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Comment Re:Does AliBaba have them listed yet? (Score 2) 156

But the important question - Do they work?

Probably, but probably not especially well. Spend a bit more for the Chinese watch that isn't trying to be Apple, where the effort has gone into features, not imitation.

My flatmate bought an "iPhone 6" in Albania for about £40. He was convinced it was real, to the point that he's contacted Apple UK support because it wouldn't charge properly.

I haven't handled an iPhone 6, but I thought the buttons seemed a bit wobbly, although the rest of the case was convincing. The graphics were spot on, and smooth enough that I wasn't certain it was fake (I thought it could be stolen). What gave it away was pressing "iTunes Apps" opened the Android "Manage Applications" screen. There were a few other apps, settings etc that opened Android things but had Apple labels.

It could have been OK, a cheap phone with an Apple-like interface. Except the touchscreen was so shoddy it was impossible to dial "#" (I wanted "#*#*INFO*#*#"), and it won't recognise the SIM.

Comment Re:piratebay proxies (Score 1) 113

tpb.piraten.lu LU up Very Fast

... and blocked by Sky — but I shouldn't be surprised when I have internet supplied by an enourmous TV company. That's provided by the Luxembourg Pirate Party, but I guess the British police/courts have no issue interfering with e.g. the British Green Party's campaigns when it suits them.

(Others on that list aren't blocked.)

Comment Re:It says something bad about the US (Score 1) 734

I've done four road trips, about 8-10 weeks travel in total, stopping in at least 26 states. I've passed through or changed planes in a few more, but I don't count those. (In fairness, all except three of these states were when I was a child, and we only visited France and Ireland as a family.)

My US relatives (in their 40s) get two weeks leave a year, and tend to visit family.

The lack of Americans is most evident when backpacking. I was in Ecuador last year. You can divide the backpackers into students and non-students. There are some American students, but disproportionately few American non-students. (I'd expected to see more Americans on my first trip to South America, but it was little different to Asia.)

Comment Re:It says something bad about the US (Score 1) 734

Americans don't travel as much, even in the US. They don't have much holiday time.

Many Europeans don't leave the EU, although I'd guess it's more common to visit the US than the other way round.

US culture between states is less diverse than Europe, but it does differ. Geography and climate differs more, although you need to remember some of northern Europe is arctic, which makes up for not having any desert. I think you'll find a bigger difference between Ireland, Austria, Estonia and France than any four US states you care to pick. If non-EU is allowed how about Belarus, Albania, Iceland and Georgia?

I've been to West Virginia, Texas, Ohio and Colorado. I've travelled through Alabama, by train (brief stop in Birmingham). I've been to/through Sioux City, so it seems I just missed Minnesota. I've not yet met an American who's been to more states than I have! But my parents' idea of a family holiday was a road trip.

Comment Re:It says something bad about the US (Score 1) 734

I can't think of any disadvantage to me gaining an additional European Union citizenship, with some exceptions (e.g. Estonia has military service).

Many millions of Europeans live in a different country to their citizenship. It's probably a lot more common than for US citizens, for all kinds of people (from the unemployed to millionaires), so the issues were solved long ago.

(I think there can be cases where if you don't live in a country "full time" you can lose the right to things like free healthcare, but that's separate.)

Comment Re:Why not run with it? (Score 1) 223

British paper money currently features (£5-10-20-50) Elizabeth Fry (prison reformer), Charles Darwin, Adam Smith (philosopher) and James Watt and Matthew Boulton (engineers), so there shouldn't be a problem from the queen. But I think people tend to have been dead for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...

Comment Re:Lack of appropriate options gripe: (Score 1) 230

I pay with a contactless credit card very frequently, which uses the same technology (at least outside the USA). I don't see the attraction for paying with my phone: I have to get something out of my pocket, and it's easier to touch a plastic card to a reader than unlock a phone, presumably open an app, authorise, etc.

Comment Re:Really, Slashdot? (Score 1) 230

Credit card security is a joke everywhere. The system is just insecure by design. I don't understand why it is still used. Bank cards (EC/Maestro) are better in every way.

Outside the USA, there's no difference in security between these two things. That was the point.

Comment Re: White board is and will always be the best way (Score 1) 164

I'm surprised by how expensive they are ($1000). There was a push to get them in schools in Britain starting around 2002-3, and the three schools I've seen in the last couple of years have had them in every room.

They're accurate enough for my Chinese evening class. Share a screen with MS Paint, and get a decent conference microphone.

Comment Re:fees (Score 1) 391

I want Gigabit symmetrical with 1 TB of transfer for $50/mo.. This is absolutely 100% possible with current technology.

Then why don't you start a company that offers that service?

Here's an example (British, and £50/month, but £1 = $1 is pretty normal for technology...)

They're only installing into apartment buildings at the moment, and I think they ask the building owner to subsidise the installation, but I don't doubt it increases the rental value.

Comment Re: Bloatware?! (Score 1) 210

Pay them to not fill your brand new machine with crap? Name another market where you do that...

Some people fly with Ryanair, who play advertisements several times in the flight. That annoyed me more than anything else last time I flew with Ryanair. They also have more up-sells on their website, which can be tricky for some people (e.g. old pensioners) to avoid, who end up buying insurance they don't need.

Paying for TV means paying for a load of advertisements.

Same with magazines and newspapers.

Comment Re:Just (Score 1) 163

For most people, driving a race car or playing professional football are unrealistic activities. They also involve a large amount of physical danger.

Driving a car does, but there's room for debate on whether particular sports are more or less safe than sitting on the couch for long periods.

Comment Re:MAKE SOMETHING NEW! (Score 3, Informative) 163

For example, the guitar would not be a cheap piece of plastic, but perhaps a real one that can be strung and played as normal once someone got tired of the game.

My sister has that, I think it might be this: http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocks...

In any case, it's a real guitar that does something like Guitar Hero.

Make different instruments. Allow multiple players to play the instruments at the same time, either coop, or one after the other in a battle of the bands.

Don't they do this already? Again, my sister has a drumkit and microphone for Guitar Hero, and I'm sure I've played both with and against her, consecutively and concurrently.

Even go with odd things, such as a chainsaw

OK, that would be new.

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