Posts by DrM 129 publicly visible posts • joined 30 Jul 2009
"Microsoft has already added the Windows 10 upgrade as an "optional" update in its monthly Patch Tuesday cycle." Yes -- and it was the first time an update on the Optional list was pre-selected, already checked to install.
Microsoft is wearing out their trust with me. The "updates" are carefully disguised, I must vet each and every update. And the goal -- to get me to update to an OS where I will have no choice on updates -- my butt is getting sore.
Hmmmm… so we all “secured” our bags that the government had a bypass key for – you might say a backdoor. And to everyone’s astonishment, the master keys have leaked.
Now, they want us to “secure” our data with encryption that has a master key, a backdoor for just the government to use. They promise to not let the keys get out.
I ran the update, spent the last six hours installing -- then recovering my drive with partition images of WIN8.1.
WIN10 would run for 45 seconds, then a BSOD (now light blue) INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR. It worked its way up to 100% complete collecting info and said it would automatically restart -- it didn't, had to use power switch. Third time around it noticed this and sent be off to some huge repair utility program farm, where I could do all sorts of options. Problem was I didn’t need any “reset” or “restore” – needed working code. So I booted from a thumb drive and recovered the 6 partitions on the SSD.
And here I am, 6 hours older, a bit wiser.
One of DrM's Laws of Software states that SW version that are even numbers tend to be crap. The X.0 comes out, and it’s crap. They rush out X.1. Then they get clever again, release X.2. Quickly followed by X.3 that actually runs.
So, let’s all wait for WIN10.1, stick with 8.1 for now.
"The kit provides: an Acronis True Image HD key, one of the best drive clone tools around."
Acronis True Image 2015 is a dog vs. 2014. The new completely redesigned UI is mysterious and confusing, gives few indications as to why it won't do some things, just refuses.
Their Drive Clone is particularly unsuitable for installing your new SSD. They reboot into UNIX, and UNIX cannot see a USB3.0 connected SATA drive that uses the most popular SATA/USB bridge sold. Further more, you must install the new, blank SSD into the laptop first, then boot on their SW and copy from the removed drive via the bridge it cannot see. They say if you try to copy out to the SSD it will not be bootable.
Samsung's included SW will simply copy the internal drive to a USB/SATA bridge-connected 850EVO. So will Paragon's drive copy. But Acronis is bad news.
I think we should have an official Quantum Computing Day each year on April 1st.
"The protocol detects an arbitrary quantum error on an encoded two-qubit entangled state via quantum non-demolition parity measurements on another pair of error syndrome qubits. This result represents a building block towards larger lattices amenable to fault-tolerant quantum error correction architectures such as the surface code."
I still think this is written by some simple AI program, like computer poetry.
"The fault-tolerant nature of error syndrome entangled qubits along with self-replicating demolition parity mechanisms can reduce the net artifact of arbitrary quantum errors."
Mr. Page is one of my favorite authors here -- accept when he pimps the nuclear power industry. His comments and ideas here are worthy of being torn apart in a Register article written by Lewis Page.
Gee, let's compare death tolls, that will be a perfect test of feasibility! And I mean people killed right at the plants at the time. Yeah, wouldn't want to compare people killed after the accidents by the radiation. Don't compare how much public economic damage was done. How about areas? How many square miles of the sea are now contaminated and unusable after Piper Alpha?
Mr. Page, you really are one of the most insightful writers I read. Why this passion for nukes? One befriended you as a child?
(Some politician in front of cameras, ten years from now): Yes, we have been successful with the Free Communication in America Act in banning all encryption in all texts, email, and VOI. This freedom is needed to help stop the Kitty Pron Terrorists.
But a loophole has been found! People can meet in person, talk quietly -- and we will have no record of their conversation! This is a terrible threat to America. Yes, we all have freedom of speech and are free to speak, a liberty essential to our freedom. But likewise the Government has the right to always know what we say. How else can it protect the people?
My new bill would require a permit for each conversation, issued after a short background check. A recording device or stenographer...
A good article. Yes, 3D Printers still can't print guns. Only the people who need to be shown the picture of a cartridge and told the copper part flies down the barrel ever seem to buy into this.
For some reason, printing a gun is the peak-evil use task the mind comes up with. Like an atom-printer could make TNT, an atom-assembler could make Plutonium. Yet, the current 3-D printers have absolutely no functionality needed in making a gun. The only thing plastic on most guns are the grips. "Polymer" frame guns are popular, but they are made from some seriously high pressure injection moldings as strong as steel.
However, The Big Picture -- can Joe Blow make a gun in his basement? Yes, has been able to for hundreds of years. These days it might be called a "Zip Gun", see Wikipedia. You just need a tube, some tube. You stick a cartridge in it, put a cap over the end. Hole in the cap, a nail into the hole. Big rubber band to pull back and hit the nail, fire the gun. You're done. Do anything that looks like rifling in the tube -- you're legal (in USA). Could even make them and sell them.
Ah, but a 3D printer can make a frame with grips? No, too soft. Buy a cap pistol, use it. The cost a bit less than a 3D printer.
So, this all comes about when XP is dead and now no user has a legitimate need for other than BitLocker?
Sounds like once it could be said that no Windows user needed it -- we have BitLocker! - the Feds convinced them to pull pull the program. The Feds, the NSA HATE encryption. They don't like me and Eric using it.
And, sure, why not use BitLocker? It only has 25% of the functionality and who can you trust more for secure code than Microsoft? Not only are they highly skilled -- they won't even talk to the NSA, I'll bet.
They have carefully scaled down the size so that none of the results will really mean anything about full-size melts. They think they haven't done this, but consider the experiment is to find out something they don't understand.
In any case, the scaled down catastrophe should only take out a few city blocks.
I have an experiment for them to try -- keep a plant shut down and see what dangers it poses. But what about the Polar Bears?!?! You so funny.
Perhaps one real fear is that people will be able to make themselves perfectly good, perfectly legal gizmo's instead of buying one at the store? You know people -- just like freeware, there will be people designing items and giving away their design, trying to be the most popular.
And I think the corporations that currently have the huge resources needed to design, prototype, and injection mold products are afraid that the activity will be now open to all, just like book publishers now compete with the Internet.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of
tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." --William Pitt, The Younger (1759-1806), British statesman.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin
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