Posts by Pascal Monett

Adding AI to everything won't make sense until we can use it for anything

The industry sucks

I've been saying for a while already : what is it with Size 8 (or pick another number, it's the same problem) ? Why can't the industry just state the size in centimeters ?

A Size 8 at one store is not a Size 8 at another store, and it's possible it isn't even a Size 8 between two lines of clothes in the same store.

I'm very sorry if someone has an issue with looking for a 78cm-wide shirt instead of a Size 7 (just inventing numbers here), but wouldn't it be easier to know that if you buy that 78cm-wide shirt, it will fit ?

China welcomed its billionth netizen in the first half of 2021

"Average use times are down [..] – probably reflecting lockdowns"

That is entirely illogical. Lockdown is what generally inflates Internet usage - because there's not much else to do apart from working from home.

Leaked: List of police, govt, uni orgs in Clearview AI's facial-recognition trials

“We must continue to fight for the right to protect our privacy"

So true.

And so sad.

Re: Legal position?

I would think that the legal situation is that you participated in an event where you knew your picture could be taken, so you implicitly consented to have your picture taken. Said picture is then the property of the person who took it, and that person may dispose of it as he or she intends.

SCO v. IBM settlement deal is done, but zombie case shuffles on elsewhere

"the winner has a chance to claim partial ownership of Linux"

Um, how is that possible ?

Linux is FOSS. I don't care if a company contributes, it's still FOSS.

Nobody can claim FOSS.

Et tu, Samsung? Electronics giant accused of quietly switching SSD components

So, WD, Crucial and Adata, and now Samsung

Hands up those who don't do that kind of shenanigans.

Nobody ?

What I thought.

Microsoft does and doesn't want you to know it won't stop you manually installing Windows 11 on older PCs

Why ask the question ? Borkzilla is going to ram it down everyone's throat regardless.

Re: 99.8%

You're right, but 52%, man !

That's like the people who are at a BBQ and tell you that grilled meat has a 24% greater chance of giving you colorectal cancer. Greater than what ? They don't know. So I tell them.

Then I point out to them that the cigarette they're smoking has a 2300% better chance of giving them lung cancer.

Now pass me that hamburger.

Re: Crashes?

The stock market graphs pull the same shenanigans. A week ago my wife and I were checking out a stock price and, when the page showed the graph, my wife said "Oh my goodness, it's tanking !".

I then pointed out to her that the graph minimum was 550, the graph maximum was 565, and the stock had gone from 562 to 554. That is a 1.4% drop.

But, on the graph, the fall was impressive.

Back in the day, nVidia did the same on its benchmarks to suggest it was seriously overperforming AMD cards. You'd look at the graph and think "wow, that nVidia card is at least 25% more powerful". But if you checked the y-axis values, you'd realize that there was, at best, a 3% difference.

And I'm pretty sure nVidia was hardly the one who invented that.

Microsoft warns of widespread open redirection phishing attack – which Defender can block, coincidentally

I wouldn't know, I use RedirectRemover.

This way up: James Webb Space Telescope gets ready for shipment after final tests

"it looks very much the JWST will finally head to space this year"

Woah there, hang on. A hurricane is still possible . . .

EU to formally probe Nvidia's $54bn takeover over British chip designer Arm – report

Re: Majority Voting?

Agreed.

And besides, how is it that the UK now has 'significant concerns' ? Didn't the acquisition receive the UK's blessing ?

It's a bit late to complain now.

The Register recreates Apollo 15 through the medium of plastic bricks, 50 years on

It's not

When everyone else is on vacation, it's time to whip out the tiny screwdrivers

"Having a screw on the kitchen table is an everyday thing in our household"

You lucky dog you.

Online disinformation is an industry that needs regulation, says boffin

"And realise that the bullshit is being spread because it's in the interests of those spreading it, not those consuming it. "

Reality check : there are still people supporting Trump.

That realization is going to take one hell of a lot of time.

Do not confuse people with diplomas and educated people.

I've met some fucking idiots who had a master's degree.

A diploma only means you have knowledge. It does not mean you have education.

Fix five days of server failure with this one weird trick

My rule for PSUs is never buy the cheapest one.

A PSU is literally the most important component of the computer. Its job is to power all the other elements and do so consistently and with the correct amount of power.

So I calculate the TDP of all the components of the computer, and I buy a PSU that can provide at least 40% more than that. Because PSUs "rated for" 400W are actually capable of 350W. If you push them to 380W, you're asking for trouble.

After quietly switching to slower NAND in an NVMe SSD, Western Digital promises to be a bit louder next time

An increasingly desperate company that reported earnings of almost $5 billion for Q4 2021 results.

I'd like to be desperate like that.

I'm fairly certain they're all doing it.

Bumble fumble: Dude divines definitive location of dating app users despite disguised distances

I don't think I'm overstating the difficulty. It's not because, once one guy has hacked the system he can sell his knowledge, that the system is easy to hack. I might have been able to figure out the Tinder distance hack, if I had any interest in coding on mobile phones, as well as a use for that particular app, but it would certainly have taken me a while. Joe Average is not going to do it.

As for your refinement of the category idea, I like your point. Indeed, there is no need to recalculate once the answer has been given. And good point as well that users should have some sort of control over whether they wish for that data to be available or not.

Tipping point

After reading this article, I'd first like to say that even the Tinder flaw seems to me to be beyond the abilities of Joe Stalker to diagnose. The people who find these flaws are really on the top of their game. Kudos to them.

That being said, that triangulation thing seems to be a bit difficult to avoid. Even if you fudge the distance a bit, you're still informing a stalker of a distance that is an easy walk away.

I think such apps should not inform of distance directly, but rather use categories like Close By, Within Driving Distance, Far Away. Category calculated on the server, obviously.

Maybe that would solve the issue ?

Re: What?

When you're actually doing your job, you don't need to boast : the results speak for themselves.

Good news: Japanese boffins 3D print what looks like marbled Wagyu beef. Bad news: It's tiny and inedible

"there's the edibility problem to overcome"

Obviously, if only for space exploration, it will be necessary to provide a way to grow meat without having a lumbering four-legged creature bumbling about the cabin and sending cow pats floating everywhere.

3D printing the meat ? Not exactly a requirement, but hey, why not ?

Edibility, though, is a requirement. I hope they get that fixed.

Apple wants to scan iCloud to protect kids, can't even keep them safe in its own App Store – report

Oh ain't that swell ?

"Apple tolerates age verification methods that try to avoid learning that that user is underage "

I'm sorry officer, I asked her for her driver's license, but I just couldn't be arsed to actually check it.

Congratulations Apple. You really Think Different.

South Korea may ban Apple, Google from forcing store payment systems on app devs

"only relevant for less than"

Don't care.

If it is that irrelevant, then don't impose it.

If you do impose it, then it is relevant to more than whatever puny excuse you come up with.

'No peeing towards Russia' sign appears on country's Arctic border with Norway

"No peeing towards Russia."

Thank you.

I now have in my bucket list going to Finnmark and peeing towards Russia.

After breaking all the CCTV cameras in the area, obviously.

Start or Please Stop? Power users mourn features lost in Windows 11 'simplification'

Agreed.

Borkzilla is making the mistake of thinking that everything and the kitchen sink is a good idea.

It is not. You're making an OS. An OS is made to launch the applications the user wants, not to be everything at the same time.

Stick to your fucking job.

UK promises big data law shake-up... while also keeping the EU happy, of course. What could go wrong?

Oh you utter bastard. Asking a Government Official to actually do some work !

Have you no respect ?

Facebook used facial recognition without consent 200,000 times, says South Korea's data watchdog

So 26 million won is $22,000

The dollar is officially at 1 164 won.

The average monthly salary in South Korea is apparently 3 890 000 won, which would mean $3 352. Not too shabby, I guess.

But I have a question : can you buy anything for 1 won in South Korea ? Because it seems to me that they like seeing large numbers on their paychecks, but in their daily life they have to use fistfuls of cash to pay for a coffee. What's the point ?

Israeli firm Bright Data named as enabler of Philippines government DDOS attacks on opposition groups

"formerly known as Luminati Networks"

Oh, the conspiracy theories you could spin out of that !

Cops responding to ShotSpotter's AI alerts rarely find evidence of gun crime, says Chicago watchdog

"as it no longer had sufficient evidence"

The case never had sufficient evidence to start with.

Sufficient evidence would have been finding the gun.

It's rather obvious that, if ShotSpotter had correctly identified a gunshot in the immediate vicinity of the car, it was because of the shooting. That does not make the driver guilty of the shooting.

He never should been jailed in the first place.

Singapore is the only nation with a dedicated 'net link to China. And they've just agreed to expand its use

Re: One big cable ..

Why use an axe when you can just flick a switch.

Remotely.

Especially the type of offer you can't refuse . . .

Taiwan and Arizona economic groups agree to bring more chip industry to desert state

the Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Its members need to be replaced by people with a functioning brain. When you live in a desert region without access to a water source you control, you do not invite an entire industry that cannot function without water.

That Arizona is stupid enough to jeopardize its water future is one thing, that the suits at TSMC think its a good idea is altogether another. How can they possibly believe that Arizona is going to be able to reliably supply water for the life of the plant ? Oh sure, they certainly got their juicy tax breaks, no doubt there, but those tax breaks won't amount to much when the plant has to shut down because no more water is coming down the pipes.

Why don't you also decide to put a gunpowder factory in the middle of a pine forest while you're at it ?

Samsung: We will remotely brick smart TVs looted from our warehouse

Bye bye Samsung

So you can brick my TV at will ?

Fuck off, Samsung. I'm happy you can preserve your investments, but I will not buy or use any equipment that functions under someone else's orders, or with someone else's permission.

Borking on the corner, watching the world go by

Yeah, like they said in the article.

Proofpoint wins $14m from ex-VP and French email security rival in IP theft court battle

"Proofpoint and Cloudmark's claims were an overreach"

Um, excuse me, but "an overreach" does not mean that you were without guilt.

So don't try to spin it too far.

Oh the humanity: McDonald's out of milkshakes across Great Britain

"UK restaurants had run out of milkshakes"

I have to say that Brexit might not be the primary issue.

Luxembourg has several McDonalds, spread out over a rather large radius. I know of two that I can visit without too much hassle.

I will freely admit to being a McDonalds fan, although in my later years I also have to admit that I frequent it much less often. I still prefer it to Quick.

Nonetheless, I remember a slew of instances in which every time I went for a burger, the milkshake machine had no chocolate. They'd offer vanilla or strawberry, but I want chocolate. So I had to go without.

Frustrating.

I like your optimism, but it might take a wee bit more than that to save Humanity.

Samsung splurges $200bn to bring 'new future order' over next few years – meaning chips, pharma, comms

"a period of reorganization of a new future order"

And we fully intend to be at the top of that order.

Hey, that's capitalism for you.

In 2006, Amazon debuted EC2. 15 years on, HashiCorp says firms blowing their cloud budgets is all part of the fun

"spare a thought for the bean-counters"

Why ?

They don't deal with anything. They just jot the numbers down and call the head of the appropriate department to tell him that his budget is gone and he needs to find more money.

They're not the ones who have to correct the situation.

Gartner Gartner on the wall, which is the hypest cycle of them all?

Re: Missing phase

You posted that exact same comment in the Gartner Debunked article.

You could have gone through the effort of at least sprucing it up a bit.

British teachers' pensions set to be released from Capita's grasp after nearly 30 years

That sounds like the hallmark of a very badly thought-out procedure for creating NI numbers, and a rich revenue stream for Capita.

More than half of companies rethinking back-to-office plans amid variant uncertainty and vaccine mandates – survey

And I believe that that is going to be an integral part of the future work environment.

Less people commuting and polluting, more chat and online presence, less imposing office buildings that don't cost an arm and a leg to maintain.

Yes, it's certainly a willy-waving advantage to receive customers in a 40-story high rise chock full of employees, but you're paying 40 stories when you could do with 5. And you can still have that high-tech conference room with the plush leather chairs and the insultingly large widescreen TV.

The bottom line always wins.

And employees will not always have to pay the high city prices, instead fanning out into the far suburbs with a nicer environment and a bigger house for the same price.

Re: Simples...

You make an interesting point. It's true that videoconferencing is shit, but for those who have a home office in a nice setting, it's a price worth paying to avoid traffic jams and spending 1+ hour on the road every day.

Personally, I basically work alone. As a freelance, my customers are now sending me mails asking for a given functionality. I respond with the date at which I can connect and work on it. When connected, I signal my presence to the person who called on me, we chat for a few minutes, and then I get to work. If I need additional information, I know who to contact. I find it quite efficient.

Of course, I have the privilege of a fiber line, a home office with largely enough desk space, and a view on my front lawn. For someone in a small apartment on a DSL line on the 4th floor, working on the dining room table, things may be viewed very differently.

European Commission airs out new IoT device security draft law – interested parties have a week to weigh in

Definitely agree, but 3 years is not enough.

I would push for 10 years. That should definitely cover the possible lifetime of the shit quality that IoT is made with.

It would also push IoT makers to pay a hell of a lot more attention to the shit they shovel onto the market. The more secure they make 'em, the less updating they need to pay for, and the consumer benefits.

Robots don't smoke, says Alibaba, and that's why they deliver parcels so fast

Re: Worse than steps - STUDENTS!

Yup. Those delivery bots are going to get to feel the pain in a gentle manner before being thrown into the arena that is the streets, with their criminals and short-tempered people who need to take it out on something that won't respond.

Honestly, a parcel-carrying robot is just a "Rob Me !" sign on wheels.

Infosys CEO hauled in to tell minister why India's tax portal is still a glitchy mess

"Infosys also had trouble on a previous project"

Well, it would seem India has its very own Capita.

Progress !

Chinese auto-maker accused of altering data after fatal autonomous car accident

Accused of altering data

Okay, it's a possibility, but I wonder why the relatives are saying that. What proof do they have ? Why do they suspect that data was altered ?

In any case, the company's explanation seems plausible. A collision is very likely a bad thing for the batteries of an EV, so taking them out ASAP is probably the right thing to do.

In any case, I'm looking forward to hearing about this investigation.

Poly Network says it's got pretty much all of that $610m in stolen crypto-coins back

"Believe it or not"

I don't believe it, you fucking asshole.

An actual White Hat would never have taken the money.

You are a failed criminal, which just might be the highest honor you can pretend to.