Posts by Pascal Monett

South Korea 'puts the brakes' on Google's app store dominance

Re: I'm confused

No, it is not. This is a case of a local Play Store being created, and Google saying "if you put your apps there, we will delist them here", in other words, Google is using its muscle to choke local options.

You may not care about local options, but Google is not a South Korean company, which means, in my mind, there are things it does not understand. A local option should be a good thing to have, and I do not see that Google has the moral right to throw the toys out of the pram on this.

This is about Google wanting every single cent that can be made, when Google already has its own money printing machine.

It's about greed, and how to curtail it.

I say bravo to South Korea.

Singapore opens to stablecoins – once they jump through some hoops

Re: Worst of both worlds

"any cryptocurrency where the user can appeal to a central authority to rectify errors doesn't offer that user total control over their tokens"

I don't see where users had total control over their tokens in the various funny money "exchange" crashes we've seen recently.

But hey, if you want to play with fire, go right ahead. Just don't come crying when you get burned.

Lost voices, ignored words: Apple's speech recognition needs urgent reform

Interesting column

I'm happy that Dragon still has a life somewhere, and that people who really need it can still use it. I've always heard good things about Dragon. Nice to see the fire is still alive.

That said, there are some issues which, I think, could be easily solved. The proper noun issue would go away if, when recording a new one, you had the option to Always Capitalize. That should be rather simple to implement.

The issue with Will, or The Sun, is simple to comprehend : the product is not aware of the contect in which it is working. It "hears" something, and code happily goes to the nearest match and, bingo, you've got Will, a person, when you're talking about your will to do something. Maybe, before using the match, the product could detect that more than one possibility exists, and popup its proposal to which you could just say no ? I have no idea how practical that would be, and it would certainly complicate things in all the other cases that work fine.

But before proposing The Sun, the product could have a basic notion of how many times the user has already wrote about newspapers. If it's never, then maybe don't do that automatically ?

Or better : allow the user to invalidate a match. No, I never talk about The Sun, stop using that match.

That shouldn't be too difficult to implement, should it ?

Bad software destroyed my doctor's memory

"radically alter the workflow of medical professionals, without their input"

And there is the problem. You do not design an interface without spending some time with the people who are supposed to use it and learning about how they work.

Designing a product without ever talking to its users is a high sign of arrogance, these days. That only works when you are creating something that never existed before.

The word processor is a perfect example. When the first word processors came out, nobody had ever even dreamt of it. There was no one to talk to, because it was an entirely new product.

Today, if you embark on making a new word processor, you hardly need to talk to anybody because if it doesn't work like Word, you're up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

So you're designing a product to "help" doctors ? Go talk to a doctor. Find out what they need and how they work, and then go back to the office and wrack your brain to find out how you can replicate that in your UI.

Not doing that just makes your product useless, and at the mercy of anybody who understands the issue and gives two hoots about it.

Bank of Ireland outage sees customers queue for 'free' cash – or maybe any cash

Re: It's a bank, of course it's not free money

They don't need to say it.

It's obvious that any money withdrawn will be money debited from the account and, if you don't actuallw have that money, you'll have to give it back when your account sees the extra money removed.

It's disheartening to realize that people can still believe that, just because there's a bank error, it's party time.

No people. There was a bank error. It WILL be corrected.

If I do ever see some unexpected sum on my bank account, I will wait a few days to be contacted by whomever it was that sent the money. If days, then weeks go by without any contact, then I will cautiously start believing that maybe, just maybe, I can actually keep it.

But I'm not going to rush the same day or the next to an ATM to extract some of that. It's not mine until I'm sure. And even then, the possibility that someone will come a-knocking to get it back will always loom over that money.

Boffins reckon Mars colony could survive with fewer than two dozen people

"neurotic, reactive, social, or agreeable"

I note that they did not include psychopath or sociopath in the selection list.

We may have screening tools available that can weed out sociopaths, but I doubt that a truly determined psychopath can be detected before its too late.

I'm sure a true psychopath would learn what it is a screening process looks for and adapt his behavior to avoid detection. Then, when on Mars, it would be game time and he could set up dozens of different "experiments" to drive everyone crazy before starting to kill.

And beware sending any psychiatrist over there. It's the golden ticket for a psychopath.

Red Hat's Mexican standoff: Job cuts? Yes, but we still need someone to boot Linux

I don't get that

"for some of them, enabling UEFI boot is either still in beta or remains an extra-cost option"

Okay, to have an option that is in beta is perfectly normal, no issues there (although you might want to get something done to push it into full relase one day).

But to have something that works and is apparently sorely needed (those UEFI motherboards are already out there) and you don't bake it into your release ?

This is Linux, not Windows or Apple. Get that into your codebase and tout it loud and clear. Isn't that supposed to be a technical advantage over your rivals ?

Can you raise $100M+ from AI investors with no product? SEC says yes

97 bucks ? Really ?

I guess it wasn't a bad idea (since it worked), but if you come to me asking for an investment, I expect to be putting a lot more money than that.

When the guy I knew asked me to become his business partner, the entry ticket was €5000.

You sing the praises of your business plan and then ask me for not even a hundred bucks and I'm going to laugh all the way to the door.

Florida Man and associates indicted for conspiracy to steal data, software

I've got one : bullshitter.

Re: Gore took that all the way to the Supreme Court

Yes, but he did not arrange and incite an insurrection when he shown the door.

He did things the legal way, and it was handled legally. He might not have liked the decision, but he abided by it.

Trump abides by nothing as long as he can get away with it.

It is high time he is stopped from getting away with it.

Apparently, Republicans are strong champions of whatever they think is favorable to them at the time you ask them the question.

Fifteen minutes later, it can change.

Well they didn't do that, now did they ?

Cage match: Zuck finally realizes Elon is full of twit

Pathetic

Musk is killing his reputation faster than he is ruining himself.

Re: Fifteen-year-old

So, Musk is 15 years old.

That's what you're saying ?

Hmm. Yep. It fits.

FTX crypto-clown Sam Bankman-Fried couldn't even do house arrest. Now he's in jail

He really can't just shut the fuck up, can he ?

It is clear that this guy will do anything to get his way. He wanted easy money, he did whatever he could to get it. Now he's caught and he knows he's going to jail, so once again he'll do whatever he can to get out of this pickle.

Personally, I'm surprised he hasn't murdered anyone yet. Maybe because of house arrest.

In any case, I absolutely doubt that paying his debt to society will be lesson enough. I expect to hear about him again soon after his release, whenever that is.

Judge denies HP's plea to throw out all-in-one printer lockdown lawsuit

"an HP support agent told a user"

Well that's one guy who's almost certainly not working at HP any more.

I have abandoned ink a long time ago. I have a Samsung SCX-4600 laser printer, bought in 2017. I don't need to print in color, and I hardly need to print, so when I do need to print, toner doesn't dry up and block me. And when I need to scan, it works, whatever the amount of toner.

I suggest people rethink their printing needs. There are very few actual cases where you need a color copy fo anything, and in our digital age today, a color scan will likely be more useful.

And every scanner scans in color.

Maker of Chrome extension with 300,000+ users tells of constant pressure to sell out

"Our focus is on user privacy"

That coming from an ad company.

There are times when I regret that a response cannot be accompanied by a mandatory .44 Magnum, cocked and ready to fire when the response is read.

HashiCorp's new license is still open source-ish, just with less free lunch

Ah, Open Source

I still don't really understand these arguments. You started Open Source, free for all. Now that you have business people telling you that you can make mint out of that code, you're switching allegiance.

That feels more than a bit like a bait-and-switch to me. I'm pretty sure that, if their code had not garnered interest outside of the ham radio community (just an example), they wouldn't have bothered.

But no, they started Open Source so everyone could benefit and marvel at all they could do with the code, and now that they're successful, oh, hey, you should pay now.

I think there needs to be some honesty in the Open Source realm, as in new projects should clearly state if their intention is to monetize and change licenses down the line.

And, in any case, I don't think it is fair to put a blanket change on the code. You want to change license ? Fine. State that, as of YYYY/MM/DD, the last version under Open Source is the current NN.XXX.ZZZZ-WWWW (version numbers are such a hassle these days), and as of version BB.FFFF, the license changes to pay as you go (or whatever).

That would be more honest for everyone, and much less hypocritical for the company.

The other solution, of course, is to always be wary of a company offering code as Open Source. You just know that, if they become successful, they're going to change. For the worst (as far Open Source is concerned).

Want to pwn a satellite? Turns out it's surprisingly easy

I sense the plot of the next James Bond film in the making . . .

Electoral Commission had internet-facing server with unpatched vuln

"highly privileged Active Directory accounts by default"

For am email server. How typical of Borkzilla.

We don't know how to do security efficiently, so let's just give email all the privileges and it will work. What's the worst that could happen ?

Hey Nadella, here's a challenge : get Exchange working on Linux.

That'll teach you a thing or two about actual security.

Magento shopping cart attack targets critical vulnerability revealed in early 2022

GoogleShoppingAds

They'd be out of luck with me. I'd block that based on the name alone.

Zoom's new London hub – where 'remote work' meets 'we need you back in the office'

I think it is the perfect time to start a new company : Gloom

Gloom will be all about meeting and conference rooms. Not virtual, real.

Perfectly equipped, comfortable chairs, companies will be able to book rooms for 2 to 200 people, who will present themselves at reception with the online voucher. Once authenticated in person, they will be led to the reserved room and will be able to have their meeting/conference during the allotted time.

Meetings that drag on beyond allotted time will be subject to a penalty every 15 minutes after end of allotted time. The amount will depend on the room size and number of occupants.

Gloom is necessary to offset the fatigue that comes with online meetings. Your employees will be more alert, more involved, and get more work done.

Lock-in to legacy code is a thing. Being locked in by legacy code is another thing entirely

"You deserve this more than me"

That must be the first time I have ever even just read about a boss saying those words.

It's incredible, so much so that I firmly believe that, no sooner had he said those words, a wormhole to a different universe opened to return him to whence he came, because that guy didn't belong in this one.

US Cyber Command boss says China's spooky cyber skills still behind

Re: What the actual #***?

Well, to be fair, he's only been in command of the NSA since May 2018, so he's only been "jolted awake" after 5 years, not 74.

I do notice, however, that he mentioned a meat packing plant (JBS), but no mention of hospitals.

One would think that hospitals would be a bigger priority for National Security than meat packing plants.

Think International Space Station dust is obviously free of bad chemicals? Wrong

Another good point for having built the ISS

Yes, it cost a fortune, but we are learning new things all the time, and not just concerning space.

New Zealand supermarket's recipe-generating AI takes toxic output to a new level

Woah there !

"People would actually have to follow through with the instructions – and ingest the cursed meals or beverages it recommended – for the technology to be really dangerous"

Never underestimate Joe User's ability to follow instructions. It's on the Internet ! It has to be true ! And the site wouldn't post it if it was really harmful, right ? There is nothing harmful on the Internet, right ?

So let's start mixing this cyano-bleach-polonium tea. It says that the taste is unique !

Chinese web giants go on $5B Nvidia shopping spree to fuel AI ambitions

No, we can't all get along

What is this obsession with increasing the amount of land under a country's control ?

There is no more land to grab that is useful and not already inhabited, so grabbing more means going to war. And that means sacrificing thousands of lives, on both sides, lives which would have served much better growing the economy. However the war in Ukraine ends, tens of thousands are dead. Useless deaths that will be sorely missed when the time comes to rebuild and make everything whole again.

Shameful waste of everything.

Stop oogling your neighbor's stuff. Until your own citizens are swimming in milk and honey, you've got better things to do at home.

And when they are swimming in milk and honey, they won't need to go get more next door.

Infosec imposter syndrome is real. Here's something that can help

Somehow, I doubt that someone truly incompetent worries too much about being incompetent.

He's incompetent, so he doesn't know how incompetent he is.

To actually worry about being incompetent, I think you have to have a pretty good idea of what you should be competent at.

CISA boss says US alliance with Ukraine over past year is closer than Five Eyes

"The answer is planning ahead"

And therein lies the problem.

Politicians today do not plan ahead. They react, mostly badly (and that goes for practically every country, not just US/UK).

If China does invade Taiwan, the US is likely going to get a heaping helping of trouble. Then politicians will cry that nothing has been done.

Yeah, well start doing it now.

Don't shoot! DARPA wants to capture future spy balloons in one piece

Re: Prototype High Altitude Recovery Vehicles (HARVEE) exist already.

The article states that the altitude of concern is over 60,000 feet.

I did a quick search and found that helicopters have a cieling of 25,000 feet, so completely useless for this task.

A cargo airplane can fly higher (the article states 40,000), but that does not mean they all can and that certainly does not mean that a slow cargo plane is designed for operating at 60,000 feet. It's useless to fly cargo that high.

The article clearly states that the only jet plane that can operate at that altitude is a fighter jet (the F-22 being one of the few), and they are not made to intercept balloons floating at mere feet per second.

I think a laser is indeed the best weapon. Put a prick in the envelope, let it sink gradually and then catch it with a skyhook. Won't cost billions, will work every time.

Microsoft OneDrive a willing and eager 'ransomware double agent'

"Since there's no actual malware installed on the target machine"

Wait, there's Windows, isn't there ?

Of course malware vendors aren't going to detect OneDrive shenanigans. It's Borkzilla software, it can't go wrong !

NASA to test potential 400Mbps laser link for Mars

And that is the beginning of the Galactic Internet

Until the HoloNet is finally activated, that is.

Here's to millions of cat videos being transmitted all over the Solar System !

Pope goes fire and brimstone on the dangers of AI

"Have you not seen the movies where they kill us all?"

Of course not. They pay to make the movies, not to watch them.

They are busy people. They have no time to watch movies.

Too many hookers and lines of blow . . .

It may have helped the reformation, but if I'm not mistaken, the Bible is still the #1 book being printed every year.

Which Bible is a different question.

Strawman argument.

A Church is a public place specifically designed to welcome all who enter.

You neighbor's house is private property.

You really shouldn't confuse the two.

Get your staff's consent before you monitor them, tech inquiry warns

"and freed them up to focus on more sophisticated tasks beyond the scope of automation"

So, are Amazon employees finally getting bathroom breaks, or do they still have to pee in plastic bottles ?

Because if AI hasn't improved on that, then tell me again what it is good for.

Indeed. The general approach, in my opinion, is : you signed the employement contract, didn't you ? So you consent (or else you can find employement elsewhere).

It is so easy to resort to the facist approach. You avoid a lot of time spent wondering about consequences . . .

Larry Ellison a major contributor to Blair Institute vaccine database plan

"It was a disaster which was stopped early in 2011"

So you see, you can stop throwing good money after bad.

Apparently though, you cannot make a good plan for healthcare IT.

Or for ERP software.

Shame, that.

Infosys launches 'sonic identity' – an aural logo to 'reinforce brand purpose'

Indeed.

An "auditory reinforcement of our unique brand identity" ?

Sorry, no. My work PC is muted.

Don't bother trying better.

Most distant observed star is blue – and it isn't alone

JWST living up to the expectations

May JWST long bring us more information on distant stars and cosmic events.

US Supreme Court allows 'ghost guns' to fall under federal purview

"suspected ghost guns"

How can one not immediately see that it is a 3D-printed gun ?

Are they so well made these days that you can mistake them for the real thing ?

And the lack of serial number having been filed off is not a tell-tale sign ? Why tip-toe around that particular bush ?

Say it like it is, officer, everyone knows what you're talking about.

I don't think that they're actually "allowing" them, they're making ghost guns harder to make.

Of course, they're not making them illegal either, but this is the Land of the Nutjobs and, as soon as you even just mention gun control in theory, the mass of foaming-at-the-mouth, you'll-get-my-gun-when-you-pry-it-out-of-my-cold-dead-hands springs into action and immediately starts their regular religious chant of loudly proclaiming that their liberty is dependent on them having the means to quickly and noisily kill someone they don't like.

As long as that section of the population has not been put to rest, these shenanigans will continue.

Ukraine's Victor Zhora: Russia's cyber 'war crimes' will continue after ground invasion ends

cyber "war crimes"

In a word, no.

A war crime is a horrendous ending of human life. A DDOS attack is not that, even when Russian hackers are involved.

I have all the sympathy for Ukraine's current plight, but let's not cheapen the true horrors of war just to to the anti-Putin rhetoric going on.

Never mind room temperature, LK-99 slammed as 'not a superconductor at all'

"a very highly resistive poor quality material"

I wonder what pushed those guys at the Quantum Energy Research Centre in Seoul to publish something that wrong.

Is this a case of they were genuinely convinced their data was good and made a mistake, or is it that they just wanted their names in the papers ?

Because they had to know that such a claim would be verified, and after the cold fusion scandal, there is no chance that they could just do a "you're trying it wrong" and get away with it.

Now they're not supplying the samples they promised. Another bad mark on this so-called research center.

I don't know if they're ever going to "find" anything or anything else, but if they do, they'd better find somebody else's name to put on the paper, because theirs is burned for all eternity (well, at least until the Internet dies).

Lawsuit: We've got the stats to prove Twitter ax fell unfairly on older, female engineers

Re: A tough sell

I think Twitter's legal pockets are anything but bottomless.

Of course, layoffs are regularly unfair in the so-called Land of the Free, especially when big names are concerned, but Twitter's financial freedom has never been great, and the arrival of the chief twat didn't help things by far.

The fact that Musk has stopped paying his bills is telling. A company that doesn't pay its bills is a company that is going to shut down. And that is going to happen now that there are lawyers getting involved pushing judges to force Twitter to pay.

The bonfire is growing, get your marshmallows now !

Palantir lobbied UK pensions department for its software to tackle fraud

Palantir to tackle fraud

Somehow, that strikes me as an ultimate irony.

TSMC and pals chip in for €10B German fab

At least Germany has water

Contrary to some fab implementation decisions these past few months.

Still, isn't it nice to be big enough to have countries willing to pay you for putting some money on the table ?

If I were to decide to mount an office for myself in, say, Switzerland, I doubt very much that phoning up the Chamber of Commerce in Bern and asking for a million Swiss Francs would bring me anything but, at best, a hearty chuckle and best wishes.

IBM gives z/OS an AI infusion in major upgrade aimed in part at easing admin chores

"infused into the operating system"

It's IBM, not Borkzilla, so I do hope that this "infusion" has been seriously tested, but still.

Adding a black box to admin privileges is something that, as a network admin, would make my skin crawl.

Verizon to 'sunset' Blue Jeans vidconf platform

Re: Streaming is a commodity.

If, by anyone, you mean a competent IT person, then yes. But can that be easily made to function with a company-wide contact list and joining multiple meetings between multiple people who only to click on the invitation to join ?

Or is this a case of here's the URL, type it in your browser and add your userID to join ?

Because that will not work well for most people, I'd wager.

$500 million

Verizon spent half a billion on a video chat service I have never heard of - even during the pandemic.

Did it make any money out of this acquisition, and if so, how much ?

Because to me at least, it looks like money down the drain.