Posts by raving angry loony

Meta tells staff to return to office three days a week

Oh look, hypocrite boss is hypocrite. [shockedpikachuface]

Professor freezes student grades after ChatGPT claimed AI wrote their papers

utter idiot

That prof is an utter idiot. I do believe there's at least one case of an "AI detector" determining that the US constitution was written by an A.I.

(I don't know what that says about that particular piece of writing...)

Ah, found a link: https://twitter.com/williamlegate/status/1648389809818181637

Remember those millions of fake net neutrality comments? Fallout continues

Re: That'll show them!

Yes, the law is flawed. That's no excuse to ignore it completely though. Those who made the decisions are the ones who should be charged. Investigation to find the culprits is needed, not some sweep-it-under-the-money bullshit that we're seeing here.

Another reason that corporations aren't people. Until I see a corporation jailed for 5 years, they aren't people. The people who make up that corporation are people. And those making the decisions need to be held accountable for those decisions.

Dyson moans about state of UK science and tech, forgets to suck up his own mess

Re: With two-faced "friends" like Dyson, Britain doesn't need enemies

The British/German royals don't do what's best for the country, they do what's most profitable for The Firm. Which includes meddling in democratic legislative process to protect their wealth.

It's time the British, for once, copied the French and Russians and just disposed of those leeches. After expropriating their wealth as the proceeds of crime. Which it mostly was.

No reliable way to detect AI-generated text, boffins sigh

One advantage

"fact free" sites like Fox News, Daily Mail, and Pravda will be able to fire most of their writers now that this tech is out. From making shit up, including references, to degenerating into racist rants makes me think they've been the beta for this tech for years now.

Salesforce's new hires are less productive, says CEO Benioff

Productivity vs boss?

I read this and weep: "the number of meetings users held on Teams was up 153 percent globally ". Gee, wonder why productivity went down?

ps: what exactly does he MEAN by "lower productivity"? Lower sales? Fewer accounts? Less coffee being consumed? Cash earned per worker? Bugs resolved? "Productivity" is a really fluid concept.

New research aims to analyze how widespread COBOL is

The more I deal with the current crop of languages and design "methodologies" (not that they're called that any more), the more I miss Cobol and PL/1, as well as coding standards that encouraged more reliable coding instead of "quick but broken" coding.

Twitter engineer calls out Elon Musk for technical BS in unusual career move

ain't no gamble betting on idiots.

"Twitter software engineer Eric Frohnhoefer decided to embark on a bit of career roulette"

It's not really a gamble when there's a high probability you're going to get canned anyway. Might as well go out in style and showing that the CEO is an ignorant idiot.

Ad blockers struggle under Chrome's new rules

Re: FWIW Ublock Origin is much more than an adblocker

From my point of view, I don't use ad blockers. I use "anti-privacy code" blockers that will block trackers and other privacy destroying bits of code. If the advertisers keep wrapping their ads in these things, not seeing those ads is simply a side effect. I see ads on websites that don't USE those kinds of things. I never see ads on websites that also try to harvest as much information as they can using scummy and scammy code and practices.

And yes, I use uBlock Origin. Amongst other tools.

Re: Anti-competitive business practices

You mean the government watchdogs staffed by people on leave from companies like Google, Microsoft, or Amazon? They're called "captured regulators" and Canadian and USA governments specialize in those types of fake regulatory oversight.

Re: Optimal solution:

From the downvotes I see Google staff are reading these articles. I wonder if any of the downvoters are going to respond with why they disagree with the statement "that a company that makes money from advertising and data-mining personal information isn't going to be anyone's friend"? Or is it that they don't agree that dumping Chrome would resolve the issue with Chrome making adblockers more and more difficult?

I'm quite curious really. Just downvoting someone without giving any reasons seems... well, poor form really.

Optimal solution:

Dump Chrome. A browser created by a company that makes money from advertising and data-mining personal information isn't going to be anyone's friend.

Makers of ad blockers and browser privacy extensions fear the end is near

sane option?

Seems to me the only sane option would be to just dump Chrome and use something else.

Of course, far too many people don't like sane options, and would rather bend over and let the companies like Google just bugger them into oblivion.

FTC says Frontier lied about its internet speeds amid $8.5m settlement

Another fraud...

... another company that probably paid less in fines than the profits they made by committing that fraud. Meanwhile, the *people* who committed the fraud just keep going it because nothing, at all, happens to them. Other than maybe getting bonuses for exceeding sales quotas.

Then folks keep wondering why they keep doing it?

Your software doesn't work when my PC is in 'O' mode

Re: PICNIC

PICNIC

*now* that is all.

Help, my IT team has no admin access to their own systems

Wasted opportunity

Anyone THAT stupid and THAT incompetent (and I'm talking about the senior management of the outfit who trashed the original I.T. team, not the current IT staff) should really have had a hefty stupid tax added to their bill. OP could probably have extended their stay a day or two, at least.

I mean, what would the BOFH have done?

Amazon claims victory after warehouse workers in Alabama vote to reject union

Dirty tricks work.

Bezos knows all about dirty tricks working for the benefit of his corporation. But the US legislation (written by corporations and passed by bought-and-paid-for legislators) is growing more and more anti-union, so the courts might not see it that way of course.

US govt ups minimum H-1B tech salaries to $208,000 a year, more than startups can hope to afford, say VCs

Re: Think that's a lot?

ACA passed in 2010, after my experiences with it, and wasn't it repealed or castrated under Trump? If not, good for the USA, maybe finally taking baby steps to being a civilized nation. Long way to go yet, of course.

no, it doesn't have a lower cost of living.

Because you're not counting healthcare and education.

Think that's a lot?

Sure, most of these jobs come with decent health insurance. Unless, of course, you have what they love to call a "pre-existing condition", in which case should that be the cause of your hospitalization then that US$200k will last two or three days in a hospital and you'll end up bankrupt anyway. Unless you can quickly retreat to a country with public healthcare of course, after not having paid any tax in that country while you earned that much. I know several people who did that.

I despise the traitorous swine who go there then come back when the going gets tough. They contribute to the wealth of US corporations and their government after having sponged what they could from good public education systems in their home countries, then come back to their home countries after having paid no tax for years to get the benefit of a civilized healthcare system that doesn't condemn people to die just because it was a problem that existed before they got their last job.

Good ole' USA, still plundering other countries for their wealth and brains. Nothing but murderous pirates really.

Oculus owners told not only to get Facebook accounts, purchases will be wiped if they ever leave social network

Oculus is fraud

Over 9500 people ripped off for just under 2.5 million based on false promises on their kickstarter. Followed by lie after lie.

Now this.

I can only hope Oculus just dies. Hard. It deserves to die. As a company. As a product. As an idea that it's ok to lie, cheat, lie again, cheat, defraud, and somehow still be able to find enough people purchase the product. The people who were behind this massive shit-show of a fraud need to be taken down.

They won't, I know. They'll keep their millions, they'll laugh at all the stupid fucks who bought into it, but damnit, it's not right.

Airbus drone broke up in-flight because it couldn’t handle Australian weather

There was a spider...

... so I had to smash it with this drone/satellite.

Stop asking for Amazon, Google and Microsoft cloud with 'no justification': US Library of Congress told to drop its 'brand-name'-tastic RFP

Standard practice

When you get the sales reps from Amazon, Google and Microsoft to write your RFPs for you, they're not going to be "neutral" RFPs. At all. I've seen FAR too much of that in various government organizations in the UK, US, and Canada. Vendor lockin is something governments should be assiduously working against, not aiding and abetting.

What price security? Well, for the US ban on Huawei/ZTE kit it's around $1.8bn, and you're going to pay most of it

Re: Evidence? Anywhere?

bombastic bob writes: "Yes, comrade, we must NOT anger our communist overlords..."

Oh, I'm sure they're ecstatic that the US and other "western" nations have devolved to a government run "you're guilty" model that bypasses anything resembling due process, with a press that simply repeats those claims without any kind of investigation.

Sounds familiar...

Evidence? Anywhere?

Has anyone, anywhere, presented any evidence that the Huawei and ZTE hardware does what they claim it does? Or is this just another example of American corporate warfare being carried out by their bought-and-paid-for puppets in government?

Hey Mister Prime Minister ... Scott! Can you get off my lawn please, mate?

Re: GIT ORF MY LAWN

Australia, not Northern England. Or have I got the wrong wombat by the tail?

Made-up murder claims, threats to kill Twitter, rants about NSA spying – anything but mention 100,000 US virus deaths, right, Mr President?

Re: You supported a system...

AC writes "You remember the amount of Voter Fraud from the Dead and Illegals in 2016 right?"

Well, no. Because the only "evidence" was your liar in chief, well, lying about it having happened. NO evidence has been found, by anyone who isn't in the business of creating fiction, that it actually happened.

So basically, people like you are part of the US's problem. Too many liars. Not enough fact checkers or people with the critical thinking skills of a dead newt.

Eclipse boss claims Visual Studio Code is an open-source poseur – though he would say that, wouldn't he?

How soon we forget.

Microsoft's standard play has been "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish". Invariably for their own profit and to the detriment of everyone else.

So many companies have learned this lesson to their everlasting peril. The number of companies that "partnered" with Microsoft, only to go bankrupt a few years later, is too long to list. Working with Microsoft, or in a Microsoft-only shop, is bloody stupid and short-sighted. So glad I'm out of that industry, because there are a lot of companies out there who believe Microsoft salespeople over their own techs, let alone are willing to heed any warnings about anything to do with "Microsoft".

Hong Kong coronavirus quarantine evaders collared by cops with the help of smartphone-tracking tech

Re: 1984

Ah yes, and fuck those who do get seriously ill, including healthcare workers who don't have a choice but to be in harm's way? And fuck those who die and their families, is that it? Not to mention the overwhelmed healthcare facilities. Lovely attitude. Eugenicist, are you? Let the strong survive (maybe), screw everyone else?

So far about 18-20,000 deaths (again, depending on whose numbers and how up-to-date they are). That's so far, and rates are increasing, not decreasing, except in areas that have actually taken adequate measures (so, China and Italy, apparently, but not the USA or many parts of Canada yet).

https://virusncov.com/

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

"Not the Stand" isn't exactly a measure that should be used, unless one is a patron member of the VHEM/VHEMT.

Re: 1984

You theoretically have to be alive and not critically ill to be happy.

If it's Goodenough for me, it's Goodenough for you: Canuck utility biz goes all in on solid-state glass battery boffinry

Phrasing...

You write "Goodenough's new battery – co-developed with Maria Helena Braga of the University of Porto, Portugal, and described in a paper published in 2016..."

Note that the FIRST name on that paper is Braga's. As it is on the 2018 paper you quote. Which means that it's Braga's new battery, co-developed with Goodenough. I've found there's a tendency to minimize the work of female scientists, especially when a famous male scientist was on the team. How about El Reg avoid that mistake for once, unlike so many other publications.

Apple's latest keyboard travels back in time to when they weren't crap

Bad keyboards...

I'm surprised Apple didn't use the excuse that "You're typing wrong". Seems to be their go-to excuse when their design is a failure.

What do you get when you allegedly mix Wireshark, a gumshoe child molester, and a court PC? A judge facing hacking charges

Re: Jeez

Not necessarily. Sadly, the USA elects judges. This one was elected in 2012, and re-elected in 2016. There is no indication how much training a newly elected judge gets on the arcane intricacies of I.T.

Admittedly, she is/was a lawyer, and did serve as a municipal judge prior, so maybe there is. I find the whole idea judges chosen by popularity rather than competence to be... very odd. And worrisome.

Hey, I wrote this neat little program for you guys called the IMAC User Notification Tool

Yikes! He wasn't the only one! as we see here

Re: Hardware Testing

Maybe because "phoque" got turned down? Just guessing.

Our neighbour was Mr. Dyck, a perfectly good Dutch (sort of) name. Why he named his son Randy, I don't know.

Those furious gun-toting Aussies were just a glitch. Let's try US drone deliveries, says Wing

Re: Seriously

In Canada trials have started on delivery of medicines to people living in remote locations here on the west coast. Useful where getting to and from the nearest pharmacy is almost impossible, especially for house-bound sick people living far from cities. I see that as one of the few positive uses of using drones for delivery, where the extreme noise is outweighed by the need. Other than that, they're just another addition to the incessant noise pollution.

Scotiabank slammed for 'muppet-grade security' after internal source code and credentials spill onto open internet

The same people who own shares in the banks also own and control 99% of our "free" press in this country. So no, I don't expect ANY public notice to happen in said publications. As it wasn't client information that was leaked, which would be covered by legislation, "muppet grade" security (and that's an insult to muppets) is not covered by legislation. No crime, no news, no mention. Move along, nothing to see here, everything is fine.

Analytics exec nicked as Ecuador tries to rush through privacy laws after massive data leak

Re: Hmm?

Didn't realize security was a function of the type of office space, and that it was not possible to secure a computer, network, or location in a home office with one occupant rather than in an "regular" office with, presumably, others around. Especially others around with keys and "permission" to be in the building.

Oh, wait, it's totally possible to secure data, networks, and locations (as much as some operating systems might allow, anyway) in any office, assuming the person in question wants to and knows how, or knows someone who knows how. It's also possible to completely cock up the security, as we've seen from multiple leaks from multiple sources over the years. Very few of which we from a home office. For that matter, even someone in a home office can use cloud containers and remote storage solutions should they decide to do so, which has its own set of security challenges of course.

The results are in… and California’s GDPR-ish digital privacy law has survived onslaught by Google and friends

admit defeat?

I can guarantee that "big tech" has not admitted defeat at all. They're simply regrouping and will continue to subvert any such laws until they are successful in doing so. Eternal vigilance is necessary. Perhaps some revolutionary fervour while we're at it.

Apple's making some announcements! Quick, lay off 435 Uber workers

Re: Too early, need coffee

I read the headline as Apple announcing they are laying off Uber employees.

Same. I was wondering how I missed the news that Apple had purchased Uber.

Re: "always holding ourselves accountable"

Waterproof keyboards. It helps. That or quit drinking, but I spend far too much time on the internet (research, news, etc.) to even consider doing that.

Astroboffins baffled as black hole at center of Milky Way suddenly a lot hungrier than before

Slight timing issue

Correction: Since Sagittarius A* is about 25,580 light years away (7.86 kpc [1]), what the boffins are seeing is what happened about that many years ago. We'll have to wait a few (for a very generous definition of "few") decades to know what it's doing *now*.

[1] Boehle, A.; Ghez, A. M.; Schödel, R.; Meyer, L.; Yelda, S.; Albers, S.; Martinez, G. D.; Becklin, E. E.; Do, T.; Lu, J. R.; Matthews, K.; Morris, M. R.; Sitarski, B.; Witzel, G (2016-07-19). "An Improved Distance and Mass Estimate for Sgr A* from a Multistar Orbit Analysis". The Astrophysical Journal. 830 (1): 17.

Right-click opens up terrifying vistas of reality and Windows 95 user's frightful position therein

Re: Taking the Trash

Around here if you put yours out the night before, they fine you for contributing to a potential bear problem. Because they couldn't be arsed to create bins that unlock when the "automated" truck picks it up, and instead depend on the punters manually unlocking them when they get put out.

Brit MPs: Our policies are crap and the political process is in tatters, but it's Twitter's fault, OK?

Re: No s##t Sherlock...

You are incorrect in assuming that "total tax" is "maximum possible tax", and that therefore the wealthy are paying anywhere near their fair share.

Example:

Total income tax paid: 100

Person making 10 pay 5 = 50% of income. Pays 5% of total tax collected.

Person making 1000 pay 95 = 9.5% of income. Pays 95% of total tax collected, but has a MUCH lower rate of taxation. If they were paying taxes equally, the top would pay the same rate as the lower-middle. But if the rich paid their actual fair share, the lower-middle would not need to be taxed at all as heavily.

You are, like so many of the apologists for the rich, comparing total PAID and trying to equate it with percentage of income. In other words, your math is misleading. I'd say deliberately so, at least by those who first came up with that particular bit of propaganda that you are repeating.

A more fair, graduated distribution of tax would be for person making 10 to pay 1 (leaving only 9, but paying only 10% of total income as tax), and for the person making 1000 to pay 200, leaving 800, which is still 88 times more, but paying 20% of total income as tax.

Total tax revenue would therefore be 210, which would equate to more money for social programs, education, and health care, especially for those who aren't even making 10.

Making any changes revenue "neutral" (as compared to the current unequal system), the person earning 10 could pay 0.5 (5%), and the person earning 1000 would pay 95.5, or a net 9.5% of income. Just 1/2 a percent more than they pay under the old system. Total tax revenue stays at 100 under that model, but with a more equitable distribution.

Again, it's percentage of income that counts, with those at the top being MUCH more able to afford higher percentage than those at or near the bottom. "Total tax paid" is a meaningless and even completely misleading metric.

PS: off the cuff example, so there might be calculation errors. If so, my apologies,but I think the argument still stands in the face of potential miscalculations.

Re: No s##t Sherlock...

The real number is not the total tax they pay, but how much tax they pay as a percentage of their income. By THAT measure, the 1% (or even the 10%) pay a disproportionately low amount of tax compared to the rest of the 90%.

Attempting to make it a "look at how much they pay" is part of the confidence scam trick that hopefully won't work any more.

JACK OF ALL TIRADES: Twitter boss loses account to cunning foul-mouthed pranksters

Re: Twitter Hack

If Trumps account started spouting racist and homophobic content... would anyone notice the difference? I mean, his supporters would be saying "YES! He speaks truth!", and his detractors would probably barely notice the added profanity. Not sure even Trump would be able to tell the difference.

Otto man thrown under the bus: 33 crim trade secret theft charges for ex-Uber exec Anthony Levandowski

Ah yes, double standards

"Theft is not innovation". Except, of course, if you're a corporation, esp if the name is "Microsoft". Or, for that matter, "Uber" and how they treat drivers.

It's a pity that they only seem to pursue individuals in these cases, rather than going after the really big thieves.

Harvard freshman kicked out of US over OTHER people's posts on his social media

If democracy, voters are responsible, see option (a) - go down in flames and unpicked crops because voters ARE responsible in a democracy.

If not democracy, voters are just being misled, see option (b) - you need a revolution, and the fact you don't think you do means you are just as guilty.

So yes, I guess I am tarring all Americans with a large brush. Especially the wilful blindness as they look the other way when their police kill non-whites, or when their border guards ruin peoples lives in ways that completely violate peoples rights to even basic things like due process. Either way, the people there need to accept responsibility for the mess they're in and start taking control back from the special interests that are shitting all over the rest of the world.

Fuck the USA. I really hope they do succeed in kicking out every single last "illegal" immigrant or any visitor who doesn't meet their bigoted, white nationalist viewpoint. Then we call sit back and watch the pirate country that got rich plundering others finally go down in flames and unpicked crops, after having done it to so many others in the past.

That or they could have another revolution to kick out the sick, hypocritical, rich fucks currently running their country from their offshore tax havens. That would work too.

Glad I no longer have to travel to the USA for *any* reason. Every time I'm tempted something like this comes up, and I'm reminded why I'm so happy about not living or visiting there. It's bad enough living within 200km of their border.