For anyone that’s interested, you can download Coldplay’s new single Violet Hill from their website http://coldplay.com All you have to do is provide an email address to which they will send you the new single (You have to provide a zip code/post code and select your country also). The file to download is approx. 5.5MB
Sky has confirmed rumours that it will launch an advanced on-screen guide for Sky HD in 2008. Sky employees are currently testing the beta version of the new epg. The key elements will be new top-level and genre menus, a “mini TV” viewer and an advanced programme search engine. The news was announced to broadcasters this week, and may pave the way for Sky to beat the current limit on the number of channels its guide can hold. It’s the first change the Sky Guide’s basic structure since it was launched in 1999.
The “mini-tv viewer:
Here are two more (larger) images of the new epg:
The price of Apple’s UK iPhone has been slashed by mobile operator O2 — fuelling speculation a 3G version will be launched this summer. The 8GB iPhone can now be bought for STG169 until 1 June 2008 — reduced from STG269 — on O2’s 18-month contract, which includes data browsing and free access to The Cloud’s 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots. The offer is subject to stock availability. The price cut means the 8GB iPhone is now cheaper than the 8GB iPod Touch, which sells in the UK for STG199.
Killarney Summerfest 2008 will take place between July 10th and July 20th.
Killarney Summerfest 2008 is bursting with an eclectic range of activities to appeal to all ages and tastes. Killarney is internationally recognised as a place of incredible beauty surrounded by a landscape of majestic mountains, lakes and woodlands and in 2007 alone was awarded three prestigious accolades including Irelands Best Kept Town, Irelands tidiest large town and the Entente Florale Gold Medal. Against this background you can enjoy fantastic days and nights experiencing events such as Outdoor Theatre, Hot Air Ballooning, Outdoor Concerts, Art exhibitions and a packed programme of childrens events.
There are currently no concerts announced for this years festival, but the organisers have already applied for planning permission/licence for outdoor concerts in Fitzgeralds stadium, so fingers crossed.
Mario Kart Wii comes bundled with a new and intuitive accessory - the Wii Wheel, which makes it one of the most accessible Mario Kart games to date and allows complete novices to compete with ease and comfort, ensuring no one is left in the dust. For those more familiar to Mario Kart and who are now afraid of getting smoked by their newcomer grandparents using the Wii Wheel, rest assured, Nintendo has you covered! Mario Kart Wii supports five different control options: Wii Wheel, Wii Remote turned on its side, Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, Classic Controller and even Nintendo GameCube controller. So there’s bound to be a configuration that fits everyone’s experience, level and style.
The next generation of Mario Kart is blazing a new path on Wii! New tracks, new racers (including Miis), new rides and 12-player racing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection makes for the ultimate Mario racing experience!
With all the new additions, don’t expect Mario Kart Wii to skimp on the details. All your favourite Mario Kart franchise features return, such as classic tracks, cup modes, battles, boosts and ghost data. Mario Kart Wii isn’t an update – it’s a breakthrough!
Similar to Mario Kart DS, players will be able to take full advantage of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You’ll be able to race against up to 11 other players from around the world in massive online races or race against your friends. You can create rooms for friends to join and even text chat while you’re waiting for other racers. The online function of Mario Kart Wii also lets you join a friend’s race in action and be a spectator until the next course launches.
When you’re not going full-throttle toward the finish line, you can see how you stack up against others in the Mario Kart Channel . Here, your best times on tracks are compared to other racers from around the world. You can also see which characters and control methods were used to record this time. See someone with a better time than yours? The Mario Kart Channel also lets you download their ghost data to your Wii and race against the best!
The other massive expansion to come to the Mario Kart franchise is the addition of a new type of vehicle: bikes! Although bikes have fewer wheels than karts, they have a different set of advantages. On a bike, you can pop a wheelie, which can make you go faster but also makes you vulnerable to other racers and environmental effects. Plus, bikes and karts can launch into the air from certain boost ramps, and once in the air, you can perform special tricks to gain a boost when you hit the ground.
All these new bikes and cool karts won’t just tear up new courses. Retro tracks are back! Along with new courses like Mushroom Canyon and Wario Mines, you’ll be racing on old favourites such as Sherbert Land, Waluigi Stadium, Peach Beach and 13 others. How will riding a bike on these new retro tracks stack up to the karts? You’ll just have to play it to find out.
You’ve been racing as the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest for a long time, but now there’s a new racer in town: Your Mii! Put your Mii behind the wheel and take on all comers! For those who want to get in the game even more, Mario Kart Wii comes packed with the Wii Wheel. Shaped like a steering wheel, you place the Wii Remote inside the Wii Wheel’s casing and get ready to ride! In addition to the Wii Remote, you can also use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers in combo, or use a GameCube Controller to take those tight turns and challenges Mario Kart Wii throws at you.
A new experience in racing is here! The world is waiting for you. Whether you get behind the wheel to go online, race solo or take on up to three friends at your home, you’ll find Mario Kart Wii to be a one-of-a-kind experience!
Play against up to 12 players, download and share ghost data and race friends via Nintendo i-Fi Connection. Plus, you can take part in events organised by Nintendo in the Mario Kart Channel. Perform special tricks to score some serious speed boost with the new bikes and supped-up karts. Mario Kart Wii gives you more options than ever. Race as your Mii! Grab the Wii Wheel and race through the new and retro tracks as your favourite Mii. It’s like you’re in the game like never before!
According to analysts, Sony could face a problem in manufacturing enough Blu-ray discs to meet future demand. Global demand for discs is expected to grow threefold this year, to at least 43 million units. However, Sony’s extended production line capacity may only push out 38 million units by October. This, in turn, will lead to continued premium prices for Blu-ray media, with just 60 to 70 per cent of demand being met.
I have been scouring the web for weeks trying to find a decent tutorial on trackbacks or pingbacks or whatevere they are called. Now I have found it: http://www.optiniche.com/blog/117/wordpress-trackback-tutorial/
I have the basics of it, I think. We shall see.
On the back page of April’s PC Live! there is an advert for Misco.ie. One item in the list was a DVD Player with HDMI and best of all, this item is only €39.99. So I went onto their website and began searching for this DVD player. But to no avail, I couldn’t find it anywhere. Its not like it was even listed with an “Out of Stock” notice or anything like that, it just wasn’t there. At all.
So, a quick email to their customer service/support address would sort this out. Or so I thought. First reply back from them was the ubiquitous “We will get back to you within 24 hours” email. Fair enough, everyone seems to have one of those these days. When their replay did come in, it stated they could confirm that said item DID exist on their website, and gave a link to it too.
But. There’s always a but. The link was for the UK website, which only allows UK shipping addresses. 
I tried a couple of the usual tricks; Register on the Irish site and login to the English site -> didnt work. Copied the URl from the English site and changed it to the dot IE version, -> didn’t work. So I emailed them back. They replied with a link to a completely different product, but at least it was on the Irish website!
Anyway, I replied again to the support email stating this was not the product I wanted.Then the reply I did not want to see, “Sorry, but that product is only available on our UK website. Sorry for the inconvenience.”. Thats great, but why advertise it in the first place in an Irish publication if you cant get it!.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….
The Irish Times reports that Eircom and television broadcasters TV3 and Setanta Sports are believed to have formed a consortium to bid for the three commercial digital terrestrial television (DTT) multiplex licences that are being offered by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. It is understood that the consortium has decided to bid for all three licences. Each digital terrestrial television multiplex will be capable of carrying up to eight digital channels and the operators will be able to charge households a fee for receiving the stations via a set-top box.
The BCI has indicated that it will consider applications for all three licences and for individual multiplexes. The regulator said it had an open mind at this stage as to how the DTT multiplexes should be operated. The consortium combines Eircom’s network infrastructure and telecoms expertise with content provided by both TV3 and Setanta, which has a large portfolio of pay sports channels, including live rights to Premier League football in England.
Microsoft has said it will continue to sell Windows XP Home beyond its scheduled June 30 kill-date for the emerging class of “ultra-low-cost PCs,” or ULCPCs. The operating system has been granted a reprieve until mid-2010, but only for the diminutive laptops such as the Asus Eee PC and Intel Classmate PC which lack the hardware necessary to run Windows Vista adequately.
The cut-off date for XP licences in mainstream boxes remains the end of June 2008. Free live support and warranty-based technical support will dry up next April. After that, customers need to pay for phone support until April 2014, when Microsoft washes its hands completely dry. XP security fixes will continue to be available for free.
Computer makers can sell XP Home on ULCPC machines through June 30 2010, or one year after the scheduled launch of the next version of Windows. Exactly what lack of specs Microsoft is using to determine if a computer is an ULCPC remains unclear. Microsoft was first wary of allowing anything less than Vista pre-installed on these tiny laptop computers.
Is this the real reason for a change of heart: “But when initial units started shipping with Linux, there was a rapid change of heart.”?
