Posts by Peter Depledge

Internet of Sh*t has an early 2017 winner – a 'smart' Wi-Fi hairbrush

Re: Truly a hair-raising story...

Check out the teardown of the dyson hair dryer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-vJxez9UF8&t=2s - NSFW (language)

How IT are you? Find out now in our HILARIOUS quiz!

Re: I went to university down in Brighton...

I, too was a student in B right on. Only it was a poly in those days.

The West St (IIRC) scientologists were already a fixture and much mocked...

Sure, encrypt your email – while your shiny IoT toothbrush spies on you

Re: Orwell

One of the main themes in 1984 is that we are in a continuous state of war. This is used as the reasoning behind the spying, monitoring and the use of the memory hole in creating the history to show who and why we are at war.

Any of this sound familiar? There was a brief lull in war when the cold war ended, but now with The War Against Terrorism we're back in a state of Total War. All this added security is to fight TWAT and if you disagree with it, you are either a terrorist, or you need to be educated by Big Brother.

See 2+2=5

Victory gin all-round

Land Rover's return: Last orders and leather seats for Defender nerds

Re: "Body in White"

"Body in White" is simply that. the body is assembled and primed.

All LR bodies (not sure about the monocoques) are primed in white primer.

That's why LR Experience used to use white vehicles for their off road training courses. Other colours show the scratches more. eg green topcoat is scratched to reveal white primer.

BOFH in mugnificent return to Cash'n'Carrion

Re: T-shirts, please!

"Could you see it in your hearts to bring back the O'Really shirts? Mine are becoming a bit worn."

Like these?

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/oreally_distributing_clue_to_users_t_shirts-235511391856104833

No idea who the copyright holder is or whether permission has been granted etc.

LOHAN sponsor Lucidica explains the benefits of being French

Re: French Foreign Legion

...Not actually French.

That's one of the qualifiers - you need to be foreign (to France).

Paris, cos, well it's France innit.

Routine WHAT NOW? Bank of England’s CHAPS payment system goes TITSUP

Title is now optional

Ah. Good ole Bobby Tables.

http://xkcd.com/327/

Hands on with Canon's EOS-1D X full-frame DSLR

It's nice, but..

I'll still hang on for the rumoured 5d mk3.

Oh, and the max iso is 512000 ( well it was on the one I played with).

And large sensors give you shallower depth of field for your movies.

@ hammar:

Cameras are tools, well at this level anyway. looks doesn't really come into it, and a touch screen for focus selection is no good when its against your face.

Labour to push for broadband tax before election

<title>

When can we expect to see 50p tax per month on electricity, gas and water bills? I live in a 'rural community' ie in the sticks and we have no access to mains gas or sewage. Our 'lectric is a bit flakey, too come to think of it.

I knew this when I move in and accepted it. Like the way I'm quite happy with my 2Mb ADSL speed.

I don't want or need anything faster. Especially if BT are offering it.

Quite frankly, Mr Darling, you can stick this tax up yer ar$e.

Boffins build super-accurate atomic clock

Oh, I need a title

Why do I get the impression that these comments will form an episode of the Big Bang Theory?

Paris, cos there's no Penny icon

Fresh tech hiccup for V-22 tiltrotor fleet

Quick fix for operations

I would have thought that for operations in theatre a quick fix/workaround involving lock-wire and/or locktite* (other brands of thread locking compound are available) would keep the Marines flying for now.

*unless it is a locktite issue. It doesn't work with heat as any fule no.

Paris, 'cos she's tightened a few nuts in her time...

Scottish Parliament pr0n law faces angry opposition

Morals?

Yours, not mine.

Pornography is fine with me, BDSM included (although not my thing). As long as it's consenting adults.

But then, I don't get my morals from a book. I work them out for myself. Perhaps the MSP's should also work them out or ask their constituents.

I find indoctrination particularly immoral.

Lords, MPs go down on to the Erotic Awards

Guardians of our morals

Nu Labour appear to be guarding our morals by protecting us against 'extreme' pronography and their current approach to prostitution, yet they preside over the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and sti's in Europe.

Well done, Gordon. Think of the children.

Council to crack down on Cracknuts Lane

Lewes - PC?

Does Lewes still resound to the chant of 'Kill the Pope' every 5th November? It certainly used to. Does the council still encourage visitors to the town's bonfire night celebrations?

Pot, Kettle etc

Robo-flower wilts as power burns

OK, I'll bite

And how much power does said flower use?

Channel 4 in Heathrow Playmobil reconstruction shocker

Ah here it is.

I've been waiting all week for this story. And here it is where it should be. On a Friday afternoon. Excellent

Data centers embrace The Great Outdoors

Pah!

I was dong this 15 year ago when the heat exchanger for the 3081 failed. Open the windows at one end of the machine room, and the loading bay doors at the other end, and let the breeze through.

Put the PFY by the doors to keep out curious users and bob's yer uncle

The need for secure data centres really killed off ambiant air cooling, now we have to use forced air cos open windows* aren't secure.

* Insert your own Microsoft joke here.

BAE 'skips a generation' in killer robot tech

Chinook

You just had to squeeze that in didn't you Lewis?

Perhaps the MOD should just buy Chinooks and nothing else.

Science MPs horrified by UK bio-lab management

@ Lars

Wow that's news to me. Sources, please.

3G iPhone not ready for the enterprise?

Re: slOw2

My smartphone (SE P1i) conencted to O2's network at 240Kb/s last night. While not lightning fast, it's better than EDGE's 135Kb/s you quote. and fine for simple browsing.

And I have an 'unlimited' (fair use of 2GB per month) data allowance contract. I've used the 2GB and more per month on several occasions with not a peep out of O2.

Coat, etc

UK begins probe into aeroplane air quality

A321 as control

How about air *outside* the aircraft as a control. Sure include the A321 as a subject given that the 757 and 146's have a reputation for filling the cockpit/cabin with oil fumes. The A321 can be sampled as a 'clean' aircraft.

With the A321 as a control, all the study can show is whether the air inside a 757 and 146 is cleaner or dirtier than that in and Airbus, and by how much.

The base assumption is that the air inside the A321 is clean, when it might not be. Increased CO2 levels anyone?

This smells (pun intended) of airline PR at worst, or bad science at best.

Aussie droid planes in Barbados hurricane probe

2000 miles on a tankful

Just as well these UAVs have got a good range. Hurricanes tend to swing well to the noth of Barbados ('53 exepted) unless the NOAA's know something we don't.

Still, Florida or Barbados? I know which I'd choose. (Apartment in Holetown, please. Not too far from Cocomos)

mine's the one with the high SPF.

Sikorsky X2 superwhirlybird enters ground spin-up phase

Racket

So a Rotodyne is too noisy for a couple of minutes until the transition to forward flight generates enough lift, but Wokkas* are fine being noisy all the time?

* Chinook, in case you didn't know.

Airbus jets could be converted to fuel-cell propulsion

@ Anton

The only aircraft I know that has a system to spin-up wheels before landing is a Cessna Citation (I'de be interested to learn of others). Then it's only on the nosewheel as an option and uses compressed air to turn the wheels. There are plenty of patents for finned wheels to allow the aircraft's movement through the air to spin wheels, but I can't find examples in use.

I agree that electric motors could be used for regenerative braking, but the energy transferred from kinetic to electric must go somewhere. The aircraft's batteries seem the obvious choice for this, but the batteries must have sufficient capacity to store the energy from the electric braking. So the aircraft must land with partially/mostly discharged batteries. Friction brakes would still be required for landings or rejected take-offs with charged batteries.

All adds up to more weight. More weight == more fuel needed

A weighty issue

So how much weight would these electric motors, wiring, control system, strengthened undercarriage add?

And then, how much extra fuel would it take to carry this extra weight around the world between airports?

Flame icon for all that extra fuel burning...