Posts by Number6

Appeal Court: TV menu decision was irrational, but not unfair

Re-arranging the list

If I have the facility to re-arrange the ordering of the channels, the shopping ones end up right at the bottom out of the way. I applaud Freesat for taking my preferences into consideration.

The DoD's very cloudy thinking over Gmail

Gmail = !delete

Of course, had those White House officials used Gmail, chances are they would not have been able to delete their email.

Anti-Internet Explorer 6 protests grow with online petition

Web coders unite

If everyone removed IE6 support from their website code, there would be a big incentive for those who use it to switch to something else once people found that they could no longer browse their favourite websites.

Perhaps anything we wanted to keep secret from HMG should just be posted on sites that don't support IE6?

Firefox-based attack wreaks havoc on IRC users

Catch-22

As a user I want to be able to browse on non-standard ports. Using 631 for CUPS is one example, then there's the VMWare admin port and various others. All not strictly http ports but still capable of serving http traffic with the correct server listening. How does the browser distinguish between valid ports and non-valid ports?

UK.gov shutters half its websites

Tax Website

I assume the tax website will be closed this weekend as it collapes under the load of all those last-minute on-line returns? Or have they managed to fix it at last?

French mock British G-spot probe

Line of the week

'The researchers probed 1,800 women, identical and non-identical twins, expecting that if the G-spot existed, "both identical twins, who have the same genes, would report having one".'

One wonders how they probed the women and how one gets such a job?

Entire UK will be on ID database sometime in next 3 millennia

Renew Early

If you're really concerned you can renew early unless they've sneaked through a change in the rules. You forfeit what you paid for the last one, but it does put the evil day off for longer.

Brits left cold by mobile internet

If Only...

...I had a decent 3G connection. In places where there is 3G then it's not too bad, but in most of the places I frequent, it's GPRS so I don't bother. I use the phone with WiFi, that works at a decent speed.

I've got a Nokia E71 (flashed to the generic SW instead of the T-Mobile bastardised offering) so I can use IMs and internet phone when in a WiFi area. I rarely use it as a phone, based on the miniscule nibbles I make in my monthly data allowance. If I had coverage at home (where none of the networks are much good) then I might use it more in place of the landline.

BT reveals faster broadband pricing

Errr...

I don't think I'll bother. Apparently I can have BT Total Broadband with a download speed of 0.256Mb. I'll stick with my existing one which sits somewhere between 3 and 4Mb.

Wrists playing up? You're shagging too much

Equality

In these days of equality, there are female missionaries as well. Why shouldn't they be on top?

New service hamstrings Google data hoarding

They even know the dissenters

Given that my NoScript has flagged that it's blocked google-analytics.com while reading this page, those of you who are unprotected have probably given Google a bunch more information. However, as it's a public page, the search engine will no doubt find it later anyway so we're all doomed.

British government ignores MS browser fears

Cheaper than a CD or Memory Stick

Not the mention the train fare. Now the government can distribute sensitive information in a much cheaper manner than ever before.

Exploit code for potent IE zero-day bug goes wild

Like a biro

Yes, you could liken Windows to a biro. Half the time you come to use it and find it's not working properly.

As for the Mac, you can be sure that the crayon has been carefully contoured to enhance the user experience and it'll be available in a range of aesthetically-pleasing colours.

Linux is more like a pencil - easy to remove mistakes and you can fix it when it breaks.

IE zero-day used in Chinese cyber assault on 34 firms

Definitely no HTML

My mail server bounces email with an HTML section. It's a security risk and even though I run Linux, I'd still prefer to know what's happening.

Judge awards Dish Network $51m from satellite pirate

Me?

Did somebody call?

Supersonic stealth jumpjet in first hover-system flight test

Ramscoop

I'm impressed that if it's got significant forward speed, that the lid didn't get wrenched off as it got exposde to the airflow. Or is the intake powerful enough to pull most of the air mass down so it doesn't impact the lid?

Record labels seek DMCA-style UK takedowns

Costs

If there's a takedown that is successfully challenged in court, BPI should be liable for all costs in the case, a suitable fee payable to the ISP/webhost for the work in removing the disputed item(s) and then replacing them, plus a per-day charge payable to the person/organisation whose website was targetted. If they do their homework and only go for valid targets they'll never have to pay a penny, but if they adopt the shoot-first-ask-questions-later, it'll cost them.

Checks and balances.

Brown offers free laptops to deprived UK schoolkids

Sorry, you can't have one

Topical in view of yesterday's CSF Bill debate in Parliament, with the government talking about more support for home education, yet explicitly denying them the opportunity to participate in this scheme if they would otherwise qualify. The small print at the bottom specifically states that home educated children do not qualify.

False Facebook charge group used to spread malware

Paying for Facebook

Being a Social Networking Freetard, if Facebook want to charge me, I'll go elsewhere or even just not bother. I wonder what I'd do with all that free time?

Plastic Logic unveils executive e-book reader

"seen anything of Acorn lately?"

They got bored of computers and decided to concentrate on chip design instead.

ARM = Acorn Risc Machines

(OK, then it was Advanced Risc Machines, and now just ARM for most purposes).

IPS in cunning 'get an ID card, get crucified' scheme

V5 and registered keeper

The terminology is because the person who is responsible for the car is not necessarily the person who owns it. Usually they are the same person but they don't have to be.

Upset

Looks like IPS are going to be really cross with El Reg.

Enormous raygun-on-a-lorry project acquires lorry

Lorry?

If it's in the US, surely it's a truck.

Interested in the manufacturer's name, I though Oshkosh made clothes, I'm sure my son has some of their pyjamas.

National Rail website buried ahead of snow storm

Lucky Ones?

Sounds like Inverness has the best part of the deal, separated from the Sassenachs.

Big thumbs-up for the crayfish sandwich line as well.

Roboplane tech can deal with air-traffic control directly

Do you trust computers?

Not a good idea - the time you really want two pilots is when something goes wrong, such as your FMC doing strange things (QANTAS A330 over the Pacific?) where you definitely want to get the electronics as much out of the loop as possible. If you're on a long cargo flight, on your own, who's going to keep you awake and alert? At least if there's two in the cockpit you have some degree of redundancy if one pilot is incapacitated. Indeed, there are some accidents where it was considered that with a flight engineer in the cockpit as well, the accident would never have happened.

Imagine the fun to be had by successfully hacking into the data link, your very own remote control aircraft, full-size.

Paramount prepares to scale Dune

Must Do Better

I thought the previous film was very poor. As a standalone story it was OK, but in terms of being faithful to the books it was dire. Weirding modules and rain at the end of the film were bad. Using condoms as worms was amusing though.

For a better interpretation, the Dune miniseries that covered the first three books was pretty good and did at least follow the story line.

Of course, now that his son has picked up the baton, there's a good storyline from the Butlerian Jihad all the way through to Kralizec at the end, so there's an incentive to stay close to what Herbert wrote.

Sex in the Noughties: How was it for you?

The Safety Elf

They missed an opportunity here. BDSM should be perfectly legal provided there's been a proper risk assessment beforehand, checking the softness and length of whips, and requiring Doms to go on a training course so that an inspector can certify that they don't hit too hard (or soft, I guess). Subs will be required to register their safewords with a central database.

There's a whole industry waiting out there, along the lines of PAT testing for electrical kit, to calibrate and check the performance of various implements.

Border Agency and Cardiff fail on FoI reviews

Not the only ones

DCSF haven't been particularly good at FOI requests either, being very secretive and obstructive. They refuse to publish information and then whinge about costs when people ask for it via the FOI route, which appears to be a deliberate policy of secrecy to me.

UK government considers open source Ordnance Survey data

Royal Mail Data

It's probably amazingly naive, but if the government want Royal Mail to open access to the postcode database and they're concerned about the £2m they'd lose, why not come to some arrangement whereby the government gives them an extra £2m/year and then lets everyone else use it. Royal Mail is only concerned because the government want it to make money and so every source of income is valuable. If the government are serious about open access then they'd find a way to do something like this.

Ferry giant refuses ID card

Rent-a-Quote

"People have made numerous journeys around Europe using their identity cards and this seems to be an isolated incident."

I assume they're talking about UK citizens here. If so, how many have ID cards, and have they actually had them long enough to make numerous journeys around Europe? Sounds like someone's pulled out one of next year's excuses a bit early.

Angels can't fly: Official

Missing the Point

Surely if you believe in angels of that sort then you'd know that they don't need to obey Earthly laws of physics.

However, for those of us who categorise them with the fat bloke in the red suit, it comes as no surprise. After all, his reindeer don't even have wings. Marketing departments were obviously more creative and artistic back when angels were first envisaged.

Vatican awards self 'unique copyright' on Pope

Enforcement

Presumably the enforcement will be the use of lightning bolts against transgressors?

I guess that means we have to modify some well-known saying and end up with "Is the bear a Catholic". On the bright side, no need to check for faeces in the woods.

Google: Do no evil, pay no tax

Average?

Can I be an average Google worker please? I'll even file my horns off.

The year in tech lunacy - an El Reg guide

Of course you love Microsoft

They must be responsible, directly or indirectly, for a large number of your stories.

UK e-Borders scheme thrown into confusion by EU rules

Spin!

They'll just pitch it as a method of avoiding delays - if you've handed over your details in advance then you get processed quickly, if you don't, you get to join the long queue for validation of information. Or you get slung in jail because they think you're a bad guy.

Department for Transport pours millions into eTicketing

Ha Ha

"if only people didn't have to scrabble around for change they'd all be taking the bus every day"

Round here it's not lack of change that's a problem, it's lack of buses. Vicious circle - crap service means people use cars, which means no demand for buses so no service improvements. We get four buses a day in my village, none of which actually go anywhere I want to go.

Swedish bankers punt webcam smut to kiddies

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

Let's face it, if you're going to screw up, might as well do it big-time and let some of us have a good laugh.

File-sharing Bill could give Government control of the internet

Be More Explicit

If they don't intend it to be used that way then there should be an explicit clause in the primary legislation that provides a narrow definition of what can be done with statutory instruments.

There has been too much of this vague legislation and promises at the time of "oh, that's not our intention", only to find out too late that actually it was. Once upon a time we had a House of Lords that properly scrutinised legislation, but that was broken when Blair fired most of the competent scrutineers.

Ten years of .NET - Did Microsoft deliver?

Cross-platform

My opinion of it went up when I was able to take something I'd put together on a Windows machine and run it under Mono on Linux. I would think that if MS devoted some energy to helping clear up incompatibilities (instead of encouraging them) and keeping Mono capabilities up to date with current .NET then it will flourish.

Google says ad blockers will save online ads

90%

If they get a 90% share then the advertisers would probably be glad of the opt-out from those who don't want ads by running a blocker, a bit like with opt-out from junk mail in the post. No point in showing your ads (and paying for them) when the person on the receiving end actively does not want them.

3 billion have suffered Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody'

One of the better ones

Compared to most of the crap that's put out as Christmas records, Slade stand out as one of the better ones. If I hear certain Christmas tunes on the radio (including any of Sir Cliff's offerings) then I turn off or tune to something else. This one does at least have a decent tune and captures the fun part of the season.

Facebook chief explains bear photo bareness

The Simple Solution

The only photos I have on my Facebook page are two pictures of cats. I think the second one ended up as friends-only by default, so I have something set correctly.

If you don't want it public, don't post it, it's too easy for stuff to leak once in electronic format.

Now, about the pictures from the Reg Christmas Party...

Unused phone lines to be taxed for rural broadband

Tax on what?

So if I've got a VirginMedia package that does not include a phone line, do I still have to cough up the cash? It might make me insist they provide me with the line (given that there were no free ports when I had the service installed originally and I still wanted my BT line at that point) so that at least there's something worth taxing. My understanding of the tariffs are that it wouldn't actually cost me any more.

Durham police demonstrate DNA will stuff you

Packets of Glaze

I've brought several kilograms of ceramic glaze into the UK from the US before now. I did wonder what would happen if someone decided to check my suitcase containing all these interesting bags of (mostly white) powder. Fortunately none did, and it's an answer I'm happy not to discover.

Tax dodgers aided by old IT

Colander Servers

They definitely can't keep up with the data they're receiving. I sent something in last year and got a letter asking me for the same information for the three previous years. WTF? I sent them that information at the same time in each of the preceding years, so where did they file it (circular file, perhaps?)

Tory peers to protect kids from anuses

Missed the headline

Surely the headline should have been "Tory peers to protect kids from arseholes"?

Swindon twins with Walt Disney World

Poor Swindon

Fancy being twinned with some Mickey Mouse outfit from the US.

Google chief: Only miscreants worry about net privacy

Follow the Money

Whether or not I've got anything to hide or fear, there's money to be made from my data and that's where Google seem to come in. I consider that my data is worth more than the service his company provides, so I'm happy to obfuscate the data and seed it with fake stuff.

Perhaps what we need is a small program that will search for a random set of words on Google at intervals, thus poisoning their record with irrelevant stuff. Make it fake the behaviour of your usual browser and they then have to do more work to pull out anything useful.

US eyes speedy reviews for 'green' patents

Patent != Green

Given the huge amount of resources used up when patent-related stuff comes to court, I don't think any patent could be considered green.

Open sourcers aim selves at US gov

Drupal?

"...but he'd talked to somebody building a collaboration project elsewhere who had never heard of Drupal."

I've heard of it, but mainly because I've seen script kiddies prodding my webserver to see if it's installed. I assume there's a vulnerability or two in its history to cause that.