* Posts by Brian Allan

52 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Mar 2007

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The hated Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal will soon be dead. Yay?

Brian Allan

The Donald has said a lot of things that he has been known to refute, i.e.: simply stating he never said them. The future will be no different!

Panicked WH Smith kills website to stop sales of how-to terrorism manuals

Brian Allan

If not here, then they will be obtained elsewhere...

Humans – 1 Robots – 0: Mercedes deautomates production lines

Brian Allan

""Robots can't deal with the degree of individualization and the many variants that we have today"

Not a problem with the robots. A problem with the expertise of the people programming them!

Who hit you, HP Inc? 'Windows 10! It's all Windows 10's fault'

Brian Allan

"We were told Microsoft's software hasn't, so far, apparently, spurred enough people into buying HP-branded PCs." That is great for the consumer. We're porting most of our PC/laptops to Win 10 from Win 7 & XP WITHOUT the need to upgrade hardware; WONDERFUL (and almost a 1st)!

I love you. I will kill you! I want to make love to you: The evolution of AI in pop culture

Brian Allan

AI should be considered a serious threat to humanity since it WILL ultimately replace biological homo sapiens. Our next step in evolution is homo machinicus and is our ultimate destiny!

Come on kids, let's go play in the abandoned nuclear power station

Brian Allan

It is sad humanity has lost faith in nuclear energy, at least in the western world. It is still the most reliable, environmentally friendly source of electricity available! China can't be totally wrong!?

Ex-Apple bods suing Apple for bag searches get class-action upgrade

Brian Allan

As a manager of businesses over the years, I have to agree with Apple's policy of bag searches. Even the threat of bag searches is a good deterrent to employee theft!

Feds look left and right for support – and see everyone backing Apple

Brian Allan

Interesting how the discussion over this has progressed? Based on the FBI's attitude I would have to say the terrorists are winning, after all is it not their intent to inflict terror and paranoia. The FBI seems to be assisting this process.

Terrified robots will take middle class jobs? Look in a mirror

Brian Allan

Welcome the Singularity (and beyond)!

At some point, with the current level of AI development, "robots" will ultimately match human intelligence then rapidly expand beyond that point. Humans will become redundant, i.e.: have no purpose or place in future development. I view this as our ultimate goal even though it will mean the end of biologic humans.

PDF redaction is hard, NSW Medical Council finds out - the hard way

Brian Allan

Another good example of idiots using technology!

Even Google is abandoning Google+

Brian Allan

Google has a rough time competing in the social media arena. Not sure why? They have the manpower and $$$ resources to do so BUT simply don't understand the marketplace. Their recent move to "delete" PICASA and try to force everyone to useless Google Photos is typical. PICASA and Google Photos are only remotely similar... And leaves so much of PICASA behind as to make the move to Google Photos simply laughable!

Facebook and Twitter back Apple's privacy stance

Brian Allan

"Does anyone in the tech industry think the FBI's iPhone crack request is sensible?"

I would hope not or the terrorists have already won by endangering our right to privacy...

Sick and tired of modern Windows? Upgrade to Windows 3.1 today – in your web browser

Brian Allan

Win 3.1 obsolete!? Hardly! We still support a couple of Win 3.1 installations for an accounting firm that is quite happy with Win 3.1.

How to build a starship - and why we should start thinking about it now

Brian Allan

Re: 2 Things

It's not the developed countries we have to worry about. There are still a lot of countries on this fine planet where large families are the norm!

Brian Allan

"Then, perhaps sometime in the middle of the 22nd century, we may be prepared for the great leap across interstellar space and reap the scientific and cultural rewards that will result."

Assuming of course that we don't annihilate ourselves in the meantime...

Eighteen year old server trumped by functional 486 fleet!

Brian Allan

We still maintain accounting software for a client running everything in his accounting department under Win 3.1. It works!

Women account for just one fifth of the EU’s 8m IT jobs

Brian Allan

I've been an IT manager. You ask "Where are the women in IT"?

First, there aren't that many women with IT education and/or experience to begin with.

Second, people in IT are usually fairly young. And young women quite often want a family and leave on pregnancy leaves.

Third, IT is a fast moving profession. Women out on a year's pregnancy leave have to be re-educated upon return... An expense firms don't want, though they won't admit it.

Fourth, even if there were more women with an IT experience, I doubt they would remain in IT jobs.

Trump's new thought bubble: Make Apple manufacture in the USA

Brian Allan

Oh wow! Just think of all the uneducated Americans this would put to work at maybe $1/hour... Oh, wait, isn't there something about a minimum wage in the USA!? And what about all the unemployed union members that might want $50-75/hour to do this!?

Oh well, let's just let the Chinese, etc. do it!

Microsoft confirms Surface NOT DEAD YET, next-gen version coming

Brian Allan

Dump Win 8++

I think their tablet would sell very well if they got rid of Win 8++, which is a piece of garbage!

'No, I CAN'T write code myself,' admits woman in charge of teaching our kids to code

Brian Allan

Wow, No One in the Whole UK Capable of Coding!!

Looks like the UK has a problem? No one in the whole country capable of coding let alone teaching anyone else to code! Wow, didn't know my mother country was so totally medieval!?

Pay-as-you-GONE: Help! T Mobile's swiped my phone credit – customers

Brian Allan

Not unusual for T Mobile!

Over the years I've had this problem several times. Each time support can't figure out what could possibly have happened!?

GIMP flees SourceForge over dodgy ads and installer

Brian Allan

I totally agree. The site puts all the adverts in prominent buttons AND the actual download is barely visible and quite often impossible to find. I've totally given up on downloads from the site...

Alleged Peeping Tom claims First Amendment right to upskirt

Brian Allan

If you're going to be ashamed of a picture taken in public, cover up! Simple as that. If you wish to go commando, expect the worst... maybe a picture on the web of your exposed parts!?

Lenovo to ship all new PCs with Start Menu replacement

Brian Allan

Maybe Microsoft could listen to users...

Bradley Manning is no more. 'Call me Chelsea,' she says

Brian Allan

A disservice to all good females on the planet!!

'But we like 1 Direction!' Rock gods The Who fend off teen Twitter hate mob

Brian Allan

The Who are way, way better than "that other band"!!

New NSA tool exposed: XKeyscore sees 'nearly EVERYTHING you do online'

Brian Allan

Re: Works for me

I'm sure Moose(s) would agree...

Brian Allan

So, if you're acting within the law, who gives a dam! If you're acting outside the law, I hope you get caught!

Knocking China with shocking phones and mocking tones

Brian Allan

We did at one time...

" And they do it because we can’t." is really sad! Where did western innovation go? Once upon a time the west almost had it all...

Ex-prez Carter: 'America has no functioning democracy' with PRISM

Brian Allan

Democracy is close to dead in the USA... Maybe not, but the ongoing Republican/Democrat war is making government by the people look awful bad!!

Cloud backups: Where's my get out of jail card?

Brian Allan

Same 'ol, same 'ol...

I started my IT career when the IBM's of the world were offering up data centers for service, i.e.: companies just didn't have internal computing capability. Their centers provided service; sometimes good, sometimes terrible. I cannot count how many times we lost information for various, unaccountable (acts of God), reasons.

We made the decision to bring computing services in-house as soon as we could justify the cost. That reasoning still holds true 40+ years later. If you want security, control and access to YOUR data, do it yourself and do it well. The computer services of today are no better, and may even be worse, than those provided by data centers of the 1970's+. And the excuses for poor service, security breaches, unaccountable loses are still "Acts of God"...

Microsoft's murder most foul: TechNet is dead

Brian Allan

Listen up pirates... sounds like an opportunity to expand your businesses!

Americans attempt to throw off oppressive, unresponsive rulers on 4th of July

Brian Allan

Re: WTF...

All except for the slavery bit...

Microsoft: Office 2013 license is for just one PC, FOREVER

Brian Allan

Doing nicely with Office 2003, thank you!

I cannot for any reason imagine why I would want to upgrade to the latest version of Office!? Office 2003 does a great job!

Ubuntu? Fedora? Mint? Debian? We'll find you the right Linux to swallow

Brian Allan

Wow! I'll just stick with Windows...

After reading this article, 90% of which I didn't understand, I'll just stick with Windows!

Why is it that Linux people have to use abbreviations for everything? What the heck is a "distro"? Ubunto... sounds like something out of Africa!? Fedora is some sort of hat, no?

No thanks... but an interesting read...

Schmidt 'very proud' of Google's tiny tax bill: 'It's called capitalism'

Brian Allan

Just good business...

Tax evasion is a crime... tax avoidance is good business. As a shareholder, I hope they keep their tax managers busy finding new loopholes in various country's tax laws!

McKinnon will not be extradited to the US, says Home Secretary

Brian Allan

Yes or No

"the biggest military computer hack(er) of all time" OR "a bumbling nerd who was hunting for evidence of UFOs, anti-gravity propulsion systems and supposedly-suppressed extraterrestial technology"

Now that is a range of opinion!!/

Metric versus imperial: Reg readers weigh in

Brian Allan

The $$$ Cost is Phenomenal!

I don't think any government at the moment wishes to expend the billions of $$$'s required to convert units. Just take a look at Canada. Billions of $$$'s later for signage, training programs, printed materials, law suites, seminars, conferences, international meetings, etc., ad nauseum over the past 20 years and we're still only part way to converted. Carpenters still refer to wall studs as 2x4's, even though they are actually 1-1/2"x3-1/2" in size. Sheets of plywood are 4'x8'. Radios still announce temperature in both units. Thermostats are still set to degrees F. Fields are still acres (and sometimes hectares). Pipelines are inches, although their length is in km (or meters). The spelling of metric units can be metres or meters depending upon whether you side with Anglo/Franco phones on this issue. Ocean depths are meters, fathoms, feet or miles. Young people who have never used Imperial units cannot even converse with oldsters who don't normally have a "feel" for metric units.

It is a frigging mess!

UK electric car funding - another subsidy for the rich say MPs

Brian Allan

Motorists aren't stupid...

Motorists will change to electric vehicles when there is value! At present they are overpriced, battery replacements are a fortune, the miles per charge is far too low, charge times are ridiculous, etc.

Fix the problems and motorists will adopt an electric future!

Jury awards Apple $1bn damages in Samsung patent case

Brian Allan

In a US court...

There will be appeals to the end of time on this verdict... not the least of which will be the question of whether a US jury can be nonprejudiced in its verdict!?

Facebook: 83 million IMPOSTERS stalk our network

Brian Allan

And how many were created by FaceBook prior to the IPO?

I'm just wondering...

Flag-waving Lego Canuck soars to 80,000ft

Brian Allan

Tried this once...

A couple of my university buddies and I tried this once. It rose to the phenomenal height of about 100 feet before a gust of wind blew the whole experiment into the side of a building.

The beer was good though...

Congrats to my fellow Canucks!!

Which actor should play Steve in upcoming biopic?

Brian Allan

Steve Jobs?

How about the fellow that plays the awesome MS guy in the Apple commercials?

Samsung sets back smartphone launch for Steve J

Brian Allan

Courtesy to a tee...

I can honestly believe a S. Korean company would do this out of sensitivity. I'm sure no US company would have this degree of forethought!

Hands on with the Windows 8 fondleslab

Brian Allan
Thumb Up

Finally, maybe a useful tablet!?

I've looked at tablets. I've kicked the tires and keep coming back to my Windows laptop. Maybe, just maybe, Windows 8 on something similar to this will convince me a tablet is more than just a glorified toy!?

BT feathers ruffled over pigeon-based file transfer caper

Brian Allan

Not as fast as you think...

I currently use satellite (Hughes, Xplornet) in Canada and their service is not better than BT! I've never attained anywhere near their advertised (and paid for) upload or download rates... AND they're twice as expense as fast cable in the city.

Brian Allan

The same applies in the colonies (Canada)

Xplornet satellite in Canada, at least Alberta, is not much better. They have never attained their advertised rate and they charge a fortune for their "preferred" service. Downloads are not bad; however, just try uploading anything greater than a 5MB file and feel the hurt... almost impossible to maintain a connection that long!!

HP UK pulls Linux from all new netbooks

Brian Allan
Thumb Up

Finally, sanity in the marketplace!

It is about time computer manufacturers realized Windows or Mac are the operating systems of choice and stop wasting money installing the Linux flavor of the month! Bravo for HP!!

Seagate customers swamped by Barracuda drive failures

Brian Allan

No to Seagate years ago!

I blacklisted Seagate about two years ago after hardware (and warranty) problems with a couple of high end drives. Using WD now in all our servers and desktops with good success; not 100% reliability but 95% over three years is not bad!

Nigerian firm demands $20m from OLPC

Brian Allan

Nigeria, you say

A totally unnecessary waste of legal effort and $$$'s. Let the kids have the PC's and get on w/ life

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