Posts by Mad Dave

China-linked fake news site shows disinformation on the rise

What relevance does any of that have to the fake news pumped out daily by bbc.com and cnn.com ?

how is this any different to the fake news pumped out by bbc.com or cnn.com ?

Solana, Phantom blame Slope after millions in crypto-coins stolen from 8,000 wallets

Re: why haven't people figured out the risks of the crypto-coin environment

>imaginary

So, this doen't exist, or what?

https://www.blockchain.com/btc/blocks?page=1

Re: Again

>what would I do with them

you would use, for example, BNB to get a discount on transactions with the Binance exchange.

DuckDuckGo says Hell, Hell, No to those Microsoft trackers after web revolt

Re: DeadDoneGone

Its almost as if the guy who invented 'The Names Database' is in the business of capturing user data to monetise.

Charges filed over $300m 'textbook pyramid and Ponzi scheme' crypto startup

Re: Explain what logic?

inafter pedantry

Re: Explain what logic?

Where in my comment did you find the statement where I stated that I found "all cryptocurrencies are Ponzi schemes" in the article text?

If you're looking for evidence of the sentiment in the comments, you only have to scroll up about half a page to find "the entire crypto scam", "Ponzicryptoscam Coin", and numerous other references to the dubiety of crypto currencies.

Should you wish to travel further back in time, you wil indeed find that exact text posted elsewhere e.g. https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2022/03/02/bitconnect_ceo_disappears/#c_4421958

inb4 pedantry

So, someone runs a ponzi cheme using a cryptocurrency as a front, and this somehow means that all cryptocurrency is a ponzi scheme?

Can someone explain the logic behind this?

Microsoft to blockheads: NFTs and blockchains aren't welcome in Minecraft

Have you considered the possibility that other people might want to spend their money on whatever they want to spend it on, and not what you permit them to spend it on?

Have you considered simply not purchasing one and stopping seeking to censor others who wish to do so?

Bogus cryptocurrency apps steal millions in mere months

>I mine some BTC

>somehow someone loses something

Huh?

>"buying illegal drugs"

>"price in dollars is irrelevant"

Good luck with that, I hope it works out well for you.

"the hope that you can sell it to someone else for more than you paid for it"

You mean like all those fiat currencies on the Forex?

Strange how something with no apparent 'value' has been such a better investment than whatever fiat currency you choose to believe somehow has more 'value' over the past decade. I guess all those people who were buying BTC at sub $1000 must be very stupid. How silly must they look now that it's crashed to only $20k?

The folks calling it a ponzi scheme have been doing so ever since the great crash of 2009 when it fell from $0.12 down to $0.02

I'm sure that their position is completely unrelated to their refusal to purchase it when it was $0.10, $1, $10, $100 ...

India's central bank calls for cryptocurrency ban

And the utility value of BTC comes in the form of the freedom to make mostly anonymous financial transactions.

Despite what you may tell yourself, the Jive bar from Aldi isn't really the same as a Twix, much in the same way that a mug coin such as Doge isn't the same as BTC. If you don't want to pay for a Twix, or a BTC, there are lots of other options, or buy none.

No-one is forcing you to buy anything. If you don't believe that the cost of acquiring BTC represents good value, then don't buy any. There's no shortage of other folks buying, just as my choice to buy a Twix instead of a Jive bar is unlikely to have much effect upon Aldis quarterly profits.

That said, costs are rising, and people are paying more, exactly because the production cost is now higher. Just a few years ago a bottle of Sunflower oil was about 65p in Tescos. It's £2.10 today. (Although that might just be a consequence of living with a weakened fiat currency) To say that people won't pay a higher price for BTC because of the higher production cost is just plain silly. It's by design of the coin that as scarcity increases, production costs increase, causing increase in value. Unless somone starts giving away free electricty and free RTX 3090s, there's no reason to believe that this trend will not continue, much the same as the lack of new houses being built in the UK, with an increasing population, means a major downturn in the housing market is also unlikely.

>You can create an infinite number of different crypto coins though

Much like how there is no limit to the number of fiat currencies, yes.

>there is no particular reason why you should prefer bitcoin over those other coins

Okay man, I hope your MoonHotButtDogCoin works out well for you, good luck.

>if the only thing underpinning the value is that someone else might want to buy it off you, that is not a genuine value

If anyone wants some, they don't have to buy it from anyone, they can simply pay thousands of pounds for hardware, electricity, rent of a nice temperature controlled environment etc. The value, from either mining it, or purchasing, is determined by the cost to produce it in the first place, as it is with everything from houses to chocolate bars.

Thing is, the government makes no guarantee of the value of it's own currency either.

The value of my BTC is backed by the fact that if someone else wants to get some, they can either spend thousands of pounds on mining equipment, or they can buy BTC from someone else. i.e the financial barrier, which derives from the scarcity of BTC, provides security for the value of BTC.

Unlike GBP, there is a limit to the number of BTC which can ever be in existence. The government wants more GBP? Just print some! Oh dear! What do you mean my currency has been devalued?

Can't happen to BTC.

What's that? The governments new digital cryptocurrency wallet has refused your transaction because you hold the wrong political opinion?

Can't happen to BTC.

Now what's this? Millions of people have realise that their fiat currency is worthless and are trying to withdraw their own money from their own bank account at the same time, but the bank won't let them?

Guess what makes that scenario irrelevant? Tht's spot on, it's good ol' BTC once more.

As far as I can see, there's zero incentive, or benefit to be gained from, the use of fiat currency. In terms of utility, your local HMRC office will be as amenable to accepting £20 notes to pay your tax bill than they would be at accepting BTC to pay it.

>"The value of fiat currencies is anchored by monetary policy and their status as legal tender"

So, nothing?

>"the value of cryptocurrencies rests solely on the speculations and expectations of high returns"

Really? So who is giving away all these free cryptocurrencies? Last time I chekced, the cost of the hardware and of the electricity required to produce them wasn't free, and it is from this that their cost, and value, derives.

India's Internet Association ends crypto advocacy to do something more productive

Re: Solution in search of a problem

>"only purpose is money laundering for ransomware and thieves."

Or providing a store of funds for those women who live in countries where they aren't allowed bank accounts, or people living with a domestic abuser who can't open up a separate bank account to gather funds to escape, or people living in circumstances where they cannot recieve money by other means to help them survive. But like you said, these people can just

>"fuck right off"

because, hey, what do they matter?

Russia fines Google $374 million for letting the truth about Ukraine be told

Re: "letting the truth about Ukraine be told"

>"yes, compared to the Russian government Google has always been upfront and honest"

I think I'll leave it there, I don't think further debate would prove a fruitful excercise.

"letting the truth about Ukraine be told"

Yes, because that's what Google is known for, being entirely upfront and honest about everything.

Bill Gates says NFTs '100% based on greater fool theory' amid crypto cataclysm

Cryptocurrencies likewise have no inherent value.

Incorrect. The value is derived from the financial cost of the electricity and hardware required to produce one.

Fedora backs down on removing BIOS support… for now

Re: Honestly I think the world should completely dump legacy BIOS

>old technology shouldn't be supported for a very long time

Why not?

Microsoft investor urges shareholders to vote for a deep dive into pay gap and harassment policies

Operating Systems?

I'm feeling lucky: Google, Facebook say workers must be vaccinated before they return to offices

Liability

Will these companies be taking responsability for any adverse effects suffered by employees? Given that they know that some people will suffer tremendous injury as a consequence of taking this experminental vaccine, to what extent should criminal prosecution of board members be considered?

Civil-rights probe: Facebook has completely failed to… Zuck: Look over here! We’ve banned four groups! Go me!

If you don't like it, don't read it

And stop trying to force your beliefs onto others.

UK snubs Apple-Google coronavirus app API, insists on British control of data, promises to protect privacy

Why the tags?

Marriott Hotels hacked AGAIN: Two compromised employee logins abused to siphon off 5.2m guests' personal info

>Included in that hack were 8.6 million “encrypted” credit card numbers, though the hotel chain insisted that all but a mere 354,000 had expired

So why were they holding onto the other 8.25 million numbers?

US prez Donald Trump declares America closed to those flying in from Schengen zone over coronavirus woes

Re: Green card holders and the immediate family of US citizens get a pass.

Zero percent, as it always has been.

GitLab can proclaim diversity all it likes, but it seems to have a real problem keeping women on staff or in management

Re: Katrinab

>WHY do you think women don't want to work in STEM

Because your code will either work, or it won't, and no amount of complaining to HR will change that, and you'll be responsible for fixing it until it does work.

Re: Does it matter?

[citation needed]

Re: who cares ?

Thank you for your contribution of sexism and racism.

Hey GitLab, the 1970s called and want their sexism back: Saleswomen told to wear short skirts, heels and 'step it up'

>selection process for saleswomen was sexist by only hiring attractive women.

Which sex is being discriminated against here?

Boris celebrates taking back control of Brexit Britain's immigration – with unlimited immigration program

Re: Good, good.

>improving FOM will not be as good as what British citizens in the EU have this week

You still do not understand why we voted to remove FoM. I'll give you a hint, it's not because we're bothered about who can leave the UK.

Squirrel away a little IT budget for likely Brexit uncertainty, CIOs warned

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

>you very strongly implied it

I am only responsible for what I write, not what you can understand.

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

>you are saying only Scots born should be allowed to vote on independence?

I don't believe so, feel free to correct me if you can find such instance?

Re: "UK’s departure from the UK"

The majority of Scots voted in favour of independence at the last referendum.

The vote was only won because the vast majority of English people living in Scotland voted for Scotland to remain as part of the UK.

If the vote was restricted to Scottish people, Scotland would have already left the UK.

Source : Scottish Referendum Study by the University of Edinburgh.

Unlocking news: We decrypt those cryptic headlines about Scottish cops bypassing smartphone encryption

Downvoted for the most blatant showing of TDS I've seen today.

This is also a system for GPs, right? UK doctors seek clarity over Health dept's £40m single sign-on funding

Perhaps the teaching staff should have considered the consequences in terms of IT budgets before demanding outrageous pay increases?

Re: what is a GP?

>In Scotland its possible to get an appointment within a few days

Not in North Glasgow it's not. My own experience:

>Hello, can I have an appointment please?

>I'm afraid there's none left

>Can you put me on the waiting list please?

>We only run a waiting list for 4 weeks, and it's full.

>So there is no way for me to get an appointment?

>Try calling tomorrow.

Repeat x forever.

Tabletop battle-toys purveyor Games Workshop again warns of risks in Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP project

>Following our move to a more agile methodology

They're doomed. Death by clueless Project Manager.

Why is a 22GB database containing 56 million US folks' personal details sitting on the open internet using a Chinese IP address? Seriously, why?

Re: Surely we're not at war yet?

Your TDS is showing.

Apple: Mysterious iPhone 11 location pings were because of 'ultra-wideband compliance'

Re: I'm actually surprised

>no privacy implication

Yeah, other than your phone recording your every move, and you trusting Apple to not exfilitrate it.

Brian Eno's latest composition: A giant Christmas card with Julian Assange on it

Re: Assange is not in jail for being a journalist.

Who was the 'victim'?

Re: Assange is not in jail for being a journalist.

>his victim

Remind me when he was found guilty of anything again please?

Satya 'Karma' Nadella ignored our complaints over pay gap, thousands of Microsoft women say

> it is responsible for the result.

Personally, I would be of the opinion that it more likely the consequence of the choices made by individuals, with women being more inclined to hold low pressure roles which pay less money.

There is very likely 0% pay gap between people doing the same work with the same output in terms of productivity.

UK.gov to treat online abuse as seriously as IRL hate crime

>Following public concern

Strange, I don't recall being asked my opinion...

Risk-free Friday evenings, thanks to Office 365 license management

Re: MS still selling shit?

>This is especially true if you for some strange reason store them in the likes of OneDrive

Don't the documents just sit on my local hard drive, synced using the Onedrive client?

I thought it would simply stop updating, not that the documents would disappear.

Prepare your popcorn: Wikipedia deems the Daily Mail unreliable

Does anyone believe that Wikipedia is anything other than a US government front?

Latest Intel, AMD chips will only run Windows 10 ... and Linux, BSD, OS X

-killer business class PCs

-running Chrome OS

Yeah, you can only pick one of those.

PayPal denies stiffing bug-hunting teen on bounty

Re: Good old Paypal - Did you know?

'Dipshit'?

Dear me, the standard of commentators on here has lowered somewhat since I was last on.