Posts by Dane Pack

Kernel-memory-leaking Intel processor design flaw forces Linux, Windows redesign

Re: Crap indeed

How many miles could you go in the next 4 years

Apple iPhone app patent claim 'doesn't feel right'

Story is a non-starter

I read the patent application and if you think that apple are trying to patent the WhereTo? UI then they are also trying to patent 'Sodoku [sic]' apps as well.

The application is for an API:

“A method comprising:

- determining a user is scheduled to travel to a destination on a current date;

- determining a portable electronic device in possession by the user is powered off;

- determining the user arrived at the destination by detecting that the portable electronic device has been powered back on; and

- transmitting an arrival notification of the arrival of the user to at least one third party recipient”

WhereTo? does not do this. The UI has been, perhaps unwisely, used as an example of an app that could potentially use the API/methods described in the application.

I would be pissed that I hadn't been contacted before the illustration was used, but I believe that Apple can do that as per their agreement with app developers.

If someone can find where in the application the UI or functionality of the WhereTo? app is being patented, then I'll change my opinion, but really, it does not seem to be there.

Newspaper story commenter to lose mask for teasing politico's son

@Bilgepipe

"If he can't debate without resorting to insults, he should keep quiet. Now his arse will get dragged through court."

2 YEARS FOR TROLLING.

Seems like you're very willing to send a commenter you only know from the Internet to prison for being stupid - have you done it before, or have you spent time with similar idiotic offenders in your Fantasy Internet Prison?

Governator in acrostic 'f**k you' outrage

@Andy Hards

What is 'DWAINKRTS?'

Average Brit shags 2.8m people

Re: Dubiety of sexual preference ...

"Other ? OTHER? wtf is other ????"

How about celibate/asexual?

TRWTF is that 'Transgender' is a sexuality.

SorryWrongSiteButIReallyLikedTheWTFThisMorning

YouTube Lad from Lagos gets a bite

"Funny" isn't the word

I didn't make it to the badge. This was boring and obviously fake; there is nothing of any value that could possibly come of it.

I look forward to the 3-part 'Who is DaxFlame?' investigation, folks.

The Prisoner of Blogger

Re: The Big Red Box

Wordpress no longer prompts for removal of the install.php script. While it is obviously a good idea to remove the install script, I had to check if this was still good practice after noticing the warning was no longer displayed. My first thought was that the install scripts were being deleted automatically now - not the case.

This kind of makes the "Oh, it's so obvious, you deserve whatever you get for not deleting the install.php file" look a little like commenting from the ignorant rather than ivory tower.

Regarding slow wordpress sites, you can speed up serving with wp-cache.

Losing your site because of database connectivity sucks, but you can create/copy simple backup scripts that should at the very least minimize downtime.

Leaked memo says Conficker pwns Parliament

Superb...

"If you have an infected mobile device or USB key, please remove it until we clean the rest of the devices on the network, at which time you can use these devices and infect the network again."

El Reg suffers identity crisis

@Sarah

"Wow - whatever did we argue about before the internet?"

Positive reviews of shitty bands because you were told to do it, IIRC <3

Hacktivist tool targets Hamas

@Gerhardt

"'Sort of'? Is there some sort of grade scale for Jewishness?"

It's all to do with how much gold you have, I think.

It would be interesting to alter the code to DDoS another IP. Say, the IP of the controllers of the botnet.

Glastonbury new-agers protest WiFi

@Jemma

"they all cause MORE suicides than they stop"

What is your source for this?

Jaw droppers of 2008 - what they'd rather you forgot

One more for the list

Comparing the following may have made my year. Well, not really, but it was still amusing:

'Social network attacks own customers

Customer service has yet to hit Web 2.0, where you have to answer your own technical questions, wading through forums or sending emails to people in "support" who never reply. "Maverick" social networking site Faceparty went a step further, though, by rounding on users who dared to expect it deliver on its promises - in this case, free tools. Faceparty threatened to terminate accounts of "every single twat who moaned about their friggin' free cool tools". "Listen this is our HOBBY, not our business," Faceparty said, helpfully reminding everyone it's a "free fucking site" and not to expect anything.'

'By Sarah Bee Posted Tuesday 23rd December 2008 13:07 GMT

I believe, AC, that your face also represents a glaring omission.'

(The one with a can of Raid in the pocket)

Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah set for top two spots in Christmas Day charts

I don't care about this so much I posted two comments

saying so.

Re: I don't care about this so much I posted two comments

See?

Leaked memo details Walmart iPhone

Strangeness

The stores "must sell" 5 iPhones during the pilot? That's enforceable how?

Is filming someone in the street a breach of privacy?

Obese v Stupid

People who are using the argument "If you say it is okay because she is obese, then you obviously have no problem with me using an image of you in a program about sexual deviants/idiots/VB programmers/people who still use tables to layout HTML pages" are missing the point.

Obesity - or at least being overweight - is pretty easily judged from someone's appearance. Any of the other examples you folks have given are not easily judged from appearance alone. It's the difference between running footage on the prevalence of Burberry (easily assessed from footage of the public - are there lots of people wearing it in footage gathered from city streets?) and running footage on the prevalence of people who think the earth was created 6,000 years ago - in that case you are making assumptions you can't reasonably back up without further data.

The issue is what kinds of footage of you can be legally distributed without your permission. I am pretty sure that crowd scenes are fine, whereas any kind of interaction or observation of your actions specifically are not. This footage seems to be in a grey area, and I imagine any legal decision would be made by assessing the documentary makers' intentions in capturing that footage and deciding where that places the footage in terms of the 'fine' and 'not fine' categories defined by law. IANAL, in case you hadn't guessed.

My point, though, is that I couldn't use these comments conflating judgments on appearance (which is the essence of any visual media) with judgments on intention to show that the people making them are ugly or fat, but I could use excerpts for a paper on 'kneejerk reactions to sensitive debate subjects.'

Sarah Bee - no, she doesn't lose her rights, obviously. It's all about the context - if the footage is obtained and used legally, then if she is fat, I think it is acceptable to use it in the context of the documentary. If the use of the footage goes beyond the guidelines for acceptable use, then there is a legal problem which should be addressed - and there are her (and everyone else's) rights. IIRC, you weren't so large when you were on the MM, so unless things have gone downhill since then, why so touchy?

Norwegians spill Opera 10 alpha

Re: I wonder how they stay in business?

They've licensed code to Nintendo for the Wii, and I think possibly to the XBox too.

Scotland Yard careers website defaced

Yo Gabba Gabba

Is stunning. Keep trying! Keep trying! Don't give up (don't stop!). Never give up (don't stop!).

What better advice for the police could there be?