Possibly sent to the wrong email address

Just arrived in my inbox:

PRESS RELEASE
AN OPEN LETTER TO HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS

The same email also contains:

An Open Letter To
Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri

Dunno why it’s been sent to me. Everyone knows Osama subscribes to ComputerActive.

A very superficial review of the Sony Ericsson w810i Walkman phone

First impressions: once I stick a (ruinously expensive) 4 gig memory card in it it’s good enough to replace my iPod mini, Motorola Razr and Kodak compact camera. Sound quality is noticeably better than my mini, being a Mac user means I don’t even have to consider the undoubtedly horrible software that comes with it, the camera features are nifty and the only concerns so far are the user interface (not brilliant) and the reliability (David, who regularly comments round here, has one and finds it occasionally flaky).

As ever it’s not a freebie: I actually parted with Real Cash Money for it.

(Sorry for the lack of activity of late. I’m trapped under deadline mountain again.)

Should we be terrified of terrorism?

A nice piece by the Cato Institute on terrorism’s real and imagined impact (pdf):

Even with the September 11 attacks included in the count, the number of Americans killed by international terrorism since the late 1960s (which is when the State Department began counting) is about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

[Via The Tattered Coat]

Sick but funny, in a geeky kind of way

From Idiot Toys:

Report: Terrorists planned to use iPod as detonator

WHY THIS PLAN WOULD’VE FAILED:

Because the battery would’ve gone flat! Ha ha ha!

You’ve only got a FireWire cable and bombs are USB! Ha ha ha!

Crying wolf

I wanted to blog about my mixed reaction to the terror alert – mainly concern, but tinged with a bit of cynicism – but it seems that Mr Eugenides nailed it for me:

On balance I, like most others, would rather be safe than sorry. We’ll have to wait until the dust settles on this one before we can truly know just how close we were to disaster; sadly, it’s not impossible (though it seems unlikely) that this is another in a long line of false alarms. But in the meantime, our ongoing – and entirely justified – suspicion of the mendacious bastards that run this country might usefully be leavened with a healthy dose of gratitude at the vigilance of our security services. In this day and age, sadly, the state’s duty to protect its citizens is no mere philosophical conceit, but a day-to-day reality, and it is increasingly the security services, not the armed forces, which are at the front line in this [very real] war. It’s not paranoia if they’re actually out to get you.

Flying today? Don’t read this

Just got a newsflash email from Channel 4 news:

A plot to blow up passenger flights in mid-air has been foiled by police and security services.

The official security threat level in Britain has been moved up from severe to critical which means an imminent attack is expected.

Around 20 people were arrested overnight in London in connection with the plans which are believed to involve detonating explosives smuggled onto planes in hand luggage

Flights between Britain and the US are thought to have been targeted.

Security at all UK airports has been increased and additional security measures been put in place for all flights.

All passengers will be hand-searched and have their shoes X-rayed before boarding their flight and all bags must now be checked in.

Travellers are only allowed to carry a few items such as wallets, travel documents, medicines and spectacles into the cabin and are being asked to put them in a clear carrier bag.

Parents with young children can take baby food, milk, nappies and wipes aboard.

But the cabin ban includes handbags, mobiles phones, laptops, iPods and electrical key fobs.

For a full list click here http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_612280.hcsp

Pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.

All passengers boarding flights to the USA will have to undergo a second search at the boarding gate.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: “Regrettably, significant delays at airports are inevitable.

“Passengers are being asked to allow themselves plenty of extra time and to ensure that other than the few permitted items, all their belongings are placed in their hold baggage and checked in.

“These additional security measures will make travel more difficult for passengers, particularly at such a busy time of the year. But they are necessary and will continue to keep flights from UK airports properly secure.

“We hope that these measures, which are being kept under review by the Government, will need to be in place for a limited period only.

“In light of the threat to aviation and the need to respond to it, we are asking the travelling public to be patient and understanding and to co-operate fully with airport security staff and the police.

“If passengers have any questions on their travel arrangements or security in place at airports they should contact their airline or carrier.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds. This is a major operation which inevitably will be lengthy and complex.”

Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was “very significant” and was designed to “bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life”.

Shlaine and Caine Haine’s parents’ pain

From today’s Guardian: the parents of a 14-year-old girl have been jailed because of her truancy.

Newport magistrates in south Wales heard that Christopher and Deborah Haine had shown a “complete disregard” as to whether their 14-year-old daughter Shlaine went to school.

…The couple, both 41, from Newport, were first prosecuted in 2002 for failing to ensure Shlaine and their son Caine attended school.

Looks like the parents showed “complete disregard” for their kids’ names too, doesn’t it?

Stating the bleedin’ obvious about broadband

I’ve just upgraded from 8MB to 16MB broadband, and as expected it makes absolutely sod-all difference to everyday web browsing. It’s good for video downloads and streaming, though, provided the site you’re getting them from is fast enough: 480p HD trailers from Quicktime are real-time, which is nice.

Apple at WWDC: meh

Another year, another high-profile Steve Jobs keynote… is it just me or was it pretty dull? Yes, the Mac Pro is a beast of a machine, but it was hardly unexpected; meanwhile the Leopard demo was interesting but never made me go “woo!” Virtual desktops? Nice enough. Email stationery? Erm… Animated backdrops for video chat? System restore? The changes to Mail and Spotlight look interesting, but the Leopard demo left me with the same feeling I have about Vista: looks nice, and that’s about it. I’m wondering about the “top secret” stuff Jobs said he couldn’t talk about just yet, and hoping those mysterious things have the wow factor I’m missing here. Or at least, I hope there’s an improved Finder.

It’s also a bit cheeky to take pops at Microsoft when one of your key features, Time Machine, replicates the Windows program GoBack (originally centerprise, then Roxio, now Symantec), which has been kicking around since at least 2000… and is Apple going to get nailed by the fanboys for the Vista-style shipping delay? Leopard was due for a 2006 release, and now it’s going to be 2007.

Maybe things will get more interesting next month, when – if the rumours are correct – we’ll see some changes in iPod/iTunesland.

Ryanair: we’re shit and we’re about to get worse

Ryanair’s really, really keen to let its passengers use their mobiles during flights.

Ryanair said yesterday that it is close to a deal with a telecoms company that will install kit into its fleet of aircraft to enable passengers to use their mobiles while on board. Though use during takeoff and landing will not be permitted, passengers will be able to make calls or send texts in the air. This autumn, BMI and TAP Air Portugal will trial a similar service.

The move is another Ryanair wheeze to increase the amount of money it makes from its customers. It is also still looking to introduce in-flight internet games and gambling.

Given that flying Ryanair is already pretty unpleasant, and that any time I fly budget I seem to be sharing a plane with thick, loudmouthed drunks, the thought of mobiles adding to the general clamour inside the aeroplane is a superb advert for Ryanair’s more expensive competitors. Would you pay an extra £20, £50, £100 to be spared endless loops of the Nokia Theme and the bellowing of pissheads? I would.