Comments on: “Dork Talk” http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/ Blessays, blogs and blisquisitions Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:18:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: nonoyesyes http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-14747 nonoyesyes Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:11:14 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-14747 Hello! I know I said I was not coming back (don’t really like the feeling I’m talking to myself haha!) but I simply had to! Do you know, my daughter had found your wonderful documentaries regarding bi polar (manic depression) and watch all 12 episodes. She then coaxed me to come and see these too, which I did. Now my daughter had been very badly bullied while in primary school (the schooling prior to high school) and then again at high school…she gained an awful lot of weight suddenly, and had also begun to suffer from Fear of vomit is also known as emetophobia, which later on was to lead to a stomach disorder. She became very severely depressed and could not rid herself of her anxieties. So even though she had graduated (2007) and entered the work force, these black moods would trip her up. The funny thing is, that she is destined to enter the world of show business, having discovered a natural reservoir of talent, and it struck me, after seeing your documentary on depression etc, that she had a real interest in your point of view and personal experiences. I found myself absolutely amazed at how you had coped with the depressive moods, and am deeply and most sincerely thankful, that you sir, are a very compassionate, and kind hearted person. You did your documentary in such a way as to bring the idea of ‘mental illness’ forward, into the present as it were, and to do it in such a way as to bring some understanding into it too. Your interviews with those who had suffered from it too, were absolutely eye opening, and a rare insight is given your audience. I can’t thank you enough for doing this, you have given my girl a perspective on such things as highs and lows, of black moods and so on, and in relation to the world that you are part of, the world of show business. She has come away with the recognition that while she does get upset about things when confronted with those who would invalidate her, etc, she is in full control of her thoughts, and has an awareness of that too, which led her to realise that even though she might get black moods, she is able to be cause over them. I was immensely impressed that you had shared your world with your public, and find that you are very worthy of the most validating comments we can muster! Thank you SO much for this Stephen, and I truly hope too, that you are doing very well with dealing with that dark patch that sometimes comes along to ruin what is surely a very successful life! Add to this now, the incredible actions you have taken to ease the burden for all those who suffer from this rather tragic ill. Hats off to you, fine sir ~ I salute you; and wish you well! Regards, and my very best wishes to you. ((-_-)) xx Hello! I know I said I was not coming back (don’t really like the feeling I’m talking to myself haha!) but I simply had to!
Do you know, my daughter had found your wonderful documentaries regarding bi polar (manic depression) and watch all 12 episodes.
She then coaxed me to come and see these too, which I did.
Now my daughter had been very badly bullied while in primary school (the schooling prior to high school) and then again at high school…she gained an awful lot of weight suddenly, and had also begun to suffer from Fear of vomit is also known as emetophobia, which later on was to lead to a stomach disorder.
She became very severely depressed and could not rid herself of her anxieties.
So even though she had graduated (2007) and entered the work force, these black moods would trip her up. The funny thing is, that she is destined to enter the world of show business, having discovered a natural reservoir of talent, and it struck me, after seeing your documentary on depression etc, that she had a real interest in your point of view and personal experiences.
I found myself absolutely amazed at how you had coped with the depressive moods, and am deeply and most sincerely thankful, that you sir, are a very compassionate, and kind hearted person.
You did your documentary in such a way as to bring the idea of ‘mental illness’ forward, into the present as it were, and to do it in such a way as to bring some understanding into it too.
Your interviews with those who had suffered from it too, were absolutely eye opening, and a rare insight is given your audience.
I can’t thank you enough for doing this, you have given my girl a perspective on such things as highs and lows, of black moods and so on, and in relation to the world that you are part of, the world of show business.
She has come away with the recognition that while she does get upset about things when confronted with those who would invalidate her, etc, she is in full control of her thoughts, and has an awareness of that too, which led her to realise that even though she might get black moods, she is able to be cause over them.
I was immensely impressed that you had shared your world with your public, and find that you are very worthy of the most validating comments we can muster!
Thank you SO much for this Stephen, and I truly hope too, that you are doing very well with dealing with that dark patch that sometimes comes along to ruin what is surely a very successful life!
Add to this now, the incredible actions you have taken to ease the burden for all those who suffer from this rather tragic ill.
Hats off to you, fine sir ~ I salute you; and wish you well!
Regards, and my very best wishes to you.
((-_-)) xx

]]> By: Steev http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-3022 Steev Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:54:04 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-3022 I've been banging on about mutual exclusions in personality for ages; now that someone famous has said it (i.e. you!) people will start believing it :) The geekiest plug-in I currently have for my computer is my house! It's all controlled through a (private) web site, and hand-held remote control. How about it? ObDisclosure: I am the developer of the MinervaHome.net software I’ve been banging on about mutual exclusions in personality for ages; now that someone famous has said it (i.e. you!) people will start believing it :)

The geekiest plug-in I currently have for my computer is my house! It’s all controlled through a (private) web site, and hand-held remote control. How about it?

ObDisclosure: I am the developer of the MinervaHome.net software

]]> By: br3nda http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-2028 br3nda Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:34:59 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-2028 leaves the question of who can do divx? only Viewty? My palm has been playing divx while i laze in a hammock for.. at least 4 years. leaves the question of who can do divx? only Viewty? My palm has been playing divx while i laze in a hammock for.. at least 4 years.

]]> By: Stephen Fry’s Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive « ideas Revolutionary http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1623 Stephen Fry’s Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive « ideas Revolutionary Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:55:24 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1623 [...] Fry’s blog a few days ago and found some of his writing interesting (e.g. this Nov. 3rd “Dork Talk” [...] [...] Fry’s blog a few days ago and found some of his writing interesting (e.g. this Nov. 3rd “Dork Talk” [...]

]]> By: minxlj http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1530 minxlj Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:10:56 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1530 I really hope LG manages to surpass the touch function that was unveiled on their 'Chocolate' otherwise known as KG800 phone. I waited in anticipation for that phone, and lo and behold I am on my 3rd one because both previous touch pads died, leaving me with no other way to access anything on the phone. Of course I won't be waiting for the 3rd phone to die, as I've already bought my iPhone. LG - you make cracking DVD players, microwaves and TVs, which gave me a false sense of security when it came to this underdeveloped excuse of a phone (with the most rubbish camera I've ever suffered on a mobile and the SLOWEST start-up of any phone I've ever seen). The Viewty - well if I could get over that ridiculous marketing twerp name, I still wouldn't bother with it when compared to the iPhone. The Viewty is a nice phone, resting on the idea of a great camera (sorry, not possible in a mobile phone so stop harping on about the megapixel myth!) but it didn't give me the WOW factor, and didn't feel as well-made as the iPhone. I was bored of it after 5 minutes or so. A nice phone, undoubtedly, but an iPhone killer? No really, pull the other one... I really hope LG manages to surpass the touch function that was unveiled on their ‘Chocolate’ otherwise known as KG800 phone. I waited in anticipation for that phone, and lo and behold I am on my 3rd one because both previous touch pads died, leaving me with no other way to access anything on the phone. Of course I won’t be waiting for the 3rd phone to die, as I’ve already bought my iPhone.

LG – you make cracking DVD players, microwaves and TVs, which gave me a false sense of security when it came to this underdeveloped excuse of a phone (with the most rubbish camera I’ve ever suffered on a mobile and the SLOWEST start-up of any phone I’ve ever seen).

The Viewty – well if I could get over that ridiculous marketing twerp name, I still wouldn’t bother with it when compared to the iPhone. The Viewty is a nice phone, resting on the idea of a great camera (sorry, not possible in a mobile phone so stop harping on about the megapixel myth!) but it didn’t give me the WOW factor, and didn’t feel as well-made as the iPhone. I was bored of it after 5 minutes or so. A nice phone, undoubtedly, but an iPhone killer? No really, pull the other one…

]]> By: Amy http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1491 Amy Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:26:20 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1491 What I wanna know is.. is there Flash Lite support? :) Ok, that's a geeky thing to ask.. it sounds like a great phone. What I wanna know is.. is there Flash Lite support? :) Ok, that’s a geeky thing to ask.. it sounds like a great phone.

]]> By: Jrsisson http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1300 Jrsisson Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:39:49 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1300 Just one small thing to add to the review. "Smart as it is, the Viewty falls down when it comes to text entry. You tap at a touch-screen version of a phone keypad or use a badly implemented and fiddly handwriting recognition system." There is also a qwerty keyboard entry system that you can use which is displayed in landscape which seems fairly easy to use, at least from my 5 minutes on a demo phone. Just one small thing to add to the review.

“Smart as it is, the Viewty falls down when it comes to text entry. You tap at a touch-screen version of a phone keypad or use a badly implemented and fiddly handwriting recognition system.”

There is also a qwerty keyboard entry system that you can use which is displayed in landscape which seems fairly easy to use, at least from my 5 minutes on a demo phone.

]]> By: Mike http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1235 Mike Sun, 11 Nov 2007 07:53:59 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1235 WMA license fee is not much of an issue: other (less profitable) device manufacturers don't have a problem with it - even most car CD players handle it. It also gives you better sound quality than MP3 at the same file size. I presume Apple has paid for their MP3 rights. There's no requirement for them to handle DRM'd WMA, but then most WMA files are not DRM'd. Apple must be paying something to do WMA conversions with iTunes, although that's pretty horrible because iTunes touches all the tags in your files in the process, and installs wasteful iPod stubs on your PC that load even if you've never connected an iPod, and which can be as awkward to remove as some spyware. I have most of my CDs ripped in Lossless WMA, and so Apple's policies mean that neither iTunes nor iPod can touch it. So there's no "gosh to wow" transition factor for me. Arguing that a device is designed to work for your software and music store is a pretty quick way to march towards a monopoly, which is what Apple is becoming in this sphere. Apple also uses its firmware to block Harmony on iPods. WMA license fee is not much of an issue: other (less profitable) device manufacturers don’t have a problem with it – even most car CD players handle it. It also gives you better sound quality than MP3 at the same file size. I presume Apple has paid for their MP3 rights. There’s no requirement for them to handle DRM’d WMA, but then most WMA files are not DRM’d.

Apple must be paying something to do WMA conversions with iTunes, although that’s pretty horrible because iTunes touches all the tags in your files in the process, and installs wasteful iPod stubs on your PC that load even if you’ve never connected an iPod, and which can be as awkward to remove as some spyware. I have most of my CDs ripped in Lossless WMA, and so Apple’s policies mean that neither iTunes nor iPod can touch it. So there’s no “gosh to wow” transition factor for me.

Arguing that a device is designed to work for your software and music store is a pretty quick way to march towards a monopoly, which is what Apple is becoming in this sphere. Apple also uses its firmware to block Harmony on iPods.

]]> By: Phil Bowell http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1229 Phil Bowell Sat, 10 Nov 2007 23:08:11 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1229 About why Apple "spitefully" block .wma from use on iPod etc. It's not that they block it but more Microsoft don't license it to the Mac for a reasonable amount. Plus why license a competitors DRM for use on a device designed to work with your software and music store? About why Apple “spitefully” block .wma from use on iPod etc. It’s not that they block it but more Microsoft don’t license it to the Mac for a reasonable amount. Plus why license a competitors DRM for use on a device designed to work with your software and music store?

]]> By: Josef K http://www.stephenfry.com/2007/11/03/dork-talk/comment-page-1/#comment-1226 Josef K Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:23:11 +0000 http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=25#comment-1226 WMA is dreadfully inferior. I for one am happy that the worlds biggest MP3-player engine is cutting it out of the equation. As for the Viewty, it seems a close call, but you realise that with the additional buttons on the front they have not been able to create completely workable interfaces with their touchscreen. Also, Ives remarked that the iPhone design even went to how it rested flat on the table, with the speaker available making hands free natural and the unit remaining perfectly balanced and sleek. The Viewty looks clumsy when rested, again down to the 8 out of 10 yards the LG design team are only willing to go. By the time LG genuinely catches up the iPhone will be on v2.5. WMA is dreadfully inferior. I for one am happy that the worlds biggest MP3-player engine is cutting it out of the equation.

As for the Viewty, it seems a close call, but you realise that with the additional buttons on the front they have not been able to create completely workable interfaces with their touchscreen.

Also, Ives remarked that the iPhone design even went to how it rested flat on the table, with the speaker available making hands free natural and the unit remaining perfectly balanced and sleek. The Viewty looks clumsy when rested, again down to the 8 out of 10 yards the LG design team are only willing to go.

By the time LG genuinely catches up the iPhone will be on v2.5.

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