Graeme Shaw - Comments

The toughest race in the world? - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeand...

October 13 from delicious - Comment - Like - Share

The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc is the ultimate runners' challenge: 103 miles and nine peaks in 46 hours. Duncan Craig overcame sleep deprivation, altitude sickness and cartoon hallucinations to complete the course. More than 1,000 others failed - Graeme Shaw

Graeme Shaw to Graeme's feed, Appetite

I have one code for a free copy of Stir, the new friendfeed iPhone app. I got it in the giveaway here http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009... , but it's for the US iTunes store only and I'm in the UK. First FriendFeed reply gets the code!

August 31 - Comment - Like - Share

Hi, I like to get the code. thx maik - Maik

4 more comments

Code emailed to Maik now. - Graeme Shaw

worked! direct via iphone. put the code in the redeem section. app was downloaded direct without any notification. found the app on the last page of my apps. but finally worked. thx again. - Maik

No more codes, Graeme? Tks :) - Roberto

Ops, I haven't read that it's only for US :( - Roberto

I just had the one code I'm afraid, and I've given it to Maik. The reason I was giving it away rather than using it myself is because it's US only and I'm in the UK! - Graeme Shaw

Graeme Shaw

Virgin Media hijacking duff urls - http://skitch.com/graemes...

August 31 from graemes's images - Comment - Like - Share

Looks like Virgin Media customers can opt out of this here: https://my.virginmedia.com/advance... I'm less bothered by this now I know there's an opt out, and have switched it off. - Graeme Shaw

Jim Connolly

Not Google or Bing - Welcome to bingle - http://bingle.pwnij.com/

August 25 from Bookmarklet - Comment - Like - Share

Sclavos Ioannis and Eric Matas liked this

Nice idea, but I hate it. Too cluttered, don't know where to look when the results come up - Graeme Shaw

bingle.it (try it) - Lucio Allegri

Robert Scoble

Why I'm going to Indianapolis this weekend with @rocmanusa :

August 26 - Comment - Like - Share

Kyle, Dave Winer, noemigio and 12 other people liked this

http://www.youtube.com/watch... we're hanging out with the Fiat/Yamaha racing team. Motorcyles! Best in the business. - Robert Scoble

33 more comments

http://www.facebook.com/fiataut... Facebook page - Robert Scoble

Valentino Rossi rules :) - Luigi Filograna

http://twitter.com/fiatont... Twitter account. - Robert Scoble

http://www.flickr.com/photos... Flickr account. - Robert Scoble

http://friendfeed.com/fiat FriendFeed account!!! - Robert Scoble

I'm going to rent a big lens again and take lots of pictures. - Robert Scoble

enjoy! - Luigi Filograna

We look forward to the Indianapolis w/e! - Fiat

Luigi: I'm looking forward to it. Dave Winer has been raving about watching Valentino ever since he went when the race was in Monterey. - Robert Scoble

he is amazing...I'm a Valentino's fan - Luigi Filograna

In Laguna Seca we had a great time with @davewiner, it will be great @ Indy as well! - Fiat

Hope you have a good time Robert. It's a shame they couldn't get things sorted out so that F1 could return to Indy. I always wonder how IMS makes any money. It only seems to host 2 or 3 races a year, most big European race circuits host races throughout the year, as well as having 2 or 3 major international events. - Graeme Shaw

An Indianapolis teaser for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch... - Fiat

I was there with Fiat at Sachsenring MotoGP; Fiat/Yamaha guys are really fantastic, you'll definitely gonna have a good time (and eat good italian food as well). - ialla

Go Doctor Rossi! Go! - Stefano Pietroiusti from twhirl

Valentino Rossi rocks, I love it every time I catch motoGP on eurosport. Hope Rossi wins so you guys can check out one of the greatest guys when it comes to celebrating. - Rasmus Lauridsen from iPhone

Get well soon Casey Stoner! - Matt G

We're looking forward to it Robert, I'll be online (from Italy) with you during qualification and race, just in case. I'm looking forward to follow you. - Marco Massarotto

ah ah, scoble in love with fiat :) - Massimo MaxKava Cavazzini

Glad to see you're coming to my neck of the woods, Robert! - John Fox

Can't wait, we might do a tweetup too, but gotta figure out the schedule first with the Fiat folks. - Robert Scoble

When will you know your schedule? I'm about 4 hours out in Toledo, probably can't make it, but maybe. - Matthew DeVries

Matthew: probably not until Thursday night/Friday morning. So it probably will need to be a spur of the moment thing. - Robert Scoble

Damn. Go find business to conduct in Detroit or Cleveland - Matthew DeVries

good choice! Rossi rocks! - George Achillias

Taking my Gene Simmons T with me- ROCK ON Fiat/Yamaha! - Rocky Barbanica

http://twitpic.com/cn2if - Rocky Barbanica

We probably won't know our full schedule until Friday morning, unfortunately. We are captives of the Fiat/Yamaha racing team. - Robert Scoble

oh wow...I'm jealous. Looking forward to your pics when you return! - Tamara

Way to go Rocky! Rock on!!! :-) - Marco Massarotto

Captives, - Rocky Barbanica

Captives. Scoble? Maybe - but WAY WILLING CAPTIVES ! Rockin Indy, BABY!!! - Rocky Barbanica

Dig it Marco!!! - Rocky Barbanica

wow guys...I'm definitely looking forward to following you during the w/e!! wish you a grrrrreat time ;) (@rocky: your T ROCKS!!!) - noemigio

Graeme Shaw to Graeme's feed, Cycles

Who would win in a 100m race from a standing start? Usain Bolt on foot, or Jamie Staff on a track bike?

August 18 - Comment - Like - Share

Chester liked this

Usain Bolt's WR 200m time set in Beijing is 19.30. During the Team Sprint final in Beijing, Jamie Staff set a World's Best time over a single (250m) lap of the velodrome from a standing start of 17.136. - Graeme Shaw

I imagine a 100m race would be an easy win for Bolt. - Chester

I have new information on this. According to http://www.tissottiming.com/ the first man in a Team Sprint (from a standing start) often covers the first 125m in 10.5. So over just 100m especially if they put a smaller gear on the bike to improve acceleration, I reckon a world class track sprinter probably could beat Bolt! - Graeme Shaw

Dave Winer

Hey I have an idea, why don't we outlaw health insurance for everyone. We all pay for all our own health needs. Republicans too.

August 16 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

Graeme Shaw, Jesse Stay, Robert Scoble and 10 other people liked this

this idea isn't new and has some appeal in libertarian circles - Prolific Programmer from IM

51 more comments

Why is a communist fire brigade ok? Couldn't you just get your cheque book out next time your house is on fire? - Graeme Shaw from iPhone

and when we enact that and liquidate the insurance companies do i get a cut back for all that i've put in (and never used?) - Chris Heath

Twas a joke folks. :-) - Dave Winer

Hah! - Akiva Moskovitz

In Canada we have Health Insurance for everyone:) - Rob Cairns

Outlawing insurance has some appeal in /libertarian/ circles? That must be one heck of an interesting branch of libertarianism. - Tristan Seligmann

"The Communist Fire Brigade"... Wow, has it come to that, that in the US some people equate essential Government Services with Communism? － In the US, the Capitalist/Free Enterprise doctrine has become so ingrained in the culture that it has distorted much of the Body Politic's understanding of the clear distinctions between extreme ideas like Communism and the valid role of Government... more... - Simon Edhouse

@Simon I agree with you. I'm a Brit living in the UK, and a strong supporter of the NHS (our state run health service which has sadly been dragged into the debate by the US right wing), I was being sarcastic and deliberately provocative. If the person who pulls you out of a burning building, or the person who diffuses a bomb is working for the government, then why not pay the person who puts you back together from government funds as well? - Graeme Shaw

Ok, makes more sense now... - Simon Edhouse

Simon: It is not the government's role to be my mother. I'm all for health care reform, but what is currently being proposed is not reform at all, it's merely mandatory health insurance. I can't support that. - Otto

Samuel-do you have a problem with mandatory auto insurance? - Michael

Michael: Auto insurance is not mandatory. You can cover your own risk by posting a surety bond for a given amount. There's no such similar option in this new plan, it actually punishes not wanting health insurance by imposing an additional income tax on people without health insurance. Furthermore, the comparison is invalid, as "mandatory" auto insurance only extends to liability... more... - Otto

@Samuel do you also want the right to have no cover from the fire service, the police, the army, or any other government provided services? Shouldn't you have the choice to pay for, or not pay for these services too? Why is healthcare any different? - Graeme Shaw

@Graeme: Firstly, 70%+ of the fire services in the USA are volunteer fire departments, who raise their own money. They are not expressly government funded. Secondly, Police and military services are in the direct jurisdiction of government. That's what governments are supposed to do: provide for the national defense and enforce the laws created by the will of the people. Thirdly, I... more... - Otto

@Samuel "I do not think that health-care is some kind of fundamental right" and this is where we completely disagree to the point that I don't think I'll ever properly understand your point of view, nor you mine. I can't conceive of living somewhere without universal health care which is free at the point of access. I truly can't understand why people wouldn't think that to be a Good Thing. - Graeme Shaw

@Graeme: Do you also give out free houses to every single person in your country as well? Is all the food free? If not, then how can you consider health care more of a human right than basic food or shelter? The fact of the matter is that life is free, but everything else must be paid for. By setting up health care as a "right" you eliminate free market incentive to improve health care... more... - Otto

We don't give out free houses, and food is not free, but we do our best to house and feed our poor, yes. In 2008 a survey of homeless people in England found 483 people sleeping rough out of 51 million inhabitants. "The UK spends less per head on healthcare but has a higher life expectancy than the US. The World Health Organisation ranks Britain's healthcare as 18th in the world, while... more... - Graeme Shaw

What I've paid for an excellent full coverage by the NHS is nothing compared to what I would pay with a private insurance. I'm generally happy with the service I've received so far and I'm happy to pay tax to support that because I am happy that everyone in this country has proper healthcare, it is in my own interest too not to have people walking around with untreated TB or whatever. - M F

I didn't at any point suggest that healthcare in the UK was free. I specifically said it was "free at the point of access". When I walk into any NHS healthcare facility, I come back out without a bill, or having to pay anything, or having to fill out paperwork to claim from an insurance company. I am more than happy (in fact I am out right proud) that my taxes pay not only for my own healthcare, but for that of my fellow UK residents. - Graeme Shaw

@Graeme: Well, that definitely sounds like socialism to me. Let me know how that works out for you. :\ - Otto

@Samuel call it what you like. I can move jobs without having to take my health insurance into consideration and can live out my life safe in the knowledge that I'll never be bankrupted by healthcare bills. The NHS is 60 years old, it's working pretty well so far thanks. - Graeme Shaw from iPhone

Some people will never move forward - even if you kill them. - Houseofmax

@Graeme: If NHS is such the bees knees, why are Whole Foods employees in the UK telling their head people that they "want supplemental health-care dollars that they can control and spend themselves without permission from their governments"? Their CEO says so: http://online.wsj.com/article... I'm sorry if I simply don't buy into your utopian... more... - Otto

You are exaggerating the case against the NHS there Sam, yes its not perfect but most people I know in the UK are thankful to know they can get care if needed - if you need independent corroboration the WHO has the UK's health care as 18th in the world, ahead of the US at 37 http://www.photius.com/ranking... - MarkEdmondson

Citing the WHO over and over again doesn't make it true. If you actually look at the study instead of the summaries, most of that lowered rank was primarily due to the US not having universal health care, so it's really a catch-22 there. The US was first in responsiveness in the same study you're citing, for example. Also, everybody in the USA can get care when needed, it's not like... more... - Otto

The NHS is certainly not a utopia, but I find it very telling that you perceive my description of it to be utopian. Maybe that says more about your attitudes to healthcare than it does about healthcare in the UK. As Mark says, the NHS does have many problems, and we do need to work to resolve them. The NHS isn't a business. It doesn't exist to make money, it exists to provide universal... more... - Graeme Shaw

how about not. single payer or what is currently purposed is better than current system. - Logan Lindquist

The currently proposed plan is a complete travesty that will absolutely bankrupt the country within 10 years, period. The idea of a "single-payer" system is no better, since it puts your health-care decisions absolutely in the hands of the government, with no alternative options available. What is needed is a removal of laws and restrictions, and a chance for health insurance and costs... more... - Otto

From my european (italian) perpective I find all this amusing (so to say...). I can get a cure for anything in a state owned structure, paying nothing or a nominal sum, or in a private structure which operates in convention with the state, always paying nothing or a nominal sum, or in a private structure paying everything unless I have private insurance. There are some abuses now and... more... - Alb.

@albbrt: You also pay roughly 10% of your income into that non-opt-out Italian health care system, while 35% of your countrymen use some form of private health services regardless and pay outright for that fact. So, essentially, you're saying that not only should we be taxed out the wazoo (10% !!! if I added that on to my current tax rate, it would come to something like half my pay for... more... - Otto

And the debate goes on and on in circles yet again. For some reason, many in the US just don't "get" universal health care. Plain and simple. Forget about the data, the testimonials, the living-breathing examples of successes elsewhere. In other countries, it's just part of your social mentality. Let's start with a basic premise: do you believe that ALL citizens of the country should... more... - Allan Besselink

@Samuel I yet have to find something not covered. My wife had eosinophilic gastroenteritis, pretty rare, and was out of it thanks to the cure of the local hospital (not even a major one in town). A well spent 10%. I had private insurance, and left it because it sucked. Moreover, I *want* to live in a neighborhood where people is healthy and happy. If my 10% goes to support everybody's health, it is good for society as a whole ("as a whole" is the key). - Alb.

To be fair, it is none of my business if the US lets its uninsured die or not, but I do care if the NHS is misrepresented by American politicians looking for something to scare their constituents with - I'm telling you from the perspective of someone who lives in the UK and speaks with UK people everyday, we're grateful for the security net of universal health care, and whilst issues on... more... - MarkEdmondson

Samuel: What percentage of your current income do your current health insurance rates work out at? And do they give you 100% coverage? - 1x29

@Otto are you honestly saying that you pay 40% income tax and you DON'T get universal healthcare included? We have universal healthcare, and I'm sure as hell not paying 40% income tax. - Graeme Shaw

The lack of universality and the tie to employment is a huge problem. As an example, when Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer he had just switched pro cycling teams and as a result was not covered by either his former, or new employer's health insurance. He was facing losing absolutely everything until Oakely (his personal sponsor) stepped in and managed to get him covered on their policy. That situation would simply never occur in the UK, it is completely alien to us. - Graeme Shaw

@Samuel my tax rate is about 36% and yes, it covers universal health care (including eosinophilic gastroenteritis). Yes, italian tax rates could be lower if everybody would pay. - Alb.

Referring back to where Samuel comments above that "...Also, everybody in the USA can get care when needed, it's not like there's people dying in the streets because of a lack of insurance." - What does actually happen in the US if someone has no insurance and is in need of care for, say, a broke leg? What are the options for who will pay? - 1x29

Samuel referred earlier to: "...what governments are supposed to do" - This is obviously in the eye of the beholder, as they say. In the US there is a long established fear of "socialism" and "big government"... Trouble is, you've got a big country, and big social problems, when actually there's a lot of expenditure of public funds on things that governments are (arguably) NOT supposed... more... - Simon Edhouse

The liberty view is one I can appreciate and willing to stand for, however, I'm in the midst of a less abstract fight right now and that's one with cancer. You can imagine my view on the need for better health care coverage is tainted by my condition. It is--call it a side effect of going through cancer treatment or better yet spending hours in the chemo room as you hear such... more... - Loren Heiny

This is an idea that many conservatives have been promoting for a long time now. Nothing new here. ^^ - David C. Cooper

In my case, @OneGear1972, I'm alive because of the help of others: doctors, hospitals, drug companies, staff, family, friends, and yes, even the government. I owe a lot to a lot of people. Now as far as insurance goes for me going forward, I have a pre-existing condition, so my best hope is with getting in a large pool as with a large company or institution. Buying an individual plan is... more... - Loren Heiny

Loren: The situation you have re: pre-existing condition / getting in a large pool ironically mimics and highlights the benefits of the NHS in the UK. Because of your pre existing condition you are essentially higher risk to insurance companies and need to put yourself into a pool with a greater number who are less of a risk to cover the cost. For the US system to work for you - i.e.... more... - 1x29

@OneGear1972, Thanks...one day at a time is my motto. In terms of your comparison to the UK system, I think even the people against the most recent health care proposals understand the principle, but I don't think many people really appreciate what health care costs are or what benefits they have or how limiting the current system is. I've seen more than one person lose their house,... more... - Loren Heiny

I'm from Argentina, went to the US on holiday last year with my wife. We had paid for a traveler private health insurance; I got a regular plan for me, but she was pregnant at the time, so we got the most extensive (and expensive) for her, from the best known travel insurance company available. Pregnancy gave her backaches, and we were in San Francisco when we had to contact the... more... - Miguel Toledo

@Miguel, yeah there is a routine set of questions that hospitals ask upon admission. Some are by law. Interestingly, there was a provision in one of the proposed healthcare bills here that was extending payments for Living Will type discussions with doctors/etc and it got interpreted as intimidation to sign away one's life and that morphed into "death panels." So even here in the US... more... - Loren Heiny

Considering they're private enterprise and as such their main objective is to maximize their benefits while minimizing their losses, the procedure you mention is only logical. That, however, doesn't make it any less cruel; in the end they're putting their economic/financial interests above your health needs. Sounds tragical; it is. - Miguel Toledo

I mean, I would never rule out private enterprises related to health. In some cases they provide very good services, and very qualified and caring professionals work there too. But them being the only choice is not right; and ruling out the possibility of having the state running health services does not make any sense to me. In the end, the state has to look for the welfare of their... more... - Miguel Toledo

@Graeme Shaw: No, I'm not taxed at 40%, that's just my estimate of all taxes I pay in any form whatsoever (income, sales, etc). And yes, it's too high, which is why I don't want mandatory health insurance. Health care reform is fine, but making a government insurance plan that I must use? No way. - Otto

@Otto, I think what you're wanting is consistent with the intent of the current health care reform bills. You'll be able to keep the insurance you have (I assume you mean work supplied insurance). I want to point out though that, of course, when you retire you'll probably use Medicare which is a government run insurance. In fact, at the town halls there are many senior citizens on... more... - Loren Heiny

@Loren: No, you won't be able to keep the insurance you have. Yes, it says that, but practically, they won't be able to actually do it. Why? Because part of it requires that the existing plans fall in-line with all these new regulations, so those "grandfathered" plans can't sign up new members. Meaning that your insurance company will basically have to kill your old plan as a cost... more... - Otto

@Otto, you're extrapolating about what might happen rather what is dictated to happen--so yes you might be right, but then again you might not be. You have to ask yourself what motivation the two sides of the argument are for their position. At least that's the way my skeptical mind works. Anyway, since you don't have insurance, let me plead with you to reconsider. Don't get into the... more... - Loren Heiny

Dave Winer

@graemeshaw -- and personally I'm not going to write the check. I can put the fire out with my garden hose. Survival of the fittest!

August 16 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

eva liked this

Presumably anyone too lazy to afford a hose deserves to burn to death - Graeme Shaw from iPhone

Graeme Shaw

Will Schumacher Come Back to Drive Felipe Massa's Ferrari? - http://digg.com/motorsp...

July 29 from Digg - Comment - Like - Share

"There's an in season testing ban this year, so nobody, not the race drivers, not the test drivers, nor Schumacher have been driving the cars, except at races. The two Ferrari test drivers are generally at least a second a lap slower than their race drivers during testing. Luca Badoer is 38 and hasn't driven in a race since 1999." - Graeme Shaw

Cycles: Graeme Shaw

Copenhagen bike city - http://www.youtube.com/watch... (via http://friendfeed.com/graemes...)

June 26 - Comment - Like - Share

This looks so lovely it almost makes me want to cry. I feel a holiday to Copenhagen in my future! - Graeme Shaw

Channel 4 News

@jamiesont i suspect C4 top exec exps are likely to be published too....although they're not spending public money of course

June 25 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

But C4 would like to spend public money - will be interesting to see how prudent they are with their own. - Graeme Shaw

Graeme Shaw to Graeme's feed, Formula 1

Who drives where in F1 2010 http://www.pitboard.co.uk/index...

June 25 - Comment - Like - Share

Kol Tregaskes liked this

This is currently a list of confirmed drivers for next year (few and far between) and then a collection of rumours and probable drivers. - Graeme Shaw

Keith Collantine

#F1 #maxout Ferrari and FOTA acknowledge support of fans (inc. those on F1 Fanatic) in row with FIA: http://www.ferrari.com/English...

June 18 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

Interesting that they heed our calls when we agree with them - they've not been so responsive in the past. - Graeme Shaw

Graeme Shaw

Stunning full colour photos from Russia 1909! - http://www.socyberty.com/History...

June 18 from delicious - Comment - Like - Share

The pictures are truly fantastic - 1909 only exists in our (my) mind in black and white, seeing it in full colour seems some how wrong. Also fascinating to read about the process required to create colour photogrpahs in 1909 - what a long way we've come in 100 years of photography! - Graeme Shaw

Coventry City Council

Ghost - http://www.youtube.com/watch...

June 11 from YouTube favorites - Comment - Like - Share

Graeme Shaw liked this

Strange to see the photos that are familiar yet alien at the same time. - Graeme Shaw

Dave Winer

At 4AM Pacific, the Brits own Twitter.

June 10 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

Rafael Noboa Rivera and Graeme Shaw liked this

In the morning UK time twitter is VERY different to the twitter I see when I get home from work at 5:30pm GMT+1 - Graeme Shaw

Not just the Brits. Also the Dutch, the Germans, the Belgians, the French, the Spanish, and people from other European countries. - Marcel de Jong

Graeme Shaw to Graeme's feed, Cycles

Google Calendar with provisional 09/10 dates for Revolution track cycling at Manchester Velodrome http://www.google.com/calenda...

June 9 - Comment - Like - Share

Kol Tregaskes liked this

Calendar visible here (as opposed to subscribeable .ics link): http://tr.im/nT3P - Graeme Shaw

Full details available on the official website http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/ - Graeme Shaw

Ellie Lovell

BBC NEWS | Technology | Twitter hype punctured by study - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1...

June 9 from delicious - Comment - Like - Share

Micro-blogging service Twitter remains the preserve of a few, despite the hype surrounding it, according to research. Just 10% of Twitter users generate more than 90% of the content, a Harvard study of 300,000 users found. - Ellie Lovell

90-10 isn't a bad split when you think about it. Compare the figures with a printed newspaper, or blogging. 90-10 doesn't represent a community of equals communicating with each other, but it is heading in the right direction (slowly). - Graeme Shaw

Rory Cellan-Jones

A bit clearer now on iPhone prices. Existing users can upgrade - but will have to sign to 18 months plus exisiting contract.

June 9 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

O2 have said different haven't they? That existing users will have to buy themselves out of their current contracts - Graeme Shaw

Cycles: Graeme Shaw

UKIP on cyclists in the UK - http://shar.es/W25i

June 8 - Comment - Like - Share

“Provision for cyclists is already adequate. Please remember that motorists are the people who pay to use the roads whereas cyclists are “freeloaders”. They are entitled to use the roads but not disproportionately”. - Graeme Shaw

“If everyone cycled, as you suggest, there would be no roads to ride on”. - Graeme Shaw

Apart from anything else, this is factually inaccurate. Car drivers in the UK pay Vehicle Excise Duty, an amount which is related to the amount of emission the car they drive produces. This money is not ring fenced for road maintenance or construction, it just goes into the general tax pool. Councils are generally responsible for road maintenance, and last time I checked cyclists and drivers alike were required to pay council tax. - Graeme Shaw

Ellie Lovell

My apostrophe use always fails on 'last weeks' and 'yesterdays' and such like. Must remember!

May 6 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

I think it's the weird concept that last week, or yesterday can have ownership of something. - Graeme Shaw

MVB (Grinch of FF)

Tuesday is "Garbage Truck" day around here. Sammy views the garbage truck as one of his mortal enemies, along with the vacuum cleaner. He refuses to come out of his room on Tuesday, even early in the morning, until the truck has passed our street. Is it possible that he knows it is Tuesday?

April 21 - Comment - Like - Share

Graeme Shaw, Victor Ryden, mjc and 13 other people liked this

It's a Sammy dot! - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

13 more comments

do you perhaps do something recognizable, like taking the garbage out? - Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)

I usually wheel the dumpster out to the curb the night before, but, he has no issue going out then. Only the next morning. Perhaps he hears the truck in the distance? - MVB (Grinch of FF)

perhaps, hears it, smells it, or he knows that it is the morning when there is garbage outside. PS: our pippi hates the blow dryer... - Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)

Aw, Sammy is in his special dark place. - adf

Actually, right this second he is under the sofa in the corner against the wall. Brave hunter indeed... - MVB (Grinch of FF)

Samson is the same way: he'll bring me dead things from the yard all the time, but when we have strangers over the scared-y cat will high tail it into hiding. - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

Wow, he looks so much like a cat I had. But she loved watching our garbage truck. - Jen (SquirrelGirl)

I had a cat that was certain the garbage truck was a great big can opener. He'd stare at it and watch it pass by. - Nine

wait, Sammy has his own room? Dude, will you adopt me? - ♥patricia♥

My cats have their own room as well, although they share it with my computer. - Alex Scoble

Of course he has he own room. My understanding is that California Animal Rights require it. - MVB (Grinch of FF)

don't say he's not brave, i mean, could you take the garbage truck on in single combat? - Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)

My cat has her own house. She just allows us to live here with her, and in exchange we pay for and organise absolutely everything! - Graeme Shaw

My cats are part of the same union as Graeme's cat. - FFing Enigma (aka Tina)

Chris Nixon

Ask brings back butler Jeeves - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1...

April 20 - Comment - Like - Share

Search engine Ask is reverting to its original name, Ask Jeeves, as it reintroduces the iconic fictional butler into its corporate branding. Jeeves was dropped from the brand in 2006 as the search engine began a series of facelifts aimed at increasing market share and gaining on Google. - Chris Nixon

Yeah, that'll do it. I'm sure Google are shaking in their boots. - Graeme Shaw

Chris Nixon

@destroytoday I think desk pile zero is a bigger achievement. http://twitpic.com/2ekbs

March 24 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

Ladybug Heather liked this

I quite like the idea that you've cleared so much stuff off your desk, that you've discovered a man on a tube train underneath it all! - Graeme Shaw

2 more comments

I quite like when TwipPic fails. It's strange to see somebody's random pic without any context. - Chris Nixon

I can achieve desk-pile zero, but the pile of papers to be filed UNDER my desk is reaching epic proportions. - Ladybug Heather

Industrial shredders are the answer to all our problems. - Chris Nixon from IM

Chris Nixon

@mediaguardian It's a shame that Stewart Lee's show didn't do well. It was really funny.

March 17 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

I thought Stewart Lee's show was a bit average actually. Will try it again next week, but thought it was disappointing - Graeme Shaw

Chris Nixon

I had Fish and Chips for lunch. Can you beat that?

February 27 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

Burger, chips..... and a pint! - Graeme Shaw

Nice! I think with the pint you may have edged it. - Chris Nixon from IM

Loic Le Meur

the new Safari is supposed to be 42x faster than IE 7, 3.5x faster than Firefox 3!!? http://crave.cnet.co.uk/softwar... okay I am switching immediately

February 24 from Twitter - Comment - Like - Share

yes, Safari 4 beats IE and Firefox, but stays behind Chrome in terms of speed. Some good improvements on the GUI. I like it! - Brome

@Brome according to Loic's link it's also faster than Chrome, just by quite a small amount. - Graeme Shaw

Robert Scoble

Smartphone competition: It’s too late for Nokia and Microsoft, but not too late for Palm in USA - http://scobleizer.com/2009...

January 12, 2009 from Scobleizer -- Tech geek... - Comment - Like - Share

thegeniusfiles, LonelyBob, Aykut Karaalioğlu and 33 other people liked this

Robert, How are you doing? (j/k) It seems like your calling game, set, and match for Palm in the smartphone wars (at least for the near term). Is it really that cut-and-dried in your mind? From what I have seen, perhaps it is that simple, but having only seen the Pre and the G1 in videos, it's hard to nail down the details. My question is can Android evolve to compete with Palm's new WebOS? If so, how far away is it? If not, why? Thanks. - Robert Clockedile

45 more comments

"Am I wrong? Argue with me." - Heh. I don't think Win Mobile (or its successor) is dead - Microsoft will continue to be the "safe choice" for many IT departments for a while, and large companies will ensure its inclusion in the carrier product mix. (It's never been a significant retail consumer choice, anyway.) - John Craft

As a European guy I've always had the understanding that Nokia and Microsoft never got to the American people. Europe and America have 2 really different customers and carriers + services - Qbat

Robert: yes, it is that cut and dried. Android will do fine. They have T-Mobile. John: I'm not saying they are dead. I'm saying they aren't going to do well in the US. Two separate things. - Robert Scoble

Robert: The one note I'd offer RE your analysis is that while Sprint is the "exclusive launch partner" for the Palm Pre, and while Palm historically rolls out much of their new hardware on Sprint, they have an ongoing relationship with both AT&T and Verizon. I'd certainly expect the Pre to be on one if not both by the end of '09. - Ken Sheppardson

"can Android evolve to compete with Palm's new WebOS?" - Does "android" have to? The Pre's killer feature is its ability to synthesize multiple contact groups and calendars. Hopefully someone's already working on that for Android - I'd sure buy it. - John Craft

Isn't Palm six months from real? Will anyone buy a Palm between now & then? - Phil Boiarski

Apple iPhone! I believe Apple's next iPhone will again blow our minds. I still think it's amazing how they in no time came from nowhere and started to compete with the big guys. - Rutger Blom

While the providers have their phones I for one don't want a phone a provider has completely made garbage with their own limitations. This is the primary reason I moved to Nokia and other unlocked phones. Yes I end up paying more money but I get the phone how it was intended. I personally wish the providers would get out of the this phone that carrier game and just let US choose for ourselves. - Sloan Bowman

Phil: I believe the Centro is $49 subsidized from your choice of Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T. I'd be amazed if the Pre comes in competing at that price point. They also have the 800w and Pro running a pretty classic Window Mobile, full keyboard alternative to the Blackberry that may well continue to compete directly with RIM even after the Pre launch. I'll bet Pre revenue starts up in Q2, so I wouldn't worry too much about a pre-Pre dip. - Ken Sheppardson

"I still think it's amazing how they in no time came from nowhere" - Motorola ROKR, anyone? Still, I'm sure you're right, the next iPhone iteration will be a leap forward. - John Craft

I believe one of the issues handset providers run into with carriers is the carriers don't want to be seen simply as a back end connectivity provider. They want to control the user experience, from point of sale to the handset to the online customer service experience. Palm's been able to walk that line with Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T and keep them all relatively "happy". Nokia just doesn't bother, and sort of skips the carrier. In between you've got RIM and Apple, who haven't quite mastered the art. - Ken Sheppardson

Hmm, both Android and Nova are Linux-based, right? Surely someone enterprising person will concoct a "Novaroid", given the chance. - Tyson Key

For Palm's sake, I sure hope they expand beyond Sprint, and in a hurry. If they don't, they're dead. - Fred Ochsenhirt

The palm came out of left field and killed it with he pre it looks like - Alex Carpenter

John: want to see the future of the iPhone? Watch this video with Broadcom (they make the chips that go into cell phones): http://www.kyte.tv/ch... - Robert Scoble

Wasn't the ROKR an almighty flop? Or at least it didn't seem to be very popular, except as a "proof-of-concept" device, amongst a niche group of users... - Tyson Key

If the "desktop" os is converging on web based apps in the cloud, is the mobile os going to be much different? 5 years from now do we really want to be writing apps in objective c or in html/jscript? - Hayes Haugen

What is Microsoft going to do with Danger? - MVB (Grinch of FF)

Good question, will they eventually make a Windows Mobile-based HipTop or something like that? I always thought that Microsoft would just let Danger languish, or close the division and move the employees elsewhere... - Tyson Key

"Wasn't the ROKR an almighty flop?" - Exactly my point - Apple's "out of nowhere success" was actually the result of a lot of hard work and a previous market failure they learned from. @Robert S., thanks for the video - sometimes it's still hard to fathom how radically telecoms have changed during my career. - John Craft

Isn't Robert's argument essentially that carrier lock-in determines success, and that the lock-in is so long-term that Nokia and MS can't make big money on a carrier's product line? I'm just not sure either of those points is watertight. One should note that both Nokia and MS have much less distance to catch up than Palm did, and if they really dug down, could take their platforms beyond the best of current offerings... Which I would say is more predictive of future success: the strength of their offerings - Christopher Galtenberg

Isn't Nokia "too big to fail"? - Tyson Key

I don't think it's to late. Palm was really behind and they came back and killed it - Alex Carpenter

Anyone can make a comeback. Does anyone remember Apple in its OS9 years? Would anyone have imagined then that it would become what it has today? - Aram Zucker-Scharff

I have to agree. I mean I understand it's a bit subjective, but I've always felt WinMo was crap. And with the time it's taking them to really get in the touch game, they'd have to do something amazing. The thing I love about the Pre over the iPhone is its focus on multitasking. I've never liked the way the iPhone basically put you in at 1 app at a time. I love the ability to switch back and forth between apps. Also the "WebOS" aggregation of information is great - Chris Brakebill

@Aram - I agree, Apple seem to have changed unrecognisably, since the Mac OS 9 years. They seem to have slowly started to lean more towards the use of open standards, and open source, although some would still call them highly proprietary. I've thought of them as being the New Sony for a while. - Tyson Key

Alex: but look at how Palm killed it. They hired a good part of the iPhone team from Apple!!! That route is NOT open any longer. - Robert Scoble

I don't think the UK mobile market works the same as the US market. We also have 5 main carriers (Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and 3). The iPhone is exclusive to O2, and some of the other carriers have exclusive phones, but you can get most Nokia phones on any of those networks, including the N95 for instance. Could the US market move away from these exclusive deals? Wouldn't it be better for the device manufacturers to have their devices available across all networks? - Graeme Shaw

Graeme: The handset folks would certainly like to be on all carriers. It's the carriers that limit which handsets can/can't be used on their networks either directly by preventing activation or through negotiated exclusivity. - Ken Sheppardson

Ken: so carriers will frequently only take a phone if they get an exclusive deal? I suppose it's one of the only ways they can make their offering different to their rivals, when what they're selling is essentially a commodity. Makes sense from their perspective I suppose. - Graeme Shaw

I predict Nokia will buy Palm - Andrew Eisner

Andrew - God, I hope not. - Aram Zucker-Scharff

Robert, you must read more Schumpeter these times. Microsoft with all its mistakes can try and try again a million of times. Did you see silverlight for mobiles? - Sebastian Wain

Sebastian: agreed. I didn't see Silverlight for mobiles yet. It's going to be hard for Microsoft to get Palm and Apple to support that. Nokia might, though, but Nokia has other problems to solve first. - Robert Scoble

i don't know in US but in Italy need a phone a step over Iphone, another phone similar would have a poor actraction. - Felter Roberto from twhirl

Robert in the end consumer space iPhone is a must now, but in the productivity/enterprise space Visual Studio is a more productive platform than xcode, that means less investment for a company. Also iPhone doesn't have a model for deployment of applications within a company (oh yes... synchronizing thousands of iPhones with iTunes) - Sebastian Wain

This last year was the first time I didn't buy a "smartphone". Why? Because touch screens drive me nuts and never work right. Also, phones are too small to be functional anymore. I find myself buying less phone because the fancy phones just don't work for the working class. - MarkCarras

Well the Pre still has yet to prove itself. Would people really switch to Sprint just for the phone when all the other carriers already have their phone/device? Maybe, we will have to wait and see. I am already with Sprint, so it will be a no brainer for me. Hope you are right though. - Robert Peña

@scobleizer you've buried Nokia too early - just follow my lips FRE-MAN-TLE ;) - A.T.

I wish the Pre would come out faster - I love my old Treo and have wondered where Palm went... that they caught the last train out of town? Well - I'll defer to your judgment on that Robert. - Lucretia Pruitt

seems to me like this is not about the phones as much as about the apparent brokenness of the USA mobile market. basically, there will be no proper competition between phone brands when operators choose their favorites. and similarly, there will be no proper competition between operators when the customer cant bring his own gear, again because the operator is doing the choosing. - turn.self.off

What a lot of people fail to recognize is demographically, geographically, the markets are different, the needs are different, the usages is different... everything is just different. If you read Robert's post, he states at the end this is for the US market ONLY - and for the US market, I agree with him 100%. But aside from that, Nova's technology is revolutionary. Will Pre be "the one" ? Who knows. But at this point, it will sell a hell of a lot better than the G1 - guaranteed. - Mona Nomura

It blows my mind that these companies are opening with these exclusivity contracts with carriers. I don't understand it. The Pre is the phone I want, but I am not willing to suffer through Sprint again to have it. Even if they went with 2 or 3 companies, they're be ensuring they get my business, I'd go Verizon or ATT or stay with Tmobile. When you go exclusive like this, they're locking themselves out of people who've been burned by their carrier, and I fear for Sprint, they've burned more than not. - Matthew DeVries

Palm is forcing me to compromise what I want, and go with a G1. BTW, is there turn by turn GPS nav on the G1 yet? Exchange server syncing? - Matthew DeVries

Can't beat the Open Handset Alliance and Android I believe - Bob Sonin

Microsoft is building Silverlight for s60, it's an official project. - Hayes Haugen

Formula 1: Brian Sullivan

Formula One news: Ferrari to use electronic pitstop system in 2009 - GPUpdate.net Formula One - http://f1.gpupdate.net/en...

January 6, 2009 from Bookmarklet - Comment - Like - Share

Kol Tregaskes liked this

Hopefully they have fixed the bugs - Brian Sullivan from Bookmarklet

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What are they playing at!? It cost them dearly last year, and it seems that they're trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. There's little to no benefit in using this system, and as they demonstrated last year a lot of risk. - Graeme Shaw

I am guessing for the risk they see a reward.1 sec or even fractions of a second gained would be a big gain. - Brian Sullivan

Remember the first season that Ferrari had paddle shifters? Hardly finished a race! But they got better... - MVB (Grinch of FF)

Curious how they’ve been able eliminate human error. Normally, it’s an automatic system. When it went wrong with Massa they had a human pressing the buttons and not having a lollipop-man is a big disadvantage when it does go wrong. - Remo

Formula 1: Graeme Shaw

Autosport.com to broadcast RoC live - http://www.autosport.com/news...

December 12, 2008 - Comment - Like - Share

Remo and Roberto Bonini liked this

"For the first time in its 20-year history, the Race of Champions will be broadcast live on the Internet thanks to autosport.com." - Graeme Shaw

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