FILM: The Dark Knight...

At last, here is a film that can restore your faith in cinema. It's not perfect but any criticisms (Batman's voice is too deep, the 'sonic' eyes is a bit too much) pale into insignificance compared to the sheer scale of the achievement. The story, script and execution by all parties put every other summer blockbuster released since 'Batman Begins' to absolute shame.
If you only see one film at the cinema this year, put The Dark Knight at the top of your list; it is proof that a big budget, comic book adaptation can offer depth, insight and fully formed characterisations. Consider the bar well and truly raised.

PS. Anyone interested in the writing process of this picture might want to check out Creative Screenwriting Magazine's podcast interview with co-writer Jonathan Nolan.

TECH: Mobile phones, SARS figures and cancer...

Despite growing evidence supporting the theory of an increased Cancer risk from mobile phone usage (latest article on the BBC here) there seems little grass roots level debate and information on the potential dangers.

For example, what happened to S.A.R. ratings? The Specific Absorption Rate (crudely speaking the maximum amount of radiation the device emits) was supposed to be published on the specifications of every new mobile phone, so that consumers could make an informed choice. Did you see it on the tech specs for your handset? With all the hype of the iPhone 3G did you ever hear mention of its high (1.4) SAR rating? Didn't think so. The industry seems to be taking an 'out of sight, out of mind' approach.

Or, are manufacturers and telecom companies merely omitting the figures because of the inherent problems with SAR ratings? Figures which by their nature are actually misleading. The SAR rating details the maximum radiation a device can emit at any given time. However, that doesn't mean that for the most part the device actually emits it. Therefore, phone 'A' with a low SAR rating may actually be more dangerous (in radiation terms) than device 'B' with a high SAR rating (as phone 'A' may produce a higher, average emission). There is also the problem of specifications. The SAR rating measures emissions at ear level. So, typically, phone manufacturers have taken to moving the antenna further away from this point (illustrated in the aforementioned iPhone 3G - the antenna on this device is placed at the bottom rear).
So, whilst SAR figures may go down, the actual radiation absorbed by you, the user, from any given handset may not actually be changing. Whilst the radiation might not be entering your ear, it will be entering your jaw/mouth.

If all this seems a little like deja vu, it's not surprising. The parallels with smoking and the tobacco industry are plain enough to see. Sadly, like smoking, it seems that until there is a vast and unquestionable weight of evidence (taking the form of people's lives) it is unlikely much will change. Like smoking, the cumulative effects on most users will take years to build up. Ten, fifteen years from now, I really hope I can look back and say I was merely being alarmist...

MTB: Ghetto Tubeless, the what, why and how...

What is Ghetto Tubeless?
It's a way of converting 'ordinary' rims and tyres into a tubless system. Our American cousins coined the phrase 'Ghetto Tubeless' as it denotes the budget nature and slightly subversive way it overcomes the problems associated with existing tubeless systems such as 'UST'.

Why?
If you do any degree of mountain biking you will get punctures. Faster you go and the bigger the stuff you go over, the more frequent these punctures are likely to be. Punctures are a pain for three main reasons: 1. You have to stop riding to repair the puncture 2. They are potentially dangerous if you get an instant pinch flat as your descending 3. You have to carry plenty of spare tubes on longer rides which take up backpack space (better used for sandwiches and flapjacks) and weight you down. Running tubeless tyres overcomes all this for very little trade off. I've been running a 'Ghetto Tubeless' on my bike now for over a year now and wouldn't anticipate running anything else.

How?
Before we detail how to go 'Ghetto Tubeless', let's examine why we might want to go down that route...There are existing, 'proper' tubeless systems for mountain bikes, such as 'UST' but they are costly. You need specific UST tyres (heavy) and UST rims - not really a viable option if you have a perfectly good wheelset already. Furthermore, UST setups can be prone to 'burbing', whereby the tyre comes away from the rim briefly allowing air (and also sealant if you have added it) to escape - not ideal. 'Ghetto Tubeless' avoids these issues. Not only is it far cheaper, it also uses your existing wheels and if you are lucky your existing tyres and doesn't suffer any burbing. But be warned, not all tyres are suitable and there is more work to set-up initially...

You will need:
- An air compressor or a track pump and a MASSIVE set of arms.
- 2 x 20" BMX inner tubes (you need 2 of these for each bike you are converting to tubeless. Note, I know your wheels will be 26" but you need 20" BMX tubes - just trust me, OK?)
- Electrical tape (we will be using this instead of 'proper' rim strips)
- 1 pint of No Tubes tyre sealant (get it here:)
- Valve core remover (used to take the valve out of the 20" tubes - get it here)
- Sealant injector or a Clear tube that fits the inner tube valve snugly (this is the best bet if you don't mind the expense)
- Contact adhesive (just the normal stuff you can pick up in a local hardware shop or B&Q/Focus etc)
- Pair of sharp scissors
- Stanley knife blade
- Compatible tyres: Nokian, Continental, Kenda, Specialized, Bontrager, Geax and Schwalbe. DO NOT USE: Michelin, Intense, IRC, Hutchinson or Panaracer. There will be some exceptions to these rules but I strongly suggest sticking to the makes that are known to work. The other makes tend to have thinner sidewalls, creating the possibility of your tyre 'rolling off' the rim when cornering (that's a bad thing obviously). More info on compatible tyres here: http://www.notubes.com/support_tire.php

Optional
- Bowl of fairy liquid and water mix (if you're too sissy to get the tyres onto the rims)
- Plastic tyre levers (DON'T use metal ones as they are likely to rip the inner tube - unless you are the soft and gentle sort)
- Someone to help you (this does make it all a LOT easier)

Step-by-Step
We will assume at this point you have removed your wheels and removed your tyres from the rims (and discarded the old inner tubes).

1. Take the BMX tubes, find the seam on the outside (opposite the valve) and cut all the way around that seam with the scissors. Open the tube out and wash away all the chalk/talc. Now hang them somewhere to dry (they don't have to be totally clean, so long as the majority of the chalk is gone).
2. Take the electrical tape and tape around the rims, covering where the spokes go through the rim. A couple of layers should suffice. You will need to make a hole for the inner tube valve when done.
3. Take the BMX tubes, stick the valve through the rim and stretch them over the rims. You want the excess of the tubes to be hanging over either side of the rim.
4. Now the fun part: You need to put the tyres back onto the rims (ensure you have the tyre rotation the right way on the wheel as you won't want to do this twice!). This can be tricky, especially if you have new tyres but use the fairy liquid/water mix if need be. However, be aware that if you do use the water/fairy liquid mix that you will have to dry the tube and tyre afterward which can take just as long as wrestling with the tyre and tube in the first place. My advice is stop whinging and put your back into it...
5. With the tyres on the rims and everything dry, take the contact adhesive and run a generous layer around the bead of the tyre. Do this both sides and then quickly get the tyre on the compressor (or pump like a mad man if using a track pump) and inflate. If the God's are smiling on you it will inflate straight away. If not, keep the air going in put try squashing the tyre down around the valve to try and get the air in. When you get a seal it inflates straight away. If it's proving difficult, try more adhesive. If you're using a track pump I strongly suggest getting your hands on a compressor!
6. The tyre will start to loose air but keep inflating it for about 10 minutes. You will still have the tubes dangling out of the sides at this point but don't worry about that yet.
7. After 10 minutes, deflate the tyres and remove the valve core with the valve core remover (don't discard the core - you will need it again in a moment).
8. Tip the sealant into the wheel - the recommended amount for each tyre is given on the sealant.
9. Re-insert the valve core and inflate the wheel (35-40psi). Now mount the wheel back on the bike and keep spinning it for a good half hour. The wheel will deflate but keep topping it up with air and spinning it. This ensures that the sealant works its way into the tyre and seals any little holes.
10. Let's tidy up those wheels. After 30 mins of spinning and re-inflating where necessary, take the Stanley knife blade and VERY carefully score around the dangling tube against the rim. Obviously the closer you get this to the rim, the tidier the wheels will ultimately look but be careful not to nick the tyre in the pursuit of perfection. If you hold the blade with one hand and slowly turn the wheel with the other you should get a good cut. Then pull on the tube to separate it from the score line. Do this both sides on both wheels.
11. Now go ride. For the first few weeks you may find the wheels keep going down every 48-72 hours. This is normal, just pump them back up and ride. Eventually all the little holes will seal and they will stay up. Regardless, you may wish to take a single tube with you on your travels, just in case. I've not needed to use mine since going 'Ghetto' but you just never know...

TECH: Scared of Wi-Fi but want internet around the house?

I'm a little paranoid about Wi-Fi. In fact, not just Wi-Fi. I'm also concerned that mobile telephones/Wi-fi combined will be the real 'boiling frog'* event of our generation (as opposed to global warming).
I therefore wanted to cut down on the amount of radio waves buzzing about my home but struggled against the convenience of being able to use a laptop in any room.
Thankfully there is a solution: Powerline plugs.

Powerline adapters have been around for a few years but are now really affordable. I picked mine up for £40 for two. They are plugs with a network plug built in. They use the electrical circuit of your home to carry network traffic. Pretty good, eh?

Here's the simplest illustration. Attach a network cable from your router to Powerline plug 1. Plug this plug into the wall. Now, plug Powerline plug2 in somewhere else in the house, and attach a network cable from it, to the device you want an internet connection on. That simple. No drivers. No configuration in Windows, Mac or Linux. Just plug them in any they work. Best of it is, when you want the connection in another room, just move plug2 to that room and plug in there. Oh, any no nasty Wi-Fi signals (apart from the 20 other people living nearby) requiring the use of a foil hat...

*The boiling frog story states that a frog can be boiled alive if the water is heated slowly enough ? it is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.

The story is generally told in a figurative context, with the upshot being that people should make themselves aware of gradual change lest they suffer a catastrophic loss. [from Wikipedia]

TECH: iPhone 3G initial impressions and 2.0.1 wishlist

Following on from my last post, I was clearly wrong. There was clearly no shortage of people waiting to sign on for a new iPhone 3G (the pic attached shows my local O2 store at 7.55am 11/07/2008), although I'm sure there will be many more when it finally becomes available on PAYG. It's also fair to say the majority of folks queueing on Friday morning were waiting in line for their free upgrade, which O2 were unable to organise online.

O2's shambolic launch paved the way for further disappointment when many realised just how limited the O2 3G network is (nothing like as broad as Orange or 3's). This certainly puts a dent in the device's usefulness, from a portable browser point of view. There will inevitably be unlocks available soon allowing different sims to be used but this rather defeats the point of having a generous 'unlimited' data plan from O2...

Those grumbles aside, onto the phone itself. It's still large and appears largely unchanged but certainly feels better in the hand than the previous model (thanks to slightly bevelled edges).
It remains a joy to use. Having used an N95 8GB for the last few months I'd forgotten quite how outdated, frustrating and convoluted the Nokia/Symbian user interface is until I switched back to an iPhone. The Symbian faithful may defend their devices (arguably like zealots) but my personal experience is that there is simply no comparison. If you want a device you can actually use, the iPhone, despite it's ungainly form factor, is a far, far better device.

I'd also concede that the iPhone camera, measly 2 Megapixel as it may be, also seems to take better snaps than I ever managed with the N95 8GB (sporting a 5 Mega-pixel camera). This needs to be tested further but it would seem 2.0 iPhone software has certainly made the most of the available hardware. Proof, if ever it were needed, that mega-pixels are a poor indication of image quality.

The applications available so far for the iPhone 3G are a varied bunch. Favourites of mine are Garagebuy, WeDict (Dictionary) and eReader (so much better on an iPhone than N95 it's not even funny!). There's also a complete works of Shakespeare available absolutely gratis for fans of the Bard.

Finally, here are a few thoughts about what I'd personally like to see in 2.0.1 or via some 3rd party apps...

iPhone 2.0.1 Wishlist

Podcasts app. Rather than download Podcasts through iTunes (PC or Mac) and then sync it would be great to download direct over Wi-Fi/3G.

Switcher. This is a program that is available for hacked iPhones. Launch the app and you get a list of services you can turn on or off. I'd like to see a quick switch for Bluetooth, 3G and WLAN.

Alternatively...

Profile Manager. It would be good to have user definable switchable profiles. Again accessed like switches. For example a list may look like this:

General (default)
iPod mode (same as airplane mode, no network services)
Meeting (as general but with silent alerts)
Home (WLAN on, 3G off)
Work (WLAN off, 3G on)
Economode (WLAN off, 3G off)
etc etc.

Not to mention some obvious ommissions:

Copy and paste
The ability to forward contacts as vCards/SMS messages
MMS capability - I mean really, just what is the delay here??

Related Troubleshooting...
In case anyone is googling to find out why their iPhone won't hook up to their Orange Livebox 3240, this is probably why...
I also had some trouble hooking my Orange Livebox 3240 router up to the iPhone. The problem I had was twofold: Firstly 'WPA or WEP' was selected under the Livebox menu (Configuration > Advanced > Wireless). Ensure this is switched to 'WEP only'. Finally, press the '1' button on the Livebox to enter 'pairing mode'. Once this is done, harmony should be restored to your world.

TECH: Why iPhone under-performs in the UK: still no PAYG...

So O2, have decided not to launch the iPhone 3G on PAYG on the 11th July. It's a terrible decision, which only goes to explain why the iPhone is performing so badly against Apple/O2's expectations.

The facts seem self evident: more people want PAYG than pay monthly. More succinctly, they want the iPhone device, not the O2 monthly deals. This isn't because O2 is offering bad deals - simply because people are locked to other networks, or have other factors that effect them from switching to O2 (free broadband with their existing provider for example).

The abundance of unlocked current generation iPhones only proves to illustrate this point. The answer, for O2, Apple and the UK at least is simple: make the iPhone available on PAYG. By holding the iPhone 3G back, it appears that O2 are simply praying on a select few's desperation to get their hands on the device - even if it means signing up to another contract. The resultant scenario should be obvious...

To quote Abraham Lincoln: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

With O2 holding back the PAYG model the majority of people will do one of two things: simply wait, or lose interest in the iPhone 3G altogether...