B

Member since: Oct 9th, 2006

B's Latest Comments

Blog Activity

Blog	# of Comments
Luxist	3 Comments
TUAW.com	1 Comment
Engadget	11 Comments
Cinematical	1 Comment
Download Squad	4 Comments
Slashfood	2 Comments
Engadget Mobile	1 Comment

Recent Comments:

Baristas are people too (Slashfood)

May 4th 2008 5:55AM How about the baristas behind the counter shutting up (always a personal conversation), listening to the order and getting it right on the first try for a change? So often I have to repeat myself three or four times: once to order, second to correct the order, third to give the order to the actual barista because the order has been lost and fourth to get the drink replaced because they gave me a latte instead of a mocha. All I want is a Venti Decaf Mocha. Its not like I am ordering something complex. I am usually ordering early and there is rarely a que. I don't stutter or stammer and I never have this problem in restaurants or pubs.

I was paying EUR 4.25 (USD 6.60) for my coffee before I finally got fed up and just bought my own equipment for home use.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for respecting restaurant employees. I spent eight years working restaurant/service jobs myself while in high school and university. But to be honest, I could care less about what the barista wants when they don't care enough to get my order right the first time.

Apple iTunes to compete "day-and-date" with DVD releases -- Wal-Mart weeps (now official) (Engadget)

May 1st 2008 4:03AM This is great news if you happen to live in one of the few countries iTunes supports the sale of TV and Movie content in. I live in Ireland, have a healthy internet connection and an Apple TV (among other digital media devices) but I can't avail of the iTunes service.

I realize this has to do with copyright laws and distribution agreements, but I still find it very annoying. I also realize that there are ways around this, but I shouldn't have to pony up for an American iTunes gift card on eBay and hope its legitimate and I shouldn't have to spoof my IP address either. And its not just Apple. Amazon, Google and some of the pay-as-you-download legal bit torrents all have the same restrictions. So although I strive to be legal, if I cant buy it in local stores, order it online and have it shipped or download it legally, I will obtain it illegally from a bit torrent site until such time as the content is available to me in another format.

Its a bit off topic for this thread, so I apologize for the rant. But now that there are more Internet users outside the US than inside, it would be nice if some of these download options were implemented in a more universal manner. I realize it will never happen ... but a guy can hope can't he?

Researchers develop new robot-proof CAPTCHA (Download Squad)

Apr 24th 2008 5:17AM I would be more concerned with end users being able to complete a task on a site before I would be concerned with spiders. These solutions appear as though they would be difficult to explain to common users and might have a negative impact on completion rates.

I work on a popular website that sells software to a diverse audience (gender, age, educational background) and we find it hard to implement features that everyone can use correctly and maintain a high completion rate.

I'm all for reducing spider-spawned spam, but if it affects the user's ability to interact with the site it's of little use to me.

New 'Hellboy II' Trailer! (Cinematical)

Apr 4th 2008 4:40AM I hate it when websites restrict trailers to a geographical area. They are general audience trailers for crying out loud!

Hands-on with Samsung's Instinct (Engadget)

Apr 2nd 2008 3:57AM I've been using the Samsung F700, which is an early predecessor to this phone in so far as OS, GUI, Screen and Haptic Interface are concerned, for the last two months. Its really a solid performer. The scroll issues mentioned in the article are present in this earlier version as well and the 'Accept Incoming Call' and 'Hang Up' on-screen buttons can be a bit fidgety at times. But all around its a good phone. My concern with this new device would the virtual keyboard. The F700 has a slide-out physical keyboard and given the fidgety nature of buttons placed at the periphery of the screen. Hopefully they have resolved this issue. I have to say, I am really digging Samsung's latest designs.

Born-Again Pets Will Cost You (Luxist)

Feb 20th 2008 4:15AM So one point that might interest your readers: you can pay to have your pet cloned, but you may not get the pet your expecting. Aside from 'Nature vs. Nurture' affecting the temperament and personality of your pet, the pet itself may not look the same. Cats require two genes to define the colour and pattern of their coats, one from the male and one from the female. Cloning from a single gene would give you a cat with a different coat. I would imagine dogs are the same ... though I am not entirely sure.

Wine Exec Surrenders Pricey Vintages to Airport Rules (Luxist)

Jan 3rd 2008 8:26AM Why didn't he just change his flight? A couple of thousand dollars sounds like a good reason to spend a couple hundred more on a flight bump. Travel security can only restrict you from boarding a flight, they can't prevent you from voluntarily taking a later flight while you place items in your checked luggage.

Sounds like it was all a stupid waste to me.

Microsoft invites criticism with open comments on YouTube channel (Download Squad)

Dec 31st 2007 5:45AM Exactly what is hard to understand about this? YouTube is one of the defacto leaders in UGC Video websites and MS is taking advantage of this for promotional/advertising reasons. Lots of companies leverage tools/media provided by there competitors if it means they can reach customers and increase sales.

As for the comments, all feedback is good feedback if you look at the larger picture of post counts and natural SE rank.

Whats next, "Apple Buys Keyword Advertising on MS Search". Give me a break.

Chargepod Gadget Charger (Luxist)

Nov 22nd 2007 12:14PM If you are an international customer, don't bother trying to buy one from there site. I found this product last Friday and custom configured a ChargePod that would work for my Fiancé and I so we wouldn't have to fight for power outlets and wall warts.

The total configuration price was $119.99, which I was happy to pay. After entering in my payment and shipping details, I was told that I would be charged $189.00 shipping and handling. Now I am in Ireland and I don't mind paying for International shipping, I know it's going to cost more than continental US shipping ... but $189.00. Come on. This thing only weighs a couple of ounces. To put this in context I placed an order for 6.8 pounds the same day using FedEx Priority International and it only cost me $75.00.

I queried the companies' customer support department and was told to buy the product from a European reseller. I noticed that the reseller was selling the ChargePod at a reduced cost, 28% less, but I decided not to buy it. If a company wants to disrespect its international customers to this degree, I just don't want to support them. I'll just buy a powered USB hub and extra device adapters and be done with it.

Amazon is now searching for Mr Fossett (Download Squad)

Sep 12th 2007 4:05AM bravekn1ght, that appears to be one of the CAP planes in flight during the search and is most likely not a crash site. That being said, Amazon should have provided you with feedback and you are to be commended for spending your free time trying to help another in distress.

From those of us who are pilots, thank you.

Now if we could only have this type of technology for all civil air disasters instead of just those that involve the rich and famous.