sjdean on the blog

What a stupid thing the notch is. I get it, it's designed to maximise the screen. Except it doesn't. It's an illusion because there's a great big chunk in the middle. Why not just move the hardware as close to the top as you can go and make the screen go to there? We now have such monstrous designs as the Google Pixel XL 3 where the two stereo speakers are a different size at the top and bottom. Erm. Should they not be the same size? Ditch the Notch. Technology isn't ready yet. Manufacturers should stand tall and proclaim that the Notch is a fad, nothing more. They should work on implementing under screen cameras and speakers and only then, when they can do that, should they even bother looking at full height screens.

In this particular day and age, it's quite ludicrous that Apple, Google and Amazon are all fighting against each other. You cannot play Amazon Prime through a Google Chromecast, and neither can you play Apple iTunes videos on your Android device - the latter is something to do with DRM. The EU fined Google for anti-competitive behaviour for requiring manufacturers to install thieir software in order to use the Google Play Store, however the EU seem to remain silent on interoperability. The EU also remain silent on anti-competitive behaviour for Apple iPhone where you need a Mac in order to develop and at least build for an iPhone. Talk about tying you into hardware/software. With Android development, I could develop on a Linux system. So lets ask who is anti-competitive? We need strong regulation for the streaming market. By strong regulation, I mean a regulator who sets simple rules and bites back when the big boys don't play by the rules. The rules need to simple: ...

When I voted in the Brexit referendum of 2016, I voted for remain. I actually believe in the free movement, the projection of the ECHR and the ECJ and enjoy the economic stability with which it provides. However what became clear to me, is just how terrible the EU is as an institution. It has become clear to me over the years that we have been rejected every time we've wanted to make changes within Europe. They seem to have made it virtually impossible leave with threats and control. Almost like a mafia controlled state, we have to pay our protection money or lose our legs. People suggest we should stay in the EU to fight and make it better. How are we supposed to do that when we have been unsuccessful on so many occasions in the past? The EU comes out with laws, rules, regulations and legislation. It is no good just to shake hands, leave the EU and give guarantees that we will maintain the status quo, a snapshot of the current system during the transition period. No. We mu...

I simply don't understand what is so wrong with nationalism. We are told that Donald Trump is bad, he identifies as a nationalist and so did Hitler, therefore Trump is Hitler. Many references exist that tell you amongst others, that Gandhi was a nationalist. So clearly there must be something else apart from "nationalism" that denotes whether a person is evil or not, since it appears that you can be nationalist, and good. I hear the word nationalism, and think of a a country that is proud of their heritage and wants people  to share in the goodness of their country and their heritage. That doesn't mean I want people to come to the country and us what to do, but I want people to come here because they like who we are and want to be part of us. Donald Trump is his recent White House press conference, said quite clearly that he wants and needs immigrants in the country because the American economy is growing. But, he says, he wants people who are there legally. ...

A friend of mine took me to see the, apparently Swedish band, First Aid Kit. I say "apparently" because they had a mix of nationalities in the lineup. I was quite enjoying it. Great to see a female bass player with great bass guitars. Unfortunately half way through came the political nonsense where there was a song dedicated to calling out rape culture while a bunch of women whooped and hollered. I believe the concept of a rape culture is bogus at best. Before you lynch me, let me explain. There are no grey areas. It's black and white. Rape is wrong. Sexual violence is wrong. If you don't consent, it is wrong. It doesn't matter about gender, or race, or sex. Someone taking something of which you do not freely give is wrong. Full stop. Unfortunately, the term "rape culture" seems very much equated to a women vs men kind of scenario, the sort of identity politics that I despise. As one article on The Conversation reports, "the problem of ra...