Posts by Thorsten

UFO fleet menaces east London

Aeroplanes

Search for "1 jersey Street london" and look up. Looks like some formation fly-by to me. The large plane in front is probably a C-17 Globemaster.

Quantum parks 180 staff

Bolivia?

Could it be that this is related to Quantum's recent failure to monopolize Bolivia's water supplies? 'Cause the deal was canceled when the hotel where the contract was signed was blown to smithereens. I saw it recently on the newsreel in my local cinema.

Inquiring minds want to know...

Linux weaktops poised for death by smartphone

Meh...

Troll.

*Plonk*

Brit chemist conjures smell of outer space

Motorbike welding

I'm just curious: how does welding a motorbike smell differently from welding a bicycle? Or a car?

Personally, I think the "hot metal" and "fried steak" smell components come from the interaction of high-energy particles with the space suits' metal parts and organic filling, respectively.

US Air Force outlines combat raygun safety

"terminate the beam at the end of its useful path."

Does that mean they intend to build light sabres?

What else could be meant by "terminating" a beam at the "end of its useful path"? Either it gets absorbed by the target, or it travels through the target. How do they want to "terminate" it??? Or did I miss something in physics class? (admittedly, it's been a while...)

(completely off topic: what happened to the additional icons that were promised a while ago?)

Reg readers rage at comment icon outrage

Some icon suggestions

Optimus Prime - for RotM stories

Tunbridge Wells sign (as suggested above) - in case I need to complain about the icons again

Glider (Conway's game of life) - for anything technical/hacker-related

Flying Spaghetti Monster - for anything religious

Grey goo - if Bill Joy gets mentioned

Technicolor goo - if Google gets mentioned

OMFG, what have you done?

Icons!?

WTF!!?? What nitwit "designed" the new icons? And why were the El Reg staff allowed to keep their old-style logo icon? I won't be using any icon until you reinstate the old ones, or replace them with superior designs.

Cannibal's legal objection hamstrings German horror film

Tagline...

The tagline on the poster says "some stories should never be told". So the court simply agreed with that statement. Can't see the producers of the film complain too much about the ruling.

Skull & bones for obvious reasons...

Bosch, Siemens: Vorsprung durch kinder und technik

The problem is the kindergarten teachers

I moved (back) to Germany two years ago, and my daughters now attend a kindergarten where they got one of these Siemens-sponsored experimental kits. Two of the kindergarten teachers got a training course in order to be able to use the kit. Unfortunately, they don't. My guess is that if they were interested in science themselves, they wouldn't be kindergarten teachers.

The point of these kits is not that the children actually learn that much about science, but that they get interested in this kind of stuff, and keep being interested when going to school. (which, BTW, children nowadays usually start when 5 years old, not 7)

There are several organizations in Germany now that provide such kits to kindergartens, not just companies like Bosch and Siemens. The city of Stuttgart is now introducing a scheme called "Einstein in Kindergarten", which is supposed to enable children to investigate whatever they fancy, in order to help them develop a "scientific mindset". I suspect that very few kindergartens will actually introduce this scheme successfully, since at the very least it would require a much more intensive mentoring than the teachers can currently provide. (I think its two teachers per group of 15 children)

Patent shields customer support from customers

Re: Had me for a second there

Alas, no joke. Quote from their website (snapin.net):

"SelfService Care is a powerful, cost-effective alternative to the IVR or Web self-service. SelfService Care intercepts customer care calls by diagnosing problems and offering a solution, all without the involvement and cost of a live care agent - saving millions every month, and a user experience that is easier and more convenient than any other method of providing customer support."

Actually, it might well be that the "user experience" is really more "convenient" than talking to a call-centre agent in some location where they are genuinely unable to speak intelligible English. Anything north of the Midlands, for example.

Some years go I had to talk to my bank (who is proud of using only British call-centres):

Agent: "kjh kjsfdl lawjfw ejl?"

Me: "Sorry, could you repeat?"

Agent: "jas lkdjsf sfldkjsdfl asldjka?"

Me: "Sorry, I still didn't get it. Could you repeat again?"

Agent: "slkdj sdlfjksdlj sdf klsjdfl sdjf?"

Me (non-committal): "Yes (?)"

Agent (angry): "NO. YOUR BIRTHDAY."

Give me Indians any day.

Microhoo! or YahSoft!? The! people! must! decide!

Ooo-wee!

... as Burma Jones would have said.

Germany flicks off-switch on DAB

May not happen...

It's only a recommendation to reduce the funding of the public radio stations.

This recommendation now needs to be cast into a treaty, which needs to be ratified by all 16 German states' parliaments, and the head of the broadcasting commission already said he's not happy with that particular recommendation, so expect some horse-trading.

Heathrow 777 crash flattens servers

@Darkside

So, by your logic, if you total your car but you live to tell the tale (say, by cleverly employing seat belt & airbags), it's not a crash?

???