Posts by Jay Giusti

Crashed aircraft is Fossett's, authorities confirm

@Gianni Straniero (But the tomb was empty... )

Those buzzards and coyotes must have been other-worldly hungry to have licked every last blood cell from the plane's cockpit and potential evacuation route, or capable of dragging a dead body in one piece without leaving a trace. The site is reported to be surrounded with wet areas, so perhaps foot or paw prints can be identified.

If there are no forensically-identifiable traces, what are the chances that Fossett deployed a parachute (no need to "walk away" from a crash) and was not in the aircraft at impact?

HTC Touch Pro smartphone

@ AC "matt"

"A dull finish is matt, not matte. Matte is a photographic/film making term. Why do so many gadget reviews make this mistake?"

Perhaps because "matt" is a variant of matte, per OED (and other standard references), and they both mean the same thing, but matte is the generally-accepted and preferred use.

Arizona pulls death certs from website over ID theft fears

So, newspaper obituaries should now read:

SMITH, BESSYE, [age deleted], nee [maiden name deleted], of [address deleted], New York State, formerly of the [deleted] neighborhood of Boston, beloved wife of [deleted] years to Mary Beth [last name deleted]; loving mother of [ ], [ ] and [ ], proud grandmother to seven, [ ], [ ], ....

US customs: Yes, we can seize your laptop, iPod

Much deeper

The government's right to investigate at the border is not limited in any manner: it applies far beyond electronic devices (computers, storage). ANY repository of information--wallet, purse, briefcase, trouser pocket, conference notes and binder--can be held and investigated. (In fact, any object whatsoever. Without reasonable grounds for suspicion.) That has long been the policy for non-U.S. citizens crossing the border.

The new development is that the policy has just recently been applied to U.S. citizens entering the country. In effect, the federal court approved the argument that the U.S. Constitution's 4th Amendment rights of citizens against unreasonable searches and seizure applies only once the citizen has been allowed by border guards to come back into the country.

Spaniards show off touchscreen moto-computer tech

And it will never crash

Apparently it's so advanced and safe there's no need for a driver's side airbag--unless the photo for the story is meant to suggest the steering wheel airbag stamps an impression of the control buttons and real-time interactive display ["WARNING! Sudden high-speed deceleration detected with solid object ahead!"] in your face after it deploys.

Rogers chucks (small) bone to Canuck Jesus Phoners

@ shaun (third party battery replacement available)

Apple is not the only source to change the iPhone battery (incl. 3G). You'll need to make up a new excuse.

From macnn.com:

Milliamp has announced a battery replacement service for the new iPhone 3G. "Although the new iPhone won't hit the U.S. market until later this week, we wanted the world to know that we have the capability to replace the battery in the new iPhone 3G," said Anthony Magnabosco, the owner of the iPhone battery replacement service provider. Milliamp LTD has been offering battery replacement kits for practically every iPod model, as well as battery replacement services for the more difficult-to-open iPods for three years.

http://www.ipodjuice.com/iphone-battery-replacement-products.htm

How ComScore can track your mouse clicks

What would be helpful, Register:

Great to learn about these schemes, thanks.

Any reason why the story can't identify the sofware parts (type; name) so people can check whether perhaps another household user allowed it to be installed without informed consent, and remove/block it?

Stolen satnav guides thieves to owner's home

So, apparently...

It's not absolutely transparent from the quoted but assuredly authoritative recommendation, but it seems vehicle thieves/would-be house-breakers can only locate potential targets by having an actual address to go by, assisted by turn-by-turn instruction? Drive-by opportunities and stake-outs, checking for unkempt lawns and stacked mail or package deliveries, unanswered phone rings, interior lights on during the daytime, lack of posted central alarm station warning signs and stickers: all now passé as clues? Well, that fits the reported drop in academic achievement of late. Yet, there's more to it.

How does an investigation-based break-in work, exactly, when there are more than one gang operating in a district?

Do they first call a central dispatcher to check for conflicting plans, so two gangs don't strike within a few houses of each other?

Does the dispatcher have at the ready instructions for each brand and model of GPS, so they can readily transmit the proper steps to check for the owner's home address? (Or perhaps I missed The Register already published a story about technology courses available at regional burglary academies.)

And what well-trained burglar could fail to exercise due extreme caution, recalling the legendary tale of a GPS that failed to warn the driver that the roadway had been relocated but the map not updated, so she nevertheless continued into the pond or meadow, etc.? (Wouldn't that be major professional embarrassment when the police arrive to assist?)

And what of recursion: presumptive burglar removes GPS device from vehicle already stolen by a different burglar?

Hotmail hack punts person in peril scam

Easy enough to help out

"other valuable things like my I'D card is missing along with the wallet"

A bit odd: the "international passport" is still available. I wonder whether that somehow could be used in lieu of the "I'D card"?

Certainly I wouldn't hesitate for one moment to assist a friend in an emergency, and obviously this plea was composed while the victim was in much distress and unfettered by the usual high standards of spelling, grammar and structure of email communication. So I would overlook those.

The easiest solution (it seems obvious) would be to direct the friend, while s/he is at our embassy or consulate seeking help, to inquire about the funds that I have wired there to be picked up with proper passport ID (of course). S/he will have to speak at the security desk with a certain Officer I. P. Daley (or similar). Sure, a local good Samaritan who knows the area much better could do it just as well, but be sure to bring proper photo ID and a print-out of our email exchange as proof s/he is authorized to receive the funds.

A more entertaining response might be expressing surprise about the incredible coincidence that I was also abroad, on that tour that I'm sure I must have mentioned when we last had lunch together, and in fact for the next day or so I'm staying in a nearby village, so have a local contact person meet me by following very detailed, convoluted, and cost-incurring instructions, including some combination of rail or bus station addresses, schedule of connections/departures/arrival, etc., and by the way since I'm using my cell phone call [at #--but has to be dialed as an international call, unfortunately] if there's any problem; later followed by apologies for the missed connections, mis-communications, etc., "now this time be sure to have your local good Samaritan stand in front of the visitor's aid desk at the station waving a sign over their head with the following text in large type...".

Program Names govern admin rights in Vista

Misleading security lulls users into false sense of Vista marketed security

"He added that although the feature is imperfect and inconvenient, it's 'better than nothing'."

No it's not, actually.

Users presented with irregular requests for administrative verification may feel falsely assured that when no admin rights are requested there is no possible threat, particularly given MS's extreme marketing effort to identify Vista with "security first and always."