Posts by Pascal Monett

Do+ you+ use+ Google+? Seemingly+ you+ DO+

You go on Facebook and you worry about your faith in Humanity ?

Three million Adobe accounts hacked? Sorry, make that 38 MILLION

You won't need to - a free version called MyPhotoShop will soon be available(*).

And it'll curiously have all the bells and whistles, without any of the DRM/controlling stuff.

In other words, it'll be a hit !

(*) only on Pirate Bay

Anonymity is the enemy of privacy, says RSA grand fromage

"security and privacy [..] for internet commerce to flourish"

Bollocks.

The only security and privacy that is needed is that of my credit card number for Internet commerce to flourish.

You don't need to monitor my every IP packet for that.

Dino-boffins discover 100-million-year-old BIRD TRACKS in Australia

"creation scientists tend to win the debates" - heh, only in their minds

They didn't hear nothing - they're making it up

The Atlantis article states that some Georgia Tech scientist is monitoring the Santorini volcano crater and is detecting signs of an imminent, ginormous explosion.

On the other hand, Wikipedia states that the isle is currently dormant.

I'll put my money on the wiki this time.

Email-sniffing Linkedin Intro NOT security threat, insists biz network

"in defence of its LinkedIn Intro app"

There's nothing to defend. The LinkedIn team is a copycat group whose only saving grace is that they were smart enough to market their social network to the right target. As for the rest, they're just as capable of terrible ideas as anyone else and they're not very good at having bright ideas, are they ?

I was forced into LinkedIn by a previous job, and since I have one or two contacts in there that I actually appreciate, I find myself stuck on it because I don't know how to close my account without sending the wrong message to those people. Maybe I shouldn't worry about it though.

In any case, I'm not too bothered. I only go on LinkedIn when someone I know mails me. My profile is about as empty as it can be, and as locked down as I can make it. As soon as they make another major blunder (countdown in 3..), I'll shut down my profile anyway. I'm sure people will understand.

In any case, their can shove their sodding phone app. I'm not installing any crap of that kind.

HP fires sue-ray at makers of Blu-Ray

Ooh, look ! HP found someone who gouged us even more than they do !

This coming from HP is rich - what with the price of printer ink that costs more than gold.

I have a Philipps CRT, 32" with Pixel Plus.

DVDs look gorgeous on it (especially the Fellowship of the Ring, that scene in the mountains when they're on their way to Moria).

My TV is compatible with HD, I think, but I don't care. I hate BluRay because it's Sony, and I'm sick and tired of Sony trying to decide what I can do in my own home.

Maybe because it's a used one ?

Fleet of driverless pods to take over Milton Keynes town centre

Bigger question : who's going to clean them ?

I'm all for butler cars, but I am quite wary of sitting in a car that is used by everyone because "everyone" is a disgusting, filth-spreading git.

I much prefer having my own, private self-driving car because I know exactly what I did in it.

Also, it will need Internet access, because if I'm not driving, I'm sure as hell playing something.

Please, PLEASE, Skype... Don't kill our apps and headsets, plead devs

Re: pissing off even a small portion of the customer base

is now standard MS operating procedure.

Euro Parliament votes to end data sharing with US – the NSA swiped the bytes anyway

Go ahead and snigger

What you are not catching is the fact that more and more political statements, of increasing importance, are being made against the whole NSA debacle, and now against the USA directly. That in itself is important because it means that there is a growing movement that will end in a serious backlash.

Ever since Snowden outed himself, official malcontent has been rising. All of those stating that it is hypocritical to rail against known spying are missing the point : there is now an opportunity to crack down on this unacceptable situation, and politicians are nothing if not opportunistic. And hypocritical, of course, that goes without saying.

The important thing is that yes, everyone has always been spying on everyone (Nixon : prior art - and he paid for it, not like current presidents), but this horse bolted way farther than anyone had ever thought possible. Now, politicians all over the world are beginning to grasp just how vulnerable they are, and they don't like what they see. So Snowden has given them the chance to clamp down on the extent of this spying, and make themselves look good in the process. For any politician, this is much too much a win-win position to miss.

The fact that it potentially benefits them all personally since their little sexual affairs and financial mismanagement will be that much harder to uncover when the NSA gets its claws clipped is just cherry on the cake.

Microsoft: You've got it all WRONG. It's Apple's iPad playing catch-up with our Surface

So Apple is playing catch-up ?

That from a company that hasn't had an original idea in its entire existence.

The mind boggles.

They've taken my storage hostage ... now what?

@ Taylor 1

Next time you don't bother reading an article, don't bother answering either.

You missed a chance to not look stupid like a fucking numpty.

Samsung GROVELS ABJECTLY to Chinese state media

Now tell me

Just who is it that is not "bending like a willow" to do business in China ?

That potential billion-customer market is like a slab of beef just beyond reach of a starving dog. There is no company in the world employing MBA suits on its board that is not going to bend over on cue.

Right now, those MBAs are probably feverishly looking for ways to bend over even further.

Obama to Merkel: No Americans are listening to you on this call

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time there was a US President called Nixon, who surprised and appalled the world and his country by having microphones installed in foreign embassies on US soil. He was impeached for the effort.

Today, we have a US President who is responsible for the greatest official dragnet ever concieved, shamelessly spying on everyone and everything without a shred of accountability or justification, and the world just goes "meh".

Is this what they call progress ?

Mozilla CTO blasts WC3 plans to bless anti-piracy DRM tech in HTML5

Re: a solution is required

You do know about Minecraft, don't you ?

No DRM, no protection in any way, pirated six ways to Sunday and yet, the developer made millions out of it because fans were willing to pay for something they could (and still can) copy.

If it's good, people WILL pay for it. Those who don't never would have anyway.

Fearless slayer of lawsuit-lovin' patent trolls steps forward from shadows

This version is too complicated

I have a simpler one : simply index the potential wins to the amount of money the litigator is making on the patent at the time it sued.

In that case, a company selling product containing its IP and making millions will get millions, a patent troll selling nothing will get nothing.

I like that version better, and I think it makes everything a lot more simple.

Surface Pro 2: It's TOOL-PROOF and ultimately destined for LANDFILL

Re: Do you fill your car up after every journey [.. ]? No? Then why do the same with your phone?

Does your gas tank shrink as it is emptied ? Do you ever risk not being able to fill it up to its full capacity ?

No.

Then why do you attempt to use that as comparison ?

By the way : brains are not like batteries - if you're not continuously filling them, they stagnate and go empty.

It's NOT an iPad - but that's FINE: I learned to LOVE Microsoft's Surface 2

Re: Microsoft needs to [..] adopt a f*#k 'em attitude instead.

Right, as if MS doesn't already do that enough.

Met Police vid: HIDE your mobes. Pavement BIKER cutpurses on the loose

Great idea. I heartily approve removing someone's life because he deprived you of your shiny.

So, all we need now is to solve

F) Is illegal and immoral

</sarcasm>

I'm all for terminal justice in case of rape, abusing children or murder. These are cases where the harm done cannot be undone.

For thievery, there is no harm done that cannot be repaid by the thief. Strap him to a mallet and have him break rocks until he's repaid the shiny. That would be just, and effective.

Re: not get into petty squabbles over who is most "righteous".

Welcome to the Internet, where petty squabbles are the order of the day, all day, every day.

Google fires fresh salvo in war on FILTH: Chrome Supervised Users

Supervised users ? Nah.

This is Chrome, the Cameron version.

Nice job, technology. Now we have to work FIVE TIMES HARDER

Yeah, but you see, the really important thing is that it is those 480% that are keeping us from drowning in the multiple trillions of losses due to piracy reported by RIAA/MPAA.

I wonder what business magazine you're cribbing your ideas from.

If you were really all that hot at work, you wouldn't be reading El Reg, much less commenting on it.

NSA-friendly cyber-slurp law CISPA back on the table with new Senate bill

"CISPA has had a rocky legislative road so far"

That may be the case, but unfortunately it hasn't run over a cliff yet.

Nokia shows off camera gimmicks to PIMP YOUR PICCIES

Man

I am so out of my depth in this field.

Thankfully, the comments are more useful than usual. So 'tis actually multiple shots and a blending of data ?

Won't that pretty much kill battery life as we know it ?

Microsoft boffins test rival 'Google Glass' geek goggles, say insiders

God bless sci-fi nerds !

Tempest8008, Martin Gregorie and Tom Maddox, I thank thee for these interesting references :)

Brit PM raps Facebook for allowing GORY beheading vids

Re: bigtimetroller

Plouzhnikov did not call you a troll, nor did he even mention the name anywhere in any of his posts.

Strawman attacks and inventing slurs in order to insult someone are, however, hallmarks of a troll.

Additionally, if anyone is "jumping the gun" or being patronising, it's you.

They might be better, but from FB's numbers, you must be pretty lonely on them.

Disclaimer : NAFBU

Re: Nudity and sex is not

Not on prime-time, that's for sure.

Unless its a pay channel, in which case nudes and sex 24/7.

And after 11 PM, its open season on all flesh (the kiddies are in bed - theoretically).

The rest of the time, it's only softcore and innuendo. Bikinis are acceptable as well.

Beak orders Yahoo! to get on with Microsoft Search rollout in Asia

"irreparable harm to Microsoft"

The only thing doing irreperable harm to Microsoft is and ever has been Microsoft.

Yahoo! is barely a nuisance for it.

Furious French choke on chardonnay over NSA's phone spying in France

Re: What's needed is a way of making everyone's vote equal

You mean like in France, where the President is elected directly from the vote of the people ?

Yes, that must be what you mean.

So, it is France that is actually a "functional democracy".

The USA is more of a functional plutocracy, or, at the very least, a corperatocracy.

Facebook switches itself off and on again after GLOBAL meltdown

A brief period of time

For Facebook, it means two hours.

For you and me, it means at most 10 minutes, maybe 15 on the outside.

For your manager, it means 5 minutes ago.

MPs to grill Facebook: You're going to let our teens do WHAT?

The difference is that, for the DVLA, the government asked you for your info and is thus responsible for it, and you cannot do without it if you need to drive a car.

Facebook, on the other hand, didn't ask you for anything and you don't need it for anything. You chose to log on, creat a profile and give whatever it is you put in there, and in doing so, became Zucky's bitch.

And Zucky don't ask nobody nuthin'.

America: Land of the free, still home of the BIGGEST spammers on the planet

Also excluding respecting the human rights of US citizens on occasion.

Windows 8.1: A bit square, sure, but WAIT! It has a Start button

Then you bring her home and find out that she's stuffed her bra, wears a girdle to hide the fat and is a complete bore in bed.

Re: It's enough to make one upgrade to Linux

Ah, that old pipe dream. An agreable fantasy, I agree, but then reality kicks in.

Re: millions of beta testers said yes to it

Millions of others said no to it, but they were ignored.

Re: Whats not to like

A touch interface on a desktop computer.

I refuse having to wave my arms around to do my work.

Terminator-style robot busts leg in martial arts demo mishap

Re: characterised by slow, smooth movements

Don't be fooled by the apparent slowness. First of all, it's a lot harder to do movements slowly than it is to do them quickly - so slow means you truly master the muscular difficulty.

Second, I once saw a Tai-Chi master demonstrate a movement in slow and quick modes. I guarantee that the quick mode was quite impressive, and I do not doubt that an opponent would have been seriously injured by that flurry of activity.

Got a mobile phone? Then you've got a Trojan problem too

Re: You're trolling, right?

Not so much.

As recently as last week-end, I had a friend bring me his Win7 PC that was white-paged by some French version of the Homeland Security virus. I spent the day trying to get rid of it.

The virus was good. It entirely blocked the launching of anything, it masked the icons, the Start button didn't work, and even the USB ports were inactive. In short, nothing but booting from a CD could have a chance of doing anything.

I used my Knoppix LiveCD to snoop around and try to find the exe that launched itself before everything else, but no go. So I went to the major AV sites to find an ISO that might help. I went to Norton, BitDefender, Avast, Avira,Defender32, and a few others I don't remember the name of just this instant.

They all had LiveCD ISOs for free download. I downloaded them all, using a rewritable CD so as not to waste opticals. I spent the entire day downloading, burning, starting up the infected PC, and booting on the CD.

I also spent the entire day watching every single vendor solution fail miserably to even boot properly, not to mention actually take care of business. And this on a three-year old PC, not some old 286 dug out of a pit.

All of these LiveCD solutions are based on some flavor of Linux or another, and not one of them managed to even get me to a proper selection screen, or useable UI of any kind.

In the end, I slotted in my Win7 install disk and formatted the partition before launching the install. Problem solved.

So, yeah, snake oil.

Extreme ultraviolet litho: Extremely late and can't even save Moore's Law

Re: a cleverer compiler that could scan for bloat

I have a better solution : it's called a cluebat. It is made of very dense indignation and it is used to bash lazy coders over the head until they understand that it is the programmer that is supposed to work hard and clean up his code, not the compiler.

"Simple" multiprocessing ?

I doubt very much that anything about multiprocessing can be "simple".

But I do believe that, in terms of computing power, we are benefitting much more today from enhanced bus speeds and architecture, increased CPU cache size and better north bridge concepts.

Not to mention that SATA disks have removed the ever-annoying ISA bottleneck and brought improved data throughput as well, which is probably the major element in improving all-around system performance.

So yes, we have "enough" computing power at the moment. But I always welcome more power under the hood.

Snowden: 'I have data on EVERY NSA operation against China'

Re: "wrapped up in [..] a general naiveness as to how the world works"

What exactly is that supposed to mean ?

Are you implying that Snowden should have said to himself : "I cannot stand this blanket surveillance state anymore, but everyone is doing it, so I'll just resign quietly and forget about the Constitution of my country" ?

Is that what you're saying ?

Because that's how it looks to me. And I disagree. We obviously need more naiveness.

MEGA ASTEROID could 'BLOW UP EARTH' - Russian space boss

Re: a tax on people who can't do math

Lottery winners don't have to do math anymore

Windows 8.1: Read this BEFORE updating - especially you, IT admins

Re: Do we have to install Windows 8 then 8.1 every time

Yup.

Welcome to Microsoft ! Where was it you wanted to go today . . . ?

Re: Microsoft really needs to address this

It is. By pushing you to the Cloud.

Re: I'll be very interested to see how fast it is when I throw on a Linux distro later

Oh come on. You know as well as we all do that with Linux your lappy is going to run faster than a scared mynock.

HEY EVERYONE ! This one guy didn't have any problems, so STOP COMPLAINING !!