Comments for The Misadventures of Quinxy von Besiex

Comment on Viliv S10 Blade Review by Jason

Jason — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:24:40 +0000

Almost one year on since my comments on my S10 and everything I’ve said is still the case. I’m still using this device for work 6 days a week. I am only persisting due to the high price I paid. With all of the negative comments I’ve made on reliability, I must say that the physical aspects of this tablet PC has taken daily use and abuse quite well indeed. All ports, keys, buttons, and the trackpad still work fine. The battery still gets me through a solid day & evening of work. The screen has no dead pixels.

But:

- It still crashes at random – varying from a couple of times a day to once/twice a week.
- No update has fixed the problem – only reduced it.
- Wi-fi reception is poor.
- SSD performance is terrible – 5MB/sec in a lot of cases when running tests! Yes, trim is enabled and there is plenty of free space available.
- Trackpad button is not nice to use at all. Bluetooth mouse much better. Wireless mouse even better again as you don’t always have to keep waking the wireless mouse up by jiggling it.
- USB ports as mentioned are too recessed for some devices. Keep a USB extension cable handy.
- 3G Modem was a waste of money – not supported in Australia with Telstra who insist you must use one of their USB modems – unless of course you have an iPad, because Telstra will support them. I guess the S10 Blade has 4G capability if I upgrade my USB modem… at least it’s on par with the new iPad whose built-in modem also isn’t compatible with Telstra’s 4G network.
- The lock on the battery compartment can unlock with general handling of the tablet. The result is an instant-off and all data lost when the battery breaks contact.
- The SD card slot is too easy to accidentally eject.
- Tablet mode I don’t use as it’s too cumbersome with Windows 7.
- Touchscreen I use every day with work using a customised Access database.
- Multi-touch – never utilised. Simply too slow to respond. I have an iPhone 4. This is how the S10 should respond to multi-touch gestures – it doesn’t and never will.

Why do I keep using the S10?

- It runs Windows. I need MS Office/Access – no exceptions.
- I did buy an MSI u160 netbook 6 months after the Viliv S10 due to the S10 being so unreliable at the time I needed something.

MSI u160 vs Viliv S10:

MSI is:

- Much, much faster CPU. Celeron SU2300 is no speed demon, but compared to an Atom Z530? Whoah!
- 2GB RAM = multi-tasking Win 7 is bearable.
- 320GB 2.5″ HDD leaves the Viliv’s SSD for dead. 50MB/sec is slow on this drive. Very nice.
- 11″ 1368×768 screen. Nice, same resolution as Viliv, but more readable due to 11″ screen.
- Nice keyboard, though big keys can take getting used to after Viliv keyboard.
- Wi-fi actually has reasonable/good reception.
- It doesn’t crash to a BSOD regularly. It has happened once when updating a driver.

But MSI:

- Has no touchscreen.
- No Bluetooth to my surprise when trying to connect a Bluetooth mouse.
- Much bulkier due to 11″ screen.
- Battery life is around 4-5hrs. I can’t work if battery dies in the field and I can’t wait around to recharge.
- HDD is not an SSD. I don’t like moving HDDs around that aren’t solid state.

I still use the Viliv S10 daily for 3 reasons:

- It has a touchscreen. No. 1 reason.
- It’s battery life.
- It’s size.

One more reason is the time required to transfer (software and work files) over to a new device.

The Viliv S10 is a love/hate relationship.

I love the size, the touchscreen, and the battery life.

I hate the reliability (software), performance (CPU and HDD), and lack of manufacturer support.

If Windows 8 does not fix the reliabilty of the S10, then once something comes along that beats it in all areas, the S10 will be history.

The Samsung with the active digitiser touchscreen looks good, but they are too expensive. Lesson learnt with the Viliv S10.

The offerings from ASUS are ok, but still run on Atom platforms – too slow.

Hmm, an iPad that runs Windows… or Windows that runs on an iPad like device with an x86 compatible non-Atom CPU and has iPad like responsiveness with Windows compatibility…

Meanwhile back to reality, the S10 is still letting me complete my daily work, in a slow and often unstable way.

The Viliv S10 reviewed in one-word: AVOID.

Comment on Running Google Android 2.2 on Your PC with VMware in Less than 5 Minutes by Jason

Jason — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:34:47 +0000

For those having trouble getting the ethernet to work – which version of android are you trying to run? If you look in the release notes, for any version of android later than 2.3 they all state that ethernet is disabled in the android OS (so unlikely that VMware player will be able to get round this). Suggest people try earlier OS releases.

Comment on How to Pick your Nook Color Operating System and Install Options by Root-formated (retail version) SD card won't wipe/format - Android Forums

Root-formated (retail version) SD card won't wipe/format - Android Forums — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:33:42 +0000

[...] Use this if you used your sdcard to dual boot or install a rom and now want to restore it to stock.) HP format tool (Another utility to remove all partitions on your [...]

Comment on Why Slavery Didn’t Make African Americans Superior Athletes by tony

tony — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:06:25 +0000

James B, your comment was ridiculous…the idea of community centers get “at risk” black youths’ into team sports at an early age is asinine. The black man has been in competitive sports for over 100 years, the urban blight and “at risk ” black youth you mentioned didn’t even exist then.
Quinxy, your apple analogy is so flawed it defy’s logic. If you want to use apples, you would need to go to the apple orchard, check out the tree’s and then you would need to select the fruit bearing the most and biggest fruit to be bred( yes I know tree’s aren’t bred, but those are the ones you would clone etc..) to make your analogy in the same ball park. Natural selection was mixed with artificial selection in the breeding process of the slaves. I think that is apparent to anyone who can look at this topic with a logical and rational mind. The largest of the field hands where given breeding privileges, from a purely business point of very why would you allow your sick or weakly slaves to breed, no different then a dog or horse breeder. Why do you state that 250 years wouldn’t be long enough to change genetic trait? If I have brown eyes, and marry and have children with a woman with blue eyes, that genetic trait can show up in the very next generation…..Where does this 250 year thing come from? I am not in anyway defending the practice of slavery, but looking at this purely analytically, it seems fairly obvious that the combination of natural and artificial selection occurs within the slave population, and the results are shown in the dominate prevalence of blacks in athletics in the US. Political correctness gone amouck seems to be at the root of your ” answer” .

Comment on Peanuts (the comic): An Analysis of My Hatred by Snakerake

Snakerake — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:07:39 +0000

Amen, Peanuts is the worst comic/cartoon ever. I cannot stand it. I hate even worse the Metlife Commercials that jam it in your face

Comment on Guides by Allen H

Allen H — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:37:36 +0000

ANy reviews on CM9 ICS

Comment on The High Cost of Ethical Dog Ownership & The Questionable Morality of Paying It by sl0wj0n

sl0wj0n — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:54:49 +0000

Hi, there, Mr. von Besiex.
Interesting subject you choose for pigeon-holing the expenses you incurred due to choosing to own pets.
I’m married now, and my wife has [basically] made the same choice.
[Personally, I had made the opposite choice, because my dad had raised bird dogs,
and I had experienced the results he had, as a side effect (similar to your 'future family').]
I think that, oftentimes,
we ‘accidentally’ ignore the incredible burden that politics brings to bear on such decisions.
Most of us little realize that, the absolutely immorally high expenses are the real result of politics.
Politicians have deduced that they can ‘allow’ some segments of ‘society’ to ‘take advantage’ of others,
on the ‘moral’ basis of which is ‘needed’ more;
businesses ‘need’ to make a ‘profit’ to continue providing the ‘services’ they ‘sell’.
IF that business is one of those that have strong lobbies, like doctors, druggists, veterinarians,
or the great ‘immoral’ drug or food manufacturers,
then those ‘favored few’ can legally extort huge, immoral amounts of money from their victims,
all w/ the ‘government’s blessings’. [All the while, even poisoning or killing their victims.]
Many businesses can’t do this, because they have to remain ‘competitive’, in order to remain viable.
Those ‘favored few’, like doctors and hospitals, for example,
have ‘legal protection’ against such competition.
There are many such, that require a ‘government-issued license’ of some sort,
to be able to open and to operate.
Even barber shops and liquor stores have this ‘legal protection’ from competition.
Its very much akin to the way the mafia ran[runs?] their ‘protection’ rackets,
in that the ‘business’ pays fees to gain a measure of ‘protection’ from their competitors,
and to be able to legally ‘extort’ huge ‘profits’ from their victims, in turn.
All made [legally] possible by *YOUR* ‘elected officials’, and *YOUR* ‘tax dollars at work’!
In my case, I had decided that,
it being ‘immoral’ to spend the inordinate monies required for ‘moral’ pet ownership,
that I would forego the benefits owning a dog, for the benefits of owning my money, instead.
Alas, my wife has THREE dogs, w/ all the expenses tripled.

Unfortunately, this situation will continue, until the God that you don’t believe in, rectifies it.

Have a GREAT day, neighbor!

Comment on Lytro Experience, Day One: Unending Frustration! And a Mac is Required! by Richard Vallon

Richard Vallon — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:16:04 +0000

Well I am totally with you. I am a Mac Guy- for 19 years now. Win support in 2012- well it is 2012 isn’t it?
You are correct- I run Windows on my Macs and all my digital cameras can upload and view their photos tp both platforms.
What is kooky is that I understand developing apps for Apple Mac computers allows these apps to be
ported- developed directly for Windows. This is crazy to have a camera be Mac only. Of course in the past there have been things developed for Win only- only to find out the majority of buyers of such a this or that were the well heeled Mac owners. For me I’m going to wait and see- the viewscreen and controls of the Lytro are too small and I do not think the camera weighs enough to be held stable at slow shutter speeds. This camera is a technology demonstrator- just like the first $4K Macintosh was in 1984… but like it- the Lytro tech could be the future…

Comment on The Selfish Immorality of Dog Breeding (buyers & sellers) by scott

scott — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:58:06 +0000

To those that really care for animals,
I’m am one of the very few that adopted the next dog I saw rather than finding the perfect one on craigslist. My friends all with huskies, yorkies, and pitbulls look at my dog with total disgust. As much as they love their dogs, deep down inside they are selfish people that use their animals as accessories and status symbols. I have a pure white dog with many mix breeds. I like how the vet put him under terrier X. I think with his mix breeds, he became highly adaptable to hot and cold weather. When I brought him to a dog park, I was proud to say he was the most unique dog out there. I remember a kid came by, looked at all the dogs playing, and stared directly at my dog in the group. The kid said “what’s that dog over their?” I came up to him and said “I don’t even know.” All the dogs were pure bred or specific mutts at the park. My life as a child, all I wanted was a dog. When I look into this generation of people, all I hear in disgust is I want a beagle, husky, pit-bull, etc.

Comment on Why Slavery Didn’t Make African Americans Superior Athletes by Mark

Mark — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:46:12 +0000

You guys should read this article. It has convinced me that genetics is the primary reason why blacks dominate in certain american sports. I agree that the slave trade had little or no affect, but genetics does, not just for blacks, but for everyone.

http://www.blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/Track_amp_Field_36/Why_Black_Athletes_Dominate_Sports_and_Why_We_re_A_188.shtml