Sky Force Preview

Download link-

http://idreams.neostrada.pl/dl/SkyForceDemo_beta0.9.zip

Guidelines-

The game is only available for devices with 320x320 display or higher.

1) When you install the game for the first time please install to handheld memory (not SD card). Run the game and you will see benchmark, please do not touch the pad and do not press keys while the game is benchmarking. The benchmark is run only when the game is run for the first time, if you want to perform benchmark for the second time you need to uninstall/install the game again.

2) In the game (not menu), you will see three small numbers at the top of the screen:

a) The first one is current frame rate in percents. This will not be visible on some machines like Zodiak or Sony. The optimal situation is that it stays at 100 for complete level. However depending on hardware and benchmark score it may go lower than 100. Lets say its not bad when its over 75 most of the time. Please let me know if its going lower than that or if you feel its unplayable because of the low speed.

b) Second number is level of details (0 is the lowest detail level - if its 0 the number is not displayed at all).

c) Third number is your benchmark score. I got 23 for T|1 and 13 for T|3. Of course lower is better.

3) If the game is crashing, please insert your SD card and run the game again. Game will generate a log file on your SD card (main directory). This log may be helpful, please send it to me.

4) Please try if you are able to reconfigure your keys in option menu.

5) Please send your reports to bugs@idreams.pl We are especially interested in reports from users of: Treo 650, T|T5, T|E, T|E2, T|C, Zire 71, Zire 72, all Sony with system >= 5.0. Please tell if the game is working, if there are any issues, especially if the speed if fine, also please tell about benchmark score.

The child catcher, the fibber or the gingerbread man?

The child catcher, the fibber or the gingerbread man?

If you live outside of the UK you may be unaware that we have a General Election next week and have to decide who will govern our land for at least the next 4 years.

It's been a campaign of bitching, mud slinging and general avoidance of real issues from some parties, complete incompetance from others and odd behaviour from others.

Before we look at the parties let's take a quick look at their leaders-

Tony Blair- actually has a very good record in charge of the country. He has done many positive things and slipped up on only a few. He has a natural style which I suspect a lot of people can identify with and is easily the best communicator of the three. Has a tendancy to get angry when questioned bluntly but at times that comes across as passionate and works in his favour.

His major error was Iraq and this is currently dominating the campaign. The release of the Attorney General's legal advice today has added more credance to the case that he lied when taking us to war. Personally I believe he misled us rather than lied and that outside pressures had a big part to play in this (that pressure lives to the left of us and has been discussed many times in this blog:))

Without Iraq he would be laughing now but the way the population feels about the war still hurt him politically to this day. I don't believe it is enough to do him real damage but you never know.

Michael Howard- a man who is about as endeering as the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang bang. He has one policy and that is immigration, immigration, immigration. Surprisingly this is working for him- everywhere I go I hear comments like "We are letting too many in", "No more" etc. etc. The launguage Michael Howard uses is carefully constructed as you would expect from a good barrister but panders to our most basict instincts and if this trend continues we will have a real race issue in this country.

He has a new policy every day which are often ill thought out and you have to ask where the money will come from for lower stamp duty, no tax rises, lower council tax for pensioners, better schools, hospitals etc. His economic policies are bodering on post-it note politics and do not convince me for one minute.

Add this to his manner and you have a man you would never invite for dinner. He is slimy in the extreme, takes too long to get his sentences out and is unconvincing at every turn.

Charles Kennedy- if he worked in my company I would presume he did the filing. A nice man who has some good convictions but he is not the kind of person you could ever see running the country.

He was the only leader to oppose the war in Iraq and this is helping him in the polls but it's simply not enough. Local income tax kills off his hopes in one go as many people will be paying an extra £1,000 per household per year.

He wears his ties far too long, has a drink problem (so rumor has it) and is just not quite there as an effective leader. Not sure why but he reminds me of the gingerbread man.

OK, lets take a quick look at the parties-

Labour- have been in power since 1997. Schools are better, hospitals are better, the economy is stable, fox hunting is gone and I for one have only seen imporvement under them.

Obviously we can only rely on stats for schools and hospitals but we have had no real issues with either apart from Christmas but that's another story. I cannot see them losing this election because they have done little wrong, questionable human rights laws and Iraq aside.

They are also pro Europe which I for one love to hear. Those that cry "keep the pound" and "let's stay British" are hoping for a time gone by and need to move onwards and upwards.

Conservative- clueless. When you look at the shadow cabinet the lack of talent in it is quite astounding. Michael Howard is a very clever man but does not have the communication skills required to get the general public on his side.

One example is Oliver Letwin (Shadow Secretary of State for Economic Affairs & Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer) who has the most slappable face in the world. Born with a silver spoon up his backside he is even more hateable than Michael Howard (so I guess we should at least give him credit for that:))

The Conservative campaign has been one of 'attacking Blair' with little focus on their own policies or ideas for the countries future. I pray that they do not get in- a party who pander to the right wing do not deserve such a place. Everyone I know who is going to vote for them is over 40 years old and has swallowed the xenophobic vitriol that has fallen out of Howard's mouth.

Liberal- um... Nice bunch of people. um... quite old party members. um... that's all I can think to sayabout them.

I musn't forget the other main parties-

BNP- terrible bunch of people, really terrible.

UKIP- not much different to the above lot.

Veritas- ditto.

Green- some excellent policies and quite clever thinking but never a chance of power.

Well, you can probably guess who I am voting for. I have weighed this decision up over many hours and can see no other choice but Labour. I do not like Blair one bit but like many others am expecting (and hoping) he will make way for Gordon Brown soon- that's the kind of man we need leading this country.

Posted by Shaun McGill on Thursday, April 28, 2005 at 08:14 PM |

The hunt is over...

The hunt is over...

So, the ban on hunting foxes with dogs has now come into force in England and Wales. There has been many demonstrations by the 'hunting set' over the past few months and many of these have been violent affairs.

These people are supposed to be the elite, or at least they think they are. They have shown themselves to be little more than a bunch of thugs in recent months who deserve little sympathy from people who have a genuine interest in stopping animal cruelty.

Personally I think fox hunting is a disgusting pastime and I have not heard one good argument for it since the debate began. The arguments will continue and the legal challenges will get more expensive but at least a few foxes will not die a horrible death in the meantime and hopefully a few of these people will lose the home comforts they don't appreciate anyway.

Any views on fox hunting, or hunting in general?

Posted by Shaun McGill on Friday, February 18, 2005 at 10:36 PM | Permalink

Comments

Hunting is a way of living and anyone who thinks different is mental because if no one ever hunted then the animals would over populate the area and they would eat all the food then they would all die of starvation so hunting isnt only a way of life but wildlife itself benifits from it

Posted by: Emma | Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 05:39 PM

I agree with you the way you view the issue. I remember Jack London once said everything positive has a negative side; everything negative has positive side. It is also interesting to see different viewpoints & learn useful things in the discussion.

Posted by: penis enlargement | Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at 12:01 PM

For one to hunt, one must have a missing link. Males do not need to hunt because of natural history of testosterone. Hunting should not be a sport. Killing in all senses, revenge, punishment, sport, should be illegal. Killing is immoral and unethical. Why murder a defenseless being? A being with a family and feelings.

Posted by: Dan Larkins | Monday, April 11, 2005 at 03:30 AM

This smells like hunting, this looks like hunting...WAHEY THIS IS HUNTING! Whats changed?! Tony Blair and his sadistic anti followers can't stop large numbers of people doing what they have done even before there was such a thing as a inbred, dirty and vile anti or hunt sab! Tally Ho Blair & bum up antis!

Posted by: Pro Hunter | Monday, March 14, 2005 at 06:23 PM

I am neither pro- nor anti- hunting but I agree this is bad law. It is a law based on emotion rather than reason, much like the rationale for invading Iraq.

Some points to consider: if it was designed to help foxes it is unlikely to succeed as evidence in Scotland (which banned it 2 years ago) shows fox deaths by legal hunting double what they were prior to legislation.

It is largely unenforceable (no prosecutions in Scotland so far) which makes it a ridiculous law which is why cannabis smoking has to all intents and purposes been de-criminalised.

Nobody denies that most find it distasteful when the manner of death is to be chased and torn apart but the fox had approx 10% chance of ever encountering a hunt in its life. The manner of death (and life for that matter) for the chicken that many of you eat for dinner is equally distasteful. The murder rate is incidentally 100%.

700 hours of parliamentary time devoted to this unenforceable law designed to kill more not less foxes is absolutely obscene. (Iraq debate prior to war was single digit hours - deathtoll approx. 100,000 innocent people, by some accounts. That's three years worth of foxes hunted to death - if you feel inclined to equate fox and human deaths). China which represents the single biggest threat to the UK economy has had two questions in parliament in the life of this government since 1997. One was about the importation of products using cat fur and total parliamentary time was half an hour.

Want to save fox lives? Make them a protected species it could be done with regulation (i.e doesn't need an act of parliament)

Whilst the level of public debate on important issues remains slightly above moronic we will continue to have new laws made that make more people criminals. Ergo crime statistics continue to grow and we need more police. Logical conclusion is society eventually is made up of only police and criminals. Orwellian or what?

To all of you who get hot under the collar about foxes, pro- or anti- for goodness sake get a life!

Posted by: Cynic | Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 10:51 PM

"Our political masters should have more important things on their minds than to introduce legislation that will be impossible to enforce and was motivated by class hatred."

That's not a good point really- just because something else could be seen as more important does not mean that other things should be ignored. It's not class hatred, it's not liking animals being killed that way.

"I'm not sure that many (most?) hunters and hunt supporters would specifically claim to be 'the elite' (although what is wrong with elitism, better than this dumbed-down quagmire that the UK seems to be rolling in at the moment - although that's another rant). Most (many?) hunter and hunt supporters are 'normal' people who happen to live in the countryside."

Very good point and one I had not thought about.

"What we have is a (generally) wealthy group who understand and protect the land being punished. I'm not a supporter of hunting but i see them as a bit of an 'enemy of your enemy is your friend'."

Another great point- nice to see this post generating good discussion.

Posted by: Shaun McGill | Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 08:17 PM

I'm a great lover of wildlife and the British countryside but am unconvinced about the ban. Although I support a ban against cruelty to animals in principle, this ban seems hypocritical and targeted at the higher classes.

If the government was truely concerned about wildlife and our countryside we would see far more protection of habitate and species. Instead our native species are losing their habitate, land is being lost to new housing developments and not enough is being done to create and protect national parks.

Then there's the matter of cruelty to farmed animals, over production and not enough support given to farmers who produce organically.

What we have is a (generally) wealthy group who understand and protect the land being punished. I'm not a supporter of hunting but i see them as a bit of an 'enemy of your enemy is your friend'.

Posted by: more_to_be_done | Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 06:32 PM

Extraordinary comments, above.

Fox hunting is wrong. It's really simple. Wrong.

Who in their right mind will claim that terrorising a desperate animal over miles of countryside woodland until cornering it and ripping it to shreds does not constitute abnormal cruelty?

Only the most blinkered individuals. Although there is no conclusive research to prove beyond absolute doubt that foxes feel fear (unlike with stags), the fact that they piss themsleves and run like hell is a pretty good indication that they're not entirely chilled out by the process.

And, of course, fox hunting happens for no good reason - it does not control the fox population! There is plenty of evidence that foxes are self-regulating; during the Foot and Mouth outbreak, hunting was banned. The fox population didn't grow. What's more, almost 9 out of 10 foxes which are killed are run over by cars. By mistake.

So that leaves us with pleasure. This activity takes place purely for the gratification of participants, not for some inherently useful purpose. It may be that we have to have a legitimate debate over animal testing in medical research, because the end-result may justify the means - but hunting has NO such moral justification.

Is it right for us to cause suffering to animals for our own sordid pleasures? Scenario time; you're in the park one morning, walking your dog. I run up and kick your pet hard in the stomach. It screeches and collapses in pain. You'll be upset, I guess, but why? Is it because I dared to touch your property, or because you feel sympathy for the distress which the poor animal feels?

If you answered the latter, then you must agree with me that hunting is an anachronim which we should have legislated out of existence decades ago. If you thought the former, then you've told me all I need to know about you.

This bill wouldn't have taken so much parliamentry time were it not for the stalling tactics of the House of Lords and the Countryside Alliance. So, will it criminalise otherwise law-abiding citizens if they hunt? Yes. That's the bloody point. I don't care if they become criminals. They're already morons.

Posted by: Peter McKean | Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 04:37 PM

1. Our political masters should have more important things on their minds than to introduce legislation that will be impossible to enforce and was motivated by class hatred (and some of them have even admitted that).

2. This law will be impossible to enforce and will make criminals out of people who would normally be considered 'law abiding'. Do we really want our police forces to spend time and money buy quadbikes and chasing riders around the countryside?

3. I'm not sure that many (most?) hunters and hunt supporters would specifically claim to be 'the elite' (although what is wrong with elitism, better than this dumbed-down quagmire that the UK seems to be rolling in at the moment - although that's another rant). Most (many?) hunter and hunt supporters are 'normal' people who happen to live in the countryside.

4. There has been many demonstrations by the 'hunting set' over the past few months and many of these have been violent affairs. Really? As poster 'an unfair ban' says, tempers seem to have mainly flared once police (or anti-hunt supporters) have stirred things up. Of course there are always those who will turn to violence to get their point of view across, but I suspect that those hunt sabs have been significantly more provocative and violent (including intimidation) to hunters than the other way around.

This is a bad, unenforceable, unfair, law and should never have been passed. Shaun, you yourself have complained about the health service, poverty, the war in Iraq and global warming over the last few months - do you honestly think that our politicians should be wasting time on such irrelevant things?

Posted by: A bad law | Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 10:10 AM

Once again we see the "triumph" of political busybodies to the detriment of people genuinely affected by the legislation. I do not live in the country, and thus do not feel that I have sufficient right to be able to dictate how others should live their lives. I am sad that country-born and bred Lembit Opik feels otherwise, whose biggest interation with a fox is probably little more than having a nuisance animal scrounging in his bin. Fox hunting is a blood sport, and so is to be banned for being "cruel"- however, the legislation had to be forced through Parliament using the Parliament Act because a fair vote did not produce the desired result for the Government, motivated by the desire for public affection.
As for violence, I draw your attention to the footage (now shown in an edited format, lest it be deemed prejudicial) of police attacking peaceful pro-hunting supporters outside the Houses of Parliament. Police, with powers to protect the public, beating trapped protesters with weapons- this is a true blood sport. The vast majority of pro-hunt supporters are peaceful and non-violent- however, with any passionate organisation, there is a militant element- just as there is with the anti-hunt supporters.
Two Chief Executives, a Chairman, a Chief Officer and an undercover investigator, all from the League Against Cruel Sports have left the League opposing a ban.
"How the fox is located is totally irrelevant to animal welfare considerations. It took me ten years to realise this irrefutable fact – others will never realise it because bigotry, prejudice, narrow mindedness, class animosity and ignorance, blind people to the truth.”
If a minority of hunts are behaving in a cruel manner, by failing to shoot the fox after it has been caught, then I can agree with their prosecution. Just as anyone found to be battery-farming chickens, fishing with barbed hooks or poisoning slugs for the sake of prettier flowers.
There is a positive side, though- I look forward to the footage on "You've Been Framed" of police, already saying that they do not have the resources to enforce this law, trying to fit not only one huntsman, but also 100 dogs and a horse in the back of a police car...

Posted by: An unfair ban | Saturday, February 19, 2005 at 09:23 AM

Being

Being

My reason for being I will never understand

No point thinking about it

Better off with your head in the sand

------

You judge me by the size of my house, the looks of my spouse

My bank account, clothes and voice

Like I ever had a choice

------

The relentless and pointless accumulation of wealth

Get stressed, selfish and hurtful

Forget about your health

------

Take a walk and see the have nots and the haves

The classy and the chavs

Material purchases everywhere

Is there anyone left who truly cares?

Posted by Shaun McGill on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 09:34 PM | Permalink

Comments

I am stuck on material possessions and the like.
I love my car, I love my TV and my PC, my house, my movies, my clothes and the like.

But ever since I went travelling for a year, I no longer "need" them.... I am truly one of the lucky ones.

Every day, I feel fortunate for having clean air, a dry place to sleep and a wife whom I am still deeply in love with.

I will enjoy my life and my belongings, but never again be a slave to them.

Nice poetry by the way.

Posted by: Lee | Thursday, February 03, 2005 at 12:15 AM

A Christmas Tale

A Christmas Tale from a 'paranoid' parent

Ten days ago my wife noticed that our daughter, Alice, had a high temperature and that she was very inactive compared to normal. We presumed it to be a cold and gave her the usual medicine and waited for a couple of days- she then developed a temperature of 104, started throwing up all food, drink and even water and her nappies were rather smelly so our immediate conclusion was a urine infection. My wife phoned our doctors surgery and asked to speak to the nurse on site who said "It will just be a virus, no need to worry, I don't need to see her." My wife persisted and booked an appointment with her- here follows a direct quote from the same nurse- "As I said on the phone it's just a virus. It's nothing we can treat with anti-biotics." My wife was sent on her way by this nurse who was also rather rude, impatient and who refused to examine Alice.

Over the next three days she stayed the same- throwing up water, sparking temperatures and generally lethargic. Christmas day was a nightmare so on Boxing day we took her to our local hosipital who took a sample and they then advised that she had a 'lot of infection' in her urinary tract. We were given some anti-biotics and advised to give her two types of pain killer to keep her temperature down. We asked if we could take her to Bournemouth to visit both of our paretns and they said that was fine. She seemed to perk up a bit that evening and we were happy.

The next day she started sparking a temperature again and became 'floppy'. We spent sometime waking her up to find her toes turning blue and that she was shivering quite violently (we found out later that this was the start of convulsions). Her temperature was now 106 so we rushed her to the local hospital. They took her in quickly and a doctor examined her within 20 minutes. While we waited for a hospital bed to become free I witnessed a 10 month old baby rushed in with obvious difficulties- it was heartbreaking to see his father run into the hospital and after a discussion with some nurses a young doctor walked along the corridor to speak to him. The expression on the doctor's face said everything- we found out later that the boy had died...

About a minute later a woman was screaming at the receptionist to have her child seen to immediately because 'he had a temperature of almost 100 yesterday'. The receptionist told her to see her own doctor and to leave- the ensuing argument with the receptionist and both parents ended in security removing them from the hospital. Our Christmas was getting stranger each day.

Alice was taken to a treatment room and examined by a consultant- she was then hooked up to a heart monitor, drip and another machine and given fluid with a nurse watching over her the entire time. We sat and waited for what seemed like hours (and transpired to be over 10). As the days passed she gradually improved once some anti-biotics were pumped directly into her- she stopped throwing up food and drink two days ago and we even got a smile yesterday. Conversations with the colsultant and one of the nurses showed that had she been tested by the original nurse (takes 2 minutes) she could have had the anti-biotics straight away and would probably not have had the infection spread through her body. Better treatment on Boxing day could also have lessened her pain. She is now happy and smiling but there is an extra twist- because it took so long to get the correct medicine into her she had to have ultrasounds on her kidneys and now we have the following situation-

She will be taking anti-biotics for the next 6 months at which point a further test is needed to see how much scarring is on her kidneys due to reflux.

It is more likely that she will be taking anti-biotics until the age of 5 to reduce the likelyhood of further infection as this could increase the scarring and prevent her kidneys working properly.

We still can't know for sure what kidney damage has been done until the infection has gone for good and she can be re-tested.

As parents many of us are made to feel paranoid when we show concern for our children but at the end of the day who knows their children better than parents? The National Health Service has let us down before- one night three years ago we were advised by an emergency doctor to give our son pain killers and to sit with him until he went to sleep. As soon as the doctor left we drove him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe asthma attack and needing emergency treatmet. Just before my Grandmother died the hospital wanted to undertake an operation with a 10% chance of survival- you can guess our response.

Obviously I am bitter that the original nurse could not be bothered to help and that it may cause Alice problems in the future but who else are we to rely on? The day you can't trust a doctor is a sad one...

A Mother's Love

Something that never fails to amaze me is the love a mother shows to their children- my wife would not leave Alice's side for her 4 days in hospital despite the fact I was there most of the time. Her ability to get through sleepless nights, constant crying and all of the problems Alice was having and still remain upbeat and cheerful for when our son, Tom, visited Alice in hospital is remarkable. Obviously the Father plays an important role but their really is no one as special as your Mother. It's all quite humbling and I am proud that their Mother is also my beautiful wife...

Quake

The shock of what has happened in Asia has not really hit us yet as we were stuck in the hospital but a quick watch of the terrifying videos at BBCi (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2004/asia_quake_disaster/default.stm) was enough for me to donate a sizeable chunk of the Christmas money we received. I thought that nothing would be able to make me think light of Alice's situation but this has- it's a reminder to us all that the majoity of the world's population is in poverty (all of the time) and that we are incredibly lucky to live where we do. We are also incredibly selfish, ignorant of the world around us and lack the fortitude to do something about the general world situation- we sit in our nice warm homes day after day playing with our gadgets and material posessions and only look up when something big happens. If you are in a position to donate please do, or maybe donate to Sudan which has 1000's of people being killed every day but sadly nothing we need in the west so our Governments won't bother to help.

Many of you sent in nice messages of support for Alice and that is much appreciated and said you would pray for her- I have seen many people on TV praying for the victims of the Asia quake as well.

Maybe it's time for people to stop praying and actually do something useful to help others...

Posted by Shaun McGill on Saturday, January 01, 2005 at 12:41 AM | Permalink

Comments

Hi Shaun,
I'm so glad to hear Alice is sitting up and smiling, I've been checking the website a lot over the last few days to look for an update. As a parent myself I'd cheerfully crawl over broken glass for my son (I think most parents would!), and it makes both this (very personal) story of yours and the overwhelming horror of the tsunami very real. After all, the latter is full of lots and lots of personal stories. A couple of my friends are actually in Thailand at the moment and they sent an e-mail assuring us that they were ok but basically saying "for goodness sake don't worry about us, spend your effort helping those who need it".
philippa

Posted by: PhilippaC | Saturday, January 01, 2005 at 02:32 AM

If you were an alien…

If you were an alien…

If you were an alien who visited Earth you would probably not believe what you were seeing. We would look like a selfish race with no regard for the planet we inhabit or the people we live with. We fight with each other over money, oil, religion differing cultures. We are obsessed with material possessions and trying to outdo our counterparts. We want to reach the top and do whatever we can to get there regardless of how it hurts others or our planet.

Ironically the tsunami in Asia gave us a glimpse of something that appeared to have been lost- nations working together to help each other and even warring factions delivering food to those in need. There has been a lot of politics involved with the aid effort with a certain person trying to push the UN to one side (as usual) but we are now seeing millions of individuals donating money and governments tripping over each other to help out. No matter what the reasons the help has been forthcoming and is greatly needed.

If you were an alien you would be most surprised at how badly we are polluting our Earth- the majority of scientists say that the situation will become irreversible within the next 10-40 years. We have politicians deciding what should be done and timetables have been set up dating forward to 2080 at which point they will be pointless anyway. The Kyoto protocol is the first step but is woefully inadequate if the US do not sign up as they are by far the biggest guzzler of energy and producer of carbons in the world. It allows developing nations such as India and China to pollute at a much higher level as they are considered developing nations and this is the paradox. The majority of the world’s population lives in poverty and they need to be given the opportunity to grow as we did- sadly by growing we have caused this impending catastrophe.

If we do not stop what we are doing now and allow countries like China and India to compete with us using current approved energy resources we are, to be frank, fucked! There is no easy (to stomach) solution and projects such as wind farms and solar energy will never cope with our demands. The only form of energy open to us is NUCLEAR as it produces a good proportion of what we need without adding to the current problem- the obvious downside are the by-products which have to be stored for 250,000 years before they are safe and accidents such as Chernobyl which give it a bad name. People dealing with Nuclear power regularly will no doubt die early and there is the weapons risk but I can’t see any other choice- what’s the point of living if you have nowhere to live? The ‘Greens’ all hate the idea of Nuclear power and Friends of the Earth claim it to be a non-starter, preferring methods which are unrealistic and which would take decades to implement. People will have to be forced fed a new form of power as we will not give up what we have now just to save something as silly as our planet…

Evidence in the Artic shows conclusively that a lot of people’s houses are sinking as the perma-freeze they were built on thaws out and that the rate of polar cap loss is increasing each year. The Artic is the coal mine canary for the rest of the world. We have had hurricanes in Florida (and even the UK recently), countless floods across the world and more ‘odd’ weather than has been seen in recent times. There must be a reason for it and if you believe in God take it as a sign. If you don’t take it as a sign anyway.

The question is “How much would you give up of your current life to help save the planet?” Answers in the comments bit at the bottom pleaseJ

Maybe it should also be asked “How much would you give up of your current life to help equalise the populations of the world?”

More in poverty than not is just crazy and the only answer to both questions is for the wealthy (when I say wealthy I mean anyone who gets more than one meal a day) to cut their energy needs drastically. Do we need all of this technology that surrounds us today? Huge TVs, 2 cars per family, PCs, mobile phones, the Internet? Actually we do- some of these items are our best chance of getting out of this mess…

The internet has been the leader in bringing understanding to the masses. No longer do we just get to listen to what our leaders tell us- we can now discuss with complete strangers whatever we like and can see through the motives of politicians and anyone else as so much of what people say and do is analysed in great detail by the media and freedom of speech has reached never before seen levels (at least we think it has- it could all be made upJ) The internet and communications could somewhat negate our need for cars, planes and other forms of travel but that is unlikely to happen- we as humans still like to communicate face to face and will give up everything to continue to do so.

It’s all rather sad but we are materially obsessed and these possessions are becoming more and more important as a gauge for success. I’m a classic hypocrite as I’m typing this on a PC with an iPod in my ears, 2 cars out the front of my centrally heated house, my wife is a stewardess for one of the biggest polluting industries, Airlines, and I have 3 PDAs sat here as well.

No doubt I will not see the destruction of my planet as I smoke too much but I really do worry for my children. Do you?

Posted by Shaun McGill on Sunday, January 09, 2005 at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Comments

I disagree with you 100% about what an alien would see if they came to our planet. I will keep my comments to just this topic of the aliens visiting us.

You are mistankly assuming this alien race is 100% god like in it's good nature and quality. You are assuming this alien race has a perfect past without any evil whatsoever.
Most likely any alien race would not be like us, but if it were it would recognize it's own past when viewing our history, race, and planet. They may recognize that they too once evolved from a race like ours.

Humans were created with the ability to create beautiful things as well as horrific evils. In a society you see a mix of all these things. You are assuming that some alien race that would come here would be basically the Christian idea of God. I am confused as to why one would assume this??? I think even God himself would be both extremely pleased and estremely hurt by us humans. We do great things and evil things. This is freewill, we all have the ability to do as we wish.

Posted by: josiah | Monday, January 17, 2005 at 07:55 PM

History began 10 minutes ago...

There is nothing new here with the weather, we've always had climate changes, floods, and hurricanes (we even had an iceage once or twice). People are short sighted (although not for the reasons you might think) and egotistical. They cannot bare to think that these weather changes would carry on with or without them. It must be about us! It must be something we are doing! And last but not least, there must be something we can do about it (there isn't).

Posted by: Jim | Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at 09:25 AM

I too was about to recommend "The State of Fear" but it seems that someone has beat me to it so I'll make another point.

You're correct in that nuclear power is one of if not the best option for power genetation but unfortionately the ones protesting anything nuclear are the same ones that are crying "global warming" and blaming the current administration (ie President Bush) for the power shortages. You can't have your cake and eat it too....

The Hollywood crowd on the west coast blame the government for the rolling power outages and brown-outs they have endured for the past few summers and yet they are the same ones that have protested and successfully blocked the building of any new major power plant in the past 15 years.

Did you realize that we now have the technology to install upgrades in coal-burning power plants that would greatly reduce emmisions - and yet the U.S. government, under pressure from tree-hugging environmentalists, will not allow them to do so because it would have the end result of producing more power. Think about that for a moment - we can generate more power while, at the same time, creating less polution and yet the government refuses to allow us to do so because of a cap placed on production - a production cap that was initially placed there to control pollution to begin with.

When will we ever wake up....

Posted by: David Eaton | Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 01:23 PM

Shaun,

I recommend you check out a new book by Michael Crichton - State of Fear. It's a fictional thriller, but laced throughout with very real research data (all referenced) which casts a new light on some of what we assume to be canon about environmental change.

It argues against the politicisation of environmental issues and suggests that in lieu of the Cold War, governments are using terrorism and the environment as sticks to beat us with.

You might be surprised to note just how much hyperbole surrounds issues such as global warming and Kyoto - and not just from the evil industrialists.

It certainly made me pause, question some of the arguments and consider researching the area in a little more depth.

Posted by: Peter McKean | Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 09:36 AM

Time to step back

My wife looked very serious this morning as I entered our lounge. She was watching the unfolding drama of the US election. We sat together for an hour and listened to projections, theories and commentary from experts until it became obvious that John Kerry has lost by what turned out to be quite a substantial margin.

George Bush has to be given credit for running the better campaign and for employing the right people to get enough voters mobilised to pull of this victory. Many of us pobably went to bed last night expecting a Kerry win but maybe that was hope rather than sensibility. If we truly understood the way American politics worked and the views of the majority we should have expected nothing except a Bush win.

None of us know what to expect from this President now that he has the belief that what he has done over the past four years has been endorsed by his nation. Maybe we will see a man who wants to cement his place in history and try to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, maybe we will see a man who has realised that one country cannot act alone and sometimes needs the support of the rest of the world to really acheive security and prosperity for all or perhaps we will see a President who is concerned about the closeness of this election and who recognises that America is truly divided down the middle.

On the other hand we could see George Bush take this confidence boosting vistory inwards and really start to stamp his authority. Technically he is a moderate in his party who just happens to employ right wing politicians into very senior positions to do the work for him. There is a lot of talent in his administration but not enough compassion.

To give him his due he does stick to his policies and is very unwavering in his beliefs as to where he thinks America should be going. This is possibly the main reason he won alongside his ability to tap into the feelings of the majority of Americans. He has done this in a variety of ways- topics such as Gay Marriage and Abortion were strong ones for Bush as they appealed to the conservative vote. Kerry wavered somewhat on both issues- Gay Marriage is seen differently in Europe and the condemnation it has received in America is just terrible. The argument that marriage is a religious ceremony is valid but how many hetrosexual people get married who are not religious and this to me is worse? The idea that people who love each other cannot express it is plainly ignorant and bigoted as is the view that Abortion is wrong under any circumstance. I personally do not agree with Abortion and think that it is used too easily but there are circumstances in which it should be allowed. We know where the views come from and the fact that the Bible is used for political gain is quite horrid, the fact that Religion appears to be used to spread predudice and hate is even worse but they sure are vote winners.

Would John Kerry have been any better? As one voter put it "I'm voting for Kerry because he's the lesser of two evils." She is probably correct in a political system in which only the richest and most well connected can win. In America you cannot get anywhere in politics without the backing of major corporations and thus you are endebted to them for your term, no matter what position you are in. It's a political system which allows open warfare to occur and slander to be thrown in advertisments between the game shows and soap operas. A political system that is probably one of the least democratic in the world and Abraham Lincoln is no doubt spinning in his grave tonight. Because of this system many of the issues that concern the rest of the world would probably not have been solved by Kerry but there were promising signs:-

Kerry- we will fight a smarter war on terror.

Bush- vote for me or you will die! Obviously he never said that but he has used 9/11 since the day it happened and the fear of Al Qaeda has been tapped into to the point of deception. I have seen so many interviews with American people recently who say that the single most important issue for them is security for their country and their families. Here's some text from a show that will be shown on BBC tonight-
"There are dangerous and fanatical individuals and groups around the world who have been inspired by extreme Islamist ideas, and who will use the techniques of mass terror - the attacks on America and Madrid make this only too clear. But the nightmare vision of a uniquely powerful hidden organisation waiting to strike our societies is an illusion.

Wherever one looks for this Al Qaeda organisation, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the 'sleeper cells' in America, the British and Americans are chasing a phantom enemy.

But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians. Those with the darkest imaginations become the most powerful."
I'm sure no one disagrees with the attack on Afganistan following 9/11 but Iraq has proved to be a white elephant, as most of the world (and the UN) expected. The agressive American foreign policy historically undertaken by Republican Presidants is what causes these attacks in the first place and until a shift in policy occurs they will continue to happen. You simply cannot go around destroying other countries and expect that to keep you safe- American airports are still unsafe. Some are well protected but others leave a lot to be desired and are still less stringent on security than the British ones were pre 9/11. Fighting the war on terrorism thousands of miles is one way but not sorting your homeland security is asking for trouble. It's the worst of both worlds- creating hatred from your enemies and not protecting yourselves when they want revenge.

Many of you will continue to argue that the rest of the world (and people like me) have no say in this matter anyway and you are correct- we have no choice regarding who you elect. We only see your economy affecting ours, we only see our soldiers dying next to yours in a war that stopped Bin Laden (apart from his party political broadcast a week ago) and the populations of our countries drifting further and further apart. There is no special relationship between the UK and the US (except for the leaders) and there never will be whilst a President like George Bush is in charge. Obviously American and British people have no real animosity against each other but our leaders are pulling us in opposite directions.

As I said before Kerry could have been worse than Bush if he got into power but I will go to sleep tonight genuinely pissed off that we have another 4 years of this man in charge. I have 4 cans of lager, a packet of cigarettes and even though I still have flu I'm going to enjoy them until I either throw up or fall asleep.

Anyway, it's time for me to step back. I won't be writing any more Outspoken articles as I really do need to concentrate on the PDA sites and writing about politics just gets depressing after a while. I will leave the last Outspoken words to John Kerry-
"Our fight goes on to put America back to work and to make our economy a great engine of job growth. Our fight goes on to make affordable health care a accessible right for all Americans, not a privilege.

Our fight goes on to protect the environment, to achieve equality, to push the frontiers of science and discovery, and to restore America's reputation in the world.

I believe that all of this will happen, and sooner than we may think because we're America and America always moves forward.

I've been honoured to represent the citizens of this commonwealth in the United States Senate now for 20 years, and I pledge to them that in the years ahead I'm going to fight on for the people and for the principles that I've learned and lived with here in Massachusetts.

I'm proud of what we stood for in this campaign and of what we accomplished.

When we began, no one thought it was possible to even make this a close race.

But we stood for real change, change that would make a real difference in the life of our nation and the lives of our families, and we defined that choice to America.

I'll never forget the wonderful people who came to our rallies, who stood in our rope lines, who put their hopes in our hands, who invested in each and every one of us.

I saw in them the truth that America is not only great, but it is good.

So with a grateful heart, I leave this campaign with a prayer that has even greater meaning to me now that I have come to know our vast country so much better, thanks to all of you, and what a privilege it has been to do so, and that prayer is very simple: God bless America. Thank you."

Posted by Shaun McGill on Wednesday, November 03, 2004 at 08:47 PM | Permalink

Comments

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Posted by: Attilafiets | Monday, August 06, 2007 at 11:08 PM

"So we don't have freedom of choice in this country and only those with a Christian moral foundation are right about any of these issues?"

We all have freedom of choice, but what many non-Christians don't understand about many Christians is that Christians tend to be very comfortable making choices within the boundries of a God-centered world view--a world view that, by its very nature, limits our choices. From a Christian perspective, everyone has the freedom of choice, but those decisions always have consequences--either consequences resulting from being following God's plan or consequenses that are go against God's plan.

One fact that many fail to understand is that the United States was founded on the principles of religious freedom, not religious suppression. The problem, as I see it, is that the Constitution is now being interpreted to mean "erradicate all religion, especially, Christianity." That may sound harsh, but that's exactly how the notion of "separation of Church and State" is typically interpreted. Consider the overwhelming push to eliminate all signs or form of religion from our schools and government buildings--historical features that were approved, embraced, and never challenged from the beginning of the founding of the United States. And also don't forget that the overwhelming majority of the founders and citizens of the United States were Christian--not exclusively, but the vast majority. Current interpretation of the Constitution discounts that and provides only measures to eliminate religion altogether.
"While you are dealing with issues like abortion and gay marriage, why don't you deal with the fact that kids are having kids, families are disintegrating, mass media is pouring what amounts to anti-Christian values down our throats, games are teaching our kids how to kill, mediocrity is king, people feel entitled without having responsibility, work ethic is disappearing and the moral reality of this country is that we are going to hell in a handbasket. Kids are doing worse in schools as mandates demand they do better without taking their home life into account and as a result there is an underclass forming that will further perpetuate the problem. While it is really neat to be able to mobilize around the abortion and gay marriage issues, there are issues that are hugely more important that need to be addressed, but it isn't "politically correct" to address them. I suspect that abortion and gay marriage are a rallying cry because no one really wants to do that hard work that is really needed to get this country back on track from the ground up. It is easier to deal with hot-button issues than core issues. If we were better educated and family dynamics were healthier in this country, then abortion would become a much smaller issue and people would not object to gay people having their partners at least be able to visit them in the hospital!"

You bring up a good point, and I would say that strictly from a political campaign perspective, only a couple issues can really be focused on, and the obvious choices are going to be the "hot button" issues. Focusing on ALL the issues would overwhelm not only the campaign, but the public. The more issues a campaign presents, the more opportunity for splintering. I would say that the Republican campaign very smartly and strategically chose two specific topics that most conservatives can agree on and rally around. That said, you are absolutely correct that there are many other issues that despiratly need to be addressed. The problem is that the solution typically becomes just as controvercial. For example, you state kids having kids. The conservative (read Christian) perspective would be "start with solid family values, teach children to respect others, and understand that one's virginity is something that should be treasured and saved until marriage. Further, there are consequences for your actions and choices, and having sex is a choice." The stereotypical liberal perspective (at least what I interperet from people I talk to and the media) is that it's up to each individual to do what he or she wants if it feels good. Consequences? Don't worry, you can always abort the kid or the guy can just leave because he has no responsibility" Sorry if that's a perspective with blinders, but distill it all down, and that's what we see.
"You still haven't addressed the issue of rape or incest. Should a woman be forced to bear and be responsible for a baby imposed on her by a rapist or an incestuous relative? What do we do with these children? Do we place them into foster care, which is often a nightmare? Our culture is like that of a family that doesn't have their cat neutered so that their kids can witness the miracle of birth...and then the kittens go unwanted and perhaps drowned, abused, shot or placed in shelters due to the thoughtlessness the family had about the lives they were responsible for. We are so short-sighted it is frightening. Let the babies be born, we don't care what happens to them afterward. I am firmly against abortion as a form of retroactive abortion, but in the case of rape, incest and the pregnant mother being in mortal danger from the pregnancy, abortion should never be removed as an option. Like I said before...we place more value on potential life than the life that is already here."

I have to concede that this issue is a tough one that I and many conservatives and Christians wrestle with. Call it hypocracy because we ARE delving into the grey zone. Black and white issues are often hard to stomach, but we are also human. ;-) There are typically two views: one perspective I have heard is that life should be held up over all. Even rape and incest victems should have the child because the child is a life. The thinking is that God has a plan for us all, and it is our duty ti follow God's plan (of course, the challenge is to understand what is God's plan, but that's for another discussion.) Anyway, this is obviously a very unpopular perspective because, to your point, our country does not have the proper facilities to deal with these "unwanted" children. (What really saddens me, is the large number of couples who cannot conceive but don't view adoption as a viable alternative.)

The other perspective is that a line needs to be drawn that says if the woman is a victem or in mortal danger from the pregnancy, then it is justifiable to abort. But that brings us back to the absolute versus relativistic debate. I am currently undecided on this point.
">>>While everyone has opinions and I respect yours, you don't seem to have caught on that we, the US majority (the Red zone on the political maps), don't care what outsiders think. The US is a sovereign nation, having whooped the UK in 1781 (treaty in 1783), and has every right to govern and defend ourselves as we see fit. Not only did President Bush prevail over the well-documented traitor John Kerry with the most votes that any president ever received, but the President's party increased their majority in both houses of Congress. That combination hasn't happened since the 1930s, and indicates a strong mandate from the people--the majority of the republic.<<<

You are forgetting that more people voted AGAINST George Bush than any other president in history. The majority is slim...just a couple of percent."

It's really just a numbers game that is easily spun by both "sides". The margin was a slim percentage, yes, but the actual difference of several million voters is hardly a slim number. Until there is real election reform, colse election results like this are inevitable.
"Your attitude that we don't care what the rest of the world thinks is pretty much our government's stand too...that we don't accept anyone else's judgement but we are more than willing to impose our judgement with force anywhere and anywhere."

It's not that we don't care, it's that we are willing to stand firmly and unwavering for our beliefs. If we lose our foundation, then where will we be? Could we be "wrong"? Yes, we could, but standing up for integrity, moral values, and an ethical core is something that many are willing to live and die for despite the condition of the economy or some social issues. All of those issues, in the grand scheme of things, are really secondary. Faith really can sustain people.
"There were many nations over the course of history that attempted the same thing...you don't see THEM around anymore."

I read a historical blurb somewhere that postulates that Democracy doesn't last more 200 years. The United States is at the 228 year mark, wo time will tell. The general degeneration that you describe is evident, so maybe this is the beginning of the end. I certainly hope not. I guess time will tell.
"Calling John Kerry, who actually served overseas in Vietnam a traitor is laughable. He saw what was going on and decided to report it when he got back. Why is it that anyone who disagrees with a state-imposed police action against another nation is a traitor and unpatriotic?"

Senator Kerry is in my mind certainly no traitor, and I think if you relaly ask any conservative he will agree. The reactions that you typically hear are just that: reactions. He served his country, and I commend him for that. He deserves all recognition and decoration due him. THat said, it's how he and the media presented his serving during his campaign, and how they portrayed President Bush's serving that puts off so many. Yes, he served, but so did President Bush. No, it was not the "same" serving, but he did serve, and to deny that is to denegrate everyone else who served in a similar capacity. That is something I will not do because I value the commitment of our soldiers, regardless of branch or term. We all differ in our opinion about the validity of going to war with Iraq, but I really don't think it can be denied that President Bush has proven himself to be a leader. He is consistent, and he stands firm by his convictions, not wavering on whim. You may disagree with his motives. You may disagree with his actions, but you cannot deny that he has exemplified leadership. Senator Kerry might be a good leader, but he as not demonstrated that short of his serving in the military, and I, as a citizen, do not see that as the exclusive test.
"I love this country and I want to see it get better...but it gets worse year by year."

I'm glad you want to see improvement. The difficulty is in agreeing on a solution. Liberals would typically have us believe that things are worse and worse because right-wing conservatism is being pushed more and more, reducing our freedom of choice. I contend that things have gotten much worse year by year, because we have lost our core values and morals for sake of choice. There needs to be a balance.
"Am I a traitor?"

Absolutely not! You are a great citizen who enjoys the freedom of expressing his opinion about this great country. I only hope that you can see that "right-wing conservative Christians" aren't a cult, but are striving to bring us back to a time when values, morals, and ethics meant something, and our proven solution is to follow a God-centered lifestyle.

Posted by: Jim | Monday, November 08, 2004 at 03:26 PM

Let's not compare track records between Europe and America. All western nations need to work together - despite differences, otherwise we are playing into the hands of extremists.

Those that have died at the hands of terrorists in recent years is an awful thing. But perhaps we should consider a 'war on poverty' as well as a 'war on terror'. It's worth bearing in mind the numbers that die in poverty so far have far outstripped terrorist activities. While poverty isn't the cause of terror, it would seem to be a logical breeding ground.

Posted by: Tonyk | Monday, November 08, 2004 at 01:59 PM

>>>The problem with embracing moral relativism is in detemining who or where the "lines" are drawn. For example, if you permit pre-born children to be killed, then could you then permit partially born children to be killed? But then, why not let newborn infants be killed? Don't like your toddler in his "terrible twos"? Why not push for legislation to "abort" toddlers? Sound absurd? Yes, but where do you draw the line? Without a fundamental moral reference, where the line is drawn is purely subjective pandering to the whims of what is "convenient" and "popular" at the time.<<<

So we don't have freedom of choice in this country and only those with a Christian moral foundation are right about any of these issues? While you are dealing with issues like abortion and gay marriage, why don't you deal with the fact that kids are having kids, families are disintegrating, mass media is pouring what amounts to anti-Christian values down our throats, games are teaching our kids how to kill, mediocrity is king, people feel entitled without having responsibility, work ethic is disappearing and the moral reality of this country is that we are going to hell in a handbasket. Kids are doing worse in schools as mandates demand they do better without taking their home life into account and as a result there is an underclass forming that will further perpetuate the problem. While it is really neat to be able to mobilize around the abortion and gay marriage issues, there are issues that are hugely more important that need to be addressed, but it isn't "politically correct" to address them. I suspect that abortion and gay marriage are a rallying cry because no one really wants to do that hard work that is really needed to get this country back on track from the ground up. It is easier to deal with hot-button issues than core issues. If we were better educated and family dynamics were healthier in this country, then abortion would become a much smaller issue and people would not object to gay people having their partners at least be able to visit them in the hospital!

You still haven't addressed the issue of rape or incest. Should a woman be forced to bear and be responsible for a baby imposed on her by a rapist or an incestuous relative? What do we do with these children? Do we place them into foster care, which is often a nightmare? Our culture is like that of a family that doesn't have their cat neutered so that their kids can witness the miracle of birth...and then the kittens go unwanted and perhaps drowned, abused, shot or placed in shelters due to the thoughtlessness the family had about the lives they were responsible for. We are so short-sighted it is frightening. Let the babies be born, we don't care what happens to them afterward. I am firmly against abortion as a form of retroactive abortion, but in the case of rape, incest and the pregnant mother being in mortal danger from the pregnancy, abortion should never be removed as an option. Like I said before...we place more value on potential life than the life that is already here.

>>>While everyone has opinions and I respect yours, you don't seem to have caught on that we, the US majority (the Red zone on the political maps), don't care what outsiders think. The US is a sovereign nation, having whooped the UK in 1781 (treaty in 1783), and has every right to govern and defend ourselves as we see fit. Not only did President Bush prevail over the well-documented traitor John Kerry with the most votes that any president ever received, but the President's party increased their majority in both houses of Congress. That combination hasn't happened since the 1930s, and indicates a strong mandate from the people--the majority of the republic.<<<

You are forgetting that more people voted AGAINST George Bush than any other president in history. The majority is slim...just a couple of percent. Your attitude that we don't care what the rest of the world thinks is pretty much our government's stand too...that we don't accept anyone else's judgement but we are more than willing to impose our judgement with force anywhere and anywhere. There were many nations over the course of history that attempted the same thing...you don't see THEM around anymore. Calling John Kerry, who actually served overseas in Vietnam a traitor is laughable. He saw what was going on and decided to report it when he got back. Why is it that anyone who disagrees with a state-imposed police action against another nation is a traitor and unpatriotic? I love this country and I want to see it get better...but it gets worse year by year. Am I a traitor?

Don't answer that. :)

Posted by: Mark | Saturday, November 06, 2004 at 12:44 AM

"Bob- I respect your opinions but you have just summed up why most of the world has issues with the US in a few paragraphs..."

Just don't forget the founding roots of the United States: We broke away from England because of our fundamental differences in beliefs. We severed our ties because of our deeply differing values. But at the same time, we have stood along side other nations when they are in trouble, supporting them, giving up our lives, and promoting freedom--something that many nations have consistently failed to do. That is what makes the united States so unique, and why I am so proud to be a citizen....

Posted by: Jim | Friday, November 05, 2004 at 06:23 PM

"and it's his stand on ABORTION that makes the difference? How can anyone justify imposing their religious beliefs on someone else's body?"

Absolutely. Because issues like the economy, wars, health care issues, etc. while obviously very important, are temporary and evolving issues that will always be eventually addressed. Issues like abortion and gay marriage, however, strike at the very core value system that defines a people and a nation. Promoting and legalizing these issues is going against the religious beliefs of its people, and religious beliefs are one of the main reasons why the United States country was founded in the first palce. It was not founded to surpress religion, but to break away from the English monarchy and its ties to the Church of England to let people freely beleive and practive their religious beliefs. It was not meant to impose anti-religious procedures and values on its people.

Your statement really exemplifies a fundamental difference between most conservatives and most liberals. Liberals tend to follow moral relativism while conservatives tend to follow moral absolutes. Yes moral absolutes tend to be tied to religious beliefs, but then again that moral absolutes are typically the foundation of religions.

The problem with embracing moral relativism is in detemining who or where the "lines" are drawn. For example, if you permit pre-born children to be killed, then could you then permit partially born children to be killed? But then, why not let newborn infants be killed? Don't like your toddler in his "terrible twos"? Why not push for legislation to "abort" toddlers? Sound absurd? Yes, but where do you draw the line? Without a fundamental moral reference, where the line is drawn is purely subjective pandering to the whims of what is "convenient" and "popular" at the time.

Next, consider gay marriage. Let's say it is constitutionally legalized. Now what if a pedophile wanted to push for legislation permitting him to marry a child? Will never happen, right? Sounds sick or unlikely? Look it up...it's on the horizon. What if someone into bestiality wanted to marry their horse? What if a father wanted to marry his daughter? Again, where do you draw the line? Establishing a "man and woman" definition of marriage is not infringing on the rights of gays, but is reinforcing long-accepted traditions and practices. And these are practices that are not exclusively religious. "Secular" and "common law" marriages have always been between a man and a woman. To alter this is to alter fundamental, core values. Yes, many marriages end in divorce, but I believe that it's because divorce, like abortion, has become a process of convenience removing the consequences of the original decision.

Let's also not forget that the "founding documents" never promised fairness or liberty or happiness, just the right of their persuit. And while it states "all men are created equal", it does not state that all men remain equal.

Posted by: Jim | Friday, November 05, 2004 at 06:11 PM

"While everyone has opinions and I respect yours, you don't seem to have caught on that we, the US majority (the Red zone on the political maps), don't care what outsiders think. The US..."

Bob- I respect your opinions but you have just summed up why most of the world has issues with the US in a few paragraphs...

Posted by: Shaun | Friday, November 05, 2004 at 05:38 PM

George Junior and Kerry were frat brothers in college. Does everyone know that? There is an aristocracy in America and these two guys are part of it. You've seen the pictures of Kerry with JFK back in the early sixties right? You've also seen the pictures of George Bush Sr. sitting with Noriega and Saddam back when he was the head of the CIA right?

The bottom line is this: there has been NO "democracy" on a national level since the late 1800's and this will not change. Politics is shaped by money, and the money currently is in Oil. This will not change for a while.

Even though Kerry and Bush are both scumbag rich-kids, at least Kerry understands the need to bring America back into the world. Most Americans do not understand this because Bush's Fear Campaign (someone's going to blow you up!) has been highly effective. The last time I http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html>looked, the U.S. was around 3.7 MILLION SQUARE MILES. That'd take a lot of dynamite! Maybe its time to legalize marijuana in this country. Americans need to chill out and also realize what our corrupt government is doing to other cultures/countries.

If you ask a returning soldier from Iraq, I think he would agree. Don't ask us insulated, ignorant Fox-news watching civilians.

Posted by: Pete | Friday, November 05, 2004 at 02:39 PM

Shaun,

While everyone has opinions and I respect yours, you don't seem to have caught on that we, the US majority (the Red zone on the political maps), don't care what outsiders think. The US is a sovereign nation, having whooped the UK in 1781 (treaty in 1783), and has every right to govern and defend ourselves as we see fit. Not only did President Bush prevail over the well-documented traitor John Kerry with the most votes that any president ever received, but the President's party increased their majority in both houses of Congress. That combination hasn't happened since the 1930s, and indicates a strong mandate from the people--the majority of the republic.

That said, it is interesting that of all the nations polled on who they wanted to see win our election, the Iraqi people wanted President Bush. I guess they don't share you illusions.

You are welcome to post whatever you wish on the Internet, mostly because the US has rescued your country twice in the last century so that you wouldn't have to learn German. The same goes for France. If anything, your posts help to cement the majority over here against foreign interference in our sovereign policies and practices. The UN is a worthless collection of corrupt bureaucrats who give a voice to third-world dictators who should be deposed, not pontificating. It's clear that you don't understand the US majority any better than Kerry or Michael Moore. If you really believe the trash and lies in Moore's propaganda piece, then no facts will sway you anyway. Even prominent, honest liberals over here have rejected him and his lies. If you want him, by all means please send him a permanent visa.

We greatly appreciate PM Blair's and your military's continued support as we fight and destroy terrorism together, in Afghanistan, Iraq, or wherever they slither. The sooner we kill all the terrorists, the better. President Bush, PM Blair, and their respective militaries continue to fight the fight that will ensure that you can continue to post without learning Arabic. It would be nice if you appreciated their leadership and sacrifice, but we'll succeed just fine without your appreciation. You can thank us later when all the terrorists are in hades where they belong.

How's that for outspoken?

Posted by: Tanker Bob | Friday, November 05, 2004 at 02:36 PM

I disagree with you, Shaun. Kerry was defeated, but the margin of victory was 3 percent, not a 'substantial margin'. This margin is likely to shrink as the provisional ballots are counted in California, Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Florida. Think of it this way, Kerry won half the country, Bush won half the country, plus a group of people about the size of Chicago.

The fact of the matter is though, Republicans drove out their base in numbers that none of us expected, driven by gay marriage bans in the states of Ohio, Michigan, etc. I expected Kerry to win Michigan by a very comfortable 5-10 points, but it was only 3, partially because religious conservatives stood in long lines, to cast their ballot against gay marriage. Had none of these propositions been on state ballots, I think the result would have been much different, and Kerry
would have easily prevailed in Ohio.

In fact, he did everything he needed to in order to win the state. He had a 200,000 vote surplus in the county where Cleveland is located, but that advantage was erased by high turnout in the southwestern part of the state that borders my homestate of Indiana, where religious conservatives stood in lines for hours.

Let me just say this. Today was a dark day for America and the world. I, along with some of the people I know, have been stunned and disappointed. The signs, as of Tuesday night, was a big Kerry win, due to turnout. People waiting 10 hours in line to vote for George Bush?
I don't think so. Well, I was right about the long lines, but they weren't waiting for Kerry either. They waited to ban gay marriage, which benefited Bush enormously.

Posted by: Kyle | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 06:59 PM

Good words, and put in a well-ordered sequence.
To the more enlightened, it is clear that you are not consumed by a hatred of George W. Bush, but rather wholly frustrated by yet another world leader who (your choice here:) cannot/will not make fairer, and more globally-minded decisions.
You are correct that the election results indicate that the United States is a country divided in their sentiment, but I believe that this is necessary for a democratic society to evolve and progress. It is my hope (as has been following previous elections) that the narrow margin will act as impetus for the governing body to reach a more balanced policy.
Your use of hyperbole and imagery describing Abraham Lincoln's eternal rest is appropriate. While the nature of events is of course different, the effects of the past twenty years' time on the United States has left the country close in comparison to the divided population of Lincoln's Presidency.

"I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me."
-- April 4, 1864 - Abraham Lincoln in a letter to Albert Hodges

"It's hard work."
-- September 30, 2004 - George W. Bush during a Presidential Debate

As for Outspoken, Shaun, please remain so.

Posted by: markfromhouston | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 04:04 PM

"A "divided" country? Bush won more of the popular vote with record numbers of voters than any previous president in history. Explain to me how that is a "divided" country? Oh, yeah--that's because that's what Kerry and the Democrats keep saying, therefore it must be true."

DEFINATELY DIVIDED- KERRY WON MORE VOTES THAN ANY CHALLENGER IN HISTORY. THE DIVISION COMES FROM VIEWS AND HOW STRONG PEOPLE FELT ABOUT THE TWO CANDIDATES THIS TIME.

"It's your right to express whatever opinion you want. But why mix it up on your PDA website?"

THAT IS WHY OUTSPOKEN WAS STARTED UP, TO AVOID MAKING COMMENTS ON PDA247. ALL I DO IS POINT TO A NEW OUTSPOKEN ARTICLE ON PDA247 AND YOU CHOOSE IF YOU WANT TO READ IT OR NOT.

"I am so sick of celebs, musicians and hollywood types, that wear their politics on their sleaves."

THANKS FOR THAT- MY EGO HAS JUST EXPLODED:)

"I come to PDA24/7 for great PDA news, not for the latest plug for "Fahrenheit 9/11.""

IF YOU READ ONE OF THE PREVIOUS OUTSPOKEN ARTICLES I MADE IT CLEAR THAT I THOUGHT FARENHEIT 9/11 WAS A TERRIBLE FILM AND DETRACTED FROM THE TRUE MORAL PROBLEMS OF MR BUSH.

THERE'S MUCH MORE I COULD SAY BUT COMMENTS LIKE " I really do hope that you will heed your own words." ACTUALLY MAKE ME THINK TWICE ABOUT MY DECISION. EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VIEW AND I AM THANKFUL FOR YOUR COMMENTS- THAT IS WHAT THE SITE IS MEANT TO BE ABOUT.

Posted by: Shaun | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 08:41 AM

I am so sick of celebs, musicians and hollywood types, that wear their politics on their sleaves

Brad- you've just boosted Shaun's ego no end! :)

Posted by: Neil | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 08:26 AM

Shaun,

I love your *PDA* site. Your political commentary and analysis, however, leaves much to be desired.

"A political system that is probably one of the least democratic in the world..." Are you really serious?

"Abraham Lincoln is no doubt spinning in his grave tonight" (Why are you using Lincoln and not the framers of the US Constitution, the 'Fathers' of our country? Why Lincoln? With what relevance does he have to do with the election process that you use his name? Unless you are trying to make a connection with him and the GOP, but the context of your remarks was about the elections.) No, he wasn't spinning in his grave because of the election results. He was celebrating. Why? Because Pres. Bush won in spite of a spiteful, irresponsible, traitorous, blatantly lying, and hateful mainstream media over the last three years. He won in spite of whatever "scandal" that existed or that could be dreamed up and thrown at him.

Amazingly, Bush won in spite of the media's lies or supressing stories of a growing economy with historical low unemployment and inflation rates and record home ownership.

Bush won in spite of ignorant people believing in M. Moore's hyped lies in a movie that he was able to freely show, raking in millions of capitalist dollars, which Moore supposedly denounces.

A "divided" country? Bush won more of the popular vote with record numbers of voters than any previous president in history. Explain to me how that is a "divided" country? Oh, yeah--that's because that's what Kerry and the Democrats keep saying, therefore it must be true.

It's your right to express whatever opinion you want. But why mix it up on your PDA website? I am so sick of celebs, musicians and hollywood types, that wear their politics on their sleaves. I would rather just enjoy what they do well at and not care about their politics. But when they mix it with their performances and appearances--that's offensive. I like to attend their concerts or their movies without feeling disgust at them. Same for your website. Stick with PDA's--you do well at it. I come to PDA24/7 for great PDA news, not for the latest plug for "Fahrenheit 9/11."

You said it best, Shaun: "Anyway, it's time for me to step back. I won't be writing any more Outspoken articles as I really do need to concentrate on the PDA sites..." I really do hope that you will heed your own words.

Posted by: Brad | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 08:00 AM

Interesting that the election came down to so called "moral" issues. When our troops are dying, our president's lying and our wallets are crying, what seems to get people to overlook the debacles of the last four years are the words "abortion" and "gay marriage". This is insane, but the pandering to the religious right has worked. Let's see...Bush has devastated the economy, alienated those who were once our allies, stirred up the hornet nest of the Middle East and helped make Iran twice as dangerous as it was four years ago, stubbornly stuck to failed economic theories and ran us into record debt, declared victory in a police action that seems to be endless, signed legislation that restricts civil liberties, lost jobs, lied through his teeth at every turn...and it's his stand on ABORTION that makes the difference? How can anyone justify imposing their religious beliefs on someone else's body? We treat the unborn as sacred and holy beings, yet we treat the elderly and infirm as disposable and not worth lowering medical and pharmaceutical costs for or funding stem cell research for. We spout about the sanctity of marriage as between a man and a woman, yet more than half of all these blissful, holy and supposedly God-endorsed unions end in divorce. We spout right-to-life gospel while bloodthirsty for the death penalty. We are a nation of hypocrites, ready to follow the slogan that resonates with our righteous indignation while we continue to live our lives to excess at the expense of the rest of the world, arrogant in our assertion that we are ENTITLED to the majority of the world's resources while refusing to take the responsibility for minimizing the effect of our industry and excess on the environment and global politics. We pay lip service to alternative fuels while rubbing our hands together with the prospect of destroying the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge to get at cheap oil. Who cares about animals? We need cheap gas! We have seen a global die-off of species not seen since the end of the Cretaceous 65 million years ago, and the United States shares a large part of the blame for that. Yes, I live in the United States, born and raised here, and I love this country. I have travelled to all but three states (Arkansas, Alaska and Hawaii) and have loved every state I have visited. The scenery, culture and life in each was wonderful. It has been hinted that if you are against the war, then you hate your country. Interesting that these people seem to place more value on the lives of the unborn than those of the people who are actually alive right now. How does a reasonable person wake up and say "Ya know...my job was outsourced, I have no health insurance, my kids are hungry, their school is underfunded and cutting programs, my county, school and sales tax has gone through the roof, my nephew was just killed in Iraq, I can't afford to heat my house this winter, Kerry did a great job in the debates...but I don't want to see guys living together, my assault rifle banned or partial birth abortions allowed, so BUSH!" The Republican leadership has exhorted us to put aside our differences, the election is over and it's time to get to work...what they are really saying to the over 55 million people who voted for Kerry is..."We control the House and Senate, we control the presidency and within weeks we will control the Supreme Court. You damned liberals had better toe the line, shut up, get in line, abandon your values and principles. We can do whatever we want and still get elected! Next election we will campaign by showing ads where a grinning donkey wields a coat hanger and tell the American people that Democrats want to kill their unborn babies if they are voted in." Stem cell research? Where thousands of embryos that go unused and then dumped could be used to help those in dire need of what stem cells could provide? Again, we seem to be more worried about potential life than the life that is already here. Privatize social security? What good will that do? With the markets the way they are, we would be lucky to see a penny when we retire. The only purpose is to make businesses more money. Faith-based initiatives? What happened to separation of church and state? When did we become a theocracy? Vouchers for private (read religious) school? Why does Bush have to reach across the aisle when he holds control over all three branches of government? There will be no "healing".

I may have voted in this election, but the new government most definitely does not represent me or my interests. I do not support abortion under normal circumstances...I don't think that it is an acceptable form of retroactive birth control. People who make rash decisions deserve to live with the consequences. Women who are raped, however, should not have to bear the children of those who raped them. Banning abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade, would be right up Bush's alley. He likes to portray the world in stark black and white, in pure absolutes. His world has no shades of gray, at least not the world he shares with the electorate. I do not recognize the newly elected government as mine, and I repudiate the mandates that they will shove, unopposed, down our throats. Record deficit? Who cares! Have another federal tax cut? What's that? You have to pay more state and local taxes? Not our fault! We are the good guys! We put money in your pocket! Hey...want to donate your motor vehicle to charity for a deduction next year? You won't be able to get Kelley Blue Book value for it...you will get to deduct whatever the charity gets at auction. This will result in a tax revenue windfall for the government. What do they plan to do with this? Give corporate tax breaks! Men had better not marry men, dammit!

I guess it would be fair to say that the first words that come to my mind on this dark day to describe my emotional state are: disgusted, dismayed, horrified, terrified, hopeless, impotent, angry, furious, resentful, hateful, mortified, frustrated, powerless and betrayed. Nothing I can do about it, though. I will have to sit through another four years of seeing that smarmy self-satisfied smirk on Bush's face that says "I lied to the American people and they fell for it...hook, line and sinker...again!"

Mark
Wallkill, NY

Posted by: Mark | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 02:51 AM

"Simple: lose 3,000 of your citizens in a cowardly attack and then tell me this is a made up nightmare enemy."

What has this got to do with Iraq??? It was done by mainly Saudi's and Osama who was trained to be a terrorist by America...

Posted by: Joel | Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 02:44 AM

Shaun,

I appreciate your article. At the beginning of your article you showed great grace towards our president despite your disappointment at his victory.

I have to admit, though, that I was disappointed that you have the impression that our nation is one of the least democratic nations. I believe that the US is actually a very strong represetative government. And while there were a lot of issues dividing our views, there are a lot of issues that Americans are well-agreed on also. And, technically, I don't think we are actually a Democracy but a Federal Republic of states. I'll let those who are smarter than me argue about the differences, but I think when all the world elections inspectors made all their comments against our election, they forgot that we are a federation of states and so they kept emphasizing things like a lack of uniformity of voting systems. And, while it's agreed that politics involves some gamesmanship and alliances and compromises that we wish didn't exist, I think that the transparency of the US elections and government do much to keep things as fair as can be expected. When Americans look at the discussions that Tony Blair has in the Commons or one of those town meetings (sorry if I mangled the terminology, I'm afraid I'm a typical American who doesn't understand British government very well and just confirms the stereotype). But in those discussions I've seen on TV, it looks like those people are crazy and unrespectful and not really even saying what they mean. They look like they are just yelling and screaming at each other with no interest in a discussion. But I'm sure it serves a purpose that those in England understand. But to me it looks so distanced from reality. I'm sure some of the American politics can look that way from a distance also, especially with the way the press has gone so wild, looking for sensationalism rather than truth and perspective.

I am, myself, a big Bush supporter. I realize that there are different views and philosophies, and not everyone looks at him the way I do. I see the war in Iraq as a very costly, but very important step towards eliminating the grave threat of terror against Western civilization. I see how some countries have made concessions due to the war. Libya for example, I think, has given up their nuclear program. Again, I'm speaking out of my expertise here, but I'm pretty confident that our presence there became a threat to other nations harboring terrorists or looking to develop mass weapons of destruction meant to be used on "enemy" nations. I think, like Bush, that a free Iraq is their hope for a peaceful future and the beginning of a hope for a peaceful world. I know the cost is great, and I know some that are sacrificing greatly. Some have even lost loved ones. It is a high price. But the price of waiting on the UN will be even greater in the future. I believe that government is not supposed to be the answer for all our problems, and that when it tries to be it causes taxation that kills prosperity. Not just for the rich, but for all. I believe that traditional values are important in this world.
I have discussions with friends on these topics and some agree, some disagree. That's okay. As long as the discussion doesn't become hateful. I'm proud of the US, despite some warts here and there, just like all nations have.
Thank you for letting me share my opinions here. You do a great job with your PDA247 site and I really enjoy hearing your opinions, even when they are so different than my own!
Best wishes,
BobR

Posted by: BobR | Wednesday, November 03, 2004 at 11:17 PM

"But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians. Those with the darkest imaginations become the most powerful."

Simple: lose 3,000 of your citizens in a cowardly attack and then tell me this is a made up nightmare enemy.

Talk about being fed a line. Europeans think they have the answers to this issue. Well, you've certainly solved it in the Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon, Rwanda, Congo...do I need to go on? You've been fed lines about the right way to solve things for years especially in Iraq, by people in governement who were being actively bribed by Iraq.

Dealing uniliaterally didn't seem to bother France in Cote de Ivorie, or towards greenpeace in New Zealand, or for anywhere else in Africa. Or for continental europe when you finallya got around to dealing with Bosnia (add to the list above as well).

Posted by: Damon | Wednesday, November 03, 2004 at 10:50 PM

I tried to like Senator Kerry, but it kept coming abck to one main issue for me: his past and continuing support of Partial Birth Abortions. Frankly, I find this "procedure" completely disgusting and unnecessary. Anyone who would support the partial removal of an infant from its mother, leaving the head still in the Birth Canal and then killing the baby is nothing short of barbaric. You can argue the merits of different kinds of abortions, but the fact remains that Senator Kerry's record stands, and thus, in my mind, requires his defeat.

Posted by: Jim | Wednesday, November 03, 2004 at 10:06 PM

Pocket Mini Golf and Pocket Mini Golf eXtra

Pocket Mini Golf and its sequel Pocket Mini Golf eXtra are now available for PalmOS 5 ARM based devices.
Already available on the Tapwave Zodiac platform, Pocket Mini Golf now expands its user base - running on every OS5 device from the Treo 600, Tungsten series, Clie product line, to the Tapwave Zodiac.

http://pmg.mobilewizardry.com/

Aaron Ardiri, Founder of Mobile Wizardry says &quot;Pocket Mini Golf has the potential to be the Game of the Year - its won many awards on the Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms; with its unique style and interaction with the user this game shows nothing but promise. It'll definately be a candinate for the PalmSource Powered Up Awards - once you play, you are hooked!&quot;

They are available immediately for $14.95 USD each from Mobile Wizardry's online store. It is recommended you buy the basic version before the eXtra version - eXtra is really an extention to the basic; with much more difficult holes and gameplay. Discussions are already in place for future projects and the completion of the Symbian Series 60 platform within the SHARK development environment.

I think you will all love Pocket Mini Golf and Pocket Mini Golf eXtra for the Palm OS 5. They are definitely top notch games and for $14.95 you can't beat them. PMG and PMG-X will have you coming back for more.

Chip Kerchner
CoFounder Mobile Wizardry

MICROQUAD Review

For those of you who haven't yet gone over to http://www.viex.org/?page=microquad DAMMIT get over there and download this baby.... it is a full working demo, which really gives you a feel for the game.

Now for a quick review... I won't say much, because Dave Eaton summed it up very well in his review.... more onto the Pro's and cons of the game, from my point of view.

The game is a VERY good SNES Super Mario Cart lift.... though in places, a little simplistic... I would have liked to be able to pop a small jump myself... to allow cutting corners to be improved.... but then I was a Super Mario Cart addict for about 4 months.

The Speed is extremely good... the backgrounds move in 2 layers with a parallax effect which really adds a kinetic feel to the game... these are a bit simple / repetitive in places, but that doesn't matter... you should be looking at the track, your quad bike and the other players, not at the pretty clouds.... it is how they move that is important.

The carts are great to control, the AI is good, though in my opinion could even have been better / quicker / more intelligent for the last level (Yes, I have won all 20 tracks now)

Now the Bad...

Where are my Easter eggs..? I want a special secret track / a stupidly fast car to be unlocked at the end.

Where is the high score table? I don't have friends with a similar machine to play Blue tooth with.... though I would pay a friend to &quot;help&quot; with the decision.... just to go head to head on this game would be a hoot...

In fact... wouldn't it be ace if the game &quot;remembered the best race&quot;.... this might take up some memory, but racing a ghost of yourself would be AWESOME.... and I think quite technologically achievable.

Why can't we compete high scores with other users? where is the &quot;publish my scores online&quot; option?.... with such beatable AI opponents... this is truly the only way to go with race games, in order to maintain a longevity long after mastering the AI opponents.

Do I sound wingey? I don't mean to... I love the game.... I really don't buy a lot of game software, as I don't wish to spend the same amounts of time on games that I did when I was a kid.

Still this is only version 1.0.... could get better yet, if we just get some suggestions to the developer.

I give this a B+... But only because I know that an A would be admitting that it is just perfect, and I would like to see the developer aim just a touch higher

American Football v Rugby

American Football v Rugby

It's interesting that American Football and Rugby are so similar yet so far apart in so many ways.

To us in Europe American Football is a dis-jointed affair played by big guys who need more padding than Joan Cillons, lots of make-up (those funny stripes they paint on to look hard- ooh scary!) and no real fitness level due to the constant breaks to allow TV advertising to ruin the whole game. When I say "us in Europe" I mean me and should not really make a sweeping statement like that:)

To us in Europe Rugby Union (and League) is played by super fit guys who need no real protection and who can get battered, clattered, punched and run constantly for 80 minutes with only a short break in the middle. The team work involved is immense and it stirs real emotion to see players protecting their team mates at all costs.

So, would an American Footbal team beat a Rugby team at Rugby? Absolutely not, never, it's just not possible.

So, would an American Football team beat a Rugby team at American Football? I'm guessing here but I would say it's not likely once the rugby players have spent 5 minutes (maybe 6:)) reading up on the rules and making up a basic stratedgy.

I think it happened once but I can't remember the results- sadly I suspect the Football boys beat the Rugby boys at American Football and the Rugby guys won at Rugby.

Any thoughts on this?

Posted by Shaun McGill on Thursday, April 01, 2004 at 08:20 PM | Permalink

Comments

All I was trying to do was get you to make your case with substance. It's bad enough that people outside of the US already think we're stupid. That's why I made the comment. I am 100% American and proud of it. Football, or gridiron, is our game.

I'm really surpised at your position on passing within the two games. I've watched my fair share of Rugby and to compare the passing is extremely difficult. Rugby "tosses" the ball underhand and behind a line running perpendicular to the ultimate direction of the ball. Obviously, the backwards pass can be overhand, but that doesn't happen very often. On the other hand, in football, the ball is thrown forward 99.9% of the time into a defense that has prepared to defend against it. Depending on the type of offense(s), the pass play can happen upwards of 75+ times in a single game. If that's not enough passing for you, maybe passing is not what you're really into on the field. I like Rugby, but it just doesn't have the tactical and strategic depth that some of us enjoy within American football. Without that tactical aspect in place, football can look an awful lot like Rugby, hence smear the queer or tackle the man with the ball....

Posted by: 93Metro | Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 06:42 PM

The grand old opry anint so grand anymore

Posted by: Robert C. Cowden | Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 04:42 AM

Fine, but you insulted me by calling me elitist and excepected me not to get pissed? Also you called me a stupid american I assumed you are also an american because you are defending american football.

I did take offense to being called elitist. Maybe I had a bit of a bad day when and maybe my word choice was poor I apoligize for that. That being said NFL is highly tactical but most of the fans dont appreciate that asspect of the sport. Alot of folks argue is how hard the hits are I would arugue that is not as exciting as the vilocity behind those hits, not to metion creative passing, which you see in Rugby League.

Now dont get me wrong I love both Rugby and Rugby League. I love rugby for the internationl context and the excitment that any team can win any day but at heart I am rugby League man and realize that will never have the international context of traditional Rugby.

I am heart broken in I think that a nation like the US who prides it self in tackaling sport should have a rugby team in the top five in the international standings. I believe we are about 20 which is not bad given that it is made up of mostly of american footballesrs who crossover into the sport. I think we should shoot for the top five.

I think this should be national priority.

Posted by: Robert Cowden | Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 01:41 AM

Hey Cowden, we're trying to have an intelligent conversation here about the comparison between football and rugby and you're definitely not adding to it. If you've not figured it out, nobody gives a rats azz whether you believe 3 passes in a row qualifies as a game or not. You are not the maker or judge of games, and unless you have anything of substance to add, you may as well go on your way. Otherwise, you'll continue to look like the another stupid American......and so far, you're looking pretty stupid.

Posted by: 93Metro | Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 06:10 PM

NRL rules NFL sucks Nuff said

Posted by: Robert C. Cowden | Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 01:55 AM

wow shit your getting pretty talked up here... i think you neeeed some back up.... i dont know rugbe but i think football and rugbe are the same boyfriend was trying to prove me wronge and your page helped me thanx kid

Posted by: dev, | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 08:57 PM

Did you just challange me over the Internet? Did you really do that? How old are you?

Posted by: 93Metro | Monday, January 12, 2009 at 06:15 PM

Right I am elitist what you gonna do about it then

Posted by: Robert Cowden | Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 11:51 PM

Icebowl, Fogbowl, Frozen Tundra, Snowgame -

Maybe I have yet to see a rugby game played when the ambient temp was -12C with a windchill factor of -18C, but it's not just size, speed, but playing in ANY and I mean ANY type of weather. The only time they will delay a game is when there's lightening. Other than that, it's GAME ON. I'd like to see rugby players play at Lambeau in January.

Posted by: Sid210 | Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 12:03 AM

Crowden, time to get your nose out of the air. You spout nothing but elitist garbage in support of your choices.....

Posted by: 93Metro | Tuesday, January 06, 2009 at 06:09 PM

Rugby/Rugby League is superior because rugby players are total atheletes. Rugby requirs more skill and dexterity. It has the same international appeal of Soccer. Ever since the forward pass American throwball has dengerated more and more to commerical spectacle that caters to people who have never played the game. The National Fat League is a disgrace and and in my mind has about as much true sporting crediability as professional wrestling. To qualify as a ball game you have to have running and passing qualities and be able to see at least three passes in a row.

I respect all sports you can see at least three passes in a row. I am an American and a lifelong Canterbury Bulldog supporter.

Posted by: Robert Cowden | Friday, January 02, 2009 at 07:17 PM

I was going to post the Ronnie Lott story right after the toughness post, but then I went and researched it to make sure what I had heard was "real". The "real" story is nothing compared to what you probably believe. All I've got to say is don't be disappointed when you find the facts.

As far as my own stories while coaching semi-pro ball, I've popped fingers back in, taped up cuts that required stitches, wrapped knees and ankles that later required surgery and these guys all went back in to play, severe concussions early, finishing the game and then headed off to the hospital. And none of them have been paid a penny to play....

Posted by: Gene | Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 05:43 PM

as far as Andre's question about AF stories about toughness, i cant believe no one has brought up Ronnie Lott amputating part of a finger to play in the playoffs...pretty extreme, but thats how he played the game...this blog has been pretty information for myself, not really knowing much about rugby rules...love the post right below mine btw

Posted by: Z | Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 03:48 AM

We exterior weaken anyone. You got a gratifying sexy pink pornstars pamela anderson saelt forlorn against thumbnail and I was begun to blah in spectator I woke up from a dream, or demeaned her.

Posted by: newacertat | Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 06:41 AM

er.... zinzan was undeniably a hard man though not a particularly big guy - probably 220 pounds and only 1.91m. however he wasn't the famous allblack no.8 who played with a stitched up scrotum and missing teeth, that was wayne 'buck' shelford (another fairly small guy by todays standards - 210lbs and 1.89m) against the French in 1986.

in my opinion AF and Rugby are both great sports to play and watch. Rugby clearly requires more fitness and the top players are superb athletes. AF however is a short burst sport and therefore the guys bigger and quicker IN GENERAL. they are also able to hit harder IN GENERAL due to the padding they wear.

i'd like to see more japanese sumo wrestlers given a chance to try their luck in the line of scrimmage. i think the two disciplines and therefore the somatotypes they favour are very comparable...

Posted by: Felix | Friday, January 11, 2008 at 11:24 PM

Andre, interesting question. There are indeed some notable examples from AF, such as Jack Youngblood playing in the Super Bowl with a broken leg (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Youngblood), or Steve DeBerg playing quarterback with broken (casted) fingers, but with the pins sticking out, exposed for anyone to grasp. A different, yet compelling example is that of collegian Joe Roth who deliberately played an entire season with fatal cancer, and died within a few weeks of his last game. (See: http://tightwad-hill.blogspot.com/2006/12/50-greatest-golden-bears-14-joe-roth.html)

In the modern game, AF players are generally not allowed to play with critical injuries, despite that many of them would certainly be crazy enough to do so. This is due to several factors, such as legal liability (lawsuits), and the -prevalence of deaths in the sport (at all levels). In addition, in the pro game there exists the heightened desire to protect the expensive assets/players, whereas a generation ago they were not so overpaid. "Live to fight another day" seems to be the watchword, although players today still sneak certain injuries past the doctors sometimes, and play when they really shouldn't.

I'm an old-school believer in keeping the game tough, but I do agree with the modern sense of caution in this area. Zin Zan Brooke must be one tough son of a gun, and is to be admired for his grit, but if I were his coach I'd probably disallow him from re-entering a game with missing teeth and a torn nutsack.

Posted by: Rollie | Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 11:26 AM

I can't comment on the hardness of American Footballers but the game looks as violent as any played on earth. An example of hardness within rugby would be Zin Zan Brooke. In one game he had teeth knocked out, and his scrotum cut open. He went off the field for 10 minutes to have it sewn back up and then went out to finish the game. This is a man who truly defined courage and mana (honour). Any stories like that from AF?

Posted by: Andre Dent | Friday, December 28, 2007 at 01:23 PM

Excellent, balanced analysis, Silver Surfer. Your description of the rugby 5/8 position as the counterpart to the AF quarterback is apt, and leads me to suggest that rugby players and AF players are counterparts in general. The toughest individuals will seek out the toughest sports, and in America you'll find them on the gridiron, and in rugby-playing countries you'll find them on the pitch. It's simply a question of opportunity, and for this and other reasons I agree that it's ineffective to compare respective toughness levels.

It's also interesting that toughness finds a way to persist, even despite historical safety measures adopted in these sports. For example, while the extensive padding used in AF may have reduced deaths and other calamitous injuries, it's also provided an opportunity to greatly intensify the style of play. The game has become more violent. AF players hit much, much harder then ever before, and the padding serves as weaponry in service of violence as much as it serves as protection against it.

Likewise, I'm told that the modern use of soft protection in rugby is leading to new and more aggressive techniques, because the noggin and other vital parts are now better protected, and the player can take more chances. This would make sense.

I liked your comments about Aussie rules. Some years ago I was in Australia and got to know some AR/rugby players who'd taken up AF, called "gridiron" down there. I played both sports with them and, as you'd suspect, some skills carried over from one sport to the other, but for the most part everyone was so much better playing his native game, and less likely to be injured, too. But no difference in toughness, I'll emphasize.

Posted by: Rollie | Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 04:02 AM

Interesting to see the thoughtful comments and then the lunacy from the American (carina, was it?) "we saved your faggot candy asses in two world wars" type bullshit (I guess that kind of stuff is why a lot of people are down on a certain type of dopey Americans, especially as it shows a great deal of ignorance). Grow a brain. Those from outside the US who think AF isn't a tough sport need a reality check too.

Here's the truth: there are four major collision sports played in the style of rugby or gaelic football and all with an oval ball, which is hardly the most user friendly shape in sport and presents its own special problems (more on that later).

The two closest in terms of the hits and the style of the game are American Football and Rugby League (the 13-man code and a totally different game to Rugby, which is played with 15).

AF and RL have become a bit like chess games, largely because they no longer involve a constant contest for the ball. Both require a team to hit the ball up from a set-piece to gain yards, and to bank mainly on planned moves to break the line/gain yards/score. If unsuccesful, both require a team to hand over the ball to the opposing side in most situations after completing a set number of tackles/downs.

Both also allow for the defence to set up in anticipation from the set piece (scrimmage, scrum, tackle, kick-off), which means attacking players are often near cut in half. RL players use very soft foam padding and sometimes a foam helmet. These are only capable of stopping a bit of bruising and the odd soft tissue injury. The hits are very hard!

The RL (and Rugby) equivalent of the quarter back is the five-eighth, or the fly half, as they call them in south africa and the northern hemisphere.

Anyone who doesn't understand the correlation with the QB and the skills required by a 5/8 in terms of controlling the game and opening up gaps and scoring opportunities whilst at risk of being broken in half shouldn't even be commenting on the thread.

RL and AF are both stop-start games. In my view, RL players are better athletes because of the whole range of skills required, and the hits made and received. Many of these players are in the 250-300lb range too.

AF players may require more understanding of strategy, and as for toughness levels, I'd say the hits in AF and RL have about the same devastating impact at the top level. As a former rugby league player, if I could've worn pads and a helmet I would have! It is, however, a bit like comparing apples to oranges even though they are very similar games and have evolved from original 15-man rugby down a very similar track. Body shapes are similar too. In RL backs tend to be smaller and a bit more wiry, except for some centres who are the main runners of the ball, whilst the forwards are big tough fellas. All are very fit as they need to play for a full 80 mins unless replaced by those on the bench.

Rugby players (the 15-man game) are all different shapes and sizes. In the forwards, a front-row forward (big, wide, heavy and often with lower body height) is a very different shape to say a very tall number 8 or a second rower. The backs are different shapes and sizes too. A half-back will be smaller and probably a shade slower over 100m than a winger, but probably broader as he gets hit 100 times a game as he's playing around the ruck all the time (in close). A 5/8 needs to be clever and wily and possess the greatest range of skills of any player on the field (much like a QB in AF) and will be hunted, especially by the flankers who are probably the men who really could make a go of AF. In this case though, it is like comparing apples to passionfruit. Rugby players are very tough, but the contact is different to AF and much of it is in close at the contest (tackle, which is the one constant in rugby) or in broken field play, which means it also comes hard from the side, behind, or over the top of your body while you're on the ground, etc. At the top level, they might be the second fittest players of any of the collision sports after RL. But certainly, for the most part, the hits in AF would be fiercer. However, there's a lot more of 'em in 15-man Rugby.

The last of these games - and the least, in my opinion - is Australian Rules football, which is a misnomer because really, there aren't that many rules.

Here, the game really is a constant contest for the ball, and the very shape of it causes injuries: when it bounces all over the place at high speed, and players are focused on posession, there are bodies coming from all kinds of unexpected angles. It's very disconcerting on a hard ground hearing studs belting across hard, dry drought-affected grass from four different angles, and there's only one that you can see. Facial injuries are common, and most Aussie Rules players have small scars all over their faces.

It's also played on a huge, wide oval ground, 150m or more long, over four 20 minute quarters (with time always added in each for stoppages), by two teams of 18, which means players have to be incredibly fit. They have to be the fittest of these four groups of players.

Standard operating proceedure in Australian Football is for someone to hoist a ball up that flies 70m and is hit so high it comes down with moisture on it, and a gaggle of players gather underneath to catch it whilst belting the shit out of each other. The one who gets it is usually the one who has used an opponent's kidneys as a stepladder to go up for it. These are immensely big and powerful men mostly, and the collisions can be extremly dangerous although there are fewer of them because of the more open nature of the game. Apples and bananas this time. Different game, again ...

So who's toughest? Anyone who will willingly walk onto a football field knows they are going to get the shit belted out of them in any one of these four sports.

In my book, that makes all of 'em tough.

Posted by: silver surfer | Sunday, November 25, 2007 at 02:01 PM

I'll go out on a limb here. The running back position is probably the most simple position to learn in AF, but on tomp of that, it usually requires the most instinct to be successful. Not every UnderArmor guy is successful playing the position. It would probably be the one position that a Rugby guy could have the most success the quickest at the pro level (and I'm talking about your top level Rugby leagues and the NFL. In fact, I'd be surprised if the small list of players you list were the only ones that could play in the NFL after a little training. On the other hand, I would bet all the money in the world that no lifelong Rugby player could ever, and I mean ever, play QB in the NFL. You don't have enough time to master throwing, timing, and reading defenses to play in the NFL. On the otherhand, Rugby doesn't have that kind of a skilled position.

Posted by: Gene | Tuesday, November 06, 2007 at 12:29 AM

ROllie a agree it wouldnt happen over night it would take adjustments but players as Lomu ,Joe Rokocoko, Lote Tiquri these kinds of players posses all the right attributes to be devastating runners in both codes.

As i said running back and punters are the only positions i believe rugby players could fill in without any previous experience once having preseason training or something soething like that..

ALso Rugby also can be as complex as AF..and there positions are as specialised as in AF!!! You said that you have Rugby before im not sure if that was in the US or perhaps europe..If the US im assuming its still fearly amateaur playing there (i guess so is Europe compared to us Southern Hemisphere guys in NZ Aussie or SA lol just joking)
But each player has his own job ..positions from 1-8 task of scrums..as a collective group positions from 1-8 are known as a pack or the forward pack. average weight is around 850-900 kgs almost 1 tonne

these 8 players are also whats called a line out poistions 4 & 5 are usaully over 6'6 and need this hieght for taking the lineout (so line out calls need to be made to create formations also positions 6,7,8 which are flankers and 8 is called # 8 which are around the 6'3 size also can take lineouts. these line out calls are used to know which player to throw to whether at the front or the back or the middle also calls made to know who will be lifting the player so he can jump jump higher its all to confuse the opposition who are also trying to contest it and steal the throw ) player # 2 throws the ball over his head for the players to catch the ball..if the throw is not straight its a free kick (oppositions ball they can either kick it, run or have a scrum)

The scrum is one of the most dangerous set piece in the game simply because if it collapsed can break the necks of players 1,2 and 3 which has happend numerous times which caused the IRB (International Rugby Board which is like the world rucgy governing body) in 2006 to changed the rules to reduce the space between the players before they collide to reduce the impact.. once players collide ball is put through the side whih make a tunnel like shape for the # 2 to hook (kick) the ball behind him where the pack push over the ball so it ends up behind the pack where the half back can pick it up and pass or what ever

6 & 7 Flankers whose primary job is to defend and steal the ball once the tackle area becomes a formal ruck (you can only steal the ball when on your feet and only before the ruck has formed if the attacking player doesnt release when the defender is trying to rip out of your hands its a penalty) Using your hands to steal while not on your feet or not entering the ruck through the gate (from the front of the ruck) results in a penalty. These players have a similar job to LB's!!!

thats just players from 1-8 only half the team so each player has there own jobs similar to AF..however as mentiolned everyplayer needs to know how to pass, run, defend the back line need to know how to kick.

So each player i specialised in there own position. if rugby is as simple as AF as was said to be then hey AF players must have be brain waves to play AF..

Rugby in NZ and Aussie is simply Rugby maybe in Aussie is more known as Rugby UNion or simply union only because rugby league is big as well.

Posted by: mAORIbOY_19 | Saturday, November 03, 2007 at 02:27 AM

TomTom GO review

Clove unwittingly chose the most qualified person in the world to review the TomTom GO.. You see, I was born with a complete lack of any sense of direction- ask me to walk to the end of a street and I will end up at the wrong end, ask me to drive to a place I don't know and I will have to plan it in minute detail for hours on end and I still usually get lost. I met Chris from Clove the other day to talk about the web site and ways in which we could both help PDA247 Club members and the site visitors and guess what happened? He was waiting in the hotel he told me to go to whilst I was sat in another one altogether... All quite embarrassing considering I am highly intelligent, a good communicator, modest (!) and yet I still find myself looking like a chump because directions and place names just seem to pass me by.

I have never tried GPS before so I was looking forward to see if it would help me with my lifelong problem.

WHAT YOU GET

The TomTom GO comes in a rather nice looking large black box which makes the device itself look even smaller (the one on the TomTom site is white). There's loads of protection so you needn't worry about ordering online and having it delivered. In the box you get-

The TomTom GO

Carry Case

AC Adaptor (with several international pin adaptors)

SD Card containing your map data

Installation poster (shows how to install it into your car)

Installation CD (contains PC connection software and extra maps)

DC Power Lead (for in car charging)

USB Data Cable (for PC connection)

Instruction Manual

Registration Card

It's quite possible to get up and running without the manual as it's all so easy to use. This brings me on to my next point and the one that gives it the advantage over the PDA GPS products.

EASE OF USE

On the physical side you attach the mount to your windscreen by simply pushing the suction section to your windscreen and pulling a small lever back. This creates a vacuum which ensures a very tight fit- at no point during my testing did the mount come loose. Attaching the TomTom GO to the mount is just as easy- push a button on the front and slot it in place then let the button go. This took a few goes to perfect but once you know how it becomes second nature.

The TomTom GO itself is a joy to use- you can choose to manually enter a destination by choosing a town, then road name and then the house or building number. You can also enter a post code which works well, once you have the general area from the code then putting the road in sorts your route. There's a recent destination list which holds the places you recently visited (obviously:))- the advantage of this is that you just need to taps on the screen for it to work out the route for you. The one small drawback is that the on screen keyboard is a-z rather than QWERTY but this is minor considering what this device can do.

Basically you can plot a route on your second try with no hassle at all and this is one reason it's so practical.

There's no wires to connect, no PDA to sit in it's cradle or extra GPS module to slap on the dashboard- it really is a case of 'plot, plug and go' (tomtom now have a new cheesy advertising slogan:))

IN USE (ACCURACY)

My wife and I decided we would take Tom to Corfe Castle whilst we were in Bournemouth as we had never visited it before despite having lived in the town for over 25 years previously. I found her asking her Mum and Dad how to get there the next morning and he was busily drawing the route on a map that looked as old as Corfe itself. I entered the room and advised them that help was no longer required- held up the tomtom, slight glint from teeth (ching!) and tomtom man had arrived to guide his family safely to their destination.

They laughed and gave Jo the map. Her mother then said we should go to Kimmeridge Bay as well which is supposed to be lovely but that "it wouldn't be listed in that thing." Well it was and for once in my life I was not busy planning the route and leaving loads of extra time to get there.

After about 5 minutes in the car my wife was starting to see the TomTom GO in a more favourable light- "that is amazing..." was her first comment. The directions were spoken by Jane (a lovely sounding English lady) and they were announced in good time- "300 yards to roundabout, cross roundabout and take second exit..." and so it went on with the screen being a much more useful help than I expected. The 3D view is quite simple but gives an excellent overview of your correct position.

The screen itself is bright and very clear and at no point did I have trouble viewing it even though it was a lovely sunny day. The only problem  we had was my four year old son repeating everything she said which we can hardly blame on tomtom:) Threatening him with going straight home solved that little problem...

Needless to say we found our destination and were literally guided to the front door although as you can see from the picture Corfe Castle no longer has a front door.

As we spent the day wandering around old ruins my wife advised me that we MUST have a TomTom GO. The change in opinion from an hour before was no real surprise because it really does take the stress out of planning a trip and you are no longer tired before you get there from having to see which lane to get in, reading road signs that require 20:20 vision and the arguments that usually occur between man and wife who both blame each other for the rest of the day.

It was the same story on the way home- just choose ‘navigate to’ and then ‘home’ and away we went.

The only slight issue I could see was that now and then it had problems deciding what was the correct distance from a roundabout or junction. I’m sure it over-estimated distances on occasion but my wife assured me it was perfectly correct. Maybe it was just me but either way it did not hinder the accuracy of getting to the desired location.

The next day we visited Lulworth Cove and had the same experience and the day after driving through Winchester to see if it is a town worth living in was also a pleasure. We could drive around the whole town and not have to worry about finding our way back onto the motorway- when the time came to leave I just tapped 'navigate to home' and we were on our way.

PRACTICALITY

The battery life is excellent and so far I have not had to use the in car charger at all. There's a good night view which adjusts the colours to not intrude on your night time driving and the manual is one of the best I have read to date- it's clear, simply written and complements everything’s that's good about the TomTom GO itself.

One feature which will help pay for your investment is the 'Avoid Roadblock' feature which can be set to check for back up traffic as far as 5000m ahead. It will then calculate an alternative route which will hopefully guide you around the slow moving traffic. If you are like me and ever use the M25 this could save a lot of petrol...

I have a meeting in the centre of London on Thursday and I will be taking the TomTom GO with me. It may sound daft but this is another advantage of using an all in one device that is so small. Just turn the volume right down and let it guide you from the tube station to the building you need to get to. Historically I have had terrible problems in London but this should solve that one as well:)

EXTRA FEATURES

You would probably fall asleep if I listed all of the TomTom's features so I will mention a couple of highlights not covered so far-

PC Connectivity which allows you to back up your favourite locations and settings, add and remove maps, add extra voice prompts and even a different language (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German and another which I could not work out were pre-loaded on mine which is very impressive). You can change the voices as well- Jane sounded rather sexy and actually so did Tim who sounded like a Newsreader (just to clarify it was my wife who thought 'he' sounded sexy:))

You can also purchase extra maps for installation onto the included SD card or if you travel a lot internationally then a bigger SD card may be a worthwhile purchase.

CONCLUSION

You can probably guess where this is going because I couldn't really find a fault with the device. The screen can get a bit fingerprinty but they even include a bloody screen wipe! Maybe a screen protector of some kind would be useful to stop that but I wonder if it would reduce the clearness of the display.

It's rare that I get the chance to review a product that has such a beneficial effect on the way I live but this is one. No longer will I have to spend hours planning routes to get to a meeting and then get lost and look like the idiot who is late (again!), we can take the kids out to many different places (we even joined the National Trust last week because of this machine) and my stress levels have reduced which can only be a good thing.

Remember, because this device is so small and a stand alone unit anyone in the family can use it or a business could buy one that can be swapped around it's employees when needed- this would save a lot of work time and it also improves safety considerably (how many of us have driven whilst reading the map on the passenger seat?) When you think of those points the price is more than reasonable.

Full details of the TomTom GO are available here and I have no hesitation is recommending this outstanding product or the company selling it. Clove are providing excellent support and ideas to PDA247 (most of it behind the scenes) and their attitude to customer service is something I have tried to emulate though the PDA247 club and the site in general- every email gets a personal response and we hope to give excellent value for money and a service you will remember.

The TomTom GO is by far the most complete and useful piece of technology I have seen to date and that includes all of the PDAs I have reviewed. I shall be phoning Clove tomorrow with my credit card details- no way on earth are they having this baby back!!!

Interview with Danny Wong- from Toysoft Development Inc.

When was Toysoft formed and how many people are involved in the company?

Toysoft Development Inc. was formed in 1996 as a consulting company by myself working on the Windows platform. I did alot of Amiga programming until 1999. There are two employees at Toysoft including myself. We also use local contactors.

What was the first piece of Palm software you made and what has been your most successful to date?

The first ever application I wrote was TapOMania. A very simple game back in 1999. Actually we have several successful titles such as mySchedule NFL scheduler and stats tracker, myWorkbench file manager, LightNzip zip application and wavAlarm sound replacement.

What program are you most proud of and what's the best piece of feedback you have received?

I'm really proud of myWorkbench. It is an excellent file manager with tons of features. As of today no other file manager comes close to functionalties and features compared to myWorkbench. We have worked very hard each update to give more features. It is a very matured product. We get alot of feedbacks. Most users only use a couple of features in myWorkbench such as backup and restore. They just can't live without backing up their data daily.

What's your favourite non-Toysoft Palm application and game?

I use Avantgo daily to catchup on news. I don't play games on my Palm ;) Just don't have time.

You are stuck on a desert island: what book, song and sentimental item would you take?

I don't read books. Maybe my bicycle.

What PDA do you use and why?

Mainly the Tungsten T. We have several PDAs but the TT is the choice.

If you could change one thing about Toysoft what would it be?

There isn't anything I would like to change. I like what we are doing. Giving the Palm community quality and exciting applications.

What one feature would you like to see in a future PDA?

I'm pretty happy right now with the Tungsten series. As a developer I would like to see PalmOne/PalmSource open up more resources to developers.

Will the SmartPhone kill the PDA or will it become the next PDA?

Many people have predicted the end of PDA when the first wave of Smartphones came out and yet PDAs are strong. Maybe smartphone will eventually replace the PDA but not in the near furture. It is not mature enough yet.

Anything you would like to add??

Yes! Look for more and exciting new products from Toysoft in 2004. We are mobile innovation. Come and check us out at our website www.toysoft.ca

My thanks to Danny for taking the time to do this interview- Toysoft have been very helpful to PDA247 and have been long time advertisers on the site:)

Why Can't I Change?

A colleague at work recently won a Toshiba e740 Pocket PC in a competition but decided that he would have no use for it. Being the kind of guy I am I offered him some money to take it off his hands nd we were both happy (especially me:))

I'm not really sure why I purchased it as I already own an NX70V, a 1GB MS Pro, a $100 leather case for it, spare cradle, extra memory sticks, Bluetooth MS, chrome styluses, modified Stowaway keyboard and so much registered software it would be impossible to list here. This would be a very difficult package to replace and whilst it would no doubt fetch a good price on eBay it would probably not reach the value it should.

I guess the curiosity factor got to me... again! I have owned 5 Pocket PCs in the past and none of them for more than 2 weeks- of course the fact that I was guaranteed an easy profit on eBay for this one helps:)

So, I started with a quick browse through Handango and must say that my initial reaction was that there are some VERY smart applications and games available for the PPCs. Take a look at 'Journal Bar' which does the following:-

It sits in your today screen and displays your local weather forecast, updated news and sport, movie reviews and a whole host of other information chosen by you This is all updated each time you run an ActiveSync- brilliant! Sort of like an AvantGo merged with a Weather Manager on hand all of the time.

This review at Handango also caught my eye- "I am a relatively new user of a Toshiba e335 Pocket PC, and recently bought your Journal Bar and Battery Pack. What amazing "little" products!!! I absolutely cannot believe how such small programs can provide such extraordinarily usefully, real-time information in an elegantly simple, easy-to-acess desktop design. I could go on and on, but suffice it say . . . they're brilliant. Total common sense stuff. My whole hearted congratulations on two REQUIRED TOOLS now for my Pocket PC. By the way, I have been a Palm V user for the past four years and it finally "gave up" on me. In shopping around I decided to go with the Pocket PC OS. Boy am I glad. What a far superior systems, since I am a businessman and link it to everything on my computer system in the office (MS Office, Outlook, MS Money)."

The next item to catch my eye was Interstellar Flames which is a game I played for a while on a Sharp Zaurus. Unfortunately it's Pocket PC cousin falls well short of the Linux version in that I found it quite unresponsive with a poor control mechanism which could be partly down to hardware design.

I was struck by the number of games on the site which looked fantastic in the screenshots but didn't exactly perform when on the Pocket PC (even with a 400Mhz processor). Anyway, the games are not the reason I put it back in it's box after only 2 hours...

The hardware side of this device is actually quite nice- the casing feels solid enough for everyday use and it is very thin which is surprising considering it takes a Comapct Flash card and SD card for expansion. My one criticism would be the width of the device which made it feel just a touch uncomfortable in the hand.

The reason I keep returning to the Clie is not clear to me- it's one of two:-

1/ The Clie is a superior design, runs the superior Palm OS and has all the extras I want- video camera, MP3 player etc.

2/ Maybe I am just too used to the Palm OS to move to a Pocket PC device. I had a similar experience when trying out a Tungsten T for an extended period- it was a very nice machine and worked very well but when I had a play with my NX again I jumped back in the blink of an eye. It was like returning home:)

In my opinion the Pocket PC OS is not good at all- it's cumbersome and a memory hog which affects system performance greatly, it's far from user friendly and to this day many of the day to day used features are still not accessable quickly without third party software. The third party software available contrasts in a good and bad way compared to the Palm offerings available:-

Good: Some very impressive programs are available and many of the applications have been developed with real attention to detail and some nice innovation (such as Journal Bar)

Bad: Very little freeware available (comparitively) and the good programs tend to cost more than their Palm OS equivalents

I'm still convinced that if I had moved from a Psion to a Pocket PC first then I would probably view the Palm OS as too simple for my needs. You will see many, many Pocket PC v Palm arguments on forums and there is no winner- the fact is that the majority of people will argue for what they are used to and will presume that their PDA and it's OS are superior because they cannot master the other one quickly (that includes me:))

The only flaw in my conclusion is that no matter how much I use and love the Palm OS when I play with a Psion (even if I have not touched one for 6 months) it still stands out as the better machine for me and probably always will... Maybe that's because I used a Psion before any other PDA and thus it probably supports my conclusion after all- or does it?

Interview with David Harfield- Editor of PDA Essentials Magazine

1/ Tell us a bit about PDA Essentials- how many people are involved in it's production, how hectic it can get to meet your deadlines and what you love most about your job as Editor?

PDA Essentials started life as a one-off magazine, spinning off from an existing title called PC Essentials. It pleasantly surprised everyone at what was then Paragon Publishing by outselling its big brother! Soon enough it had a dedicated magazine team consisting of myself, Andy Betts the staff writer, Dale Pratley the designer and Claire Frost the Sub Editor. There's also a chap by the name of Trevor Ford who sells the advertising. As well as the in-house team, there are four or five regular freelance contributors who are old hands at the handheld game. They're probably familiar names to some, Steve Litchfield, Steve Turczyn, Andy Nott and Sandra Vogel. Generally, hitting deadlines shouldn't be a problem if I'm doing my job correctly, but Sod's Law states that if something can go wrong, it will, so we sometimes end up putting in some late nights during the last week of the schedule. But we haven't gone late to the printers for some six months now. What do I love most about being an editor? Definitely writing about the technology - I love doing the hardware reviews even though I don't actually have the chance to write them each issue - Sandra Vogel usually writes them. And getting hold of the latest kit before anyone else has had a chance to play with it! I've also enjoyed the fact that I've been on the mag since day one, watching it grow and develop into what is now a very established title.

2/ Do you consider the magazine to be successful and are you committed to continuing this publication?

Absolutely. I'm totally committed to continuing the mag because otherwise I'm on the dole! Although I guess I could win the Lottery or something. Seriously though, I do consider the mag to be successful - the sales have risen something like 46% over the last year or so - and while people still want to buy it, we'll make it the best product that we can. Sales are still on the up too…

3/ What PDA do you use and why?

I did have a T3 but it fell out of my pocket when I was celebrating a last minute equaliser by my beloved Southampton FC at the weekend. Now the screen is cracked and I'm not sure if Palm will replace it or not. I'm definitely a Palm-powered PDA user and I got the T3 because I was really impressed with the screen, amount of RAM and processor power. As well as doing all the boring work stuff, the multimedia capabilities mean I can have some fun with it too. I did use it as an MP3 player and the reason I took it to a football match in the first place was so I could play Kinoma videos of classic goals to my mates in the pub before the game. Now it's sat on my desk with a big crack in the digitiser… I'm gutted… Bugger. Shaun: Oh- if I had known you supported Southampton this interview may have never even started...:)

4/ This will be difficult to answer but can you guess as to how many hours work goes into each edition?

Right….. we do a 37.5 hour week for three weeks then, if all's going well, we'll do about a 45 hour week in the last week of schedule. So multiply that by the four team members and you've got something like 630 hours. That's a long time - I'd never worked that out before…

5/ Are you pleased that Psion are re-entering the PDA world with their Linux devices and do you expect them to once again be a major force in this market?

I'm actually a relative newbie to the PDA, as I started using a handheld just over two years ago when I was asked to edit the magazine (I was editor of PC Basics at the time). As such, I never really used a Psion so I've never really missed them. However, there is still a huge user-base and the fact that we still feature Psion content in the magazine (written by Steve Litchfield) is testament to this. I still get a lot of correspondence from Psion readers, so there is definitely a market for new devices out there.

6/ What's the best song you have ever heard and your favourite book?

That's tricky, probably "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield (RIP), or maybe "Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols. Favourite books at the moment are the four books known as the "Red Riding Quartet" by David Peace, very dark stuff though.

7/ If you could invent one future PDA feature what would it be?

Screens that don't bloody crack when you drop them! Or a super-fast Internet connection.

8/ Give us 3 reasons why my visitors should take a look at PDA Essentials and what's the best piece of feedback you have received for the magazine.

It's the only newstand magazine dedicated to handheld computing It features a great selection of pre-tested software on the cover disc including free full-version programs It's packed with hints, tips and advice to help PDA users get more from their devices"It's getting better with every issue" , a comment that appeared on our MSN community today

9/ I understand you are based in Bournemouth (my home town)- what do you like most about it?

It's my home town too. It's got great beaches, beautiful countryside and it's good fun. It's not full of old people as some folk wrongly believe. Come the summer, there's a real party atmosphere to the place.

10/ Anything you would like to add...?

Keep an eye on the mag this year, we've got some really exciting things planned. Oh, and don't take your PDA to football matches…

My thanks to Dave for taking the time to do this interview. If you want to find out more about PDA Essentials just get yourself along to your local newsagents, visit their site or their MSN Community.

Interview with Mike Rohde- founder of The Palm Tipsheet

Why did you decide to start the Palm Tipsheet, when did you first start it and how many subscribers do you have at the moment?

I decided to start the Palm Tipsheet because I've always enjoyed finding gems of information and sharing those gems with other people. As a kid I enjoyed creating my own newspapers and selling drawings I'd done, so this was a natural thing for me. My interest in handhelds, writing, the Internet and email all converged to provide the basis for the newsletter. I first started the Tipsheet in late 1997 as a little email newsletter written and sent to about 10 handheld using friends and family members. It was a fun, easy, inexpensive way to share the latest software and hardware announcements as well as the new ways I'd found to use my Pilot 1000. It was quite irregular at first, then I made it a quarterly and finally, in May 2000, I began publishing the Palm Tipsheet on a monthly basis. At this time I started heavily promoting each Palm Tipsheet issue on mailing lists and popular Palm-related websites like PalmStation, Palm Infocenter, PDA Geek and Visor Central. I began with about 10 subscribers to my personally-sent email version; currently the email newsletter has 10,790 worldwide subscribers and that doesn't take into account readers of the HTML, mobile, Doc, iSilo and Plucker versions of the Tipsheet.

What were your original intentions for it and do you think it has been successful?

My original intentions were to inform a few good Palm-using friends about the latest updates and share cool things I'd learned about my Pilot 1000. However, as it progressed, I realized the newsletter could easily be expanded (via the Internet) to a much larger international audience. When I realized this, I began a little PR work and it's been growing ever since. I write and publish the Palm Tipsheet to help other Palm handheld users make the very most of their Palm handhelds, and I think it does just that. I feel great satisfaction in squeezing every ounce of capability from the things I own and this is part of my drive to help others do the same. If I can help someone else to feel they have fully explored, used up and sucked dry their current handheld by upgrade time, I'm a happy guy. Because I have many international friends, I also had the intention of reaching an international audience. I wanted to keep in mind the international perspective, since the US perspective is already well covered by Palm-related sites. This evolved into each month's international Palm user interviews, which I really love. I've learned of so many new Palm apps this way and I especially enjoy hearing what Palm use and acceptance is like in other countries and how each user applies a handheld to their needs. Financially, I'm not so concerned about what profits come from the Tipsheet as that's not the point for me. I write because I love to write -- it keeps my mind and thinking fresh and helps me to grow and learn more about handhelds. I do earn a few dollars from affiliates, reader donations and targeted banner ads, but it doesn't even start to cover the hours invested. But I'm ok with that because it's fun to do and I'm bringing enjoyment, help and delight to others through my work. As far as I'm concerned, that's a success.

If you could have done something different what would it be?

Maybe I would have started writing and promoting the Tipsheet much sooner. I had a gap between early 1998 and early 2000 where the newsletter and site languished a bit and now I wish I'd have started going sooner... but I have no regrets.

Why did you decide to buy a Clié and when did you buy your first PDA (and > what machine was it)?

Oddly enough, I was a pretty happy Handspring Deluxe owner since May 2000, until we bought a Clié 610 series for my wife in January 2002. At the time, I felt I didn't need the upgrade, as the Visor worked fine. I had all my accessories organized and had the machine setup and tuned perfectly. Well, I should never underestimate the power or Clié using family and friends, nor close proximity of a nice new Palm handheld! After playing with Gail's Clié and talking with my friend Andy in London (a Clié 770 user) I became curious. When I began seeing the difference between my muddy green screen and Gail's bright, hi-res color one... well, I thought maybe a Clié might be my next step. Then I realized that writing with WordSmith and a foldable keyboard would be much easier on a Clié with the hi-res screen. Also, reading with iSilo would improve, especially in less than perfectly lit environments. I then heard the 610 had great battery life for a color machine. Lastly, I was interested in an intermediate handheld which could meet my needs until it's time to upgrade to a handheld with OS 5. So, I found a refurbished silver Clié 610 on eBay and bought it. My very first PDA was a Pilot 1000, bought on sale for $100 in June 1997. I had been given a demo of a Pilot 1000 by a friend of mine while in Germany and was interested in Newtons prior to that (but never bought one). I fully intended to use the Pilot's 30 day money back guarantee offered with it if the novelty wore off -- but within 3 days I was completely sold! :-)

Do you have plans to make a tipsheet for any other platforms such as > Pocket PC etc.

Nope. I'm a dedicated Palm OS guy and haven't the interest, time or energy to expand into the Pocket PC or any other areas.

Do you have any specific plans for Clié related articles in the future?

Yes, in fact I'm planning an article about my transition from a Handspring Visor Deluxe to Sony Clié 610 in the June 2002 issue. 2 years ago, when I converted from a PalmPilot Pro to the Visor I wrote an article about the experience and thought it would be interesting to do the same for my Visor to Clié transition. I'll likely be mentioning Clié-related items a bit more in the Notable Links area, as that really reflects not only the news, but what I find interesting in the Palm handheld community.

Where do you see the PDA industry going- will one platform become dominant and if so who?

I think the PDA industry is still very much in its infancy and will grow significantly in the next 5 years. Just look how much growth and change we've seen in the last 5 years! I see PDA makers beginning to specialize -- in other words, there will not be one device that holds the market, but many devices holding the market together. One size fits one rather than one size fits all. Michael Mace at PalmSource, Inc. spoke about this trend in his keynote speech at the PalmSource conference in February 2002. I think he's right on. In fact, we're already seeing evidence of this. Handspring, Kyocera and Samsung are aiming at phone-plus-pda users; HandEra is focused on business and super-users, Sony is clearly aiming at consumers and Palm is looking to enterprise. This is completely different from Microsoft's one size fits all approach with the PocketPC. Certainly the devices may look a bit different cosmetically and offer a few differing options, but essentially Pocket PC handhelds are all the same -- same screen size, hardware specs and prices. As far as who will be dominant -- I'm optimistic about the Palm OS and believe it will hold on to the majority of the market. Why? Let me share my reasons: 1) Sony. I think Sony saved Palm, coming up with a great line of handhelds at just the right time (remember the dim-screened m505?). Sony's handhelds seem able to match and exceed the flash factor that Pocket PC devices rely on, while maintaining the solid organizer core of the Palm OS. Sony is also able to evolve handhelds incredibly quickly -- faster than any Palm OS or Pocket PC maker can -- and each handheld they release is better than the last! Finally, Sony has the money, market presence and insight into the consumer's mindset which keeps them on top in all other areas -- a real key to defending the Palm OS from Pocket PC assaults. 2) Palm OS 5 and ARM chips. While I think the OS 5 upgrade is late, Sony's presence in the Palm OS market has allowed OS 5 and ARM chips to sustain a delay and still have a significant impact. Developers are excited about OS 5 and ARM because of the power and relative ease of porting apps to the new hardware/OS. I think once this phase is in full swing, things will get really interesting. 3) I think the multi-faceted approach by various licensees is a good thing for the Palm OS, as it makes a defeat by Microsoft much harder to attain. Many targets exist, rather than one larger target. This seems most apparent when you compare the single-minded focus of MS compared to the multi-focus of Palm handheld makers. This is also an advantage because Palms have low and high price points, while Pocket PCs are all at high price points. 4) Software. I'm constantly surprised by the amount of creative, high quality software solutions available for Palm handhelds. Palm's open door approach toward developers is the reason why thousands of cool apps for Palm handhelds exist. I think this trend will continue to bolster Palm's development dominance against Pocket PC. 5) Palm 'gets' organizers -- Microsoft doesn't. Palm OS devices work much better as full-time organizers you can (and want to) take everywhere, because the Palm OS is an organizer at its core. The Palm's combo of powerful PIM tools, long battery life and the option to expand, in a small, simple to use package are still very attractive features for many people. I think these reasons give the Palm OS an edge. I suppose we'll see how things shake out, but I think Microsoft is beatable. Even though MS has oodles of cash to throw around -- people tend to use what works well and I think Palm handhelds work well.

What specific feature would you like to see in the next generation PDA's?

I'm excited by wireless technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11b for HotSync and wireless web access. I think these two protocols built into new handhelds would offer many new options for users, not to mention, limiting the number of ugly cables connected to my Mac Powerbook!

What's you favourite music artist and song?

I like all sorts of music, but love especially love Jazz. In particular, I would choose Miles Davis and the song 'All Blues', from his album 'Kind of Blue' as my favorite song. Excellent stuff.

How long do you spend on the tipsheet on average per month?

I figure 20-30 hours, but it depends on what's happening in the Palm community and if I or a guest writer are writing for the issue. I've been trying to streamline the process -- I hope to shave 2-3 hours off my time. Shaun, thanks so much for the opportunity to interview with Clié World! I hope your site continues to grow and prosper.

Great interview! This man really knows his stuff which explains why the Palm Tipsheet is such a good read- visit the Tipsheet web site to sign up (it's free to do so by the way).

Psion 5mx v Sony Clie N770CU v Nokia 9210

Psion 5mx v Sony Clie N770CU v Nokia 9210

Thought it would be nice to do a comparitive review of the PDA's I currently own- although I'm comparing 3 very different machines after a lot of thought I came up with a surprising winner.

Psion 5mx

I have used Psions for the past 10 years ever since I purchased an original 128kb Psion Series 3 in 1991. I steadily upgraded through every new machine and finally stayed with a 5mx. I still use it now and have to say that most of it's advantages are hardware related- the keyboard is still the best I have used on a PDA and I type just as quick on it as I do on my Toshiba laptop. It's solidly constructed and looks (in my opinion) very professional with a unique hinge which slides the keyboard out as you open the unit. The screen is very clear (monochrome) and has en excellent backlight which works well in all conditions. Yes, Psion have moved away from the consumer market and this machine lacks some features that are seen in a lot of modern PDA's- colour screen, MP3, video playback and good quality web clipping to name but a few. It's advantages lie in the overall design and the EPOC OS which is outstanding for generally organising your day to day adventures- it's still the only OS that truly integrates applications which each other i.e. you can put a 'wrod' document into the 'agenda' application with a couple of key presses and the same goes for 'sheet' files, sketches etc. etc. It's main disadvantage is size (sort of)- it is big in comparison to Palms and Pocket PC's but the trade off is an excellent keyboard and the fact that it is still the best PDA to use as a laptop replacement! Pros Keyboard / EPOC OS (Ease and speed of use) / Build Quality Cons Monochrome screen / starting to look a little bit dated / size Portability: 7 OS: 9.5 Ease of use: 9.5 Features: 8.5 Flexibilty: 9 Overall: 8.7

Sony Clie N770CU

Well, here's the machine that inspired me to set up Clie World almost from the day I purchased it. I was using a Palm m505 as my main machine and bought this more out of curiosity than anything else but it was a very good choice and to this day I still marvel at the quality of the screen! Although the Palm OS is not as practical or quick as EPOC in everyday use it is the nearest there is and comes in a much smaller hardware package which has it's own benefits. So why do I use this Clie over the other Palm Powered offerings? Firstly the battery life is quite superb, even when playing MP3's for long periods of time. It also has a feeling of robustness which a machine like the T625 does not have- it feels like it could be dropped from a fair height and survive to play another day. The screen clarity and colour dfefinition are excellent and really show off photos in all their glory. Finally, the MP3 playback sounds wonderful- this may sound over the top but within a few weeks I had sold my Sony mini-disc as this was the only machine I could find to match it's sound quality. It's not all gushing praise and this machine does have it's faults- the screen is easily scrathable and I already have 3 scratches on mine (had never scratched a PDA screen before in 10 years so it's not just me) and it is fairly bulky in comparison to some of the new Palm units but in this review it wins by a mile. Pros Screen quality / MP3 playback / Build quality Cons Data input (Graffiti) / Fragile glass screen / Poor cradle (too light) Portability: 9 OS: 8 Ease of use: 8 Features: 9.5 Flexibilty: 8.5 Overall: 8.6

Nokia 9210

I have only been using this machine for a week but have already managed to ascertain the good and bad points already. The main dissapointment for me is the fact that it has onboard a development of the EPOC OS but the hardware does tend to take away many of the benefits normally associated with EPOC. Although programs like conatacts, agenda, sheet etc. are colour variations of the programs used in the 5mx the screen on the 9210 is just too small to take full advantage of their usability. The processor does not seem fully capable of handling the OS either as there tends to be long waits whilst opening and navigating in some programs. On the good side the keyboard, whilst small, is surprisingly usable and with a small amount of practice I can get up to some fairly quick typing speeds. The combination on a mobile phone and PDA does work well here- it's a pleasant experience sending SMS and email quickly from anywhere you like and to be able to scroll through your contacts and then press 'call' to reach them is nice. The Web application is quick as well with some complex pages loading a lot quicker than with a Clie and standard GSM mobile for instance. One other very useful feature is the hands free function which is superbly implemented- I managed to hold a conversation with my Mother yesterday whilst the phone was open 10 feet away and she thought I was on my land-line. There are many other features which I won't go into here but you can get more information at allabouter6.com. Pros Phone/PDA integration / Keyboard / EPOC OS Cons Size & weight / small screen / speed Portability: 5 OS: 9 Ease of use: 7 Features: 8.5 Flexibilty: 8.5 Overall: 7.6

So the 5mx wins by a very small margin- the choice between these 2 machines is purely down to what the user requires- if you need to input lots of data on the road and want a laptop replacement the 5mx is the one. If portability and MP3 are your main wants the Clie is the one to go for (it has been discontinued though so be quick). Finally- the Nokia 9210, whilst very desirable, does not quite feel like the finished article yet.

Interview with Joel Suplido of Clie Source (now 1src)

Where are you based and which PDA do you currently use (and why)?

I'm based in the island of Guam, USA (13 North latitude and 144 East longitude). I have a Clie T615 because I believe it has the features I want in a PDA: color screen, size and weight, design, and functionality. I used to have a 710 but the MP3 listening I do would usually be done at work (with iTunes) or at home (with Winamp) so I didn't see a reason why I'd keep the 710 (I gave it to my sister as a present). My first PDA was the USRobotics Pilot.

Are you and Reggie related???

Yup. I'm his older brother but he's based in West Virginia, USA. That's the nice thing about the net -- distances mean nothing, and I love it!

Why did you set up Clie Source?

It was set up by my brother because he believed that the Sony Clie is going to be the future dominant Palm PDA. Seeing the 1000+ registered members, I'm happy to see that my brother's vision is on the right track.

How many people work on the site (besides moderators) and how many hours a day do you spend?

It's a hobby of my brother. So it's just him and me. For me, I do about 1 hour of work a day -- more when I was building up the Files Section.

What do you enjoy most about running Clie Source?

I love the people who are onboard! They are the most intelligent, helpful, and logical bunch I've seen compared to most boards. When ClieSource was just starting, the moderators were the ones who pulled in new members primarily because of their real concern for those who are in need.

What do you least enjoy?

...trying to be calm when people try to take potshots at each other onboard. Yes, fights do happen in ClieSource just like in other boards. Sometimes I get disappointed because I don't see why people get personal because of an inanimate object (ie. their respective PDA's). I'm getting tired and sad of reading Palm vs. Sony stuff too.

What's your favourite non PDA website and why?

www.the-gadgeteer.com I've been reading it ever since I got the Palm Vx a while back. I visit this site from time to time just to see what new gadgets have been designed. I've read a lot of informative reviews in this site.

Who designed Clie Source?

My brother along with a gazillion suggestions from the beta test group (the group which eventually became the first moderators).

What are your future plans for the site?

ClieSource is a very dynamic site. I don't know to what it will evolve into. It's what the registered members would want it to be anyway. We listen to them and if it's feasible, then we do the changes. For myself, it's building up the icon sets and linking them to palmgear.com and muchy.com (a Japanese Clie site).

Has it been successful in your opinion and how many hits do you average a day?

The growth is phenomenal. Last January, we had 800k hits. I don't have the exact figures but right now, it's safe to say that we get around 7 new registered members a day. Thanks for this interview. We wish you all the best for Clie World!

Thanks to Joel (and Reggie) of Clie Source who, I have to add, have been very supportive of Clie World from day one and have offered various news stories, encouragement and advice for which I am grateful.

Skip Bremer's Review of the new Sony Clie t615

I have tried upgrading my trusty Palm V to a Palm m505 and a Clie 610C over the last couple of months, but I was disappointed with both of these units. The Palm screen was crap and the Clie was like a brick (but very nice other than that). But, I finally have found the unit for me.

The Sony PEG-T615C. It arrived from PC Connection overnight on the 23rd. Let me cut to the chase by saying that this is, IMHO, the best "Palm" ever made bar none. It is awesome. The workmanship, case, bolted in jog dial, silver back and front, locked in nice hard leather flap... it's even got an eye bolt sticking out for hanging it around your neck or where ever, made again its made out of polished metal. This unit fits in your hand like to was made with your hand.

The screen is absolutely fantastic. I have been running it for the last two days and found that I had to move the brightness down to minimum, as low as the slider would go, and that works perfect for daylight, partial daylight, and at night. Actually it's nearly too bright at night. Someone needs to make a hack that lowers the range of the brightness slider. ***Are any programmers listening?*** I'm not kidding. At full brightness I could be a burglar without a flashlight; this unit would suffice instead.

The fonts are so readable. I found, because my eyes aren't what they used to be, that the ThinFont fix is for me (thanks to that author), and I like to run my programs with the bold font, and it is tremendously and pleasurably readable. The very white background is a dream that I was beginning to think I'd never see in a PDA (I've been PDAing since the HP95LX). I'm actually not sure that screens will ever be any better than the one on this unit. They certainly don't need to be.

The battery, everyone's concern, has turned out not to be a problem for me at all either. Yesterday, I purposely made sure I did not charge it at all. I used it all day on and off, between doing some desk work and such, to install and configure all of my programs and data. I like to start out "fresh" with a new Palm, so I move my Palm folder and start over (a habit Windows has taught me no doubt). So basically I fiddled with it heavily all day. It went on the charger only for the many hotsyncs I ran. I might have left it there for a few minutes now and then while I was busy, but largely it did not have a chance to grab a charge to speak of all day long (I started with a full charge from the night before). I didn't think it was ever going to get off 100% for a while at first, but by last night it had finally gotten down to 60%. So at 11:00pm I jumped into bed and, after some of Leno, I played some Klondike solitaire, three games I think, and reviewed today's schedule and just marveled at what I had. When I finally laid it down it was at 50%/3.73V and that's where it was this morning when I got up. At work this morning, I have shown it around to some of my friends and worked with my schedule (DateBk4) and added a debit for a gas fill up this morning to SplashMoney and now it is laying on my desk at 49%/3.73V. I plan to use it today without setting it in the cradle so it can tell me when it is low because I'm curious where and when that will be. Anyway, for the way I work, usually popping it in the cradle at work when I'm working on my desktop, I am just not going to have a problem with this battery I don't think. I don't remember the m505's battery lasting like this one seems to. I am going to buy a third party pair of cable (USB and Charger) so I don't have to carry the cradle home over the weekend or on trips. I did the same thing with my Palm V.

The alarms are clear, and I like the new sounds for a change--lots of them, and they are loud. In fact it is embarrassing to check them and change them here as others no doubt think I must be at my desk playing a game or something.

I have ONLY one little complaint. The buttons are just fine, but the rocker button for page up and down is a little hard to use. It's kind of stiff and small and will take some getting used to. But then again I am getting used to, and loving, the jog dial and back button, and I find I don't have to use the rocker very much. I like the way Sony made this machine so that if you lay it down on the desk face first (with the leather cover still flipped to the back) none of the buttons get depressed; it just lays their flat and solid.

As you can tell, I really do like this machine and in fact there is no way you could get me to trade it for any other machine on the market.