Avira popup issue - Avira found a rapid fix

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I and other people were pestered last night and this morning by an Avira antivirus popup that was very badly-behaved.

This survey popup wouldn't go away when told to.

People found that clicking in reply would leave a "this link is broken" message, and the shape of the box would stay on top of everything else. Killing ipmgui.exe in Task Manager would solve the problem... until the popup returned around 90 minutes later!

However, just as I complained on their forum, Avira posted their solution to the problem:

http://forum.avira.com/wbb/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=148015

Avira ignore complaints or feedback quite often, but on this occasion they responded pretty swiftly.

Bird-spotting on Google Image Search

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The difficulties of getting computers to see the world the way humans can is illustrated by the current state of Google's image search.

One can drag  a photo from a computer folder into the image search box, and then the comparison software gets to work and scours the internet for similar images.


I took a photo of a garden bird the other day, and wondered what sort of bird it was.

Trying the Google image search, the results were fairly surprising.

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The search results, in order, are:

Stirring coconut into condensed milk
Moslem cuisine
Washington Airport
A woman at a workbench
Oysters
The interior of an apartment
A jeweller at a workbench
A Greek museum display
Some horses
A bunch of cages
A possible member of the Indonesian government
A bobcat

Evidently, it's early days for the devlopment of this software. As superficially amusing as the results might be, they're obviously looking at colour and texture, and many of the photos do have something in common with the bird's colour scheme, or the texture of the gravel in the background.

Merely getting a computer to distinguish an object of interest from the background clutter is a serious challenge.

It might be interesting if I try the search again, in the future. Say, at one year intervals, just to see how the computer guys are progressing in their software development. It's only a matter of time before they get there.

TOA MR-8T multi-track cassette recorder

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I've just been testing an 8-track recording unit, an old one that uses cassette tapes.

It's the TOA MR-8T, and I've made the discovery that, although it has a pitch control for playback (ie, a tape speed control) it won't play conventional recordings properly. You can play them fast, or you can increase the speed (pitch) and play them very fast - but you can't play them at the "proper" speed.

In other words, this unit is incompatible with just about every other cassette deck in the known universe.

As if this weren't enough, it seems like it can only play Type II cassettes - the high bias ones with an extra notch next to the customary erase-protect notch.

So it's also incompatible with around - what - 90% of the cassette tapes in the known universe? Something like that, anyway.

I'm rather tempted to review this unit on youtube - with the assistance of a bloody great axe! That would make an entertaining video.

"When investigating problems, it's alway important to disconnect the mains before opening the casing..." - crash!! Yes, I'd rather like to do that.
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Anti-Virus program wants me to junk my Firewall

Avira have brought out an updated antivirus program, the 2012 version.

I uninstalled the old program, and then set about installing the new one.... and got the message shown here, saying ZoneAlarm firewall needs to be manually removed.



Why would a virus protection program want anyone's computer to be left without a firewall? The Avira product doesn't replace the firewall functions, does it?

It all seems a bit odd, to me. Suspicious, even.

I can understand an AV program being incompatible with something relatively obscure, such as Spybot Tea Timer, but surely Zone Alarm is sufficiently widely used and respectable for someone at Avira to have taken it into account, when designing their new product?

One possible explanation has crossed my mind, but the implications are rather grave, and I'd have carefully to think about how I expressed it, before committing myself to print. These days, one can't be too careful!

My current solution is to regard Avira with deep suspicion, but let it do its thing, alongside ZoneAlarm. I'll see how they shake down together.
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Hoaxwind - a Hawkwind tribute band

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A review of my first Hoaxwind gig

Looking in the past...

I don't go to as many Hawkwind shows as I could do – in 2010, I attended four and I regarded that as sufficient, given their current style. They're pretty good, and I enjoyed the shows, but I didn't bother with a few other possibles. Four was sufficient, as I still wish they'd do a bit more blanga... and being a 70's Dave Brock fan doesn't help, as grungy power-riffing on a rhythm guitar just hasn't happened in the last 20 years or so.

This century, I've tended to use some of my gig-going budget in exploring the Hawkwind alternatives.

Nik Turner's "Space Ritual"

Nik Turner's bands are an obvious option, but I've seen his Space Ritual band twice now, and found it fairly shapeless and it didn't really connect. Some people have said that Nik is the spirit of Hawkwind, and Dave Brock is the backbone. If I have to choose between the two then I prefer backbone every time. Brock's band is disciplined, solid and structured (albeit a shadow of its former self), whereas Turner's bands strive for those cosmic peaks but get lost in the foothills.

Assassins of Silence

In 2008, I went on a 300-mile round trip to see a tribute band called the Assassins of Silence. That's quite a journey to see an obscure bunch you've only seen before on the internet - and I would have regretted the trek, had it not been for the support band, Tribe of Cro.

Little did I know then that the Cro guitarist (Nial Hone) would one day join Hawkwind!

AoS have now ceased operation, but I wouldn't have gone to see them again anyway.

...and that brings us pretty well up to date.

This is Hoaxwind, do not panic...

Hawkwind were playing at the Forum in London, 2010, and Hoaxwind had the bright idea of playing the same night in a pub just down the road – not competing with Hawkwind, but playing either side of them. So, fans could have their pre-gig drinks while watching a tribute band; then go up the road and see "the real thing," and then return for Hoaxwind's second set. It's a bold decision, a trib playing in a pub where fans are getting ready to see their heroes in action!

It worked. Hoaxwind were in a side room, so plenty of people stayed at the bar, as the place was packed... but I'd previously heard some of Hoaxwind's stuff on YouTube and fancied checking them out.

After the totally non-typical gig intro of squawking synths, that I felt didn't remotely resemble anything that Hawkwind have ever done, they suddenly settled down and their style thereafter was solidly modelled on the vinyl releases of 1976-77 - or the second Bob Calvert era, or the Charisma Records era, depending on how you like to categorise your space rock.

In some ways, this choice (1976/77) is a bit limited, really - it would be nice if they did a few tracks in the style of the "Mind Journey" shows ('75) and the rock energy of "Live '79" – and perhaps a prog instrumental from the first album and some blanga from the "Space Ritual" era. Now, that would be some show! As it was, though, they chose to paint on a pretty narrow canvas – just the '76 and '77 vinyl – but, yes, they did it well.

A chap called Julian dares to step into Bob's shoes, and he handles it with a nice mixture of panache and nervous energy. Voice is good... which is half the battle, but what about the visual performance? It would be easy to fall into the trap of over-egging the pudding, when taking on a job like this – but Julian went for understatement instead, and was all the more convincing as a result.

He'd sometimes step up to the microphone and clutch it, eager to deliver a vocal – and then think again and step back, or fretfully fiddle with the sweat towel that's draped over his shoulder. And I didn't feel that was mimicry, because Bob Calvert didn't do that – but Bob could appear similarly twitchy, from what I remember of those days. So, yes, as an emulation or re-interpretation of the Main Man, he does an excellent job.

The rhythm section sounds solid and authentic, and the sax honking by Eugene similarly rings true. I gather he's played with Nik Turner's band, so that would be a definite stamp of approval for him. Next step, play with Hawkwind?

Synth and keyboards... well, this is an area of Hoaxwind that I think could do with beefing up. If the band want to make their mark by being a retro-Hawkwind, then they might as well go for the jugular, and put the 'space' firmly back into 'space-rock'. The gig intro sounded promising (albeit damned peculiar, as I've already commented) but then those guys seemed to back off, and stay in second gear much of the time. Or perhaps it was just the mix.

And the guitarist who has the temerity to assume Brock's role? Phil's contribution was in line with the chosen era, ie solid background that seldom kicked ass or sought to drive the band or demand attention. That was authentic, within the '76/'77 remit... but maybe disappointing for those hoping for a Greasy Truckers type sonic freakout.

Verdict: If Hoaxwind covered a wider range of Hawkwind gig styles, I'd be prepared to travel quite a long way to see them in the future.

When they decided to embed one of my videos of the gig on their Hoaxwind MySpace page, I did feel rather proud and pleased, though!



Hoaxwind's next gig is 5 March, in Darkest Essex.

Hawkwind tribute on UK daytime tv

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If a 'big act' like Muse or Paul McCartney is playing London then there well may be a reference to the upcoming show on daytime tv. However, the old space-rock bunch, Hawkwind, don't really register on the public or the tv industry radars.

I was in the capital recently, to see Hawkwind, and was pretty surprised to see this on Channel Five.




The Great British Barbershop Boys, doing a brief rendition of an old Bob Calvert song!

Matthew Wright's show is called The Wright Stuff, and so he probably had no problems persuading his producer to allow a snatch of The Right Stuff. Had he wanted Brainstorm, or Sonic Attack, I daresay it would've been a different story! Anyway, Matthew's a big fan of Hawkwind - he even sang on a single they released in 2005 - so it was fun to see him get away with it!

Hawkwind fans were given a heads-up that something Hawk-related would be happening on the show, which is why I tuned in. I usually completely avoid daytime tv.
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My science fiction movie competition! [solved]

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No prizes, but can anyone figure what science fiction film this photo refers to?


The photo is carefully arranged to specifically reference one particular film.

Oh, and it's not an obscure one, not some weird B-movie.