* Posts by Mike Shepherd

643 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Aug 2008

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Cisco website down

Mike Shepherd

Yawn

Obviously a slow news day.

Satire website survives domain name challenge

Mike Shepherd

Profit

(Alain Williams): 'Very often a site like this will have a "request for donations in support of the campaign", does this suggest that if they had done so the decision might have gone the other way ? Or would it have been a matter of "profiting" - ie generating funds over and above those needed to maintain the campaign ?'

The criterion is whether or not the organisation is "for profit", not whether or not they have made one in any particular period, whether by asking for donations or by selling sponge cakes.

Being in the black at the end of the year doesn't make an organisation "for profit" any more than a commercial organisation can claim not to be "for profit" by claiming that "we made a loss for the last five years".

Written material saved from censor's big black pen - for now

Mike Shepherd
IT Angle

Goodness!

What would we do without the Great and Good to protect us from ourselves !

Like the helpless populace of Gotham City, we are helpless without the protection of these caped crusaders who know what's best.

BT axes 20 jobs at Dabs.com

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

Just up the road

Just up the road, they were the natural choice for practically all our computer equipment and consumables, especially for stuff you needed the same day. We spent £1,000s and £1,000s there. It was a comfortable relationship. You would sometimes see Dave Atherton indulging in a cigarette outside the "no smoking" warehouse.

But in the run-up to the BT sale, they became "faceless" - closing the counter for personal callers and going rapidly downhill. We haven't dealt with them since they became part of BT in 2006.

Qinetiq strike action could increase risk to British troops

Mike Shepherd
IT Angle

Don't worry, Mr Lamb

It's only public money.

Taking a first bite out of Wolfram Alpha

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

Rabbits

Why would I use a search engine that limits results to what I'm likely to know already?

Asda clamps down on killer teaspoons

Mike Shepherd
Flame

Nothing new

The same happens at Asda if you buy Polish chocolate. (No, it's not alcoholic).

The "colleague" said that I had to be 16. At 53, bald and with a face reflecting a hard life, I'm rarely taken to be under 16. But, if they had a brain, they probably wouldn't be on a checkout.

DVLA issues double tax discs

Mike Shepherd
Stop

Mental anguish

I hope this doesn't happen to me. I'm still rebuilding my life after the station vending machine dispensed two Kit-Kats when I'd only paid for one.

EU calls for tougher data laws

Mike Shepherd
Unhappy

Go EC!

Since uk.gov views citizens as little more than a barrier to its master plans, it falls again to the EC to protect our interests.

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

Mike Shepherd
Unhappy

Ferrari on the drive

Even with a Ferrari in the driveway, it's difficult to disguise that you're flat broke.

US military power (open or secret) will either be cut back in line with their inability to repay even existing debts or be used to seize resources overseas.

'Lunatic' Smith doubles ID card costs for Mancunians

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

Next step

The next step is predictable: create inconvenience for those without a card.

Posting a package over 100g? Save time on the new Post Office anti-terror checks with a UK ID card! No need for your passport or two recent utility bills. Your friendly postmistress will check the ID card photo and scan your bar code.

Council imposed restrictions on your local pub after trouble? Walk straight in with a UK ID card!

Want a seat on that train at rush hour? Beat the security queues with a UK ID card!

EU urges US to drop ICANN

Mike Shepherd
Flame

"If the EU invented The Internet"

Anonymous Coward wrote "If the EU invented The Internet, then they could do what they wanted with it...they have guided it to world wide integration"

And maybe, since Marconi invented radio, all spectrum allocation should be decided by Italy?

"The internet" became significant only when Berners-Lee invented the browser, so maybe ICANN should move to Switzerland?

As for world-wide integration, they still can't even handle non-ASCII domain names.

Disclosure to private eyes sometimes legal, says privacy watchdog

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

We know what's best for you, dear...

"...disclosure can still take place provided that there is no overriding duty of confidence in the particular circumstances, the purpose that the information will be used for is in the legitimate interests of the individual and will not prejudice them in any way and the organisation subsequently informs them of the unexpected disclosure"

The problem is with "subsequently" and with who decides what's "in the legitimate interests of the individual". It doesn't sound like the "individual" gets to express an opinion on what's in their interest before it's too late to do anything about it (which neatly avoids the inconvenience of their trying to do anything about it to those who gain from handling the information).

The word "legitimate" appears to have been included only to obscure the blunt message that someone else is deciding what's best. What other purpose can that word serve?

If, for example, someone decides to leave home at age 16 and prefers that their family not contact them again, who is fit to decide that it's in that person's interest that they be thwarted? Up to age 16, you have no choice. You destiny is decided also, if you're too old to look after yourself. It sounds like what's best will now be decided for us also for all the years in between.

Pudsey Bear refused UK passport

Mike Shepherd
Unhappy

Time was...

If you left school with few or no qualifications and so ended up in the civil service, it must be tempting to spice up the tedium with imaginary satanic child abuse or decisions on what's frivolous.

Under-caution spam faxer fined over £6,000

Mike Shepherd

Great to know...

Great to know they're cracking down on a completely out-of-date medium. Next stop: self-congratulating press announcements on how they've completely wiped out spam telegrams.

Nokia Wizard spells security issue

Mike Shepherd
Unhappy

If it were Microsoft...

"...interesting to speculate how much bigger this story would be if Microsoft were guilty of the same thing".

The latest MS browser that works on Windows 2000 Server (supported to July 2010) is IE6 (no doubt still in use also on many XP systems).

In IE6, if you select Tools / Show Related Links then (even if you close that pane), on subsequent use of Ctrl-R (to refresh), IE6 silently sent a clear-text copy of the request (including any "query string" or form data) to the site indicated in C:\WINNT\Web\Related.htm. This used to specify http://related.msn.com/related.asp, which redirected to a site within alexa.com but on my system today, I see that it now directs to google.com.

This (reported June 2003) happened even if the intended communication was via SSL, but it created no great excitement.

I checked again today (on a fully patched Windows 2000 Server). Sure enough, IE6 silently sends Google a clear-text copy of the request (passwords and all).

Businesses will postpone Windows 7 rollouts

Mike Shepherd
Unhappy

Getting worn out...

I've spent so long working on Microsoft systems, I once felt I'd never switch to anything else.

But why would I want an OS that runs slower (on faster hardware) and doesn't let me run stuff I ran before? I'm sure compatibility takes hard work, especially when keeping things secure. But is it so much harder than it was at Windows 95?

Must the Windows driver model change incompatibly at every release? If not, why does so much stuff need new drivers? Is it the same with Macs and Linux systems? How many businesses expect to change all their peripherals when they buy a new PC? How many home users expect to do the same?

IE7 loads from my "shortcut" key combination in less than a second, but when I installed IE8 recently it was so sluggish to start, I kicked it out the same day. I'm suspicious that Microsoft cares as much about how fast the OS runs. "Never mind the speed, feel the experience!"

I run four PCs here in my tiny home business. There's no chance that they or any replacement will run Vista and it sounds like Windows 7 will be no more compatible with the programs I run now, so I'll be a very late adopter. Maybe we should wait until Microsoft is desperate enough to make what users want. Windows 8? Windows 9? (Wake me up when it runs WinFS, promised with Vista).

Perhaps some really do thrill to the "visual experience". (Does Vista offer much else? Will its replacement) Perhaps we could hear from some of them. Meanwhile, I have work to do.

BT does Italian Job on London traffic lights

Mike Shepherd
Pirate

Interesting

Interesting to know that the system has no redundancy. It makes it that much easier to cause mischief.

Playboy TV offers 'Jacq off' special package

Mike Shepherd
Happy

"Vanilla" ???

I assume this means missionary position only and "in the context of a loving relationship".

This isn't like the porn I've seen ^H^H^H^H^H been told about.

Grey squirrels invade Nutt house

Mike Shepherd
IT Angle

Squirrel trap

B&Q do a squirrel trap for about £15.

Wacky Jacqui spanked by husband

Mike Shepherd
Happy

If she has nothing to hide...

Heh heh. This "ship of state" may not be holed below the waterline, but the cargo has shifted and she's now listing badly.

US mums sue anti-sexting crusader

Mike Shepherd
IT Angle

No sex, please. We're American.

The silly girls should know that Americans don't have bodies and are delivered by a stork.

Minister admits thought crime is on the agenda

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

Guns

I used to think it was a bad idea for citizens to own guns to keep their government under control.

But, if all parties think this way, maybe we should move straight to polling which minister to take out first.

ContactPoint will cost more than thought

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

"...children and young people..."

"...children and young people understand the benefits..."

Unfortunately, it's proving more difficult to convince anyone else.

Royal Mail disses runaway post van man

Mike Shepherd

Happier days

It was all much simpler when the Post Office had Crown Immunity and there was hardly any point having a handbrake at all.

UK IT should 'fire men first', says Kate Craig-Wood

Mike Shepherd
Flame

Who's going to make the tea???

My full support.

Oz bloke in underpants wrestles 'lunatic ninja' roo

Mike Shepherd
IT Angle

IT connection...

Apparently the kangaroo is an expert on XML schemata validation.

ICO raids and shuts builder blacklist firm

Mike Shepherd
Stop

21st Century Economic League

Sounds like the 21st century version of the 20th century "Economic League", enthusiastically supported by MI5.

San Diego F-18 crash deaths 'avoidable'

Mike Shepherd
Pirate

Human shields

Military base next to a residential area?

Oh, I forgot. When the US does it, that's OK.

BT accused of 'sharp practice' on rolling contracts

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

BT?

BT?

Oh, that company that we handed practically all the local loop and trunk equipment nearly 30 years ago and which still hasn't been forcibly split to ensure competition.

It's still the Post Office, really. They just put up new curtains.

Ofcom wants mobile TV spectrum pulled

Mike Shepherd

Ibis redibis non morieris in bello

As oracle, the operators predict markets worse than the Met. Office predicts weather. How long did they block inter-network SMS because they thought there was no money there?

Do people care about TV resolution? If so, why watch on a phone? If not, what's the point of HDTV?

Do people care about monitor resolution? If so, how can web pages compete on a phone? If not, why was WAP so successful (ha!)

Storage breakthrough could bust density record

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Down

A quarter?

Maybe the author could try expressing this in standard units (avoiding Fahrenheit and analogies with baseball), so we have a clue what he's talking about.

Beeb borrows copyrighted Flickr image

Mike Shepherd

Looks like an opening offer

£75 looks like an opening offer. Ask for £500.

Parcelforce website cold-shoulders Linux lovers

Mike Shepherd

More tea, Mr Lennox-Brown?

Funny, you'd expect an organisation of ex-GPO, ex-civil service people to be right up-to-date.

Iranian rocket puts satellite into orbit

Mike Shepherd
Thumb Up

You bet...

You bet they have "weapons in mind as much as the peaceful uses of space" and they should get them working ASAP. It's all that keeps the "regime change" cowboys at bay.

Thames windfarm execs: We need more subsidy

Mike Shepherd

But Mr Green...

EcoVeg Customer Services...How may I be of assistance? You just received your bill? But Mr Green, when you told us we should be using wind power, solar power, wave power, we said it would cost ten times as much and we assumed you were happy with that. Hello? Hello? Mr Green? Operator??

UFO damages Lincolnshire wind turbine

Mike Shepherd
Flame

My inflammatory sexist contribution

boltar said "Yes , maybe it was hit by a UFO - a craft that can traverse light years of space in an instant, travel at hypersonic speeds in our atmosphere, accelerate at 1000s of G , and yet for some reason couldn't spot a 200 foot wind turbine in its path"

Alien was putting on her makeup, maybe ?

Photography: Yes, you have rights

Mike Shepherd

It's probably wise...

It's probably wise for governments (and those otherwise hopelessly outnumbered) to note what happens when many people believe that the police do not act in their interest (as in Greece).

Cloud computing what’s really going on?

Mike Shepherd

When the questions are so complex...

...the results will be meaningless.

Tebbutt was a respected journalist. Surely he can communicate better than this!

First steps with offline Silverlight and Live Framework

Mike Shepherd

Yes, but...

Yes, but what's it for?

Microsoft's IE8 app dev survival guide

Mike Shepherd

"Why are so many people still using the security-challenged IE6?"

Because it doesn't work on Windows 2000?

Mike Shepherd

"Why are so many people still using the security-challenged IE6?"

Because it works on Windows 2000?

Actors paid to queue for Poland's iPhone launch

Mike Shepherd

Mike

Fake queues help postpone the manufacturers' nightmare but inevitable prospect - when flashing the latest phone is as cool as flashing the latest calculator.

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