Electricity comes in many forms. Your residential house supply is 230 volts alternating current (AC from here on). The AC is supplied on two pins, and an earth connection on another. The AC pins are live and neutral. You shouldn’t go around touching any bare electrical wires, but if you did touch the earth or… Read More »
Best Android Apps Review aren’t doing their job as reviewers properly. I’ve complained before about not calling Android developers out for requiring invasive permissions without due cause for their apps. When I spot them I’m going to start naming and shaming both the app and the review that didn’t note it. Top Android Game: Slice… Read More »
Sometimes the world isn’t so bad. Driving to a Mariners game, Duane Innes saw a pickup ahead of him drift across lanes of traffic, sideswipe a concrete barrier and continue forward on the inside shoulder at about 40 mph. A manager of Boeing’s F22 fighter-jet program, Innes dodged the truck, then looked back to see… Read More »
Price I paid for an off-contract Android-based HTC Desire: £389.99. Consumer electronics arguably unnecessary with a smartphone in your pocket: GPS receiver: approx £100 Wireless VoIP phone: approx £60 Archos multimedia tablet: approx £150 Kindle: approx £100 iPod: approx £100 Netbook: approx £300 Nintendo DS: approx £110 Therefore, my phone was free. (I realise that… Read More »
Paypal released an Android app. “Greatâ€, thinks I, “I’ll install thatâ€. Here is the list of permissions that the paypal app “requiresâ€: Your location, coarse and fine Full internet access Add or modify calendar events, send email to guests, read calendar events Read contact data Send Linux signals to applications Read phone state and identity… Read More »
The key factor for me when selecting a database is this: data integrity is more important than anything. I made my choice about ten years ago. I tried MySQL and I tried PostgreSQL and found that PostgreSQL was far stricter on data types, referential integrity, foreign key relationships and its adherence to the SQL standard.… Read More »
I keep seeing these “top 50 Android apps†lists; and am often disappointed. While they usually do have a couple of the good ones on them, they seem to think it’s okay to put seven note taking applications, two location-aware apps and some just plain broken apps on the list. This then is a practical… Read More »
I have a physics problem. I last thought about it a few years ago, and thought I had forgotten it, but I found an old email where I described it. So that I don’t lose the idea again, I’m making it a blog post. (I’ve also got the answer I think). Andy is riding his… Read More »
Bob and Charlie have heard of a game, and must decide whether they will play. They each have a wallet in their pockets, with a random amount of money in it (for our purposes: literally any amount, but more than zero). The game is that they each count the money in their wallets, and whomever… Read More »
It’s not really on-topic for this blog, but you’ll forgive me I’m sure. I wrote this a few months ago, but didn’t really want to broadcast to the world that we were sad. Time and sadness pass of course, and we have a new puppy arriving soon, so I thought it was an appropriate time.… Read More »