Rising Dawn

WWDC: O2 iPhone WiFi includes BT OpenZone, The Cloud - iPod/iPhone - Macworld UK

O2 has taken another step to widely improve its iPhone 3G offering in the UK, multiplying the available WiFi hotspots users can employ to get online.

Hidden in the small print on the O2 page, O2 confirms iPhone users will enjoy free use of WiFi hotspots from its existing partner, The Cloud, and also observes iPhone users will be able to use hotspots provided by BT OpenZone.

Even more free (or should I say bundled) WiFi with the O2 iPhone deal from July 11th. 

Apple United Kingdom - Press Releases

O2 and Apple today announced that the innovative iPhone 3G will be available in the UK and Ireland on July 11th. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software …….

I bought an iPhone last year much to the derision of my brother who said I should have waited for the 3G model. Well I might have been a bit hasty - but at least O2 is offering me the upgrade to the new phone for nothing and if I want 16Gb of storage I can have it for a relatively small payment. Roll on July 11th …. built in GPS - mmmm

Sorry, an unexpected condition has occurred which is preventing Google Reader from fulfilling the request.

Many of the feeds I use regularly are not updating this morning. Several other users in the Google Reader forum are reporting the same problem. As far as I can remember it’s the first time I’ve had trouble with reader, but it makes me realise how much I depend on it to keep up to date. My Google Reader

Simon Jenkins: When it comes to kissing and telling, you cant beat this 15th-century gadget
I am baffled as to why this medium is still so derided by futurology gurus. My bulging file marked “death of the book” stretches back almost half a century. Alvin Toffler in 1962 declared in a book that the practice of smearing ink on dead trees was “the last smokestack industry” and would die. A decade ago, Geoffrey Nunberg, in The Future of the Book, declared that “if by books we mean bound printed volumes, then most books will likely disappear soon”. He wisely proffered no date.

I was listening to another series of comments inspired by Cherie Blair’s memoirs as I was reading The Guardian (electronically) and came across Simon Jenkyns column. I’m fascinated by the way our thoughts so often lead us to the medium rather than the message, and here again it’s the book that’s more interesting than the memoir.

Christians were once known as the people of the book, but in their case the message is far more dynamic than the medium. As someone said recently in his observation of Christians, before he became one himself. ”

Christians are these people who are so judgemental, incredibly dull and uptight and yet they believe in something that is so insane it makes Lord of the Rings sound like a dull episode of the Archers.

 If you want to hear the whole talk it was given by Charlie Mackesy at Holy Trinity Brompton recently. You’ll love his jokes!

New Technology is still a million miles away from displacing the book - even now the only advantage of reading on screen is the immediacy - otherwise old tech print wins hands down for me.

Read me first: Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first | Technology | The Guardian
Last month a US court ruled that border agents can search your laptop, or any other electronic device, when youre entering the country. They can take your computer and download its entire contents, or keep it for several days.

Another initiative to restrict our freedoms in an effort to protect them. How far do they have to go before we are so protected and safe that life becomes not only dull but run by an elite few? If they have my data, they could notionally run my life. 

I’m a fan of the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Child. Reacher lives on the road. No address, no phone, no ID, no bank account. He’s virtually untraceable - apart from being 6′5″ and having a knack of being at the centre of big trouble!! He has something to teach us who live on social networking sites, blogs and email lists with login details and profiles that stretch deep into cyberspace. Having your data downloaded is only of concern to those who have data. We all know that most of the people these measures are aimed at don’t carry data. 

Are the “authorities” tightening this net simply because they can and they have to be seem to be doing something. It’s all pointless if the fish they are trying to catch are swimming in different ocean off another coast.

It’s some time time since I listened to the U2 album Rattle and Hum. They were on fire  - Unforgettable. I have this album on Vinyl and at sometime I had transferred it onto cassette and later minidisc. I was in the process of transferring it again this time onto my hard drive. It’s a process I can only describe as tedious, so I looked on iTunes to see what price it was. Just £5.49 - so I bought it. So now it’s on my iPhone.

Pride still brings tears to my eyes and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for with the gospel choir is spine chilling.

Perhaps I like this album because it touches the gospel roots planted in me as a boy.

Only geeks will understand - but this is what tipped out of the Crumpler Bag I usually carry around with me.  For a detailed breakdown of all you see here go to Flickr

I have been a customer of Zen Internet ever since I first installed a broadband connection in my home in 2001. They have just moved into a new HQ building in Rochdale. It’s worth watching the short movie they’ve made - the setup is about as US West Coast as you could get in Rochdale. Join Richard Tang, the MD, as he invites you on A Tour of our New Headquarters

I can honestly say that their service is brilliant - I recommend them to anyone who asks my advice about choosing an ISP and to many who don’t! 

BBC NEWS | Technology | Europe clears mobiles on aircraft
Viviane Reding, the EU telecoms commissioner, has warned operators to keep the cost of calls made on planes at a reasonable level. “If consumers receive shock phone bills, the service will not take-off.”

Joke not intended I assume - after all it’s a quote from an EU Commissioner.

I have just upgraded to the latest version of Wordpress. This one is 2.5. I followed the instructions and everything seemed to work fine.

Three Step Upgrade

These are the short instructions, if you want more check out the extended upgrade instructions. If you experience problems with the Three Step Upgrade, you may want to review the more detailed upgrade instructions.

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