Advantages: Help science or help get stronger legal encryption
Disadvantages: None

...There are some problems far too large for any one person to solve. These problems may even be too big for 100 people with computers. Be a part of the largest computer on earth by joining distributed.net. This works by breaking up these large problems into lots of small bits, which individuals can solve by running a small program on their computer in the background. The program uses only bits of your computer which would otherwise not be used, to solve one of these small problems - problems which eventually make up the solution to the big problem. Two large problems are being solved at the moment, RC5 and OGR. The RC5 challange aims to demonstrate how insecure legal encryption is, by cracking something encoded with an encryption 256 times stronger than what is legally exportable. There is a prize of 2000 US dollars for the owner... Read review

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Advantages: good crime factual show
Disadvantages: none

...CrimeWatch is a programme that asks the viewers for their help in solving crimes, the programme highlights the problems we still have in society, with old women being mugged, people being killed. However, for the victim’s family, it’s a chance to see the culprit behind bars. They usually reconstruct a crime, and at the end have a photo fit, which may look like the person wanted. Then viewers can phone an anonymous number to give some useful information they may think is relevant to the case. Viewers have solved many crimes, so it is useful in that way, because when people see the reconstruction it can jog memories, and it also appeals to a wider audience. The murder of one of it’s presenters was very saddening, Jill Dando was a person who appealed to many to help solve crimes, ironically... Read review

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Advantages: Kill 2 birds with one stone?
Disadvantages: Faster to walk than ride?

...Motor vehicles of the modern era are undoubtedly powerful machines. They can travel at higher speeds than the cars of yesteryear, but have the braking systems and ccontrol features that our forefathers could not even hasve dreamed of! It is not so long ago, that there were no speed limits. Nowadays we have lower and lower speed limits on our roads. I now see ever more 20mph limits in my local area. Such reductions in speed limits surely cannot go much further. Or could we reach the stage where cars are only allowed on our roads in convoys of 20 vehicles, with each convoy preceded by a man on foot carrying a red flag! Perhaps this is the cunning "Baldrick type plan" of our Politicians to solve the accident problem on our roads AND the unemploymenmt problems in one fell swoop??... Read review

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Advantages: Great volume power, price and design
Disadvantages: lack of midrage, earphone output sounds awfull, short cables, no separate treble and bass volume

...After i read lots of reviews online about this product i decided to buy it myself and see how it really sounds. The cable installation was simple but the cable of the wired remote control was to short. Later on i decided to buy an monitor lengthener and that solved the problem cause it has the same coupling. I had many big speakers before and i tested this one with my favorite songs to compare with a had before. The volume is loud and clear but it has a lack of midrange. An equalizer will solve the problem but not completely. The earphones output is what i hate the most. In the earphones mode You canot set the bass volume, only the volume and it sounds awfull. Overall this THX 2.1 sistem will satisfy many customers but not the sound fanatics.... Read review

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Advantages: Insightful, honest and challenging.
Disadvantages: None really although the mention of god could put people off.

...The only way to solve a problem is to solve it. My god, I first came across this book when I was travelling in India. I picked it up at a second hand book stall. At the time I was running away from all sorts of problems back home while at the same time I was on some sort of personal spiritual quest. I read only the first couple of pages of this book and had to put it down. It was too honest for me. It opens with the great truth that 'life is difficult'. It goes on to say that the only way to solve a problem is to solve it. Well that was too much for me as I was trying every which way I could to solve my problems EXCEPT by solving them. Finally, I got back home and gave The Road Less Travelled another go. By this time I had gone some way to facing my problems. I could not put this book down. For me it was like all the truths... Read review

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Advantages: Intriguing light hearted entertainment
Disadvantages: None

...Jonathon Creek is based on the good old fashioned mystery formula where the “detective” sifts through the evidence as the viewer watches, presents the clues and comes up with the answer as to who done it. The current repeat series gives the viewer a chance to spot the clues all over again and come up with the answer much to the admiration of those around them who haven’t seen the programme before. Of course if you are like me and have forgotten what it was all about the programmes are worth a second viewing. But Jonathon Creek, played by Alan Davies, is not a detective as such but more of an investigator of mysteries who is called in by all and sundry to solve their current problem. He is a lateral thinker and that explains his success at solving the problems that at first glance do not have a solution. His sidekick... Read review

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Advantages: Can be very useful,lots of features
Disadvantages: A bit difficult to use at first

...I bought this calculator over two years ago for £40 and I still use it now as it is still in perfect working order. As well as just performing normal operations such as addition ect, this calculator has many useful and interesting functions. It can solve simultaneous equations in up to 6 unknowns, and can also solve polynomials of degree 2 and 3. These functions can be very useful as they save time when solving complicated problems, however it would be useful if it could solve polynomials of higher degrees as quadratics and cubics do not take that long to solve manually. Of course the calculator can draw graphs, this can be quite useful as it helps you to visualise algebraic problems, the graph function can find roots of equations. It can draw graphs of cartesian, polar or parametric equations. The calculator can store matrices... Read review

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Advantages: many diffent settings and features, looks good
Disadvantages: small and easy to break.

...I bought this phone just over 6 months ago specifically becuase of the size of the phone. I have since found out that this can cause many problems. Although the phone has has many advantages like its many different settings, eg voice activation, speed dials and different caller groups, there can be many problems with its size. Obviously theres the problem that it can be lost easily in comparision to the larger hand sets. I have also found that if the phone is dropped (which can easily happen) it seems to cause problems in the future to the workings of the hand set, mine inparticularly has problems with the screen, i've had mates with the same hand set also complaining about this and in the end having to get replacement handsets to solve this problem. Otherwise i've had no problems with it and have recieved excellent reception in almost... Read review

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Advantages: cheap
Disadvantages: and nasty

...we all have got a computer and the more we use it the more we learn. Unfortuneatly the more we use it and the more we learn the more complicated our problems become. Tiny service line has 1 stock answer to all my computing problems and that is reload their start up pack. Then the real problem starts you have to reload all your applications again and the more of them you have the more time it takes. The problem becomes more irritating when you discover that there was an easier way to solve the problem and you didn't need to reload the lot. This happenend to me this weekend and I am furious with Tiny's service for having one stock answer. May be they need to get some better techies in to listen to your problems and suggest solutions then we would not have to waste a weekend sorting it... Read review

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Advantages: Great graphics, Improves your brain, Lasts ages
Disadvantages: Have to swap CD's when you travel to new places.

...I bought Myst early on and, after many months of solving problems that make rubic cubes seem like wordsearches I completed it correctly, the first time I got locked in a book. Then Riven came out and I was eager for more. The game amazes you from the start, the swapping over of CD's is annoying at the end when you are retracing moves but the rollercoaster type rides leave you swaying in your seat. The game took me ages and hard puzzles often put me off. The game makes use of nearly all your senses, many of the clues were sounds for example, so if you are stuck on a problem then pay attention to sounds and shapes of things. Everything in this game is there for a reason. The game needs a notebook to record nember systems ect. And problems you have. The game is incredibly rewarding to play when you solve complex problems and is a great... Read review

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