Posts by David Cox

Possible cut to British F-35 order considered before Parliament

This one nearly got built

*cough* HS P.1216 *cough* for those of you yearning for a return to Sea Harrier.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_P.1216

Re: Silly name

Ironically the Swedish airforce actually used the Mossie from 1948-54

http://www.avrosys.nu/aircraft/Jakt/115j30/115J30-2.htm

Two words, Mozilla: SPEED! NOW! Quit fiddling and get serious

Chromium?

@AC: You mean Opera uses the Chromium *rendering engine*. That's a long way from basing it on the Chromium *browser*. Honest mistake, or deliberate misdirection?

Facebook Fake News won it for Trump? That's a Zombie theory

Re: Why bother with Facebook anyway?

True, I only use facebook for keeping in contact with friends; both afar, and non-verbally while at our respective places or work (line manager get upset at private phone calls, but oddly don't notice under-desk smartphone use). Specifically though, it's Facebook Messenger that we all use, not the pages themselves.

Mostly the Facebook pages have pictures of exploits, motivational messaging, adverts/trailers for "stuff we like" and food. And that's all; it ain't social anymore . . .

AI gives porn peddlers a helping hand

Re: Lack of Research

Had to look up the Reverse Dutch Steamboat on Urban Dictionary, also the Stockholm Slip'n'Slide description is hilarious. Luckily I'm working the helpdesk from home today, actually laughed out loud! I do think someone is making these up though!! :-D

Brits' borked Samsung kit held up after repair centre slips into administration

Samsung in "Mega-Corp. doesn't care much about a lone, disgruntled user" shock!

Nipper's toy train enjoys journey to edge of SPAAAAACE

Re: Great

Actually the Kerosene and Hydrogen Peroxide propellant mix was specifically shosen because is is a "cold" fuel, the expansion (that produces the thrust) is caused by chemical decomposition over the catalyst and not by compustion (as in the NASA stuff). This resulted in less heat sheilding and a reduced requirment for blast-proofing at the launch pad, iirc.

Anti-virus products are rubbish, says Imperva

Re: IMPERVA'S PRODUCTS ARE RUBBISH

If you're going to slag someones product, then you should at least have the courage of your convictions and not go under "anonymous coward", if not actually citing some proof (!). Downvoted.

Bash Street bytes: Do UK schools really need the Raspberry Pi?

Re: Remember the physical sciences too

This sort of thing has been available in schools for decades. Just go to the TTS website and look up "log Box" and Pulse Recorder. The older version plugged in via the serial port, but newer one use USB. Most come with temperature and sound monitoring sensor built in now (you had to buy those separately in the old days), and come with simple windows-friendly software to download and manipulate the data.

The problem is, that schools buy this kit by the bucket-load (I have personally seen at least 5 schools in my county with 20+kits in the storecupboard gathering dust), then do nothing with it. Sure, there are the odd teacher who understands how to do a stop-motion of decaying fruit usding a webcam, or can use pivot stick to teach simple computer animation, but most teachers just can't be arsed to learn how to use it (or, worse still in my eyes, don't have the natural curiosity to learn).

My solution, teach the teachers and then make ICT teaching part of an OFSTED inspection - only once it affects a schools OFSTED ranking will they care about it!!!!!

Neutrinos still FASTER THAN LIGHT in second test

Pipes? Wot pipes?

There are *no* pipes between CERN (on French/Swiss border) and Gran Sasso! Neutrinos have the disconcerting ability to pass completely through most solids. That's why they are so hard to detect. All the detectors (like the one at Boulby Potash mine in Cleveland UK) are deep underground to screen out background cosmic radiation. They are also made of very dense materials - Gran Sasso is made up of a number of lead/photgraphic film bricks weighing a total of 1250 tonnes - to maximise the chance of a neutrino hitting an atomic nucleus and crating a "spark" of sub-atomic particles that can be detected.

Hope that helps.

<end of particle detector 101>

English vocab poised to hit 1m words

"Noob" or "Newb"?

I always thought that "Noobs" were a sub-species of Newbie who were ill-informed and un-skilled, and willfully resistant to advice? I was told to 'help a newb, ignore a noob'.

Though, I could easily be wrong . . . .