The Curse Of The USB Cables

This post has been written out of frustration after coming to charge my Bluetooth Headset only to discover that it's Mini USB.

I decided to charge my Bluetooth Headset that I've not used for months only to discover that it's Mini USB & The only USB Chargers at hand were the Micro USB Charger for my 2012 Google Nexus 7 that I also use to charge other devices & the Apple Dock Connector cable, no problem I thought as I proceeded to search cupboards & drawers in the living room knowing that a Mini USB cable was living somewhere in there.

But no Mini USB Cable turned up, but aUSB to Mini USB plug & the shortest USB Cable imaginable turned up.

Now it's not as though the Bluetooth Headset is that old as I've had it since last year, also it's not like there are many devices around that use Mini USB anymore so why can't Accessory manufacturers get up-to speed?

Since September 2010 when I got my Blackberry Curve 8510 all the phones I've used have been Micro USB with the exception to my current phone (iPhone 4S) which uses the Dock Connector that Apple introduced with the 1st generation iPod.

even the Bluetooth keyboard that I use with my Google Nexus 7 has a Micro USB Port and the Bluetooth keyboard Case that I'm using on my iPhone 4S has a Micro USB Port.

People always talk about fragmentation in the Android Mobile OS, but no one ever says anything about the fragmentation within the Accessories that use USB for charging. USB is supposed to be universal since USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, but yet there is fragmentation within the plugs & ports for the mobile side of a universal standard.

Rant over

Roland

The One Thing That I've Enjoyed While Using Blogger

The One Thing That I've Enjoyed While Using Blogger is the lack of off topic and Spammy comments, but that's probably due to the fact that I never got any comments while I was actively used Blogger due to the fact that I couldn't get a decent amount of followers & viewers.

WordPress really needs to sort out its Akismit Spam filter as it's awful at filtering out Spam from legitimate comments, as when I re-started using WordPress this morning out of 40 Comments that I'd got 3 were correctly filtered to the Spam folder and out of the 56 that were filtered to the pending folder approximately half were in correctly filtered as legitimate comments that I'd then got to sort through manually.

Rant over

Roland

Google Street View Trouble Continues

After reading this Article I can see another government failing.

They should have slapped a hefty penalty on Google for invasion of privacy when their street view cars accidentally stole personal information from unsuspecting people via their wi-fi networks as they drove past.

This also shows that people don't know how to secure their wireless networks or choose to turn off the encryption system that is built into the router or modem/router (gateway) as I've got an unused  BT branded Gateway that has wireless encryption turned on as standard and the Thomson Gateway provided by PlusNet also has wireless encryption turned on as standard as do the BT Home Hub Gateways that they use in their BT Broadband and BT Total Broadband services.

The wireless equipment manufacturers should not put the option to turn off wireless encryption in consumer wi-fi equipment and only allow it to be turned off in equipment for Hotels Bars and Restaurants that want to offer free wi-fi access that way things like this would not happen again in the future.

Rant over

Roland

Spam Comments On Blogs (Follow Up)

I'm having this rant today because when I checked my Blog this morning I found out that WordPress had found three lots of Spam Comments.

When I checked the Spam folder I found out that the Spam Comments were the same, just on three separate Posts, and these comments were all advertising the same Porn website.

Now I have no problems with people looking at Porn if they want, but what I have a problem with is advertising this porn in comments on my Blog especially when none of the posts that were subjected to were even talking about Internet porn.

Luckily WordPress has a spam filter so I was not notified that I had got Comments that needed approving.  I know people use Blogger because they can make money from using Google Adsense to advertise on their Blog which makes it superior to WordPress but if Blogger doesn't filter comments then I'm glad that I chose WordPress even though I can't bake any money from my Blog I can at least stop crap infesting my Blog in Comments.

Rant over

Roland

Spam Comments On Blogs

I'm writing this post to highlight a new spamming trend that I have fallen victim to, and that trend is spam comments on Blog posts.

I've received many spam comments on my Blog recently, I don't know if it happens on other Blogging services like Blogger, but it happens on WordPress but thanks to the anti-spam feature on WordPress I don't get notified by email about these spam comments and can delete them from my WordPress Blog Control Panel.

I'll be really upset if spam comments on Blog Posts gets out of hand an ends up ruining Blogging like it has done for email.

Rant over

Roland

Bullying and Threatening behaviour on Facebook

I've been forced to write this Post after being subjected to threatening behaviour on Facebook for the second time in as many years.

The first time was last July and my cousin threatened to kill me because her and most of my dads side of the family were not invited to my wedding and she thought that her and the rest of them had got a god given right to be at the wedding. I reported her to Facebook for threatening behaviour and they did nothing about it.

The second time was today when I had a go at my wife's Aunt when she had a dig at me for Blogging while I'm unemployed and her cousin/my wife's aunts Daughter didn't like the fact that I just didn't sit back and take it but bit back so she threatened  to rip my head off.  I've just blocked her on Facebook as I know there is no point in reporting her to Facebook for threatening behaviour as the people that run Facebook don't care what goes on on there site.

Since I posted this another one of my wife's cousins as started on me.  I've done nothing to cause this abuse, they've started it by sticking there nose where it's not wanted.

Rant over

Roland

Microsoft sues Motorola over Android phones

After reading this article on the BBC News website I can't help but wonder who will be next on Microsoft's hit list, will they go after Research In Motion over their Blackberry Smartphones and say that RIM have infringed some obscure Microsoft Patent on Push email or the use of a Homescreen that lists your upcoming calendar appointments, emails/SMS messages and your upcoming tasks.  Microsoft are as bad as News Corp/ BSkyB at trying to crush any competition.

I'm betting that the next two to be involved in a law suit will be RIM and Apple over the BlackBerry Homescreen and iPhone/iPod Touch Homescreen having a launcher bar at the bottom of them.

Why does every company have to be so greedy and want to take the competition down.  These patients that Microsoft are alleging have been infringed have not technically been infringed by Motorola and  instead have been infringed by Google as they are the ones that have put contact, calendar and email synchronizing into Android not Motorola so doesn't that mean that Microsoft should go after Google and not Motorola?

Rant over

Roland