Posts by Andy Enderby 1

BONEHEAD FANBOIS encamp outside Apple Stores

Re: Marketing Hype vs. Desirability

iDolt ?

Bankers don't just blow cash on bonuses, they also spaff ££££s on IT

Re: @Terry 6 - Also, long term planning

"About 12 years ago, at a time when PC prices were dropping like lead balloons, we got a circular at work from Finance Dept saying, very proudly, that they had negotiated a deal with [wellknown IT supplier] to hold their PC prices for the following two years."

Jeez...... just jeez..... and worse is that it still goes on, and not for any shitty 2 year term either. I could understand negotiating software license pricing agreements, but hardware ? Hardware prices have really only gone one way....... I'd be looking for evidence of backhanders being taken, and if there is none, sacking them for stupidity.

M&S

Lovingly crafted from unicorn horn and virgins tears, this not just a USB mouse, it's a bankers USB mouse.....

Hey, Michael Lewis: Stop DEMONISING Wall Street’s SUPERHUMAN high-speed trading

Re: HFT adding value ?

yeah, fair enough, I'm an idiot there. It was before my coffee. In my defence...... ermm..... The rest holds good though

HFT adding value ?

While the article focussed on trading real world shares and commodities, it's apparent that the same systems have the potential for abusive naked shorting......

In what way especially given that one of the less well known aims of effective HFT is to hold nothing overnight add value ? The idea of the stock exchange markets was that risk was taken over an extended period of time to gain a return.

This is as abusive in it's way and as obvious in its motivation as abusing a game mechanic in a video game - to gain something by an unintended mechanism (latency). As such, and because of its nature as a market that only the big players can dabble in, and especially its potential for abuse and ability to bring down markets in milli-seconds, glib reassurance really doesn't cut it. These are potential tools of financial mass destruction regardless of whether through carelessness or malice.

Plenty, both are methods by which money is apparently conjured from thin air especially when the front running technique is involved.

Hey, G20. Please knock it off with the whole tax loophole thing - we're good guys, really

Re: Plenty are at it

"Transport some staff to Head Office" - Google..... Not sure if it's still the case, but the Dutch office, the one that allowed them to avoid tax on money being shipped to the Caymans, has precisely zero employees and performed no other purpose than as a conduit.

Re: an example....

"BBC programme included some misleading and heavy spin" If you could point them out, I'd be interested.

Re: an example....

"so companies tend to take on the most debt they can get away with." - As Starbucks does, so that in the UK they can declare a loss every year. Except that the debt is utterly bogus, even the international CEO has baldly stated this to worried shareholders. The debt is to the part of Starbucks that sells them the coffee and everything else they need to run the shops, and as justification for paying minimum wage.

In short, it's an abuse, gaming the system. Starbucks It's not corporation tax that needs to change it's the greed. You can't tell us that is Starbucks or whomever get what they want then they'll start paying rates to employees that don't require them to claim benefits, because with a duty to return the maximum to shareholders and self interest in the board room, that aint gonna happen.

There's already a generalised law on abusive tax avoidance tricks on the books, the fact it has never been used is more of an indication of where political will lies than anything else.

Campaign to kick NSA man from crypto standards group fails

obvious answer....

Both of 'em get the boot

IDS finally admits what EVERYONE ELSE already knows: Universal Credit will be late

Re: Good job Iain-Duckegg-Smith doesn't work at Tescos.

"The core idea with this is to have a single benefit calculation that tapers properly, so earning that pound is actually worth it."

Except that it wont.... If you are disabled, or able but on minimum wage you will lose out.

"So earning a pound leaves you several pounds worse off."

....and will continue to be the case.....

US House and Senate push patent troll bills

Rather like the proposed new law in UK that purports to regulate lobbyists, I thoroughly expect this legislation will do nothing of sort and will in fact preserve the status quo or indeed do the opposite. To many Lawyers and corporations are getting rich abusing those unable to afford to defend themselves and it will continue.

Peugeot 208 GTi: The original hot hatch makes a comeback

Re: The engine

A buddy had a (about 3 or 4 years old when he had it) 205 GTI for 4 years in the nineties and apart from 2 injectors over that period it never gave him any grief.

Re: @OP

I drive a Mazda MX..... and I agree with ChrisW. It could be done better.

Samsung laptops can be NUKED by ANY OS – even Windows: new claim

Re: It has bugger all to do with the CMOS battery and "BIOS RAM".

heh.... Oh how I laughed when someone mentioned CIH. I remember an R&D department at a British PC manufacturer getting laid low by that little piece of ****......... They were out of the game for a week if I remember..... Thanks to older hardware and marginally better anti virus policy compliance tech support was unaffected....... thankfully.

Feeling poor? WHO took all your money? NOT capitalist bastards?

Re: Howabout..

you really are quite rude bugger off back to the Daily Heil.

Re: Howabout..

.....and the massive outsourcing of just about every government function currently underway in the UK resulting in directorships for the ministers concerned ?

Re: Howabout..

Can't agree Armando....... The current incarnation of capitalism has throughly corrupted politics, the best place to invest is always somewhere else, and when doing so antics such as royalties are abused to make profitable companies appear to be basket cases, and therefore no tax is paid, pay the minimum wage concievable in any given market and all the money goes out of the country "invested" in whilst making use of the resources the tax payer paid for...... It makes no sense, is unsustainable and like the author of thie article is simply wrong.

economics......

Is apparently a science..... That being the case maybe an economist would care to state why it is that they perform no better than tossing a coin when making predictions.

Maybe they'd also like to comment on the disparity between rampantly buoyant boardroom pay and what every body else gets, and maybe on the impact that has on an economy???????? S'funny it's all gone quiet.....

Maybe the author of the article would like to comment on the impact on the economy if everybody was in a position to stick two fingers up at the tax man ???????? ........crickets......

Ten badass brainy computers from science fiction

Re: Never made it to film, but I wish they would...

oops......

The discussion between a starship and a fleshy type where the alien in question calls out the ROU Killing Time for arrogance and in turn is told that it has every right to be arrogant, bearing in mind it fucks star systems is pure class....

Culture rules.....

I rather fancy that the GSV Sleeper Service, coming as it does wrapped in it's own starship and commanding it's own fleet capable of "fucking star systems" tends ot leave the rest looking a bit pale.....

Dry martini, shaken not stirred: Cracking the physics of Bond's martini

closer to thte concept of a pink gin..... Chuck a few dropes of Angostura bitters into a chilled glass, swill round in order to coat the glass, jettison the excess, add gin + desired garnish, enjoy...... Despite the name, actually a drink the fuelled many of the naval engineers of the Empire.....

Re: Damn, where to start

You're clearly doing it wrong...... lightweight.

UK iPad Mini FRENZY: Queues stretch SEVERAL FEET from till

"Let's see what gappens if we don't....."

....pay the professional renta-queue folks...."

BT and Virgin sue over £10m state-funded Birmingham broadband

Re: Clearly Illegal

I live within about a mile and a half of the centre of Birmingham, and I don't get even close to any 20MB no matter whom I choose ot spend my money with......

iPhone 5 has 'laser keyboard, holographic images'

Take home lesson.....?

Is that a lazy, dumb journo is both lazy and dumb, and unlikely to be taken seriously again.

I need to multitask, but Windows 8's Metro won't let me

missing the point....

.....it's not about increasing productivity or functionality. It's about moving all the furniture, doors and windows to the extent that folk need retraining, earning MS a wedge of cash over and on top of what they'll earn for the product itself. In addition it's going to be about making your employers hardware obsolete as it will not be able to cope with running Win 8/9/[insert version here], thereby driving the upgrade cycle that so many hardware manufacturers rely on. For gods sake, have some honesty.

Fanboi icon, since many here are in danger of forgetting the true purpose of an OS and veering into "my OS is better than yours" pissong contests.

Facebook's Eduardo Saverin: I'm not a tax-dodger

Re: "will tax their future investment gains no matter where they live"

You ever seen the Russian Inland Revenue special ops department? All ex-Spetznaz, armed and armoured up the wazoo....

New Apple keyboard patent may spell trouble for Android

prior art ?

er... the shift key ? The Num Lock key ? Er...... does US patent law not include a clause to the effect that an invention should not be obvious, or is this waived if the company filing is a big player ?

Can Windows 8 bag Microsoft 20 more years at the top?

Re: Who Cares About The OS

Who Cares About The OS

As long as it allows me to manage or process my data in the most cost effective way.

...... Is the correct answer. It's the whole point of the OS, anything else is gravy.....

Hacking scandal: James Murdoch quits UK newspaper biz

it couldn't possibly be.....?

it couldn't possibly be because he is compromised by evidence given to Leveson, and now legally exposed, and because of the famed one way extradition treaty between Limeys and Septics ?

Cameras roll on 'blockbuster' new Who series

Re: Milligan

Errr...... I think I remember that poping up in the Q series ?

Steelseries SRW-S1 PC gaming steering wheel

Re: nice wheel, shame about the game

It is indeed the gMotor2 engine, or "rFactor in drag". Having said that, a bit of fiddling with driver settings and installation of third party shaders can make rFactor look rather good. Check out rFactor and the Enduracers mod (modern LeMans series) to get a handle on how it can look.

Zuckerberg's 2012 personal income tax bill: $1.5 billion

It's not Facebooks taxes !

Maybe a few other MegaCorps

could learn a lesson here. Pay your taxes

shame on you VodaFone, Burton's and U2.

You enjoy the profits now pay your way. Its only fair.

As stated in other public domain docs, the proceeds from the IPO go straight to the IRS for his PERSONAL tax bill. At some point the other shoe will drop and the shareholders will realise that the company is being treated as a personal piggy bank. According to an inside source reported in techradar last years profits were $500 million (half a billion). Zuckerbergs tax liability is three times the companys profits, if that's correct. Stewardship ????

Shareholders rage over Imation's incredible 88% plunge

letters and numbers

What would it take to get Imation moving again? Sack the board for gross misconduct - ie sabotaging Imation for their own short term benefit ?

Ebooks must stay fat with VAT, blame the EU, MPs told

What he said......

"baalel

Greedy Taxman #

According to The Telegraph, the EU has already agreed that the reduced rate of VAT can be applied to eBooks, but the UK has ignored this option.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100006146/the-vat-rise-and-the-idiotic-ebook-inconsistency/

"

As always, when it comes ot Europe....

The government talks twaddle. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/france-delays-e-book-vat-cut-2012.html

Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1

got one.....

Bought an e450 from Argos a few months ago. Not looked back. It was reviewed here and didn't score as highly as some, but it's the first SLR I've owned rather than had allocated to me by parent/educator. Does what I want it too and with the money I saved I bought it a shiny telephoto lens and am looking forward to having more reach when the motor sport season recommences next year. In the mean time it's seeing me through a night school photography course. A joy to use and excellent value.

What should a sci-fi spaceship REALLY look like?

never in the movies .....

but if it's a vast mothership you're after....... Ian M Banks Cullture, the GSV ships, and the one with the best name IIMHO - So Much For Subtlety

Reg man the most-flamed recruiter in the UK?

recruiter==protozoan

Back in the day I resorted to recruiters and agency's for assorted labouring work. I was lied to consistently, when temping couldn't reliably get paid, and generally treated like a turd. Having got into work with a PC manufacturer in a techie position, suddenly, when they closed I find myself flavour of the month. Unfortunately the experience didn't improve..... Called at my new place of work repeatedly, despite instructions not to do so. Sent to interviews with piss poor information only to find that they've sent me for the wrong vacancy and I don't have the skills for the position (or indeed an interest), arseholes requiring 5 years experience with a product that was available for a year or two was favourite (and I still see those crop up).

Now I find myself with some limited lasting mobility problems after a road accident 10 years ago and even "ethical" recruitment company's routinely lie (ie I overhear the the rep telling a receptionist they are never in if I should call), never return emails/calls and frankly it has merely confirmed my view that the lot of them are viscious 10%ers, a shower of shit who should be whipped and driven across the land.

It used to be said, "If you can, do. If you can't, teach". These days there's an alternative, set yourself up as a recruiter. Flamed ? He should be incinerated along with the rest of the trash nibbling 10% men that seem to define modern business.

Salman Rushdie hissy-fit forces Facebook name U-turn

but....

..... still morons. Riches are no indication of common sense merely that someone has something that someone else wants to buy. If folk should no longer want to buy then those riches can potentially start to disappear when the venture capitalists call in the debt.

Fusion boffins crack shreddy eddy plasma puzzle

Rossi.....

Oh c'mon ! Buck up lad. Rossi has been staring down the barrel of investigation for fraud relating to previous businesses and given that neither he nor his collaborators can come up with a viable explanation for their current "reactor" and its workings are likely to end up doing likewise here too. It's too good to be true and coupled with his history and the goings on relating to E-Cat and pretty obvious google bombing of all related topics there is only one sensible conclusion.

Massive study concludes: 'Global warming is real'

Be honest, now......

The hard core deniers are not scientists or indeed anything but paid shills for the petro industry. Unless a polar bear steals their lunch, on snow drifts overlooking Miami beach, or the dollars dry up, there is no such thing as global warming. I mean, these folks are rich, so they know this to be true.......

C and Unix pioneer Dennis Ritchie reported dead

.....even Microsoft and Apple owe....

.... owe these guys big.

F1 2011

@Tom260

..... And the Bridgestone angle was that they were the incumbent tyre supplier for the IRL and of course, for the Indy 500 itself, and had prior access to the new surface. Michelin had no choice, they'd have been sued to buggery and back if any had gotten themselves hurt, the FIA were aware that they couldn't race that track configuration with the tyre they had available and in grand FIA fashion and in the face of personal interference from Max Moseley (who used the issue as a political stick to beat teams not signed up to the then pending new Concorde agreement), and lobbying from the eventual winners, refused all compromise except their own risible option - the Michelin runners filing through the pits on the speed limiters every lap...... Bonkers.

From my point of view everybody dragged the sports name through the mud that day with the possible exception of the Michelin contracted teams who were contractually obliged to follow Michelins advice that the tyres were not safe and as such should not be used. If they hadn't pulled the plugs and run regardless Michelin could and probably would have removed such a teams tyre supply for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately the Michelin teams were also contracted to Bernie and the FIA to take the start, on pain of removal of transport funds, start money and financial penalties, so we had the edifying sight of them filing back into the pits at the end of the recon lap. The poor sods were over a barrel.

As to the game itself - the review fails to acknowledge poor framerates on PS3, the same replay cache file issue that crippled performance at times on the F1 2010 title on PC (possibly rectified by moving your replays to another drive or by simply making the replays read only if you don't have a spare drive available.This worked for me, framerates rendered the game useless, but are now excellent with detail at max)- stupidly there's no other way of switching off replays than this kludge nor did they fix the bloody issue itself. There's also a god awful keyboard driven menu system on PC (no mouse for menu use), some very odd handling, lag in control inputs caused by some sound card drivers, the inability to remember you have a wheel attached at times, the inability to remember any settings at times (again) and and quite a few other bugs confirmed and discussed on the Codemasters own forum already that I can't remember.

I have to ask..... Did the reg reviewer actually run this title or did they simply import a press release into their review.....and did Codemasters actually test the product before release ? C'mon be honest.

PC multi player is not merely, "not great". Currently suffering the same problems as yourself, most likely due to reliance on peer to peer rather than a dedicated server.

Is moderation stalled here El Reg or a critical comments going to be withheld for ever and a day....?

@janimal - still porked

Premier League loses footie decoder case

@Tom 38 - Can't agree, if the product is on offer throughout Europe, then preserving the same revenue in a single market at least logically and prior to taxes/duty would mean that the price paid would be the same throughout. In other words, the price at the top of the range would come down, whilst at the bottom of the range, the price would go up.

Either there is a single market or there isn't. Vendors at the moment are cherry picking what aspects of the single market they choose to implement and making a mockery of the rest. The big losers historically have been British resident buyers on just about everything they've been able to buy. It's not possibe to make the argument that as an example a product such as a CD, DVD or Blu Ray disk should cost more here than elsewhere in Europe as an example, and still keep a straight face. Tobacco and booze of course are subject to different duty througout Europe, but as pointed out, if it's for personal use, tough luck for whichever member state it ends up getting used in. Governments have had to take the hit, companies should be learning likewise.

Either put in place equitable prices throughout Europe or have the good grace to shut up if somebody gets what they want form another member state because they are milking citizens in their own.

Fleecing the rights holders ? She's accepted Greek tech support and billing, foregone an English language commentary but paid the going rate for an EU member state. Are you saying, that whilst on holiday abroad you buy no product that would be cheaper in that state than back here in Blighty ? I smell BS.

Lastly, you don't work for Rupert do you ?

Facebook security profiling doesn't like African log-ins

@Gordon 10

They're already there....... And some of them doubtless will meet all manner of interesting times as a result.

Will the looters 'loose' their benefits?

Looting, jobs, benefits....

looting - Sod plasma screens, I'd defy most humans not to feed their family in extremis by any means necessary, and even the best can join the mob in desperation in the right circumstances. This lot though take the biscuit. Nothing to do with survival, arseholes each and everyone, helping themselves, much as bankers and politicians did a year or two ago..

Jobs - yes jobs are available for immigrants, jobs paying illegally low wages or at best minimum wage.... I suggest some of the right wingers here think on that. Consider tryiing to pay rents,bills, food, the whole shebang. I also suggest you give thought to the prospects of the morons rioting when it comes to employment....... You gonna employ 'em with a nice fresh criminal record ?

Benefits - ok, cut their benefits to zero..... How many square meals do you reckon that would put them from desperation and looting for food ? It doesn't take much to see what would happen in those circumstances...... what you gonna do ? Fence off the inner cities ?

Difficult questions and reducing them to these terms is muppetry of an order rivalling the rioters, but hey, the mob has spoken.

Satan, as frankly we're all going to hell if we follow some of the suggestioins here.