Books

Books
Books written by Ray Sullivan

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Google Glass in Piracy Allegation

In my local cinema there are repeating images promoting the cinema chain, its products and services while you wait for the commercials, previews, trailers and film to start.  Of course, most people don't get to see the repeating images because they're too busy paying for over-sized and over-priced snacks while these are on, but a few of us do get to see these nuggets of information.  One that makes me smile is the one that warns against piracy, the act of filming the film in the cinema during its performance.  In an attempt to strike fear into the heart of anyone inclined to set up a tripod in a busy cinema - and I know some people have filmed in these places, producing poor quality films including the tops of other patrons' heads, candy wrapper rustles and the odd sneeze into the bargain - a warning is flashed up on the screen. 'We use night vision technology in this cinema'. So that'll be a torch then, same as they've used since the Nineteen Forties, when they used to sell snacks in normal sizes at reasonable prices.  Or maybe the tee-shirted minimum wage slaves are force-fed carrots.  I've yet to see anyone entering the auditorium with night vision goggles yet, so I'm kind of discounting that thought.

But piracy is an issue for the industry, although I'm not sure cinema recorded items are a major cost issue.  Review DVDs and Blue-Ray's sent to individuals and organisations pre-release so that the word can be spread about the new big film probably account for a lot of illegitimate recordings, and of course once a film is released anywhere in the world on such media for general consumption there will be illegal copies being sold. Personally I wouldn't tolerate someone filming in a cinema I've paid to see a film, having to avoid tripping over tripods, putting up with the noise of the motors, being told to shush when I'm opening my foil wrapped sandwiches...

It has been reported today that a man in Ohio was intercepted by FBI agents when he left a cinema there because he'd been watching the film wearing prescription Google Glass. That probably sounds way more dramatic than it actually was, they probably just approached him and asked him to join them somewhere private for a chat, but the film theme just makes intercept seem more appropriate. It turns out that he was able to prove he hadn't recorded the screening - I don't know if they looked in his cloud, but we expect a lot from the FBI so I guess they did - and he'd been wearing the Glass for the simple reason that they are prescription and he needs them to see.  Additionally he claimed he'd been to see two other films previously while wearing Google Glass and there hadn't been any problem.  I'm not sure that is actually a defence, if he'd claimed during a robbery that he'd carried out two and the FBI hadn't visited him, that wouldn't make it right.  Perhaps it was just a confession?

I think that Google Glass and other wearable tech is going to face a lot of this resistance in the coming months. It's not the act, it's the potential.  I'm not too concerned about cinema piracy as long as they don't get in my way, make a noise and arrive early enough - what is it with these people arriving after the trailers have started, can't they get up in the morning?  It's the covert nature of the Glass that people will fear, the filming on the street and at school yards, the act of being observed, potentially, even more than we are now.  Glass would appear to be a stalker's dream, a perverts eyewear of choice and that will permeate into the consciousness of those who want to use them for legitimate purposes to the point that people may stop wearing them for fear of being accused of using them for nefarious reasons.

It's also possible that legislation might start cropping up.  Perhaps wearable recording tech will be required to have an externally visible recording light to indicate to observers that the wearer is in the act of recording.  It isn't unreasonable, while you can covertly record with your phone and other similar devices, to do so in a way that allows you to guarantee that you have captured what you want tends to be quite obvious, whereas with devices like Google Glass there is no doubt for the wearer - he or she is capturing exactly what they want to record.

And cinemas will probably just put a blanket ban on Google Glass, so don't throw away your old prescription glasses when you buy your Google Glass - I don't really expect anyone would be so rash as to assume the tech glasses could be as robust as normal prescription glasses anyway.  Of course there's nothing to stop someone hell bent on recording a film through them from putting them on once in the cinema, once the trailers start.  That's where the night vision technology comes in - just don't forget to pack spare batteries and a bulb.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me

Monday 20 January 2014

Amazon to Ship Tomorrow's Order Yesterday

Like many people I guess I used Amazon more than ever over the Christmas season. Busy lives, hectic schedules, keen pricing and superlative service conspires to persuade people to choose the Big A. It wasn't a guilt free process - I'm increasingly uncomfortable with how powerful Amazon have become. Of course they are providing valuable employment for many would-be journalists in their pursuit of a news story, plus the odd local lad and lass in their massive warehouses.

One thing is clear - Amazon want it all. Not only is there not room for anyone else at the top of the sales rank, they don't want anyone else anywhere near it. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't take on the supermarkets next - not opening physical stores but instead providing click and deliver services for groceries. If any company could shake ASDA's and Tesco's dominance in these areas, it's Amazon.

One area they want to lead in is in rapid deliveries. To be fair, they are pretty fast already, but seemingly not fast enough. A patent application filed recently seems to suggest they want to deliver your goods before you've decided to buy them. Well, maybe that's stretching it a bit far, but not by much. Their concept is that by monitoring how long you mouse over a product, by analysing what you buy and what you search for (you do remember giving them permission to extract this information and use it, don't you?) then they can anticipate what you want to buy.

Even if they're not certain whether you want that book (you remember them, don't you?) or electronic gizmo that you were eyeballing on screen last night, they're fairly confident they can start shipping procedures, moving it to your nearest depot ready for the final confirmation click. I guess that makes sure you can be promised early delivery when you finally decide to blow the budget. They're even talking about part filling in the delivery label ahead of an order. There's even talk of delivering items without a firm order, with the opportunity to return them free of charge if not wanted.

I have no doubt that if Amazon are publicly discussing this idea, albeit via the medium of a patent application, then they are very close to realising it. I expect I should nip onto my Kindle account to see what they have decided to buy on my behalf and the next time the doorbell goes it's probably the weekly shop. I hope they remember the milk, we're running short.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me

Rosetta Craft to land on Comet

A European Space Agency spacecraft, Rosetta, is to attempt to land on a comet travelling at high speed through space at over 24 thousand miles per hour.  Clearly these kind of velocities are difficult to attain using current technology so the Rosetta craft has spent over two years circling Earth and Mars to build up a slingshot effect.

The project has been likened to trying to get a fly to land on an speeding bullet.  Just to make it even more difficult the craft has been out of contact and in virtual hibernation mode for the last two years as it built up speed.  Engineers are attempting to regain contact today so that they can control its flight mode.

Apart from the fact that this is an interesting subject in its own right, my attention was caught by a brief mention in the latest article on the subject that revealed that the Rosetta craft launched in March 2004.  It was about that time that I started writing the first draft of The Journeymen, a part of which details the trials and tribulations of landing a spacecraft onto the surface of a speeding comet.  Another coincidence is that the book featured ESA engineers as the main characters, but I guess there's a limited number of space agencies to pick from.

The ESA scientists and engineers may be pleased to hear that the fictional attempt succeeded, but you often find fiction less stressful than pushing real boundaries.  Unlike my version, which was an attempt to piggy-back on the comet to make a journey that would have been otherwise impossible, these people are attempting to carry out some real life research into comets, trying to understand what they are composed of, how they decompose during their journey and what they might contain.  I'm sure the consortium that has just invested large amounts of venture capital into attempting to mine precious minerals from orbiting objects will be watching pretty closely too - I'm not convinced right now about the economics of their venture, but seeing as mining the minerals from the comet also played a significant part of The Journeymen storyline, including a particularly bloodthirsty battle in space, then I'm also interested in how they get on.  It may be fiction, but I always hoped that the ideas could be feasible in the long run - that's what makes writing such an interesting venture.

So good luck to the engineers on their attempt to regain control and I'll be watching this project closely.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me

Saturday 11 January 2014

The £250,000 Laptop

You may have read recently about the court battle going on in the UK, one that is about to be heard in the UK Supreme Court.  It involves a laptop computer bought for £1500 in 1998 that resulted in a disputed bad debt, tarnished credit ratings and escalating legal challenges.

The man at the centre of this bought the laptop from PC World in Aberdeen.  The model he bought was in a sealed box and apparently it was store policy to not allow boxes to be opened unless bought. He was concerned because he wanted a built in modem and it wasn't clear from the box whether the model contained one or not - for £1500 in 1998 I'd expect a personal carrier pigeon, but that's just me. The sales assistant said that if he found the model didn't have a modem fitted he could return it the next day and get his deposit back. The man, an off-shore worker, agreed, paid a £50 deposit, signed up for a £1450 loan with HFC, a subsidiary of HSBC, and left the store.

Of course there wasn't a modem fitted - what do you expect for only £1500, probably nearer £2000 in today's money? He went back, assistant wasn't there, and the store manager refused to honour the spoken agreement. The laptop owner left the laptop at the shop and stormed off to a two week spell on the rigs. On his return he found the laptop had been delivered back to his home address so he popped back to the Granite City for round two. After a discussion PCWorld gave him his £50 deposit back - they have since insisted this was an ex Gracia payment, that is there was no admission of liability on their behalf - and the man left without the laptop but satisfied. Nobody told the loan company, though.

Over time it became clear that HFC wanted the monthly repayments to be made, the man they were expecting to pay didn't do so because he had returned the laptop and presumably PC World had an unforeseen £1450 boost to their top line as they had the cash from HFC and the laptop to sell. Obviously, and correctly, HFC pursued the person who appeared to have borrowed from them. It has been alleged that they didn't show any interest in the specifics of the sale, including the return of the laptop, and eventually resorted to putting black marks on the man's credit references.

There's been a slew of court cases since then, with each case going to a higher court, and with the various judges oscillating between the lender and the apparent recipient of the loan in terms of who they think has been wronged. A couple of years ago one court ruled that the man, who claims the black marks prevented him getting a mortgage to buy a second home in Spain and other inconveniences, was wronged and awarded him damages. A higher court overruled this more recently. On the 28th of this month the UK Supreme Court will make the final decision.

If the court rules in favour of the man he stands to receive a considerable amount of compensation for his trouble. If the ruling goes the other way the man, despite having pro-bono work being carried out for him by top notch barristers and support from at least one charity no doubt using this as a consumer issue test case, will go bankrupt. In all, the laptop will have cost in the region of £250000. And it doesn't even run Windows 8.

Initially I was right behind this man and his case, but now I have mixed views. For one thing, it could be argued that if he had been allowed to get the mortgage on the Spanish property then he would have suffered significant losses subsequently. So if the black marks did that, then they probably saved him some money. However the defence team are suggesting that it was the man's overall approach to leveraging credit that spoiled his chances and affected his other credit woes. It appears that this man was one of those people who racked up huge debts to buy stuff they couldn't actually afford, using notional equity from a bursting house price bubble fuelled by the same bankers who loaned him £1450 against a £1500 laptop. One report suggests he had over £40000 of unsecured debt at one point. Of course we all make our own decisions on fiscal affairs but a quote from the man, that if the court case goes against him, then he will simply declare himself bankrupt sums up his attitude.

I would suggest that there are precious few victims in this story. PC World don't come out particularly well because their store policy at that time sucked (and I experienced it in action around that time when I wanted to check the specification of speakers I wanted to buy but wasn't allowed to open the box to read the spec sheet unless I bought them - I went elsewhere).  But they're not in the dock.

HFC and their parent company HSBC exhibited the greedy fiscal approach that has resulted in years of financial constraint (I refuse to use the word austerity - there are parts of this planet that experience way worse financial conditions decade in, decade out).  They were prepared to loan 97% of the value of a laptop that would lose 10% - 20% on the open market the minute it was unpacked in a heartbeat. But then the man who wanted to spend money he didn't have shared the same recklessness as the bank - the current financial mess has a certain Newtonian element of equal and opposite reactions about it. His attitude is that if he wins he gets a windfall for his trouble, if he loses then he cuts his losses and declares himself bankrupt, wiping a quarter of a million pounds of costs off.  Of course, those costs are real, it's money paid or owed to people or organisations.  It will be recouped in other ways, not from him but from us, those who actually try to live within our means and choose not to declare ourselves bankrupt when we overspend.

I don't know which way the Supreme Court will swing, because it's a thorny problem inspired by greed and foolishness by both the bank and the person buying the laptop. Me, I'd find them as guilty as each other and refuse to allow either a soft option like voluntary bankruptcy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Floodgate's Are Opening - Kobo eReaders on Discount at WH Smith

On Christmas Day I posted a blog entry (read it here) that made some spurious forecasts about the future of the eBook and general technology world.  It's too early to call on most of the forecasts, but one looks like coming to reality right now.  Specifically I suggested that the dedicated eReader is a beast of the past and is likely to be discounted after the holiday period to off-load unsold units.  Now it looks like the process has started.

WH Smith, the British newspaper, magazine, book and general stationery retailer that also acts as the front end for Kobo in the UK is discounting the Kobo Touch and the Kobo Mini eReaders to £30 apiece.  This is a heck of a discount, especially for the Touch, which normally retails at £80.

Of course WH Smith might have had a bellyful of eBooks - the Kobo hasn't captured the market share it deserved, probably because it entered the UK too late to stem the primacy of the Amazon Kindle range.  In a normal world the likes of the Kobo, which uses the industry standard ePub format, should have been able to trounce Amazon's unique format.  But never underestimate the power of the big A and the influence it wields.  I made a forecast about that too, that Amazon might be called to book over its dominance, but that's likely to be later in the year.

And WH Smith caught a cold over eBooks, too.  Their supplier, Kobo, didn't carry out the quality checks that Apple, for example, does.  One of those checks is to ensure that the content isn't likely to embarrass the hosting retailer - you know, perverse acts and references to illegal sexual activities.  A UK newspaper revealed that WH Smith was selling books promoting rape and child porn and a storm broke out.  Although WH Smith sources many of its eBooks from Smashwords, as does Apple, the failure to screen out unacceptable books led to the revelation.  They panicked and took the entire Smashwords library out of their bookstore - including my books, by the way - and as far as I know they never put them back.  Certainly my books aren't in there, although Kobo decided they were suitable a long time ago, reversing their initial suspension.

So it's possible that this discount is just WH Smith unilaterally disarming from the eBook world.  In part, I'm sure that it is, however I suspect that this will force other retailers to off-load their eReaders before they are left with them on their hands.  If you find yourself near a WH Smith in the next few days, consider picking up one of the Kobo's - they are both great machines - and keep a look out for other discounts.  This is a trickle, but one that's likely to breach the flood defences.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Will Microsoft Drop Bing?

Microsoft are in for a busy year, by all accounts. Windows is scheduled to have another upgrade, to 8.2. This is eagerly awaited by those who want to stay with Microsoft but don't want to play with the metro interface. The Start button is returning and users will be able to pretend they are on an upgraded Windows 7 environment without ever seeing the metro tiles again. Those tiles will also be capable of being placed on the 'traditional' Windows screen and run like icons. I'm pretty cool with the metro look, but understand why people don't want to change from what they know. In fact, if Microsoft pull this off they will have totally blind-sided Apple with a two faced interface, one for work, one for play, all in one package.

But this isn't even the biggest challenge for Microsoft. They are going to get a new CEO mid year when Steve Ballmer stands down. Apparently they have narrowed the list to twenty candidates. I floated my resume, but I'm guessing I didn't make the shortlist. Some of the candidates are internal departmental chiefs and some are from outside of the company. One who can claim to be a bit of both groups is Stephen Elop, currently deputy CEO of Nokia, the company Microsoft is busy buying.

Elop has played a ballsy game because he has stated he will slay a couple of sacred cows if he gets the gig. Specifically he says he'll sell off XBox and will kill Bing. Seemingly he wants Microsoft to get back to basics, to re-entrench in their core business model. Personally I think he'll have an uphill battle with both ideas, particularly since Ballmer wants both to be ring-fenced. Of course, like all big organisations, his words only carry weight while he's the boss and I'm sure there are hawks and doves in the upper echelons for both products. What I think Elop's doing is ensuring he controls the conversation if he gets called forward, can make his case, concede where necessary and attempt to make the board think he is a leader prepared to make hard decisions.

In the final analysis, do his ideas make sense? Well, unsurprisingly I don't have access to the critical numbers needed to decide if either or both systems deserve to be culled, but I can make an educated guess at the practical issues.

Taking XBox first, it probably soaks up a huge amount of resources and is attempting to make Microsoft look like a viable content provider to challenge iTunes. If it was sold off Microsoft would still reap the Windows spin off advantages without having the operating overheads. But they would lose control over XBox just as it is maturing. XBox will become less of a games console and more of a human to machine interface in the next couple of years and I'm looking forward to that ride. I think selling it now would be a marginal short term gain and a long term loss to the company. Hopefully Microsoft will see sense and keep it.

But Bing is a different problem. I've been consciously using Bing for about six months and can say that generally it is as good as Google most of the time. I don't think it is ever better than Google so by definition it is slightly inferior to the search engine that has become a verb and adjective in most modern languages. It probably costs a shed load of cash to populate and I'm guessing it pulls in a fraction of the revenues that Google gets. However, if Microsoft exits the search engine then the world will be a poorer place. I can still remember the early days of Google when I got the answer to whatever query I made without having to wade through a page of sponsored links. OK, Bing plays the same game, but I think they are more upfront about it, probably because they don't attract as much result skewing investment as Google. If they abandon Bing then there won't be any realistic alternative to Google, who will get ever bigger and more powerful. If only as a market balancing service I hope that Microsoft retain Bing, or maybe they could sell part of it and keep it running at arm's length.

I also hope that everyone reading this blog entry considers using Bing at least once a day out of the many searches you carry out. If you use Internet Explorer you've got a permanent Bing entry box in the top right corner - try it, if only to search for Google. Anyone who has read my blog for a while will know I'm not a big fan of monopolies, and letting Bing go would create the biggest, most influential monopoly this planet has ever seen, one unlikely to be challenged by the likes of the Russian Google, Yandex, for example.

This is going to be a big year for Microsoft. I hope it ends with XBox and Bing intact.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                         
Visit my Book Website here
Books
        Visit Project: Evil Website here                                        Visit DLF Website here

        Follow me on Twitter  - @RayASullivan

        Join me on Facebook -  use raysullivan.novels@yahoo.com to find me