Firefox use continues to rise in Europe

Up to more than a 23 per cent share

By Paul Hales: Friday 08 December 2006, 16:16
ACCORDING TO research carried out by French firm Xiti Monitor, use of the Firefox browser continues to grow in Europe.

Since April this year, the geeky alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer gained an extra four percent of the market across the continent.

According to Xiti's research, the browser is now used by some 23.2 per cent of European PC web surfers - up from 19.4% in April.

There is quite some variation within the continent, however.

Slovenia loves the Fox, where over 40 per cent of surfers use the browser. Brits, along with the Spanish and the Dutch are the least Firefox friendly Europeans as the pretty map below shows.



Use of Firefox generally goes up at the weekend in Europe, suggesting that people have the browser on their home PCs and may get what they're given at work.

Worldwide, Europe - at 23.2 per cent - is just behind Australasia (23.4%) in its use of the foxy browser. According to Xiti, 14.5 per cent of North American surfers use Firefox. Its smallest market share is in South America, where it accounts for just 11.1 per cent of active browsers. µ

Source: the Inquirer

The original map was bmp. WTF? I converted it to jpg.

Brain on LSD

Few decades ago, several institutions did research on LSD (that was before it was declared illegal). This particular drug has been of interest to me lately, though I would never take it myself. Accoarding to wikipedia and several other sources it isint poisonous, and its practically impossible to get yourself killed by it (there are only few known occurences). It dosent cause addiction and no 'high'. Instead, if changes the users perspection of the world, that have been descripted as religious. Wikipedia claims that the wall that separates "me" from "all" vanishes, which gives new perspective on the person himself. It might also give bursts of creativity, and several scientists and technologists (and of course, musicans) have admitted in using it (Beatles, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates). It is said that user finds new insight on himself and comes to know himself better. The insight dosent vanish but stays with you the rest of your life; making you a totally new person.

Before this starts to sound too "everybody go tipping on mushrooms!" I also point out that while not causing deaths, some people see under acid things that "should never be seen". They see familiar things in a new way, but instead of insightful "aha!" experience, they see monsters and spooks. After LSD trip, you still see those monsters - for the rest of your life. Apparently madhouses are full of these guys... I suppose its like that thingy Weatherwax did in one of the Witch-books; you see what you really are like, and that might make you a better person or break your mental backbone..


Anyway, in 50s some research team put artist in acid and asked him to draw. Pretty interesting stuff.

I should have maybe blogged this somewhere else.

Princess and the prosessor

Some norweagian reality-tv, where normal people have to learn to do geeky stuff. In this, a pretty girl tries to understand where prosessor can be found.

Tarzan Boy!

Spider Jerusalem's Cat is Born!

Copied from NPC. Screenshot.

Ordering iPod

They told me at school that you tell of positive service to up to eight people, but of bad service to up to twenty people. This tops it, so Im going to write it here, and in my other blog, hoping that google hits will give it some readership.

I decided to buy the iPod from Apple's netstore, as it was about ten euros cheaper there than in the finnish third-party netstore.
So, after wondering a while what sort of iPod I would like, and what I would like to engrave to it (as it was free), I finally decided on the 30 gig iPod Black.
The iPod "Buy me" page was finnish, but after clicking the link, it changed into english, and it was quite clear that it had not been customized for Finland; there were fields not in use in Finland, and the english used wasnt exactly "first grade". Some of the words werent familiar to me either, and I have to study business english (and I have ten years of english studies behind me).

Finally I succeed in placing my order. I get an email how to send the money (wire/bank transfer, as I dont own a credit card). half of the graphics in the email are broken, but I didn't think much of it. I went to my netbank and inserted the given information. But whats this? The reference number wasnt valid. I copypasted it. I typed it. I checked. I rechecked. Didnt work.
Maybe this is a common problem, I think, and check the email given to me again. There is link marked as "OUR HELP MENU". As you can see, the picture is broken and the "Frequently asked questions" link brings up an error.

I sleep over the night and try to call them the next day (today). The number in the email isint valid either. Woman on the other side of the line, probaply a recording, tells that the number is not in use.
I try to send email. Few minutes later I get an answer telling that there wasnt anyone there atm, but if I waited for 24 hours, someone would answer me. Meanwhile, I could call them on their customer service. You know, the number that didnt work.

I dig the Apple's fi-page and try to find the phonenumber for some other department. I find one, and call, and am fairly suprised when the call center is in english. "They really try to cut in the corners, don't they?" I think, as I press number two. Some guy answers, from accent I suppose he's in Ireland, which he confirms to me later on. I tell him of my bank-problem. He tells me that the reference number given to me isint valid in North; that it isint following the standard finnish system. This is pretty queer, as the bank account given was in the same bank as my own. He says I should walk to bank and make the transfer there, with the help of bank-person.
I bring up the fact that the email had lots of other information that wasnt up-to-date, starting with FAQ and phonenumber not working. He says I should phone the number he gives me. I write it up. After closing the phone, I notice this is the same number I tried to call earlier, the one that didnt answer. I tried it anyway. Still not working.

I try to call again to Ireland. This time Im redirected to some guy named Jasquez (or something like that). I explain that it will cost me five euros to do it manually in the bank. He says that I should then pay with credit card. I tell him I dont have one. He then says I should use the reference number given in the email. I tell him its false. He says he will redirect my phone to another department. I get the call center on the other side of the line again. I close the phone.

So, what should I do? Im sure as hell wont be going to bank. The queues there are horrible, and then I have to pay five euros to some lady to work with me. Netshopping was supposed to be easy.

Should I try Apple's callcenter again in hope of getting some real service, maybe even discount? At this point, I would be satisfied if someone could say that they will look in the problems of the email, and that it will be adressed.

Personally, I start to feel more and more that I should just go to third-party store and buy my product from there. With the bank-problem, it only costs me five euros more, and I get the ipod about two to three weeks earlier.

EDIT: I called to Apple Care, which actually has finnish employees. I got some guy who told me that as the reference number wasnt up to finnish standards, I should paste it to the note-field, with my order number.
That sounds like a sane idea, and I wonder why they gave me so fucked up answers at Ireland.

Quote for my iPod

I noticed I finally have the money - and the regular moneyflow to ensure I wont regret my decision - of buying an iPod. The cheapest way of buying it is from Apple's netstore (shipping is free). They also offer to engrave the 'pod for me, for free.

I want something nifty to that space. Maybe mathematical function, or quote from some famous thinker (but not one so common that Everyman knows it - I want to be pretentious) or from a famous book. It should fit to my personality. By know, you should know what it is.

Im really looking for a quote that has reference material. Like, where is it from, when it was written?

And last, it should be on two lines (max), with both lines 27 characters or under. Any suggestions?

Flat TV is over 50 year old invention

Found this. Can't believe how much things are affected just because some person is day late, or someone else dosen't want to make excuses.. unbelievable.

EUROMONSTERS REVEALED

This will probaply be offline soon, so Ill copy. From The Sun, one of the yellowest shitty trash papers in United Kingdom.

THE faces behind the terrifying Eurovision Song Contest act Lordi can today be revealed — as a bunch of harmless, long-haired rockers.

The Finnish hell-raisers startled viewers with their gruesome stage outfits, which they wore all weekend as they romped to victory in Athens.

But, as our picture shows, they look a lot less hairraising without their Lord of the Rings-style outfits.

Lordi scored a record victory in the annual competition with their thrash metal song Hard Rock Hallelujah.

They notched 292 points, 44 ahead of Russia in second place. British entry Daz Sampson, 32, could only finish 19th out of 24 countries with his effort Teenage Life.

The rapper, from Salford, Manchester, said: “There were some very good songs in it this year. I thought mine was one of them — obviously Europe didn’t agree.”

Lordi’s thumping number was far removed from the traditional lightweight and frothy Eurovision entry.

Even heavy metal fans admitted it had come as a shock.

One said last night: “It wasn’t really what you expect from the Eurovision Song Contest. It was more like Iron Maiden than Abba.”

Alas, the picture is not about Lordi but of.. Children of Bodom. Different band, from completly different part of the nation. Standards!

EDIT: Rein says its not Children of Bodom. Google faces if it interests you. Im still saying Sun is wrong.

Lordi Won!

We're a rock band and we just won a pop song contest.

292 points, which is apparently the highest score ever!

Finland's success in Eurovision. As you see, it has not been very grand, has it?

Bloomberg, nice article, I particulary like how they didn't mention satan or satan-worship (which is not the same as satanism)...unlike this one.

“We don’t eat babies for breakfast,” he said. “Think about it.”

EDIT: Just remembered. Nightwish tried to enter in 2000, but the Eurovision Comitee in Finland didnt think it would do well. 18 points.

EDIT2: "..they are never gonna win with this"

EDIT3: "NBC announced plans earlier this year to replicate the formula"

EDIT4: Finland got 292 from semis also (pdf)

EDIT5: Things to be thought:
-After this, Lordi will be invited to the Independence Day party at President's castle - how will the band dress there?
-How many countries will put Rock up next year?
-Apparently UK and France thought genuinely that they would win.