Posts by John70

Meta claims ‘world’s largest' open AI model with Llama 3.1 405B debut

If it used Facebook's data for learning it'll be more than just a bag o shite.

Windows 11 is closing the gap on Windows 10

I'm still going by "Windows 10 is the last version of Windows"

Early MySQL engineer questions whether Oracle is unintentionally killing off the open source database

I'm more surprised Oracle didn't kill it off years ago.

Fujitsu set to be preferred bidder in UK digital ID scheme

One step closer to having Multi-Pass

LinkedIn's turn to fall over: Outage hits thinkfluencer hub

Did it fall over from all those development [bad] advises that have been popping up lately?

NASA solar sail tech is ready – now who's up to use it in a mission?

The next demonstration should be deployment in space with a test craft and see how far/fast it travels.

Something like a Bajoran lightship. And if it hits tachyon emissions and travels at warp speed, even better.

Microsoft issues deadline for end of Windows 10 support – it's pay to play for security

Is Microsoft going to buy me a custom high-end desktop PC?

I've got a few years left with my current incompatible Windows 11 hardware.

Unit4 ditching on-prem in favor of SaaS come 2025

The story on 1st Jan 2025 will be redundancies at Unit4 since they will no longer need people to maintain their on-prem equipment.

Unions claim win as Hollywood studios agree generative AI isn't an author

Their pay should be based on writing something new/original and not the same reboot, rehash or re-imagined trash.

Google rebrands 'android' as 'Android' to remove any doubt about its affiliations

Now it's tightly coupled, the EU will demand Android is separated from Google for competition reasons.

Hollywood studios agree AI-generated content should not reduce humans' pay or credit

Writers afraid that AI can do a better job and create a more entertaining story?

It can't do any worse than the rubbish that's been coming out of Hollywood in recent years.

Quirky QWERTY killed a password in Paris

Re: All your QWERTY belong to us...

I presume it's worded as November 1, 2016 for the Americans to understand what 01/11/2016 is.

Europe's largest city council runs parallel systems to cover Oracle rollout mess

Then a new person joins the company at the exec level and decides they want a different system, so the cycle repeats.

Without competition, TCS wins back UK pensions body in £1.5B mega-deal

Surely they could have got it cheaper. [sarcasm] It's not like TCS are going to have delays, go over budget, etc.... [/sarcasm]

Virgin Media email customers enter third day of inbox infuriation

Only thing in my VM email is spam.

My main email account is with a non-ISP email service.

No more feature updates for Windows 10 – current version is final

If Microsoft want us to move onto Windows 11, then they can remove the ridiculous requirements otherwise it'll be a few more years yet before upgrading my machine.

By then it'll probably be Windows 13 (unless they come up with a new versioning by then).

EU lawmakers fear general purpose AI like ChatGPT has already outsmarted regulators

Are legislators/law makers afraid ChatGPT will take over their jobs?

Maybe we should replace Members of Parliament with ChatGPT.

Wrong time to weaken encryption, UK IT chartered institute tells government

Wonder how many MPs will drop these messaging apps once they realise they can be monitored.

Their WhatsApp chat groups could make for an interesting read...

Is it time to tip open source developers? Here's one way to do it

AI Generated Code

Who would gets paid if the open source code contained AI generate code?

The owner of the project?

The owner of the AI?

The owner of the code the AI modelled it's response on?

If you have a fan, and want this company to stay in business, bring it to IT now

Have you had to co-opt supplies from around the office to keep IT alive?

Yes. Many many many years ago. This was when a HP-UX box was sat in a corner. Didn't have a dedicated server room at the time.

So when it got hot in the office, all the fans were "relocated".

Windows 10 paid downloads end but buyers need not fear ISO-lation

May be Microsoft should lower the minimum requirements to run it like remove TPM2

Got a good few years left in my current rig before I need to change it.

BBC is still struggling with the digital switch, says watchdog

Quality Content???

But supporters see it as offering a unique model to bring quality content to a national — indeed global — audience.

Yea... right....

The content is not quality and does not offer anything that interests me. And if it was a subscription service it would have been cancelled a long time ago.

Multi-tasker Musk expects to reduce time at Twitter, seek another leader

Buy Facebook

Elon Musk needs to buy Facebook next and kill that off

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launches after three-year hiatus with secret US sats

Re: Yeah the fog was disappointing

Wasn't it timed to launch in the fog to keep it extra secret?

Google's Alphabet to review every project after $6bn decline in profits

Killed By Google

Guess there will be a lot more projects being added to this list: https://killedbygoogle.com/

To make this computer work, users had to press a button. Why didn't it work? Guess

Press the button

Had a similar issue with a button. Many, many, many years ago had a support call saying the monitor wasn't working.

Went through the usual routine, "Is it plugged into the mains? Is the monitor switched on?".

After a while I wandered over to the next building to have a look, turned the monitor on to see what, if anything happens and lo and behold, it was working fine.

NASA selects 'full force' for probe into UFOs

SpaceX

I wonder if the US Government has warned Musk and SpaceX to keep quiet about any "sightings" they may have had on their travels.

Tech world may face huge fines if it doesn't scrub CSAM from encrypted chats

Testing

I suggest that testing should be done on ministers encrypted chats first.

Seems to be plenty of perverts and sex pests in West Minister.

IBM ordered to hand over ex-CEO emails plotting cuts in older workers

Re: How much???

So old???

Thought it was down to 1 hour after being born...

NASA to commission independent UFO study

The only thing out of this world is Giorgio Tsoukalos's hair style

For those that don't know who he is, see Ancient Aliens

Engineer sues Amazon for not covering work-from-home internet, electricity bills

Wouldn't it depend on whether the viewing was on personal computer or work computer?

Pentagon opens up about its database of 400 smudges that may or may not be UFOs

Re: An incredible still from the subcommittee hearing

You need to click on the "source" below the image. It's a video of the event.

Round about 46:33 the camera man will pan to the right and you barely see a spherical object. Lasts about 2-3 frames.

The video is repeated a few times for the committee to highlight how fast and hard it is to see it.

Thinnet cables are no match for director's morning workout

Re: Full names please.......

I used to work with someone who was called Eileen Dover.

One in five employees at top Indian outsourcers left in the past year

customers will likely be served by less experienced staff.

What do you mean "will likely"?

As soon as the person you have been dealing with gets enough knowledge, they are moved on and you get assigned the next junior in the queue and the "training" starts all over again.

60 countries sign declaration to keep future internet open

Google announced its support for the declaration (only governments were signees), saying that the DFI outlines a clear path to addressing some of the internet's most pressing threats.

Isn't Google one of those "pressing threats"?

Windows 10 still growing, but Win 11 had another bad month, says AdDuplex

I might "upgrade" to W11 in a few years when I start to think about replacing my current equipment.

Apple's grip on iOS browser engines disallowed under latest draft EU rules

Would be nice if all these web engines behaved the same way when following the standards instead of having to "fix" the quirks each one has.

US Space Force unit to monitor region beyond Earth's geosynchronous orbit

Wonder when it will incorporate Solar Warden

Netflix to crack down on account sharing, offer ad-laden cheaper options

Cost of Living

With the cost of living increasing, people are bound to unsubscribe to save money.

Windows 11 growth at a standstill amid stringent hardware requirements

Drop the stupid requirements and I might install it.

I'm not upgrading my equipment for another couple of years. There's plenty of life still left in it.

Hospitals to use startup's AI tech to predict A&E traffic

My prediction without AI software: Increase in A&E visitors every Friday and Saturday night.

Reg reader rages over Virgin Media's email password policy

Re: The best password is the one you don't remember

Are you sure it's a 7 and not 8?

IT blamed after HR forgets to install sockets in new office

IT always get the blame no matter who's fault it is.

That's why we all need a BOFH in the department.

European Union takes China to WTO over smartphone patents

Re: Tit for tat.

Could be a good way of copying a competitor's IP by copying the Chinese who copied it from the competitor in the first place.

WeChat, AliExpress added to US Notorious Markets list

In a canned statement, US Traade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai

That looks like a Chinese knockoff to me

UK.gov threatens to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

Re: "make it easy to identify foreign bot accounts"

Just those in the UK since it's a UK law.

Pop quiz: The network team didn't make your change. The server is in a locked room. What do you do?

Re: Out of date building plans

That took me back... Up in the air on a fork truck to get to a network panel...

Remember Norton 360's bundled cryptominer? Irritated folk realise Ethereum crafter is tricky to delete

So not only they opt you in for the annual recurring £84.99 subscription, they are now using your equipment to mine currency and take 15% as commission?

UK's Defra and Ministry of Justice facing £120m IR35 tax bills thanks to inaccuracies in assessing contractors' status

HMRC facing tax bill

I'm just waiting for the story where the HMRC themselves are facing a tax bill for wrongly accessing their contractors.

Renting IT hardware on a subscription basis is bad for customers

Re: Subscription vs lease?

Once the bean counters lose 2 days of work and had to restore from previous backup and have to enter all those figures in again, they will soon learn daily file backups is a requirement.