Posts by Pascal Monett

Microsoft's Azure goes TITSUP PLANET-WIDE AGAIN in cloud FAIL

Up again, and with increased performance then ?

So it'll crash in six weeks instead of three months now ?

It's MSFT. That's what they do. Outages. They've been sharpening their skills on the desktop for decades, now they're taking it to the next level.

Soon the WILL be a Ctrl-Alt-Del for the Internet.

As soon as Azure Active Directory has succeeded in replacing all other DNS solutions.

Your distinctiveness will be mercilessly erased and replaced by our worldview...

Microsoft adds video offering to Office 365. Oh NOES, you'll need Adobe Flash

Re: "Ironically, it's not very good at video - but it is quite good at DRM."

Not ironic at all, that was part of the specs from the start.

Human DNA 'will be found on moon' – Brian Cox

It is not a planet and we have analyzed it. The Moon is biologically dead, due to the total absence of atmosphere protecting its surface from the deadly radiation of space.

Any bacteria on the lunar surface has long since been x-rayed out of existence.

YOU are the threat: True confessions of real-life sysadmins

Sealed envelopes are impressive and all that, to be sure, but I doubt they'll be of any use against a rogue BOFH that went and changed the passwords without creating a new envelope.

Said envelopes are only an insurance if the passwords are regularly checked and validated.

And even that doesn't guard against an additional shadow account created with the same credentials and abilities, but using a different password that only the BOFH knows.

Not unless there is a log of some sort that the sysadmin cannot touch that records all instances of password change.

I'll believe in it when you show me an example of something that runs under sysadmin supervision that the sysadmin cannot touch or prevent its functioning.

Cyber security: Do the experts need letters after their name?

"aimed at even younger kids"

No. Just, no.

Young kids need to have their minds properly opened to curiosity and inquisitiveness. They need to be taught that searching for answers is not a crime, and finding them is its own reward.

When they are intelligently curious and have thus been properly formed, then is the time to expose them to specific areas of work, not before. Anything done before that time is just replicating the cookie-cutter mentality. Quick ! We need a security cookie ! Quick ! We need an encryption cookie !

Such schemes are bound to lock people in limited roles, enhancing their fragility when the market changes and their skills are no longer in need. That has been done, and the method has demonstrated its weaknesses. We must not continue making the same mistakes.

State Dept shuts off unclassified email after hack. Classified mail? That's CLASSIFIED

Prison cells ?

Even with the near-legendary attitude of US judges considering that the entire world is under US dominion, they'll have a spot of trouble putting Russian or Chinese hackers in prison for real.

Shrek-as-a-service: DreamWorks and Infosys team up

Oh come now, that's a bit harsh. After all, Dreamworks did Shrek, Chicken Run, and Galaxy Quest. Gladiator, Band of Brothers and Evolution. Saving Private Ryan for $deity's sake. Can't be all that bad.

Ah but they also did Transformers. And Meet the Fockers. And they redid the Stepford Wives.

So yeah, complete shambles.

Simon's says quantum computing will work

Sounds like the skiddies won't be hacking on qbit computers.

Good.

Meet Windows 10's new UI for OneDrive – also known as File Explorer

Be happy they don't

That way you can still enjoy it.

REVEALED: Apple fanbois are 'MENTALLY UNSTABLE' - iShop staff

You're good.

And I agree with your assessment. Cheap is ALWAYS considered crap by the buyer.

BYOD: don't let the dream turn into a nightmare

@Ian Johnston

Universities. That is your justification.

So tell me, what corporate data do Universities deal with on a daily basis ? How much consumer data do they process ? And how does my banking data get into their hands ?

Oh, none of any of the above. So you might as well have mentioned schools in Africa as far the relevance of your example is concerned.

Re: "I don't know about on Windows, but MAC addresses are easily changeable"

I think you are confused on the term. A MAC address is not the address of an Apple machine, it is the Media Access Control number of the network chip in anything that connects to a network.

Thus Windows machines have MAC addresses too.

'You have no right to see me naked!' Suddenly, everyone wakes up at the Google-EU face-off

"the council will draw up non-binding, non-legally enforceable guidelines"

So, in other words, all this was an exercise in rhetorics and nothing will come of it.

What a great use of time and money !

Cure for death (by PowerPoint) emerges from Japan

And the bathing suits ! Don't forget the red bathing suits !

Programming Office 365: Hands On with Microsoft's new APIs

That's how it starts

I'll be interested in seeing how Office365 holds up to usage. I will also have the ability to see the practical consequences almost first-hand, since one of my customers is migrating to that mess platform.

I will be sure to post any juicy tidbits as I happen on them.

Swedish 'Future minister' doesn't do social media

I beg to differ

"A social media presence should be as natural for a politician to have a computer or cell phone"

Maybe that can be the case for a politician who needs to drum up voter support.

My opinion is that a person in office should spend his time doing his job, and Twitter is NOT part of the job description.

You! AT&T! The only thing 'unlimited' about you is your CHEEK, growl feds

Re: "There's nothing wrong with thottling the customer if they go over a limit"

Of course not, if you tell the customer that they are signing up for limited contract and that such is the limit.

If you advertising an unlimited contract, then there is no limit to apply and any limit whatsoever makes the contract a lie.

This nonsense has been going on for long enough. Fines are not the answer, so kneecapping it should be.

FBI impersonated newspaper to finger school bomb threat suspect

"We identified a specific subject [..] and used a technique that we deemed would be effective"

And if it harmed a 3rd party, well that's just acceptable collateral.

Because the entire law enforcement machine is no longer burdened with the pursuit of Justice under the rules of Law. Efficiency is the only criteria.

Soon, waterboarding will become an accepted interrogation technique, because efficiency. Then we'll get wires applied to certain areas of the body, because fuck if that is not efficient.

What ? Human Rights ? What are you, a terrorist ? Come here, we've got some questions for you . . .

Storage array giants can use Azure to evacuate their back ends

"planned failover that guarantees zero data loss"

OK, I'm stocking up on the popcorn for when this egg blows up in their face.

There's a lot more to backup than you thought

I must say I am on the fence on this subject

From everything I have read on backup restore solutions, nobody has ever successfully restored an entire product line.

Oh sure, you have restores of bits and pieces. A database here, a disk directory there. Maybe even an entire server. That works, no problem.

But then Azure goes down and we find that there is a 3-month delay to get one's web site back and no guarantee that everything will be gotten back (any word on how that finally panned out ?).

So I have to wonder, how many companies are actually stopping their production servers to test if their restore solution is functional and reliable ? And how many have found that, yes, that is the case ?

Just one case, please.

Apple's OS X Yosemite slurps UNSAVED docs into iCloud

You are on the Cloud

Whether you like it or not.

Lumia 830: Microsoft hopes to seduce with slim 'affordable' model

I finally met someone with a Windows Phone

He said he liked it.

I'm happy for him.

Tor exit node mashes malware into downloads

"critical for users in countries targeted by their governments"

I"m sorry, doesn't that mean EVERYBODY these days ?

FATTIES: Boffins say their miracle sunshine skin cream 'prevents obesity'

The problem with so-called "diet" foods is that the people who eat them are at risk of considering that they can eat more because it's diet food. In addition, in an effect similar to the 5-second rule, if you add a diet element to your meal, then people tend to consider that it makes the whole meal "diet".

Which is why we can all laugh at the bloated mouth asking for a super-sized meal but with a Diet Coke.

Yeah, that'll make all the difference.

Nice to know that we have studies like that.

As far as the limit of our knowledge is concerned, I have often heard that the sea is the final frontier of discovery, but my opinion is that it is our own metabolism that we need to get to know better.

We all know that exercise and a healthy diet is necessary for the body to grow and age in the best of conditions, but we don't know what exactly we need as an individual on a given day. Some people may need more or less food of a certain type than others. In a given dietary environment, it may actually be good to have a bar of chocolate at a given time of day.

What I'm driving at is the fact that we have no idea of what a particular food does to us, nor what is the best time to eat it. I'm not saying that eating fries at a given time of day will be better for us, I'm saying that we just don't know the impact, at a cellular level, of what we eat.

What we need to get to is something like Frank Herbert described in Heretics of Dune, when the character Miles Teg is visited by a local doctor. In this extract, the doctor simply uses a medical scanner on him, then defines a meal for him that will set him right. Of course, that is fiction, but it does describe a level of knowledge of the human metabolism that we are far from having today.

Studies like the one linked above will help us get there, the more the better.

Re: "going out into the sun is done by those that are not couch potatoes"

Are you kidding ? Have you never noticed all the flab that is baking on the beaches every summer ?

I call bollocks on the whole thing. Skin cream won't do a thing for your weight, not unless it contains hydrochloric acid. I propose someone grant me a million dollars so I can totally prove that it is my miracle eyedrops, combined with a lot of exercise and a healthy diet, that can keep you slim and fit.

Pff. Amateurs.

An 'embed' link isn't a new infringement, says EU Court of Justice

"had BestWater DCMA-d the video"

Is it the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, or is it the Digital Copyright Millenium Act ?

I always thought it was DMCA.

Whatever it is, it should die.

Now.

CATACLYSMIC Sun BELCH causes hour-long RADIO BLACKOUT in SPAAACE

Glad I'm not the only one to worry about that million-mile crack in our Sun's surface.

I guess the solar Morlocks got it all patched up real quick though...

Trips to Mars may be OFF: The SUN has changed in a way we've NEVER SEEN

Re: "The risks are secondary"

They are secondary now. In twenty years you'll have CNN running documentaries on dying of radiation-induced cancer and how the evil Earth Corporations abused the innocence of the First Pioneers to send them to their deaths while benefiting from their work.

Then the Red Revolution will come, the Humartians will rise and shake off the overbearing yolk of Earth domination to declare their independence during the Chocolate Day, when a shipment of chocolate is overturned in protest.

Then you'll have the First Interstellar Conflict, when Earth ups the game and sends a Battleship to pound those unruly resistants into the Martian dust reason. The Resistance will go underground while the Battleship will launch a few salvos endlessly replayed by CNN for months on end, and the War will Be Declared Wun by George Bush IV, but a few years later the Humartian Government will have its own Constitution, Bill of Rights, Parliament and Trading Agreement with Earth Corp.

It's inevitable, because Martian Weed, man. You have to try it to believe it.

If I'm not mistaken, they already use radiators on the ISS. Because when you're in space and lit by that open nuclear furnace we have 1,08 trillion brontosaurii away, well it gets pretty hot real quick.

That heat needs to be evacuated in addition to the heat already generated by the equipment and humans that are there, so some good radiators are probably in use.

Facebook pays INFINITELY MORE UK corp tax than in 2012

Re: "but is being 'abused' by a small number"

Yeah, they're called the Fortune 1000.

Warning to those who covet the data of Internet of Precious Things

Re: "It is certainly OK if the fridge informs me my yogurt is running low"

It is certainly not, because that would mean widespread modifications of how what we buy is packaged and tagged, meaning most probably that some unknown third party could be aware of my buying habits without my knowledge or consent.

In addition, it would mean sensors and item check-in/check-out when I just want to grab a can. This is not going to be easily automated, so it will most likely be just another nuisance infringing on my private life.

And please do not go the automatic order route, it is not worth the convenience. That path is just littered with Impending Expletive Devices.

Re: "...such data should be regarded and treated as personal data."

Emphasis on should.

Nice to know they think that way.

Sad that we have to have official agencies to say that.

Sadder still that the NSA and the US Government doesn't give a rat's ass about it.

Hey Apple, we're gonna tailor Swift as open source – indie devs throw down gauntlet

Ind.ie is releasing Phoenix now [..] as "a friendly nudge"

And they're going to get an almighty friendly whupping in return, as Apple acknowledges that they had the gall to decide Apple strategy for Apple.

Then they will be told that they're holding it wrong.

Edward who? GCHQ boss dodges Snowden topic during last speech

Ah, but malware is a purely civilian issue. There are no numbers on how much time is wasted by civilians recovering from malware, reinstalling their machines and wiping their private data in the process. Figures concerning losses due to identity theft are, in practice, a secret, veiled as they are by police proceedings and awaiting judgement limbo.

Oh, and it's illegal to go and put software on a civilian PC to prevent him from getting malware or to remove it - without the owner's consent.

Of course, when covered by the activity of "looking for paedorrists", then it's no-holes-barred we'll-do-whatever-it-takes. And if that means hijacking a malware package, well it's for The Greater Good (tm), so that's that.

Scientists skeptical of Lockheed Martin's truck-sized fusion reactor breakthrough boast

When was the last time a billionaire declared that he had enough billions ?

Microsoft left red-faced after DMCAs dished out to Windows bloggers

The DMCA must be taken down

I would like to know just one instance where the DCMA was properly used to remove actually infringing content.

It seems to be that every single instance I have heard of its use results in the overbearing takedown of either non-copyright-infringing material, or the wholesale blocking of entire domains that had nothing to do with the notice in the first place.

The DMCA is hopelessly broken. Kill it with fire.

Sony is forbidden in my household as well.

Unfortunately, Microsoft is not so easy to do without.

Don't bother telling people if you lose their data, say Euro bods

Agreed on all points.

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, "appropriate technological protection measures" include encryption AND not handing out the keys to government-level spook agencies.

My data is mine. If a government wants it, it can ask for it.

Nicely.

Or with a warrant, that works too.

Sway: Microsoft's new Office app doesn't have an Undo function

Microsoft wants to get away from the traditional idea of using a template

And their idea is to remove all possibility of formatting altogether ?

Wow, that sounds like it's going to work very well for the general public - when in the meeting, that is.

Because I have never met a more pickier nitpick than the general public, Microsoft. Tell anyone that they can post something on the Internet these days and they're going to immediately want to see font options and paragraph options exactly like they see them in Word.

And you can't even resize pictures ? Come on, it's almost 2015 already, wake up in there ! What are you trying to do, Microsoft, reinvent Edlin for the web ?

Forget passwords, let's use SELFIES, says Obama's cyber tsar

"moving gateways, ad-hoc networks"

Oh yeah, let's make the Internet even more complicated so that the bright hackers can do what they want and leave Law Enforcement even more clueless. How exactly are you going to change a landline on-the-fly, pray tell ? It's IP may change or be spoofed, but the copper (or fibre for those lucky buggers that have it) is not going to change places, and can therefor be traced. I doubt there can be any way around that.

As said before, if my password is stolen, I can change it. I can't change my face, or my hands, or my fingers.

And please, please do NOT give the "selfie" any official role. THAT will be the End of Civilization As We Know It.

Facebook's Zuckerberg in EBOLA VIRUS FIGHT: Billionaire battles bug

Good on him

Zuckerberg is giving a mountain of money for a worthy cause and that deserves some measure of congratulations. Anything that can help fight this is needed, it doesn't matter who it comes from or why.

And I don't care if its pennies compared to his fortune, it's a good gesture and that counts.

I still hate the guy though, and I'll die before signing up to Facebook.

But good on him for that.

Now I just want to know if this is just a publicity stunt to make Mr Bitch! seem more palatable to the general public, or if he's actually doing this out of the pureness of his heart (cough).

'Dropbox passwords' for sale are all EXPIRED: Bitcoin buyers beware

a minimum of 10 ?

I'd be happy if many websites didn't make 10 the maximum possible.

But yes, we need a Password Storage certification that tells us that a site has been controlled and certified for level A, B or C of protection, with A being the latest updated security technology, B would indicate somewhat average hashing and salting but with outdated encryption levels (like 56-bit today) and C being the equivalent of a text file with passwords stored in the clear.

Of course, the certification must be done by a trusted authority, and the level must be evaluated and updated regularly. Websites could only post the relevant certification after authorization by the certification authority.

That would help clear the waters somewhat, I think.

Women in tech: Not asking for raises is your 'superpower' – Nadella. *chirp*...*chirp*

"He didn't know how to let me be CEO, and I didn't know how to do it."

Don't worry, Monkey Boy, we noticed.

Be Your Own Big Brother: Peeking at pussy

I'm sure you'll quickly find out what the neighbours think when the constabulary steps out of the shadows to ask you what it is exactly that you're doing ;)

EU, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft: We'll fight terrorists... with WORKSHOPS

Only four stars ?

Is there an economy drive going ?

NSA spying will shatter the internet, Silicon Valley bosses warn

What's that ? America's moral authority ??

There's none of that left, my good man. Your government has been chipping away at that block for the past half century - aught is left but pebbles now. Only an American can go on about America's moral authority and believe in it.

As for the fear that "small start-ups will not have the ability to operate overseas", I ask : where's the problem ? They're start-ups. When you're small, you start small. Only on the Internet have companies got the habit of considering a world market. Every company that deals with actual goods and/or services knows that expanding overseas is a costly option that can only be realized when success has graced the local operation.

In other words, not going worldwide immediately seems to me to be a pretty good guarantee that, once a company does get to that stage, it has ironed out the kinks in its administrative and production processes. A good thing, in other words.

Apple blacklists tech journo following explicit BENDY iPhone vid

Actually, his problem is amply outlined in the second sentence.

Apple has no "love and affection" for the people who buy its products. To believe otherwise is to be deluded, and when deluded, one is just a disappointment waiting to happen.

Apple, Google mobe encryption good news... for TERRORISTS – EU top cop

Re: "their ability to fight crime is going to diminish"

I'm sorry, how exactly is not being able to freely and easily snoop on MY phone data connections going to lessen the police's ability to arrest the thug who is pushing old ladies around to get their handbag ?

Unless . . is there an app for that ?