Yeah, right! Who's with me? Well, not me for a start. Ever since the announcement of the extremely nice-looking Nokia Lumia 920 running Windows Phone 8 I've been very tempted by the idea of switching ecosystems. On the one hand, Android is hugely flexible and allows for all sorts of things like installing custom operating systems, changing your device ID to run whatever apps you fancy trying and a huge selection of apps. On the other hand, I'm a bit bored of Android now and I want to try something a bit more slick.
That isn't Apple, obviously. I'm not a monster.
There a couple of things that are potentially concerning about Windows Phone 8 (WP8 from now on) but the key thing seems to be app availability. I think it's certainly true that there's far fewer apps around for WP but then there's millions of Android apps that are utterly worthless or of no interest to me. With this in mind I thought I'd investigate the applications and apps that I use on a regular or semi-regular basis to see if a switch to WP8 would be painful.
Internet Browsing
Not that much to say on this really - technically it'd be a battle between Internet Explorer and Chrome. That is, if I used Chrome on my phone. The syncing features may well be nice but I find it less pleasant to use than the stock Android browser and I can't see IE being any worse.
Result: Draw
Email
I use a mix of IMAP email and Gmail. IMAP and Gmail (with push notifications) seem to be natively supported by the built-in client so no losses there.
Result: Draw
Calendar
I use Google Calendar for a mix of work things and tracking personal things. The version built in to Android has always been terrible so I'm already using a third-party app to manage this called Jorte (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.johospace.jorte) so I figure there would be something suitable for Windows. Looks like the third-party versions haven't been updated for a very long time but that Google Calendars can be synced to the built-in calendar app (http://www.engadget.com/photos/windows-phone-google-calendar-update/#4779250).
Result: Draw - really depends on how the internal client handles things
Reader
Google Reader is something I regularly check for gaming news and so on. I reckoned this would be easy to handle, and while there's no native Google app for it, there's things like Fuse (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/fuse/8355da61-1ac5-49cd-a753-7f6afed2bb62).
Result: Draw
Tapatalk
Tapatalk (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quoord.tapatalkpro.activity) is an app for browsing web forums which allows you to have several different forums in the same place and with the same formatting. There's no Tapatalk client and no apparent wish to make one.. There's an alternate called Board Express but it was last updated in 2010 and may no longer even work.
Result: Android
Google Authenticator
Tool for providing two-factor authentication for websites. No official app for Windows but can be done via a third-party tool that pulls from the API (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/authenticator/021dd79f-0598-e011-986b-78e7d1fa76f8).
Result: Draw
Audible
Audiobook reader. Official client available for WP but lags behind on updates and there may be bugs.
Result: Android
DLNA Player
Apps for streaming music and video from local network servers. Support appears pretty patchy and may require a Windows-based server. Potentially a major loss.
Result: Android
Tunein Radio
Official app available, though without the 'pro' version that's on Android.
Result: Draw
Social networks
Oh, these are probably integrated in some way. Not really bothered about going to a webpage as most of the apps are terrible anyway.
Result: Draw
Lightly-used apps
Evernote has an official app, Steam doesn't, Endomondo does, not really anything else I use other than newsy things.
Other points - lack of VPN support and potential wifi issues.
Conclusion - not that much in it but Android still has the edge. Windows may creep forward with the release of more appealing phones but time will tell. I remain undecided.
Monday 24 September 2012
Sunday 2 September 2012
The End of the World was back then
Other developments have included my involvement in a game of indie pen&paper role-playing game, 'Apocalypse World'. It's basically an end-of-the-world setting with your characters several decades after the apocalypse and with none of them really knowing what had happened. All we know is there's this Psychic Maelstrom thingy - we don't know if it caused the apocalypse, was caused by it or is just a coincidence. And none of us really know what it is either. This means there's a good deal of scope for storytelling and for making stuff up. You don't even have to be right, your character can quite easily be deluded about things.
My character is named Sim after an ancient data storage medium - my family grew up in a Carphone Warehouse. I have a sister named Orange and a brother named Tee-mo. I'm an Angel which is a medical type, and I have some odd religious beliefs that have not been fully entered into. They centre around a concept of balance which is mediated, if not directly controlled, by the psychic maelstrom.
The other three dramatis personae are Bakerloo, Sam and Batman. Bakerloo is a local 'fixer', she makes stuff happen, sorts out problems, mediates deals, all that sort of thing. She's stick-thin to the point of illness and seems to have problems saying no - she's already indebted to an unmanageable number of people. Sam runs the local.. well, scrapyard seems a bit crude, but that's what it is. She's runs all the local machines and had a knack for anything mechanical. Handily, this means she always has work. Batman takes his name from some ancient poster or other, and is a bit of a handful. He's in the employ of the local Hardholder (sort of gangster/king of the area) and spends much of his time... generating storylines.
The game itself is quite open-ended and highly story-driven and isn't very focussed on going to dungeons and killing things. The MC in charge of things has the task of making things difficult for us by screwing us over in various ways - in fact their guide has a chapter entitled Advanced Fuckery. Experience points and levels don't matter too much so really it's about coming up with ideas and stories. Maximum efficiency doesn't matter - if the MC decides to kill you, she can just plant a nuke and kill you all, after all.
I'm not too good about telling a story so I've decided to type up my notes as a substitute. Maybe they'll give some flavour of the last session. Here goes.
Day Two.
head with a biker gang over to Khalid's [neighbouring hardholder] with drugs [I'm manufacturing 'pain medicine] and my 2-stock angel kit [that's the most of my medical kit I can carry around with me]
arrive there and am immediately under suspicion from the locals - after all, i've arrived a day earlier than usual and with a bunch of people i don't usually associate with.
chatted to Sam on the way - she'd seen Orange [my sister] wandering out of town yesterday [I hadn't seen her since the morning before despite her normally working in my infirmary].
I try to get the guards to go and find my usual drug buyers but they aren't particularly co-operative...
Khalid's area seem swanky - lots of large old houses.
Large church in town
They have strange beliefs propogated by Father Monroe - blood, wine and sexual ethics seem key.
There's a small infirmary, I head there to see my usual contact and trade
Medic is there - named Pearce
I collect medical data of recent patients - Dolly was shot, she works for Khalid and has a slight limp now. Not many details.
Left and headed for church [everyone else had headed off the there already]
Bump into Sam - she tells me Orange is inside the church!!
Glance aside and spot Batman heading into a house down the street
I head into the church
I hear a scream! [coming from the house Batman headed into]
I leg it to house
I quiz Batman and head upstairs to see if anyone is hurt
Everyone fine, but shaken
Walk out to see Batman and Bakerloo in a heated discussion
Ignore it and head to the church
Enter the church and greet the father
See Orange and a 15-year-old boy
She's joined the church!
I try to guilt her into going home
Monroe intervenes
I have a heated exchange with him
Shove him to the ground and leave
Take a moment to gather thoughts
Head to confront Khalid
Brace [one of the guards] picks us up and takes us to see Khalid
When I arrive there I see Dolly and quiz her about what she does. She's a guard and a bit sarcastic about letting me know.
Go inside and Bakerloo tries to calm me, explaining that I'm making things worse
Brace leads us inside and gives us five minutes to talk among ourselves
Bakerloo and Sam try to talk me down
Success! I accept what they're saying and agree to keep my cool
Brace leads us into rool with Khalid and two others, one armed
armed man is 'Rum'
Bakerloo schmoozes Rum
Discusses Bruce's beef trading [the day before Bruce was trying to sell beef in our local market despite our boss controlling all the local beef supplies]
Rum seems familiar to Sam - she saw him in a vision
Sam makes pointed comments about what she saw in the vision
I lose patience and yell that it's obvious that Bruce is stealing cows [they had all been trying to talk diplomatically]
Khalid steps in and promises to investigate Bruce
Claims that Rum is just a bodyguard - Batman doesn't believe it and demands to take Rum to Bod [Bod is our local Hardholder and boss]
Khalid agrees that Rum and Bruce can come along to Bod's - along with Chin [he's key in potentially supplying wood to Sam]
I discuss the issue of Monroe with Khalid
It goes poorly and I storm out
Khalid claims to have no control over Monroe and suggests I take him to my town and build him a church if I want my sister back to help in the infirmary
The door slams behind me and the session ends
My character is named Sim after an ancient data storage medium - my family grew up in a Carphone Warehouse. I have a sister named Orange and a brother named Tee-mo. I'm an Angel which is a medical type, and I have some odd religious beliefs that have not been fully entered into. They centre around a concept of balance which is mediated, if not directly controlled, by the psychic maelstrom.
The other three dramatis personae are Bakerloo, Sam and Batman. Bakerloo is a local 'fixer', she makes stuff happen, sorts out problems, mediates deals, all that sort of thing. She's stick-thin to the point of illness and seems to have problems saying no - she's already indebted to an unmanageable number of people. Sam runs the local.. well, scrapyard seems a bit crude, but that's what it is. She's runs all the local machines and had a knack for anything mechanical. Handily, this means she always has work. Batman takes his name from some ancient poster or other, and is a bit of a handful. He's in the employ of the local Hardholder (sort of gangster/king of the area) and spends much of his time... generating storylines.
The game itself is quite open-ended and highly story-driven and isn't very focussed on going to dungeons and killing things. The MC in charge of things has the task of making things difficult for us by screwing us over in various ways - in fact their guide has a chapter entitled Advanced Fuckery. Experience points and levels don't matter too much so really it's about coming up with ideas and stories. Maximum efficiency doesn't matter - if the MC decides to kill you, she can just plant a nuke and kill you all, after all.
I'm not too good about telling a story so I've decided to type up my notes as a substitute. Maybe they'll give some flavour of the last session. Here goes.
Day Two.
head with a biker gang over to Khalid's [neighbouring hardholder] with drugs [I'm manufacturing 'pain medicine] and my 2-stock angel kit [that's the most of my medical kit I can carry around with me]
arrive there and am immediately under suspicion from the locals - after all, i've arrived a day earlier than usual and with a bunch of people i don't usually associate with.
chatted to Sam on the way - she'd seen Orange [my sister] wandering out of town yesterday [I hadn't seen her since the morning before despite her normally working in my infirmary].
I try to get the guards to go and find my usual drug buyers but they aren't particularly co-operative...
Khalid's area seem swanky - lots of large old houses.
Large church in town
They have strange beliefs propogated by Father Monroe - blood, wine and sexual ethics seem key.
There's a small infirmary, I head there to see my usual contact and trade
Medic is there - named Pearce
I collect medical data of recent patients - Dolly was shot, she works for Khalid and has a slight limp now. Not many details.
Left and headed for church [everyone else had headed off the there already]
Bump into Sam - she tells me Orange is inside the church!!
Glance aside and spot Batman heading into a house down the street
I head into the church
I hear a scream! [coming from the house Batman headed into]
I leg it to house
I quiz Batman and head upstairs to see if anyone is hurt
Everyone fine, but shaken
Walk out to see Batman and Bakerloo in a heated discussion
Ignore it and head to the church
Enter the church and greet the father
See Orange and a 15-year-old boy
She's joined the church!
I try to guilt her into going home
Monroe intervenes
I have a heated exchange with him
Shove him to the ground and leave
Take a moment to gather thoughts
Head to confront Khalid
Brace [one of the guards] picks us up and takes us to see Khalid
When I arrive there I see Dolly and quiz her about what she does. She's a guard and a bit sarcastic about letting me know.
Go inside and Bakerloo tries to calm me, explaining that I'm making things worse
Brace leads us inside and gives us five minutes to talk among ourselves
Bakerloo and Sam try to talk me down
Success! I accept what they're saying and agree to keep my cool
Brace leads us into rool with Khalid and two others, one armed
armed man is 'Rum'
Bakerloo schmoozes Rum
Discusses Bruce's beef trading [the day before Bruce was trying to sell beef in our local market despite our boss controlling all the local beef supplies]
Rum seems familiar to Sam - she saw him in a vision
Sam makes pointed comments about what she saw in the vision
I lose patience and yell that it's obvious that Bruce is stealing cows [they had all been trying to talk diplomatically]
Khalid steps in and promises to investigate Bruce
Claims that Rum is just a bodyguard - Batman doesn't believe it and demands to take Rum to Bod [Bod is our local Hardholder and boss]
Khalid agrees that Rum and Bruce can come along to Bod's - along with Chin [he's key in potentially supplying wood to Sam]
I discuss the issue of Monroe with Khalid
It goes poorly and I storm out
Khalid claims to have no control over Monroe and suggests I take him to my town and build him a church if I want my sister back to help in the infirmary
The door slams behind me and the session ends
The Grand Breadxperiment - ASDA Easy Bake Yeast
Well, this may be the final yeast test until I find some more exotic yeasts. I've checked a number of Marks & Spencers but they don't seem to sell the stuff and other supermarket stuff is pretty much the same. That being said, this supermarket stuff ain't the same as others.
ASDA Easy Bake Yeast.
I don't know if I had a bad batch or some sort of localised cold snap that stopped the yeast from working in my microwave warmth chamber but this was really poor indeed. It simply didn't do much - despite being a sachet type that has all the usual 'enhancing' additives. Here goes:
It frothed up quite nicely during the normal activation phase and so looked fairly promising. Kneading was a bit tricky but looked ok in the end:
Little bit un-smooth but not terrible. And then after the rise:
That right there is a seriously weedy rise.
It didn't do much in the tin either. Finally it baked as a nearly-inediby doughy loaf:
Not sure what I'd trust it for. Maybe fine for crumpets or something.
ASDA Easy Bake Yeast.
I don't know if I had a bad batch or some sort of localised cold snap that stopped the yeast from working in my microwave warmth chamber but this was really poor indeed. It simply didn't do much - despite being a sachet type that has all the usual 'enhancing' additives. Here goes:
It frothed up quite nicely during the normal activation phase and so looked fairly promising. Kneading was a bit tricky but looked ok in the end:
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