* Posts by Annihilator

3788 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Jun 2009

Child support IT fail: Deadbeat mums 'n' dads off the hook

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: I'm with mr Heffernan on this.

The phrase "deadbeat" is being used to describe the people who are being let off the hook and subsequently *not* paying CS. I presume there are plenty of people who are impacted by this IT failing yet continuing to pay child support under amicable arrangements instead of having to get it taken at source.

Annihilator
Thumb Down

Re: Moose

"I narrowly avoided getting into a similar situation (dumped her before she got preggo)"

Yes, if only there were some way for *you* to be responsible for birth control.

Watchdog bites bar over 'offensive' Facebook ad

Annihilator
Coat

More ASA complaints

It also says "dress to impress". There is a gallery on the club's website to show that's blatant false advertising..

UK's '£1.2bn software pirates' mostly 'blokes under 34'

Annihilator
Coat

Utterly confused

I thought that they'd banned Newzbin and TPB, so surely they've solved the entire piracy problem. No? But wasn't that the point? Oh...

:-)

Nokia outs budget phone pair

Annihilator
Thumb Down

Business?

I'm sure they'd appeal to some people, and I do like twin-sim devices, but I wouldn't be thrilled with a business phone that comes in a garish day-glo colour.

Behind the lens of NASA's self-adapting ISS space telescope

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: When a NASA engineer describes a computer as "high performance"...

And by "good enough for the job" you mean work consistently and reliably in the harshest of conditions. Even getting a 386 to do exactly what you expect it to do while ignoring the effects of cosmic rays et al is what I'd call high performance.

BT outage kills phone lines in Eastbourne and Brighton

Annihilator
Boffin

Cascading outage

Well you've clearly not been in an exchange outage. 80% of the calls that would normally be made suddenly go on to the cellular network as everyone reaches for their mobiles, turning the mobile signal availability into something approaching new year's eve levels of patchiness. Especially if DSL goes at the same time which I'm assuming is the case here as 3G falls through the floor too.

Besides which in the Brightec instance you quoted they're talking about a central line to a switchboard. Which poor sap did you have in mind to start taking all those calls via their mobile exactly?

Microsoft makes good with a 23-fix Patch Tuesday

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: Thank You!

@chandleo - I've never understood the people who stare frustrated at their machine waiting for it to power down. If my laptop is ever pausing at the "installing x of y updates" I'm usually well out the door, laptop either shoved in a drawer or updating merrily in my bag. It'll power off when complete, there's really no need to keep it company or even connected to a network.

Hopefully a handy hint to get you towards the pub sooner. Or like me, just never shut it down (standby or hibernate save a lot of time the next morning!)

The Pirate Bay cries foul over Pirate Bay copycats

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: It's like raaaaaaaain

The irony of course being that none of the examples represent irony, much like this case given TPB actively encourage copies/proxies and are just objecting to the money-grabbing elements?

Annihilator
Headmaster

Font??

"Using The Pirate Bay logo or font is a trademark violation"

Really? I'm not allowed to use Blackletter any more? Must let Microsoft know to remove Old English Text MT from Word installations too...

Apple updates iOS, mum on Wi-Fi, battery fixes

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: large size download

Nope, iTunes downloads specific firmwares depending on the device. The iPad2 complete firmware is different to the "new iPad" etc.

It's literally downloading the entire firmware(s) because Apple haven't built in the ability to do the patching that the devices themselves can do.

Annihilator
Holmes

Re: So

@AC because with any firmware upgrade (which this effectively is) there's a risk of bricking. May well be a small risk but why take it if the net result is zero? There's also that Apple habit of introducing bugs with a point release that I'd rather avoid.

@LoopyChew thanks for the article. If only Apple could treat its customers like grownups and release that info clearly I might be quicker to patch.

Annihilator
Meh

So

Based on the official list of what it's released for, I think I'll leave it for now. A real case of "nothing to see here"

Microsoft ejects DVD playback from Windows 8

Annihilator
Facepalm

Re: Windows 8 = Downgrade

"Didn't you need the capacity of a DVD disk to hold a complete windows install anyway?"

1) it's a "disc"

2) they're not discontinuing the support for the physical media (hard to imagine how they could) but for DVD video.

Although given you're managing to see conspiracy in this, I'm not surprised you're confused.

Cameron hardens stance on UK web filth block

Annihilator
Facepalm

Re: Another intrusion

See that's the strange thing. The Tories are generally content to let "the market" and private enterprise sort this stuff out. If there were such a demand for a "clean" Internet, an ISP offering such a service would have formed by now and would be raking it in. Probably called Think Of The Children ISP. Presumably there isn't that much of a demand, so would kindly request that they jog on and sort out the economy instead of inventing half-ass proposals in response to parents that can't be arsed to parent.

I do love our governments approach of repeatedly asking the question until they get the right answer. Or just ramming it through regardless.

iOS Rock Band gets back together

Annihilator

Re: why not admit to it?

@jdx or better yet, explain why they consider it a "service" at all??

Bought a new Mac Pro? 1-in-100 chance it'll destroy your data

Annihilator
IT Angle

Re: Not a mac fan

Erm, hats off for replacing a faulty machine within the first month of operation? I think that's more a trading standard/statutory right.

Annihilator
Happy

1 in 100

"Bought a new Mac Pro? 1-in-100 chance it'll destroy your data"

It's a hard disk. It's more like 100-in-100 chance it'll destroy your data, given enough time.

Annihilator

Re: More importantly

True, however IIRC they have built their own custom firmware in the past for their hard drives (iMacs) in the past.

Virgin Media cuts Pirate Bay access for millions of punters

Annihilator
Thumb Down

Re: What about the millions of legal downloads?

What legal downloads did TPB "host" then? Given its all magnets these days, there is no need for a "host" or tracker. They haven't killed P2P which is the tool used by open source for distribution. I've never needed TPB to get my open source software.

There are plenty of arguments against this block but "legal" downloads ain't close to being one of them.

Annihilator
Coat

5 ISPs... And a website

Judging by the number of "deleted by mod" where there was once an alternate link, it appears El Reg has been ordered by the courts to block access too?..

Annihilator

Minor correction

"notorious BitTorrent tracker website The Pirate Bay"

AFAIK it hasn't been a tracker in quite some time. It's equal to google in its role.

Moon at annual perigee this weekend

Annihilator
Paris Hilton

Wow what a terrific audience

Anyone else think the voice over on that video could be Jimmy from South Park without the speech impediment?

Shuttle Enterprise comes home to New York

Annihilator
Mushroom

Re: Bah!

Jeez you must be a miserable nightmare to work with.

Just to cheer you up, it was intended to be a flight-ready shuttle but just not the first. They carried on designing and building the first one (Columbia) while the ALT tests were being conducted by Enterprise - a rather necessary step given the timelines. The design changed significantly enough during this period that it just wasn't cost effective to retro-fit Enterprise with these design changes. I sense you're feeling betrayed/conned by NASA back in the 70's - it wasn't some big secret, just an evolution of space flight design.

Congratulations New York - you got a rare piece of space flight history. Hopefully it'll slightly offset the miserable office workers who get irate about it.

Annihilator
Go

To quote Homer

"slipped the surly bonds of Earth" and punch the face of god...

Looking forward to next trip to NYC to revisit Intrepid!

Ten... eight-bit classic games

Annihilator
Paris Hilton

Jeff Minter

Strangely missing from the list unless I've overlooked something?...

Hands on with the Nikon D3200 DSLR

Annihilator

Re: The Sony sensors seem quite remarkable

Bloom ain't flare. It's the airy disk effect, or bleeding light, but yeah it's a symptom of lenses not focusing perfectly.

Prime example is taking an indoor picture of a window on a sunny day - the light will bleed out over the walls. It's what HDR in gaming tries to mimic.

FBI track alleged Anon from unsanitised busty babe pic

Annihilator
Facepalm

Re: <-- See Icon @Big dumb guy

Good one. Now that you've mastered sarcasm, try mastering the caps lock key. Then read the story again and realise the guy lives in Texas and has a "girlfriend" in Sydney. Then look up the difference between "their" and "there". Then you're ready to move on to punctuation, such as the apostrophe, comma and question mark.

Then, with luck and a lot of concentration, we can get you wearing big boy pants and stop you having those accidents.

Annihilator
Go

Re: <-- See Icon

There's nothing in the police's investigative arsenal that beats a criminal being stupid. Fortunately America are proud to claim some of the stupidest criminals in the world.

Ten... Bedroom Gadget Treats

Annihilator
Meh

Re: Best way to get to sleep...

Good shout, but think I'd need more material than 30 minutes each week, on a 6 week on/off cycle that the News Quiz operates on...

Annihilator
Thumb Up

Re: Missing item...

Cuisinart make my coffee maker - phenomenal machine (DGB900BCU) that goes from beans to coffee all by itself in about 5 minutes, works on a timer and delivers into a thermos-ey pot waiting for me in the kitchen when I haul my sorry ass out of bed. Just make sure there's enough beans in the hopper and water in the reservoir.

Think it's around 120 notes, but worth it when you consider it's doing it properly, compared with a ridiculous Tassimo or Nespresso machine at the same price but with overpriced coffee to boot.

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: I'm dubious

"what use is an alarm clock that wakes you up 20 minutes before or after the time you set it for?"

The alarm clock wakes you up at the optimal time between any window you choose, you set the latest time it can wake you, it's not an enforced +/- 20 minutes. The idea is (and it's a good one) that chances are you'll be semi-awake close to your alarm going off that it would make sense for you to be woken then instead of letting you fall into a deeper sleep and waking you 15 minutes later.

So if I want to wake up by 7am, I tell it between 6:30 and 7, knowing that a 6:32 wake-up call where I'm ready to be woken is a damn sight better than a groggy 7am alarm.

LOHAN dives into Reg forums mosh pit

Annihilator
Coat

Question

Have you considered hydrogen instead of helium?...

*cough*

LOHAN lifts lid on revised mission summary

Annihilator
Mushroom

Re: Why He?

You're overlooking one key aspect. Top boffinry demands that a pipe is smoked and chewed on throughout the experiment. The playmobil 'naut would be fine, but we need to reduce the risk on the ground for Lewis and his fellow boffins - rocket fuel is going to be hazardous enough! :-)

Whisky IN SPAAAAACE: Zero-G Scotch is matured aboard the ISS

Annihilator

@DF118

"Precedent" isn't "oh I know someone who says it so it's ok". It's pronounced Isle-La because that's the name of the island. I know people who pronounce Culzean as Cull-Zeen, doesn't set a precedent.

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: Pedantry alert

Further pedantry says that the 3 years has to occur while in Scotland before it's whisky.

Though it could be whiskey, which pretty much has the "anything goes" rule :-)

Annihilator
Unhappy

Up up and Islay?

Pun would work if Islay rhymed with "away", but given it's pronounced "aisle-lah" (like the name Isla, as in Isla Fisher) it doesn't really work. Unless you're on TV in American where I often hear it pronounced wrongly.

3/10 - must try harder.

Dark matter hits you once a minute

Annihilator
Coat

Looking forward

to the Daily Mail article explaining how this causes/cures various cancers.

Five charged after fanboi sells kidney for iPad and iPhone

Annihilator
Unhappy

Re: Stupid is as stupid does.

Quite. When travelling in India there were a number of people on the streets begging who I noticed were missing various limbs. I was told by a local that it was common for people to pay to remove limbs in order to generate more sympathy and increase their income via begging. The prominence of the missing limbs went some way to validate this claim.

Windows 3.1 rebooted: Microsoft's DOS destroyer turns 20

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: Memories!.......on 1.44 MB disc

Except as I recall they were DMF formatted disks, so technically they were 1680KB disks :-)

I'll climb back under my pedant rock now

Apple relents, doubles EU warranty (sort of)

Annihilator

Re: You have rights beyond any warranty.

@Mark 65 - I think it has to burn out "beyond economical repair" too (more vagueness ensues depending on "economical" and who's repairing it). A simple breakdown of a component is to be expected within the lifetime of the unit. You're right in that it's the reasonable person argument, but how many retailers allow their employees to be reasonable?

I know modern Sony's are drag-drop, I'm talking about literally not forgiving them from 12 years ago when I owned a Net Walkman (NW-MS9). T'was a lovely little thing that was ruined by the software :-)

Annihilator
Meh

Re: You have rights beyond any warranty.

I believe that you (the consumer) have to prove to the retailer in question that the fault wasn't caused by expected wear/tear and was a genuine failure before its expected life. The 6 year rule is so vague as to be practically impossible to get any traction on.

O/T, you don't buy into iPods due to iTunes, yet have forgiven Sony for their OpenMG Jukebox abomination? To each their own! :-)

Battling remote-control helicopters

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: 5 minutes?

Granted the AR gives you 12 minutes flight time, but a staggering 90 minutes charge time is required Suddenly 30 minutes for 5 minutes flight seems quite attractive.

Having said all that, I'd still sell a kidney for the Parrot AR Drone.

Visa and MasterCard warn of credit card data breach

Annihilator
Thumb Up

Re: Global Payments Download.

"Greetings Professor Falken... Shall we play a game?"

Capita poises axe over 1,000 staff - jobs headed to India

Annihilator
Coat

Re: communication irritation

"yes I live near Liverpool..."

To be satirically fair, the call centre could have been anywhere then and had the same troubles...

Griffin Reserve Battery Case

Annihilator
Thumb Down

Dock connector

Bizarre that they don't just have a dock connector on it. At the very least they could have let the USB cable work as a dock connector for syncing.

Behold! Or rather, don't: Bendy see-through DRAM

Annihilator
Coat

Transparent

"We might end up wearing our memory devices"

Not sure about you, but my preference for my clothing would be firmly described as "opaque" - although transparent isn't always objectionable in specific examples of the opposite sex..

Also a fine choice for some emperors I hear

Spain donates Enigma gear that kick-started Brit code-breaking

Annihilator
Stop

Re: almost puzzled

Oh FFS, not everything is a slight against Turing. In terms of breaking Enigma, Turing was nowhere near the first to do it - he joined Knox's team (who was mentioned).

Presumably you're of the simplistic view that "Enigma" = "Bletchley" = "Turing". The initial cracks of a (weak) Enigma were done in Poland, the findings handed over to the Brits when it became clear Poland would fall to Germany and generically broken by Knox, as mentioned in the article. Turing helped to break Naval Enigma, and also designed the British Bombes that automated the cracking.

It's actually far more complex than what I've just wrote, so I suggest you stop seeing homophobia everywhere, go to Bletchley and learn about it - I'd also suggest looking at the memorial to Marian Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Różycki.

Oz regulator to Apple: Don’t call it 4G if you can’t connect

Annihilator

Re: I'd be satisfied

I didn't mention the age of the phone :-) If it was the same provider you would have just swapped in the SIM from the old phone - it's that which usually inhibits 3G - it usually has "3G" written on the card itself, so worth checking out.

Annihilator
Boffin

Re: I'd be satisfied

Well, assuming you're in a 3G network I'd be suspicious you're carrying a very old SIM. Not many people realise that you do need a specific 3G SIM as the older ones didn't permit the functionality. Though if you got the SIM card in the last 4-5 years you're probably just in a not-spot, but worth checking with your provider.