NRL and gambling – apology

In a previous post I railed against the infiltration of gambling sponsorship into the NRL, and I anecdotally observed that,

Every second team seems to be sponsored by a betting agency.

I must apologise for making such a grossly inaccurate statement – it’s not 50% of the teams, but 87% of the teams sponsored by gambling!

After looking up the sponsors for all 16 teams, it turns out that 13 out of the 16 are sponsored directly by a betting agency, and one other team (Bulldogs) is sponsored by a registered club that generates 71% of its revenue from the pokies and assorted gambling.

For the NRL to say that the influence of gambling on the sport is not a problem, is like being assured by Count Dracula that “loss of inventory” from the blood bank is nothing to be concerned about.

[This content was originally posted to Google+]

When conceptual modelling goes bad

A good sign that conceptual modelling and terminology has gone astray is when you get to a contradictory definitional statement like this in the documentation:

“A flag indicating that the contact is busy and inactive.”

Yes, I’m looking at you Microsoft Lync 2010 SDK. I think I need to lie down now.

[This content was originally posted to Google+]

Google Reader replacement

I think I’ve found my replacement for Google Reader: “The Old Reader” at http://theoldreader.com

Very similar interface and functionality to Google Reader. Understandably it’s running a bit slow at the moment as hundreds of thousands of disgruntled GR users roam the net seeking an alternative. So far, its looking good.

[This content was originally posted to Google+]

NRL and gambling

What a joke!

“The National Rugby League has told a Senate inquiry on gambling that the code is already doing a lot to minimise the impact of sports gambling on children.”

The reality is that NRL TV broadcasts have wall to wall gambling promotion, by the presenters, by betting agency personnel appearing as part of the broadcast, by paid commercials, and via ground signage. Every second team seems to be sponsored by a betting agency, and the NRL iPhone app has ads for gambling, as well as gambling odds displayed right in the middle of the live match display.

The NRL’s response is like saying I’ve minimised the risk of theft from my house because I put a padlock on the skylight, while leaving every door and window wide open.

[This content was originally posted to Google+]

HP EliteBook 8570p memory card reader

After having this model of laptop for 4 months and lamenting that it didn’t have an SD memory card reader like my previous HP laptop, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to discover that it does have an SD/MMC memory card reader – it’s just positioned in an incredibly hidden location, in the beveled section underneath the USB slots on the rear left hand side. Unless you were flat on your back underneath a glass top desk, you’d be unlikely to spot this slot.

This post is for the benefit of other 8570p owners who get confused by the specifications saying there is a memory card reader, being unable to find it, then hitting the googlewebs in frustration.

hp8570pSDcard

[This content was originally posted to Google+]

Cheap, and nasty

Buying cheap computer accessories from eBay – I’ve had mixed success. Some things I’ve bought in the past have been perfectly fine, others, just a little bit short on quality. My most recent purchase is definitely the low point in quality. It was a USB memory card reader and the very first time I tried to plug a memory card in, it just burst apart at the seams.

cheap

I’m currently contacting the seller to get a refund.

Update 23 Mar 2013: The eBay seller quickly refunded the purchase price with no dramas, so a good ending

[This content was originally posted to Google+]