Posts by Pascal Monett

Harvard gives solar batteries performance-enhancing vitamins

Interesting points

The use of fossil fuels in our civilizations stems directly from the sheer amount of energy they contain. I have always been convinced that, however we get to electric cars, we will never see electric construction vehicles - or planes, for that matter. Fossil fuel is a must when you need 500HP to lug twenty tons of rock around. Or else we've found Star Wars technology, in which case I accept defeat most graciously.

@Jimmy2Cows : after a bit of googling, I must admit that your point is unfortunately quite valid. Kind of puts to rest the entire notion for vehicular transport. Sad.

@Dwarf : the "greenness" of cars would anyways be impacted by the global aversion the human population has for nuclear power. It serves nothing to have electric vehicles if their recharging is done with coal plants. And nobody raises the issue of the toxic components of the batteries themselves.

That said, I doubt "charged" liquids would be any more of a hazard than the current incendiary liquids we use now. Plus, there would likely be less dangerous vapors to content with, so the refilling could be done in an airtight environment without much trouble.

Of course, the idea of plugging in your car and having nano-carbon batteries replenished in mere seconds would be nice, but then we're back at the high power grid connections issue we started with, and no change in the energy generation problem.

It seems to be a big mess in any case.

Re: Electric cars

I believe you've hit the proverbial nail on the head. I agree that electric cars using this kind of liquid battery would be a godsend.

But I do not see that we'll avoid the need for high power grid connections. Solar and all renewables are limited in their production capacity, so a local array of panels is not necessarily going be enough when recharging the used fuel. There would be tankers, obviously, they could take away the used after delivering charged fuel. That way, the tankers would unload the depleted fuel at a recharging station with vast capacity. I guess that could be a solution. Not convinced that it would remove the need for local recharging though.

Software can be considered 'goods' for purpose of commercial agent rules – High Court

What I have trouble accepting is that on the one hand, the software I buy is under license, but on the other, software makers generally absolve themselves of all fault in case of trouble.

This one-way deal has been going on for too long now. I pay for my software, if you don't accept responsibility, then you damn well better not tell me it's not mine to do with as I please.

Dying! Yahoo! writes! off! half! of! the! $1bn! it! paid! for! Tumblr!

Re: Yahoo's core business

Yahoo!'s problem is that it never had an actual business, it just had activity that it failed to properly monetize while spending what it managed to earn without focus or vision.

Maxthon web browser blabs about your PC all the way back to Beijing

Re: Is this worse

Coming from a company claiming to keep you safe from the NSA, it is worse because they claim protection while doing the same in a different way.

When it's a lie it's always worse.

For $800 you can buy internet engineers' answer to US government spying

Re: it's function was the same

That the function is the same is not, in itself, an issue for me. That it comes from a group of people not supposed to be under the influence of governments or spooks is a very big plus in my book.

The fact that the NSA could have purchased a board is not a problem either. A proper cryptographic process can be entirely public, it will be no less efficient in keeping data secure because the keys are not public (well, half of them aren't). If the code and hardware of this project are properly thought out and truly secure, there is nothing the NSA can do to it without physical access - and we know the rule on that.

World-Check terror suspect DB hits the web at just US$6750

Bitcoin value is what stock market guys call a "volatile product".

At any given moment, it can be going up or down, by anything from 1% to 25%.

In other words, take a handful of pebbles and throw them in the air above a bowl. What falls into the bowl determines the value of a bitcoin.

If managing PCs is still hard, good luck patching 100,000 internet things

Re: you won't want to occasionally check with your house and verify everything is good?

No I won't, because I am paying a security service to do that in a proper manner with dedicated equipment, not with an IoT thingatecture security nightmare.

But I acknowledge that not everyone does that.

Facebook and Google show how the world really will be blanketed in 5G

What was that ?

"Many people might not realize that running their own cellular networks is not only possible but also doesn't require substantial technical expertise."

It requires next to no technical expertise to install a Wi-Fi access point : just switch it on. On the other hand, considering the level of complexity simplicity of passwords revealed in reports of user id hacking, the technical expertise to understand how to secure it is beyond a lot of people.

Now you want Joe Schmoe from the deepest parts of Africa to go install an open cellular network node ? Are you working for the NSA ? Because they're gonna be listening in as soon as that thing boots.

And the best case scenario is that they are the only ones listening.

Tor veteran Lucky Green exits, torpedos critical 'Tonga' node and relays

"no reasonable choice left within the bounds of ethics"

Seems to me that he is aware of the amount of criminal activity on the network and has decided that he no longer wants to close his eyes on it.

New Mars rover is GO for 2020 says NASA

"that microphone won't be the first to go to Mars"

Hang on there, we've been sending rovers with microphones to Mars before and nobody thought of sending back the sounds ?

Why ? How can a microphone be of use to the rover without being used to send back audio data ?

Is there some sort of audio map made of the immediate vicinity, for route planning, perhaps ?

Extortion trojan watches until crims find you doing something dodgy

"chewing conspicuous quantities of resources on some victims' machines"

Oh, you mean acting like Norton anti-virus then. No problem, nobody's going to notice that.

Security firm clarifies power-station 'SCADA' malware claim

"use of the new 'fluxxy' fast flux infrastructure"

On reading this line, I thought that there are some smart criminals out there. Curious, I looked it up. This fast-flux thingy is basically the botnet being able to rewrite DNS records every minute because the registrar doesn't give a flying monkey's about it.

So these crims are smart, but if every registrar did its job properly, this technique would not survive.

Windows 10 a failure by Microsoft's own metric – it won't hit one billion devices by mid-2018

As a fantasy, it's a fun little thought. In truth, there's negative one million chances that anyone running a linux OS will ever "convert" to Windows.

Not without serious head trauma, that is.

I am not budging

Win7 works fine for me, thank you. I have everything configured the way I like it and no desire to find out how Microsoft will change everything with Win 1 0.

Additionally, I have locked the OS down as far as I can, no remote access of any sort, no telemetry, nothing. Windows Update is disabled until I reactivate it.

In short, I am using a personal computer and I have no desire to hop on to the slurp bandwagon.

When I do change OS, it'll be for some version of Linux because I won't be needing Windows anymore.

Coup-Tube: Turkey blocks social networks amid military takeover

Re: referenda get the wrong answer dont they?

Referendums always get the right answer : the one they were tailored to produce.

Ban ISPs from 'speeding up' the internet: Ex-Obama tech guru

"metaphors [..] need to be grounded in reality"

Creating a metaphor is not given to everyone. Creating a proper metaphor on a topic concerning the virtual zeros and ones of the Internet is particularly difficult, because there are many cases when reality simply does not apply (e.g. the eternal copyright infringement/theft debate).

Politicians, on the other hand, are supposed to be adept at that, since they're business is mostly speaking and making verbal connections to win over public support. But it is easy to see that some politicians are much, much better than others in that domain.

Security gurus get behind wheel of driverless car debate

I think the situation is rather clear now

For the existence of "self-driving" cars to not end in a nightmare of civilization collapse, the whole industry needs to be handled in the same way airline planes are.

In other words, we need a Car Transport Authority just like we have an Air Transport Authority, with the same process and the same clout when it comes to immobilizing a car series that is not up to snuff.

Until we have that, the whole situation will be an unending game of chaotic security whack-a-mole, and insurers will run for the hills.

One in five consumers upgraded to Win10 for free instead of buying a PC

Re: child requested a Linux installation

And that is the true beginning of the end for Microsoft.

It can't come fast enough.

Re: I disagree that "The PC is obsolete"

The PC is indeed obsolete - in its current form.

People like tablets and smartphones and, for what most people do, the PC is an over-complicated, prone-to-getting-hacked, clunky piece of kit - even if it's a laptop.

Joe User does not need a PC anymore.

People who do still need PCs are content creators, anyone wanting to dabble in photo/film modification or creation, programmers and, of course, gamers. Outside of that, why burden yourself with a PC ? A tablet for surfing, social nonsense, light gaming and film viewing on the go and you're good.

Empty your free 30GB OneDrive space today – before Microsoft deletes your files for you

Re: Here we go again

A promise is a promise. That fact that the price was zero does not change the fact that people were promised something, got used to using it in the given parameters, and now are being deprived of the usage they were promised.

Boiling it down to a "free" thingy change is you missing the point.

Re: A few bad apples

"I should be entitled to continue paying for that amount at the "contracted" rate"

Yes, you should, but you don't actually have a "contract". What you have is Ts & Cs that can be changed anytime by the provider, in other words, you've got an empty promise.

A contract is a binding agreement between two parties, agreement that cannot be changed without the consent of both parties. It was decided, somewhere at the beginning of the IT industry, that this model did not correspond to the Internet, and now here we are : companies are all-powerful, can change offers at a whim, and the only thing you can do is lose and go somewhere else if you don't accept the new terms.

One of these days, Joe Public is going to have to wake up and realize that he's being taken for a fool. That day, somebody might think of doing away with the EULA nonsense and Ts & Cs that only the paying customer cannot change. That day, the law will once again enforce the proper idea of "contract".

In the mean time, bend over and try to enjoy it, because that's the choice we have.

Re: Cloud is another form of backup

Stop right there : Cloud is not backup.

Not when the providers can authorize themselves to delete your files without your permission.

A backup is supposed to be reliable : the Cloud is not. At this point in time, there is not a single cloud storage provider that can be trusted to not lose your files, delete your files or not hand your files to any TLA that mentions your name in passing.

Yes, the Cloud could be a perfect backup service, but relying on it today is just putting your data on a straw rowboat and hoping it won't sink before you need it.

Software bug costs Citigroup $7m after legit transactions mistaken for test data for 15 years

It's likely a drop in the water. Banks manage thousands of transactions every minute. 3 per week verges on basically invisible.

Except that, small numbers of regular transactions could mean large sums. We won't get any info on that part though.

Critical remote code execution holes reported in Drupal modules

"The Coder module [..] does not need to be enabled in order to be exploitable"

That is certainly a worst-case scenario : just having the module on the server can get you hosed. The high profile of this issue just makes things worse. I'm thinking of porting my company's web site to a CMS like Drupal - now I'll be waiting for the correction before going further.

Cryptocat dev reckons WhatsApp is blocking calls to Saudi numbers

*regulations are designed to protect local carrier revenues*

Local carriers need to adapt to new conditions. The Internet is not going away, even if its future is somewhat uncertain due to privacy concerns and indiscriminate data hoovering.

It will take the time it has to, but any local carrier that wants to survive will have to get on the ball. Any regulation removing the need to do that is simply a temporary stopgap measure.

Generous Fiat Chrysler offers $1,500 for car security bugs – or two minutes of annual profit

Re: only a pig-headed bean counter

Is there any other kind ?

Salesforce bins all Android phones bar Nexii and Galaxies

"if Salesforce feels the need"

It will depend on Salesforce market presence in China, but the day the market reaches half a billion mobe users, I'm fairly certain the need will be felt.

Space station to get shiny new ringpiece for automatic penetration

Re: I'd rather not have unexpected visitors just dropping in

Given that said visitors pay over $100 million to get there, I don't think that'll be happening all that often.

On top of that, using a firearm in the ISS would be suicidal, since the bullets would go right through the hull, thus depressurizing the station. The takeover attempt would stop pretty quickly after that.

Google on piracy: We really, really care

the idea behind Content ID is “great”

Maybe, but it's implementation is stupid.

ContentID does no check that the notice is justified. There is no oversight and no recourse. Thousands of fair use videos have been shot down without any say to the process.

ContentID is just another monopolistic, fascist tool in the hands of the company that cares the least about content.

Can someone say ironic ?

Alleged Aussie plum plucker pleads guilty to motel tissue swipe

Re: Why would you do ANY of the things detailed in this article?

I totally agree with you. In a civilized area of the world, under a proper ozone layer-protected zone, without 99 different venomous species trying to kill you, it wouldn't happen.

But this is Australia.

Let me rephrase that :

THIS. IS. AUSTRALIAAAAAAAHHHHHHH !!!!

"The fate of the allegedly excised testicle"

was excluded from the report because the alligator had already ate the evidence, Your Honor.

European Commission straps on Privacy Shield

Indeed

And I find laughable the idea of an Ombudsman independent of the US TLAs.

If he is truly independent, he will have no power. If he is not independent, he will be part of the apparatus and his job will specifically be to do nothing, while appearing to do something.

There is no reason for our data to migrate to the US. Each persons' data should be handled in that persons' country. It is the only way local law can apply.

And don't tell me about international treaties : the US has no respect for those anymore within its borders (and sometimes even outside its borders).

Falling PC tide strands Seagate's disk drive boats. Will WDC follow?

Re: "spare "unused" storage capacity"

Not to disagree with you on a general basis, but personally I have never felt that I had any unused disk capacity before I slotted in my first 3TB disk.

The only reason I now have more than 20% unused space is because time has curtailed my disk needs - and I now have a NAS on which I can store over 5TB of data I was previously sticking in 3 different PCs over 14 (comparatively) tiny HDDs.

Before that, I was continually having to free space up by destroying existing data (sometimes said data was given the luxury of a backup before deletion if it was important enough to me). It was a major nuisance, and the space-shuffling always annoyed me until I found a new, temporarily stable situation.

Now I revel in seeing over 50% empty space in my partitions. I install new things without even thinking about disk space for a nanosecond. I am finally constraint-free. I am content.

Don't doubt it, Privacy Shield is going to be challenged in court

The baseline these days is to consider that everyone does it.

Do you have proof that Apple doesn't ? In any way ?

Good point. I think a bit of Internet balkanization wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Pushing the point further, I feel it perfectly justified that a person's data is held solely in that person's country of residence, because an individual has no practical possibility of legal recourse outside of his own country anyway.

Tesla whacks guardrail in Montana, driver blames autopilot

Re: it is obvious common sense

Common sense : no longer so common

Much more Moore's Law: Wonder-stuff graphene transistor trickery

That's because we are continually discovering new things about how Nature works.

Science is a wonderful thing.

Linus Torvalds in sweary rant about punctuation in kernel comments

When it comes to comment format, it's a tad exaggerated.

For someone who is obsessively anal, it does make a difference.

For those who want absolute control over every single part of what they see and do, it must be quite irksome to have other people do things slightly differently.

For my part, if you want to box your comments, it's your time to spend. As long as the comment itself is useful, I fail to see why that is important.

I'm obviously not obsessively anal enough.

Next big thing after containers? Amazon CTO talks up serverless computing

Paperless, serverless, pah.

I'll be impressed when they manage computerless.

FBI arrests satellite engineer on charges of espionage

"his own interests of greed"

There was a film (with Sean Connery and Nick Cage) in which a general was prepared to turn traitor to get the men who died in his platoon proper care and recognition.

If I cite that film (the Rock), it is because said general gave a speech to his men promising them a million dollars each for their services, because, in his words, they would never again be able to set feet on any soil that had an extradition agreement with the US. In essence, they were traitors going into exile and they knew it.

It seems to me that if you are setting yourself up to be such a traitor purely for monetary purposes, as apparently in this case, you should be smart enough to realize that you're in the same spot. You should therefor make sure that each transaction has the possibility of giving you the means to vacate the country ASAP and, at the very least, set yourself up to get some form of revenue somewhere else. $1,000 is not going to do that.

So this guy sells state secrets at a thousand a pop. He must have thought himself very smart and able to do so for years without getting caught. He apparently thought he was just supplementing his income or something.

Smacks of unbelievable stupidity to me.

HPE dumps software biz into the bargain bin

Akin to weight loss by amputation

I'm sure that every single acquisition was lavishly examined, amply powerpointed and endlessly discussed, before beaming management gave the OK to spend the funds, then took a nice bonus for having managed things so well.

Now, all those acquisitions are good for the chopping block, meaning that either manglement did not properly analyze the data beforehand, or they did not properly manage the acquisition after.

There is no case where management cannot be held responsible for this, but there is no case where they won't get a bonus out of it.

Please stop working and abuse your expense account at the beach

Well rested ?

I think I'd be bouncing off the walls after a month at the beach. All that time wasted when I could have played LotRO at home instead.

At least there would be margharitas . . .

SETI mulls reboot: Believing the strangest things, loving the alien

Re: if we were seeded from extra terrestrial (unlikely)

Um, but we were seeded.

Not by extraterrestrials, but by asteroids.

Kim Dotcom pregnant with Bitcoin's mutant offspring

Reminds me of the definition of insanity

So he's trying to recreate what he's already lost - again ?

Some people don't know when to quit.

IoT puts assembly language back on the charts

Re: run-anywhere processor/platform independence

That is a concept dedicated to full-blown computers with powerful CPUs at 3GHz or more, gobs of RAM and a fair amount of storage space. And even there, it's not guaranteed.

IoT is a world of microprocessors that run in the Khz, next-to-no RAM and zero storage space. There is no possibility of platform independance here, unless you're ready to buy a toothbrush that is connected to your PC.

So, you're right, there is no relevance to run-anywhere in IoT. IoT is just-run-there-and-be-happy-you-can.

Re: In fact, all IOT should be coded in Java. At least there would no security issues.

Right, because it's the language that decides if there can be security issues, not coders writing sloppy code.

I can't agree with that. In my opinion, coders the world over have demonstrated a disturbing knack of being able to create security issues in any language.

Bad blood: US govt bans bio-test biz Theranos' CEO for two years

Re: The VCs who did back her were Silicon Valley types

It says here that Theranos received funding to the tune of $690 million from 6 investors, in 8 rounds.

That's 6 guys who likely knew that the specialized investors had refused to back this project, but decided that they would give it a go anyways. Probably cautiously at first, but as Holmes put up her smokescreen of "success", they became more generous (the last round of funding is half the total).

So she totally played everyone, and now she's getting what for.

No sympathy.

Farewell to Microsoft's Sun Tzu: Thanks for all the cheese, Kevin Turner

Feeling sorry ?

Who the hell is feeling sorry for Microsoft ?

Microsoft built its fortune by screwing customers over and locking them into Office at every turn using every single underhanded tactic available.

It continued by undermining every standard it could get its claws into, repeatedly launching new products/functionalities, getting people to invest in them, then dropping the whole thing, missing entire markets through hubris then wasting billions trying to play catch up, and topping it all off by burying its own rulebook on UI functionality and fisting the new version down everyone's throats.

Feel sorry for Microsoft ?

There's no way I can get drunk enough for that.