Having installed the Netflix app on my xbox 360, I wanted to use the Universal Media Remote with my Sony Bravia TV.
Using the instructions on the xbox website, I tried to get it working with the various Sony codes listed and also using the method of trying different codes via the CH+ and CH- buttons, but that didn't work.
Eventually I figured out it was code 0044 - so I programmed it into the remote and this worked!
So if you've a Sony Bravia, try this and it should do the trick.
Bloom FM Review
I haven't posted on this blog since 2010, but I think it's time to resurrect Introspector Gadget.
For this comeback post, something I find worthwhile to discuss is the (relatively) new music streaming service, Bloom FM.
For a long time, I struggled to see the appeal of Spotify and stubbornly held onto the idea of downloading music to my computer, phone or tablet (I stopped buying CD's a very long time ago!). I didn't like the idea of streaming music since you never actually owned it and of course you were always dependent on having an Internet connection.
The problem was that I felt my MP3 music collection was becoming a bit stale, and needed a way to listen to new music in work without investing a fortune in iTunes downloads. Spotify free wasn't available on mobile devices at the time (it is now), and I wasn't quite ready to commit to a tenner a month for their Premium service.
Enter Bloom FM.
For just £1 a month you can listen to unlimited ad-free 'radio stations', defined by genre and also 'borrow' up to 20 tracks at a time, which you can listen to offline. This price does not include the unlimited streaming of specific artists as Spotify Premium, but for £9 a month less I found it difficult to argue. I don't attempt to compare the actual product offerings of Bloom FM vs Spotify, the comparison here is purely based on price.
The Bloom FM iPhone app itself is a work of art, with great usabiltiy, slick animations and instant loading of songs without interruptions.
I found that I could now borrow pretty much any album I was interested in (today it happened to be Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe), and if I couldn't be bothered thinking for myself I could just spin the genre wheel and enjoy some Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains via the 'Grunge' radio station.
So for the princely sum of just over 3 pence per day, I can follow my own musical direction or just let someone else queue up the songs for me.
It's not often I find something to be of such good value - and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who's interested in a low cost, high quality music streaming service.
The only changes I'd make is to add a way to suggest new genres (for example, I'd really like one for movie soundtracks), and a browser based version you can use on a PC or laptop.
For a more comprehensive review, check out the Telegraph website.
For this comeback post, something I find worthwhile to discuss is the (relatively) new music streaming service, Bloom FM.
For a long time, I struggled to see the appeal of Spotify and stubbornly held onto the idea of downloading music to my computer, phone or tablet (I stopped buying CD's a very long time ago!). I didn't like the idea of streaming music since you never actually owned it and of course you were always dependent on having an Internet connection.
The problem was that I felt my MP3 music collection was becoming a bit stale, and needed a way to listen to new music in work without investing a fortune in iTunes downloads. Spotify free wasn't available on mobile devices at the time (it is now), and I wasn't quite ready to commit to a tenner a month for their Premium service.
Enter Bloom FM.
For just £1 a month you can listen to unlimited ad-free 'radio stations', defined by genre and also 'borrow' up to 20 tracks at a time, which you can listen to offline. This price does not include the unlimited streaming of specific artists as Spotify Premium, but for £9 a month less I found it difficult to argue. I don't attempt to compare the actual product offerings of Bloom FM vs Spotify, the comparison here is purely based on price.
The Bloom FM iPhone app itself is a work of art, with great usabiltiy, slick animations and instant loading of songs without interruptions.
I found that I could now borrow pretty much any album I was interested in (today it happened to be Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe), and if I couldn't be bothered thinking for myself I could just spin the genre wheel and enjoy some Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains via the 'Grunge' radio station.
So for the princely sum of just over 3 pence per day, I can follow my own musical direction or just let someone else queue up the songs for me.
It's not often I find something to be of such good value - and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who's interested in a low cost, high quality music streaming service.
The only changes I'd make is to add a way to suggest new genres (for example, I'd really like one for movie soundtracks), and a browser based version you can use on a PC or laptop.
For a more comprehensive review, check out the Telegraph website.
The Recession is Over, but We Haven't Finished Receding
It would seem that I was almost correct in my prediction in February 2009 about when the recession would end, but I wasn't quite there.
I thought that the UK economy would emerge from recession at the end of the first or second quarters of 2010, but it seems that the recesssion has officially come to an end as of the last quarter of 2009, with a 0.1% growth in that period.
But I wonder, does this mean fat bank balances, healthy order books, green shoots and bulls everywhere? Or does the fact that the government printed £200 billion pounds of new money and borrowed £178 billion mean that we have painted over the cracks with non drying paint? Will we be struggling to remove the stains from this period for years to come?
I think so.
I think that it will take a long time for the economy to become properly stable again, and for the MPC to raise interest rates again. It'll be 0.5% here, 0.5% there, starting towards the end of 2010. I do hope that it will take a few years to reach the likes of the pre-recession interest rate levels because I will continue to save money on my mortgage that way, but with the value of the pound being damaged by the low rates, the decision on when to raise rates and by how much will be a tough one.
Confidence and value in the pound needs to be restored, but it needs to be done without hammering Joe Public again who owns a small business and has a mortgage on his home and a lease agreement on his Mondeo.
We've seen some strong results posted by the BigCo's from around the world, such as Goldman Sachs, J.P.Morgan and Barclays, and a return to 'record bonuses' and the much publicised 'banker bashing' by politicians who take the short term view and are keen to curry favour with the non-discerning public. While I completely agree that a return to excessive risk taking and rewards for short term gain would be completely unacceptable, government driven initiatives such as the 50% bonus tax, plans to break up the biggest banks and to introduce new regulation to the OTC Derivatives market will only serve to destabilise Wall Street again and bring about uncertainty in the future.
I predict that in 2010, big banks will struggle to make as much profit as they did in 2009. New regulations and economic recovery mean that new ways of making money will have to be found rather than capitalising on certain types of investment which have become lucrative due to the desire for stable investments (gold, government and municipal bonds etc). And rather than making bucketloads of cash on complicated structured investments with investors facing each other directly, the focus will shift to making a little money on a lot of deals over exchange with clearing houses in the middle.
Things may be better in terms of unemployment, house prices and general consumer confidence, but I think people should still be cautious since we're not out of the woods yet - the bear is still in charge.
I thought that the UK economy would emerge from recession at the end of the first or second quarters of 2010, but it seems that the recesssion has officially come to an end as of the last quarter of 2009, with a 0.1% growth in that period.
But I wonder, does this mean fat bank balances, healthy order books, green shoots and bulls everywhere? Or does the fact that the government printed £200 billion pounds of new money and borrowed £178 billion mean that we have painted over the cracks with non drying paint? Will we be struggling to remove the stains from this period for years to come?
I think so.
I think that it will take a long time for the economy to become properly stable again, and for the MPC to raise interest rates again. It'll be 0.5% here, 0.5% there, starting towards the end of 2010. I do hope that it will take a few years to reach the likes of the pre-recession interest rate levels because I will continue to save money on my mortgage that way, but with the value of the pound being damaged by the low rates, the decision on when to raise rates and by how much will be a tough one.
Confidence and value in the pound needs to be restored, but it needs to be done without hammering Joe Public again who owns a small business and has a mortgage on his home and a lease agreement on his Mondeo.
We've seen some strong results posted by the BigCo's from around the world, such as Goldman Sachs, J.P.Morgan and Barclays, and a return to 'record bonuses' and the much publicised 'banker bashing' by politicians who take the short term view and are keen to curry favour with the non-discerning public. While I completely agree that a return to excessive risk taking and rewards for short term gain would be completely unacceptable, government driven initiatives such as the 50% bonus tax, plans to break up the biggest banks and to introduce new regulation to the OTC Derivatives market will only serve to destabilise Wall Street again and bring about uncertainty in the future.
I predict that in 2010, big banks will struggle to make as much profit as they did in 2009. New regulations and economic recovery mean that new ways of making money will have to be found rather than capitalising on certain types of investment which have become lucrative due to the desire for stable investments (gold, government and municipal bonds etc). And rather than making bucketloads of cash on complicated structured investments with investors facing each other directly, the focus will shift to making a little money on a lot of deals over exchange with clearing houses in the middle.
Things may be better in terms of unemployment, house prices and general consumer confidence, but I think people should still be cautious since we're not out of the woods yet - the bear is still in charge.
I lost my iPhone!
Devastated.
I was at the Kasabian concert at the SECC last week (which was absolutely amazing). At the last song which of course was LSF, I got a text saying that the wife was waiting outside for me to give me a lift.
I took the phone out to text her back since otherwise she would have no idea how long she would be waiting, and someone knocked my arm hard. My much prized iPhone was launched into the blackness of the undulating crowd in front at what seemed like warp speed.
Immediately I went after it and created a space in the crowd with my flapping arms and panicked expressions. A few people around me noticed that I was looking for my phone and joined in the search, but it was never looking good.
The concert finished and after a few more minutes of scanning the floor for a stricken and stamped on iPhone, we were ushered out of the arena by the SECC staff. I reported it to the Control Room at the SECC, the police and O2.
Over the few days that followed, I realised how much I have grown to depend on my iPhone. Not only for the phone calls and text messages, but for the instant access to my email, Facebook and being able to find out the answer to just about any question I could think of just by firing up Safari. It's hugely sad, I know.
Thankfully, the phone is insured via my Lloyds TSB bank account. They have a deal with Lifestyle Services Group, and I've been using them to insure my phones for years. In the past when I had to make a claim, I'd just phone them up, tell them what happened, pay the excess and a new phone would be with me a couple of days later.
Not this time. What a palava.
Everything is now done via mail and fax, which seems like a step back to me. I had to prove that I had reported it to the Police, O2 and them within 48 hours (thankfully I had)and provide proof of purchase. So the claim form is now with them and I'm hoping that I will be receiving a nice new, shiny iPhone sometime soon. If not, I'm gonna be in trouble.
The lesson for me? Don't take it to concerts, sign up to MobileMe (if I had done this, I might've been able to find the phone via the GPS tracker if it wasn't broken) and keep backing everything up.
Though I do have to admit, I have quite enjoyed using the ancient backup phone which has the ability to make and receive calls, and to send and receive texts - and that's it. It's a simpler way to be, no personal data to worry about, no time spent on checking Facebook or emails, and no notion of entertainment on the go.
That said, give me an iPhone any day. Please, Lifestyle Services Group, give me an iPhone.
I was at the Kasabian concert at the SECC last week (which was absolutely amazing). At the last song which of course was LSF, I got a text saying that the wife was waiting outside for me to give me a lift.
I took the phone out to text her back since otherwise she would have no idea how long she would be waiting, and someone knocked my arm hard. My much prized iPhone was launched into the blackness of the undulating crowd in front at what seemed like warp speed.
Immediately I went after it and created a space in the crowd with my flapping arms and panicked expressions. A few people around me noticed that I was looking for my phone and joined in the search, but it was never looking good.
The concert finished and after a few more minutes of scanning the floor for a stricken and stamped on iPhone, we were ushered out of the arena by the SECC staff. I reported it to the Control Room at the SECC, the police and O2.
Over the few days that followed, I realised how much I have grown to depend on my iPhone. Not only for the phone calls and text messages, but for the instant access to my email, Facebook and being able to find out the answer to just about any question I could think of just by firing up Safari. It's hugely sad, I know.
Thankfully, the phone is insured via my Lloyds TSB bank account. They have a deal with Lifestyle Services Group, and I've been using them to insure my phones for years. In the past when I had to make a claim, I'd just phone them up, tell them what happened, pay the excess and a new phone would be with me a couple of days later.
Not this time. What a palava.
Everything is now done via mail and fax, which seems like a step back to me. I had to prove that I had reported it to the Police, O2 and them within 48 hours (thankfully I had)and provide proof of purchase. So the claim form is now with them and I'm hoping that I will be receiving a nice new, shiny iPhone sometime soon. If not, I'm gonna be in trouble.
The lesson for me? Don't take it to concerts, sign up to MobileMe (if I had done this, I might've been able to find the phone via the GPS tracker if it wasn't broken) and keep backing everything up.
Though I do have to admit, I have quite enjoyed using the ancient backup phone which has the ability to make and receive calls, and to send and receive texts - and that's it. It's a simpler way to be, no personal data to worry about, no time spent on checking Facebook or emails, and no notion of entertainment on the go.
That said, give me an iPhone any day. Please, Lifestyle Services Group, give me an iPhone.
Bonjela Once: INSANE but effective
I've been suffering from various mouth ulcers for a few weeks now, and had a particularly bad one for a week or so.
I tried a load of different treatments but decided to give Bonjela Once a try since I heard it was very good and it is pretty much guaranteed to take the pain away.
For two treatments the price is hefty - but if they didn't charge this much, they wouldn't manufacture it since they'd never sell any other Bonjela products!
Anyway I tried it and after the initial pain, the ulcer turned white, then black. By the morning it had gone. They say it works by creating a protective layer over the ulcer, but I don't believe that for one second. The product contains Hydroxybenzenesulphonic acid to kill any infection, and also sulphuric acid!
I'm no doctor or dentist, but I think it simply works by destroying the nerve endings of the mucosa in your mouth.
It may be steep to buy, but it works very well.
I tried a load of different treatments but decided to give Bonjela Once a try since I heard it was very good and it is pretty much guaranteed to take the pain away.
For two treatments the price is hefty - but if they didn't charge this much, they wouldn't manufacture it since they'd never sell any other Bonjela products!
Anyway I tried it and after the initial pain, the ulcer turned white, then black. By the morning it had gone. They say it works by creating a protective layer over the ulcer, but I don't believe that for one second. The product contains Hydroxybenzenesulphonic acid to kill any infection, and also sulphuric acid!
I'm no doctor or dentist, but I think it simply works by destroying the nerve endings of the mucosa in your mouth.
It may be steep to buy, but it works very well.
Apple Tablet: Will Steve's New Toy do the Job?
Many people apparently believe that Apple are about to announce a new gadget, the Apple Tablet.
Since it's such a work of art, I always thought it would be cool to take an iPod Touch and enlarge it by several times. It looks a bit like the Tablet (if it actually appears) will look just like that.
I really hope that they do release such a gadget, because aside from an iPhone I've never owned a Mac. It looks like it could be the perfect first buy; possibly portable, durable and running Mac OS X, with a user experience that beats the hell out of Windows (not that difficult).
Of course, it's going to be expensive and demand will undoubtedly reach fever pitch,
so I better start saving!
Since it's such a work of art, I always thought it would be cool to take an iPod Touch and enlarge it by several times. It looks a bit like the Tablet (if it actually appears) will look just like that.
I really hope that they do release such a gadget, because aside from an iPhone I've never owned a Mac. It looks like it could be the perfect first buy; possibly portable, durable and running Mac OS X, with a user experience that beats the hell out of Windows (not that difficult). Of course, it's going to be expensive and demand will undoubtedly reach fever pitch,
so I better start saving!
Posting code in Blog Posts
It's a nightmare trying to post any code in Blog posts. The tags confuse Blogger (fair enough) so if it happens, it won't let you post the code.
I tried to install SyntaxHiglighter from Google, but it requires you to host its code on a webserver somewhere and I couldn't get it to work.
Stanley Shilov came up with a nice alternative online tool which you can paste your code into, and it will parse it and replace any characters which will confuse your blogging engine with HTML tags which it'll love. You can access the tool here, and it needs zero set up and zero hassle.
The drawback is that it doesn't offer any syntax highlighting, but it's still useful and I'll certainly be using it in future!
I tried to install SyntaxHiglighter from Google, but it requires you to host its code on a webserver somewhere and I couldn't get it to work.
Stanley Shilov came up with a nice alternative online tool which you can paste your code into, and it will parse it and replace any characters which will confuse your blogging engine with HTML tags which it'll love. You can access the tool here, and it needs zero set up and zero hassle.
The drawback is that it doesn't offer any syntax highlighting, but it's still useful and I'll certainly be using it in future!
Tech Preview: Palm Pre or iPhone 3GS?
It's been a long time since I've possessed what could be called a 'good phone'. This is because I always found myself willing to sacrifice having a decent handset for the sake of a free xbox 360, PS3 or Wii with my phone contract.
I'm finally out of contract with Orange, and dying to get a new phone with unlimited net access. The only two competitors are the Palm Pre...
...and the new iPhone.
Both have a touch screen, both have unlimited data access, both can be used as an iPod (the Pre tricks iTunes into thinking it's an iPod), both have GPS and Wi-Fi and just about everything else you can imagine (see here for a full side-by-side comparison).
But when comparing the two online, I couldn't help but be more impressed with the Pre. It looks very sleek, and as if a lot of thought has gone into designing both the hardware and the WebOS operating system on it. It has brilliant multitasking capabilities, lots of ways to intelligently organise your data and do cool stuff with GPS and social networking sites.
That, in addition to the fact that I've never liked the look of the iPhone, meant that for the past couple of months the Pre has been at the top of my wish list.
At the WWDC conference in San Fransisco on Monday, Apple announced the iPhone 3GS which is basically a pimped out version of the existing iPhone 3G handset, with a few new features and a faster user experience. It appeals, but still sits second in my wish list when compared with the Pre.
Palm have released the Pre in the US already, but for some reason they have not stated a release date for the UK, where the iPhone 3GS is out on 19th June.
In the incredibly competetive smartphone market where the Pre is undoubtedly Palm's 'do or die' handset, this is an unbelievable error. There must be literally thousands of people like me, who want a new phone and can't decide between the Pre and the iPhone. These people would like to see what the Pre can do, but are not willing to hang around for months until Palm get their act together and set a release date. It's looking likely that I will get an iPhone next week (if there's enough available!) and that in my case, Palm have shot themselves in the foot by being too slow off the mark in releasing their much-hyped phone.
It's disappointing, but if you want to compete with Apple, you need to play the game. And Palm's move should have been to release the Pre in the UK before the iPhone 3GS, or at least a matter of days or weeks after.
Maybe they underestimate the importance of the European consumer electronics market. But they shouldn't, because it could mean their downfall.
I'm finally out of contract with Orange, and dying to get a new phone with unlimited net access. The only two competitors are the Palm Pre...
...and the new iPhone. Both have a touch screen, both have unlimited data access, both can be used as an iPod (the Pre tricks iTunes into thinking it's an iPod), both have GPS and Wi-Fi and just about everything else you can imagine (see here for a full side-by-side comparison).But when comparing the two online, I couldn't help but be more impressed with the Pre. It looks very sleek, and as if a lot of thought has gone into designing both the hardware and the WebOS operating system on it. It has brilliant multitasking capabilities, lots of ways to intelligently organise your data and do cool stuff with GPS and social networking sites.
That, in addition to the fact that I've never liked the look of the iPhone, meant that for the past couple of months the Pre has been at the top of my wish list.
At the WWDC conference in San Fransisco on Monday, Apple announced the iPhone 3GS which is basically a pimped out version of the existing iPhone 3G handset, with a few new features and a faster user experience. It appeals, but still sits second in my wish list when compared with the Pre.
Palm have released the Pre in the US already, but for some reason they have not stated a release date for the UK, where the iPhone 3GS is out on 19th June.
In the incredibly competetive smartphone market where the Pre is undoubtedly Palm's 'do or die' handset, this is an unbelievable error. There must be literally thousands of people like me, who want a new phone and can't decide between the Pre and the iPhone. These people would like to see what the Pre can do, but are not willing to hang around for months until Palm get their act together and set a release date. It's looking likely that I will get an iPhone next week (if there's enough available!) and that in my case, Palm have shot themselves in the foot by being too slow off the mark in releasing their much-hyped phone.
It's disappointing, but if you want to compete with Apple, you need to play the game. And Palm's move should have been to release the Pre in the UK before the iPhone 3GS, or at least a matter of days or weeks after.
Maybe they underestimate the importance of the European consumer electronics market. But they shouldn't, because it could mean their downfall.
Album Review: Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Back in 2004 when Kasabian released their debut album, I hated it. I thought they sounded like Oasis wannabes who weren't as good. And I detest Oasis.
But over time I bagan to change my mind, as the radio and just about everyone I knew increasingly raved about Kasabian. So I got a copy of the album, listened to it a couple more times and finally realised how wonderful it is.
Two long years later when Empire came out, I was slobbering at the prospect of a whole new Kasabian album to listen to. It did not disappoint, not one iota. And when I saw them live at the Hyrdo Connect festival last year through a haze of beer and vodka, I was totally hooked.
Finally, here we are in June 2009 and they have released their third full album - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. And it's terrifically up to the job.
The wonderfully paced and catchy Underdog is the perfect introduction to the album, which is designed to be a single piece of music rather than twelve seperate tracks, with each song melting into one another with carefully planned transitions. It quickly reminds you of the things you love about Kasabian, with its strong and addictive drum beats, coupled with psychodelic guitar solos.
Take Aim, with its intense orchestral beginning, takes you deeper into the technicolour, drug fuelled minds of the band and is truly different to the music they've produced before. With the 'mentally unstable' theme, Secret Alphabets adopts a nice sixties theme to it, with the traditional oscillating flutes and violins giving a kind of creepy 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest' vibe.
Probably my favourite song, Fire will undoubtedly be a concert anthem with its sleepy eyed, drowsy beginning which bursts into life as if the madman has lost the plot. Which I'm looking forward to witnessing at the gig at the O2 Academy in Glasgow on June 18. I don't normally drink that much, but I intend to tan quite a few beers before that gig so I can assimilate myself into the wild light and music show.
Rather than creating the album and then wondering if it was any good, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum was made by a band who knew it was going to be good the whole time they were making it. It comes across as confident, defiant and crisp, and will no doubt lead them to the position of domination they crave.
The love affair continues.
But over time I bagan to change my mind, as the radio and just about everyone I knew increasingly raved about Kasabian. So I got a copy of the album, listened to it a couple more times and finally realised how wonderful it is.
Two long years later when Empire came out, I was slobbering at the prospect of a whole new Kasabian album to listen to. It did not disappoint, not one iota. And when I saw them live at the Hyrdo Connect festival last year through a haze of beer and vodka, I was totally hooked.
Finally, here we are in June 2009 and they have released their third full album - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. And it's terrifically up to the job.
The wonderfully paced and catchy Underdog is the perfect introduction to the album, which is designed to be a single piece of music rather than twelve seperate tracks, with each song melting into one another with carefully planned transitions. It quickly reminds you of the things you love about Kasabian, with its strong and addictive drum beats, coupled with psychodelic guitar solos.
Take Aim, with its intense orchestral beginning, takes you deeper into the technicolour, drug fuelled minds of the band and is truly different to the music they've produced before. With the 'mentally unstable' theme, Secret Alphabets adopts a nice sixties theme to it, with the traditional oscillating flutes and violins giving a kind of creepy 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest' vibe.
Probably my favourite song, Fire will undoubtedly be a concert anthem with its sleepy eyed, drowsy beginning which bursts into life as if the madman has lost the plot. Which I'm looking forward to witnessing at the gig at the O2 Academy in Glasgow on June 18. I don't normally drink that much, but I intend to tan quite a few beers before that gig so I can assimilate myself into the wild light and music show.
Rather than creating the album and then wondering if it was any good, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum was made by a band who knew it was going to be good the whole time they were making it. It comes across as confident, defiant and crisp, and will no doubt lead them to the position of domination they crave.
The love affair continues.
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