Posts by Wize

Look, we know it feels like everything's going off the rails right now, but think positive: The proton has a new radius

Re: Huh?

Both might be true. Who says it has to be round? Measure a rugby ball orientated in different ways and you'll get different numbers.

Cyber poltergeist threat discovered in Internet of Stuff hubs

Trouble is, most users aren't technical to think about updating the firmware on any bit of kit they have at home. Its hard enough getting some to allow windows to apply its patches.

Even Microsoft thinks Outlook is bloated and slow

Re: Outlook for Phones

If you think the desktop version is bloated and slow, then you should try using Lotus Notes for a while. Outlook is a whole lot lighter.

Festival tech: Charge your mobe while you queue for a pee

Re: trolleys

You need largish wheels on whatever you are pushing/pulling. Hit some grass and it gets right in to the wheel bearings at they seize up tight.

Had a coolbag with wheels and a handle. First grassy patch gummed it up and it might as well have had none after that.

Didn't think they allowed sharp object, like the multi-tool.

Not so keen on the inflatable tent. I usually have to blow up the air bed a few times during a festival. Not just because of my weight on it overnight as it will go down a bit between a morning blow up and night time. Would not like the idea of waking up to the tent sagging down and touching my nose.

My essentials include a freezer bag (one beer out, one beer in). Instead of chill packs, freeze some bottled water (cheep supermarket mini bottles) as you don't have to carry your chill packs home. Instead you can drink them before that drive home.

And don't forget gaffer tape. Can fix lots of problems. Some idiot slashed your tent with a multi tool? Tape the hole shut to keep the weather out.

Bin bags inside the rucksack to keep your clothes dry is essential. Even if it isn't raining. those cans of fruit cider in your bag can still pop and leave you swimming in booze, and not in a good way. They can also be used to clear the rubbish out your tent at the end.

Some festivals let you pre-order booze. Watch the prices though, as you may pay more to collect. Comparing it to the cost on your muscles for dragging it in with everything else in one trip (especially if you travel by bus) or making that second hike to the car.

I was at one that did an exchange program. Hand over any unopened can of beer and get one of the sponsor's tins, freshly chilled. It explained why someone was carting a case of "value" lager in to the camp site.

And if there is a squad of you, a large tent, rather than separate tents, might be handy. Gives you larger dry area outside your bed to put boots and coats. And, if its raining, you can sit in your festival chairs in the dry drinking your warm lager.

Re: Knife fail

Generally, at festivals, you are not allowed glass. So, no need for bottle openers and corkscrews.

Does anyone know where I can get Prosecco in a can?

Scot Nationalists' march on Westminster may be GOOD for UK IT

Re: snoopers charter

Can't see the SNP trying to stop it either. They have tried a few times to bring identity cards in to Scotland.

Got an Android mobe with a virus? Congrats, you're The One Per Cent

Does this total include...

...any spyware or tracking software from the NSA?

Attackers planting banking Trojans in industrial systems

Re: Why use Windows ?

Security by obscurity is absolute nonsense. Someone wants to target you, they will hunt for that obscure information. They even managed to damage a reactor via an air gap. For that you'd need knowledge of the systems the other side of that gap. If they can find that out, they will find what obscure kit you are using.

A system protected by "security by obscurity" is an easy target for a hacker.

Re: It doesn't look good

"Speak for yourself. All of our industrial control systems are backed up every hour, accessible USB ports are removed or filled with araldite, disaster recovery is tested once a month, the network is independent and monitored for any any changes (when I say independent I mean just that - own servers, switches and monitoring systems). The last time a bean counter wanted access he was taken to HR and given his discharge papers - we don't compromise security for anyone."

Suxnet was created just for that. A separate network that wasn't connected to the outside world. It jumped the air gap.

What happens when there is an upgrade to the system? Say, add some new equipment or change how part of the process operates. Even an operating system patch. You'll have to transfer that data to the independent network somehow.

And software backups wont be any good if they manage to cause some physical damage.

Hawking and friends: Artificial Intelligence 'must do what we want it to do'

Make them all "three laws safe"?

Sinclair is back with the Spectrum Vega ... just as rubbish as the ZX

Re: Pfffttt

There were some that used the cursor keys for moving around. Some even used lots of keys, eg Academy (Tau Ceti 2).

Is that keypad emulating a Kemston interface?

Didn't vote as I'd only say Yes if it was a full keyboard.

'Bill Gates swallowing bike on a beach' is ideal password say boffins

The trouble with "Correct horse battery staple" is if they know you are a fan of XKCD and using a four word password, they can still get you with a dictionary cracking tool.

http://www.reddit.com/r/techsnap/comments/18ezb6/correct_horse_battery_staple_really_a_strong/

Cabbage soup anyone?

Create a password.....

cabbage

Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters....

boiled cabbage

Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

1 boiled cabbage

Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

50fuckingboiledcabbages

Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.

50FUCKINGboiledcabbages

Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively.

50FuckingBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourArse,IfYouDon'tGiveMeAccessImmediatelyYouTwats

Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

NowIAmGettingReallyPissedOff50FuckingBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourArseIfYou DontGiveMeAccessImmediatelyYouTwats

Sorry, that password is already in use!

Bracelet could protect user herds from lurking PREDATORS

Movement?

Are they matching up the movement to the typing, as in you could be at the next terminal (within range) and picked up by another terminal's sensor.

And how does it handle one handed typists? I often hold a document in one hand and type with the other, and that can be left and right handed.

And what about the pause I had between paragraphs while I stopped typing to think.

And as for fashionable, some people's idea of fashionable is to be covered in sparkly things, which precludes unisex.

Moto 360: Neat gizmo – if you're a rich nerd

Am I just being picky...

...as I don't like it because of the black bit at the bottom of the screen. I was thinking of getting one till I saw that.

Must make a white watch face look terrible.

BOFH: The current value of our IT ASSets? Minus eleventy-seven...

Re: Sharon T. Pokeworthy...

They managed to keep the number to all 8s and 1s for quite some time during London's phone expansion. I wonder if the BBC helped drive the way BT changed their numbers.

It used to be

01 811 8181

Then they expanded it by one digit.

081 811 8181

Then they expanded it by one more.

0181 811 8181

Then was completely fucked when they changed it to

0208 811 8181

Cracking copyright law: How a simian selfie stunt could make a monkey out of Wikipedia

Anyone applied for refund of their donation to Wikipedia yet?

Whoah! How many Google Play apps want to read your texts?

Auto Installing Apps

Having a Samsung S4, I have a few apps that, no matter how often I remove/disable (some are bloatware so cannot be removed totally, just set to disabled) they will re-enable themselves and update themselves.

Apps, such as ChatOn, Flipboard, S Health and Trip Advisor.

Some apps I've not updated, such as Facebook and Twitter as the new versions want too much access. No you cannot read my SMS and play with my wifi settings.

Facebook are trying to force and update by disabling the build in messaging and making you install another app, which has all these nasty permissions too.

UK govt 'tearing up road laws' for Google's self-driving cars: The truth

Problem with driverless cars

What do they do when someone is standing in the middle of the road waving their arms?

Does it treat them like a hazard and drive round them. They could be there to warn that the way ahead is dangerous (bridge about to collapse).

Does it treat them as someone to stop at, which case it could be a member of a gang, trying to stop your car so the rest can pounce on it, force it open and rob you.

And I spotted a nice little article about networked cars:

http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2014/06/08/will-a-google-car-sacrifice-you-for-the-sake-of-the-many-and-networked-road-neutrality/

Flying cars, submarine cars – Elon Musk says NOTHING is beyond him

Re: Challenge

"Most if not all parts ( anything that weighs less than 20 kgs) should be user replaceable without the need for special tools. Could create a huge market for customisation."

That alone scares me. I remember seeing many a home repaired car that would shed a reasonable proportion of its weight by driving over a cobbled road. Imagine all those home repaired cars, held together with string and wrong sized bolts, flying over your head waiting to plummet to the ground.

Twitter sneaks in Facebook-ish photo-tagging – how to switch it off

Re: "Promoted tweets"

I've not updated in a while. Not since it required 'reading SMS messages' in its list of demands.

Same goes for Facebook.

What the world really needs: A telescopic SELFIE STICK

Re: Not actually a new idea

"p.s here's a song about selfies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0 :)"

I thought it was an Ikea advert. Taking pictures of your shelf...

Ericsson and Kodiak in Europe WALKIE-TALKIE-style push-to-talk push

Re: One at at time...

Compared to text messages, its not that different. However, your phone broadcasting voice at anytime without prior warning is never a good thing. Throw in that teenagers don't talk much on phones, just text, and you might see a few problems.

Sinclair's ZX Spectrum to LIVE AGAIN!

There was an Atari 2600 emulator on sale

It plugged in to the TV and contained several games preloaded. All housed in an old style joystick.

What if someone made a full spectrum emulator in the old style box. Throw in a TV adaptor (could be the old style tuner one or maybe composite video or push the boat out with HDMI) maybe even 9 pin joystick ports (and chuck in a joystick or two) and emulate a kempston or cursor interface. USB slot for copying across the .TAP files and a button on the back to bring up an internal menu (one for copying to/from USB, loading .TAP files, etc)

I would suggest it could also be used as a media centre (as the emulator would probably be running on something like a Raspberry Pi) but then you'd want to put all the gubbins in a fixed box near the TV and have the Spectrum keyboard as a wireless remote control to that unit.

Facebook app now reads your smartphone's text messages? THE TRUTH

I did complain to one app author successfully.

They had permissions creep and wanted access to the microphone on an IR Remote Control app (to let you make voice commands to trigger the remote functions).

After having words with them, they now do two versions, a basic and one with all the extra functions.

I doubt that Facebook and Twitter (which also wants access to your SMS) will release a less intrusive app. And as a result, I am not updating them.

If anyone knows a good and trustworthy apps that will access Facebook and Twitter without all the extra intrusive permissions, please let me know.

I might even write my own.

Sync'n'steal: Hackers brew Android-targeting Windows malware

Re: What ever happened to the old connection options on Android?

But, by that time, it has already connected to your phone.

And it is controlled at the PC end. To prevent something writing to your memory card (malware upload or malicious delete all) surely it should be controlled at the phone end?

What ever happened to the old connection options on Android?

My older phone would ask every time if I wanted to connect if I plugged in to a PC to charge.

My new one gives me the choice of MTP or PTP. It is a minor annoyance that it no longer has 'mass storage' mode but a major annoyance that it doesn't do a charge only without going in to the developer settings and putting the port into debug mode.

I thought technology was supposed to improve, not go backwards.

'I don't understand why they feel like they own the word CANDY'

So, a rival can't call themselves

Can't Believe It's Not Candy

Apple fanbois make it 'official', hook up with Internet of Fridges Things

If you are 20 miles away, why would you feel the need to tweak the aircon?

Hong Kong’s mobile-mad cabbies told to ditch dashboard devices

Was in one recently who was too busy fiddling with his taxi booking system phone thingie to fully watch the road. Had to point out to him there was an empty taxi lane beside the queue of cars we were stuck in.

Ban them from having more than one device on the screen and they will have a tablet and a mini wifi network connected to all the phones in his glove box, scraping the messages from each device.

Two websites you should show your boss if you want to be paid in Bitcoin

Re: Alternatively...

But if they are paid in BitCoins by their customers, they don't need to buy any.

I found an asteroid! yells revived probe NEOWISE. Boffins nod politely

Re: I don't want to know

"It's not the meteors you have to worry about. It's the meteorites."

No, its the potholes you need to worry about if you spend all your time watching the sky for falling objects.

Mozilla CTO Eich: If your browser isn't open source (ahem, ahem, IE, Chrome, Safari), DON'T TRUST IT

Open source is safe...

...if you know for certain that your compiler is not compromised and injecting code in to the final executable.

And how do you know that open source compiler is safe as you have to compile it on something to start with.

Microsoft to RIP THE SHEETS off Windows 9 aka 'Threshold' in April

Is Windows trying to copy the StarTrek convention...

... of odd and even numbers? Only the odd number Windows versions are any good (ok, just XP (5) and Win7. Vista (6) and Win 8 are not so good)

Qwerty keyboards

Re: I've been holding out for a Nokia WP7 with a QWERTY keyboard

I miss the keyboard on my old HTC Desire Z.

Though the screen is very small compared to the Samsung S4. Pulled it out the other day to find an old note I typed on it and that thing looks tiny.

Re: waste of time

There is a lot to be said about tactile interfaces. I could type without looking at the screen or keyboard on my old Desire Z as I could feel where the keys were. I can touch them without the device thinking I am pressing them. Thus my typing speed was a lot faster than on my Samsung S4 or on my 10" tablet.

An on screen keyboard is ok for a short reply, but if you want to type something longer (or even have a rant online) I always find myself heading to a PC so that I can put my words across at full thinking speed instead of being held back by the bottleneck of typing on a virtual screen.

Android in cars

Going by the price some charge to update their built in Sat-Nav (Vauxhaull charge over £100 for singe update that comes out once per year) I am not surprised they are taking their time to move to a platform that allows other people's software on their systems.

I hope that when they do allow interconnection they have some sort of separation between the car controls and the satnav/entertainment system. If the systems were joined it wouldn't be too tricky to make a malicious app that unlocks your car for thieves or engages your immobiliser when you do above 65 on a motorway.

I still carry my old Nokia 5185.

Re: T28 please

The T18 and T28 were a pain. There was a software bug in them that made it look like the phone was operating normally, with full signal, until you try and call or text.

Rebooting the phone would make it spring to life, letting you know of all the texts and voicemails you had waiting for you.

"What else does a telephone really need to do?"

For starters, I no longer carry a separate camera these days.

It doesn't NEED to have the extras, like a camera, it is just something that is a little more handy than pockets of junk.

F*** you very much Google.

Try turning them off via gmail.com

Some mobile apps do tend to forget settings or not pass them back to the main site.

ANYONE on Google+ can now email you, with or without your Gmail addy

Re: "Incoming emails will also be partially filtered using Gmail's new inbox buckets."

I turned that annoying thing off as soon as it was implemented.

I already have several email accounts (for different things like work, personal, a few sites I run, etc) and it can be a pain having to look at each one without having to fight through several sub folders on each account.

Guess what happened when T-Mobile US's boss trolled AT&T's CES party

Re: The reason I use the likes of AdBlock is exactly this situation.

It is the same on Firefox and have ensured my allow non-intrusive setting is on.

The reason I use the likes of AdBlock is exactly this situation.

I don't mind text adverts or stationary graphics. But moving graphics or ones that take over your screen is why they are all blocked.

If ever the Reg puts adverts in to the quieter category, I might just white-list them.

App to manage Android app permissions

Anyone know good alternatives to...

...Twitter and Facebook's Android apps?

I'm not updating them due to their extra permissions and would ideally get them off my phone by using something with less permissions.

It is walled garden apps we are talking about. It is the official Facebook app that wants to poke about in your SMS messages and fiddle with your WiFi settings.

Justice Ministry to spaff £70k finding out how prisoners like to use ILLEGAL mobes

Re: Top of the world Ma...

"What's the betting the survey says that the phones are only ever used for checking on family welfare."

What do you use your illegal mobile phone for?

A) Checking on the hoes you are pimping.

B) Telling your crew to beat up the family of someone who pissed you off inside.

C) Checking with your family and talking to your pet dog.

Yea, who is going to answer anything but C.

Re: One of life's little ironies

Can imagine the frustration of someone smuggling a mobile into jail up their hoop (3 pin charger included) only to find out they can't get a good signal on the 3 network.

'BILLION-YEAR DISK' to help FUTURE LIFEFORMS study us

The disk may survive, but can anyone read it?

Remember the Original Domesday book. From 1086 and still readable

The update to it was created in 1986 and there is limited hardware that can read the disks any more.

The data may survive on the drive, but will future civilisations have the equipment to interface to an old SATA drive?