Posts by Roger Greenwood

Tesla's Autopilot is losing out to Ford, GM in self-driving tech

Everybody's so different...

... I haven't changed

Bringing cakes into the office is killing your colleagues, says UK food watchdog boss

Some people...

... when they walk into a room, suck all the joy and fun out the atmosphere. Can we ban those people instead of cake? Would be great for morale (sorry, "mental health").

I know the BOFH will have a better method of dealing with them, but some of us are too timid for that.

Nice smart device – how long does it get software updates?

Re: IoS

At least we will all soon be driving self charging cars.....

Native Americans urge Apache Software Foundation to ditch name

You would Hopi so

Microsoft boosts Azure networking, storage with composable infra grab

"composable infrastructure"

I read that as compostable and somehow it made more sense...

Move over, graphene. There's a new super-material in town: Graphullerene

Re: Graphene is actually

"pushing over a megawatt"

Yes, good point. To push 1000KW at normal UK LV supply voltage (400V) would be around 1400A, 3 phase. That is some plug-in connector.... (around 3 x 240sq.mm cables per phase). 11KV to your car anyone?

Japan lacks the expertise for renewed nuclear power after Fukushima

"..has declined by 45 percent.."

Losing nearly half your skilled workforce in 11 years, that is a heck of a churn. I suspect one of those numbers has been exaggerated - some may be coaxed back.

Forget the climate: Steep prices the biggest reason EV sales aren't higher

Re: "a strong desire to reduce refueling costs"

Pretty good summary. I would also say that at the moment once you get an EV you also have a whole new hobby:- route planning. It's just a mess of charging systems at the moment in the UK, probably the same everywhere.

Patients wrongly told they've got cancer in SMS snafu

On that same page they list 6 admin staff......

Perseverance rover drops off first sample tube on surface of Mars

Re: Oh yes I see now...

I'm thinking about a coin operated robot trundling up huffing about foreigners coming over here and leaving litter (a la "A Grand Day Out"). Where did we leave those sample tubes again?

In praise of MIDI, tech's hidden gift to humanity

You're all talking about electronic whatsits...

... and all I can think about is that I used to have a boiler suit like that in the early 80s to go on an oil rig, not a fashion statement :-)

The cubesats lost in space from Artemis Moon mission

Re: Failure rate

Lets hope they are not bad for good....

Inadequate IT partly to blame for NHS doctors losing 13.5 million working hours

Re: NPfIT

That's crazy talk, next you will be suggesting they involve the staff a bit more before they implement changes....

Two signs in the comms cabinet said 'Do not unplug'. Guess what happened

Re: Years ago, working for an airline in Toronto.

I worked on a TBM many years ago, similar pressure in the head. They didn't employ anyone who had worked as a miner in the UK as they were "too safety conscious". As you say, takes a special breed.

Don't forget mischief

Yes, yes idiots are everywhere, but so are naughty folks. I have an e-stop outside a lab to kill the power, for emergency use only. Labelled of course, but even so it kept getting pressed with no one admitting to it. It now has a very sturdy steel cover over it, painted red, screwed to the wall so hard to accidentally hit. Still gets pressed.

FAA wants pilots to be less dependent on computer autopilots

Re: Oh dear

I had a go in a light aircraft last year, first time at the controls. All I can say is my respect for pilots has not gone down.

Flying the plane was easy (nice sunny day), dealing with the radio, ATC, Nav, fuel, traffic etc etc makes the workload immense for a single pilot and I now understand better why 2 in the cockpit is a really good idea. Splitting the workload and adding automation is just a no-brainer when scaled up to a proper plane. Thanks to all the engineers and pilots who continue to make flying as safe as it can be.

Elon Musk issues ultimatum to Twitter staff: Go hardcore or go home

Yup, "no such thing as bad news" has been used before and sometimes it works. Many predicted that no sane country would elect someone like DT but look what happened (and the UK did the same with BJ). Self publicists are very popular with a certain section of society, that drives attention which attracts the money. I'm not betting against an evil genius :-)

Eggheads show how network flaw could lead to NASA crew pod loss. Key word: Could

Re: A Crazy Idea

It's not always about cost/money, what about weight?

I'm happy paying Twitter eight bucks a month because price isn't the same as value

One rotor is above the other in this photo, simples!

"Now does anyone know what this helicopter is..."

Chinook, taken from a Canberra of course.

Kudos to the huge team that runs the account...... :-)

I think of it as a great source of entertainment, sort of like the red top newspapers in the UK used to be 40 years ago. There is some truth there, but mostly exageration, sensationlism, shock tactics etc. Oh, and a lot of funny stuff, but that is available from many other places.

If, however, you want to argue with a pig then dive right in, you will come out very muddy and maybe eventually realise that the pig likes it (old but good).

p.s. keep Dabbsy in the sea for me.....

UK government in talks with datacenter operators over blackouts

Day tank + bulk storage

Isn't that the way it's done? Day tank good for a few hours, very local to generator(s), re-filled from bulk storage in a more accessible location for the tanker. Bulk storage good for 7 days at full chat, anything else is not really a backup.

Perhaps I have only ever dealt with folks who do it properly . . . .

Cops swoop after crooks use wireless keyfob hack to steal cars

Re: Progress of car security

Escorts were known as a "Ford Takeaway" back in the day. My Morris Ital key could open many of them them. Such fun going round a car park, just for laughs.

More than 4 in 10 PCs still can't upgrade to Windows 11

Re: 40% can't run Windows 11...

It's not in anyones interest to run such an ad, other than those with a grudge and no money (me included). All those involved in shifting computer kit make money by promoting MS. No money to be made promoting "free stuff" so it won't happen.

People are coming out of retirement due to cost-of-living crisis

Re: Not great news for youngsters

Maybe the oldies can teach the youngsters a thing or two about attitude, reliability & responsibility. It sometimes seems that these are no longer important if you still live with your parents. Not all, obviously, but too many.

"Why did you not do/finish $task when you said you would?"

"CBA" comes the reply.....

You thought you bought software – all you bought was a lie

Thank you Liam

I enjoyed reading that article almost as much as I did the famous letter from Edga Villanueva, was it really 20 years ago?

Copy here:- http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/The_reply_from_Edgar_Villanueva_to_Microsoft_in_Peru.html

You've heard of the cost-of-living crisis, now get ready for the cost-of-working crisis

Re: Email remains the most used communication method for work

"Fuck that for a game of soldiers." A much underused phrase, thanks for speaking up from the trenches.

p.s. any day now many folks will get their new gas bill (projected) and be glad to go back to a warm office rather than keep the heating on all day at home, what's that phrase again?

Meta, Google learn the art of the quiet layoff

Re: You can increase productivity if you fire the right people

"...negative work - their "work" causes more work for others!"

This applies to all who make mistakes and is worse than many think.

Example:- mistake made - throw away, start again - cost 1

second attempt - cost 2

but while making second attempt you are not doing what you should - cost 3 and other jobs now run late!

In many industries this is very hard to fix.

Queen's shooting star was actually meteor, not SpaceX junk

Mars you say

The chances of anything coming from Mars.....

Software fees to make up 10% of John Deere's revenues by 2030

Re: Customers might complain, but....

.... and continue to harvest profits.

Chemical plant taken offline by the best one of all: C₈H₁₀N₄O₂

Re: Instrument Artificer

Cheers!

(ICI Hudds 1977-1981)

Beautiful write up

I wonder where they are now?

The crime against humanity that is the modern OS desktop, and how to kill it

+1 for the Sluggard reference

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise

(Used by John Wyndham for his story "consider her ways", which I recommend, having read it about 45 years ago...)

California to try tackling drought with canal-top solar panels

Re: How about floating on reservoirs?

Done

https://www.lightsourcebp.com/uk/projects/queen-elizabeth-ii-reservoir-solar-project/

Compound that 'remembers' phase transitions could have uses in computer memory

Interesting

But from Nature Electronics:- "Your institute does not have access to this article"

and

https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/25/science_research_release/

(on the same day).

How Google uses mirrors to dynamically reconfigure its networks

So in the future...

...when I say I can't see the network, it will literally be true!

UK's largest water company investigates datacenters' use as drought hits

Re: Hosepipe bans

Given that the water is under quite a high pressure, contamination is not a concern until you shut the valve off to fix the leak. Several bar usually, hence water spouts and blown roads in extreme cases.

I agree the real issue is the cost in terms of resources, other chemicals, energy used to treat it etc.

Businesses should dump Windows for the Linux desktop

Try Zentyal

Be careful where you install software, and who installs it

Re: Private Libraries?

Sounds like a need for Corporal Punishment

ESA declares the Sentinel-1B mission over after payload resuscitation ends

"because the switch contacts were under-rated"

This is all of enginering. It is easy to make something strong enough, but we also have to balance cost, or in the case of rockets, weight. So everything has to be JUST good enough. No more or it won't fly/sell.

Switch contacts are a good example as they also have a life dependent on use (load vs switching operation count) so they wear out. Getting all that right is not easy, fair play to the vast numbers of engineers who do.

NASA to send prototype robot surgeon into space

Never mind surgeons in space

Where's my tricorder?

Sage accused of misselling perpetual licenses it knew would soon be obsolete

Clearly you don't work with accountants. Nothing happens fast in that world, especially change...

Also if your audit company uses Sage it's a big wrench/hassle to switch. Sage know this better than anyone.

Still, if you push folks hard enough eventually they will walk away. We have been Autodesk free for a decade now for the same reason.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Now 100,000kg smaller

That was my thought as well. I wonder how much fuel they used to do this?

UK lays world's longest autonomous drone superhighway

"director of drones"

I thought that was my job? Seems like it sometimes..... :-)

Engineers on the brink of extinction threaten entire tech ecosystems

Re: I started my career as an electronics engineer

You could start here (Electronics tools for beginners):-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xA4zlcjpHA&list=PL2z3V9RkHQE2xUwd-fE8VpuX1hdzMb4G-&index=1

Copper shortage keeps green energy, tech ventures grounded

Re: 3rd most Abundant element in Earth's crust should be used more ?

As pointed out by others, aluminium is used in many places instead of copper either to save weight or cost. There are many areas where this is not sensible/cost effective e.g. requirement for high current density (e.g. motors) or strength (cables and swithgear). UK DNOs use it quite a lot underground. So cost will decide, as with most things.

"..so structures would need to be about 59% physically larger by volume to compensate." This is what is known in the trade as "bollocks". The cable may be larger, the structure not so much.

Linux laptop vendor Slimbook updates its ranges

Re: Is there anything out there under, say, £500?

Cheapo UK starter £258 (without OS) https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/gemini-IV/

Build up from there. Also from Clevo I believe.

Full disclaimer:- I have bought a couple of machines from them in the past.

Pentester says he broke into datacenter via hidden route running behind toilets

Re: I appreciated it at least

A friend in our village has the car registration P15 OYL

Don't know how that got past the licence plate checkers, perhaps they don't know any Yorkshire slang....

What to do about inherent security flaws in critical infrastructure?

Re: A little knowledge.....

Yes industrial plants (in most of the world) have hard wired interlocks/protections and will fail safe, but that can still be disruptive in the short term. Turn off the electricity to a water treatment plant and folks go thirsty pretty quick (hours/days). Luckily there are also contingencies for this including manual overides so I'm also not really worried. Your domestic smartmeter however - if anyone cracks that we are doomed....

Is computer vision the cure for school shootings? Likely not

Re: AI gives responders better intel

"these types of systems can activate other systems, like door locks"

They literally promise to lock the doors after the event.....