Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 5-6-2018

5th June, 2018.

I’ve a definite confession to make … I like some of Radio Four’s Monday night comedies.

One of the classics?

One of their classics, of course, is the ever listenable Just a Minute: fronted since 1967 by presenter, Nicolas Parsons.

He’s 94: which is one hell of a good innings

But … ?

For the first time in his fifty years presenting the show, he missed an episode: last night’s.

Which was a sombre affair, as a result.

I think I can understand that.

Nicolas being off is understandable: is is 94, after all.

But it’s mildly worrying to see.

~≈§≈~

There’s something else I’ve seen, that struck me.

The news from Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference: that Apple will be re-designing Safari, their browser, so that it will be able to block the various tracking tools used by — very specifically — Facebook.

With the recent row over Cambridge’s Analytica’s use of data from FB?

And with ongoing tracking by various advertisers?

That’s possibly a good move: in the original iPhone update, Apple refused to build in an ability to use the battery draining Flash.

And encouraging the uptake HTML5, with it’s more efficient use of power in doing the same job.

Personally?

I can’t help but think that — and the various upcoming parental controls — are a good thing.

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser 4-6-2018: Pulitzer!

4th June, 2018

Yes: former President Clinton has written a thriller with James Patterson.

And was on the Today programme, hawking the thing around town.

What caught my attention?

Was his criticism of moves in the US towards electronic voting booths: booths he feels would be too easy to hack.

Wise thought, that.

Personally?

I know in the UK has old fashioned paper voting.

But the impression I got from the media?

Was that the electoral counts, in various sports halls and parish halls across the country, used laptop with various spreadsheet apps, to store the results.   But that those laptops could not be connected to the net, until the count was finalised: to keep the risk of that machine being accessed remotely, and the results interfered with, to a minimum.

Which I can applaud … 

But still find concerning.

Those results could still be swiped from a central computer … 

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 3rd June, 2018.

3rd June, 2018.

Yep: I’m back at work: on a Sunday, as well.

Not that I actually mind: it’s all hours, after all.

But, boy … getting up early to make sure I’ve posted, for you … ?

Means getting a early night, today.

I’ve got to get some beauty sleep!

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 2-6-2018: International Sex Workers Day

2nd May, 2018.

Yes: it’s a Saturday: guaranteed to be full of fun, more fun, and — if we’re lucky — fun?

Although I’m at work: I might just have to … um … 

You know … 

Pass … !

Or yawn, at least … 

~≈§≈~

Just as a thought, here … ?

You’ve possibly worked out I like to follow the technology news.

One thing that had crossed my time lines?

Was the fact that, a couple of years ago, a group called Retro Computers Limited were planning to release the Spectrum Vega+: an updated version of the ZX Spectrum.

It’s been having problems for about the same amount of time.

To the point where Indiegogo, the crowdfunding site that’s been financing the RCL … ?

Is threatening to send in the debt collectors.

Personally?

I think that’s a shame.

Retro consoles can be big earners.

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1-6-2018: World Milk Day

1st June, 2018.

Yes, it’s true: we were supposed to get thunderstorms, yesterday.

There was even an Amber weather warning.

An Orange Alert, if you will.

Enough of a fuss for me — despite the muggy and overcast heat — to wear a raincoat.

Sensible, yes?

Yes.

Except it didn’t actually rain.

Not a drop.

Not here, in Brentwood: and not in Chelmsford, where I work.

Oh, we got mist … 

Just not the expected storms.

One of these days … ?

We’ll get accurate forecasts.

~≈§≈~

Just as a thought … ?

It seems the BBC* is going to be stream some matches from this years’s World Cup on its iPlayer Service.

For free, seemingly, and on a first-come, first-serve basis.

And in what’s call 4K, or UHD: in other words, at a resolution from 3840 × 2160, to 3840 × 2160, and using to High Dynamic Range colour.

I’m not a football fan.   But feel the implications of that?   Are going to be many-fold.

I don’t know if I could tell you all of them.

I think that if the BBC do this, then it will encourage 4K uptake in the UK: and help to lower prices of the relevant kit.

I’m ALSO thinking something else.

I’m an ex-barman: a fourteen year veteran of the trade.   

I’m a veteran aware football is popular enough to see many pubs pay good many for pay-per-view football channels.

I’m assuming, theses days?   That many pubs will ALSO be paying a small fortune for football matches through IPTV set ups.

The fact the BBC will be airing World Cup football, via IPTV, for free?

Is something I feel would be good for the industry: it’ll help lower costs, and reduce a pub’s need to use illegal streams from a fully loaded Kodi box.

Here’s hoping.

~≈§≈~