D-Blog
King Geek (or is it Geek King?)

Not sure whats going on here, i had 4od and with all the bugs i could usually just about get it working but i tried it the other day was told it was the offline viewer and would allow me access to download or get anything new!! im waiting to get a whole list of shows, but i cant seem to get the old thing up to be able to browse etc…

4od really need to get their software sorted!!

Dan

Okay, i have a sky box with my own satalite dish and have the one time payment and got a free view cards for it.

 So i should really be getting everything which is “free to view” and yet i dont. E4 amoung many others includign Sky 3 are free to view and even my nan whom has a basic free view digi box gets and yet i dont? why not? why do sky deny me these when i should be able to.

 Its getting rather annoying as good as 4OD (which im forced to used to watch certain e4 shows) is i would much rather have the option to watch it there and then instead of havign to wait a while i have to wait for channel four to make the shows avalible which usually takes a while after air time.

Found this on a blog today and thought it was quite true.

BLOG = Best Language Of Geeks

CODE = Collection of Disorganized Etchings

DELICIOUS = Database Entries Left Incomplete, Code Is Opening Up System

DIGG = Decrepit Inferior Gullible Garbage

GOOGLE = Good Only Once Goons Leave Everything

JOOMLA = Just One Of Many Lousy Applications

KEYWORDS = Kooks Exhausting Young Webpages, Once Ranking Drops Start

MSN = Minuscule Search Network

PODCAST = Probably Online Drivel Consumed Audio (Salary-Triggered)

SMO = Stupid, Moronic Operation

SPAM = Stupid People And Marketing

STUMBLEUPON = Social Tool Used Mostly By Losers Entering Unproductive Plains Of Networking

WIKIPEDIA = Web Index Killing Information Plus Enclosing Deceptive, Inaccurate Articles

(the above was originally taken from: Here)

 

Well people all over the internet seem to be saying this, its O.K but it sucks.

DRM is a horrible thing, and i have to agree with what i have seen which seems to be that these things like iplayer and 4od will only cause people to more and more use ILLEGAL download systems because of the limitations the DRM puts on the files, i have to shut down KService.exe to be able to even rename the files.

And of course i am not having the files expireing, were as if i had downloaded them from a major download network limwire or emule maybe, the files would be the same (if not better) quality and would be free from restrictions and from what i have experience so far probably would download alot faster.

Aside from the intentional restrictions Channel 4 puts on the files, we have the crappy software.

Firstly dont be fooled the 4od is nothing more than a simple program which opens a webpage. (i have used the webpage through IE) thats all it does.

so far i have had major problems, if i decide i need to close the software, i then have to completely reboot my system to be able to get the software to load, and they only way i have it working is to have it in the startup which is hugly irritating as i myself want my PC to start and be fully booted ASAP! and not have to wait for 4od and iplayer to load as well on the off chance i need to use them.

 Also unlike iplayer 4od requires you to have software downloaded which is very annouying and a pain in the ass.

Okay rant over, comparision time.

for design i think the BBC website for iPlayer is much better and smoother, but i think for plain usability 4od is a little bit better but could still use improvment like when you click to download or book a program instead of then going back to the “home” page it redirects to the last page you were on, as when i wanted to download a whole series i had to go through one at a time, and click, download… okay… yes im 16… o right i have to enter password… my download page right okay … search… select the right series…. right…. o bugger what episode do i need next?!

 Very annouying.

 Basically, both are a good start, but they really need to invest and get their own software written by some pro’s because the kservice/khost base which BOTH iplayer and 4od use doesnt seem to be very stable.

So come on guys, we expect more, blow some of that piggy bank on some high uality programmers, get some amazingly smooth software done which is usable, doesnt eat a large percentage of your processor and ram and well.. Just Works!… Also ditch the DRM it’s not a good idea, really its just making more people who wouldnt usually download who might have a google about how to make that file they downloaded last week work becuase now it wont, and they find someone (like me maybe) saying whats to blame and that a normal p2p software would be so much better and easier and you have a whole ton more people downloading.

Also it seems 4od has quite realised that at least the users who have a clue about PC’s would want to know that the kservice and khost IS like a normal p2p software and they are being connected to other people to share these files.

 So come one get sorted.

 Also something which i really hope we can see sometime soon is a ALL in one P2p i know there are ones out there where you can connect to multiple networks, but if you could get the BBC iplayer and 4od programs into this so it all worked together would be just fantastic.

But im sure the idea of channel 4 and bbc and hey maybe even itv all working together like this is just well unthinkable, i mean companies working together for the comman good… no.

I will be signing off here.

 Night all.

WOW, i had seen a couple of ads for it and thought looked interesting, and then the other night while very bored and the only thing interesting on was well nothing came accross (what i now know is the first episode of the second series) and well i love it.

 I downloaded the 4od crappy software again (there will be a post about this soon…) and downloaded the WHOLE first series and watched them all yesturday.

And well i think they are brilliant, cant wait for the next episode, very interesting series and great characters, great fun good humor too.

Right now to talk about the… THING which si 4od…

Okay so heres some info and details about all the projects/sites/scripts im currently working on, and if anyone feels they could help or give any advice for some or feedback please feel free

 Obviously the first one i mention has to be one of the biggest -

CALM Charity’s Website:

Now while you might not notice at first how much is in this site as theres alot which isnt blatantly obvious, and for those of you who are reading this and dont have a medium-high knowledge of how PHP works, you might not get why some it has taken so long.

 I have been working on this site now since about May last year, since then (and long before) its had quite a few designs, the originals where UNBEARABLE to look at, but the final design which i have ended up with was originally created by Nick at SmarterWeb design, who came up with a initial design, which has been worked on, with the help of a friend, Dan (whymdesign.co.uk) who helped fix up alot of the CSS issues and bugs to get the design looking a little neater and much more cross browser compatible.

So i have ended up with this in my opinion (feel free to tell me yours either via the contact form on the calm site of the comment box below) a very nice design which suits the purpose well, as far as i can tell is completely cross browser compatible.

 The site is i would like to think a CMS, or at least it will be! The site has a full login system with user “ranks” or privleges levels:- Admin, Committee, Families, Users, Banned.

My aims for this site is to build a flexible CMS (or CALM CMS) which:

• Is easily modularised, so can be easily extended
• Themes can be easily created, and edited.
• Full file managment system - with rename, edit, permission changer, delete and upload features.
• Full user accounts and user managment system.
• Maintenace tools, such as Database back up, database optimisation and repair features

As well as the above the CALM CMS will have control settings to control as much of the website as possible through the administration panel.

 So far i have achieved alot of the above, such as the User system, maintenace tools and a large amount of the file management system; as well as other parts.

On top of the above i am also developing a SHOP system for this site and will expand this to so it can be easily controled through the administration panel, where as at the moment it must be dont through direct PMA control.

 I hope to be able to continue with this to be able to create a very advance CMS which will enable the Charity and hopefully other small charities in the future to be able to provide a good looking, and easy to control website to provide their families, and the general public which much more infomation much more easily without paying someone or having someone within the charity with advanced knowledge in web development.

 I will finish this very long post here, but there is much more i have to say and will eventually get round to making some nice little tutorials for some of the many aspects and scripts used within the site.

Well, what can i say, i started this blog whole heartedly hoping to be able to fill it with helpful crap…. and well i have completly failed in that.

Main problem is finding thing to talk about! i mean its amazingly hard when you try too hard.

 Anyway the dates approching when i make the leap from School to college only about 10 weeks left of school time, and i still havn’t got the college applications forms in, naturally this isnt all me just being lazy… i did bring them in… and then they got very wet and now i need new ones to do it all again…

I’m to be going to New College and do a BTEC Computing (software development) which i hope will be a fun and interesting subject to study, and i’m secretly hoping i know most of it all ready so im not too overloaded! (not that i’m cocky or anything…. :D)

At the moment im doing fairly well in school, jsut the dreaded coursework which is dragging me down as usual, and the teachers; currently being nagged by my textbook teacher, (this is my own phrase made by me so if u hear it anywhere else they been stealing!) text book teacher meaning all he seems to do is read out of a book or in many cases businessstudiesonline.co.uk and how can i put it isnt the most interesting teacher.

Also a little concerned the rumors about one of my teachers (and one i quite like too!) might be true :s. From what i know and what one of the other teachers i asked know he is simply ill but there’s alot of rumors that he has really been suspended.

 Okay im being a bit random now so i will end this post here.

i think i will probably write one as soon as i post this about all the projects im working on…

 Dan