I think the kitchen boss prefers one of these at £11.99 from Amazon. Compatible with an iSyndrome phone. There are some cheaper ones about too. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Generic-Universal-Extendable-Handheld-Self-portrait/dp/B00H4X8X64/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1391108489&sr=8-4&keywords=monopod iphone And at 7 quid.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extendable-Self-portrait-Camera-Handheld-Monopod/dp/B00FVRCIIE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391108934&sr=8-2&keywords=monopod iphone black
I had just found the example photo for that second one when I went and looked at your link. You could make a good golf club from one of those
I recall using one of these 30 years ago.... Apple Macintosh: 30 years on from Steve Jobs launch http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25908857
OSS: I came to the conclusion a few months back that when I got a new device that was not like the old one that it was my inability to adapt to something 'new'. It happened when I bought my Chromebook and my Tablet PC and my Kia Cee'd. The Kia Cee'd did not have have the cubby holes in the 'right place', the Chromebook could only be connected to a printer via the internet and my Tablet PC did not feel comfortable in my hand. I then realised that the problem did not lay in the equipment but in my own mind. And I know that for other reasons too - each day I have to pull more hairs out of my ears, and all that 'pulling' is, no doubt, leading to another problem - my ears are getting bigger! But the penny only finally dropped when I realised that the palms of my hands no longer face the sides of my body but were pointing backwards - maybe that is because I spend all day at the keyboard! There is a name for this 'syndrome' - it is called 'old age'!
I take your point Howerd but my point about keyboards is about real world impedance, the resulting death of functionality at the expense of appearance is really annoying. When an engineer spends significant time every day using one input system then has to switch to another radically different input system, he or she loses productivity, one of the very powerful incentives for buying ThinkPads was consistency from generation to generation you just opened the box and got on with it, nothing had changed, the device did not force you to change the way you worked and its ergonomics had been "thought" about. People who use real software in their job every day use function keys, they use them a lot be it someone working in a production environment, a science lab or a programmer, all these people use F-keys because they are an efficient short cut to get their jobs done. Look at the F1 to F12 spacing, position of the Esc key and the block on the top right, I use all of those every day on a full size keyboard in very much the same locations, you can find all the keys in the dark the layout encourages accuracy. Writing reports in Word Ctrl + Home, Ctrl End, PgUp PgDn, Ctrl+right arrow for next word, shift + ctrl + right arrow select next word, do it again select two words, shift home, select from where you are to the begining of the line, shift + end same but to the end of the line, shift + end then down arrow = select rest of line then next row etc. All of this is built in to the users brain over many years of doing their job, all of this plus the world beating feedback of the keys on a ThinkPad makes for 60 word a minute and more typing speeds for untrained typists, it's all about accuracy and making it easy for users to switch from desktop to laptop and back again. Now look at the Mac the function keys are relegated to a secondary role they aren't even the main label on the key, the keys are a fraction of the size, the arrow keys are squeezed to half height, they have not even got the word processor navigation and selection keys (I guess you have to use the mouse for that. The ThinkPad has a little light at the top of the bezel you press Fn + PgUp to toggle it on and off, it's called a ThinkLight, for generations it made typing easier in the dark, now everyone is making backlit keyboards because they look cool and supposedly help you type in the dark, except you can't read a report that you need to review with the light from a backlit keyboard, you can with the ThinkLight, it's on in my photo by the way. And note that Fn + PgUp are two diametrically opposite keys the gesture required to turn a ThinkLight on and off is ludicrously easy, it was "thought" about. ThinkPad's are boring black bento boxes that get the job done, really really well, which is why they have sold in droves to business users for over two decades, they are built like tanks, have the best keyboards in the world, the last thing they needed was innovation. Lenovo (where my rant is actually directed) are now intent on making Mac Book clones, they copy the Mac keyboard, they are going for backlit keys at the expense of the ThinkLight, you can't get a keyboard with real keys either everything is now chicklet keys just like a Mac. Basically it is really really depressing and the net result is that late generation ThinkPads are becoming scarce because no one wants to part with them, the final generation worth having is the xx20 line as you can still get "real" keyboards for them. This Thread "Why you should give in" has been going for over two years now, it is worth pressing "load more comments" a few times to see the depth of feeling that these changes have stirred up, I am not alone in my despair, young and old appreciate these points. Apple Keyboard
I knew a chap who refused to use a mouse, almost as a matter of principle and retained the use of all his keyboard commands in Windows.
Apple is definitely form over function. As for the problems mentioned about different keyboard layouts I personally cant see the issues as I sit here "typing" away using my two middle fingers and occasionally a thumb for the space bar
Talking of technology. In past discussions both in here and the other world, the idea of using a something pad with little to no storage capacity has brought hoots of laughter. And yet we slowly but surely are going that way. Anyone either bought or thinking of buying a SMART TV yet?
Is that the ones that are supposed to respond to hand gestures etc like the new samsungs? Or the ones that allow internet access, facebook etc
Regarding storage, for portable devices I look for something that has expandable memory normally a SD card of some sort. Most devices will accept 64Gb cards, other will take 124Gb as well.
Not sure. Maybe both. But my wife and I were looking at the ones that stream from the internet wirelessly, instead of taking a signal from aerial, cable or satellite. Yes, they have social networking and other apps built in. Almost a TV shaped internet ready computer or a giant tablet. My conclusion was that one would need 4G for the streaming TV to work at its best. I think they respond to voice gestures and know what your favourite programs are, depending on the version and make that you buy. There is no industry standard for SMART TV http://www.techradar.com/news/television/6-best-smart-tv-platforms-in-the-world-today-1120795
I use a mouse when it is appropriate to use a mouse but when I want to get anything useful done quickly I use the keyboard I'm not being dogmatic just trying to get the maximum practical use from the machine. Apple insists it is right, they still ship one button mice even though their operating system can handle multi button mice, Microsoft has always supported mice with multiple buttons, Microsoft did not decide at the outset that you were dumb and would be confused with two or more buttons, but they made it easy enough for people that didn't know how to use two buttons to use only one. Windows is a rich interface with a lot of discoverability, it works for beginners but offers so much more for experienced users, it does not decide your limits for you.
Depends on the job Stu, for me and many others that have to use desktop and laptop interfaces at the same time it is a nightmare.
My Apple mouse is a wireless two button ( effectively ) device with third touch type middle button down the middle. No wheel.
Agreed, Apple is no doubt very limiting for a huge number of people, For me the keyboard doesn't really matter. I still keep losing the B key sometimes!! Swear it buggers off and I spend an age just sat looking at the keyboard
I have a tele that weighs over 90 pounds, a CRT and I am not about to change it, I got it in 1999 and stupidly rented it for a number of years then bought it from them for 50 quid that was quite a while ago, the picture on that set does not suffer from lag, has none of the digital artifacts that turn up in plasma and LCD/LED screens and for my eye's still has a great picture and as a photographer I know a bit about imaging We now have a better 32 inch Sony TV in the Philippines than I have here but apart from computer playback or DVD playback which is superb, the picture quality here in the UK on my old CRT is better. I do see the point in Smart TV's though, I was thinking of getting a media box that would turn my old set into a Smart Tele.
I tend to think of the current breed of Macs as simply different in their accent on the same theme as Windows. I have difficulty finding my way around it because it is different to Windows and curse that, whilst my employer is the other way around. He constantly curses Windows and its limitations. He seems to know of all the keyboard shortcuts on the Mac whereas I dont as I still have Windows burnt into my brain cells. I dont know if the Macs are as restricting these days as they used to be.
