Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 8-5-2025 — VE Day

8th May, 2025: VE Day.

Yes: it’s officially Thursday.

And, frankly?

I’m expecting to be bored witless!

Bar picking up some medications, that is!

Heigh … … ho … !

~≈Ω≈~

Did I mention I’ve woken up with an earworm … ?

I’ve woken up with an earworm: Moloko’s “Forever More”.

Why … ?

I don’t know.

But both song, and video, are hypnotic.

~≈♬≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 5-7-2024 — News of The World

5th July, 2024: News of the World.

It’s officially official: it’s Friday.

And the day after the election.

Britain now has a Labour government: as the party won a landslide in yesterday’s election.

Personally?   I’m just glad that — here in Brentwood*? — the extremely right of centre Reform party came second.

Thankfully!

And, whilst I really didn’t want the local MP to regain his seat … ?

I couldn’t be happier with a result that left a Tory in charge.

It meant not having a Reform MP!

~≈X≈~

Banning Operating Systems

Hmmm …

That’s something … 

You’ve possibly noticed that — outside of the Daily Teasers, and other associated bits and bobs — I’ve not written much, here.

Job-hunting’s getting more frantic, if you follow me.

At ANY rate, I do try and post up about all sorts of things: as and when they catch my eyes.

One news item did, today.

The one on the BBC’s news site — here — that tells us China has banned Windows.

Let me try an be accurate, there.

The Chinese government has banned government departments and offices from using desktops, laptops and tablets running Windows 8, the current and newest version of Microsoft’s operating system.

Mostly, it seems many Chinese government computer are running various versions of Windows XP: which Microsoft have ended security support for.

China are, appreciably, loath to replace XP with an operating system that leaves them reliant on foreign companies for security updates and fixes.

~≈Ê≈~

Dear Mr Clegg ...

Hmmm ...

You know, I've got to admit, I'm actually writing this post from Brentwood Library.

Or started it, there, I may finish it, back indoor.

But I'm trying to at least get out of the house and do some exercise, each day.

Doctor's orders and all of that ... !

‹‹•››

But at ANY rate ... ?

At any rate, I thought I'd quickly highlight this news item from the BBC.

Just to summerise, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister - and leader of the Liberal Democrat half of Britain's coalition government -has announced a scheme to use one billion pounds to help assorted youngster back into employement.

Or, at least, help employers pay them.

I'll happily admit, it's a very worthy scheme, it really is.

On the downside, though ... ?

On the downside is the simple practical question I'd like to ask him.

Where's the equivalent billion of public money, for the older unemployed people, like me, who are ALSO finding it tough to get a job?

I really do HATE to sound selfish, I really do.

But I think I'd like an answer, there.

RIP: Steve Jobs

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve GOT to admit, the almost constant reportage, today — about the death of Apple Chairman, Steve Jobs — is …

Well, almost constant …

And a touch depressing.

Lets face it, it is — for the iPad and Mac using community — going to be a bit of a shocker.

After all, we’re talking here about not only one of the men that founded the company, but also the marketing man that — when he rejoined the company, back in 1997 — turned around a company on the verge of bankruptcy in to the worlds biggest technology firm.

At least, by market value.

»»·««

Let’s face it …

There’s not much I can say, except to tell you to check the words out of the man, himself.

Firstly, at the original Macintosh demo, a few (ahem) years ago …

Along with a quick demo of that original machine’s abilities: granted, they’re not much by TODAY’S standards, but in 1984 … ?

Next is the news report about his death, on the BBC, this morning …

Along with a few words from Lord Alan Sugar, and BBC technology reporter, Rory Cellan-Jones

And you can’t mention Apple or Steve Jobs, without mentioning Steve Wozniak, the technology giant whose design of the Apple 1 and 2 were the technological foundations that the two Steves built the giant on.

And lastly … ?

Well …

I think I’ll leave you with a few words from the man, himself.

In Memorium.

Steve Jobs: February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011.

Newzbin: Breaking News

Hmmm …

I’ve got to admit, I’ve a BIT of news, I’m going to share, that’s been on both the BBC News channel …

And on their website.

But I’ve got to admit, I’ve just had the rather sad news an old friend has died: of pneumonia, arising from a complication of cancer.

From what I’m told … ?

From what I’m told, it was actually mercifully quick: something the family concerned are grateful for.

Knowing the person concerned, they would have hated a slow and debilitating death.

The irony is … ?

Literally, I’d just had a phone call to tell me I’ve an interview, tomorrow.

And to find out that, then of a friend’s death … ?

Well …

You have to assume they’re funny.

You really do.

Because you’d be crying even harder, if you didn’t … … … …

So …

This one’s for Jen: hoping she’d’ve appreciated it.

»»·««

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Before I get too depressed … !

At ANY rate, I do know I managed to see this article go past on the BBC’s news-site, this morning, informing us that the British government were being officially ripped off by its various IT suppliers.

Surprise, surprise … !

Now, in spite of the amount of support that George Osbourne gave to the open source movement whilst in opposition, I’ve a funny felling they won’t be switching en masse to Ubuntu.

And I’m also going to point out that Labour weren’t the only ones to spend serious cash on IT.

Look around Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar for anything to do with Eric Pickles, MP for Brentwood, and have a read about the £7500 Laptop.

»»·««

The OTHER bit of news doing the rounds on the BBC’s news channel* and website … ?

Is the news that a High Court, today, has ordered British Telecoms — BT, in other word’s, Britain’s biggest Internet Service Provider — to block access to file sharing site, NewzBin.

And I’ve got to admit, I’m thinking I’m … hmm …

Well, annoyed is possibly one way of putting it.

Because I’m thinking this has implications.

Lots and lots of implications: probably than just one layman can come up with.

But there’s one that springs to mind, here: or possibly several.

Now, I’m quite happy to admit that I’ve used peer-to-peer BitTorrent clients in the past.

In fact, I occasionally still do.

I’ve always encouraged people to experiment with various different operating systems: mostly various different distributions of Linux.

And I’ve usually used a BitTorrent client called Transmission to do this.

Even with the broadband download limit I have through BT, using peer-to-peer technology.

It takes longer to download a file, like this, but doesn’t chew up as much bandwidth.

So I can’t help but be interested in this sort of thing.

Interested …

And worried …

You see, it strikes me that insisting an ISP automatically blocks a website?

Is understandable, given that Newzbin seems to be devoted to illegally file-sharing copyrighted materiel: after, I think I’d want to keep out of trouble, in their situation.

Possibly.

But I’m also wondering why on earth it’s BT’s job to police the internet: in what seems to me to be the first step on a long slippery slope towards censorship of the ’Net.

When the various movie studios could be doing something a touch radical.

Like …

Oooooh …

Maybe give their movies away?

After all, for anyone with a DVD or PVR hooked up to their TV, and a way of getting them to their computers …

That’s what they’re effectively doing, already …

* Just who ARE the newsreaders, today … ? They aren’t the regulars, I know that … !

Up In the Clouds: Just how secure IS that … ?

Hmmm …

Now, I’ve GOT to admit that I’m an Apple fan.

Or Mac fan, I should maybe add.

You’d possibly noticed, hadn’t you … ?

But at any rate, like many of my fellow Apple watchers, I saw — with interest — Apple’s announce of both the upcoming new version of OS X — codenamed Lion — and it’s new cloud service, iCloud.

The trouble the whole cloud thing, though … ?

I mean from where I’m sitting … ?

Well, do you remember the Sony hack attacks, recently?

When Sony had to take down it’s Playstation Network, and start issuing warnings about one or two of their other networks.

On top of that … ?

Nintendo’s ALSO seen an attack on its servers.

And today … ?

Lulz Security, who carried out the Nintendo attack, announced that the NHS computer systems are extremely vulnerable.

And on top of THAT … ?

Today’s seen game company, Codemasters have a lot of personal details lifted.

I’ve got to wonder if, from a security standpoint … ?

Is any kind of cloud service sensible … ?

OK, granted Apple are seen to have a good track record in this sort of area.

But … … … …

Outcasts: Up and Coming …

You know, I’m thinking I like TV.

Well …

I like certain kinds of TV.

Or TV show, I should say …

You’ve probably already worked out I’m something of a Dr Who fan, by now.

And tend to have a bad habit of watching too much Star Trek than’s good for me.

But I’ll be honest, I tend to like — occasionally — to catch British sci-fi/genre TV.

If there is any.

If it’s capable of keeping my attention.

Hmmm …

Now, I’ll admit, Survivors and Primeval didn’t really do it for me.

A touch too bland, for me.

The first three series of Torchwood, though … ? Children of Earth, in particular … ?

They certainly did.

And I’ll happily admit to cottoning on to Being Human quite late in its second series: seeing last night’s season three opener was both rivetingly watchable and a nicely turned piece of drama. Shame they didn’t keep hold of the rather Gary Oldmanesque vampire, he looked like he’d’ve been fun … !

Cie la vie.

However …

However, I do know I managed to catch a post on Life, Dr Who and ComBom, just recently, that caught my eye.

It seems that Aunty Beeb has made something a bit new: a series called Outcasts.

Which looks a touch like the bastard offspring of Star Trek and Survivors.

Hmmm …

Now I’m none too sure how I’ll take to this, having seen some of the trailers.

But if nothing else … ?

I’m thinking it’ll probably get a mention as and when it starts, come February …