Fear about email links?

Over the last two years I’ve been tracking the behaviour of some of my closer contacts on a particular issue.

On occasions I would have sent them material that I thought would have been of interest to them. Some of my e-correspondence (emails, forum posts, text (sms), and chat messages e.g. WhatsApp) have contained BITLY links. These are hyperlinks that shorten long web addresses. They are called short-links. There were a number of reasons for sending bitly links.

1. The links are only about 10 characters instead of say 30 or 40.
2. Short-links use up less space if sending text messages and make it easier to redistribute.
3. I could track how many times those links were hit by those I had sent them to or if they sent them on to others. (Don’t be stupid: I wouldn’t know who exactly clicked the short-link but because I created it, I would know that that particular link I sent was clicked, and how many times – even if redistributed. So I’m not invading anybody’s privacy.)

On a handful off occasions my contacts have responded, “Is that a virus link?” Or ‘I was scared to click it so I didn’t’. I mean these are people who know me; people of above average cognitive status.. So why the devil would I want to send them a link to some virus or some other nefarious activity? And that right there is the disconnect between cognition and emotion. They know it’s me but their emotions are saying ‘This could be some sort of spam or fake email from him, I dare not click this else the world may blow up and I with it’. Well yes – emotions don’t actually say anything – they’re silent things that have no real language in a form of words.

The results of my study give me an estimate that of publicly and privately distributed shortlinks, the hit rate is very small compared to my expectation. So if I would have expected 10 hits over 1 week, I’d only get about 2.

Of course there are a zillion other reasons why people don’t hit these links as frequently as I might have expected.  And naysayers would argue:

1. They actually don’t like you or your junk.
2. They’re not interested as much as you might think about what you send them.
3. To be fair people are busy – aren’t they? Not everybody has time like you to spend hours on the internet.
4. There’s a flaw in your link tracking system.
5. Just because people tolerate you doesn’t mean they have to like you or your stuff!!
6. [.. yadda.. yadda …yadda]

And naysayers of course have absolutely no knowledge of my contacts, their interests, my interests or the degree of match in those interests – but they feel a need to defend simply because they’re similarly afflicted. And no – I’m not saying that people ought not to be cautious about e-correspondence and what links they click! And I’m not saying that everybody is obliged to click every link I send them. Jeeze!!

The internet is the greatest revolution in history – this is the best time in the history of mankind to be alive – to be in touch with our kind out there. But guess what? People are so busy and scared that they are crippled from taking part in this grand spectacle in our humanity. It adds to my world view that the average human being is a timid anxiety-ridden block of flesh gifted with the higher functions of a neocortex - but ruled by a primitive evolutionary remnant buried deep in their subcortex, which rules over them evermore.

Paragraph and text borders in MS Word 2013

Today it hit me that people (in general, or a significant proportions of them), don’t read documents very well. Everybody is so busy or dyslexic or whateverrrr.

Even if I put in headings and emphasise them in different font styles, I’ve noticed that a fair few will miss what is written. So for certain documents I’ve now decided to add borders to headings and certain key text. See demo below.

I get to be able to do that by the following sequence (which needs some figuring out – yes, I know I’m not a good teacher, or spoon-feeder.)

Then playing with options here.

Why have I posted this here, if I’m not teaching anybody anything? Because, it forms part of my notes on how I did it. Sometimes I do forget how I did something on a computer..it happens to a lot of people – it’s jus that they never admit it. Yes I know Microsoft has a help page on this. If you find that better, more kind and loving - then you go there and you use it.

How to choose a strong password

In light of all the ‘celebrities’ whose nude photos are being hacked from their online accounts, I’m posting a simple tip.

But I have to ask… why take nude photos in the first place? If it doesn’t exist, it can’t be hacked”"!!

Wordpress: NuCaptcha blocks spammers

Wordpress driven sites commonly suffer from spammers and spam registrations. If some don’t know what that means, it is about registrations, content and comments that are useless and aim to cause chaos and disruption.

Spam content is nothing new. But NuCaptcha has created a system that is pretty new.

The photo left – next to ‘Human Verification’ is a snapshot of a short movie of a about 3 seconds, which is extremely difficult for ‘robot’ spammers to get through.

Most spam content is not done directly by individual human sitting there typing in stuff. If you thought so, you need to catch up – before the world leaves you too far behind. This junk is created by humans directing spam software and computers to do their dirty work.

For WordPress bloggers out there I’d like to recommend NuCaptcha, which uniquely sets up the anti-spam verification at the account set up stage.

50 cent Microscope

Location sharing on Google Maps (Android version)

Google has many options in its maps.

Most people never find these options because they’re scared of trying out new options or because they don’t have time to find ways of using features, or in common British parlance, they “..haven’t been told how to do it”.  Some know of my longstanding gripe about “being told”. People even tell me to enjoy my breakfast – Chrysst!!!  I mean it’s like if you don’t tell people what to do or how to do anything they can’t do anything. This is the culture of inertia that shackles modern Britain (and people in other parts of the world) – it’s partly a side effect of sweeping nannyism! Oh but amazingly when you tell people – and they are told not to smoke or eat excessively – it doesn’t seem to work. So there we are. You can’t win. Whether you tell um or you don’t tell um.. nothing changes.

Right – after distracting myself and you – have a look at the screenshots below. Tough – if you don’t have a proper Android based phone. I know.. you’re just a poor sodding jobsworth.. who can only afford pints of lager or whatever.

[Double clicking on image below should bring up larger version]

Conference calls on Galaxy phone

Many Samsung Galaxy Phones will have a dialler that looks similar to what you see below. Why am I putting this up? Is it to teach? Well it’s hardly a proper teaching. Clicking image below will bring up a larger view.

Money 2.0

There’s been some recent excitement in cyberspace about a ‘new kind of money’. Some may be familiar with the term ‘Bitcoin’. Others are scratching their heads, whilst another lot are reaching for bottles of Valium and clutching their wallets, while lying spread eagle across their mattresses.

I expect to be warned about ‘Bitcoin’ and crypto-currencies, as if I don’t have any capacity to evaluate information and risk. Oh and I also expect to be called names. But when all that is done – reality still remains i.e. there is something new in cyberspace – and it doesn’t look set to go away. There are now nine crypto-currencies.

Yep – a few are now off flapping madly like wild geese. I’m also about to be educated that Bitcoin is a hoax, that the FBI had investigated, and that it’s bound to be shut down as it is illegal. Of course the people about to educate me about this are likely to know bugger all and likely to think I’m trying to get rich quick. They will have quickly done the usual Google search and gotten into a flap even more, based on information they pick up – that is not properly evaluated. See here for Bitcoin myths. Do keep in mind that Bitcoin is one of nine crypto-currencies at the moment.

Have I been conned before? Yes.  Now – you are invited to  stop wasting your time reading this – because you know all this is a load of nonsense, you know I want you to invest money and you have none (even though I’ve said nothing about encouraging anyone to get involved in this). Bye Bye.

Why are you still here? Chrysst!!

Moving swiftly on – now that the crowd has left – crypto-currencies are pretty new. What’s been all the fuss about it? Well, it’s a thing that you cannot touch but it can carry value. Helloooooo.. that’s exactly like money on your credit card, or at your bank – you can’t touch it but you have it. Oh jeez… I’m now about to be told that you can draw money out of an ATM and hold it – as if I didn’t now this. You see how I’m infantilised. Well you can do the equivalent with cryptocurrency by turning it back into ‘solid’ cash if you want.

Why are crypto-currencies likely to be big? Well, first of all they are not really currencies. They are things that people attach value to. So if it was antiques on ebay, people would have no problem with it. However, once it’s on the internet, as some kind of weird thing for geeks, it’s bound to be yet another ponzi scheme in the minds of people. The reality is that anybody could attach value to any object and resell it. So one could attach value to a one-pound coin and sell it on ebay. How much do you think people would buy it for? I hope that’s not too hard a question.

For something that does not have a fixed value, it’s what the market is willing to pay based on perceived current value or future value. What is the value in crytpo-currency? It’s a way of moving value around globally, without the usual cuts to credit card companies and banks. Who would be interested in that? A whole bunch of people in the Far East, where ‘all the money’ is.  Oh you didn’t know…. that America owes China a few trillion. Oh dear. I dunno what to say. You gotta catch up.

Did I say it was not subject to being used for drugs, porn and money laundering? Any object that can converted in value, is at the same risk of being misused, as regular money.  In general anything that can be used for good can be used for evil. Think – where is the source of the evil? Is a gun an evil thing? Oh woooo… it’s been created by the will Devil!! Ooooo.. oooo.. let’s all flap around!!

Here’s the first big risk – and it will only happen to idiots – if you lose your computer, you lose your money!! What’s the problem? It’s very similar to losing your wallet full of cash. Ooohhh.. but once it’s a computer.. hey hey..losing that is very very different. Of course it is – especially  worrying if the computer with Bitcoins had £4 million worth of electronic money on it!! Crypto-currencies do not provide a cure for stupidity – I feel compelled to say. See below:

Oh - you noticed. There are no links in this post as to how to get crypto-currency. Some will have concluded that I'm selfish and keeping it all to myself - that I'm stingy and arrogant etc. Spare me. I know what people will think before they think it. On the other hand some will know that my modus operandi is not to spoonfeed. Furthermore, if I do provide more information that leads to people taking actions and they then lose their money, they will surely blame me. Guess who is your friend? Well you know who is not.

To follow prices of crypto-currency see: Bitcoinwisdom. I’m about to be told, “It’s a volatile market, full of risk”. Thank you.

Traffic management–on Android

The Cap often has hundreds of miles to cover in one day, so coping with traffic is important. My existing TomTom Satnav has traffic info, but is a bit slow at times. The rechargeable battery has gone dead as most of these do in about two years. Then I’ve become fed up of having to remove it after each journey so as not to attract attention to my car.

Exploring the price of upgrade for a new device of the Cap’s exacting quality standards, meant I’d have to pay >£200. I was particularly interested in HD Traffic. See video. Note that the video is of a traditional TomTom. The Android app will work similarly on a proper hand held device.

It currently costs £45 for annual map updates.

I come across TomTom for Android – of which there are several versions. UK and Ireland is around £37, Western Europe about £46 and Europe £57. All of them come with lifetime free map updates. So I decide to take Europe – as the Cap is in Europe a fair amount. Actually I’m there next week.

Maps of Europe occupies 3.6 GB – not a problem because I have a 64GB micro-sdhc card on, which is far from full. In fact I still have 39GB left after this install.

But quite significantly this new app covers walking and cycling routes. Yes – and the Cap does both.

As a regular and satisfied user of Google maps, I don’t think Google have taken their navigation apps very seriously. They could have been ahead of TomTom – or who knows maybe they know they’ll buy out Tom Tom soon, so why bother. You know, I’m so afraid to predict the future. Apple has made a play for TomTom. I don’t think Samsung and Google are gonna sit quiet about that. Google being the true giant of maps, and with TomTom already using some of their mapping, I can see where this is going. Anyways, Google maps are still great for lots of other things.

Well, there’s a load of people out there groaning and moaning about TomToms Android apps. Online reviews have to be taken with caution. I compared Copilots Satnav app for android and it didn’t seem as good as TomTom, so I settled for the latter.

The sreenshots below are from my Galaxy Note 2. Each pic is a thumbnail with can be clicked on for a larger view. All I can say is that the app works well for me. That’s probably because I have a good handheld device.

This is not a recommendation, to purchase this product. If you purchase based on my confidence, you may not have my same good experience. I accept no blame or liability. If you want to sue after purchasing, sue yourself.

Still a rip off–Ignorance is bliss

If you want to know how Brits are being ripped off 10,000 fold on the deal at left read on. It really is quite serious, but thousands or perhaps millions of Brits would have had a laugh at this advertisement by Three.co.uk.

You know, the Brits like to have a laugh, and dressing up a dog in some funny looking gear gets um pointing and giggling. And when the Brits giggle they go out and spend more easily. The idea is to suspend logic, because that could be an inhibiting force upon sales.  I think you’ll agree with me that it’s rather difficult to be ‘logical’ whilst giggling. So – if you want to win sales get them to commit whilst they’re giggling. The joke is on them actually – and they don’t even care!

Okay so what’s this one about? Some time ago I wrote on The great text-message rip-off. Here’s the news: IT’S STILL A RIP OFF!

The math – yes you don’t like math and they know it – but it’s rather quite simple.

1MB of data is roughly equivalent to 5000 text messages (for ease of calculation, but it’s actually 7490 messages). So theoretically you could expect to pay 1p for 5000 text messages. But hang on, they’d bill you 2p per text message. Which means they're bleeding you at 10,000 times the cost of the data. Assuming that you’re a human reading this – and not from the planet Zog, where I originate – you’d be doing a double-take and thinking, “Naaahhh… I don’t think he’s got that right”. Slow-thinking – System 2 – required. Here we go:

1. 1p is the cost of 1MB (1,000,000 bytes of data).
2. 1MB of data = 5000 texts.
3. 1p = 5000 texts (you’d therefore expect).
4. But you’ll actually be billed 2p per text.
5. Now each 1p should give you 5000 texts and therefore 2p should give you 10,000 texts.
6. This means that you’re being ripped-off 10,000-fold!

If you followed that ask yourself why you have trouble believing that people could actually endure being ripped off 10,000 fold. Look, a cup of coffee in the UK at the likes of Costa is around £2.00 (focus –it‘s not really that important whether it’s Starbucks, Costa, Prezzo or whatever). Now what if you ordered a coffee and then found out that they wanted to charge you £20,000 for that cup. What would your response be like. You might have fantasies of causing them to wear their coffee at such a ridiculous price.

Here’s the thing - 1p – oh that seems so small!! However, the actual factor of the rip-off is same as in the coffee example above. Rip-off-Britain is ‘good’ – cuz it knows how people’s minds work (or not). It knows that 1p means little to them. How many text messages are sent in the UK year?. It was 150 Billion in 2011 – and they’re texting more than talking. If all cellphone companies charged 2p/text and most charge more on unbundled tariffs, that’s £3 Billion just from texts alone.

How much data does 150 Billion texts consume? 150 Billion x 200 bytes (for easy calculation) = 3 x 10¹³ bytes = 30 Million MB = 30,000 GB = 30 Terabytes of data. Most hard drives these days come with 1 terabyte of data. So for argument sake for the total data storage capacity of just about 50 UK home computers they rake in £3 Billion? I’m green!!

But it doesn’t end there. A minute of voice conversation over Skype normally consumes 1MB of data. So that's 1p per minute. But they're charging you 3p per minute for voice not transmitted by data i.e. 3 times the price of their advertised price per MB of data.

If you got this far, you’re probably thinking, “Great story, but what the devil can I do about it? After all I still need to use my phone! And reading all this is interesting but is of no practical use.” Well on that basis, you must stop watching the news – take no interest in anything that you can’t get some ‘practical value’ out of. ‘Ignorance is bliss’ must be your motto. Rip-off-Britain lives for you. It needs you. Now bugger off.

The Future is about to Arrive!!

I am proudly non-allegiant to any brand name e.g. Samsung, Microsoft, Sony etc. So when I say watch out for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, it’s purely because it will be revolutionary.

And it will drive the competition further. See below – tough if you have small hands. Pray to Gord to make your hands bigger or supm, if you want this. Else sulk that Sony is insensitive – and makes stuff for geeks and wannabes etc.

Nope – I won’t be rushing out to buy this either. Why? Cuz I know that Samsung having made a flop with it’s mega series, has to bounce back, and cannot allow Sony to cut in like this. Well if not Samsung, some other giant is gonna weigh in after Sony. You’ll see.

A ‘New’ Browser

I can’t remember ever mentioning a browser called SRWare Iron on this blog. SRWare Iron (or just Iron) is a browser based on the Chromium source code. It is fast, faster than Firefox, and works with all the Firefox extensions I normally use… that is, the workable versions are found in the Chromium Web Store. Not only are the extensions available here but there are also many other apps that can be found in the Store, including games. But what exactly does Iron do that is different?

First, Iron is more private.

Google's Web browser Chrome thrilled with an extremely fast site rendering, a sleek design and innovative features.  But it also gets critic from data protection specialists , for reasons such as creating a unique user ID or the submission of entries to Google to generate suggestions. SRWare Iron is a real alternative. The browser is based on the Chromium-source and offers the same features as Chrome - but without the critical points that the privacy concern.

We could therefore create a browser with which you can now use the innovative features without worrying about your privacy.

Regarding some differences in privacy settings:

Privacy:

Comparison of Iron and Chrome at privacy:

	Problem			Chrome			Iron
	Installation-ID			A copy of Google Chrome includes a generated installation number which will be sent to Google after the installation and the first usage. It gets deleted when Chrome checks first time for updates.If Chrome is received as part of a promotional campaign, it may generate a unique promotion number which is sent to Google on the first run and first use of Google Chrome.			does not exist in Iron
	Suggest			Depending on the configuration, each time you put something in the address line,this information is sent to Google to provide suggestions.			does not exist in Iron
	Alternate Error Pages			Depending on the configuration, if you have typed a false address in the address bar, this is sent to Google and you get an error message from Google's servers.			does not exist in Iron
	Error Reporting			Depending on the configuration, details about crashes or failures are sent Google's servers.			does not exist in Iron
	RLZ-Tracking			This Chrome-function transmits information in encoded form to Google, for example, when and where Chrome has been downloaded.			does not exist in Iron
	Google Updater			Chrome installs a updater, which loads at every Windows in background.			does not exist in Iron
	URL-Tracker			Calls depending on the configuration five seconds after launch the Google homepage opens in background			does not exist in Iron

I have been using Iron for the past few weeks as my default browser, and so far, it exceeds the performance of Firefox, and has not disappointed me.

Two Talks on Leadership

 

Email for dummies

This latest ‘scandal’ on the Rock revealed by Keith Rowley is really amusing. Now, I have no doubt that some people arses are ‘cutting nails’ as the saying goes… this revealed email exchange over the Section 34 débâcle is a deal breaker if it turns out to be true. Why I find it amusing though, is that it is so obviously fake.

There are several clues which reveal right off, to those who are semi-literate in email technology, why said emails are fudged.

First of all, and most strongly telling is that Gmail, even since its inception in 2004 (when people were paying for invitations to Gmail) did not allow for 4-character usernames. Not even 5… and I know; I was there… back in 2004, you had to use 6 alpha-numeric characters or more.

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
anan@gmail.com
Technical details of permanent failure:
The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or unnecessary spaces

Secondly, unless the Guardian was exceptionally careful in editing the AG’s columns when the AG wrote for that newspaper, I have never seen such childish spelling and grammatical mistakes from Anand Ramlogan. Sure, one can argue that most people are far more informal in emails than in a commentary column… but even so some lineament of the writing style will continue to hold true. In other words, wolf cyah play sheep. These inconsistencies are raising my doubts.

Thirdly, how improbable is it for public figures in high positions to use ‘free’ email accounts to contact each other, when they have ‘official’ government provided email? Highly improbably, though in Trinidad, the dunces who set up these official emails had me shaking my head in frustration a couple of years ago. Hotmail in particular is ‘hijacked’ pretty frequently. So, I ask again, why would they (they parties involved) use Hotmail and Gmail?

What has me is a puzzled frame of mind is trying to fathom the reason Keith Rowley would bring this up in Parliament. Is he so naive that he would fall into the clutches of desperation? Malicious? Or is he merely dotish?

And why no mention of the HNIC who was ‘Action Man’ at that time? Why was he not involved in the so-called cover up?

Time will tell, but I can bet it will be Jumbie’s First Law again.

Galaxy Note 2 features

Windows 8 – My Experience today

Last night, a ‘vaps’ took me. (For non-Trinidadian readers, a ‘vaps’ is an idea or feeling out of the blue).

I decided to install Windows 8 on my desktop for myself to see whether it was an Operating System (OS) I would like or whether I ought to stick with Linux/Windows7/Chrome.

INSTALLATION:

After a few false starts, (my version of Windows 7 was not updatable by the version of Windows 8), I then mounted an image of Windows 8 on a virtual drive (using the free DAEMON Tools Lite version), and ran it from there.

The installation copied all of the needed files to the hard drive, then (because I did not format the hard drive) gave me the option of saving my old Windows 7 installation under a Windows.old (Windows dot old) folder. This was my choice (at present one cannot uninstall Windows 8 to return to Windows 7).

The installation took about 20 minutes, although I did not time it. During this time, the computer restarted several times, and though the virtual drive mounted under Windows 7 was not available, all the necessary files were already on the hard drive, so the installation continued without interruption.

During installation, I entered my router’s WEP code, my location (keyboard and language is chosen automatically here), and my Windows Live email address (Live ID). Users can opt out of providing a Live ID, but apparently it help integrate Microsoft services directly to the desktop (Email for example is ‘pushed’ directly to the built in email client on the desktop).

All my usual software, such as AVAST antivirus, Office etc. installed trouble free. All my hardware were detected and drivers automatically installed, again trouble free.

DIFFERENCES TO PREVIOUS WINDOWS:

In my case, providing my Live ID means I have to enter my password every time to log in to my PC. Similar to a password on a User Account.

There is NO “Start” button. Instead, users are taken to a Start page as below:

Formerly called Metro, this is now under a lawsuit by German company Metro AG, and therefore Microsoft is dropping the name.

When a mouse is dragged to the upper left corner a tiny window appears which leads to the desktop. Moving the mouse back to the lower left corner will lead to the tiled Start page. Tapping the Windows key toggles between the two. Moving the mouse to the upper right corner will open a “Charms” toolbar on the right side of the monitor that has a Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings ‘charms’ (no longer called ‘icons’ or ‘buttons’ apparently). The names should suggest what they are. Switching off your PC is done accessing the Power charm under Settings.

More tips can be found at the Windows 8 Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

Finally, Windows 8 does not have a need to switch off (from the app store). After not being in use, they will close automatically. Or, to manually turn off, you can use your mouse (or touch screen) to grab the top of the app window, and drag to the bottom of the screen. This closes the app. Normal programs such as Word etc have the usual red X in the upper right corner.

For those who feel brave enough to try, I can tell you I am thoroughly enjoying my experience today.

Recover text from lost submission form on webpage

This is a very good web surfing tip.

You had spent your time putting together a post in a textbox (a form) on a webpage. Then accidentally you clicked and closed the tab, in trying to close another tab.

Panic!!! It’s embarrassing, so you give up. And of course you share the problem with no one. Well that’s the first response-set the humans can be expected to make. I’m of course, a robot from another planet – so I simply reach for Google, my best friend on planet Earth!! LOL. A solution emerges!!  

Basically you want to retrieve the words you had carefully put together.

This is what you do. With your browser opened and not further touched. You press on your keyboard the following keys SHIFT and CTRL and T (in that sequence and keep each depressed until a response.). Look just experiment with it. You may need several presses of that sequence to recover the right tab with your stuff but I tell you it really works like magic. I’ve only tested this on Firefox.

Dummies to suffer even more

As the 3rd of May 2012 approaches, there is a greater chance that a whole load of dummies are gonna be ripped off here in Britain. What’s so special about 3rd May, you may be wondering and scratching your head.

Well, Samsung having rocketed to pole position as world leader in mobile phone sales (beating back Nokia and Apple), are set to release their flagship Galaxy S3 quadcore phone!! The excitement for many is unbearable.  So what’s the rip-off?

Well you can stop scratching the head now. The Galaxy S3 that will be out some time in early May 2012, will have the Exynos 4 quadcore, a 32nm chip that will enable full 1080p HD streaming. But.. but.. Samsung has already developed a more powerful Exynos chip called the Exynos 5 dual core!! [Did you spot the words ‘dual core’?] Note carefully that the Exynos 5 chip with it’s 2.0 GHz dual core Cortex-A15 processor, is said to be about twice as fast as the Exynos 4 chip with it’s 1.5GHz Cortex-A9. Exynos 5 is built to deliver 3D video!!

And if the above isn't enough, Samsung already has an Exynos 5 quad core on the way!! Yeah - the big brother of Exynos 5 dual core!! Chryssst!!!

So – what’s gonna happen? Well a bunch of dummies are gonna rush out and upgrade their phones to Galaxy S3, because they don’t use a thing called Google – to scan the horizon for what’s happening. Now if you’re reading this and thinking, “But I don’t need 3D video performance.. and I only use my phone for calls and basic applications!!” – this is actually diagnostic of you being exactly the kind of ‘dummy’ that the big technology companies are relying on for most of their sales. You’d prefer to be stuck with a phone that will be outmoded probably 6 months after it’s launch for the better part of a 2-year contract – if you’re a dummy. In other words you’d like to know that your purchase is outmoded and it’s value depreciated by 50% at least within a few months.

Yes – maybe you don’t like being called a dummy, but you are! You will get that S3 phone! I’m telling you. Logic will not operate to restrain the urge to rush out and buy it. Or the kind of logic that will operate is like, “What’s so great about a 0.5GHz more? Do I really need all that?” – which misses the point due to lack of knowledge that processing power is not strictly tied to the GHz thing. But you can’t stop a dummy – and that’s not my mission!!

Those who know they will be guided by logic are now wondering where will the Exynos 5 be used? Well, it’s easy to predict really. The Samsung Galaxy Note is a true ‘micro-tablet’ and it is actually a different kind of ‘thing’. So I’m predicting that roughly 6 months  after the Galaxy S3 is launched, you may well see a Galaxy Note 2.

I’ll be holding on to my money and my current Samsung Galaxy S1 until I see something with the Exynos 5. No – I don’t watch 3D movies. The rest of you can speed off and upgrade to Galaxy S3.

Two great addons for Gmail users.

Say you want to set up for an email to be sent at a certain time, in the future, but you don’t want the hassle of having to remember or do this manually.

Say you’re a control freak or a pretend one and you really need to know when your ‘victim’ opens your email that you sent last night.

Or say you wanna know when they clicked a link in an email you sent them!

What do you do?!!

Well – there are two great addons that can help.

1. Rightinbox
2. Boomerang

Errh.. you gotta click thuh links to see what they’re about! Duhhhh!!

Nope? Don’t need it – press on.

Windows 8… changes users would like to see

I’ve downloaded the Windows 8 Beta (64 bit here and 32 bit here) to try… I have not yet installed it but I am contemplating doing so on my old desktop which currently runs Chrome OS.

Still, from all reports, Windows 8 is a cross-platform (hardware) attempt at an OS… to run on desktops, laptops, tablets, notebooks, netbooks, touchpads, and mobile phones. The major headache is that Windows 8, like all Windows before, appear - from reports - to follow the same poor planning as others before.

Here is a list of 13 improvements the Windows community of users would like to see. What is your opinion?