Posts by Pascal Monett

Red Cross: 600m videogamers may be war criminals

Ah, TF2. Virtual war crimes done humorously.

Yahoo! may! never! see! a! penny! of! $610m! anti-spam! win!

A good first step

I understand and perfectly approve this judicial decision. Enforcement is, of course, next to impossible, but it is extremely important to at least declare publicly that scams and such are not acceptable.

I now await with great anticipation the judgement that will declare and denounce all the actual software pirating that China and such countries are guilty of.

But I won't be holding my breath. I know that Nigeria, Thailand and others have no share of US debt and bonds, whereas China practically owns the US debt all to itself. And Europe is not far behind.

Chrome is the most secured browser - new study

NoScript does not make websites useless

It only prevents badly programmed websites from doing things without my permission.

Oh, and it also gives me time to decide if I actually want the website I am on to run code BEFORE it runs it.

Airbags, ABS, proper road hugging and all the rest are good things to have, but if you have a moron behind the wheel, they won't help all that much.

US judge: Ad-pushers may be liable for 'facilitating' website piracy

US legislation

Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIAA/MPAA Inc.

Iran displays video footage of captured US spy drone

Oh I think they have a very good grasp of their sovereignty, it's just that they have always had a very fuzzy grasp of the notion of borders, and geography in general.

NASA rover finds evidence of water flowing on Mars

"it doesn't make you look smart, just eclectic."

From the World English Dictionary

eclectic (ɪˈklɛktɪk, ɛˈklɛk-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]

— adj

1. (in art, philosophy, etc) selecting what seems best from various styles, doctrines, ideas, methods, etc

2. composed of elements drawn from a variety of sources, styles, etc

— n

3. a person who favours an eclectic approach, esp in art or philosophy

Seems to me that an idiot cannot be eclectic, since he won't have sufficient culture to choose from. So that's a compliment then.

Why are Android anti-virus firms so slow to react on Carrier IQ?

Seems that the fallout is spreading nicely on this issue. It's becoming the hot potato everyone involved tries to throw to someone else, and more and more companies are being sucked in.

Round and round the CIQ infection goes . . .

New account of Flight 447 disaster published

Interesting

One thing that I take from this article is that Air France apparently finds it normal to put two inexperienced pilots in the driver's seats, with no experienced pilot able to intervene when a mistake is made.

I always thought that airline companies had a Captain with experience at the helm, accompanied by a co-pilot that was learning the ropes, so to speak.

Seems that I was wrong, and budget cuts have led to the inevitable loss of experienced (and more expensive) pilots to tutor the new guys, so just bash two newbies in and pray for the best.

Can't say that inspires confidence in the future of commercial flight.

Judge Dredd vs Zombies

Apparently, they don't need to think about it.

Enough people do so to make it worthwhile.

And not just in handheld/mobile titles either. Take Brink for instance. I got it last week-end for 6€ over Steam. It's a shooter with a bit of RPG thrown in to make for a change in gameplay every now and then. Of course, if you pay money you can unlock better weapons faster, and improve your alter-ego's abilities faster as well.

What this means is that there are enough people globally who do pitch in with their wallets to have a major PC title based on that revenue stream, enough so that they agreed to lower the admission price to a ridiculously low level for a game that has basically just came out.

I mean, it's not like Battlefield III is ever going to reach that price, now is it ?

So this is a real thing, and there is every reason in the capitalistic world to not ignore it.

Taxpayers to cough more for multi-billion pound failed NHS IT project

Wow, talk about timing

I've just finished watching the full collection of Yes Minister episodes.

Funnily enough, this bit of news seems perfectly normal to me at the moment.

I wonder who's going to save his OBE from all this.

Bill Gates discusses nuclear development deal with China

You know what - you're perfectly right.

Screwing over a few hundred million customers and locking the entire planet on an OS that leaks security like a sieve is a small price to pay for a million-year supply of secure energy that also happens to get rid of nuclear waste.

Because that is what it does, right ?

Antarctic ice formed at CO2 levels much higher than today's

You might want to choose your quotes a bit more carefully

Saying that "Changes in CO2 [..] have major, long-lasting and hard-to-reverse effects on climate" tends to mean that such changes are slow to take place.

Then you pull a quote (from .. ?) that specifically states that "We went from a warm world without ice to a cooler world with an ice sheet overnight, in geologic terms", meaning that such changes can happen rapidly - in geological terms.

Doesn't really add weight to your argument.

Boffin's bot spots red light jumpers before they kill

Spot on !

Brilliant analysis, sir !

Have a pint on me !

Another solution

A Vehicle Lateral Defense System. Specifically, side-facing RPGs mounted with radar detectors designed to detect oncoming collision and stop the oncoming threat - permanently.

I dare say that would put an end to light-runners very quickly.

Hmm ? What is that you say ? Immoral ? Because being broadsided by some twat who thought the rules didn't apply to him is moral ?

Bah. No wonder civilization is grinding to a halt. In my time ..... <grumble><grumble><grumble>

Boffing boffins create 3D map of orgasmic female brain

Coming next on .xxx

www.jerkingforscience.xxx and its beautiful solo girls will soon be coming . . . online.

Sorry, someone had to do it.

Headmaster freezes schoolkids for Gaia

"without consuming any energy from non-renewable sources"

I wonder how much additional energy they consumed the next day to get the school back to its target heating level.

If I'm not mistaken, one day without heating is going to increase the inertia the heater is programmed to overcome. That additional inertia is going to make the heater work more.

I wonder if they thought of that.

Microsoft researchers build spam filter for HIV

Great idea

Microsoft with an HIV-injecting app, what a wonderful thought.

That would make every Patch Tuesday a highly exciting game of russian roulette - with all of Western Civilization under the gun. Oh, and a lot of China as well.

Note : the icon is sarcastic.

Infographic: The road to desktop virtualisation

Infographic

That must be the new definition of "let's throw together a bunch of stuff, make it look professional and pass it off as information".

Looking over this marketing ploy, I was confirmed in my opinion by words such as "Moving to Windows 7", "personal cloud", "hypervisors you can trust" and, my favorite, "Changing user expectations".

This thing is just a bunch of PR hogwash to impress gullible managers and rake in the dough.

Desktop virtualization is end-user freedom ? Excuse me, but in what world do Fortune 500 IT departments WANT end-user freedom ? In which bank is that even a discussion point (please tell me so that I can make sure my money isn't there) ?

I wonder if anyone in the group that put this together have noticed that more and more IT administrative tools have been (over the years since Windows NT) created and put in place to ensure that the end-user is only capable of doing _exactly_ what his central profile allows him to do and nothing more (like surfing the web, or non-company-approved sites).

Because large organizations want their employees to effing work, not prance through grassy knolls blissfully enjoying freedom. Then again, those employees who do want freedom are usually graciously encouraged with a slip in a beautifully-colored pink , so maybe there is some truth in that notion.

Facebook security hole exposes Zuckerberg's privates

"The privacy of our user's data is a top priority for us"

But of course it is - just like the mafia is very concerned by your personal security (for a price). They both want to be sure that they are the only ones to profit from you.

Skyrim update makes dragons FLY BACKWARDS

Honestly people, you should really know how it works by now

All you Skyrim players are nothing but beta testers.

I'll check out the game in a year or two, when Bethesda has got its act together and the major bugs have been ironed out.

And don't tell me I'm exaggerating - how long did it take to get Baldur's Gate working properly ?

Yeah.

Snowbound Alaskan survives on frozen beer

Luck had little to do with it

He knew what to do and how to do it. Sure, he made a mistake, don't we all, but once he knew he was stuck, he followed the survival guide as best he could and he hung on.

As far as luck was concerned, I'd say he had a string of bad luck. First, he didn't think to take the necessary precautions, knowing the dangers. Second, he got stuck out of mobile phone range. Third, his coworkers didn't get around to seriously worry about him until Tuesday, instead of Monday afternoon.

He survived the ordeal not because he was lucky, but because he had the training to deal with it - even on a bare minimum of resources.

His one bit of luck was most likely the fact that the temperatures were not in the -40°C.

Of course, most of the rest of us would probably have ended up as a popsicle, even with top-notch gear.

Greatest ever first-person shooter* brought back to life

Never knew that title

I was playing Quake, Quake II and Half-Life in those days.

I'll give it a whirl, just to find out how it is.

Kepler spots Earth-sized exoplanet ideal for barbecues

Hang on

1.3 solar masses in twice the diameter ? Isn't that eight times the volume ? That has to mean (off the top of my head) 1/5th the density of our Sun, doesn't it ?

And it's a young star - so probably burning hot, which might explain the exaggerated diameter.

Boffin icon, for obvious reasons.

Toyota unveils 'smartphone on four wheels'

Spot on

This "car" looks like a showcase of how NOT to put technology in a vehicle. It is simply a terrible idea to put all that customization at the mercy of wireless updates.

And, dare I say, it is probably a terrible idea to put all that customization into the hands of the general public. Garish interior "decorating" displaying your bad taste is fine in you own home where I will never see it. Outlandish ideas in garish colors on your car is displaying your bad taste - or a hacker's idea of a joke - for the world to see, and I am interested in neither.

Malls suspend plan to track shoppers' cellphones

"We are simply seeking to create a level playing field for offline retailers"

Should be "We are simply trying to screw people over just like on the Internet".

There, that's better.

Need for Speed: The Run

Count me out

Yet another "driving" game where the AI opponents magically suffer none of the issues the player is confronted with, and the player has to succeed perfectly in every aspect if he is to have a chance to win.

And they call that a GAME ?

Sorry guys, for me a game is something that amuses me. Constant frustration does not amuse me, and it seems this title has it in spades.

So I'll stick with NFS Porsche 2000, thank you. It's graphics may be dated, but it seems that its gameplay remains best-of-breed.

EA retreats, offers free Battlefield 1943 after all

"so many console games are gimped due to xbox's lack of HDD"

God am I old.

I remember a time when no console had an HDD.

That must have been sometime during . . . last century.

Just for the record : console will ALWAYS "gimp" games, because they are a closed platform. You can give them terabytes of HDD is you wish - a year after they come out they will be outdated and start crimping again.

Because, until a pocket computer has the processing ability to display any scene in any size with any number of particles/polygones/whatchamacallits, the better platform will always be the one that can be upgraded.

And that means the PC.

Cisco to HP: 'Stop suing former staffers'

No, no, no

You're thinking MANAGER and the article concerns EMPLOYEES.

Wrong caste my good sir.

Managers are the caste that get the good stuff whatever moronic decisions they make.

Employees are the caste that should gratefully PAY for the privilege of not being curb-stomped every Monday morning, and if they have the impudence to actually want to leave the WONDERFUL opportunity that is their employer they should rightfully fear for their lives like the scum they are.

At least, that's how it appears to be at HP.

Software maker sorry for trying to silence security researcher

"we are deeply sorry"

No you're not. You saw the 800-pound EFF gorilla coming your way and ran with your tail betwixt your legs like the bullying cowards you are. Having realized that all that blustering and fleeing happened in public, you are now desperately trying to salvage your reputation with typical PR maneuvering.

But you are fooling no one.

The Register Guide on how to stay anonymous (part 3)

Microsoft makes an excellent mass market browser

I'm sorry, but it's going to take at least two more IE versions and five years of absence of exploits and zero-day news every Monday before I even start thinking of giving any credibility to that kind of remark.

As for Windows 7, since I started using it last year I have been grudgingly forced to accept that it is indeed less of a pile of crap than XP was, and slightly more secure.

But only slightly.

Because my actual security is based on a hardware firewall and my insistence on using Firefox coupled with NoScript and a few other privacy-ensuring addons.

Oh, and my refusal to use Outlook, or to blindly click on any damn popup that tries to make me think it is important.

New human-brain chip can be adjusted for cannabis effect

Another step forward

And going straight for positronic brains, apparently.

Long Live Asimov !

Boffin icon for obvious reasons.

Rambus tumbles in antitrust reversal

Lost 60% of their stock value ?

I hope they never get it back.

I hope all the companies that they intimidated/swindled out of "licenses" will start hammering at their door to get it back.

Bring back corporal punishment - I want to see the Rambus CEO take twenty lashes.

Fingerprint scanner can detect drugs in sweat

The 5th amendment does not exist in East Anglia

I'm sure the police in East Anglia will get a good laugh if you attempt to use that argument against this technology.

But please continue posting excerpts of US law concerning subjects where it is absolutely not relevant in any way, it's always so fun to read about when nobody cares.

Now Russians can't even contact their busted Mars probe

I'm not convinced that satellites need modern CPU technology to do their job. After all, a 486 is still quite capable of receiving and sending radio messages, no need for a quad-core 3Ghz monster.

And, in space more than anywhere else, the need for proven technology is paramount. They don't need to run Crysis, so if a 486 is good enough, slap it in, shield it and sent it up.

Bloke gets wedding tackle trapped in ring

"It is amazing what situations some people end up in"

Yeah, because he was just wandering around without pants but with a boner, and happened to trip over something in the tool shed and lodge himself straight through said ring.

Total happenstance. Unbelievable string of coincidences, honest, guv.

NASA: 2012 solar flares could DEVASTATE CITIES!

Oh really ?

"There simply isn't enough energy in the sun to send a killer fireball 93 million miles to destroy Earth"

Is it just me, or does that sound like another tragic Last Word moment ?

Renault Fluence ZE

Fossile fuels have been running out for the past 60 years, so I think it's about time to drop that argument.

Especially since there are some scientists that have managed to make fuel from algae, so fuel is here to stay.

OFFICIAL: Last Western Black rhino snuffs it

“Human beings are stewards of the earth"

Yep, and they're doing their job perfectly well - for a drunk, cocaine-addled junkie, that is.

Boffins spy on iPhone screens from 200ft away

"can they carry out this analysis from composite CCTV footage?"

Just wait for next episode of CSI. Or is NCIS ? I never watch them anyways.

Open 'Facebook killer' survives on cash donations

PayPal is not your pal

A true bank cannot deprive you from accessing your money unless a court order says otherwise.

PayPal declares that it has signed the bank charter, yet it still allows itself the right to block accounts without any court order or, it would appear, any valid reason.

Deal with PayPal carefully. As long as it works, it's fine, but when it goes sour, you will suffer.

Boffinry summit names 3 new elements

Yeah, why no unotanium ?

After all, I seem to recall a film mentioning that element.

Oh wait . .

Alien city lights could be detected across interstellar space

I have a question

Independantly of the lighting issue, which is a rather interesting thread, I have a question on a different matter.

All I have read about detecting exoplanets indicates that we can only "see" them when they are between us and their Sun.

To me, that says that we see their "night" side.

Now could someone explain to me just how we are going to make the difference between a lit night-side indicative of civilization, and a dark night-side indicating nothing at all ?

At however many light-years away the planet is ?

Overshadowed as it is by its Sun's glare ?

I somehow have trouble believing that we are going to be able to make a difference, from Earth, between a civilization with night-time lighting and a planet made of rather light-coloured regolith.

Now, the day we can start those evaluations from the Kuiper belt of that planet's star, I will be overjoyed and duly impressed - if I am on the ship that is doing the surveying, that is.

Duke Nukem Forever dev slams unfair reviews

Nothing is better than Half-Life

And I'm talking about the original, dated graphics and all (there's a texture patch by the way).

The storyline, compelling action, marvellously devious AI, everything in Half-Life was tailored to perfection. Half-Life is only just as good as Half-Life, with better graphics obviously, but with the same limitations (rails, essentially).

There is no other game yet made that has ever matched the Half-Life series for AI, story or atmosphere. Not in the FPS genre in any case.

I do not hesitate to give Gearbox the credit of having made Opposing Forces, far from it. OF was a great addition to the genre, and the first game offering truly useful sidekick performance. Once again a great Half-Life AI success.

But DNF is not in the same league, it's as simple as that. Of course, the turkey Gearbox was handed is most likely heavily responsible for its current reception. But maybe the Opposing Forces developers are not there anymore either. Taking over someone's code is hard enough, taking over someone's knowledge is next to impossible.

Nude lady recreates Star Wars tauntaun scene in dead horse

"[...] didn't intend to offend anyone"

The epitaph of our civilization.

Want to avoid all private-data breaches, ever? Here's how

Interesting method

Use the biometric data to has the encryption key used to encrypt the private data.

Not only is the private data protected by the length of the encryption key (which can be extended as processing power increases), but being hashed by the biometric data that is not stored ensures that strictly no one can legally access the private data which is thus protected against intrusion and against police meddling.

I like that idea a lot.

Battlefield 3

Sorry but I won't be buying this one

At least not until LAN play is once again on the table.

EA has been continuously constraining the Battlefield franchise. In BF 1942 (the first title), you could have your LAN server, with bots if you wanted (ie not all human players) and you could choose among whatever factions were available for fighting on the map of your choice (one size).

This situation remained in the series up to and including BF Vietnam (the last patch of which controlled the foliage option for the bots and made the game a real pleasure). Then we got BF2, and the options diminished.

In BF2, you could choose map sizes to correspond to your number of players. A great option, until you found out that said option was not available for LAN players, only for official (pay-for) servers. LAN servers (ie your server) could only run the small maps for 16 players.

That was corrected by some community map makers who did a bang-up job of saying "screw that" and made the huge 64-player maps available for LAN play, with bots.

Then, of course, there was the progression system, not available for LAN players at all because you had to be on a public server to be able to use it. In itself, it was not really a problem, except that your LAN server would not allow you to play with stuff you hadn't unlocked on public servers. So you had the incredible situation of being forced to use the basic (lame) weapons on your private server. Why not the best ones ? To force you to play on public servers, of course.

So the community once again rolled up its sleeves and birthed a personal ranking server for BF2. Then the war started. With each patch and major update, EA did something that would break the personal server functionality, and the intelligent people behind said server would toil day and night to produce a patch to the ranking server in record time.

In the end, it became simply ridiculous.

Finally, with BF2 gone was the time where you could choose the factions for the maps. They were hard-coded into the map rules. Sure, there is certainly some very good explanation for that, but let's be realistic, hmm ? If they could do it in the previous versions, there really isn't any technical problem with making such freedom of choice available in BF2. I think it was to avoid certain "political" issues, like peoply whinging over the fact that some public server had Euro forces fighting against US Marines.

Now EA has entirely removed the LAN option. Maybe it's temporary (because that happened in BF2 as well, and EA relented with a patch), maybe it isn't. But one thing is certain : EA is once again doing everything it can to lock down the game and prevent people from enjoying it the way they want to. And I do not want to be subject to the mind-numbing amount of griefers and morons that infest public servers like lice.

With BF2 I did the resistance thing. I installed the official patches, and went hunting for the private ranking server patches. My friends and I played BF2 and the patch game for over two years. We had loads of fun, even though 58 out of 64 players were bots. Maybe even because of that.

I will not submit to the same shenanigans again. If EA does not open up BF3, allow LAN parties and private ranking servers, then fine. What it means is that BF3 is not a game for me and I will not buy it or play it.

The promotional material is stunning, for sure, but my friends and I have other games that are fun to play and don't limit us on purpose.

We'll find the Frostbite engine in some other game that is more gamer-friendly anyway.

Maybe it's because nobody listened to said commander in BF2 ?

Because when I played BF2 on public servers way back when, the commander was expected to do one thing : use the artillery. For the rest, he could put all the targets he wanted on the map - nobody cared a whit about complying.

Oh, and you could be certain of two things on a public server : the most obnoxious players would rush to be the commander, and the ones who lost would spend the rest of the round spamming for a removal of the guy who got the place.

All in all, a frankly annoying string of events that happened with a regularity that I prefer to forget.

Canada founded on 'relentless pursuit of beaver'

Feels like motto material to me ;)

Earth escapes obliteration by comet

Thank you for that precision, M. Yeoman

In other news, the Internet can now start panicking over how the Earth is more at danger from the subatomic particles of JPL scientists than from comets.

Tune in at 11 for details on this new threat to our lives . . .