Crocs? Cheap plastic crap, more like

There are these shoes called Crocs and they’re bloody everywhere in Oz. I was dragged into a shoeshop by Mel (her boyfriend spotted some boots there, and pointed them out to her, the fool) and they had roughly four walls full of the ******* things. Bright colours, stupid holes in them and an insane price tag. They even do little badge things that clip into the holes.

I saw a sign detailing how to care for your Crocs. One of the things it mentioned was keeping them out of direct heat as they special compound from which they are made can denature in extreme temperatures. Or something equally long-winded.

What it needed to say was: These things are plastic. Don’t get them hot, you ****.

Has anyone seen an old LP left in a car on a hot day? Well, these things would probably end up just as melty. And they sell them in one of the warmest countries I’ve visited. Good grief.

Whoops. Bad wallet.

After a quick trip to Sim Lim Tower I ended up with a PSP seeing as I can’t purchase a Mylo. For the grand total of $543 (£175 at the current exchange rate) I got:

modified PSP (plays all region UMDs)
4Gb memory stick duo with about 15 full games on
utility UMD (required for the games to work)
additional high-capacity battery (3600mAh)
additional external battery charge pack thing (9800mAh)
crystal protective case
USB data cable
UK plug and cable
headphones with remote control

Not bad when you consider that the PSP itself back home is £140, though that pack includes the headphones (as well as a wrist strap and a soft carry case I’d never use).

I’ve had a fiddle with it and the online capability is good, though it does need some kind of keyboard if someone ever developes one. I can send email from GMail with it, but can’t post to this blog for some reason. Blogger “works” until I click “publish” at which point knack all happens.

There’s WMV and MP4 video format compatibility so I now need to find out how easy it is to convert all those episodes of Heroes I nabbed into a viewable format. Plus I’m carrying just shy of 10Gb of mp3s around with me. Another 4Gb card may be a worthwhile investment, especially as the one I have is half-full of games software!

All I need to do now is sit and wait for the batteries to charge. The small one takes over 2 hours, apparently. Hey ho.

Why no Mylo?

I want one of these (you have to have Flash enabled or you’ll get a blank screen – shitty website without even a warning or non-Flash message). Given that Sony have no plans to release a keyboard for the PSP and Logic3 have scrapped their plans to launch one, this little thing is ideal for my travels.

Text files, videos, MP3s, loaded with Skype and a web browser with 802.11x wireless and a diddy keyboard. Spot on.

And only available in the US. Why, Sony, why?

Spoiling it for the rest of us

Two cautioned over wi-fi ‘theft’ cries the Beeb. And it’s a fair call putting “theft” in quotes. After all, the UK has a lot of “unlimited access” accounts unlike Oz and NZ where people have a monthly limit. So where’s the harm? It’s not like tapping into the electric supply is it?

As the article rightly points out, if some piece of filth decides to use your wireless connection to access – for example – child porn, guess who’s door the police will come knocking on if it’s traced? OK, you’ll eventually be able to prove your innocence but only after they’ve taken all your PC stuff away for a few weeks and embarassed you.

Much as I love free internet – and I’m currently typing this up on a free connection courtesy of a cafe across the street – private users do have to be careful. If you don’t want someone using your connection, protect it. Read the manual. It’s not hard.