Readers' Letters Mad Maggie, Mad Mikey, Mad readers

Sorry there hasn't been any letters Round-Up for two weeks but Your Right Honourable Letters Ed (that's me) has been otherwise occupied in a different part of Europe and no one was foolish enough to sort through the muck to find the reader gems. Quite right too.

Another downside is that now there are an inexcusable number of letters. It is with perverse satisfaction then that I will run a shorter-than-normal roundup. Not fair? Hey, it's a tough world kid.

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Give Maggie Thatch a break (left leg or right leg?)

[Dr Spinola was rabbiting on (cockney rhyming slang: rabbit and pork, a lot of talk) about some boffins beating the speed of light, thereby creating a time machine. The first thing to do, of course, said Spinola was to go back and kill tyrants such as Hitler, Bill Gates and Maggie Thatcher. This is where a reader took exception. NB He is as barking as the old bat herself.]

Hey Mister Spinola

Sorry,

I realize some English (is that a spin on a golf ball), may have trouble with Maggie, but to put her in the same sentence as the old narrow mustachio is less than touching.

I suggest you throw John Maynard Keynes in there. There are some others who a certain anglo historian described in his book 'Intellectuals', but the Bloomsbury faggot (of the happy kind) is good enough.

Give the old girl a break! It not her fault she likes a little hot Chile.

Sanche

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Out of date, out of mind

We were sent a really good top ten phrases in Romanian to coincide with the England/Romania football match. They were quite funny and authentic too. But then since England's OUTRAGEOUSLY PATHETIC "EFFORTS" IN EURO 2000 - sorry, got carried away there. An executive decision has been made that we won't run the phrases. Much in the same way that the England won't run with the ball.

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Reg rule no.324: Only abuse when you know the facts

For a site that's so noisy about the gullibility of other news sources, you've been very quiet about your swallowing the story about the ApachePDA project. You mocked the BBC for removing their story about the potato web server, but you /changed/ your story as if you'd known all along. I think these screenshots make the point: [two screen shots of an April fool before/after type].

Go on, publish them and admit you were suckered, you bunch of biased, snivelling, snidey public-school boys pretending to be journalists (do I get the flame of the week prize now? :) ).

cheerio,
Matthew

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Mike writes back: I never been to public school. Mike

Kieren replies: Matt. We actually raised the Apache story at the same time as the potato server hoax. Have a look. Kieren"

Matthew replies: Ah, fair enough. Back to my flame pit to craft some more stinging vitriol, then :-). Cheers,
Matthew

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And while we're on about reader/Reg communication...

[As you may have noticed, The Reg has had a redesign. We replied personally to literally hundreds of concerned readers (we all secretly love you, you know). Sean though caught a live one]

I came to know theregister some time ago and liked it ever since, the updates are somewhat irregular so it seems but nice teasers for further reading.

About Register 2, the 'thing' on the left is rather out of tune with the rest of the site ... to BIG is the key word ...i like the new look anyway. the old one needed some improvement.

anyway, the reader had his say, couldn't resist, sorry ;-)

Joris Lambrecht

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Sean replies: Thanks for the note Joris. Too big? Well, it's certainly hard not to see it. Regards, Sean.

Nutter replies:

it's like a penis or a tit i guess, when it's to BIG people get scared away (both sexes included) hence my message was merely out of concern

keep an eye on those tit's i'd say ... :-)

Joris Lambrecht

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Is Mike Magee a shining sword of truth or a drunk bullshitter?

LOVE

Hi Mike !
First of all thanks for a great site.

next i wish you will put less info about english tech news like the BT stuff, and focus on universal tech news. i think that most of your readers are worldwide than england based

Thanks and continue the EXCELLENT work.....

Hagi Fishman
Computer 4 All
General Manager
ISRAEL

[why can no one find the caps key anymore. just bloody lazy, the lot of you]

HATE

Subject: Oy Mike........You Southern Git

Mike,

Just spent a happy half hour reading lies and inuendos in the register to make me smile. I like the moaning and groaning of the plebs who take issue with what you have to say. They obviously have never met you or had the pleasure, (not) of meeting you, or they would have realised that the bullshit is real, i.e. that you are now actually believing your own hype and that there isn't a single word of truth that comes from your mouth...........until after three am when we start to get close to it!!!!

Good to have had a few slurpppppsssssss with ya on the last trip. Keep the crap flowing,

Nigel Stanley
Taipei (soon to move to Taichung)

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Christ! A serious, useful Reader letter

[Tony aka Tone Deaf ran a story about Kenwood claims that it could make MP3s of the same quality as the CD they're pulled off. A knowledgeable reader begs to differ]

Just have to make a comment on this story ;o) !!!!

Whilst Kenwood are correct in stating that the quality of recorded sound is depended on the higher harmonic frequencies, (which I believe can be as high as 30-35kHz), their new "Supreme Drive" is just a cheap marketing ploy that BOFH would be proud of.

The higher frequencies are lost in two ways, first of all when converting from analogue to digital the sampling rate
determines the highest frequency to be usefully captured, ( normal around 18-20kHz for a CD). Secondly it is not data compress that removes the information, (else how would WINZIP work ?), but the special techniques and algorithms designed to reduce the complexity of the sound and hence increase the data compress rates. What this means is that the data describing the frequency and magnitude of the higher harmonic components is irretrivably lost and no buzz words or "new" technology can replace it. It is really poor for a company such as Kenwood to resort to cheap tactics such as technical gibberish to try to con people in to buying a new CD player.

P.S. Most people's ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates after their teen's and would be unable to notice the difference anyway !

Mark Newman
Electrical Engineer

[So there you have it]

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And that is it. Back next week. In the meantime if you want to tell The Reg something interesting/make a fool of yourself/rant incoherently, then just send an email here. ®