Posts by Random person

Privacy warriors whip out GDPR after ChatGPT wrongly accuses dad of child murder

OpenAI are trying to argue that a guardrail to suppress the incorrect information is sufficient.

The victim of the hallucination objects to presence of the incorrect correlation being present in OpenAI's model. The victim is trying to exercise the right under the GPDR to delete incorrect information.

Using guardrails to suppress the supply of faulty information means that the model operator/owner will need to to have a lookup table of all the known incorrect information stored in the model. The contents of the lookup table will be reactive, this will end up being an example of "Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it" (Jonathan Swift https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/)

What happens if the guardrail for a specific piece of incorrect information is deleted?

LLMs are being "sold" as search engines. Like most technology very few people understand the problems of LLMs and most people are simply not interested enough to come to a view. I know and like a number of people who wouldn't understand the problems if you could persuade them to spend to be interested. If they trust you they may take your word.

I agree that there are many of good uses for LLMs but they are being hugely oversold.

Datacenters near Heathrow seemingly stay up as substation fire closes airport

Re: Really...?

Thanks for repeating Richard Tice's and The Telegraph's claims.

The Biomass system doesn't provide power to the entire airport.

> The 10MW Combined Heating and Power (CHP) system - the largest ‘own use’ renewable energy installation in the UK - will open later this year. Prior to serving T2, due to open in Spring 2014, the biomass energy plant will provide base heating and power to Terminal 5.

https://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/detail/4079

Re: How?

"Pension holidays" - we can thank the 1986 Financial Services Act for introducing this idea https://www.professionalpensions.com:8443/feature/2261768/-thatchers-governments-changed-pensions

Every financial advert says that the value of your investments can go down, but pension holidays pretend that values will not go down. Just because a pension fund is currently over funded it does not that the same will be true in 5+ years time.

The 1986 Financial Services Act also stopped employers forcing employees to join the company pension.

We can blame both the Labour and Conservatives for destroying final salary pensions.

Employers were very happy to transfer all the risk to the employees.

Trump administration threatens tariffs for any nation that dares to tax Big Tech

Expanding on kmorwath point that sales taxes are regressive.

Person x is homeless and rough sleeps, they spend 99% of their income on food and whatever else gets them through the day. Under your scheme x pays sales tax on 98% of their income.

Person y makes minimum wage. they spend 90% of their income on rent, food. Under your scheme y pays sales tax on 90% of their income.

Person z is CEO of a FTSE and has a total remuneration of £4,196,000 a year, they spend 50% of their salary. They pay sales tax on 50% of their income.

I have simplified this by ignoring ways in which the extremely highly paid will engage in tax avoidance and the poorest will avoid tax via the "informal" economy.

How much of your income do you spend a year? Can you afford for heating, electricity, fuel, food prices to increase by 20-25%?

I expect your solution would be to close down the government.

Why are posting anonymously? You don't have to use a real name. I'm not posting under my real name.

https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/news/average-ceo-uk/

Take from various taxes shown here https://ifs.org.uk/taxlab/taxlab-key-questions/where-does-government-get-its-money

We meet the protesters who want to ban Artificial General Intelligence before it even exists

Re: Climate Alarmism

You may find this paper assessing the climate predictions made by Exxon scientists between the 1970s and 2003 against observed values up to 2023.

> Our results show that in private and academic circles since the late 1970s and early 1980s, ExxonMobil predicted global warming correctly and skillfully. Using established statistical techniques, we find that 63 to 83% of the climate projections reported by ExxonMobil scientists were accurate in predicting subsequent global warming. ExxonMobil’s average projected warming was 0.20° ± 0.04°C per decade, which is, within uncertainty, the same as that of independent academic and government projections published between 1970 and 2007.

> ...

> Moreover, we show that ExxonMobil scientists correctly dismissed the possibility of a coming ice age in favor of a “carbon dioxide induced ‘super-interglacial’”; accurately predicted that human-caused global warming would first be detectable in the year 2000 ± 5; and reasonably estimated how much CO2 would lead to dangerous warming.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0063#sec-1

This paper is just a comparison between predicted and observed values. It appears that the Exxon models match observations up to 2023, absent other evidence the Exxon models appear to be a starting point for ongoing prediction.

[EDIT - corrected time period of the Exxon research.]

After clash over Rust in Linux, now Asahi lead quits distro, slams Linus' kernel leadership

Re: New project?

Here's a link to the donation page for Redox OS https://www.redox-os.org/donate/

> Redox is a Unix-like general-purpose microkernel-based operating system written in Rust, aiming to bring the innovations of Rust to a modern microkernel, a full set of programs and be a complete alternative to Linux and BSD.

I'm sure they would welcome your monthly donation.

Absolute Linux has reached the end – where to next?

Re: Not necessarily the best approach

You may find NixOS will provide what you want, however the builds will be performed locally and you will have to do the work.

I seems that you can do custom kernel builds in NixOS.

There was an article here about NixOS in 2022.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/13/nixos_2211_raccoon/

https://nixos.org/

BT delays deadline for digital landline switch off date

The majority of households in the UK could have off-street parking. Perhaps you were thinking about London.

Source an article by the RAC Foundation.

> However, with 18 million (65%) of Britain’s 27.6 million households having – or with the potential to have – enough off-street parking to accommodate at least one car or van there is a huge opportunity for charging electric vehicles at home.

>

> Breaking the numbers down:

>

> Wales – 75% of households have – or could have – off-street parking and EV charging

> England – 68%

> Scotland – 63%

> London – 44%

https://www.racfoundation.org/research/mobility/still-standing-still#:~:text=Breaking%20the%20numbers%20down%3A,Scotland%20%E2%80%93%2063%25

Both KDE and GNOME to offer official distros

Re: RedHat Dominance

> AFAICS Gnome has been leaving its users behind for a long time. They've largely gone to Cinnamon or MATE as continuity Gnome 2 or XFCE.

Can you provide evidence to support your belief?

Photoshop FOSS alternative GNU Image Manipulation Program 3.0 nearly here

Re: Another chance

Locking yourself into a particular vendor's workflow means that you are locked into using that product and have to accept whatever pricing the vendor decides. The result of this can be seen in this year's 10% price increases for a single Creative Cloud product.

> Annual prepaid: Increase of £24.09, from £238.42 to £262.51 per year

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/x-productkb/policy-pricing/subscription-price-increase-2023-individual-plans.html

If people want to avoid being locked in they have accept that other tools are different from Photoshop. This is also true for commercial tools. If an application were too similar to Photoshop, Abode might sue on the grounds of copying their "trade dress". The legal costs would me trivial for Adobe; legal costs for a competitor could be crippling even in the unlikely event that they won.

UK ponders USB-C as common charging standard

Re: What next?

> I have actually used at least five different diameters of coaxial connectors. Each was technically correct for the application. If someone wants to manufacture something with an odd size of connector I as a consumer can choose to buy it or not. If the manufacturer decides they would do better using a more standard connector than that's also fine.

Customer choice to ensure a common connection worked so well before the EU got involved.\s

It is better for the environment if you don't need to have a separate charge for each item. If a company does not have to provide a power supply it could increase their margin.

Tesla Cybertruck recalled again. This time, a software fix for backup camera glitch

From the article

>When the tonneau cover (the protective cover over the truck bed) is closed, it completely obscures the view out the back of the Cybertruck. Even with the cover open, the small rearview mirror is not very usable, some Cybertruck owners noted.

I've read claims that the Cybertruck would not be legal in the UK. I don't know if these claims are correct.

It's true, social media moderators do go after conservatives

Re: Musk Ambition

This tweet by Elon Musk seems to disgree with you.

> Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint.

>

> Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1499976967105433600?s=20

I found this Xit via this article https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-09-14/elon-musk-says-he-s-pro-free-speech-but-fired-twitter-staff-for-comments

Re: Who is the judge ?

You may find this episode on CO2 and greening enlightening https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jgzxpk

Transcript here https://app.podscribe.ai/episode/107946878

From the transcript

> It's also true that more photosynthesis means more carbon is being taken outta the atmosphere and locked away in plants a process which helps lower the carbon in the atmosphere and slightly offset manmade emissions.

>

> Of course, they can offset a little bit, but they cannot overturn, for example, the human emissions of the CO2. In the atmosphere.

I haven't fixed the transcript.

Re: Who is the judge ?

In 2020 a hosptial doctor ran 22 miles wearing a mask, his O2 levels were at 98-99% throughout.

> “I work in intensive care, I know physiology so I knew that this wasn’t true,” he told CTV News. His goal: to run a 35K (about 21.74 miles) around his hometown of Bradford, U.K., while wearing a face mask and tracking his oxygen levels.

> ...

> Lawton monitored his oxygen levels during his entire run using a pulse oximeter to track actual data of how the mask impacted his breathing. He checked his oxygen levels every half hour during his run, ... “The [reading was] 98 to 99 all the time, completely normal oxygen levels all the way,” he says. Translation: He had no breathing problems during his entire run.

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a33521706/face-mask-oxygen-levels-running-myth-coronavirus-doctor-fact-check/

Study of impact of mask wearing on patients with COPD https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9993157/

Do you think that people working in operating theatres for long periods have low oxygen levels?

Woman uses AirTags to nab alleged parcel-pinching scum

Apple updated Apple Air Tags AFTER they were released.

> Apple has released a software update for AirTags following concerns they could be used to track people secretly.

>

> AirTags were released in April and were promoted as a way for people to keep track of their belongings.

>

> However, critics warned that the coin-sized tracker could be easily used to monitor someone's real-time location.

>

> Following the update, AirTags will beep if they are away from their owner's iPhone - at a random time between eight and 24 hours - to alert people nearby.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57351554

The audio alerts don't work, if somebody has cut the speaker connections, instructions available on YouTube. It seems to take a couple of minutes.

From Feb 2022

> The latest beta for iOS 15.4 includes new features designed to prevent Apple’s AirTags from being used to stalk people, 9to5Mac reports. Most notably, there’s a new privacy notice during their setup which warns that using AirTags to track someone without their consent could be a crime, and that law enforcement can request details on an unknown AirTags’ owner. “AirTag is Linked To Your Apple ID,” the notice reads.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/23/22947063/airtags-anti-stalking-ios-15-4-beta-4-privacy-notice

Here's the Apple news release for AirTags dated 21st April 2021 https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airtag/

Update on the case linked in the article.

> A woman found guilty of using an Apple AirTag to track her cheating boyfriend to a bar before repeatedly running him over in a parking lot and killing him in front of bystanders was sentenced Thursday to spend 18 years in prison.

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/apple-airtag-killer-sentenced-to-prison-for-killing-andre-smith-outside-bar/

[UPDATE]

Have a look at this article from Apple Insider.

> Apple's AirTags are being used for stalking, but the problem isn't new, nor remotely exclusive to Apple — and is easier to execute undetected with other inexpensive methods. The real issue is the overall failure of law enforcement to act.

>

> Reports of AirTags being used to stalk people don't give a full picture of the dangers of "stalkerware," and the reports often shift blame entirely onto Apple.

>

> Apple isn't the only one whose tracking devices can facilitate stalking, it's just the highest profile vendor to provide tracking tools.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/12/31/the-airtag-stalking-problem-is-only-partially-apples-problem-its-mostly-law-enforcements

Register article on the case https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/14/airtag_tracking_murder_charge/

You may find this Register article from May 2023 "Apple, Google propose anti-stalking spec for Bluetooth tracker tags" informative https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/02/apple_google_antistalking_bluetooth/

UK tech pioneer Mike Lynch dead at 59

According the linked article and other sources, the Bayesian had a 10 metre keel that could lifted to become a 3 metre keel to allow it to enter shallow harbours.

https://www.ft.com/content/1db169f0-8040-4150-900e-68c9b0174b8d?sharetype=gift

More information here.

> The Bayesian had an extractable keel (an underwater fin) that was almost 10 metres in length when extended and acted as a counterbalance for the vessel.

>

> Its final position will be crucial for investigators to discover.

>

> If it was stowed when the storm hit, it would have made the yacht much less stable.

https://news.sky.com/story/how-is-the-sinking-of-mike-lynchs-bayesian-superyacht-being-investigated-13201245

Fraud guilty plea flies from Boeing to swerve courtroom over 737 Max crashes

Re: I blame Yurope

> One of the nation's best known airline pilots is speaking out on the problems with Boeing's 737 Max jetliner. Retired Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger told a congressional subcommittee Wednesday that an automated flight control system on the 737 Max "was fatally flawed and should never have been approved."

> ...

> Sullenberger says he recently experienced scenarios similar to those facing the pilots of the doomed Ethiopian and Lion Air jetliners in a simulator and says he understands the difficulties they had trying to maintain control of the planes. "Even knowing what was going to happen, I could see how crews could have run out of time and altitude before they could have solved the problems," he said.

> ...

> He and Carey dismissed suggestions that the crashes could not have happened in the U.S., where pilots are required to have a lot of experience and more rigorous training before flying commercial airliners.

>

> "Some (U.S.) crews would have recognized it in time to recover, but some would not have," Carey testified. Sullenberger agreed, saying it's unlikely that more experienced pilots would have had different outcomes, adding, "we shouldn't have to expect pilots to compensate for flawed designs."

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/19/734248714/pilots-criticize-boeing-saying-737-max-should-never-have-been-approved

Do you know more about flying passenger jets than Retired Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger or the president of the Allied Pilots Association?

Microsoft cancels universal Recall release in favor of Windows Insider preview

Re: For some interesting reading ...

The penultimate paragraph of the article on "Windows Central" that you linked to reads as follows

> While Windows Recall is powerful, it has also proven controversial. Many raised concerns about the security and privacy implications of such a feature. While the data is all stored locally and is never sent to the cloud, security experts warned that malicious actors could do a lot of damage if they managed to obtain a PC that was logged in. Windows Recall would have essentially placed a plethora of information on a platter, though that proverbial platter would only have been accessible with someone who could log into the PC.

Before you ignore because you believe that I am a Windows fanboi, I have used Linux for years and *nix systems at work more a lot longer.

I hope you find whichever distribution you select useful and helpful in getting things done.

NASA's Psyche hits 25 Mbps from 140 million miles away – enough for Ultra HD Netflix

This article may help you.

https://www.insidescience.org/news/how-far-can-laser-light-travel

Rarest, strangest, form of Windows saved techie from moment of security madness

Linux uses magic numbers at the start of the file header. The numbers are defined within the OS. This method is an direct inheritance from Unix.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/working-with-magic-numbers-in-linux/

Mac so far as I can tell the OS uses file extensions by default but falls back to the magic numbers in the file header. I presume the use of magic numbers comes from the BSD userland that it is based on.

https://eclecticlight.co/2018/04/24/whats-that-using-magic-on-your-mac/

Post Office slapped down for late disclosure of documents in Horizon scandal inquiry

Re: Prison of total failure

AC>> What I'd like to know is if Fujitsu have an audit trail of who had Remote access to the Horizon system....

Fujitsu's submission to the Phase 3 of the inquiry includes the following

> Fujitsu accepts that it cannot positively exclude the prospect of undocumented use of substantive remote access ...

https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/SUBS0000025%20-%20Phase%203%20Closing%20Submissions%20on%20behalf%20of%20Fujitsu%20Services%20Limited.pdf

Also

> In fact, staff at Fujitsu, which made and operated the Horizon system, were capable of remotely accessing branch accounts, and had “unrestricted and unaudited” access to those systems, the inquiry heard.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/09/how-the-post-offices-horizon-system-failed-a-technical-breakdown

AC>> Or was the shortfall of money caused by a Fujitsu employee taking funds out of the system - so that the end of day reconcilliation of payments made and money in the till, did not match.

There is a Computerphile episode about the technical failures.

Here is a summary of the problems from The Guardian article referenced above.

> As early as 2001, McDonnell’s team had found “hundreds” of bugs. A full list has never been produced, but successive vindications of post office operators have revealed the sort of problems that arose. One, named the “Dalmellington Bug”, after the village in Scotland where a post office operator first fell prey to it, would see the screen freeze as the user was attempting to confirm receipt of cash. Each time the user pressed “enter” on the frozen screen, it would silently update the record. In Dalmellington, that bug created a £24,000 discrepancy, which the Post Office tried to hold the post office operator responsible for.

>

> Another bug, called the Callendar Square bug – again named after the first branch found to have been affected by it – created duplicate transactions due to an error in the database underpinning the system: despite being clear duplicates, the post office operator was again held responsible for the errors.

Horizon is a Point Of Sale system i.e. part of the accounting system. Accounting transactions are supposed to be immutable. This was true for paper-based systems.

If you make a mistake in an accounting system you are supposed to back out of the incorrect transaction and create a new transaction. This is why when there has been a problem completing a sale in a shop you are given the receipt showing that the transaction has not completed or a receipt showing that the transaction has been cancelled.

a

The Post Office spent years claiming that remote alternation of records was only possible with sub-postmaster approval. It turns out that records could be altered without leaving any trace. The changes should have been recorded and there should have been a formal process to alter the accounting records.

When you make a change in a database there it is usually recorded in the transaction log. The transaction logs are usually retained for a few days. So far as I can tell changes to Horizon records were not recorded.

From July 2023

> Sir Wyn gives determination on Post Office disclosure failings

> 14 July 2023

> ...

> Sir Wyn Williams has announced today that all future Inquiry requests for evidence to the Post Office will carry a notice under Section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005, which he said “carries a threat of a criminal sanction” (including a sentence of up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment).

https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/news/sir-wyn-gives-determination-post-office-disclosure-failings

Also https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/post-office-inquiry-jail-threat-over-disclosure-failures/5116672.article

I don't know what the process would be IF the inquiry decides it is appropriate.

German state ditches Windows, Microsoft Office for Linux and LibreOffice

Re: it's the DATA

Are you happy that your data is locked in by your vendors?

You can use tools like Dark Table to process and manage RAW camera images, e.g. NEF, CR2, RW2. A number of the file formats you mention are cross platform, e.g. PDF, PHP. Some of the file formats you refer to can be opened and managed in Linux tools e.g. the Adobe file formats.

If I remember correctly, Cannon stopped supporting the RAW file format in the earlier pro cameras.

I try to use file formats that allow me to use my data on whatever platform I want, rather than being locked in one.

No operating system is the answer to everybody's needs.

Fujitsu finance chief says sorry for IT giant's role in Post Office Horizon scandal

Re: Talk is cheap, where's the £?

> The Post Office Horizon scandal public inquiry heard that staff working at Fujitsu’s Software Support Centre (SCC), which provides third-line tech support to Post Office branches, had “unrestricted and unauditable” remote access to branch accounts.

> ..

> ... “There is no functionality in Horizon for either a branch, Post Office or Fujitsu to edit, manipulate or remove transaction data once it has been recorded in a branch’s accounts.” The Post Office only admitted it was in fact possible when it was left with no choice, during a High Court case in 2019.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366537376/Fujitsu-staff-had-unrestricted-and-unauditable-remote-access-to-Post-Office-branch-systems

If you listen to the BBC radio series or read the long series of articles in "Computer Weekly" or read Nick Wallis' book you will get some answers to your questions.

Also suggest that you look at the Horizon internal report at the inquiry website. The report was produced in 2001. Fujitsu took full ownership of ICL in 1998. Here is a paragraph from the internal report.

> Whoever wrote this code clearly has no understanding of elementary mathematics or the most basic rules of programming.

https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/FUJ00080690%20Report%20on%20the%20EPOSS%20PinICL%20Task%20Force%2014052001.pdf

UN: E-waste is growing 5x faster than it can be recycled

Re: A metric ton is spelled “tonne”

> The tonne (t) is an SI-compatible unit of mass equal to a megagram (Mg), or 103 kg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(mass)

Fedora 41's GNOME to go Wayland-only, says goodbye to X.org

Re: To do list:

A quick search for "autokey wayland" finds this page https://luxagraf.net/src/replacing-autokey-wayland-plain-text-snippets

There seems that there is or was some work to port autokey to Wayland perhaps you could see if you can help. https://github.com/autokey/autokey/discussions/866

There may be some alternatives that run on Wayland. https://medium.com/@canadaduane/key-remapping-in-linux-2021-edition-47320999d2aa

I don't have direct experience of any of these.

Leaked email: Unit4 ERP system leaves some school staff with 'nil pay'

Re: An inconvenience ?

It is more than an inconvenience to withdraw money out of your savings to cover your outgoings because you employer has not managed to pay you.

> By law (Employment Rights Act 1996), your employer must pay your wages on your agreed pay day.

>

> If an employer does not pay on time, it can:

> * affect an employee's financial security and wellbeing

> * damage the working relationship

> * lead to legal action

https://www.acas.org.uk/if-your-wages-are-not-paid

There can be many reasons why somebody might not have a spare month's salary available to cover their employer's error.

Finally it appears that this isn't the first month that this problem has occured, from the article.

> The Register asked the council why it was necessary to create a group for very serious problems which might leave staff struggling for day to day money, and how many service desk calls were placed in this group in the last three months.

That runaway datacenter power grab is the best news for net zero this century

Re: Additional points for going with Thorium

I'm not a fan of SMR, but ...

> Both public and private institutions are actively participating in efforts to bring SMR technology to fruition within this decade. Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant that began commercial operation in May 2020, is producing energy from two 35 MW(e) SMRs. Other SMRs are under construction or in the licensing stage in Argentina, Canada, China, Russia, South Korea and the United States of America.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs

There is one SMR in operation and it appears that others are on the way.

You are assuming that the experiments prove that thorium reactors work and don't find any problems. What happens if it takes 15 or 20 years to build commercial throium reactors?

Re: A fine idea but...

Perhaps you could read the actual Royal Society report rather than Toby Young's view.

I have only read the Executive Summary which includes this paragraph.

> In 2050 Great Britain’s demand for electricity could be met by wind and solar energy supported by large-scale storage.

https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/large-scale-electricity-storage/Large-scale-electricity-storage-report.pdf

Some context about the "The Daily Sceptic".

> The Daily Sceptic is a blog created by British commentator Toby Young. It has published misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines[9] and climate change denial.[16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Sceptic

https://www.desmog.com/toby-young/

Re: Additional points for going with Thorium

> In August 2021, China announced the completion of its first experimental thorium-based nuclear reactor. Built in the middle of the Gobi Desert in the country’s north, the reactor over the next few years will undergo testing. If the experiment proves successful, Beijing plans to construct another reactor potentially capable of generating electricity for more than 100 000 homes.

> ...

> “To meet growing energy demand and achieve global climate objectives, the world is looking for alternative sustainable and reliable energy technologies. Thorium may become one of those,” concluded Clément Hill, Section Head at the IAEA. “We will continue our research to deliver credible and science-based results for those interested in working with thorium.”

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/thoriums-long-term-potential-in-nuclear-energy-new-iaea-analysis

Thorium reactors may be an option in a decade, but is clearly not available now.

Post Office threatened to sue Fujitsu over missing audit data

Re: Blockchain

Blockchain had not been invented when the Horizon system was developed and rolled out.

> The British Post Office scandal is a series of miscarriages of justice which, between 1999 and 2015 ...

> The Horizon accounting system was developed by ICL Pathway, owned by the Japanese company Fujitsu. In 1999, the Post Office started to roll out the new software to its branches and sub-post offices ...

> Horizon is the outcome of the Pathway project, and a procurement process that commenced in August 1994 ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Post_Office_scandal

> The domain name bitcoin.org was registered on 18 August 2008.[16] On 31 October 2008, a link to a white paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was posted to a cryptography mailing list

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin

Note that both sides of the transaction and the ledger are under the control of the Post Office.

It is likely that at least some of the problems would not have occurred if the transactions were ACID compliant. Computerphile did a video about this, search for "Post Office Horizon Scandal - Computerphile" for more information.

If are trying to be ironic, I suggest that you mark your posts as such because it is very likely that cryptobros would say exactly the same but without irony.

How 'sleeper agent' AI assistants can sabotage your code without you realizing

Re: Those who forget history ...

> Back in Victorian England, around ¾ of food on sale had been tampered with in some way, bread being the worst culprit. Items like ash, sand, chalk and alum, among others, were used to bulk out the bread and make it look whiter and bigger for less money. Obviously, this reduced the nutritional quality of the bread and significantly increased the risk of diarrhoea and illness, which could in turn cause further problems across a community.

https://www.hillbrush.com/en-gb/insights/the-victorians

Example of problems with meat in US in 10906

> In 1906, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, a book which exposed the filthy conditions of Chicago slaughterhouses. Sinclair wrote the book while living in Chicago; he talked to workers and their families and his focus was the plight of the workers. However, the book turned people away from "tubercular beef" instead of turning them socialist like Sinclair wanted.[10] The book was a best seller and the public outcry prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to send officials to investigate.[10] Their “report was so shocking that its publication would ‘be well-nigh ruinous to our export trade in meat’”.[11] This report, Neill-Reynolds, underscored the terrible conditions illustrated by Sinclair.[12] It indicated a need for "'a drastic and thorogooing [sic]' federal inspection of all stockyards, packinghouses and their products".[12] The Jungle, combined with the shocking reports of the Neill-Reynolds Report (published June 1906) proved to be the final push to help the Pure Food and Drug Act move quickly through congress.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_history_of_food_regulation_in_the_United_States

I suggest that you research why the FDA was created.

Fujitsu gets $1B market cap haircut after TV disaster drama airs

Re: Accounting system

You may find this video from ComputerPhile of use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJm9ZYqL10

As you say this was a solved problem at the time.

The inquiry evidence includes an internal Fujitsu report about the project https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/FUJ00080690%20Report%20on%20the%20EPOSS%20PinICL%20Task%20Force%2014052001.pdf

Section 7.3 has a couple of problematic code. One of of the examples is a function to invert the sign of a number (i.e. -1 to 1 or -1 to 1). The report states that the function could be refactored to "d = -d".

Public Function ReverseSign(d)

If d < 0 Then

d = Abs(d)

Else

d = d - (d *2)

End If

ReverseSign = d

End Function

Apparently this code is in Visual Basic 6 which seems where the max int is 65,535, what will happen if the function is passed a value of 33,000?

UK PM promises faster justice for Post Office Horizon victims

Re: What actually went wrong?

See this article for the general reader for some information.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/09/how-the-post-offices-horizon-system-failed-a-technical-breakdown

Also see the large number articles in "Computer Weekly, here is an example

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366537376/Fujitsu-staff-had-unrestricted-and-unauditable-remote-access-to-Post-Office-branch-systems

New cars bought in the UK must be zero emission by 2035 – it's the law

Re: Think of the Grid!

National Grid thinks that they will be able to cope.

In this video a representative of National Grid is asked if the Grid can cope with increased numbers of EVs, they replied with a single word "Yes". She also mentions that people switching to LED light bulbs has significantly reduced UK power demands and National Grid have plans to build more capacity.

https://youtu.be/LeHakmL6eEc?t=2200

Here is National Grid's page on this topic.

> Can the UK grid cope with the extra demand from electric cars?

>

> As electric vehicles (EVs) become more widespread, one of the most common questions we’re asked is ‘How will the electricity grid handle the additional demand for electricity when more people are charging EVs?’

>

> The transition to EVs is happening … and we’re ready

https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/journey-to-net-zero-stories/can-grid-cope-extra-demand-electric-cars

Forbes article

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmorris/2021/11/13/electricity-grids-can-handle-electric-vehicles-easily--they-just-need-proper-management/?sh=754a417b7862

UK immigration rules hit science just as it rejoins €100B Horizon program

Re: Appeasement?

Why has participation been delayed?

> The House of Commons library on why entry into Horizon was delayed because of problems with Northern Ireland Protocol.

>

> Why has participation been delayed?

>

> The declaration agreed alongside the TCA stated that the protocols on participation would be adopted by the Specialised Committee “at the earliest opportunity to allow their implementation as soon as possible”.

>

> The EU adopted its long term budget in December 2020 and the legislation for the programmes in April and May 2021.

>

> Meetings of the various governance bodies for the TCA were initially delayed because the agreement was not fully applied by the UK and EU until 1 May. Although most have since met, the Specialised Committee for EU programmes has yet to do so.

>

> The European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Mariya Gabriel has suggested that other wider political issues between the UK and EU would need to be settled before UK association to EU programmes could be formalised. She referred specifically to differences over UK implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement.

>

> UK exclusion from the Horizon Europe programme is among options reportedly being considered by the EU as retaliation if the UK uses the Article 16 provision to suspend aspects of the Northern Ireland Protocol. It was reported in October 2021 that France was also seeking to link the granting of fishing licenses to approval of UK involvement in EU programmes.

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/is-the-uk-still-participating-in-eu-programmes/

Sam Altman set to rejoin OpenAI as CEO – seemingly with Microsoft's blessing

Re: Tail eating

ChatGPT has been seen to hallucinate citations in addition to content.

" ... 55% of the GPT-3.5 citations but just 18% of the GPT-4 citations are fabricated. Likewise, 43% of the real (non-fabricated) GPT-3.5 citations but just 24% of the real GPT-4 citations include substantive citation errors. Although GPT-4 is a major improvement over GPT-3.5, problems remain."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-41032-5 (Abstract only)

More examples

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33841672

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-asked-chatgpt-provide-citations-hallucinated-its-sources-street

https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(23)00401-1/fulltext

Plus this notorious example https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jun/23/two-us-lawyers-fined-submitting-fake-court-citations-chatgpt

You can find more information if you do a search for "chatgpt hallucinate citations".

CompSci teachers panic as Replit pulls the plug on educational IDE

Re: And it happens again

I expect that you have already tried this and have the scars, would Github Codespaces at least help with the setup of the local IDEs? As it runs in a web browser it should in theory be platform independent.

There is a level of free use for registered teachers, I expect that it won't be enough.

It is likely that this would just move the problem to getting the pupils to setup GitHub accounts.

Next issue, the containers run Linux, so the pupils will need help if they need to use the VSCode terminal.

It seems that you can create a template were you define what VSCode plugins are pre-installed as well as some code for them to start with.

There is an example in the GitHub education repository https://github.com/education/codespaces-teaching-template-py

This page includes a link to an unlisted "Microsoft Rector" video that shows how a pupil would start a Codespace and some basic configuration of the template.

HTH

Ubuntu Budgie switches its approach to Wayland

Re: ssh?

It has been many years since I have had to forward a GUI application over SSH so I am not a expert, but I had a look at the Ubuntu waypipe man page and found that there is a ssh flag.

Waypipe is a proxy for Wayland clients, with the aim of supporting behavior like ssh -X.

Prefixing an ssh ... command to become waypipe ssh ... will automatically run waypipe both

locally and remotely, and modify the ssh command to set up forwarding between the two

instances of waypipe. The remote instance will act like a Wayland compositor, letting

Wayland applications that are run remotely be displayed locally.

https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/jammy/man1/waypipe.1.html

Perhaps this will help.

CEO of self-driving cab outfit Cruise parks his career

Re: Not going to happen.

Here in the UK the recent King's Speech (announcement of planned legislation) included a first attempt to address this.

... only the driver – be it the automated vehicle or a person – will be held accountable in the event of an accident or incident.

Non-driving responsibilities however will still remain with the person behind the wheel, such as maintaining appropriate insurance for the vehicle and ensuring proper loading, as well as responsibility during any part of the journey where the person is driving.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/autonomous-vehicles-news/driverless-cars-move-closer-to-reality-in-kings-speech/

Rhysida ransomware gang: We attacked the British Library

As part of checking that somebody has a right to work in UK an employer has to "Make and keep copies of the documents and record the date you made the check."

https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work

Employers have been required to check people's right to work for a number of years.

Russia's Sandworm – not just missile strikes – to blame for Ukrainian power blackouts

You can get background on this topic in the book "Sandworm" by Andy Greenberg (published in 2019).

'Corrupt' cop jailed for tipping off pal to EncroChat dragnet

Re: Sneaky badges got caught

That only works if you are stronger and richer. If the criminals are stronger or richer or just have more guns or more prepared to die you are fucked.

You may find the history of Grafton New Hampshire useful.

The UK government? On the right track with its semiconductor strategy?

Here is an attempt to answer your question about the relative costs.

TSMC is spending $11 on building a 28nm fab in Germany.

The Register on the 2 3nm fabs in the US "TSMC has confirmed it will build not one, but two advanced chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, more than tripling the Asian foundry giant's original investment to $40 billion,"

https://www.techpowerup.com/308184/tsmc-and-partners-to-invest-usd-11-billion-into-german-based-factory

https://www.techpowerup.com/308184/tsmc-and-partners-to-invest-usd-11-billion-into-german-based-factory

It would therefore appear that 28nm fab costs about 45% less than a 3nm fab. It appears that the larger size does reduce costs beyond lithography machines.

I have no particular knowledge on this topic, I just did a quick bit of research (i.e. used a search engine).

Intel's PC chip ship is sinking with Arm-ada on the horizon

Re: Like Linux Desktop within 10 years

I would agree that Windows on ARM is " for developers and enthusiasts", however you can buy at least one ARM laptop from a Tier 1 supplier with Windows installed (Thinkpad X1s).

From the Lenovo web site "13.3" super-responsive Windows with Snapdragon® powered laptop & ISV-certified apps"

This site reviewed the X13s - https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/21/lenovo_thinkpad_x13s_the_stealth/

Airbus commissions three wind-powered ships to sail the Atlantic

Re: BelugaXL

These ships are intended to transport airframes from France to Mobile Alabama the distance from Toulouse to Mobile Alabama is 7,672 km on a great circle route.

"With a maximum payload of 51 tonnes, the BelugaXL has a range of 4,000 km (2,200 nm)." - https://aircraft.airbus.com/en/aircraft/freighters/belugaxl

Your suggestion would require almost doubling the range of the BelugaXL

More X subscription tiers could spell doom for free access as biz bleeds cash

Re: Personally, I don't pay for ads.

Coverage of ads in Windows from this very site.

"In March 2022 it began testing ads in File Explorer, and there were reports eight months later that they could begin showing up in the Windows 11 sign-out menu. In April this year, there was talk from Microsoft of more ads coming to the Start Menu.

In addition, Microsoft in April updated its Weather app to show ads – as well as the MSN news feed – but removed most of that a month later after users revolted."

https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/02/microsoft_cortana_ads/

https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/17/microsoft_windows_start_ads/

From Microsoft

"We’re excited to announce that starting today, we’ll begin a pilot to allow advertising by delegated or authorized providers of certain government services with review and pre-approval.

This advertising will be limited to the Microsoft Advertising Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network in the United States. Other markets aren’t available at this time."

https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/post/march-2023/third-party-government-services-advertising-pilot

From a Microsoft Advertising page, note the mention of "Microsoft Start".

"And Microsoft's audience intelligence is so much more than just search intent. It’s a collection of permissioned first-party data points, combined across multiple properties, that help you reach your ideal customers. This includes search and web activity from Bing and our browser Microsoft Edge, content interests from Microsoft Start, demographics, and more."

https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/post/september-2023/announcing-video-ctv-ads-on-microsoft-advertising

There's no Huawei Chinese chipmakers can fill Nvidia's shoes... anytime soon

Re: Taiwan occupation?

It would be very difficult to protect fabs in an invasion.

The production lines run with positive air pressure to ensure that air from the office space does not reach the production line. A single broken window could damage a single machine that costs 10s of millions of US$.

If somebody decided to go scorched earth they would just need to change the air pressure on the production lines.

There is a single supplier of EUV lithographic machines that are required to create the wafers. The supplier is ASML in the Netherlands. How would the CCP order spare parts or replacement machines from ASML BTW a single EUV lithographic machine costs $200 million USD.

TMC is believed to have between between 30 and 35 ASML machines. Replacing them would cost $6 billion USD and it would be very unlikely that ASML would take any orders.

TMC owns 5% of ASML. The CCP would have to ensure that they gained control of this small holding to avoid additional problems.