Posts by Nameless Faceless Computer User

Appeals court already under fire for upholding Texas no-content-moderation law

Re: Here we go...

Irony is a concept lost on conservatives. They'll fight for their freedom of free speech to spread hate yet censor messages they don't like such as sexual expression and photographs which contain a female nipple.

Right-to-repair laws proposed in the US aim to make ownership great again

I would like to see Canon camera being told it has to provide parts and service to those who dare to purchase their products from a "non authorized" retailer, such as Amazon, Ebay, or Walmart.

China lists 100 topics citizens can't include in online vids

Re: "Just like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter"

When we in the West are naughty on social media we loose our jobs, our source of income, and our health insurance in the hopes that we will die a long lingering death in poverty when nobody will employ us.

Desktop 17 for Mac: In a Parallels universe with Windows 11 on M1 silicon

I don't see the point

I'm sure the M1 is a fine processor, sans the security issues already discovered. And OS 11 is a solid operating system. But, I don't get the purpose of the platform. Apple broke all my PowerPC apps then broke all my 32bit apps. I need use a hack to run Windows apps and the M1 is a big step away from the Intel platform on which all my other apps run.

I have no need for an ARM based desktop computer. Hardware connectivity changes year to year: Firewire400, Firewire800, Thunderbolt, Displayport... I've got an Apple keyboard which is incompatible with my Apple desktop because of a BIOS issue.

Then, there's all the monitoring and spying, reporting back to Apple every app I run and scanning my phone for porn. My third Mac Mini was running very slowly and I suspect it was Apple throttling the older operating system to convince me I needed to upgrade again.

I ran into a brick wall after 10.10, not willing to scrap more than half of my applications and buy all new hardware again. I use a computer to run my apps and the operating system to support those apps. What good is a shiny polished aluminum and glass gizmo which does nothing I ask it to? It's more of a curio than a useful machine.

Win10 runs my 16bit and 32bit apps. It runs Linux, supports shell scripting, and is better supported. The development tools are free. For every Apple app there's a dozen Windows apps which do it better, often for free. I just don't get the purpose of an Apple computer.

Samsung stops providing security updates to the Galaxy S8 at grand old age of four years

Hey I'm using that!

I'm still using my S8. It doesn't burn up my battery like the 5G phones, has a neat curved screen, a headphone jack, microSD card, and an LED message waiting indicator. I even bought a brand new one as a backup for my next phone because subsequent models are more expensive and provide me less of what I want. When did we get into the habit of plunking down $1k on a new phone every 4 years?

US Department of Homeland Security warns American business not to use Chinese tech or let data behind the Great Firewall

Re: Surely

My every step is already tracked at myactivity.google.com. No need for injecting chips and such.

Safety driver at the wheel of self-driving Uber car that killed a pedestrian is charged with negligent homicide

I've seen the video many times

Even if she was fully alert with her foot hovering over the brake pedal, there's no chance she would have time to react. It's tragic that the software failed but the human element would have performed worse.

The incumbent President of the United States of America ran now-banned Facebook ads loaded with Nazi references

Spoken like a true FOX news viewer

The question should be, What was the inspiration of using an inverted red triangle? Did he make it up because he liked the shape? Was he inspired by transportation safety symbols? Or, did he see this symbol in the book sitting on his own coffee table?

Japanese hotel chain sorry that hackers may have watched guests through bedside robots

Re: another thing I'll never experience

meh. That might be true for the major hotel chains near Tokyo but I found that many buildings had toilets which were a hole in the floor with a hose to wash up. Our tour guide was apparently a WW II vet who was still fighting the war, pointed off into the distance, "If you look this way you will see a building which looks just like the Twin Towers in NYC." (there was no such building)

US lawmakers furious (again) as mobile networks caught (again) selling your emergency location data to bounty hunters (again)

This is how hi tech works

Everyone is outraged that their location information is being sold and used by third parties... yet, how many have used their devices to lookup road traffic data not caring where that location data came from.

If you weren't rich enough to buy a Surface before, you may as well let that dream die

Legal Loan Sharking

0% APR financing is one of the most successful corporate scams ever devised. It works like this. You agree to pay, by check, the total amount in 24 or fewer payments. The balance must be paid off within 24 months or interest is charged and you must pay the minimum every month.

The gotcha is that if you fail to meet the 24mo deadline, interest in charged retroactively and all the money you saved is now tacked onto your bill in a lump sum. You're nearly done paying for the toy and GOTCHA you see a nice surprise, all the interest you were trying to avoid and possibly a service fee.

You review your records and see that one of your checks was "lost in the mail." Good luck proving it. GOTCHA.

Uber breaks self-driving car record: First robo-ride to kill a pedestrian

I'm sure it's just a glitch.

That was fast... unlike old iPhones: Apple sued for slowing down mobes

This also explains why when I powered on my iPhone 5 I was greeted with a pop-up message: You will update your iOS NOW or you will update your iOS later. Also explains why when I tried to dismiss the message by pressing the home button I was ignored. I had to power off the phone and delete the update from memory which the phone had already downloaded without my permission and contrary to my setting, Do not update anything.

Apple has all their fanboys lined up around the block to buy the latest shiny toys and to download the latest operating system because it has a larger number e.g. 10.0 vs. 9.3. While I'm a user of Apple products I am no longer a fan.

No, the FCC can't shut down TV stations just because Donald Trump is mad at the news

ah... Hitler

Godwin's law is an Internet adage that asserts that "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Hitler approaches 1" That being said, it really is difficult not to see the the parallels between our fearless leader and the fascist leader.

The Electoral College is supposed to protect us if we vote in a moron for President. In that event, they are supposed to oppose the majority. They failed.

Apple's iPhone X won't experience the joy of 6...

Nice hardware on an ancient platform

I've been an Apple fanboy since the iPhone2, then 3, 5, and 7. My previous phone was (cough) Windows based.

Let me tell you, the 3D touch on the iPhone7 was more than a marketing catchphrase. It was a marvelous piece of hardware. But, I took a photograph with the phone's camera and was shocked at the horrible distortion. It's known as the "watercolor painting effect" - apparently a sharpening filter gone amok.

Then, I purchased headphone dongles to compensate for the lack of a 3.5mm jack. The bluetooth headsets had low volume. There is no way to expand the memory. The whole environment is ancient and full of quirks and bugs. Less than 1/2 way into paying off the phone I sold it and purchased the Galaxy.

What locks people in, by design, are the DRM laced iTunes, Apple app store only apps, and lightning connector accessories. Rather than innovating and improving they resort to licensing and patenting to make it annoying to switch. The factory radio in my car refused to work with Apple for hands-free anything. then, they removed the fingerprint reader which they introduced just a short while ago.

Samsung and Google and Android have their own issues - but, I find it refreshing to deal with them compared to iPhone7 and beyond.

I still have my iPhone5 as a media player. It has a headphone jack.

FCC gives Google's broadband balloons 'experimental license' in Puerto Rico

In 2012, BBH Labs outfitted 13 homeless volunteers and turned them into mobile hot spots.

If you're looking for the punch line... sorry, can't think of one.

Itching to stuff iOS 11 on your iPhone? You may want to hold off for a bit

and... welcome to Apple's un-paid beta testing program. It's way cheaper than hiring people to test their software because there are millions of rubes who will do that for them.

Massive iPhone X leak trashes Apple's 10th anniversary circus

I want my headphone jack back

I want my headphone jack back. I trusted Apple to provide an improvement over the ancient hardware design of the audio jack. I've suffered thru splitters, adapters, broken connections, low mic volume, bluetooth horrors, and lightning only headphones costing hundreds of dollars. I miss my ancient audio jack. You know what other hardware design is ancient? The wheel. But, nobody has been foolish enough to try to re-invent the wheel.

FBI probing Uber over use of 'Hell' spyware to track rival biz Lyft

Re: Yes there is!

no, American Corporation

Equifax mega-leak: Security wonks smack firm over breach notification plan

Re: How is their response "good"?

oh, it's even worse. Someone investigating that website discovered that the "test" to see if your data was compromised always returned a positive result to ensure the maximum number of people sign up for their paid service.

Criticize Google, get fired: Spotlight spins on ad giant's use of soft money

Re: drain the swamp

Yet more Republican rhetoric which means nothing yet sounds so good. Let's break down this metaphor. Draining the swamp - infers we have three components: Swamp, water, and residents of the swamp. So... I get that the residents of the swamp are the Democrats. Why is it a swamp? A swamp or marsh or wetland is a valuable ecosystem. In the United States wetlands are often protected from "draining" which would kill all the wildlife. Why are swamps undesirable? Why are the residents of swamp undesirable they deserve to die?

What does the water represent, exactly? If we're removing the water from the swamp, perhaps the water is the undesirable component? Why would water be undesirable? I guess the residents are the undesirable component then and removing the water is meant to kill them off? And, the justification for killing off all the wildlife is because we don't like the word "swamp?" If we were to say, destroy the wetlands the whole thing takes on an opposite meaning of something horrible.

If the water were the Democrats, and the swamp was Washington, removing the Democrats from Washington would cause the wetlands to become dysfunctional and unable to support a balanced environment.

70% of Windows 10 users are totally happy with our big telemetry slurp, beams Microsoft

Everybody Does It

Google slurps all your search keywords, browsing history, and if you connect to your car's radio Google will slurp your engine's performance. Apple is bit more polite. They give you shiny new toys, like Siri, yet fail to mention Siri is quietly collecting everything you express interest in. Apple calls it "learning." Amazon Echo places a live speaker in your home which is connected to a server farm. XBox Live puts a camera in your house. Smartphones track your GPS coordinates to provide traffic data then sell you back the data they've collected from you.

So, Windows 10 is snooping? You're just swimming against the tide at this point.

Apollo center fundraiser: That's one small check from man, one giant leap for our peace of mind

The actual quote is, "Houston, we've had a problem here”

Al Capone was done for taxes. Now Microsoft's killing domain-squatters with trademark law

This is true. Microsoft grabbed a domain which was my last name.org because it was being used to control a botnet. Wasn't I surprised when I tried to register it.

Ever wonder why those Apple iPhone updates take so damn long?

Anyone who knows Apple releases knows the following to be true.

10.0 - buggy experimental version

10.1 - alpha testing version with major issues

10.2 - beta testing version with minor issues

10.3 - pre-release stable version

10.4 - first usable operating system

All it takes is patience for Apple to quit testing their operating systems and google "ios problems" BEFORE allowing the phone to "upgrade" - and, consider upgrades mandatory.

Samsung Galaxy S8+: Seriously. What were they thinking?

It's got to have a better camera than Apple's iPhone 7. I've never seen anything this bad.

Malware 'disguised as Siemens software drills into 10 industrial plants'

here's ya problem

PLC's don't need to run Windows. They run a specialized language known as IEC_61131-3 which is very happy running on Linux.

PLC's don't need to be connected to the Internet. First rule of security, physically isolate the network.

PDP-10 enthusiasts resurrect ancient MIT operating system

I used to dial into the PDP-10 using an ASR-33 and a modem which had a pair of suction cups.

Wow, look out, hackers: Trump to order 60-day cybersecurity probe

The proper title is King Trump, not President Trump.

Programmer finds way to liberate ransomware'd Google Smart TVs

I want my TV to be a TV.

Apple sued by parents of girl killed by driver 'distracted by FaceTime'

When I was learning the buttons on my new Jeep's radio, while I was parked, after a few minutes the radio took the time out to warn me, "Drive your Jeep." I appreciated the concern.

HBO slaps takedown demand on 13-year-old girl's painting because it used 'Winter is coming'

Talk is cheap. Lawyers are not. Where can I donate some money to take these clowns down?

Make Christmas Great Again: $149 24-karat gold* Trump tree ornament

It's ugly

Samsung patches Galaxy Note 7 to not explode as two-thirds of phones recalled

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - the new Darwin Award.

Is Apple's software getting worse or what?

It's the fault of those wanting instant gratification - those who wait in line for days for the latest shiny toy when it's possible to just wait a few months. Look at the minor revision of Apple's software to refer to this chart:

10.0 - alpha unstable pre-release for unpaid testers

10.1 - beta release for those who enjoy reporting bugs

10.2 - official pre-release for those who will accept a few bugs to gain a couple of extra features.

10.3 - first stable release. Be prepared to be disappointed.

10.4 - most but not all bugs have been squashed. You'll have to learn to live with any remaining bugs.

Good God, we've found a Google thing we like – the Pixel iPhone killer

Read the fine print

Using Google's cloud storage, read the fine print. You are prohibited from storing a long list of prohibited content, begging the question how would they know and why would they care? Perhaps because they're a bit too generous with sharing your files with the world.

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps).

Yahoo! couldn't! detect! hackers! in! its! network! but! can! spot! NSFW! smut! in! your! office?

why is still still a thing?

Why is looking at porn at work still a thing? Back in ancient times, porn seekers would use the company Internet connection since "the net" was either unavailable at home or was only available on dial-up. Today we've got 3G, 4G, and LTE on our mobile devices - which are often faster than the company network because of all the damn filtering.

Self-driving Google car T-boned in California crash

I'm sure it's only a glitch, a temporary setback.

Dev teaches bot to talk spammers' ears off

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Simply deleting and filtering is fine for you but the problem will continue to grow unless people take a proactive approach.

2,000 year old man found dead near 2,000 year old computer

I used to work with that guy.

T-Mobile USA leaked free access to sites with '/speedtest' in the URL

Irony

Neat hack.... although T-Mobile already provides free LTE for streaming music.

T-Mobile USA: DON'T install Apple's iOS 10, for the love of God

Rev x.0 of anything is for the beta testers. If you install 10.0 don't complain that you found a bug because that's what you signed up for. Enjoy.

The next Bond – Basildon or Bass-Ass? YOU decide

Waiting for Michael Keaton

Microsoft releases firmware fix for faulty Surface Pro 3 batteries

And if you have a Surface pro 3 running Windows 7? No fix for you.

Apple sued over shoddy iPhone touchscreens

But, wait... there's a fingerprint reader.

FAA powers up an invisible hand, groping the skies for rule-busting biz drones

Everyone knows the proper way to bring down a drone is with a trained eagle.

McDonald's launches wearable then pulls it after kid feels the burn

probability of 1:1, "The bag said the toys were made in China."

Hilton hotels' email so much like phishing it fooled its own techies

1) Don't click on email links.

2) Don't open email attachments.

3) Trust no one.

AT&T dinged for $7.75m after letting scammers gouge customers (again)

Not surprised. My first contract with AT&T included 30 free minutes. When my 2nd month's bill came in, it was apparent that I was not to receive 30 free minutes a month but rather just 30 free minutes... then billed per minute for the rest of the contract. They were fined for that one as well. I didn't see any money back. I was issued a long distance pre-paid card. yippie.

Ditch your Macs, Dell tells EMC staff

Re: apple only? (@Nate Amsden)

Back in the dark ages of PC's, Dell did exactly that - offered a cheaper system with an alternate operating system. The Redmond lawyer team descended on Dell and squashed that with great haste.