Posts by Pascal Monett

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 ?

Etsy security rule #1: Don't be a jerk to devs

"If you're continuously updating & releasing code"

Then your application is not ready for production.

Take it offline, finish the bloody thing, THEN put it into production and survey the security of the app.

Facebook apologizes for binning accounts of drag queens

Re: I don't enroll in a local sport club under a fake nam

So that's your problem : you're confusing real life with the Internet.

No wonder you're so confused about things.

A moment of brilliance? UPnP for Internet of Stuff lightbulbs

Making things simple

Let us not forget to make things secure.

I do not want this stuff at all until I have reasonably good proof that my neighbors kid (who thinks he's a hacker) will not be able to turn my lights on or off at his leisure (because he'll have the time to try and the temptation will certainly be much too great).

And even when I have this kind of proof, I'm likely to not buy into it anyway.

I like manual controls.

Microsoft outspends world's tech firms with '€5m' EU lobby bill

Tracing the bribery is exactly what it is all about.

Personally, after having heard some stand-up comic say that politicians should have sponsor stickers on their vests so we know why they say what they do, I wholeheartedly support this kind of move.

As long as we don't know who pays who, we are not living in a true democracy.

On the other hand, human nature is such that I very much doubt the lobbying waters are going to get clearer any time soon. Changing anything in politics via normal, legal routes is just a heavy, slow freight train taking forever to reach its destination - time during which the hyenas can leisurely plan how to route around this new legislation to continue their back alley ways.

Doing things the right way can be so frustrating...

Ice, ice maybe: Evidence of 'Grand Canyon' glacier FOUND ON MARS

Re: "they just recently found it and no else noticed it before"

They have just published their findings. That does not necessarily mean they have just noticed it. The fact that the article continues to state "It has long been speculated ..." might be a clue in that regard. Scientists have been looking for quite a while.

People need to stop considering Science reporting like sports or people reporting. In Science one does not notice something and immediately start broadcasting the fact. In Science, one notices something, checks it, rechecks it to be sure, talks to someone of confidence who checks it independently, THEN, when it has been determined that it is something worth reporting, one publishes the information expecting other people to check it as well.

When one is doing Science, that is.

Mine Bitcoins with PENCIL and PAPER

Re: How long till a someone makes a Babbage type Bitcoin mining rig for fun?

Well I don't know about Bitcoin mining, but somebody has made a calculator, and you can find loads of various hard drive projects, so I'd say it's only a question of time until we get a Bitcoin miner on a mining game.

Stanford Uni: Google cash leaves us entirely impartial and unbiased

It can be voted down. So ?

It's not like they can kneecap you, now is it ?

We're not on Slashdot, there's no karma here. Go on and say it.

After all, concerning Google, in El Reg forums the general attitude is Google is Evil.

Google hits back at 'Dear Rupert' over search dominance claims

Um, no link ?

Why is there no link to this rebuttal that has apparently been published ?

We'd like to judge the prose ourselves. Well, I would in any case.

Update : finally found it

Let it go, Steve: Ballmer bans iPads from his LA Clippers b-ball team

I have a feeling

that the uptime stats on basketball IT departments are going to become a lot more interesting all of a sudden...

Yahoo! Slurps! Indian! Google! Docs! Lookalike!

"strengthening the Yahoo! Mail service"

God knows they need some of that.

Even Yahoo! employees don't like using it.

MOM: CHEAP Mars ship got it right first time. Nice one, India

Par for the course. It already takes 20 minutes to get to talk to someone in the first place !

Le whoops! Microsoft France boss blows lid off 'Windows 9' event

Re: what made you do it in the first place

What a stupid argument.

You know you will die at some point, why not do that now ?

I think that 2020 is too soon for that. WinXP lasted more than a decade because it was good enough. Windows 7 is good enough, and familiar.

Companies have other things to do than constantly upgrade their workstations - the Vista fiasco was a wake-up call, and Win8 was the confirmation that they do not have to.

Since WinXP was only retired when it could no longer run current hardware, there is no reason to think that Win7 will be retired before that point either. Corporations will stick with it as long as it works.

Microsoft can make as many new failures of Windows as it wants in the interval.

Game pirates 'donate' compute power to Bitcoin miners

Re: "running most game CPU usage sits at < 20%"

Um, if I'm not mistaken mining takes place on the GPU, and GPU usage during gaming is largely pegged at 100%, so mining is going to take a chunk out of the FPS if it runs during the game.

If the virus writer is at all intelligent, he will know that gamers tend to notice when their game doesn't run smoothly, and will have written his virus to use the GPU when no game is running - in other words, the rest of the time.

And given that it is a virus, it only requires the game to be launched to get itself installed. Once it is installed, it shouldn't need the game anymore, so it can very well run when the PC starts.

Consoles have become a joke

Consoles were good when they could not be updated. Back then, there was a clear argument for consoles over PCs because the games had to run and could not be updated, while PCs were notorious for system incompatibilities and driver nuisances.

Then they went and fucked it all up with a hard disk. Ever since then, a console is nothing more than a locked-down PC in a walled garden with update issues.

Thank you, but I prefer Steam on PC any day over those kind of nuisances. Plus my PC is more powerful than any console.

Oz carrier Tiger Air takes terror alerts to new heights

But we have given up.

The governments of all the countries that use to fight against the Axis Of Evil in WWII have gone and adopted whole sections of the very things that they were telling our fathers to fight against, and we have sat and taken it as the price of our TV programs and the choice in our supermarkets.

We have not stood up for Freedom because we, as a population, are much more interested in Facebook, Twitter and the latest results of our favourite sports club. But as long as we have those, the government can force ID cards and "biometric" passports down our throats and we don't complain because we don't travel all that often.

And we will continue to sit and let our freedoms be eroded because they are less important to us than seeing the latest nude pic of some twit that will be forgotten in three months.

We get the country we deserve.

Your location info is too revealing: data boffins

Re: Anyone [..] can be found by the authorities

It's not about the authorities being able to find you, it's about the authorities banging on your door demanding to know why you spent 35 minutes last week in the same general space-time vicinity as some guy they decided yesterday was a terrrist and you never even knew existed.

Home Depot ignored staff warnings of security fail laundry list

@Ledswinger

What is this "accountability" that you refer to ?

I understand "responsible", it means a CxO gets a big paycheck. But "accountable" ? Nobody has ever held a CxO accountable for anything since before Y2K.

As for the "there is no way out", that is plain wishful thinking. Of course there is a way out : it's called a Golden Parachute.

I will now hang back up my cynical hat and retire for the evening with a glass of single malt.

iPhone 6: The final straw for Android makers eaten alive by the data parasite?

"a parasite that's so successful it's killing its host"

So, Google is the Ebola of mobile marketing then ?

I rather like that image.