      I don’t see the point in paying an extra $300 plus to simply get my screen dirty with smudges!!

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Thanks, Dom. I must admit, I’ve been using the Windows 8 Previews on my Desktop since February, with just an old-fashioned mouse and keyboard, and I’m perfectly comfortable with Windows 8. In fact, now when I go to a Windows 7 machine, I have to consciously think about what I’m doing.

        BTW, did you see that Microsoft’s Customer Support are now starting to offer to migrate your Xbox Live accounts from one country to another? The message has finally started to sink in…

        Reply
        1. boma23 Avatar
          boma23

          yes i did, thanks Geoff. I’ve got the link – I’m just prepping myself for another hour or two of going through a support case, which I’m way too busy for currently – after 10 hours in front of screens for work, I’m baulking at the thought of even checking Facebook for 5 mins afterwards! It will need to be done before the new Win8 phones arrives though… really looking forward to them, and think Win8/Win phone will have a much bigger crossover as a result!

          Reply
    2. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      I think MS are using the Surface to showcase MS Surface technology – now PixelSense – (which has been around in one form or another for around 10 years, and just happened to have merged it with the latest ‘doze kernel to provide a UI to an OS.

      It’s up to other manufacturers (e.g. mobile technology partner Nokia) to produce a iPad killer. Whilst MS have said they’re going into the hardware market, they’ve either missed the point of a mobile computing device, or they’ve got something else in the works. Surely they could have plumbed in a 3/4G+GPS tranceiver – unless they are expecting the compass, gyroscope and accelerometer to able to track position… which would be really cool – the stuff of SciFi in the palm of your hand.

      Anyway, I’m not going to bother with a G1 Surface – I’ll go with a Lumia 920 though – and should I want a tablet, I will go for a ‘doze one, but one that does what I expect it to (maybe I’ll buy a hybrid PC with Touch support).

      Reply
    3. Scratching the Surface | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] change. The Surface Pro will run all my Windows applications, and it uses Intel hardware. However, as I’ve written before, it uses an older generation of Intel hardware, which means that the Surface Pro requires a cooling […]

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  • Carey Invokes Godwin’s Law

    I admit, when I first read of Lord Carey’s performance at the Coalition for Marriage rally at the recent Conservative Party Conference in the UK, I rolled my eyes, sighed deeply, and thought I should just ignore it. While it was yet more evidence that he, and his fellow travellers, such as Anne Widdicombe, are simply bigots, it gets tiresome pointing this out every time.

    But then I read Martin Robbins’ response, and I thought, yes, if Lord Carey wants to play the victim card by likening himself and his supporters to the Jews in Nazi Germany, then he fully deserves the fury of Martin Robbins’ response.

    So I call your attention to what Martin Robbins wrote. In particular, I echo the sentiments he expressed in two paragraphs in the piece:

    I have no words powerful enough to describe the disgrace, the ignorance, the self-absorbed vileness of a man who believes that being called a bigot by Nick Clegg is even remotely comparable to the experiences of men like Pierre Seel, or thousands of others who were slaughtered by the Nazi regime…

    But perhaps Carey’s most disturbing remark was that eerily familiar question he posed: “Why does it feel to us that our cultural homeland and identity is being plundered?” The answer, Lord Carey, is that it is not your homeland, it is our homeland; and homosexuals are just as much a part of our identity as anyone else. The day we allow bigots to deny that, or to suggest that the emotions felt by certain people are somehow not on the ‘same level’ as other human beings, is the day we start heading back down a dark and dangerous path.

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  • Max Hastings on Boris Johnson

    There was an odd article in yesterday’s Guardian. It was by Max Hastings writing on the reasons why Boris Johnson is unfit to be the UK’s next Prime Minister.

    I didn’t disagree with a single word of Hasting’s argument.

    What struck as odd is that the article first appeared in the Daily Mail – normally a newspaper with which I will have no truck. For the article to then be picked up and syndicated in the Guardian, a newspaper at the opposite end of both the political and journalistic spectra, only goes to show how far Boris Johnson is capable of distorting reality…

    I continue to wonder at the rise of Boris Johnson.

    One response to “Max Hastings on Boris Johnson”

    1. Pow! Whap! Zing! Ker-splat! | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] sad thing is that Max has been telling us all the truth about Boris since at least 2012. Why is it that no-one is prepared to […]

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  • Forget Burglars, Shoot a Banker…

    That’s Craig Murray’s modest proposal. Truth to tell, looking at the behaviour of the banking industry over the past few years, it has a certain ring to it…

    2 responses to “Forget Burglars, Shoot a Banker…”

    1. Matt Healy Avatar
      Matt Healy

      Over the past few decades, the financial industry has grown much much faster than has the overall economy, to the point where I regard overgrown finance as something akin to leukemia. Clearly regulations on finance have got to be reformed, but such reforms must be done with greater thought than anything politicians on either side of the Atlantic are saying these days. We do need a certain number of leukocytes in our bloodstream or we’ll soon either die or go live in a sterile plastic bubble, but too many leukocytes can also kill us. This analogy suggests a possible danger: chemotherapy is so awful because nobody knows how to kill cancer cells without also harming cells that the body needs. One big difference between overgrown finance and leukemia: cancer cells neither employ lobbyists nor give money to political campaigns.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Hah – your analogy has some merit, methinks 🙂

        Reply

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  • The Book Mountain

    After that last post, I needed something to give me hope. Perhaps the news of the opening of the Book Mountain and Library quarter in Spijkenisse, here in the Netherlands, is something to restore my spirits.

    2 responses to “The Book Mountain”

    1. Mark Avatar
      Mark

      Now that is cool! We have a couple of large used book stores in the area and it is such a delight to wander them and find incredible treasures. Tablets and pads are fine but nothing beats holding a 100 year old book in your hands.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Indeed. My oldest book dates from 1697, and is quite scurrilous…

        Reply

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  • Religion Poisons Everything

    That quote, from the late Christopher Hitchens, seems apposite in the wake of the news that a 14 year-old girl has been shot in the head because, according to the Taliban spokesman (it is always, of course, a spokesman), her activities in highlighting Taliban atrocities needed to be stopped.

    He said the teenager’s work had been an “obscenity” that needed to be stopped: “This was a new chapter of obscenity, and we have to finish this chapter.”

    It is at times like this when I come close to despair for humanity’s future.

    8 responses to “Religion Poisons Everything”

    1. The Book Mountain | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] Geoff Coupe's Blog Reflections on life at "De Witte Wand" Skip to content HomeAboutGardensWedding AlbumWines I Have Known ← Religion Poisons Everything […]

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    2. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      Well… it’s not all religions that have this effect – though I will concede that pretty much all of the Abrahamic faiths. Dharmic and Taoic faiths tend to be… less… um… militant, I s’pose you could say, and more tolerant of differences.

      Reply
      1. Al Feersum Avatar
        Al Feersum

        Oh, and sure, there will always be extremist fundies attached to any faith, so in that sense, yes, religion poisons everything. Hence, I have no truck with it.

        Reply
    3. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      Oh look. Another one.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19906528

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Gawd – why am I not surprised? Blasphemy laws are a very bad idea. Mind you, so is religion, as far as I’m concerned…

        Reply
    4. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      Still, there is another aspect: scientists can also be militant fundamental extremists…

      Rep. Paul Broun:
      MD, Medical College of Georgia, 1971
      BS, Chemistry, University of Georgia, 1967

      A doctor, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. So he understands The Scientific Method, and the principals of analysis that it requires… yet…

      So yeah, poison, distortion, twisty little evil thoughts: ‘Hang them goldarn n!ggers and homos! They ain’t natrul! We gots a dang muslin sympathizer fur president! Look, even his name is Saddam bin Laden! What’s next? You want to see a homo in office? Vote Republican like a good ole American and it’ll never happen by the Grace of God!”

      Ah well… sometimes we need people like this to further our advance of science, even if it is just to shut them up with proof that they’re stupid.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        “Lies Straight From The Pit of Hell” – You just couldn’t make it up. Oh, wait, Rep. Broun just did… And the full horror is: people voted for him.

        Reply
    5. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      The absolute limits of religious arrogance….

      http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/11/04/the-absolute-limits-of-scientistic-arrogance/

      Reply

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  • Shadowland

    We’ve been fans of the dance company “Pilobolus” for more years than I care to remember. In recent years, they’ve begun to use techniques of shadow puppetry in their dances.

    Judging from this, they’ve got it down to a very fine art indeed. Staggeringly good.

    (hat tip: Why Evolution is True)

    2 responses to “Shadowland”

    1. Matt Healy Avatar
      Matt Healy

      I first saw Pilobolus, and many other superb modern dance groups, in the 1980s when I was a graduate student at Duke University. The American Dance Festival was held on Duke’s campus every summer, and season tickets were so cheap even those of us living on stipends could afford them. Pilobolus dances have always been brilliant and witty.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        They are very good – modern dance for people who can’t stand modern dance. I recall the last time we saw them in Arnhem, there were some students from the local ballet school in the audience. They were saucer-eyed after seeing what Pilobolus could do…

        Reply

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  • This Land is Mine

    I’m currently reading (very slowly) Steven Pinker’s magisterial The Better Angels of Our Nature. It’s a history of violence in human societies, and his thesis is that violence has actually declined over the centuries. It seems difficult to believe, but Pinker marshals his facts and presents a convincing case.

    And on the theme of the distressing fact that violence and humanity are inextricably locked together, here’s Nina Paley’s offering on that theme.

    More about the film, Seder Masochism, together with a handy guide to who’s killing who, can be found on Nina’s Blog.

    3 responses to “This Land is Mine”

    1. Rachel Avatar
      Rachel

      MOST is Correct BUT!…with all due respect, all other nations/people have their own origin land, like greece or egypt or whatever. some were emipers who conquered ISRAEL other were nomads.
      THE JEWS HAD, HAVE AND ALLWAYS WILL HAVE ONLY 1 LAND! – THE PROMISED LAND! THE ARABS HAVE 22, THE MUSLIMS HAVE 50.
      PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PALESTINIANS ARE A FAKE MADE-UP PEOPLE! THEY ARE INFACT ARABS WHO SETTLED IN PALESTINE (A NAME GIVEN TO ISRAEL BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE AFTER TAKING IT AWAY FROM THE JEWS).
      I SUGGEST YOU RESEARCH THIS ISSUE, THEN YOU WILL FIND OUT THAT B4 1948 THE ARABS (JORDANIAN, EGYPTIAN, TURK AAND OTHERS) WHO LIVED IN ISRAEL AND CAME TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL UNDER THE OTTOMAN AND BRITISH EMPIRES DID NOT CALL THEMSELVES “PALESTINIANS” THEY WERE ARABS. ONLY AFTER THE JEWS RETURNED (FOR THE 3RD) TIME TO THEIR PROMISED LAND, HAD THE ARABS STARTED TO THINK HOW TO STEALL THE LAND AGAIN, ON TOP OF THE 22 ARAB NATIONS THEY ALREADY HAVE.

      SO WHAT DID THEY DO?
      FIRST INGAGED IN A HUGE WAR (5 ARAB ARMIES – NON OF THEM WERE OF ANY COUNRTY KNOWN AS PALESTINE) AND THEN THEY SAID, “WELL WE CAN NOT START KILLING THE JEWS WHO JUST BARELY SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST (IT WOULD LOOK VERY BAD IF 500 MILION ARABS WILL FINISH WHAT HITLER HAD BEGAN, AND KILL AGAIN THE FEW POOR JEWS AFTER 6 MILION HAVE BEEN ALREADY MURDERED), SO…..LETS SAY THAT THE “PALESTINIANS” (SOME 200,000 ARAB NOMADS WHICH INFACT WERE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, LIKE TURKS, JEWS, GREEK, DIFFERENT ARABS ETC’) ARE THE NATIVES AND THE HORRIBLE JEWS STOLE THEIR LAND.

      please read more about this and UPDATE YOUR GREAT VIDEO ACCORDING TO HISTORY AND NOT ACCORDING TO MUSLIM PROPOGANDA.

      ishiko tadmouri and joan peaters have wrote alot about this.
      THIS THING IS A HUGE ARAB-MUSLIM PROPOGANDA!!!

      JUST ASK YOURSELF THIS ABOUT THE SO CALLED ARAB PALESTINIAN STATE/STOLEN LAND:
      1. When was it founded and by whom?
      2. What were its borders?
      3. What was its capital?
      4. What were its major cities?
      5. What constituted the basis of its economy?
      6. What was its form of government?
      7. Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat?
      8. Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation?
      9. What was the language of the country of Palestine ?
      10. What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine ?
      11. What was the name of its currency?

      Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese Yuan on that date.

      12. And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur?

      MOST SHOCKING IS THE FACT THAT NO SO CALLED ARAB PALESTINIAN, WAS SCREAMING “OCCUPATION” WHEN GB OR JORDAN OR TURKS HAD CONTROL OVER THIS LAND (OR A PART OF IT).

      And here is the least sarcastic question of all: If the people you mistakenly call “Palestinians” are anything but generic Arabs collected from all over — or thrown out of — the Arab world, if they really have a genuine ethnic identity that gives them right for self-determination, why did they never try to become independent until Arabs suffered their devastating defeat in the Six Day War?

      I hope you avoid the temptation to trace the modern day “Palestinians” to the Biblical Philistines: substituting etymology for history won’t work here.

      The truth should be obvious to everyone who wants to know it. Arab countries have never abandoned the dream of destroying Israel ; they still cherish it today. Having time and again failed to achieve their evil goal with military means, they decided to fight Israel by proxy. For that purpose, they created a terrorist organization, cynically called it “the Palestinian people” and installed it in Gaza , Judea, and Samaria . How else can you explain the refusal by Jordan and Egypt to unconditionally accept back the “West Bank” and Gaza , respectively?

      The fact is, Arabs populating Gaza, Judea, and Samaria have much less claim to nationhood than that Indian tribe that successfully emerged in Connecticut with the purpose of starting a tax-exempt casino: at least that tribe had a constructive goal that motivated them. The so-called “Palestinians” have only one motivation: the destruction of Israel , and in my book that is not sufficient to consider them a nation” — or anything else except what they really are: a terrorist organization that will one day be dismantled.

      In fact, there is only one way to achieve peace in the Middle East . Arab countries must acknowledge and accept their defeat in their war against Israel and, as the losing side should, pay Israel reparations for the more than 50 years of devastation they have visited on it. The most appropriate form of such reparations would be the removal of their terrorist organization from the land of Israel and accepting Israel’s ancient sovereignty over Gaza , Judea, and Samaria . That will mark the end of the Palestinian people. What are you saying again was its beginning?

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        With all due respect, this makes you sound more as part of the problem than as part of the solution…

        Reply
    2. This Land is Mine Redux | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] couple of years back, I blogged about Nina Paley’s short animation: This Land is Mine. Two years on, and nothing seems to have changed in that part of the world. The only winner, as […]

      Reply

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  • “The Angels Take Manhattan”

    So, the Ponds departed from Doctor Who last night. Unlike some, I thought that the episode was an excellent one. That can be ascertained from the fact that, at one point (when Rory and Amy jump to their deaths off the apartment block),  Martin threw me a kitchen roll to dowse my blubbing in.

    The sequence of Rory trying to keep his matches alight, whilst Weeping Angel cherubs were blowing them out was up there with the iconic moment in Pitch Black. The Weeping Angels are almost nudging the Daleks off the pedestal of the premier Doctor Who foes at this point for me.

    And I can’t help thinking that the name of the New York apartment block (“Winter Quay”) was significant in some fashion. Was it an anagram, perhaps?

    “We quit! A(my), R(ory), NY”

    Who knows? I’ll be there waiting, in anticipation, for the Christmas episode…

    Update: There was a coda to this episode that was written, but never actually filmed. I don’t understand why. It is simply perfect.

    3 responses to ““The Angels Take Manhattan””

    1. Simon Bradley Avatar
      Simon Bradley

      It was my favourite episode of series 7 (so far!). I’m with you on the “leap together” scene. Very powerful, I thought. I must admit, I’ll miss the Ponds, though all things must come to an end.

      Reply
    2. Mark Avatar
      Mark

      Whats up with this Mid Season Finale stuff?? we get 5? episodes then have to wait 3 months….ugh!!!!!!!

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        The BBC did this with series 6 as well. Their way of ratcheting up the tension, I suppose…

        Reply

    Leave a comment

  • Culinary Meme

    Courtesy of Nicholas Whyte, here’s a list of kitchen gadgets.

    Bold the ones you have and use at least once a year, italicize the ones you have and don’t use, strike through the ones you have had but got rid of.

    I wonder how many apple corers, pasta machines, breadmakers, juicers, blenders, deep fat fryers, egg boilers, melon ballers, sandwich makers, pastry brushes, cheese boards, cheese knives, electric woks, miniature salad spinners, griddle pans, jam funnels, meat thermometers, filleting knives, egg poachers, cake stands, garlic crushers, martini glasses, tea strainers, bamboo steamers, pizza stones, coffee grinders, milk frothers, (it was a free gift, honest!), piping bags, banana stands, fluted pastry wheels, tagine dishes, conical strainers, rice cookers, steam cookers, pressure cookers, slow cookers, spaetzle makers, cookie presses, gravy strainers, double boilers (bains marie), sukiyaki stoves, ice cream makers, fondue sets, healthy-grills, home smokers, tempura sets, tortilla presses, electric whisks, cherry stoners, sugar thermometers, food processors, bacon presses, bacon slicers, mouli mills, cake testers, pestle-and-mortars, and sets of kebab skewers languish dustily at the back of the nation’s cupboards.

    Mike, this is for you. Andy, I suspect that you eat out too much…

    3 responses to “Culinary Meme”

    1. coffeemike Avatar
      coffeemike

      Nice! I’ll play along.

      Okay, I’m not going to hope that the comments parse HTML, so I’ll do it the old fashioned way.
      HAVE AND USE (BOLD):
      pastry brushes
      cheese boards
      cheese knives
      griddle pan
      meat thermometers
      tea strainers (used as a spice ball)
      coffee grinders (duh)
      pressure cookers
      slow cookers
      cookie presses
      food processors
      pestle-and-mortars

      HAVE AND DON’T USE (ITALIC):
      pasta machines (currently rocking a low-carb diet, having waved goodbye to pasta, and I never could quite use it without a third hand)
      milk frothers (Christmas present)
      ice cream makers
      electric whisks (attachment for my stick blender; love the blender, hate the whisk)

      HAD AND GOT RID OF (STRIKETHROUGH):
      apple corers
      breadmakers
      blenders (technicality; the pitcher was destroyed by a cat, so I only have the motor base)
      sandwich makers (my wife owned one from before we met)
      cake stands (casualty of the move; useful as a serving dish for parties)
      garlic crushers (use the side of a knife now)
      pizza stones (had one, loved it, need a new one if I start with bread again)
      piping bags (need one, but chose a horribly designed one)
      banana stands
      conical strainers (aluminum, had a bad reaction with a sauce)
      rice cooker (manual; basically like a double boiler, loved it)
      gravy strainers (spout was placed a bit too high)
      fondue sets
      healthy grills (see sandwich makers)

      NEVER OWNED (PLAIN TEXT):
      juicers
      deep fat fryers
      egg boilers
      melon ballers
      electric woks
      miniature salad spinners
      jam funnels
      filleting knives
      egg poachers
      martini glasses
      bamboo steamers
      fluted pastry wheels
      tagine dishes
      steam cookers
      spaetzle makers
      double boilers
      sukiyaki stoves
      home smokers
      tempura sets
      tortilla presses
      cherry stoners
      sugar thermometers
      bacon presses
      bacon slicers
      mouli mills (known here as a food mill; want one)
      cake testers
      sets of kebab skewers

      Reply
    2. coffeemike Avatar
      coffeemike

      (I’m really hoping my last comment, where I went through the whole meme, went through and wasn’t lost in a botched login…)

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Don’t worry, I found it in the Spam queue, from where it has been rescued and restored to its rightful place…

        Reply

    Leave a comment

  • RIP – IDimager

    One of my hobbies is photography, and my main tool for managing my digital photos is IDimager. I’ve been using it since January 2007. It’s now up to version 5, and I’ve been very happy with it. I occasionally visit the IDimager support forums, just to see if there are any announcements, or tips and tricks being posted. Yesterday I read a message from the developer that said:

    IDimager V5 is discontinued as of today. Photo Supreme is a different product when compared to IDimager V5. They don’t offer an identical feature set so I recommend all IDimager V5 users to first try Supreme to see if it fits their need before they decide to make the switch.

    My immediate reaction was WTF? Whilst I had been aware of the Photo Supreme product, last time I looked, a few months ago, it was for the Mac, and there was no whisper of a Windows version being made available. Fast forward a couple of months, and now it has killed off IDimager. Needless to say, I’m not very happy about this, and neither are a lot of other IDimager customers. IDimager is a serious Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool, and Photo Supreme, at first glance, has far less functionality; so for many people, Photo Supreme is nowhere near an acceptable replacement. A typical reaction:

    Well that’s a real shame because you have killed off one of the best DAM systems a working professional could ask for and replaced it with a toy. I wish you luck with Photo Supreme, but regrettably it’s not a professional standard product IMO.

    Because I tend to work mostly with JPG images, I’ll probably be able to carry on using IDimager for some time to come. However, for professional photographers who work with RAW format images, then IDimager will soon not be able to handle images produced by new camera models. These people have been thrown into a pit. I can only echo what someone else posted:

    I have always had a lot of respect for Hert [the chief developer] and his responsiveness to bugs and feature requests. It made IDI stand out in a market dominated by big software giants who bought, crippled then abandoned software. Sadly yesterday’s announcement felt all too familiar and not what I have come to expect.

    Since I have never used all of IDimager’s power (similar to most people only ever using a fraction of the capabilities of Microsoft Word), I’m taking a look at Photo Supreme to see it is a possible replacement for my usage patterns. But I’m doing so with a rather sour taste in my mouth at the moment.

    Addendum 18th September 2014: I thought it was worthwhile adding that since writing this post, I switched (a while ago now) across to Photo Supreme, and have not regretted doing so. PSU has continued to evolve (version 3 is about to be released), and it has matured into a very good DAM.

    Photo Supreme V3 is worth looking at.

    22 responses to “RIP – IDimager”

    1. TomT Avatar
      TomT

      This is what always worries me about coming to rely on a product that isn’t one of the “major players” in a field, even if that product is superior to the majors. Of course, I use Capture NX 2 which is practically abandonware at this point.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Yes, the chance that the rug will be snatched out from under our feet is always greater, of course. But for the period where it acts as a flying carpet, then we are prepared to forgive the seemingly inevitable future disappointment.

        Reply
    2. Gordon Currie Avatar
      Gordon Currie

      Aargh! I was browsing your blog for information on WHS 2011 problems and read this. I’m currently rebuilding my WHSv1 server as a WHS 2011 server. I’ve been using IDImager for two years now and absolutely rely on it with 24K photos (mostly RAW).

      My only problems with it were slowness over the network and occasionally it would just disappear. I was looking forward to a faster server and WHS 2011 to make things better.

      Unfortunately, I need a networked (SQL) multiuser solution for myself and my wife. I’ll have to stay with IDImager until I can find a replacement (not easy, I’ve been researching for 3 years).

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Yes, it’s been disappointing news. Photo Supreme is only single-user at the moment, although some people have been suggesting to the developer that there would be a market for a multi-user version.

        As for me, I think I can quite happily live with Photo Supreme, but I recognize that for many it is not as comprehensive a solution as IDimager.

        Reply
    3. Murat Korkmazov Avatar
      Murat Korkmazov

      Hi Geoff, please remove this comment after reading.
      Something on your blog freezes my web-browser (tested with Chrome and Firefox). CPU info shows permanent “30% loading”. I suspect, but not sure, that this is due to a “live snow” script. Please check it.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Murat, I think it could be something else local to your system. It works fine here on IE10 and Chrome. The Snow script is done by WordPress across a large number of blogs – not just mine.

        Reply
    4. Dermot McCabe Avatar
      Dermot McCabe

      Hi Geoff, I have used Idimager for the last two years. It is a very powerful and versatile DAM application. I reflect the fear of many that Photo Supreme may be bought by one of the major software developers and killed off. If, and I hope this is the case, Photo Supreme has a future, I would really like to see it developed into a multiuser system.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Dermot, Hert (the prime developer of PSU) has said that, while a multiuser version of PSU is not currently planned, he would consider it if there was sufficient demand. I suggest that you make your voice heard in the forum of PSU: http://forum.idimager.com/viewforum.php?f=57

        Reply
    5. Bill Ruhsam Avatar
      Bill Ruhsam

      Have you made the switch to Photo Supreme? Any insights?

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Bill, yes I’m using Photo Supreme. It meets my needs very well. I never used all the power that IDimager had, so PSU does the job for me.

        It’s still developing. New features are gradually being added, and bugs being fixed. I just hope that Hert (the developer) manages to keep things under control. That was the downfall of IDimager, IMO, he tried to please everyone and put so much functionality into it that the application grew out of control.

        Reply
    6. Bill Ruhsam Avatar
      Bill Ruhsam

      Thanks, Geoff. I was a bit surprised (but only a bit) when I learned that IDimager had gotten the boot. It was feature rich but didn’t have the backing to make it usable by the common person unwilling to deal with the horrible learning curve.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Bill, give the trial version of PSU a whirl – then you can get a feel of it. I like the fact that the community forum is active, with users helping each other out. I’ve also registered in the bug-tracking system (Mantis) that Hert uses, and there you can get a sense of how the software is maturing. I’m pretty satisfied.

        Reply
    7. IDimager is Dead! Long Live Photo Supreme? | The Evil Eyebrow

      […] put out a few inquiries to people and I’ll blog about it if I make the […]

      Reply
    8. Elisabeth Bucci Avatar
      Elisabeth Bucci

      George: Thank you so much for posting this. I first heard about IDImager from your blog so I guess it is only fitting that I hear about its demise here too. (God forbid I hear about it from ID Imager…!)
      One of the features that you write a lot about in your blog (because I have bookmarked all of those posts !) is that IDImager hierarchical tags are compatible with WLPG. Is the same true for Photo Supreme?
      I do plan to give it a test drive (especially since you seem to be happy with it :)) but I’d appreciate a heads-up from you.
      Thanks again for keeping us all posted,
      –e.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        George? Who’s George? 🙂
        Anyway, yes, Photo Supreme can write out hierarchical tags that are compatible with WLPG.
        Cheers, Geoff

        Reply
    9. John G. Dinesen Avatar
      John G. Dinesen

      I can export keywords from Adobe Bridge to Photo Supreme but not from PSU to Bridge. Why not?
      Thank you for helping! John

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        John, I don’t use Adobe Bridge, so I don’t know the answer to your question. Your best bet would be to ask the question over in the Photo Supreme forum:
        http://forum.idimager.com/viewforum.php?f=57

        Reply
    10. Idimager Upgrade to Photo Supreme: Not Right Now | The Evil Eyebrow

      […] reading blog posts and making inquiries and checking the Photo Supreme forums, It seems that Photo Supreme continues Idimager’s legacy of […]

      Reply
    11. Larry Avatar
      Larry

      Geoff, I’m also a former Idimager Pro user who has gone to PS (for now). At first I thought PS would be a good fit as Idimager Pro was more than I needed. I have mixed feeling about PS, his development process and also about the way Hert runs his business. It always seems like you’re using a beta release with way too many updates over too short a time period. Wonder if they are doing proper testing before releases. Too many freezes and crashes IMO. After the way customers were treated when Idimager was cancelled, I’m not sure that company’s software is one I want to entrust with the management of my data. Their forum has also been moderated with a fairly heavy hand, and I don’t seem to be able to PM other users on their forum anymore.

      Just curious if you’ve ever looked at Daminion as an alternative to PS? I’ve played with it a bit, and still very early in it’s development, but seems to have promise. Doesn’t try to do any significant functions beyond being a database. The last release said it could import Picasa face metadata, but haven’t tried it after remembering some Picasa issues you’ve brought up in the past (maybe stomping on maker notes?). Also like that if you want to edit an image via an editor, you “check-out” the image and latter “check-in” the changes with an ability to log what you’ve done. Wish that could be combined with some sort of versioning like Idimager/PS, but may I just don’t understand the full extent of Daminion’s capabilities yet. Would love to see your take on this software.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Larry, I understand what you mean about “mixed feelings” – I think I share some of them. It seems to me that software development cycles can be a double-edged sword. Too many releases, and you run the risk of upsetting people; not enough and you do the same.

        I’ve always been impressed by Hert’s responsiveness to pushing the development of his product. Perhaps it’s down to the fact that I don’t really stress PSU, but I’ve not been bitten by the rate of releases. There was a time during IDI when I thought that we were in danger of getting into a “two steps forward, one step back” situation. I’ve not really thought that about PSU.

        Hert is very focused on what he wants. That’s a good thing for him and where he wants to take PSU, but if you find that you want something different, or have a different opinion, then you can definitely feel that you are not being listened to. Living as I do in the Netherlands, I recognise this as typical Dutch behaviour. 🙂

        I’m aware of Daminion, but I haven’t looked at it (PSU is meeting my needs for now). I believe that Daminion’s developer was responsible for Picajet, which I did use for a time some years back, before dropping it in favour of IDI.

        For the time being, I’ll continue with PSU. If ever it comes to the parting of the ways, then I know that I can always take my metadata with me. That is one of the strengths of PSU, and one of the reasons why I’m prepared to stick with it, and Hert. I may not always agree with him, but for now, his product is meeting my needs.

        Reply
      2. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Larry, I’ve just been browsing the Daminion web site, and reading some of the documentation. The mention of “importing Picasa face metadata” doesn’t look very hopeful as far as I’m concerned. It talks about the face metadata of versions of Picasa prior to 3.9 being supported. As far as I’m concerned, that’s shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted. Picasa is moving (in version 3.9 and beyond) to support the proposed standard for face metadata from the Metadata Working Group. And that’s not what Daminion is currently doing, but sticking to the old Picasa-proprietary format. That’s not of interest to me.

        I note that Daminion does claim to be supporting the IPTC Extension “Person in Image” metadata element. That’s a start, but it also is different from the MWG proposed standard. The latter is built around dealing with face regions in your image – so that you can see who’s who at a glance in an image. The previous IPTC Extension approach is just a simple list of person names, with no attempt to tie these in to the actual people depicted in the image itself.

        Reply
    12. Photo Supreme V3 | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] years ago, IDimager was suddenly withdrawn from the market by the company, and replaced by Photo Supreme. After my initial shock, I switched to Photo Supreme, […]

      Reply

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  • “It’s An Incredible Deal”

    That’s the summary of Paul Thurrott’s article on Microsoft’s Office 2013 pricing. I think his understanding of the definition of the word “incredible” is rather different to mine.

    While you will be able to purchase licenses for the Office 2013 suite, the main thrust of Microsoft’s announcement is to move from a license purchase model to an annual subscription model.

    Thurrott enthuses that:

    Yes, you’ll be able to acquire Office 2013 the old-fashioned way. But the benefits and pricing of the subscription plans are so attractive you won’t want to.

    However, when I do the sums, the subscription model has zero attraction for me.

    I bought a copy of Office Home and Student 2007 for €125 almost 6 years ago; it’s still fine (I never felt the urge to upgrade to Office 2010), and licensed for 3 PCs – which is all I need.

    Under this new subscription model, I would be paying €600 for the equivalent term for Office 365 Home Premium. If I want to buy Office 2013 for my PCs, then I’ll now have to buy three licenses; Microsoft has stopped doing the “licensed for up to 3 PCs” deal that they had for Office 2007 and Office 2010. However, while buying three copies of the traditional Home and Student versions of Office 2013 is cheaper at €420 Euros than the subscription cost for a six-year term, it’s still an enormous increase over the €125 cost of the equivalent license for Office 2007.

    Frankly, if I’m going to get Office 2013 at all, then I’ll only be tempted to buy just one copy of Office 2013 for €140, and leave Office 2007 on the other two PCs.

    The subscription model may be great for Microsoft, but it makes no sense for me.

    21 responses to ““It’s An Incredible Deal””

    1. Al Feersum Avatar
      Al Feersum

      Well… there could be other ways… depending on how much ‘new’ MS software you want…

      Buy an MSDN subscription, which will allow you to legitimately ‘obtain’ MS software for the duration of the subscription. This is expensive, but as I said, it depends on how much software you want.

      You could also join up as an ISV. For about 1,500 euro, you could get a ‘reseller’ subscription, which will entitle you to SBS, SQL Server Standard, minimal Exchange, 10 workstation licenses, Office for 10 workstations…

      … some of the deals that MS do are pretty damned good: the MSDN sub I’ve got gives me access to around $800k worth of MS software – sure, I don’t use all of it, but Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 R2 Std, Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, Office on 3 PCs, Team Foundation Server 2010, WIndows 7 Ultimate on 3 PCs, and Windows Home Server all cost a damned sight more than the MSDN Premium+VS Ultimate subscription (which is about $5k).

      Reply
      1. Al Feersum Avatar
        Al Feersum

        Oh yeah, and once you’ve registered your software, it’s yours. It doesn’t expire. There are one or two restrictions on its use, but these should be no barrier for someone with an IT background like yourself Geoff,.

        Reply
      2. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Al – I’m a pensioner – the MSDN subscriptions are already more than I’m willing to pay. Also, the software is only to be used for “testing”. I, and I suspect Microsoft’s lawyers, view that using this stuff on a daily basis constitutes being in “production”. That’s why I bought licenses for the stuff I use…

        Reply
        1. Al Feersum Avatar
          Al Feersum

          Yeah – sorry about that Geoff… anyway, if you’re using it at home, you’re using it for ‘development purposes’, which is covered by the terms of the agreement. I don’t know how the tax laws work in Flatland, but if they’re anything like they are over here, if you do a self-assessment, they could be considered ‘a legitimate expense’, and it’d reduce the tax you pay on your pension… just a thought…

          Anyway, I digress. I’ll respond further down the threads…

          Reply
          1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
            Geoff Coupe

            Al, best of luck with that definition of ‘development purposes’… 🙂
            According to Microsoft:

            Many MSDN subscribers use a computer for mixed use—both design, development, testing, and demonstration of your programs (the use allowed under the MSDN subscription license) and some other use. Using the software in any other way, such as for doing email, playing games, or editing a document is another use and is not covered by the MSDN subscription license. When this happens, the underlying operating system must also be licensed normally by purchasing a regular copy of Windows such as the one that came with a new OEM PC

            .

            Reply
            1. Al Feersum Avatar
              Al Feersum

              Well… I’m hardly implementing a full-blown public facing Exchange server… but my use of the MSDN subscription follows, if not the letter of the agreement, certainly the spirit of the agreement. And when the organisation I work for has a huge contract with MS, I don’t think that they’ll be that pissed off with the developers who are using their products for home use, learning them, and consequently evangelising them… 😉

              Reply
    2. Peter Ferguson Avatar
      Peter Ferguson

      Geoff,
      I see you intend to move to Windows 8 as I will. What e-mail client are you using? I use Outlook 2010 and it is not Windows 8 friendly. W8 is forcing us into the cloud, I try to resist but to no avail. I have a WP6.5 phone & refused to move to a WP7 because at present my WP6.5 syncs perfectly with Outlook 2010 (Tasks,Appointments etc.) using Active Sync, WP7 and WP8 will not sync with Outlook 2010 . But they have me beat.

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Peter, I use the Windows Live Mail client that comes as part of Microsoft’s Windows Essentials suite (formerly Windows Live Essentials). It’s not as fully featured as Outlook (e.g. no Task support), but it meets my needs. It handles multiple email accounts (POP, IMAP, Hotmail, Google) and integrates my Contacts and multiple Calendars.

        I have it handling four email accounts, my two primary accounts from my ISP, and two secondary accounts on Outlook.com. I use IMAP for my primary accounts, and archive my mail locally (i.e. not in the Cloud). Windows Live Mail supports local storage folders, and it holds messages as individual .EML files – no OST or PST database files here. Personally, I prefer this approach of Windows Live Mail.

        I have WP7, and even though my primary email accounts are non-Microsoft, the WP7 mail client handles them well, and my Contacts and Calendars (both using Windows Live) are synced across my devices.

        The W8 Modern mail client is too limiting for me (at least the version I’m seeing in the W8 Release Preview), so I expect to be continuing with Windows Live Mail for some time to come.

        Reply
    3. Peter Ferguson Avatar
      Peter Ferguson

      So now I understand, you don’t need Office 365 as you don’t use Office Outlook. You can stay with Office 2007/2010. I am forced to either stop using Outlook and switch to the W8 Client with its limitations (especially with POP3 Clients) or to “upgrade” to Office 365 and keep paying monthly forever. I have been using Outlook with a pst file for many years and am hooked on the Tasks, Appointments etc. Unfortunately I don’t think I can kick the habit.

      Reply
      1. Technogran Avatar
        Technogran

        There is no need Peter as there is a viable alternative in Windows Live Mail! It works with all email accounts including POP and also my favourite RSS feeds via Internet Explorer. It has a built in Calendar (which you can add to at the side) and I personally prefer it to Outlook which is far too ‘bloated’ with unnecessary features that I never use. Give it a whirl.(and best of all, its free!)

        Reply
        1. Al Feersum Avatar
          Al Feersum

          Yeah, but Outlook is so damned useful. I hated it for a long time, even as OE (now known as Windows Mail), preferring to use the mail client that my ISP developed and offered for free, or later, using Thunderbird. When I was forced to use Outlook at work in lieu of using Lotus Notes (how dare they call this a Productivity and Collaboration suite!) when I changed jobs… and decided I quite liked it. This was Outlook 2003. As I had an MSDN subscription, and I needed Office at home, I just downloaded and installed it. I’ve never looked back, using every release within weeks of RTM – though I must admit, I’m nervous of Outlook 2012…

          Reply
          1. Peter Ferguson Avatar
            Peter Ferguson

            I’m with Al Feersum. I have Windows 8 loaded as dual boot and I have tried the native Mail client adding both my outlook.com (old Hotmail) and my POP3. They work OK. Then I loaded the new Office 2013 and tried Outlook 2013. They don’t compare, as I said earlier I’m hooked on Outlook. The problem is to get the Outlook to sync with all the new metro stuff and later with Windows Phone 8 you have to have the 365 version of Office. Also with Outlook I get to access all my emails from over 10 years in my pst file.

            Reply
            1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
              Geoff Coupe

              Peter, as both TG and I have said, try Windows Live Mail, rather than the Modern mail client bundled in W8. The latter is a toy, and does not integrate your contacts and calendars into the mail display (they are separate Modern apps in W8).

              My Windows Live Mail also accesses all my emails from over 10 years…

              I get all my contacts, calendars, and emails synced between my devices (including my WP7) and I’m not forced to sign up to Office 365

              Reply
              1. Al Feersum Avatar
                Al Feersum

                I was messing around with my gmail this evening, setting up filters for useless crap that keep pinging my Lumia as new mail, and the functionality is looking more and more like Office than it ever did, including the integration with Google Drive (used to be Google Apps). The only thing it doesn’t have is the same look-and-feel… oh yeah, and PSTs. But then again, with >10G of storage, who cares? The only downside are the ads in the interstices, but it’s free, so Google have to pay for it somehow. And no thick client either. It doesn’t stop me from using Outlook 2010 though.

                Reply
                1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
                  Geoff Coupe

                  Ads? You get Ads with Gmail? Yet another reason to stick with Outlook.com and SkyDrive, perhaps?

                  Reply
                  1. Al Feersum Avatar
                    Al Feersum

                    The ads can be quite entertaining, e.g. when checking for false positives in the spam trap: “Spam and tomatoe [sic] pasta bake recipe”

                    Reply
                  2. Al Feersum Avatar
                    Al Feersum

                    What? Yuk.

                    “Spam Vegetable Strudel – Bake 20 minutes or until golden, serve with soy sauce”

                    Reply
    4. Mark Avatar
      Mark

      Ah yes, the old rent versus buy argument. Nice of Paul to label everyone who doesn’t agree with him a Luddite.

      Not sure why I can’t find the same information. Paul has some specific information, but when I go to Microsofts Office 365 site ( http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/compare-plans.aspx ) there is no “Home Premium” plan for Office 365 and the plans listed are considerably more than what Paul quoted – a 5 seat license that allows editing of Word docs is $30/month ($360/yr)

      Reply
      1. Geoff Coupe Avatar
        Geoff Coupe

        Mark, follow the link I give in the post for Microsoft’s Announcement, and you see the pricing for consumers. The Office 365 site is intended for businesses, and the prices reflect that.

        Reply
    5. It’s an Incredible Deal – Part II | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] in September last year, I wrote about the pricing of Microsoft Office 2013. Unlike Paul Thurott , I failed to see how it was “An Incredible Deal”. For my use, the […]

      Reply
    6. Disingenuous, Contemptible, or Both? | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] commented a couple of times before on the new licensing models that Microsoft has introduced with Office […]

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  • Polling Day

    It’s polling day here in the Netherlands. It’s our chance to exercise our democratic right to choose the members of the Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber), and, indirectly, the makeup of the next Dutch Government. With twenty political parties to choose from, the next government will almost certainly be a coalition, as usual.

    There’s a chance that we might see a swing to the left, but it seems that it will be a close run thing.

    At least I should get some respite from the last few weeks of a constant barrage of web ads urging me to vote for the VVD. Their crude slogans – Meer straf en minder begrijp voor criminelen (more punishment and less understanding for criminals) – have merely confirmed me in my belief that I am doing the right thing by voting for the PVdA.

    One response to “Polling Day”

    1. Matt Healy Avatar
      Matt Healy

      Meanwhile, as you are probably aware we have a campaign going on in the USA. Very negative campaign on both sides, unfortunately. Since I live in what is called a Blue State (one that always gets colored blue meaning the Democratic Party) in the maps on TV, there has been very little advertising from either Presidential campaign here. But in Connecticut we are seeing MANY advertisements for the multimillionaire professional wrestling executive who is the Republican candidate for our open Senate seat. Her Democratic opponent has a long and distinguished history in state and national politics so would normally be the overwhelming favorite. But the wrestling executive has so much more money to spend on advertising that the outcome in this election is very uncertain. Last time she failed to buy herself a Senate seat with her millions, but she may pull it off this time.

      This in a rather ugly election year.

      I have voted for every Democratic candidate for President since Carter myself; my wife and I certainly plan to vote for Obama again this time.

      Reply

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  • Lichtenvoorde’s Bloemencorso

    The nearby town of Lichtenvoorde holds a Bloemencorso, or Flower Parade, every year on the second Sunday in September. For 2012, that was yesterday, and as it was a beautiful sunny day, we went along to watch the parade.

    There’s a quite staggering amount of work that goes into making these floats, involving thousands of Dahlia blooms, and the results are spectacular. I took about 400 photos, but unfortunately, my camera lens (a Canon EFS 17-85mm) developed a fault during the parade, so I didn’t capture all of it.

    As well as the floats, there are a number of marching bands and theatre groups taking part. First up was a Brazilian dance and percussion group from The Hague:

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    The children of Lichtenvoorde and the surrounding area have their own section in the parade. These are just a few of the floats (click for larger images):

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    Then the main floats started to arrive…

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    Many of the floats had moving parts. This next one is difficult to appreciate in a photograph, but the bison and the hunters both turned in constant motion:

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    This next one was titled “Water and Fire”:

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    Then came my personal favourite of the parade – carnivorous plants, complete with black flies in attendance. The plants opened and closed their jaws as they passed:

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    Keeping with the Nature theme, this next float was titled “Tarantula”:

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    Followed in turn by a bunch of killer wasps in “Attack”:

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    This next float was titled “Underground”, and presumably represented a mechanical mole, judging by the “miners” working it:

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    I’m afraid that it was at this point that my lens began to play up, so I haven’t got good pictures of the last floats. However, I want to make special mention of the “Verpakt” (packaging) float. This represented six Japanese toy dolls in their packaging. The dolls moved as they passed by.

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    A nice touch was the inclusion of a QR code on the “box”, which takes you to the fake web site of the Go-Kyo toy…

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    This float won the jury prize.

    One response to “Lichtenvoorde’s Bloemencorso”

    1. A Camera With A Phone Attached | Geoff Coupe's Blog

      […] I dabble in photography, but I’d hesitate to call myself a photographer. Nevertheless, I invested in a Canon EOS 300D back in 2005, and replaced it with a Canon EOS 450D in 2008. Along with the cameras came investment in four lenses to cover a range of situations. I’ve been very satisfied with the equipment, despite having to spend 145 euros on a repair to the electronics in one of the lenses that failed during a shoot. […]

      Reply

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  • Life Is Fragile

    A sober reminder yesterday of how fragile our lives are. I received an email passing on the news that someone I knew, liked, and respected from my days of working in IT in Shell was killed in a light aircraft crash last Friday.  He was only 42.

    He leaves a widow and two young daughters. He is sorely missed.

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