* Posts by Snake Plissken

123 publicly visible posts • joined 21 Jan 2008

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Apple's Tim Cook and Salesforce's Marc Benioff DECLARE WAR on anti-gay Indiana

Snake Plissken

Re: Indiana, WTF?

>>>

Do they honestly think a law like this could do anything but harm, could do anything but cause further divisions and unrest? Who actually benefits from this?

<<<

There is an odd subset of politicians (mainly Right Wing) who seem to think that Bad Things can simply be legislated out of existence. The thought process seems to be that if you ban gays, then homosexuality (which they see as a choice) will some how disappear. Some of them have banned reporting on climate change, or even using the phrase "climate change".

You can judge how successful these campaigns to deny basic human nature are, because for many years we have had laws against murder and prostitution. And if you look around our society, you will surely agree that no-one ever gets murdered or becomes a prostitute.

Indie labels: 5 reasons why we're hauling YouTube before Euro antitrust watchdog

Snake Plissken

When asked by El Reg for a response

A YouTube spokesman told The Register: "Our goal is to continue making YouTube an amazing music experience, both as a global platform for fans and artists to connect, and as a revenue source for the music industry.

"We’re adding subscription-based features for music on YouTube with this in mind – to bring our music partners new revenue streams in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars YouTube already generates for them each year. We are excited that hundreds of major and independent labels are already partnering with us."

Well, I'm sure that answered the question.

Boffins untangle why your software builds fail

Snake Plissken

Re: Errm, Richard...

In a very real sense, any single linux distribution is in better shape installer wise than Windows.

Christ, when was the last time you used Windows?

Windows used to get rightly mocked for DLL Hell, but it has largely overcome that problem with the .NET Framework and GAC, to the extent that even when they change the Framework around and introduce a new GAC (e.g. 4.0) there isn't a knock on problem with earlier versions.

This does still leave the problem of .config files needing exactly the right components. And using NuGet in Visual Studio to keep packages up to date is definitely a throwback to the bad old days of version x.y.12345 being out of date the day after you download it. But Windows has largely been free of stupid DLL version incompatibilities for a while now.

LEAKED: Redmond not allowed to sell 'Nokia' smartphones after 2015

Snake Plissken

Re: Microsoft FAIL

My HTC Desire HD died a couple of weeks ago. I needed another phone fast - picked up a Lumia 630 with WP8.1 for £110 SIM-free last weekend.

Admittedly it is early days yet, but it is a superb phone and OS for the money. The App Store is a wasteland, but it comes with the bits and pieces I actually use (apart from a free version of 2048). It is going to fail, but it will do so in style.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Ancient Fear of, er, a cheese-tastic title?

Snake Plissken

Saying Disney will ruin Star Wars

Is like saying another iceberg is going to dive down to hit the Titanic.

Titsup UK Border IT causes CHAOS at air and seaports in Blighty

Snake Plissken

Re: Eurotunnel

You think that is bad? I once got interrogated for 45 minutes at the French side coming back because "why would someone as young as you want to spend a couple of days looking at the WWI graves?"

I'm middle-aged FFS!

Parent gabfest Mumsnet hit by SSL bug: My heart bleeds, grins hacker

Snake Plissken

Mumsnet is the result

Of introducing the concept of groupthink to a potential audience of 4 billion people.

The scary thing is, *they* think *we* are the insane ones.

Gov cheerleader Sajid Javid gets nod from PM to park in Miller's spot

Snake Plissken

You realise that those ratings aren't based on a binary vote, instead on a pattern of voting around an issue?

Oh, you don't. You really don't.

Snake Plissken

Lovely chap

Just check out this Twitter comment.

https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/439813846409031680

Hey frumious Reg gamers: BANG-or-SNATCH? We look at Second Son and Thief

Snake Plissken

Second Son

Second Son sounds very much like an updated "Crackdown". Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As WinXP death looms, Microsoft releases its operating system SOURCE CODE for free

Snake Plissken

Re: Trend?

DoubleSpace was very relevant in real life, as PCs were regularly beginning to hit limitations on disk space and RAM. My memory is fading (ironically) but wasn't there some kind of disk limit in DOS which was causing issues?

(Could be 32Mb hard disk size limit in DOS and off the shelf disks were getting to 40Mb+ or something, but might be wrong.)

Blighty goes retro with 12-sided pound coin

Snake Plissken

Re: Public competition?

You didn't like the other coins? Were you afraid of change?

Xenon: Bitmap Brothers' (mega)blast from the past

Snake Plissken

Re: Super Mega Nawsome Power

It was Super Nashwan Power.

Recently Bomb The Bass released a track called "Mega Dis", 25th anniversary release combining updated versions of "Beat Dis" and "Megablast". I think it is still on iTunes.

One of my proudest moments was putting "Megablast" onto the playlist for the local ice hockey team. Still fit in among all the usual stuff and had a few fans come up to me afterwards saying they recognised it.

Barclays warns freelance techies of DOUBLE DIGIT rate cut

Snake Plissken

Re: Assumptions

In my experience, Barclays are very upfront with the terms of their contracts. You have to give them two weeks notice, they don't have to give you 60 seconds notice. They have always been explicit about it.

On the one hand, you know where you stand employment wise, on the other you know exactly where they stand in their attitude towards their staff.

Snake Plissken
Mushroom

Judging by the fact that I get approached by recruiters to contract for Barclays about once a month, I'm not sure that pile of CVs is quite as high as you think. I'm sure my phone will be ringing multiple times over the next few weeks and the answer will still be a curt "No".

Google kills copycat TfL congestion charge payment ads

Snake Plissken

Re: Where the line lies

Three things. First, the site in question doesn't just do form filling, but subsequently requests the photo/birth certificate etc etc before posting it on to the Passport Office.

Second, the application doesn't go from the third party to the PO directly, so they can't block it.

Third, the site has a disclaimer (big enough) but presents the official PO phone number as a helpline and plenty of official logos to present the appearance of legitimacy.

I agree that Google can't do too much about companies that are pushing up against the boundaries of the law but rather than punishing those, Google could prioritise the "real" sites in searches/advertising.

Snake Plissken

Re: Agreed

Passport renewal ones, too. Father in law got done by one of those yesterday. (Thankfully they are aware of their responsibilities under Distance Selling Regulations and refunded immediately to avoid the publicity.)

HTC One grabs BEST SMARTPHONE gong

Snake Plissken

Heh

Corden's response to being dissed was to wait until the SK chap was off stage, then to ask the audience if seconds later anyone remembered who he was.

This would have worked if the same person hadn't won the next award, the Outstanding Overall Mobile Technology: The CTO's Choice.

Oh, that is glorious

App-maker King hopes to CANDY-CRUSH $500m from IPO

Snake Plissken

Because they are following the Zynga model.

1. Make a load of cash from idiots playing your ripped off game

2. Make another load of cash from idiots who think attempting to catch lightning in a bottle a second time is a sound basis for a long term business.

MtGox claims to have a fix ready for Bitcoin withdrawal woes

Snake Plissken

Is this the point when all those free, think outside the normal structures, wild west loving libertarians suddenly discover that a little Government oversight can be a Good Thing sometimes?

Apple Mac Pro: It's a death star, not a nappy bin, OK?

Snake Plissken

Really?

"not just me who's offended by Abrams' continued rape of classic Star Trek. "

Rape? Did you really have to use that word in that context? I mean, really really?

Micro Men: The story of the syntax era

Snake Plissken

Re: Anti-Sinclair stitch-up?

The program was made with the assistance of the people involved - I believe around the time of its first broadcast, Sir Clive was asked about one of the ludicrous situations he was involved in and he said "Yes, that happened. Come to think of it, they probably toned it down a bit."

Snake Plissken

Superb film

Quite clearly the BBC at its best, covering a subject warts and all but not mockingly so. It could quite easily have been a knowingly sniggering approach, but the love for the subject matter shone through.

Armstrong as Sinclair was brilliant and Freeman was a good contrast, playing, as always, Martin Freeman. The end with the C5 and the trucks was a bit heavy handed on the symbolism though.

Still remember a couple of the lines. Curry boasting about the huge order from WH Smiths "Got it in writing, have you?" and Sinclair taking a bite out of the awful food at the 80s Little Chef and covering the fact that he wouldn't eat the rest of it with a "Mmm. Very filling".

If there is a DVD release, I'd be first in the queue.

Object to #YearOfCode? You're a misogynist and a snob, says the BBC

Snake Plissken

Very good joke

"It's exceedingly rare for the BBC not to kick a Tory when he's down, or to rush to defend a Tory cock-up."

Aha aha aha haaaa. Very good. Very funny.

Oh heck, you weren't serious were you?

You’re NOT fired: The story of Amstrad’s amazing CPC 464

Snake Plissken

Re: Time you went home

"If you remember the Amiga 500 and Atari 520 ST wars you'll remember there was only about £20 or so difference in price between the two and that was enough for most parents to go for the ST."

Try £100, fella. It was the reason I had an ST for a year.

Sega’s Out Run: Even better than the wheel thing

Snake Plissken

Re: Going..

"R,R,R,L tough bitch to complete and R,R,R,R was evil too."

Rule of Outrun. Right at the junction is the harder route.

Fat-walleted execs? Nope, it's a corporate tax swerve that REALLY ticks Brits off

Snake Plissken

Re: Shurely shome mishtake

"I will not win the upvotes for this but politics is leaning further left all the time."

Indeed. At the last election. all three parties were in favour of the NHS, nationalising key utilities and the railways, more regulation of business, more free education, a larger welfare state and higher taxes on the richest.

No! Wait! The other one!

Google RIPS aside curtain, exposes Nexus 5 phone, KitKat Android 4.4 coupling

Snake Plissken

Re: Well done for the plastic back

my phone spends a lot of time in my front trouser pocket.

Damn. I thought you were just happy to see me.

Hold on a mo: Brits blow £56m a year on the blower to gov minions

Snake Plissken

Be careful what you wish for

Government continually tells its departments that they must run themselves like businesses and stop being a burden on the taxpayer and then complains when they actually attempt to do so.

We'll stop Johnny Foreigner gobbling our biznovation - UK gov

Snake Plissken

The cream of British management - what can possibly go wrong?

If there is one thing us Brits lead the world in, it is completely screwing up great ideas by having incompetent management. Encouraging the mediocre of the mediocre, or shall I say, British business leadership onto a new company can't possibly go wrong.

Harassed Oracle employee wins case, cops huge legal bill

Snake Plissken

This is the same law...

That means all those cases of phone hacking against News Corp are being settled out of court.

After Leveson: The UK gets an Orwellian Ministry of Truth for real

Snake Plissken
Big Brother

Of course the one thing the Press doesn't point out

Apart from the 12 or so surveys that the newspapers themselves commissioned on a regulator, all of which showed the public in favour yet somehow didn't have the results published...

..is that the newpaper proprietors are more than willing to sign up to Government regulation. Murdoch, of course, owns Sky, which is subject to OFCOM regulation. He also rather famously did a deal with those lovers of freedom, the Chinese Government when broadcasting satellite TV in Asia.

Richard Desmond decided not to bother being under the auspices of the PCC, yet is happy to be regulated by OFCOM when it comes to Channel 5. Not to mention the censorship involved in whatever of his channels is broadcasting his porn.

And both of them, as well as Associated Newspapers happily signed up to an Irish regulator (and a regime more strict than that proposed by Leveson) in order to publish papers in Dublin.

So, you know, these self-proclaimed valiant defenders of freedom of speech seem surprisingly flexible in their viewpoint.

Tech firms face massive tax bill if Dutch vote to end loopholes

Snake Plissken

Re: You have to admire the cheek

The money is there purely to avoid it being taxed at the proper rate. There was a "one-off" holiday in 2004, which meant billions flowed back without proper tax being paid on it.

Now they want another "one-off" holiday. And if they get it, I'm sure in five years time they will be asking for another "one-off".

UK taxmen turn heat on tax-swerving big biz, hope to smoke out £1bn

Snake Plissken
Facepalm

Re: Lower the tax rate

So with Amazon, Google and others paying somewhere between 2-5% on their profits, how will lowering corporation tax to 12% help out?

And that is before you consider that Dell left Ireland (corp tax rate 12.5%) for Poland (corp tax rate 19%).

I look forward to the answer with (a-ha!) interest.

'Mount Doom' rumbling ominously

Snake Plissken
Megaphone

Re: Theories about why this is happening

Publicity stunt for the movie.

Space flutes salute Yuri Gagarin

Snake Plissken

Has it taken this long.

I thought Ron McNair was supposed to take part in a Jean Michel Jarre concert while he was on the Shuttle. Unfortunately, the Shuttle he was on was Challenger.

Irish cop child abuse image plan attracts data protection ire

Snake Plissken
Coat

Won't somebody think of the children?

Even though that is what got them in trouble in the first place...

Steve Jobs screws my wife (out of $944)

Snake Plissken

Who will be the first

To submit this article to Private I-I-I-I?

Fuel foolery, merger warnings and Budgetary boons

Snake Plissken
Thumb Down

Among other things...sick of seeing this 43% figure

"We've just seen most of the financial system of the western world collapse from the error of lending the money to buy a house to people who cannot afford to buy a house"

No, you've seen the US crash because of the verging on fraud antics of the financial markets, including the infamous CDS. Ireland has crashed because of the verging on corrupt antics of lending money to property developers to build houses noone wanted or needed. Error, my backside. Fraud and gambling. IIRC, if you took all the mortgages in the UK, added them up, you wouldn't cover the potential losses made by selling,chopping up and reselling the same thing five, ten, twenty times.

As for the trick of lumping three separate things together (income tax, employee NI and employer NI) in order to "prove" that tax is too high then this is mathematical trickery. Why stop there? Why not chuck VAT in as it costs for heat, light, water, materials etc. Business rates on the office? Fuel duty? Company car tax? Go hog wild, on that basis, I'm sure we can get the "tax" up to about 125% of salary.

The employer pays NI. The employer doesn't pay the employees income tax, nor the employees NI. (It collects it, but doesn't pay it.) Trying to add them all together and come to some 43% figure claim is hugely disingenuous because they are separate things.

Actress meets feds investigating nude photo Gmail hack

Snake Plissken
Coat

New film out, has she?

Why yes, yes she has. What an extraordinary coincidink.

Courtney Love coughs up $430k in Twitter rant settlement

Snake Plissken

Not just Trent Reznor

But Tori Amos' "Professional Widow" is supposedly about her too. Pretty scathing about her, the way she ingratiated herself ("China white, Brown may be sweeter, She will supply") and the suicide of Cobain "Don't blow those brains yet, we gotta be big..."

All in all, Love seems a real piece of work.

iPhone to whup Sony PSP 2

Snake Plissken

Re: Seriously

"If you are just going on the sales figures that you provided then Angry Birds has netted £5.9M (roughly)

GT5 has netted at least £137.5M (based on £25 per sale so the figure will be higher given it was £40 at 1st launch)

"

Well done. Now, for your second cookie of the day, how much did Angry Birds and GT5 cost to make? GT5 has been in development since God was a small child and they still screwed it up. One is produced and distributed for buttons, the other has to be manufactured, put into retail stores, licence fees for all those cars and music, advertising etc etc.

Snake Plissken

Those who fail to learn from history...

Remember these classics?

The PSP is so much more powerful than the DS, it will wipe the floor with it...

The PS3 is so much more powerful than the Wii, it will wipe the floor with it...

People don't want Angry Birds (sales: 10m+) they want "proper games" like Gran Turismo 5 (sales 5.5m) or MGS4 (sales 4m)...

People will tire of Angry Birds knock offs and turn to stuff like Generic Military Shooter 7: This Time in Space or Advanced Urban Mayhem Simulator 5...

People will want to pay £40 for a game rather than paying 59p...

Microsoft's IE slipping into Chrome release cycle?

Snake Plissken

Version abuse

Massive numbers of beta versions, never actually getting out of beta, Release Candidates, silent updating in the background, security patching...

Is there any such thing as a bloody final version these days? Or do companies - especially all the browser manufacturers - just use the entire internet as some kind of big, free, testing setup?

Sheep as smart as humans: Official

Snake Plissken
Coat

So if a sheep goes to University

Does it study for a BAA?

Apple 'greed' tax spreads beyond music, movies, magazines

Snake Plissken

Except...

"If the subscription is being delivered via Apple's infrastructure then it's up to them if they want to charge a margin. If it's not via their infrastructure, then not."

AIUI, and I might be wrong, if the content subscription is not being delivered via the infrastructure but the initial purchase was, Apple still want their 30%. And I'm not allowed to work outside of the App Store on generating new revenue (via sales, promotional discounts etc).

So Apple take their 30% of my app sale, and 30% of my revenue and dictate my business model.

Westboro Baptist Church taunts Anonymous over supposed attack plan

Snake Plissken
Pint

It's blessed are the MEEK!

Oh, I'm glad they're getting something, they have a hell of a time.

Fifa, Uefa lose free-to-view footie challenge

Snake Plissken

Excellent decision.

You could say the EU smashed it.

Knife-waving knob nabs fat stack of jazz mags

Snake Plissken

"shop cum post office"

Oh, well played, sir!

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