Posts by Pascal Monett

Microsoft spearheads a whole new genre with installation on the side of a Lyon tunnel

Re: On a related subject...

Um, it's the Underground.

There aren't many drivers to worry about.

"Microsoft's internationalisation efforts"

Still needs some work, IMO.

My Windows is installed with location = France, language = English, keyboard = French.

Guess what the default install laguage is when I install new software ? French, obviously.

The fact that I specified English as my interface language apparently has no bearing on the fact that two out of three of those parameters say French, so the intern who did the code obviously decided to average out the answers to chose what language to use.

Yeah but language = English. You don't need to be an engineer to know which language to use !

Pyrrhic victory: Co-Op wins £13m from IBM over collapse of £175m Project Cobalt insurance platform contract

I'm thrilled

"IBM is also pleased that the judgment reduced CISGIL's inflated damages claim to a fraction of what was claimed recognising the contractual allocation of risks "

I'm thrilled that IBM is pleased about the reduction of the payment and totally disregards the damage that this case has done to its reputation.

Although, given the current state of its reputation, I guess the damage isn't all that bad after all.

What's CNAME of your game? This DNS-based tracking defies your browser privacy defenses

Indeed : "it is possible to include an arbitrary JavaScript payload that will be executed "

No, it won't be.

SpaceX small print on Starlink insists no Earth government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities

Re: Starlink (or similar) for Mars makes sense

They could use radio ?

It worked well enough for us for a while, and actually still does.

My thoughts exactly. Any corporation based on Mars is absolutely outside of Earth dominion, but as long as your ass is on Earth, you are very much subject to Earth law, even if your activities are outside of Earth's atmosphere.

So, Elon, when are you moving to Mars ?

UK's Health Department desperately seeking service provider to run IT after 'cloud-first' shift

"the government department said it has 'transformed' services"

I very much doubt that.

The only thing that has been "transformed" is the internal memorandum on how services should behave - and even then, the only change made was to replace the word "server" by the word "cloud". I don't think anyone in the high spheres of administration have an effing clue about The Cloud (TM), nor do they actually know what their services are doing on a daily basis.

But hey, UK Gov has tens of millions of pounds to spend, so . . .

Clop ransomware gang leaks online what looks like stolen Bombardier blueprints of GlobalEye radar snoop jet

One thing is for sure

The 2030's is going to see company network security beefed up by a large margin.

There have been so many high-profile hacks since a few years, I cannot imagine that the security industry isn't feeling a major kick in the rear and is going to react in a big way.

At least, I hope so, or God save our data because we won't be able to.

Samsung shows off next-generation big-pixel camera sensor tech, coming to an Android phone near you

"You don't want quantity – you want size"

While I do think the phone industry has gone a bit mad about the amount of pixels, I welcome a reasoned argument about how less is sometimes better (stop sniggering at the back).

As for me, I'll stick with my Canon EOS 400D for my important pictures, like family events. Phones exist only to grab a pic when you've not got anything better.

Spotify to introduce lossless audio streaming: Better sound or inefficient gimmick?

"it reduces the quality for discerning listeners"

The music industry doesn't give a damn about discerning listeners. The music industry is all about whatever the young people care about, because they are the ones glued to their phones and most susceptible to spend money on streaming services.

The discerning listener can go buy vinyl.

Nominet sets the date for extraordinary meeting where members could fire CEO

“no credible alternative plan has been put forward”

That sentence was not finished. It should read : “no credible alternative plan to ensure the current Board's lavish lifestyle has been put forward”.

Microsoft sides with media groups, together they urge Europe to follow Australia's lead, make Google, Facebook pay for news article links

"Microsoft has sided with publishers"

I wonder what the decision would have been if FaceBook belonged to Microsoft ?

Microsoft survives today for two reasons : 1) it's bottomless pit of money, and 2) Windows and Office, which are the defacto standards of computing.

Everything else Borkzilla has tried has basically failed to bring in money. Windows Phone is only the latest disaster, there have been others. Borkzilla is in the back seat on the Internet, it is no longer calling the shots.

I wonder if it is going to start a news outlet. Being paid by Google & FB would certainly be the ultimate irony.

NASA sends nuclear tank 293 million miles to Mars, misses landing spot by just five metres. Now watch its video

Re: Magnificent!

That video brought tears to my eyes.

So awesome !

Forget GameStop: Keyboard warriors and electronic trading have never mixed well

You might want to check out this video and revise your understanding of how the brain works.

If you don't want to watch all of it, the relevant part starts at point 12:45.

Enjoy !

House Republicans introduce legislation for outright ban on municipal broadband in the US

It's what they do

They are Republicans.

The last four years have amply demonstrated what it is they do : shit on the Constitution, morals and the law whenever possible while favorising their billion-dollar corporate buddies.

This is no longer a political party, it's a mafia.

Citibank accidentally wired $500m back to lenders in user-interface super-gaffe – and judge says it can't be undone

I find IBAN transfers to be very reliable myself. The only hassle is that, in some banks, you have to record the recipient's details and wait for the bank to check them before being able to use it.

It's a hassle, but like all security, it's a good hassle to have.

Well, Citibank went to court to recover half of it, so no.

"all believing the settings were correct"

And nobody checked. A billion dollar transfer and nobody checked.

Three different "managers", and they all blindly clicked OK without checking themselves, or checking that the previous guy had did the job properly.

Rubber-stamp management is easy.

Citibank certainly does not deserve to get the money back.

UK Supreme Court declares Uber drivers are workers, not self-employed: Ride biz's legal battle ends in a crash

Well done

And kudos to the UK Supreme Court judges for not having been blinded by lawyers wearing expensive suits. It is good to see that Reason and Justice can still prevail against corporate greed.

"We respect the court's decision" - well of course you do now, you have no other option but. And of course, now you wish to engage with drivers and listen to them, but you won't hand out mass employement contracts unless they go before an employment tribunal - which many will probably decide is not worth the hassle.

So, in the end, Uber hasn't really lost much and, cherry on the cake, those "employees" can easily be fired in the near future as soon as they make a mistake.

So I heartily applaud the decision, but until it is enshrined in law and valid for all UK Uber drivers be default, it's not really a win in my view.

Fancy a £130k director of technology role with the UK's Ministry of Justice? All you need to do is 'fix the basics'

"Court digitisation has gone poorly in the UK"

Could someone please point me to a Government IT project that has not gone poorly in the UK ?

Just one ?

Because I can't remember ever hearing about one.

Emergency services communications ? The old one was going to be cut off and the new one wasn't in place.

NHS ? Please.

No, somebody please tell me that something has gone well in UK Goverment IT services.

Oh, the lifts are working ? Well that's something, I guess.

Nvidia cripples Ethereum mining on GeForce RTX 3060 to deter crypto bods from nabbing all the kit at launch

Sorry, Nvidia, tweaking your driver is not the solution

The solution is simple : only allow the purchase of one card per credit card number.

Gamers generally only buy one card, it's the miners who buy them in stacks of four.

Of course, the miners could manage getting four credit cards, but if you had announced the move on the day the sale started, that would have them flummoxed and the gamers would win.

It's impossible to get three more credit cards in a day, and once the gamers had gotten their legitimate share, the miners would have wasted a lot of time.

Atheists warn followers of unholy data leak, hint dark deeds may have tried to make it go away

Not a hack, an inside job

Which basically means that not even atheists can be arsed to keep themselves under the same banner.

Is there anything Humans will not fuck up ?

AWS tops up the Bezos rocket fund thanks to more money from Brit tax collection agency

"that still doesn't make tax avoidance ethical"

Obviously not, but unfortunately ethical and legal are two different things.

CEOs are not there to be ethical - they exist to "maximise shareholder value". As long as that situation is not changed, there is no amount of laws that will force a CEO to things ethically.

The only thing that can have an impact is public image. That is why is critically important to continue flaying online any company that underpays its workers, does not keep bonus promises, does not provide a safe workplace, or sources components from child labor or slave labor conditions.

We, the citizens, are the last force to make CEOs comply to what we think is ethical.

If we don't do it with our voices, the law cannot do anything about it.

Australia facepalms as Facebook blocks bookstores, sport, health services instead of just news

I am totally convinced that that is exactly what is happening.

Hero to Jezero: Perseverance, NASA's most advanced geologist rover, lands on Mars, beams back first pics

Re: how do you think Cruise Missles find their target?

You're right, but Cruise Missile Terrain Navigation code is not available on GitHub.

Or anywhere else, for that matter.

You want me to do WHAT in that prepaid envelope?

Re: Compared to a colonoscopy …

Yeah. Don't like the procedure, but I've already mailed my poop twice.

Saves a ton of time at the doctor's office as well.

Post-COVID-19 biz travel: Jet in, go to hotel, meet in rooms sliced into sealed halves to separate locals and visitors. Still get jetlag

Yeah but, well, no

There are enough visioconferencing tools available, and email makes a perfectly sanitized hole in the wall.

I see no reason to waste more than a day in a plane, not to mention airport hassles, in order to not be able to take advantage of the local nightlife, or even do a bit of shopping.

If I'm supposed to be locked in a room during my stay, I might as well stay home.

The wastepaper basket is on the other side of the office – that must be why they put all these slots in the computer

The human mind is a frightening thing

What on Earth was he thinking ? Slipping bits of flammable material into a box that uses electricity, what is more natural ?

I mean obviously, this "computer" thingy has a portal to the waste dimension, right ? Isn't that in the specs ?

And the fact that the thin opening is not labelled "Waste Basket" is just a mistake, obviously.

It is one thing to not understand computers, it is an entirely different thing to build the intellectual fortress of stupidity that allows you to justify to yourself that you're doing nothing wrong.

The helldesk drone should have evacuated the building. Then, when time came for explanations, the responsibility of the user . . . would have been swept under the rug and the helldesk drone would have been blamed for wasting everyone's time.

Ugh, I hate stupidity.

Groupware is not dead! HCL drops second beta of Notes/Domino version 12 and goes all low-code and cloudy

Just watched the preview video from HCL

You can find it on YouTube here.

They've finally managed to make Notes browser-based. That is awesome.

Mail still has the same look. That is unfortunate.

But hey, Notes can now be completely browser-based. No more local client if you don't want one. And you can use it on a phone as well !

Can't deny it, HCL has put a lot of work in this version.

As a Notes developer, I can't wait to have V12 on my work laptop.

Teams, obviously

Notes has a very consistent UI, which is unique to itself, hasn't changed in almost two decades and mightily annoys many people.

Its backend, however, is a breeze for backup administrators.

Want your broadband fixed? Best write to your MP, UK's Zen Internet tells customer

Clearly a maintenance schedule issue

"This is an ancient ECI cabinet and the lines here have been problematic forever (lead sheathed paper insulated ... "

If this is true, then Openreach is guilty of not having upgraded that thing in due course. Openreach just let it rot to avoid the costs of ensuring proper service.

I'm guessing that a new cabinet costs a pretty penny, for sure, but unless I'm mistaken, Openreach is making a lot of pretty pennies. Time to drop one and make your service better.

Oh, and you might want to take stock of the age of all your cabinets and start planning their replacement dates.

Cred-stealing trojan harvests logins from Chromium browsers, Outlook and more, warns Cisco Talos

And bingo !

“CHM is a compiled HTML file that contains an embedded HTML file with JavaScript code to start the active infection process. "

Javascript, again.

Block it, and the install process fails.

NoScript FTW !

Machine-learning software scours database of already available drugs that could treat COVID-19 infections

Hmm, it seems that my information was out of date.

Thanks for the heads-up.

"repurpose existing drugs"

Um, like Hydroxychloroquin ?

Which has been largely demonstrated to help people recover from the respiratory sydrome ?

Sure, proper clinical trials are needed to establish facts with scientific rigor, but apparently millions have been treated with it and they're still alive to talk about it.

Mobile World Congress to run this year's Barcelona event in June with 50,000 attendees. We're speechless

Getting back to normal

Very nice words, but the only way to do that is vaccination. Until herd immunity has been achieved, there will be no normal.

This event is lunacy. I wonder how many people will actually sign up, I know I wouldn't.

Fujitsu scrapping fuel card benefit to cut costs, threatens dissenters with fire and rehire

"by removing the fuel card it would have saved"

You know what, Fujitsu ? By removing 80K employees you're also going to save a lot of money.

Oh, but you'll also be removing your means of making money. What a shame, eh ?

You want to make money ? You have to invest money. Salaries and bonuses are your investment to ensure that you continue to make money.

Texas blacks out, freezes, and even stops sending juice to semiconductor plants. During a global silicon shortage

Re: Texas is known as a superpower in the power industry

Not any more.

Re: Probably insignificant when offset against the days they are working optimally

And that is, what, five days per year ?

Interesting link. Thanks for that.

Re: Power Grid

France is selling power to basically every country it has borders with, plus the UK.

Germany, who has the heavy anti-nuclear lobby, readily buys part of its electricity from France's nuclear power stations.

Even better, Luxembourg buys its power from Germany so as to say that it doesn't use nuclear power.

We're going to have to face the fact that nuclear is the only future of power generation. Preferably with thorium reactors, and fusion the day we get there.

'It's where the industry is heading': LibreOffice team working on WebAssembly port

"a smartphone today is more powerful than a typical PC back in the '90s"

Undoubtedly.

It's limited to a pathetic screen size though, so the PC still wins in functionality and ease of use.

Besides, do you really think people are going to be typing 150-page documents on a smartphone ?

Watch this space: Apple offers free repairs for the self-bricking Apple Watch SE and Series 5 wearables

"a small number of customers"

That is code for "less than 90%".

Always.

Iron in the kinks, say boffins: Wrinkly graphene could one day make computer chips 'smaller and faster'

"thousands of times faster"

I think that might be a bit a bold claim.

Technology has now reached 7nm when it comes to engraving electronic chips. This technique is not doing much better.

Of course, this is like arguing that next year's Olympic champion is only going to be 0.1% faster/better than last year's. It's the final 0.1% that is the hardest.

Science of Love app turns to hate for machine-learning startup in Korea after careless whispers of data

Re: That's something of a bold assertion

So, if I am not good at maths, you're saying that I'm incapable of recognizing that a given subject involves math ?

I'm not good at running. By your definition, I'm also incapable of recognizing that the New York Marathon involves running ?

You don't have to be good at something to realize what the basic requirements are.

AI Fluency

Admittedly not a bad title, but there is no AI - it's all statistics. So, if you want to get your machine learning on, you need a maths professor. Not an economist, mind you. While those ones are full of statistics, they're only good at explaining why their predictions didn't pan out.

Google has a great AI course out and it's free. I started to follow it, but I've never been good at maths And after lesson 5 I was lost.

Try that out before giving money to people who steal other people's images to make themselves look good.

France's cyber-agency says Centreon IT management software sabotaged by Russian Sandworm

And it continues

Another provider to many important companies has its software compromised. Okay, through its customers' fault, granted, but still.

I think it is time to have a general review of high-profile software being used by companies that serve many other companies. We've basically stumbled across an underground trend that has been going on for years thanks to SolarWinds123's stupidity, but now it is time to take stock of the true situation and every company that operates in the Network Management market should be reviewing its published code with a fine comb and checking all of its code repositories to ensure that it is still offering secure code.

Recovery time objective missed by four weeks, but Parler is back online

Tea Party Patriots

It's funny how the racists always have the their mouths full with the word Patriot.

Voyager 2 receives and executes first command in 11 months as sole antenna that reaches it returns to work

Re: medical imaging and diagnostics that are so advanced even Star Trek couldn't envision them

Sorry, do you know what a tricorder is ?

Not only did Star Trek envision the Ipad, it envisioned one that is actually useful.

Forgot Valentine's Day? Never mind, today marks 75 years of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer

ENIAC, the reference defining how far we've come

When your debugging session required a technician and line-by-line computation verification, you were heavily incited to think about your code twice - if not more.

18,000 vacuum tubes (or 19K, who's counting ?). Can you imagine a modern datacenter based on that ? You'd have twenty guys replacing the broken ones day in and day out. The vacuum tube industry would be more important than Exxon.

The industry has come a very long way in a very short time. Always makes me wonder what will come by in the next ten years.

"fear of a battering with delicious cheesesteak sandwiches"

Cheesesteak sandwiches ? When all the restaurants are closed ?

BRING IT ON !!