COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Tizer]

Facebook profits...as someone said on the radio this morning, Facebook should be paying us to use it!

My Ubuntu update today contained the latest version of Firefox so I had a look at their web page to see what changes had been made. It mentioned the ability to use the new `WebP' image format with a link to this WebP page: LINK I haven't heard of this before. It claims `WebP lossless images are 26% smaller in size compared to PNGs. WebP lossy images are 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images at equivalent SSIM quality index.' It sounds like it might be aimed at web site developers rather than the rest of us, I think.

[Stanley]

I got the update as well Tiz but failed to ask what it was. Beyond my pay grade I think. Like almost everyone else, I am only interested in whether it works.
I saw some unimaginable numbers for the number of people who log onto Facebook every day...... The phrases 'laughing all the way to the bank' and 'A license to print money' spring to mind.
Later..... See THIS BBC report on Amazon profits. Ones heart bleeds for them!

[Tripps]

Update on the Apple iPad saga. (everything seems to turn into a saga with me )

I sent it back, and got a very prompt refund from Tesco Outlet Superb customer service - confirmatory emails throughout. Recommended.

I then bought a Samsung 10.5 inch TAB A (6) from PC World, and paid the full retail price - most unusual for me. After all the fuss - just walking into the shop, and walking out with the item was very appealing. I did manage to set the alarm off (twice) whilst browsing it though!

I think I've tamed it now - and it's very good, and far better than the iPad which even discounted cost nearly £90 more.

I've bought a case, and an 64 GB external SD card - one from eBay, and one from Amazon each from a differently named trader. They both arrived this morning - in the same envelope!

Wow

[Big Kev]

'er indoors has the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 which has had several years of use, a newer version would be highly recommended. It's just used for email and a bit of surfing now as the installed Android version is no longer compatible with the Sonos controller app. I have an old Motorola phone for the Sonos now, don't get me started on the original C200 Sonos controller...

[Wendyf]

I have the Galaxy tab 2. No problems at all.

[Tizer]

Tripps, we've got the same Samsung model as you have. It seems OK to us but we don't use all the features, mostly we use it for browsing the Web, accessing iPlayer, playing music mp3 files and viewing photos.

I suppose you'll want one of these now, if you haven't already got one to play with!...
`Raspberry Pi opens first High Street store in Cambridge' LINK

[Stanley]

I have a question which I rather think you lot can answer. What exactly is the meaning of the word 'Inverter' that I see on so many products including my microwave?

[Pluggy]

The opposite of a rectifier Stanley.

[Gloria]

An update on our change to fibre.
We didn't get changed over until Feb 4th, ee blamed bt. Should have been Jan 24th.
Anyway it was done, I changed router to the new one, everything dead easy to do, no problem at all there. Our box is not 200yds down the lane, but more like half a mile, so still not bad. I was looking at wrong box. They give it two weeks whilst they fiddle for the best speed. From getting 0- something download before, we are now getting 14.2 and 9.3 upload. This is quite a way yet from what they say they can give me, but is a big difference.
I will update this after the two weeks.

[Stanley]

Sounds as though it's going well Gloria.....
Pluggy, I sent a reply but it must have been at exactly the same time as Gloria's and naturally hers won and mine is lost in the web somewhere!
I understand that, the inverter converts DC to AC but my question is that seeing as how the input is 240v AC, where is the DC coming from?

[Gloria]

If anyone is still in love with A***e (common fruit) you could do worse than watching a few videos from Louis Rossman on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl2mFZ ... Lax4Yisf6w

He mends macbooks for a living but hates A***e.

I have an iPad and an iPhone 6s which I bought in a deal a few years ago at car phone warehouse, I have since changed the deal, it costs me very little, and I love it. I find it so easy to use, I'd really hate to have to change. The mobile before this was a Vodafone smart phone and I could never really get on with it, my husband has one now and I still find that the same.
So just saying, I love a---e.

[PanBiker]

I understand that, the inverter converts DC to AC but my question is that seeing as how the input is 240v AC, where is the DC coming from?

An inverter stage may only be part of the circuitry, many electronic devices need both AC and DC supply lines. Inverters can also be used in voltage boosting stages and in a microwave environment may well be involved with the magnetron that produces the energy field for the device.

[Pluggy]

Its sounds like they are using Inverter in lieu of magnetron which is an inverter of sorts. You feed the magnetron very high voltage DC and it kicks out microwave frequencies AC. The high voltage DC comes from transforming up AC mains and then rectifying it. Theres a hobbyist tradition of rewinding the secondary's of old microwave oven transformers to make very high power battery chargers and the like.

[Stanley]

It seems to be a popular technology on many things these days. Used as a selling point I suspect...... Bit like 'Solid State' used to be.

[Tizer]

`Russia considers 'unplugging' from internet' LINK
I've always wondered why the military didn't keep their own separate internet and instead relied on the public one. After all, they invented the original internet.

[plaques]

I've always wondered why the military didn't keep their own separate internet and instead relied on the public one.

They probably have their own. Just like those who have the capability are launching their GPS satellites in case America turns theirs off.

[Stanley]

Canonical have been busy with updates to Version 16.
Pluggy, perhaps it's time now to go to V18? Let me know what you think please.

[Tizer]

He's building a new PC for me with Ubuntu 18.04LTS on it. Then I'll upgrade my present PC (also made by Pluggy) to 18.04 and Mrs Tiz will have it to replace the 32-bit one I made for her a century ago.

[Pluggy]

Canonical have been busy with updates to Version 16.
Pluggy, perhaps it's time now to go to V18? Let me know what you think please.

On the plus side, 18.04 is now rock solid stable, when it first came out the radical bits that were interesting made it unstable. Which brings us to the reason for not upgrading - Its a lot like 16.04 LTS as it stands. New desktop system but half the time you don't notice. Maybe I've got used to it and I don't notice the changes. Although I occasionally use a 16.04 and I dont have to rethink how to use it.

In Stanley's case who is a big user of switchable desktops ("Workspaces") I live in fear he won't like how they work in 18.04.........

Stanley - hang fire and see what Tiz thinks when he's used it a Bit.

I rate it higher than Windows 10, which is infuriating in the frequency and 'stickiness' of its upgrades. Its unbearable on anything less than a quick machine in my books. - Fast processor, lots of RAM and an SSD if you want to keep your sanity.

[Stanley]

I hear and obey Pluggy.
Tiz, it's down to you now, Pluggy has dropped it on your shoulders!

[Tizer]

He's quick as a flash - the computer is on its way! I found 18.04 OK when I tried it from a live CD but I'll report back soon.

`JP Morgan creates first US bank-backed crypto-currency' LINK
Don't get too excited, it's only for `settling payments between clients in its wholesale payments business' and not everyone is convinced that the bank needs it: `"It doesn't even need a blockchain at all because JP Morgan runs it. They could do it on a website and database they run," David Gerard, author of Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts, told the BBC. "It isn't like Bitcoin that aren't under anybody's control - it's a centrally controlled thing that sounds vaguely like crypto-currency.'

[Stanley]

I'll ask Mick this morning how his mate went on with Quadriga. They are visiting me this morning.....
Pluggy, is the new Tiz FM faster than mine?

[Pluggy]

Not quite Stanley, its not far off but its only an I3 Processor. A modern i3 hasn't quite caught up with a 4/5 year old I7. If yours still had the original Hard drives it would probably overtake it. It leaves my similar aged I3 for dead though. I told Tiz I was jealous.

[Stanley]

You should have gone for my processor Tiz!
Glad to hear that Pluggy, you're right about the SSDs, that was a quantum leap forwards. You did a good job when you drew up the specs for the FM3!
I know some though it was overkill at the time but I have never regretted us doing it. If I had had this version with the solid state discs when I was scanning the LTP transcripts for OCR it would have saved 18 months of my life. I used to have to sit there watching the blue blocks marching across the screen for each page.... It was sheer bloody dedication!

[Tizer]

I don't need your processor Stanley, my new PC has a solid state drive and it's very fast. LibreOffice opens in a second. Likewise, booting up and logging in each take a second. The longest part of startup is me keying in my password! And Pluggy was as fast as the PC when it came to building and delivering the machine. I'm very happy with it already and pleased to find that my scanner works without having to find and install a driver file. There's obviously a number of little things to sort out and get used to because they've been changed, but overall I like it and the changes seem to be improvements over the last version. Uploading photos from my Canon camera also worked first time.

I think Stanley likes to use several workspaces on his PC. They might work differently to the previous Ubuntu versions but I find them easy to use. You can have many of them and toggle between them from a pop-out bar on the R.H. side of the screen (see the pic below). To get them you click `Activities' in the top L.H. corner of the screen or hit the `Super' key on your keyboard (between the L.H. Ctrl and Alt keys on my keyboard). You can toggle between the workspaces by clicking on their little windows in the side bar or by using the Super button with the Up and Down keys. (According to the Help Menu, you can also use Ctrl + Alt with up and Down but that doesn't work on my keyboard.) To create another workspace simply drag a window from the main screen onto the side bar.