Posts by Tim Greening-Jackson

1953: How Quatermass switched Britons from TV royalty to TV sci-fi

Gripping stuff

There was a 1955 Hammer production of The Quatermass Xperiment which is actually surprisingly good if you like cheap British sci-fi. Bizarrely, though, it had Brian Donlevy cast as Quatermass presumably because at the time it was thought that one had to have an American leading man (e.g. Dana Andrews in Night of the Demon).

Donlevy was more associated with tough-guy roles and watching him as Quatermass is like watching a permanently angry Enoch Powell who walks like he's shat himself. Bizarre.

BANG and the server's gone: Man gets 8 months for destroying work computers

Bare Grills?

I'm more concerned that they had a grill in the computer room as he was seen "spraying it into the computer grills". The smoke form one of those could do untold damage

Whereas had he sprayed it in to the computer grilles then that would make much more sense.

EU proposed emergency alert system won't work on iPhone

Just my $0.02...

Most users probably think that in the event of flooding their iPhone will allow them to walk on water anyway.

Murderous Brazilian crime show host does a runner

Presumption of innocence

Describing him is Murderous when he's not yet been charged - let alone tried - does seems to have abandoned any idea of balance or the presumption of innocence in favour of a lurid headline.

But, of course, it's the Register.

Boffins in 'let's create black holes in the lab' jape

Dartmouth obscure?

Surely Dartmouth is infamous for having unleashed BASIC on an unsuspecting world.

BT abandons Phorm

Phorm's lacky (sic)

If you're going to engage in ad hominem attacks at least learn to spell, and possibly have the courtesy/balls not to post anonymously.

I worked on the Phorm project for a few months before leaving CPW over two years ago, so I was neither their "lackey", nor is it recently. I was actually the first one to argue for it to be opt-in not opt-out and also that the opt-out should be network based.

But it does mean that I at least have the benefit of being informed on the subject of both ISP business models and the Phorm technology. Unlike much of the hysterical conjecture posted here.

To reiterate I have nothing to do with either CPW or Phorm, and have not done for over two years.

@Alpha Tony

"I'm no great expert on this type of tech Tim, but as I understand things it would be impossible for Google to implement the sort of system you suggest- It could only be done with the collusion of your ISP."

Indeed - I perhaps should have chosen my words more carefully. The fact of the matter is that companies like Google will exploit - sorry "pimp" - your data in a far more intrusive manner than Phorm ever suggested, albeit in exchange for compelling applications.

Due to the ongoing broadband price-war in the UK most small ISPs can't make money. Particularly when our spineless advertising regulations allow everyone to offer the same, meaningless "upto xx Mbps" to describe their access. Had Phorm taken off then it could possibly have made the difference between profit for some ISPs and slowed down the relentless round of consolidation which is going on in the industry.

When the only UK ISPs left are BT, Carphone, Sky and Virgin is anybody genuinely naive enough to believe that they won't collectively attempt to implement a Phorm-type technology?

Pyrrhic victory?

Virgin Media Bullshit #

By Anonymous Coward Posted Monday 6th July 2009 09:33 GMT

"The only people Phorm is good for is Virgin Media, everyone else loses out no matter how you spin it."

Err. Not quite. The business model proposed by Phorm offered a generous revenue share to the ISP. Which would make the difference between turning a profit and making a loss. So the result is you will continue to get crap ISP infrastructure or pay higher prices.

And presumably Google will end up doing DPI or similar to serve you targetted ads for which you and the ISP will get f--k all.

Way to go tin-foil hat brigade.

Texas Memory Systems makes mighty big RAM SSD

Education, education, education

"with half as much I/O bandwidth as its predecessor" would mean 200,000 I/O s^-1, not 600,000. No?

Paris because even she can add up.

Consumer revenge site returns after DDoS attack

No such thing as bad publicity

"Any publicity is good publicity"

By Anonymous Coward

try telling that to Gary Glitter

LEDs replace hands in bonkers Japanese watches

Which reminds me...

...of a tee-shirt I once saw, which bore the legend

"There are 10 types of people. Those who understand binary; and those who don't"