Posts by IanKRolfe

Feds tell (other) feds to kill net neutrality

Neutrality

I have a problem deciding on the Net Neutrality thing. On the one hand, I appreciate the idea that data is data, and ISP's shouldn't be poking their noses into what it is that you're doing, and I can see the bad possibilities that a two-tier internet gives for freedom of expression and privacy, but on the other hand I find it increasingly irritating that the internet is becoming slower and slower because billions of kids are too cheap to actually pay for the music they listen to. Before I moved, the high speed cable internet I paid for was rendered practically useless for large parts of the day because the kids next door where amassing a music and video collection that was ten times larger than they'd ever have time to watch/listen to in their lifetime.

Now, get off my lawn!

Boffins develop quantum-computer building block

Gets my vote

Any Reg article that uses "Boffin" /and/ "Egghead", and then goes onto reference PTerry, gets 10/10 from me. And if it manages to wind up our colonial cousins, that's all the better!

If you want serious, in-depth and humourless coverage of science and technology, why not try New Scientist or the Popular Mechanics website.

Google launches US wireless crusade

@john blackley

"..what benefit accrues to the United States from adhering to 'Global systems'?"

Well, first of all, it means that US companies would find a home market for consumer electronics that they could also sell abroad. That means US customers would likely be able to get those products cheaper, and also have access to products manufactured abroad. Which is probably why those US manufacturers lobby so hard to NOT use global standard equipment.

European and Japanese companies sell millions of euro/yen/dollars worth of equipment abroad. Few US companies do, unless they are actually manufactured by european/far east subsiduries, in which case workers in the US see no benefit whatsoever.

There was a time when US electronics companies where big names in Europe, now they are largely distant memories, or 'brands' being used by far-east companies.

IronKey 1GB secure USB Flash drive

@Quinn

Look here - Install firefox on your cheapo USB stick. No need for the ironkey, if you're not worried about the encryption thingie.

http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

Nashville strippers finger net forger

Easy

Well, the blocks on scanning currency are a recent phenomenon. If you are of criminal intent, eBay or similar could source you an old scanner and an old copy of photoshop, Paintshop pro or similar. Or you could download GIMP. But I wouldn't guarantee this scheme would work, as forging money in a convincing fashion is virtually impossible without spending tons of cash on a proper intaglio press and getting the correct inks and paper - It just wont look or feel right. If this guy's idea of an ideal way to spend his ill-gotten gains was to go to a strip club then I'd guess he probably hasn't spent a lot on print gear or computer hardware recently.

PS:

So, how do you know your epson scanner won't scan currency? Are you a turrist or something? I'd advise you to report yourself to the police while you still have the chance!!!

Rentokil to set Q Branch on UK's rats

Interesting quote

Kenrick elaborated: "There is more rubbish on the street, discarded burger and kebab boxes, *****and bins are not collected as often.**** But there's also the weather. The milder winter means more wasps, rats, and mice are surviving, and with the wet weather mice are more likely to seek shelter in the home."

So those geniuses in local govt want to reduce frequency of collection and charge people for collecting. So whats the problem a few million more rats when people decide that they'd rather fly tip their kitchen waste than have it rotting in bins behind their house for a fortnight before being charged to have it taken away?

Perhaps we should just fit all the feral cats that seem to be filling Britain's streets with frikken laser beams and be done with the problem!

Petrol latte for Kiwis in dairy biofuel push

Re: Re: Luddite opinion

"If you know of any progress that has been made in solving the problem of nuclear waste I'd love to hear it. "

Integrated Fast Breeder Reactors. Process their own nuclear waste "on site", producing very small quantities of waste that decays to the radioactivity of the original ore in 200 years (OK, not great, but better than the million years of it's predecessors).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integral_Fast_Reactor

Development was canned in 1994 because the then newly elected Democrat politicians were afraid that it might lead to proliferation of nuclear weapons despite that it was technically more difficult to extract weapons-grade fissile materials from it than other kinds of reactor.

Or maybe it was the Oil lobby scared of the arrival of a new, clean, power source....

Surface computers: debunking Microsoft and Han

Frustrated TIR

New tech?? I built "hi tech" switches in 1975 (I was 12!) by using an edge-lit piece of perspex and several OCP71 phototransistors. Worked a treat (as long as the room was dark!!). I got the idea from an even older copy of Radio Constructor...

OK using a camera to "look" at the glass/plastic surface is clever, but it's hardly a new paradigm.

Strange spoofing technique evades anti-phishing filters

Windoze security

Mr Urmston - Why criticise people for saying "It never happens to me" and then 4 paragraphs later say essentially the same thing?

Anyway, the whole windows vs Linux debate is getting rather old now. The only real difference between modern Linux and Modern Windows is not in capability - both are capable of being equally secure - it's just that on the whole Linux comes secure out of the box, and people have to learn to 'relax' it, whereas Windows comes with all the bells and whistles enabled, all the doors open and no security, and it takes the user time to learn how to tighten it up to make it safe.

The real underlying problem is that the whole industry has become obsessed with "chrome". 99.9% of the PC owning public use their computer for a small number of tasks - surfing the web, reading email, chatting on AOL, violating copyright law and downloading porn. You don't need bleeding edge technology to do that.

I once dreamed that Linux would be as easy to use as Windows - now that dream has come true, because I no longer have the time to understand the 1001 subsystems that have been bolted on to windows!!

Gov claims mobile phone theft waning as penalty rises

Alternatively...

Mobile phones are sooooo 2005. The yobs are stealing MP3 players now - why steal a mobile and have to go to all the trouble and cost of reprogramming it, when you can nick a player, get more money for it when you sell it, and hopefully also net a gigabyte of free MP3's?