Tom Blogs » IT

How tech giants deal with dissent.

Tom — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:03:37 +0000

A few weeks ago I saw this peice on The Register about an Apple employee who was fired as a result of privately making derogatory comments about Apple’s brand and products on his Facebook wall. His undoing was that not all his “friends” were friends, and one printed off the comments and showed them to his boss.

Story from The Register: Apple was OK to fire man for private Facebook comments

Then today I came across a very similar story but with quite a different ending. A Google engineer posted a rant about all the problems he saw with Google plus but instead of posting it privately he accidentally made it public. He wasn’t fired, he even says Google said it was his decision to delete it or not (he did, and posted this response, which some could question if it was written for him).

Story from Forbes: Whoops. Google Engineer Accidentally Makes His ‘Plus Sucks’ Rant Public.

Either way, I know which company I’d prefer to work for.

How to build a Hackintosh Mini for under £500

Tom — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:56:21 +0000

The nice guys at life hacker have put together a DIY guide on how to build yourself a Mac Mini for under $600

lifehacker.com/5815715/how-to-build-a-hackintosh-mini-for-less-than-600

I’ve done a bit of research in sourcing the same parts (mostly from Amazon, once piece from Scan) to see what the equivalent machine could cost over here. My list comes in at £482.24

The cheapest Mac Mini starts at £612, but to get one with closer specs to the list above will set you back £855. Bear in mind that installing OS X on your home made machine breaks Apples end user license agreement, so you’re on you own if it ever goes wrong.

New passwords

Tom — Wed, 11 May 2011 09:15:34 +0000

I had to call a support team today for a system I access which kept locking me out.

SUPPORT: I need to reset your password for the next 48 hours.

ME: OK.

SUPPORT: Can I reset your password to “password1”

ME: That’s not very secure is it? How about the name of a fruit?

SUPPORT: OK, I will reset your password as “Tomsteel1”

Thankfully the system doesn’t let you use your name as your password and I ended up with something else.

LG.Philips LCD Teases World With A4 Color Electronic Paper

Tom — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:39:12 +0000

“LG.Philips LCD keeps teasing the world with dream display products that will not reach the mass market until sometime in the next decade.”

More at: gizmodo.com

Skynet 5A communications platform now assisting UK forces

Tom — Mon, 14 May 2007 08:18:51 +0000

“While military installations worldwide have been pondering the launch of various communications satellites, Paradigm Secure Communications’ Skynet 5A has not only been already deployed, but it’s busy workin’ on the weekends as well.”

More at: www.engadget.com

Computer saves shredded Stasi files

Tom — Thu, 10 May 2007 14:57:36 +0000

If you’ve seen ”The Lives of Others” recently…

“East German historians have employed the help of a computer program to reconstruct 16,000 sacks of shredded paper that once documented the snooping of the Stasi police.

The job was previously done by hand, with a team of 30 workers piecing together 350 sacks of shreds since 1991, The Guardian reports. The team estimated that at that rate it would take 400 to 800 years to finish the job. ”

More at: www.theregister.co.uk

Cushion Control pillows redefine button-mashing

Tom — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:05:23 +0000

While most remotes that show up on Engadget are decidedly on the geeky tip, the designers of the Cushion Control remote pillows don’t care about all that macro and touchscreen nonsense.

More at: www.engadget.com/2007/04/20/cushion-control-pillows-redefine-button-mashing/

The 2012 Olympics: how's it shaping up?

Tom — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:44:56 +0000

“According to The Sun, there are actually a few blokes down there somewhere giving it some stick with a bulldozer, so we’ll just have to wait for the next Google Earth update to see just what they’ve been up to. In the meantime, here’s the same area as seen in this handy .kmz overlay from the Google Earth community”

More at: www.theregister.co.uk

Moixa unveils novel USB batteries

Tom — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:23:39 +0000

“This revolutionary rechargeable battery can charge from any USB port without the need for any recharging devices, cradles or cables. Simply pop the lid to reveal a built in connector and charger, plug into any powered USB port on your desktop, laptop, keyboard or games console, to charge the battery,”

More at: blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/

A NES Gets Crammed Into a NES Controller

Tom — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 10:55:13 +0000

“An enterprising young modder has managed to cram an entire NES into a classic NES controller. Yes, now you can simply plug a controller directly into your TV without having to worry about a system in between.”

More at: www.gizmodo.com