* Posts by The Voice of Reason

34 publicly visible posts • joined 21 Aug 2008

Blighty's black honeybee comes in from the cold

The Voice of Reason
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Why bother with research?

Bees aren't important.

Not unless you think that what they help the survival of is important ; flowers, plants, other insects & animals, & oh yes, the food we eat.

Google suffers international outages, slowdowns

The Voice of Reason
Happy

No Complaints Here

To my mind, as far as free web services go, Google provides amongst the best, & widest range there is (besides El Reg's, of course!)

iPhone users to walk and read at same time

The Voice of Reason

Useful aid for muggers

Nice. It should be a whole lot easier now if I wanted to nick one of those things. I just have to look out for some fool walking down the street holding one out in front of him, whilst oblivious to what's really going on around him.

If they must do emails etc on the move, perhaps they should try speech recognition?

US Forces 'black' budget = 2nd biggest military on Earth

The Voice of Reason
Unhappy

OMFG

$490bn xwastedx spent on US forces?!! ....I feel sick just thinking about it.

$60bn xwastedx spent on UK forces?!! ....WTF! Given our size as a nation, this confirms we must have a Little Napoleon complex.

Just think of all the far better, more worthy causes we could have spent our hard-earnt taxes on. We could have bailed out an incompetent, worthless bank with that sort of money. Oh no, wait, we already did that as well.

Google auto-links YouTube, Google accounts

The Voice of Reason
Flame

That's not all

As with YouTube, I always try to make sure I log out of my Gmail account before using the Google Search facility, so that yet more linked & unnecessary data about me isn't gathered & stored.

But until the other day, I hadn't realised that if I happened to have a logged-in Gmail window open while in another browser window I was performing a Google Map search, then that data was also being linked & logged. When I recently explored some of the additional facilities hidden in Google Maps, I discovered a log of all the map searches I had made for the past year! This is despite the fact that I clear my internet cache of cookies & all other data daily, so the log could only have been made by Google through use of my Gmail account & it being open at the times the searches were made. I had liked leaving my Gmail logged-in so that I can keep checking my Inbox, but I guess that will have to stop now & I'll have to start using a separate email client again.

So OK, the hidden log facility could be useful on occasion, should I wish to perform an old map search without retyping the details. And OK, I have the ability to now delete the log (now that I know about it) so that it can't be viewed on my computer any more (though whether it ever gets deleted from Google's own database is another matter). But what really annoys me is that until now, I had never been made aware that this had been going on. It is not made clear or obvious either on their Map or their Gmail site. I'm sure that it is in their small print somewhere, but that simply isn't good enough. Especially since I have all their other privacy options selected ("Always use https", "switch off Web History" etc). I'm willing to bet the average Gmail user is totally unaware of all the data that is being gathered & stored about them by Google.

And to all the commenters here saying "why does this matter?" Well it matters because, even if you trust Google not to abuse the data they hold on you, data has a bad & regular habit of leaking. Once that happens & it falls into someone else's hands, the potential for what they might do with it, or how they might even use it against you, is limited only by their imagination.

Zen and the Art of Laptop Battery Maintenance

The Voice of Reason
Unhappy

Lithium?

I thought that ni-cads were the batteries which suffered from memory effect, & that lithium batteries didn't need cycling at all?

This article seems to indicate that lithium still suffers, albeit to a lesser degree. Hmmm....

Car-prang secretary bites off boss's todger

The Voice of Reason
Joke

Hmm....

This story sounds like gobble-de-gook, if you'll pardon the expression!

Scotland Today in news nipslip outrage

The Voice of Reason
Unhappy

Nipless slip

Alas, not a nip, just light.

When she raises her hand to toy with her hair, her arm blocks the light & her so-called nip disappears.

Judging by the way she keeps pushing her chest forward, adjusting her hair, chewing with her mouth open & smiling at the camera, she seems eager to create a good impression.

Prof: 'Taser-proof vests put cops in danger'

The Voice of Reason
Alert

Question

Are the police allowed to still use these Tasers on you, if you tell them (truthfully or otherwise) that you have a Pacemaker fitted?

Just a thought.

Interpol proposes world face-recognition database

The Voice of Reason
Stop

Hirsute Nonsense

OK. So they set up facial recognition. Next thing you know they'll be worried about how easy it is to defeat it.

Solution: you'll need a special licence for whenever you want to change your hairstyle, grow side-burns, or heaven forbid a full-beard.

They'll probably work out the complexity in having to do all the extra processing of your image & work out a range of licence fees. It could be a good little money-spinner for the government. Maybe:

£50 -New Hairstyle

£100 -New/ removed Moustache

£150 -New/ removed Sideburns

£200 -New/ removed Goatie

£500 -New/ removed Full beard

& maybe a bargain of only £10 if you want to do smaller changes such as wear lipstick, mascara, or tweak your nose hair.

I propose we subvert this system, & all start a new fashion for growing long hair, combed down over the face. It should also piss off all those CCTV operators that like to record our every movement in public.

But sorry Baldies, I guess there's no place for you in our new masterplan.

Panasonic to demo 20-hour laptop-friendly fuel cell

The Voice of Reason

Powerless

"Laptop-friendly" and "10 to 20W power".

You're kidding, right? That's surely no-where near enough power to supply most traditionally sized laptops.

Pr0n-surfing pastor downs church network

The Voice of Reason

Nothing new

The real headline news will be when they discover a member of the church who hasn't got kinky, scandalous or deviant sexual proclivities. (Little chance of that, though).

Toshiba hints at sooner-rather-than-later fuel-cell debut

The Voice of Reason

Enough already

How many more reports do we need that Toshiba are hinting this, they may do that -each time giving another freebie boost to their pre-release advertising? Do the reporters work for them, or just hoping for a complimentary fuel cell when/ if they ever come out?

Enough already. Wake me up when they actually DO get released.

Shiny phones lead to rash of rash

The Voice of Reason

Alternatively...

...why not avoid touching the phone by using a Bluetooth earpiece instead.

That way you can look even more stupid than if you had a rash right across your face.

Daughter cremates mom on improvised barbecue

The Voice of Reason

Bizzario

"About 25 years ago, we had a guy and his wife who kidnapped a gal and kept her under the bed for a couple of years - but I guess this is a little more bizarre."

No. I disagree. I've seen the full story on TV of that under-the-bed kidnapping. If it's the one I assume it is (how many can there be?!!) the under-the-bed treatment went on for many years, involved repeated torture & BDSM, brainwashing, & even a brief release for the kidnappee to see her family, before she voluntarily went back, only to be locked in the casket under the bed for another year or two. And the torturer's wife & kids happily lived in the house with the bed the whole time!

This surely beats what is little more than another variation on ritualised cremation. Don't many Indians do this sort of thing all the time?

iPhone beer maker sues Carling over virtual suds

The Voice of Reason

Compensation

Failing the $12.5m (fat chance) I'd probably settle for a free life-time supply of beer.

Not Carling though - I said beer.

eBay Q3 income - Now with profit

The Voice of Reason
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PayPal Credit

I'm usually only too ready to join those who slag off eBay for their sneaky policies, greedy charges, dreadful customer service etc. But for a change I'll offer them a little credit where it's due ;

Perhaps eBay are putting some of their profits to good use at last. An email I received from them yesterday indicated that now "When you pay with PayPal, your item will be protected to its full value (including postage) - no more caps, no more seller criteria to keep track of."

There are still numerous exclusions & provisos in the small print (which is comparable in length to the complete works of William Shakespeare, & equally hard to fathom) such as "intangible" items not being eligible - but I must say, this does seem like a step in the right direction.

I actually hate them a little less now ;)

Feds hamstring world's largest spam gang

The Voice of Reason

Small pins

May I be the first to volunteer to give them a penis enlargement -using a mallet & anvil.

Alternatively, can I stick some ever-so-small pins in these guys? Just one pin for every spam message that I have had to clean out of my Inbox over the last few years. That should do 'em.

Nokia beats rivals to steamy Britney video hotspot

The Voice of Reason

Product placement

In recent times Britney has continuously been "accidentally" caught wearing no knickers in numerous paparrazi upskirt shots.

Given this, I'm surprised the advertisers weren't more imaginative about choice of product placement. It would make a nice change to see a phone, rather than what Britney usually has on display there.

And perhaps a chance to show-off the vibrate mode?

$236m judgment lands on mom and pop spam shop

The Voice of Reason

Figures?

1/2 billion spam every DAY, & only 5000 customers. Doesn't sound right. Please check your figures.

If figures correct : OMFG!!!

Secret Service camera bought on eBay

The Voice of Reason

Small Print

Ebay are running their regular promotion again next week to encourage more sales :

"Free Top Secret Document With Every Storage Device."

As usual though, check PayPal's smallprint & you will see that any Top Secret documents that the buyer has to return are not included in their payment protection plan.

Sky drops download limit and tops satisfaction poll

The Voice of Reason

Virgin Media's dirty secret

"Although it restricts the heaviest users' speeds at peak times, Virgin Media doesn't ration data"

It's pretty close to rationing, when you consider that (the last time I checked) peak times are classed by VM as 10am to 3pm & 4pm to 9pm ie. most of the useable day. And if you download more than 300MB during these times, your speeds are throttled right back for another 5 hours.

Try & find this fact on their website though -it's kept well hidden.

Tikitag lets anyone become Big Brother

The Voice of Reason
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@ TeeCee

You have just won **Pun of the Week**

Good work!

Chrome-fed Googasm bares tech pundit futility

The Voice of Reason
Heart

I've been out-ranted

This reporter rants for even longer than I do........

............so I won't need to bother today.

Anonymous domain registration nixed amid fraud complaints

The Voice of Reason
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Well Done

I'd just like to say Well Done to El Reg for your past reports, & to Brian Krebs's article, which have helped bring about this change.

It may be just a small victory in the constant battle, but your part in it must be congratulated.

Arrest made over data-stuffed eBay laptop hard drive

The Voice of Reason
Flame

If you think things are getting bad

Daily, we are reading of yet another data loss, yet another drive being handed in to the police or the media which contains data which the possessor shouldn't have.

And yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For every drive/memory stick etc which gets handed in by an honest person (found it on a train, bought it on ebay etc) there are many more lost devices which remain unreported or not even realised as being lost. Not every "finder" is honest -surprise surprise!

And just think of all that unencrypted data knocking around in all these criminally negligent government offices, banks, private companies etc, where less-than-honest employees have already by now decided to run off a copy of the data for themselves. Not necessarily to sell-on or use immediately, but maybe just because they feel that to have knowledge/data is to have power. Who knows when all this illicitly run-off data will finally emerge out in the wild?

Come on, lets see all of these incompetent handlers-of-data (ie. those Responsible for the poor standards) thrown in prison. ENOUGH'S ENOUGH!

Why the US faces broadband price hikes

The Voice of Reason
Unhappy

www.theregister.COM ?

UK IT news for a UK site, anyone?

OK, some US news affects us, so is worth including. But I despair that one of the last UK strong-holds in a US-dominated internet may also be gradually losing its unique selling point.

Otto Z. Stern possibly dead at 57

The Voice of Reason
Stop

@RaelianWingnut

@RaelianWingnut -My rant is over now. I feel better. I'll step aside & let the hecklers regain the floor!

The Voice of Reason

@Mike Moyle

"banned for trolling.." -No, just felt like a change of name. At no time have I ever been accused of this.

If you read my posts in this thread, you will see that whether you agreed with my view or not, I have at least bothered to provide a viewpoint, and explained my reasoning in the process. Clearly you prefer the nonsensical drivel from AmanfromMars. Here is an example of another of his recent posting "nuggets";

"...Or would that Round Table be Turned ? How about if IT were ...AIMutual Pleasure? Would that need Controls or would one Just Abandon all Semblance of Order for the Pleasures that Delivers the Highest of Higher Orders? Suck IT and See would always Reveal One's Future Needs and Possible Feeds....... which is what AI Betas are All about, too..."

OK, so you & your small flock of Sheep can follow & encourage his postings. But then watch the sad demise of El Reg. The comments section can be a great forum for discussion of the current news stories -a chance to read or write additional facts, develop ideas, or just agree or disagree with the editorial. This is why I & many others come here & is what we appreciate about it.

The gibberish postings just serve to waste our time & frustrate the flow of intelligent discussion.

I'm all for a bit of light-hearted banter & sillyness in the comments, but in moderation & not from one ego-ridden flood merchant. Just Google "amanfrommars site:www.theregister.co.uk" & then try wading thru the dross of his 1,780 hits. If you enjoy his postings, perhaps you also like sifting through the content of sewage farms in your spare time?

Why am I complaining & not just ignoring it? Well, I've tried to ignore it for long enough now. Someone needs to speak up. And if it has to be just me who does this, & I take some flack from his sheep, then so be it! Hopefully I can't be the only person reading the Comments sections, who enjoys the discussions, but finds the reams of random gibberish from amanfromMars tiresome (to say the least)?!

The Voice of Reason
Alert

@AC @amanfromMars

@AC "amanfromMars is a local hero.." -You do set your aspirations low, don't you?

"so very very clever and know so much with a name like that.." -My nym was meant somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Anyway, you're a fine one to talk, aren't you, Mr Coward.

@amanfromMars "As a loud newbie" -Actually, I've been frequenting this fine establishment since year dot. Just the nym is new.

Interesting how you can string a coherent sentence together when you come under fire. Perhaps you're finally reaching puberty now?

The Voice of Reason
IT Angle

@Tim Bergel

"You'll get used to amanfrommars" -Yeah, like one gets used to stepping in doggy-doo-doo.

"he's software" -Written by Micros@ft, no doubt.

Please just make the bad smell go way. Isn't there a Facebook page the kiddies can go over to for their stupid-talk?

IT news on El Reg, anyone?

The Voice of Reason

Important Title

Can't say I'll be sorry to see this one go. If we must have nonsense-talk stories from journalists, at least try to make it remotely amusing. Come on El Reg, more quality IT news please, we know you can do it!

(Oh, and isn't it time the spotty teenager AmanfromMars grew out of his trolling phase? You keep popping up in the comments section with your inane drivel, trying to satisfy your ego trip. Big yawn. I'll be glad when you eventually get bored/banned from the comments section)

eBay changes anger smaller sellers

The Voice of Reason

Monopoly

This is why monopolies are a bad idea. Vote with your feet!

That 'Elderly Persons' sign: Can you do better?

The Voice of Reason
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Nice

Nice idea. I just hope that it doesn't soon become compulsory for all "wrinklies" to have to wear the new T shirt!