Posts by Pascal Monett

4chan founder Moot threatens site for using his handle

"He should have picked something more unique"

I respectfully disagree.

I think he chose his handle perfectly, and this whole issue is brilliantly summed up by it.

Microsoft building poo-powered carbon-neutral data center

"cannot go offline any more than a community can stop flushing"

So that means that there will be Linux servers managing the methane production ?

Fossil reveals spider in mid-strike

Bush Jr. already proved that.

You can stop proving that point now, we get it.

Home-grown drone finds ‘missing’ hiker

ROTM note

Looks like they have the Hunter part down pat now.

Just add the Killer element from military sources, and all we need is the murderous AI to finish it all - and us with it.

Purpose of RFID finally discovered: It's for pairing up socks!

Hunks of steel tumbling around my wash/dryer and making a racket such as one has not heard since the good ol' days of next-door metallurgy, your neighbors must just love you.

Not to mention the joy of finding metal shavings all over my clothes and clogging the filter - brilliant.

No thank you, I prefer sorting my socks in peace and quiet.

Curiosity photographs evidence of ancient streams on Mars

Re: "Which survived until the late 1960's IIRC"

Wrong. I saw a documentary not long ago and the alien, named Paul, was alive and well just a few months ago when it got recovered by its fellows after a long and tense pursuit.

DARPA builds faster-than-Usain-Bolt Cheetah robot

Re: the clumsy meatbag method

It may be clumsy next to a nice set of wheels, but it comes in handy when said wheels are flat, or the terrain is totally impractical.

This speed test is certainly useful, although I personally agree that it's a lot easier to reach that speed with all the power and hydraulics removed from the beast itself.

Nevertheless, it's all about the little steps. One small success at a time, and one day we will see robot cheetahs walking all around, breaking into a run, chasing down suspects and then tearing them to shreds with their unyielding steel maws of bloody death.

The only question is, when that day arrives, who will be controlling them ?

War-Droid: Smartphone app 'that could CALL IN drone strikes'

Smartphone upgrade list is now done

I am expecting the next generation (Iphone 6 and Galaxy IV ?) to include night/thermal imaging, proper long-range optics, and laser range finders.

3,000 Guild Wars 2 gamers banned for flogging stolen loot

I like that solution.

I like it a lot.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Android tablet review

"noticeably different from the iPad – you couldn’t mistake the two"

Oh I'm sure that, for $80k+, we could arrange some sort of confusion.

1 MILLION accounts leaked in megahack on banks, websites

Indeed.

"It's only the beginning" of the FBI hunt for your sorry collars.

And they will be felt, little ones, they will be. Nobody attacks the banks, boys. Not even the government.

Seems to me that the "statistic" itself is proper reporting. What would be meaningless would be any conclusion derived from that figure.

Open source author pulls code after GPL abuse

Re: "I forgot the limitations of the English language"

I agree that there might have been a better choice of terms to start with, and that the current situation is indeed confusing linguistically-speaking.

So let's just chalk that up to American Imperialism and have a beer, okay ?

This is the Internet - you're specifically not supposed to learn anything before spouting off.

Re: "all free software is open source"

No it is not. Anyone can code a program, compile it and release the compiled executable for free, without having to reveal the code.

For example, [url=http://www.getpaint.net/]Paint.net[/url] is a free photo/image editor that isn't bad at all - and that's an understatement - but you will not find the source code anywhere.

Disable Java NOW, users told, as 0-day exploit hits web

Then again

Having re-read my initial post, I have to admit that it does sound a bit smug.

So be it, guilty as charged.

But still virus-free.

I'm not "sitting smug"

I am aware of threats and I know perfectly well that no platform, anywhere, anytime, is immune against problems.

I also have a brain and use it every time I click on a link.

That said, since I have started using Firefox with AdBlock and NoScript all those years ago, I have not once been infected by anything. That is fact, not smug, and if you don't like it I don't care.

I will continue to use Firefox/NoScript whilst keeping up-to-date about its issues and keeping it up-to-date as well because I trust it and it has never failed my trust yet.

But that does not mean I will click blindly on any link that I see or get sent to my mail.

The day IE has NoScript, I might take it for a whirl outside the very small list of URLs I let it see at this time, but until then, my general surfing will be done on Firefox, because it works.

If using a tool because it works is being smug, then so be it, I'm smug.

My PC is virus-free too.

Once again, thank you NoScript

Frankly, I'm beginning to think that Firefox and noScript should become mandatory by law.

If that ever did happen though, then this almost-perfect shield would become the hard target for all the miscreants and issues would be found.

So let the rabble continue with IE and zero protection. I'll just glide by, blissfully oblivious to the carnage until an article like this wakes me up to the fact that there are still people who don't know how to surf securely.

<disclaimer>this post concerns private use of Internet only - I am very well aware that professionals have a different set of problems, mainly that of not being able to choose their work platform</disclaimer>

Samsung fights to stay on US shelves as Apple calls for ban

Question: how many people do you know with a smartphone who have no idea how to use it, so just use it for making calls?

There, corrected that for you.

Re: "[an] attack on America's patent and court system that [..] unfairly hinder free trade"

Could somebody please make that happen ?

Pretty please ?

Cloud 'destroys time' and fracking is great innovation

the Cloud destroys time

Yup, right before destroying your data.

Seriously, I love how out-of-touch these high-level management types can appear to be. Listen to their spiel and you think the cloud is all fluffy and comfy, without delays or implementation issues of any kind. They are akin to Greek gods in Olympus, gliding miles above the issues and only seeing what they want to see.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the grunts deal with the nitty-gritty of reality, such as service response times, availability levels, bandwidth and backup, and that is before sorting out which applications and data can be put "in the cloud" and which can't, for whatever corporate reason.

And then we get to the nightmare of daily usage, when the inevitable failure occurs and the only thing the IT department can do is repeatedly dial a phone number that doesn't answer, despite all the service-level agreements and contractual obligations, until it does answer - only to hear that their data and apps have crashed and been restored to a status that was useful 3 months ago. Oh, and maybe they'll manage to get back to the current state, but God only knows if and when.

But yeah, viewed from space, Earth seems to be a pristine planet too - you don't see the oil spills, the rampant deforestation, or the clouds of pollution. From space, Earth is beautiful.

Earth to cloud, Earth to cloud, get down from your fluffy place and come meet the daily grind for a change.

Chancers try to flog lame Mac malware for $60 a pop

So it's obvious, reveals its presence, cannot survive a restart, cannot run on basic Mountain Lion settings and probably doesn't know how to phone home either.

Well all that should be reassuring, except that this is obviously just a first stage attempt from the miscreants. They're going to correct the bugs and make a more efficient version, one that will serve their purposes better.

In any case, however ridiculous this piece of failed malware may be, it is nonetheless a warning sign : the crooks are targeting Apple machines. Time to batten down the hatches in iLand.

Microsoft denies Windows 8 app spying via SmartScreen

"using the SSLv2 protocol which is known to be breakable"

Um, not to defend Microsoft in any way, but could someone please point me to a protocol that is NOT known to be breakable ?

Just for the learning experience.

Re: Of course, they are gonna deny it

If they get caught doing something, they're still going to deny it.

Whatever they do, they will deny until they have their face shoved into the proof that they did it, then they will try and make everyone believe that it was "a mistake" or "a feature in beta" or whatever else passes for an excuse in la-la-land.

Only 3% of UK's TV oglers want more sex

Re:whats the point?

The point is to not impress children's minds with the fact that such language is the preferable way to speak, even if it is unfortunately heading that way.

As for children swearing in school, of course they do and so did we all. But children do it to appear cool to their friends, not because they think it is normal. They know it is not, that it is forbidden, and that is why they do it.

And that is also precisely why watershed is necessary. PVR is under someone's personal initiative, they had to program the thing, they know what they're getting. Just blindly stumbling into profanity, sexual intercourse and suggestive nudity - not to mention bloody violence - is not something that should happen when children are supposed to be awake.

Of course, nowadays that parents no longer know when the proper hours are for children of a given age, watershed is probably still moot, but one has to at least make the effort.

Education is not just for dogs.

Shove off Prince Harry, now Norway's teen royal in fresh photo uproar

When they grow up ?

Surely you mean "if" they grow up.

Don't download that app: US presidential candidates will STALK you with it

Re: Why would you want this app anyway?

Um, we're talking about US citizens here.

Anything goes.

HTC takes another punch to the wallet, loses $40m OnLive investment

One example comes to mind

I bought Hellgate: London, a Microsoft Games For Windows thingy from EA.

Since then, EA has pulled the plug on the multiplayer servers, forcing me to play only the single-player part.

Microsoft and EA were behind this game, yet I have lost 50% of what I paid for back in the day.

Last I checked, neither Microsoft nor EA Games have declared bankruptcy, yet I can no longer play multiplayer on that game.

How's that for cloud reliability ?

Re: Its not suitable for hardcore gamers

Have you taken a look at [url=http://www.quakelive.com/#!home]Quake Live[/url] ?

Of course, not all games can be done like that, but Quake pretty much defined hardcore gaming, and its fluidity is nothing less than astonishing. I used to play Quake III on my PC - and I had to upgrade its essential components to get proper framerate and nice visuals.

With Quake Live, okay, the tech is old, but heck, I'm playing that monster in a browser ! Without installing anything !!

Beats me how they do it, but they did it.

'Sex and the female brain are connected' - shock discovery

Must. Resist. Mentioning. Black. Snake. Moan.

Dang, blew it again.

Brocade global sales boss exits, leaves soon-to-depart CEO to flog kit

"a strategic cul-de-sac"

Well it seems to me that that is a board-level issue, and if high-level staff are setting sail to greener pastures, it is a sign that the board is aggressively divided either over which direction to take (hopeful version), or who to blame (sign-of-doom version).

IEEE admits its MS-DOS history revisionist is in Microsoft's pay

So MS paid him ?

Let's see what the consequences are :

- for MS, which has soooo much dirt accumulated in its history, this is but another shell on the pile of waste in the back room

- for Ziedman, well I can only say I hope the money was good, because paid or not, his credibility is no longer worth the bag you use to clean up after the dog

Assange calls for help from … Quakers?

"citizens must whisper in the dark"

I'm pretty sure there aren't many citizens in the Western World that feel that they MUST whisper anywhere, anytime, even in the dark.

Unless you count the kinky stuff going on all over the world and, in that case, woe be he who tries to stop it.

Curiosity's laser turns Mars rocks to 'glowing plasma'

If they're that hugely advanced, they might be bright enough to not use an investigative method that is (highly) susceptible to inducing changes into what they want to investigate ?

At least not until they get the results back and discover Justin Bieber, in which case a zap with a CEO-salary-sized laser is a perfectly understandable next step.

Better onion anonymity possible: researcher

Onion routing, Garlic routing

What is this, a cookbook ?

eBay invites mystic wrath over ban on spells, potions and lotions

Wait a minute

If you can prove that in court, isn't it attempted murder ?

The Court does not need to believe, it just needs to record that she used something she believed would have that effect, so attempted murder.

At which point, of course, she goes all hysterical and says, on camera, "but it's all just nonsense !", or something to that effect.

Capture, post on YouTube and educate the masses.

She gets fined for contempt of court.

Everyone wins.

Oracle: Google impurifying media's precious bodily fluids

"they don't keep track of what their staffers post"

Yeah sure, as long as said staffers post what they're told to.

NASA picks the target for Curiosity's first road trip

Re: "not like the rocks are going to suddenly get up and walk away"

Well that's just the point . . . maybe this time they will !

Breaking news, literally: Reuters hacked third time this MONTH

What to expect ?

I know next to nothing of the news industry, but it seems to me that, once upon a time, they had people called "reporters" that went out into the wide world to get stories, then went to the nearest phone to report their finds.

Some of these people actually proved bravery far in excess of what any boss could expect, bringing back incredible tales. Some actually died for their efforts.

I suspect that things are somewhat different today if reporters are just paid interns watching blog feeds, or categorizing press releases.

Watch out, PC disk drive floggers: Cloud will rust up those spinners

Irrelevant metaphor alert !

"I don't keep all my cash in a hardware container in my house. Why should I keep my data in hardware containers in my house?"

Because :

1) Your cash is stored and taken care of by a bank that has been specifically and legally chartered with the obligation to be accountable for it - cloud providers, at best, assure you that they have extensive backup procedures, then when things go pear-shaped you find out that their backup system has put your data back to three months ago.

2) Cash is interchangeable - it doesn't matter which dollar bill you have, you still have one dollar. Data is specific and unique because I'm quite sure you hardly appreciate getting a 10Mb file of random ASCII data in replacement of the 10Mb file containing your latest report on whatever.

3) If there is a break-in at the bank, the bank is still accountable of the money it stores for you and you have personally not lost anything. If a cloud service gets hacked and its many discs get corrupted, you're up shit creek with your eyes to cry with unless you have a backup somewhere else. And you don't, do you ? Since the cloud is all pearly and beautiful.

The very nature of this article proves all the misgivings I have about cloud services, and serving up such a wrong metaphor confusing money and data and the legal structures of the services behind them, not to mention the very basic differences between them, just confirms my resolve to stay the hell away from all that cloud nonsense.

And yes, I do use Dropbox. It's a handy way to exchange files with my friends without burdening their mailboxes, but I am not in any way about to expect it to backup anything I find important.

Deadly domino effect of extinction proved by boffins

Re: I could do better, if I could be bothered

Well, it's obviously because you're not bothered that other people try.

Forgive them their inadequacy, O Illustrious One. I'm sure that, if you could just share the ideas of your insightful mind, Humanity in its entirety would make great strides in improving itself.

And please give us more of your precious insight as to how the Illuminati are controlling the world, we all need a good laugh from time to time.

DVD plus nano-rods equals security, density: researchers

Absolutely nanomight

This is science at its sexiest, no doubt about it.

Just one question though : is my GS-DVD (Gold-Sprinkled) going to take six times longer to "burn" due to all those polarization changes ?

In addition to costing me an arm and a leg for a stack of ten, of course.

Arctic ice panics sparked by half-baked sat data

Amen to that !

'Kill switch' flaw found in top web weapon, victims sigh with relief

There is no way to be sure they CAN "stay in".

Fraudsters nick BILLIONS from China's e-commerce Wild West

Lo and behold

And so starts the education of users of the East.

In time, they will get angry. Legitimate companies will start beating a path to a "level playing field". Finally, standards will be put in place and, one fine day, scammers and con artists will have to find some other haven to operate under because China will no longer be safe for them. Because fleecing the West is fine, obviously, but conning their own ? That will not wash.

It will take time, but it will happen - and when it does, China will find that copyright and commercial protection is not such a bad idea after all.

Hopefully, they will not make the same mistakes we did, and they will avoid awarding dead mouse rights to some greedy corporation for centuries at a time.

Hong Kong tycoon sues Google search for defamation

So, he's corrupt and been convicted, but doesn't want anyone to know ?

And the sun rises at what time tomorrow, exactly ?

That said, if push comes to shove I think Google has more combat reserves (meaning money, of course) than said shady tycoon - although I have no idea of how much it is willing to use to fight him.

After all, he's just a blip on the radar - tycoon or not - and not really worth spending mounds of cash on.

YouTube escapes Google's piracy site smackdown

Well, as of this posting, "New Google tool lets you PROBE YOURSELF" gets your article at the first position on the first page.

Lone config file in Mac OS X SIGNALS DEATH OF THE DVD

Re: "multiple NAS servers"

Yeah, I'm sure everyone has that at home.

Climate change blamed for rise of life-draining horrors*

I love listening to that video.

Re: "The natural state for this planet"

The natural state for this planet is that it started at several thousand degrees Kelvin in a cloud of asteroid bits conglomerating together, and it is now in the process of shedding its considerable heat into the void of space.

Therefor, barring being swallowed by the sun in several billion years, it will end up at the global temperature of 3 Kelvin, same as background radiation, in eons upon eons of time.

So, basically put, there will be more ice on the poles before it all ends, mark my words.