Free lunch?

If, like me, you're always on the lookout for a bargain, you may - also like me - be somewhat confused about the various ways in which you can get software for nothing. So, here's a quick rundown:
Demo version - what it says. For you to try out. Normally fully functional but time limited.
Crippleware - similar, but usually not time limited. Instead there will be features (probably important ones like saving or printing) which don't work.
Shareware - try before you buy. Similar in concept to a demo version, and the idea is that you have to pay a fee if you want to keep it beyond a certain length of time, but quite often you are put on your honour to pay if you wish to continue to use it, and nothing happens if you don't.
Freeware - completely free. The conditions which come with it may place restrictions on its use, but there is never any question of payment.
Open Source - not only free but also gives you access to the source code, which you are at liberty to amend and develop for your own use, or pass on to others.

So - good hunting!

Captain Who?

Watching the present series of Torchwood has reignited a little niggle which has irritated me ever since the programme first started. Why is the main character who goes by the name of Captain Jack Harkness wearing a WWII style greatcoat with a Group Captain's insignia on the shoulders? This - as far as I am aware - has never been explained. Is he (or more precisely, the man he took the name off) supposed to be - or have been- a Group Captain, in which case he should be addressed as such, or is he some other sort of Captain who has simply happened on the coat? And just to add to my irritation, I'm reasonably sure that when his character first appeared in a Doctor Who episode the insignia on his coat was that of a Wing Commander. Is this just a continuity boob, or what. As an ex-RAF National Serviceman this really grates!

De jure and de facto - compare and contrast.

Remind me - who is Home Secretary at the moment? Whoever it is has apparently said that ID cards will not be compulsory. Who are they kidding? You know what's going to happen - they will not be compulsory in law, but once they are introduced you will quickly find that you can't do many of the things you want to do without producing one - open a bank account, apply for any benefits to which you may be entitled, register with a GP and so forth. So they won't be compulsory, but you'll need to have one - what's the difference?

Ooh no, we can't do THAT!

Bernie Ecclestone has come in for some stick over his views on democracy, dictatorship and Hitler. They are certainly - as reported - somewhat extreme but this should not be allowed to disguise the fact that there is a kernel of truth in there. The main problem with our democratic model is that politicians are generally far more concerned with their prospects of re-election than in doing what the country needs. This results in populist short-termism, which in the long run benefits nobody - except possibly themselves. Dictators don't have to worry about re-election and can therefore make unpopular but necessary long-term plans with impunity. The fact that this is - to use Al Gore's phrase - an inconvenient truth, should not prevent it being brought out into the open for discussion.

Wow!

I started watching for want of anything better, but ended up - like I suspect many others - gripped by a wonderful Wimbledon Men's Final. Scarcely a fag paper between them, and in the end it all came down to just a couple of points. Federer is now being hailed as the greatest tennis player of all time. If you follow this blog you will know that my hackles tend to rise whenever this word "greatest" is banded about - particularly when it's simply based on statistics. Main problem is that the game - in particular the men's game - has changed so much over the years. I think this is mainly down to racquet technology, but the serve-volley game is rarely seen these days, so it's difficult and somewhat meaningless to compare the modern player with those from the past. Nonetheless, I've been following Wimbledon for many a year (Jaroslav Drobny, anyone?) and for what it's worth I would take Rod Laver at his best against all comers. By the way, I've just read somewhere that Andy Murray is a Wolves supporter - and I still can't warm to the bloke!

But look how much I'm saving...!

We're used to seeing Closing Down Sales that seem to go on for ever, but what has struck me this summer is that every week I go to my local supermarket and the first thing that meets my eye is "English Strawberries - Half Price". They're always half price! I thought there was some rule about this - that you couldn't advertise something as being sold at a discount unless it had actually been on sale at what you are claiming is full price somewhere sometime? Not that I'm complaining - they're very tasty and a fair price, but it does make me smile - "Oh no, half price again!"

Words, words, words...

Listen to almost any politician speaking these days, and I can almost guarantee that the words "open" and "transparent" will crop up, and probably more than once. So if we're moving to a more open, transparent society, that's got to be good, hasn't it? But tell that to Andy Hayman, ex-anti-terrorism chief who has written a book about his experiences as such, and now finds himself slapped with an injunction forbidding its sale. Why? Well of course we're not allowed to know! Just how open and transparent can you get??

Checked plastic tablecloths and bring your own drink.

Birmingham apparently wish to "copyright" the balti. For anyone from Mars, a balti is a type of curry dish, the main characteristic of which is that it is served in the vessel it is cooked in. This is a small deep dish with a handle on each side, and the generally accepted wisdom is that this gives the dish its name - balti being the Hindu word for bucket. Birmingham's claim is that the balti originated in the Sparkbrook area of the city in the late 70s, and therefore "belongs" to Birmingham. Not that their claim goes unchallenged - Bradford in particular can point to a similar - if not quite so well-documented - history. As far as I can see, they are both wrong - the concept of the balti was brought to these shores by immigrants from Northern Pakistan, and obviously if it can be said to have originated anywhere, then it originated back in their homeland. The balti is a culinary treasure which belongs to us all.

Cherry picking?

Ten years on after devolution, a poll has found that about two-thirds of Scots want control over their own taxes and pensions, but that about the same proportion of Scots want matters of defence and foreign affairs to stay in the hands of Westminster. To me this seems a classic case of wanting power without responsibility - and you know what Kipling said about that!

Whatever happened to nut roast?

I'm a meat-eater myself, but I have no problem with those who are vegetarian. What I can never understand though is why those who market vegetarian food, package it so as to look like non-vegetarian stuff - you know, vegetarian sausages, vegetarian burgers and so on. Presumably they do this because this is what their customers want, which rather invites the question - why are they vegetarian? Why pretend to be eating a sausage unless what you really want deep down is a sausage. Are these people deceiving themselves? And the other day, believe it or not, I actually saw a packet of vegetarian fish fingers - fish fingers with no fish! Oh come on!!