My flight was via Frankfurt I think - I was flying via a connecting flight, and although I'm from the UK, I didn't live there then (or now!).

-- Pete.

These structures absolutely exist...

Here's a slashdot post by myself from 2001

The links are long since broken (and I said Russia, but it could equally of been China, I wasn't 100% sure where I was), but here are links to two of the photos that I put back online recently:

• Grid lines
• Big diamond structure

-- Pete.

They're both electric car sharing efforts, and just because the one is Paris is bigger, that doesn't make it "first".

Or are you one of those people who also think that the iPod was the "first" portable mp3 player?

-- Pete.

And looking at a more recent example I've been seeing Zen Cars around Brussels recently too.

This is definitely not a "World's First"...

-- Pete.

For instance, it is often said the US has high crime rates. WRONG, the murder rate in the US vs Holland is pretty much the same.

What a load of bull - check the statistics, and you'll find the murder rate in the USA is approximately 5 times higher per capita than in the Netherlands.

• Murders in USA in total, and per 100K gives well over 5 per 100,000
• Total murders in the Netherlands (work out per 100K population, assume population of 16.5 Million gives less than 1 per 100,000)

I suggest you do some research and adjust your world view.

-- Pete.

Or playing nethack.

Or for something a little more recent and a lot less complex (and less deadly) there's Minecraft. No saves, every change to the world is changed as and when it happens - if a creeper happens to blow the front of your house apart then you're going to need to rebuild it.

Now they just need to enter an option for perma-death rather than having death just respawn you naked back on your starting square. Restart the world and it's randomly generated from scratch.

I'd love to see minecraft become more nethacky with complexity to discover, perma-death, and a very dangerous series of steps to get to some sort of objective...

-- Pete.

I'm typing on a Belgian keyboard, and I would put an accent over an E by hitting ` or first, then typing the appropriate letter - È or É both typed without caps lock - I can't imagine French keyboards being any different.

-- Pete.

First, don't visit -- not just "don't fly, but don't even visit -- the U.S. There are a lot of idiots saying this with the tone of, "If you don't like our policies, stay the **** out!", but that's not what I mean. If our country sees a significant decline in tourism, hopefully the decline in tourism revenues will help influence national policy.

This has been my approach to the USA ever since they started with the fingerprinting on entry policy. I will not travel to the USA for any purpose until they implement sane immigration policies.

Last year alone I set foot in 20 different countries in total, within Africa, Europe, and South America, and not one of them wanted fingerprints, and only third world countries wanted advance notice of travel (aka visas) - Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso...

Sorry, but I can't see myself travelling to the USA in the foreseeable future.

-- Pete.

I left the group almost 6 years ago, and they hired me back as a freelance contractor nearly 4 years ago. The trial extends to shops and businesses in the area around the towers. Pomodoro allows payment via PingPing for example. But yes - the trials are centred around Belgacom staff at the moment.

-- Pete.

I'm surprised this story is even news, I've had an RFID sticker on my phone for some time now. It is pre-paid and I can opt to receive a text message whenever I use it, so if it's used without authorization I would know immediately: PingPing

There are also other ways I can pay with my cellphone.

-- Pete.

I hope that UK teenagers don't do that, because with the crazy laws the UK now has, they will be up on paedophile (pedophile) charges and get a criminal record.... even if they are married to each other but under 18. It's not like there have never been cases taken to court over this law.

I think you need to make sure you're aware of the specifics before you say such things - the English law specifically makes an exception for people who are married. See the Sexual Offences Act 2003 - Section 45.

-- Pete.

I work in a large open-plan office, on a high floor of a tower overlooking a major city.

I can only see myself - most of my team are out of th office for various reasons today, and those that are here, are in meetings. I'm not sitting directly next to the window, so although I can see a cityscape outside, I cannot see a single individual other person, just buildings and windows (from this angle I can't even see streets).

-- Pete.

The Nexus One is an example. In the UK I can walk into a Vodafone retail store and buy one now.

I tried that a few weeks ago when I was in the UK for a day, they had them in stock, but refused to sell me one without a contract (which I did not want).

I nearly bought one online from the Google shop, but I couldn't justify the price (+import tax, +VAT, etc) when coupled with the hassle of having it shipped to a UK address, and then arranging to pick it up or getting it forwarded on.

-- Pete.

Or you could just get yourself a little NAS solution from Synology...

A Diskstation 1010+ coupled with a DX510 will give you up to 20TB of storage, and not be very obtrusive.

The Synology boxes also have a ton of tricks up their sleeves, and Synology continuously update their firmware, so the boxes just get better and better...for free! :)

-- Pete.

It takes longer, it takes 3 hours just to get to Brussels

Actually Brussels to London is only two hours (well 1h51 according to this). It can seem like three hours in one direction on the schedule though because of time zone differences (and the opposite direction looks to be only one hour for the same reason).

-- Pete.