Info and forum posts by 'Asad'

RE: Aldi Bargains from 26th Feb

I think a version of ShowShifter is featured on a couple of computer magazine cover discs, cant remember which ones, but have a look in WHSmiths they might still have one and would save you the hassle of downloading.

I also saw on another forum someone recomending an alternative program called DScaler this is supposed to be better is open source and FREE check out more at http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/ [recomended by http://weblog.cemper.com/a/200309/28-medion-9170md-5044saa-7134-tv-watching-is-fun-again.php also].

There is a lot of general info, drivers, reviews, tips etc at http://www.tv-cards.com/
Some might find it usefuk to get to grips with their new card.

I have not got the Tv card from Aldi yet though I`m tempted. I only have one free PCI slot next to the graphics card and its fan and I reckon if get any card that has sticking out bits I won`t be able to fit it. So a question to those that have gone and fitted one does it have a lot of "sticking out" bits or it fairly flat ?

I also noticed a TV card in Currys today one that seemed fairly basic for £30 and a Hauppage one for £40. Does anybody know if these would be better/worse than the Aldi one.

This item was edited on Sunday, 29th February 2004, 02:31

RE: tomtom navigation maps.

I take it you are talking about maps for a Palm OS or PocketPC PDA.

I don`t think you can get them free apart from maybe some samples. I thinks the software is free then you can buy maps that you want. In any case take a look at the TomTom web site. Ypu will find more info there.

RE: 24 - The postmortem (spoilers!)

Exellent series much better than the first and better than any other drama on tv at the moment. The twists kept going right until the end.

I agree that sometimes the storyline got pretty silly but on the whole that didnt matter as the story was so fast paced you could ignore the dodgy bits, which were overshone by the better bits anyway.

Bring on season 3, though I would prefer to watch it all in ONE week and not spend half a year following it.

RE: gigair 2.4ghz video sender £29.99

I have not had chance to check out Netto to actually look at one or get one. But if the one they are selling is the same one that they had a picture of on the Netto a site a week back, then I think it is the GigaAir 2323. The link has a picture and specifications. The little IR mouse think looks quiet dinky. Its made/marketed by a Taiwanese company called Tranwo.

I`m tempted to get one but the spare Tv is currently knackerd anyway though the idea of hooking it up to the PC and using the Rx at the main Tv to watch Divx sounds a good one. Not sure if the Receiver and Transmitter ONLY works as a Ttansmitter and Receiver or can EITHER be used to SEND and RECEIVE by ficking a switch or something ?

This item was edited on Sunday, 10th August 2003, 19:22

RE: anyone else wandering around here at 2am? insomniacs, drunks and Shift-workers only

Keep an eye on the goat. 8)

RE: Best place to buy blank cd-rs?

Netto (cheapo food store www.netto.co.uk ) are currently selling packs of 25 (80 min) CD-Rs for £5. don`t remember the brand. You can usually get them cheaper online but the postage usually bumps the price up too much. You can usually get them for about the same price at a computer fair.

RE: USA offends everyone else

Quote:
You may not all like it but did anyone watch the television and see
bush speak before the summer holidays , it was a case of bring it on whoever is next will be next god I wish this guy was in charge of our justice system we might get some law and order back sod the fact of sending them to prison send 400 soldiers in blast them to f*** and them show them on television dead !

So thats what Bush is doing in Iraq, establishing law and order. Maybe somebody should have told to all the looters. Or indeed the fedayeen, Saddam loyalists or whatever yuo wanna call them taking potshots at American soldiers and Iraqis closely allied with them.

Interestingly enough a parliamentary committee reckons the war against Saddam may have damadged that other war you know the one against terrorism :( (Read VOA news).

BTW Whats so difficult about imagining a world without the United States ? The US has only been around for less than 230 years. The world did manage to get thru a few million years before then.

This item was edited on Friday, 1st August 2003, 03:05

RE: USA offends everyone else

Quote:
That was the point I was making here a few months back. You vote the person in to do the job, and you let them do it. If you hate what they do , you vote in another leader at the next opportunity. Thats what democracy is.

Rich

But surely the basis of a well functioning democracy is that you can trustthose that you (and/or others) have voted into power. If they lie about anything or that there is even a whiff of a lie about out any of their actions or policies (in my view) democracy has broken down. And I know that politicians lie all the time and unfortunately it has become an accepted practice.

But there is a big difference about lying about by how much or how they managed to reduce the hospital waiting figures by shuffling numbers and lying about the evidence used to take a country to war. While it was fortunate the war ened in a relatively short period of time thousands did still die as a direct result of the war. There is potential still for major disaster if the coalition leaders don`t sort them selves out and start sorting out basic amenities and the scurity situation in Iraq. They need to start moving towards genuine Iraqi representative power very soon otherwise it could still end up going tits up. And it wont be clear that the other potentional catastrophes have been averted for a while.

So yeah I would say you can vote them out next time but preferably they shouldn`t be lying to me. Or do you not mind that ?

But getting back to the lies. Blair, Bush and co DID NOT go to war for liberating Iraqis. They went to war because Iraq possesed WMDs, They repeated this enough times so I remember it. The US/UK didnt put up any motions at the UN about Iraqs violations of human rights, they certainly didnt attach a trigger of war against human rights. The only possible legal justifcation they had for invading Iraq was WMD and UN resolutions relating to them. Many even considered that to be too flimsy an excuse and probably wrong. So if the US/UK/Australia govts can`t even use WMD as fig leaf of an excuse they should be in big doo-doohs or are we going to start saying its OK for ANY country to start a pre-emptive war against anyone with little evidence. The world could get very dangerous.

Bush/Blair/co also implied often (if not say outright) that they had evidence above the UN weapons inspectors about Iraqs WMDs, but they could NOT reveal details at time as it jepordised intelligence sources. Since then there has been a war the US/UK/Australia have absolute control so I would have though they could check out some of this evidence from intelligence sources with the reality on the ground. And I would have thought they would have found something by now...big country or not ! (Off course not to mention the couple of months of interrogations of more than half the key people in the Saddam regime.)

RE: Argos 20% off All-In-One Printer , Scanner , Copier

Comet are currently doing the LEXMARK X74 Printer/copier/scanner all in one for £49.95. Available instore and online.

Don`t know what the differences are between this one and the Argos one. But could be woprth checking if you are afer one.

RE: Should Tony Blair resign?

Quote:
Don`t go writing off the possiblity of Iraq having WMD just yet. It is a big country, and possesses a lot of hiding places - granted, time is running out, but I have faith that something will be discovered before we pull out.

Depending on who you believe aparently it`s either twice as big as France, one and a half times as big as France, or the same size as France*.

In reality it does NOT matter how big it is.

Its been more than 2 months since the "end" of the war, since when America and Britain have had almost exclusive unhindered control of the country (or so we are told). More than half the top people in the leadership (as defined by the American deck of cards) have either given themselves up, or been captured. Many other lower level people (in the Iraqi defence forces and WMD programmes) probably didnt even bother too hide. I`m sure all these people have been bribed, bullied, interrogated and just plain tortured in the last couple of months. Now in all that time if NOT one person has cracked and revealed infromation about Iraq`s supposed WMDs, and actually named locations (hence the SIZE of the country does nOT matter), I think we can start to assume there aren`t any. Unless Saddam was such a control freak that he didnt even bother telling people in his command structure about WMDs and hes the only that knows.

But the above IS NOT even important. The point is that Blair and the British govt, Bush and the US govt before the war started frequently said they had evidence of Iraq`s WMDs and programmes. They repeatedly implied this was substantial and much more than what the UN inspectors had found but they said we can`t reveal details because it would jepordise our intelligence sources. If this evidence ever existed you would have thought American/British troops would have been give a priority to secure such sites so they could be examined. It didn`t happen. So the assumption has got to be there werent any credible WMDs before the war started certainly none that could be deployed in 45 mins.

So either the US/UK intelligence agencies and govts screwed up big time. Or somebody was telling porkies. In either case I dont think Blair can remain in his position.

BTW Arguments about removing Saddam from power because he was a nasty piece of work and responsible for mass graves are irrelevant because that wasn`t the PRIMARY reason given by Blair to go to war. Resolution 1441 was definitely never about human rights. Blair and Co also never introduced ANY resolutions about human rights which would have triggered war. Blair can say he all he wants about how he did good by liberating Iraqis but if he really wanted to do that why did he wait 6 YEARS AFTER he came to power to do it ???

*Iraq is actually slightly smaller than France.

This item was edited on Monday, 21st July 2003, 03:19

RE: Should Tony Blair resign?

Quote:
By the way, does anyone else remember the so-called "smoking gun" evidence of Iraq`s involvement in 11/9? Has there ever been a more tasteless attempt to exploit the deaths of 3,000 innocent people for political ends? Even the dumbest `patriot` must have realised that Islamic Fundamentalists are hardly likely to commit atrocities for a Secular nation.

No doubt the same smoking gun will be re-used to go after IraN, Syria, North Korea and anybody else Rumsfeld and co think they should have a war against.

This item was edited on Monday, 21st July 2003, 02:42

RE: Can you believe this?

Quote:
Is that the most idiotic question ever???

Would anyone actually answer yes to that given that doing so would probably result in a cruise missile landing on your head about 15 minutes after you pressed OK!
It is a pretty idiotic question but if I remember correctly they ask similar silly questions when you vist America on the immigration form that you fill in before entry to the US. Something on the lines have you ever been a terrorist and have you been involved in genocide ?
Er, duh I dont even know how to spell the word ...


On the subject of US Export Laws and Regulations there was a letter in the Guardian yesterday pointing out this type of statement is in all Microsoft product licences and other US computing products including Dell computers and other mainframes that says these laws tightly control what you can do. Aparently you are supposed to get permission from the US govt if you want to move something. The letter said that the UK MOD had to get permission from the US govt when they wanted to move a US made mainframe computer from one site to another site. :o :o

RE: Should Tony Blair resign?

Yes I think he should go. Hopefully Labour MPs are soon going to come to the same conclusion and he will go. Though I doubt he will resign as such unless he is really pushed.

RE: I saw Matrix Reloaded at IMAX last night!

This sounds interesting as Matrix Reloaded sounds like the ideal sort of film for the Imax experience.

I`m interested in how they made it though. I think the film size for Imax is about 4 times larger than that for normal 35mm films. So did they have separate Imax cameras running at the time they made the film ? (In effect filming TWO films) Or did they transfer from 35mm to Imax format using some didgital trickery ? Or may be more likely (but very expensive) did they make it on Imax and transfer to 35 mm for normal cinemas ?

Just been looking on the bfi site and it does seem to be a mammoth task to show a full length feature on Imax.
Quote:
The film arrived on 40 reels of IMAX 15/70mm format film (compared to five or six reels for most 35mm Hollywood movies) and took six hours to assemble. It actually totals 46,506 feet of film or nearly nine miles. The huge platters that the film sits on are six feet in diameter

If you`re interested in watching this on an Imax screen and you are in the North of the country you might be interested to know that the Nat Photography Museum in Bradford. You will have to wait a bit as it looks like it will be shown from 22nd August. Not too sure how much it might be but you could probably find out from the Imax Flash based website (I cant be botherd to use as it needs Flash 6).

Incidentally I`ve not seen the film yet (I do have dodgy DVD copy but looks too low quality to bother), do you reckon it would be best to wait and see it on a 5 storey screen first time around ??

This item was edited on Sunday, 20th July 2003, 00:49

RE: Plasma Screen

If you`re after a projector you should check out the Panasonic PT-AE100E for just over £660. Its cheaper than the price of a decent 32" wide screeen tv and got rated very highly in Home Cinema Choice magazine.

But I was having a look in Comet yesterday at some Plasma screen tvs and was very impressed with the picture quality. It seems to have improved alot from the original ones but still too expensive. No doubt the prices will drop in the future. Until then the projector looks quiet good.

Info above knicked from thedvdforums site also gets a mention on avforums I think. Which have more ideas on screens and reliablity etc.

RE: Wild at Heart £8.49 from Play.com!!!!!!

OT and I guess by pure coincidence its on Sky 1 this very minute I think. :)
I`m surprised its not been released on DVD before as it came out pver 10 years ago. Pretty good film though.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 15th July 2003, 22:53

RE: Sunglasses

The best place to look is probably SpecSavers or other opticians who always seem to have a Buy One Get One Free offer and you can get one for your prescription if you normally wear glasses. The usually do designer ones as well though not sure if they will have the ones you`re after. At the moment the opticians with in larger Asda stores also have good deals on sunglasses, starting from £20 I think.

But I have to agree with the other posters I would not bother spending a £100 on sunglasses unless you need prescription ones. Much better to the £1 from Poundland so you dont have to worry when you lose them or sit on them. But whatever takes your fancy.

A search on Google turns up loads of reatilers. Have no idea which ones are better than others.

RE: Anyone need a liver?

I think George Best and this story is waaaay over rated. He`s a (long time) has been footballer who shouldnt really be in the news anymore, even for his drinking (boring story an all).

I do think the publican should have not served him but surely its a much bigger responsibilty for George just STOP drinking if you value your life. And I would have thought his hangers ons and "friends" should have some responsibilty to protecting him (from himself) if he cant do it.

As for the donated liver I know somebody mentioned exact match etc but as there is a big shortage of transplant organs I`m sure some other deserving person could have been found. Somebody also mentioned NHS costs but I think George went private for the operation.

RE: Web-sites for selling gadgets... (and some other accessories)

I think Famous Arms Stores in the high street do this type of stuff as well. You can prob get the Magilite from Argos etc as well.

RE: Ocean Finance

If I remember rightly, they also had an advert which was portrayed as pseudo quiz show. Where even though they were acting (so badly) they looked so pleased to get the answer "right".

All these debt company and accident compensation adverts are really cringeworthy I suppose teh reflect they companies doing them.

RE: Conjoined twins die in surgery

Indeed RIP. Its a very sad story. It must have been a very difficult and very brave decision by Laleh and Ladan and their family to choose to have an operation that could result in the death of one or both. I hope their family can find strength remembering the short time their daughters did spend with them.

RE: Yahoo Scam

Looks pretty suspicious to me. The http://www.yahoo-updates.com/ address in the link doesnt actually go to any site (at least for me), just a "can not find server" message.

Also I would have thought Yahoo would only use and address with yahoo.com or (.co.uk) in the domain.

I know that Yahoo do charge if you want to use extended service eg more email space. But their basic service is free and if you`re not already being charged I doubt they would tell you they are going to charge in such an email.

So I would ignore it or maybe contact a yahoo email address from teh web site. BTW I have a Yahoo email account and I have not received a similar email (at least not yet !!).

RE: websites on state of alert?

There is a hacking competition running today :
Hackers compete to deface sites
Data could go missing this weekend
Security experts are playing down the likely effect of a hacking contest due to take place on Sunday.
The 6 July contest aims to see 6,000 websites defaced in six hours and will award points to hackers for the types of sites they manage to vandalise.

RE: 24 (Twenty Four)

I think its great (though it dies have soem plot holes) much better than the first series which was pretty good.

RE: Destruction of Amazonian rain forest

Thats the problem with politics and power. The people who are desperate to get into power are absolutely the last people who should be given the power. Basically we should have people in power who have NO ulterior motive for being there. So basically anybody that wants power should be disqualified.

But thats a toughie. And off course power tends to corrupt as well so should get rid of them every now and then.

About the Amazon its very sad. But the environment is suffering in other parts of the world. This will continue to happen until we think the only thing that matters is making a fast buck.

RE: Compacks DVD5000 does everything only £59.99 at Safeway

Wow £40 they`ll be soon giving them away !!
I think it does play SVCDs (though I havent tried). Not too certain about macrovision.
But there is lots of info about the player on clayts` area450 site. A good player for £50 even better at 40 !

RE: Greg Rusedski the freeloader.....

Programme about Zola and interview with her on Radio 4 this very moment. I think she regretted becoming British to compete in the Olympics. As for Greg as long as Britain doesnt have a genuine tennis champ we will clutch at what we can.

RE: 42` Plasma Screen for £85?

Plasma screen for £85 ? Ha hahah !

RE: Will you now start watching la liga because of beckham?

I`ve not seen them on terrestrial. Eurosport show higlights in their roundup if European football (also show a live Italian game now that Channel 4 dont bother). EuroNews and sometimes Sky News show clips. Theres a programme called Sgorio on one of the Welsh channels (S4C ?) that has a round up of European leagues and show some I think.

RE: Guy done for using

bigfan black isn`t a nationality so it`s not quiet the same as the others or indeeed as saying "Patrick Viera, you French git". Personally I don`t think the nationality is relevant either. Why not just say Patrick you`re a s***e footballer. Why does his colour or where he comes from have anything to do with anything ??

Similarly Soprano why is it necessary to add a colour when criticising Dion Dublin`s footballing skills ? Why not just say you`re a s*** footballer ? How many times do supporters chant "Beckham, You white basteward, you`re s***e" ?

As for the original comment I think the judge did the right thing. Its time people stopped apologising for racicsts. Racism has NO place in a modern multicracial, multicultural country and it should not be tolerated.

I think there could be little doubt in this case the guy in court meant it as term of abuse not endearment.

And to be honest I think very few people have ever used the word "Paki" as a term of endearment. I am Pakistani and British and I can assure you with certainty that nobody who ever called me a Paki did so as a term of endearment. The fact that it was usually accompanied by swear words was a dead give away :(

The term was used most when I was in school. I don`t hear it so much now. I`m not quiet sure if this is because Britain has become less racist (though I suspect not) or it`s because I can choose not to hang around with the mental retrogrades that use such terminology.

In reality its just a word and shouldn`t be offensive but most of those that use it mean to offend. For instance its not on the same level as Brit, Yank, Pommie, Aussie etc. The only word that comes close and I don`t think thats really in the same level is "honky" to describe white people. Incidentally people in Pakistan do NOT shorten Pakistani to Paki. I have only heard the word used like this in Britain.

And MildMan I wasnt aware cricket comentators use this word, I`ll listen out next time. And if you think racism is dead in the UK ask some of the Asian shopkeepers who have their shops smashed in. Or the countless other non-English non-whites that suffer from petty verbal abuse to out and out discrimination.

By the way the irony is that the nuggets using the word to abuse don`t understand that the word Paki comes close to being a compliment. The word Pak means "pure, clean" etc (hence Pakistan means the Pure Land). As most Pakistanis are Muslim and Islam places a high priority on cleanliness (spiritual as well as physical) calling a Pakistani a Pak(-i) should be a great compliment. But as we know the retrogrades that use it don`t mean to compliment but abuse, thats why they apply it to non-Pakistanis as well.