* Posts by Spanners

1616 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Sep 2009

Google: Class search results as journalism so we can dodge Right To Be Forgotten

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Mushroom

This is the precise problem with this right...

Someone may want the "right to be forgotten".

I want the right to find out if someone has done certain things in their past before doing business with them..

People grow out of some things - lack of education, adolescence, xenophobia end even conservatism. I am not so sure they grow out of sociopathy and the belief that other people don't matter.

If someone callously used others as stepping stones as part of their cunning plans, they have an attitude towards people that makes them specifically unsuitable for any legitimate business activity. It might have changed but has it?

Facts about their previous behaviour being hidden will not necessarily stop them doing it again. If their previous behaviour is known, partners, employers or even customers are less likely to be fooled next time.

Full shift to electric vans would melt Royal Mail's London hub, MPs told

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Pint

Re: Fag packet calculation time...

Instead of covering Scotland with wind turbines...

Why not?

Last year, I was in Orkney and took a lot of pictures. Later, when I was back south (near Coventry), I was showing some of them to a colleague. I got a comment to the effect that at least the place hadn't been blighted by wind turbines everywhere. After some zooming, I demonstrated that they were on a whole row of hill tops visible right across the islands, in every farm and large rural house. Oh, yes, they passed the point of generating 100% of their electricity years ago and are still increasing. They just convert more things to electrical - cars, shipping.

They are proud of this. The only people who moan about wind turbines are outsiders who think they have gone there to help. If the research into tidal generation is allowed to proceed, there, it would produce more energy than many nuclear power stations and be totally predictable (we know when the tides will happen).

Yes, lets have more wind turbines everywhere.

Oi, drag this creaking, 217-year-old UK census into the data-driven age

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Meh

Re: Anonymised linking == Deanonymisation

"Once it goes through the anonymisation process... our researchers ... link the data together to produce the aggregate insights"

Otherwise known as deanonymisation.

If you aggregate information, it becomes even more anonymous. Instead of knowing who's a Jedi, you just know how many there are in whatever container you aggregated down to,

Unfortunately, the usefulness of a survey in the future is greater if the actual data can be used. The 2021 release of the 1921 survey will be interesting to me as I will be able to find out about my grandparents. Aggregated data would tell me that one area had more people but the other was still down following WWI and the Spanish flu.

Google asked to take down 2.4 MEEELLION URLs under EU law

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WTF?

If I was to do some Due Diligence

If I ever had to check up on someone or some organisation, the things they want taken down are the first thing I need to see!

I need to know if someone has ever been bankrupt before doing business with them. It does not matter if it was a few months ago or decades. In fact, if they have tried to have it covered up this way, this may be more important than the fact that, 15 years ago, they made a mistake.

We all hate Word docs and PDFs, but have they ever led you to being hit with 32 indictments?

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Facepalm

Management Type

I wonder of he was a particular type of manager I have dealt with in the past.

I am sure that other people have come across them too, The, expensive suit wearing, idiot who feels that he is better than anyone who works in or with IT because he (don't recall females of this type) is basically a PHB gone bad - laughs at the little people who don't have is particular type of education and wouldn't be able to plug an Apple Lightning cable in the right way up!

He certainly was not aware how email works...

Batteries are so heavy, said user. If I take it out, will this thing work?

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Happy

Re: Re. Its not unusual

But seriously, why aren't reallllllly old phones used in sci-fi as a prop?

They use them on NCIS. Agent Gibbs like them...

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Thumb Up

Re: PEBFAD...

I prefer "Level 8 Error".

Samsung left off Google's new official Androids-for-biz list

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Boffin

China seems fine to me

I like the idea of Chinese manufacturers. This is likely to mean that if some US 3 letter agency wants to spy on the user, they will get the correct level of cooperation from the manufacturer, i.e. none.

Perhaps Huawei is not a good idea for the MOD and the like. Most people have more to worry about being spied upon by US, big business owned, spooks. The CIA, NSA, HSA are government sponsored criminals. Their function is not even to protect the US populace. It is to protect the wealth of a very small group - mostly middle aged and over, white, males with a high degree of sociopathy.

Flight Simulator's DRM fighter nosedives into Chrome's cache

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FAIL

Have they forgotten about Sony?

I seem to recall Sony had a bright idea of installing malware on everyone's' computers to protect their "IP".

That didn't work out so well and we have only got less enthusiastic about that sort of thing. A/V software has got better and nowin-nofee lawyers have got more numerous.

Was this just more arrogance than usual or just more extreme stupidity than normal?

Crunch time: Maplin in talks to sell the business

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Unhappy

Does anyone else

miss Radio Shack?

I used to go to one regularly and bits and pieces. I have bought a few similar bits from Maplins but has always seemed keener to sell me complete gizmos. More fun to make my own - at least it was 20 years ago or whenever.

Teensy plastic shields are the big new thing in 2018's laptop crop

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Linux

But there is still little use for laptops.

A desktop PC can have a nice big screen to avoid eye strain, proper mouse and keyboard to avoid RSI and performance over cost to leave a laptop in the dust.

"But laptops are so much easier to move around." And tablets* are so much easier again. With part of the money saved from the cost of laptop, Dock, screens, mouse KB etc, you can spend a few hundred pounds on a nice tablet so that you can RDP back into your desktop PC. You will be less of a mugging tablet or information governance risk and you will still have saved money and saved shifting a laptop and power supply around.

Yes, there are jobs that need laptops. They are getting more and more scarce. You can use VPNs with them. You want to check how your AWS is doing? Use a tablet. You want to look at that Legacy Server? Tablet again. You want to connect to your desktop and do something for a few hours? Your tablet will do that better than a laptop because it can run for longer. That's why you had to take that big PSU with you all the time. If you do want to keep it handy for your tablet, it's probably in your breifcase in case your phone needs it anyway.

*I said tablet. If you 'have to' use your iPad for a tablet, you probably have one already. They can do most of what a reasonably modern Android tablet can do so you don't even need to buy anything else.

A print button? Mmkay. Let's explore WHY you need me to add that

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Alert

Re: Adding a Print Button

Why did a 5 minute job turn into a 2 month project?

Why did the really silly idea silly idea for something that may not be needed or useful change into a 2 month project?

They usually do.

*Wakes up in Chrome's post-adblockalyptic landscape* Wow, hardly anything's changed!

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Holmes

I have a (mental) list

Any advert that pushes its way onto my browser, either by having itself excluded following exchange of money or just by being spammier than my ad blocker knows about, is liable to go onto my mental list of companies to stick at the bottom end of my shopping list.

Like a lot of Reg readers, I am asked for opinions by random people. Without even thinking about it, I will be less likely to recommend products or services that make the WWW a less pleasant place.

UK.gov calls on the Big Man – GOD – to boost rural broadband

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Boffin

Re: A crucifix

Only a non-ionising one..

Microsoft's Windows 10 Workstation adds killer feature: No Candy Crush

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Flame

Re: Workstation?

This begs the question. WTF are people still buying laptops? The actual use case must be minute by now.

Laptops are more expensive, a great way to encourage eye strain and RSI unless you stick them in a docking station and use them with adult-size monitors, real keyboard and mice. Then, they use more desk space than a cheaper and faster PC would.

With the money saved, you can buy a 10" tablet and smartphone for when the employee is away from their desk. It can also cut down on security worries when the laptop is pinched.

UK Home Sec Amber Rudd unveils extremism blocking tool

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Black Helicopters

¿¿Extremist content??

If we blocked extremist content "properly", it would block A huge chunk of the government for a start. Certainly, Ms Rudd would find it hard to get her thoughts online.

I am not sure it needs to block Boris. He may not be so much extremist as extremely stupid. We can block Ree-Smogg though. It's a bit late though. Most of his nasty comments are already out there.

Samsung needs to eat itself, not copy Apple's X-rated margins

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Childcatcher

Re: Huawei?

...banned from being used by the US Government and has been dropped by several US carriers...

That still leaves more than 95% of the human race then. I am much more concerned about being spied upon by criminal organisations from across the Atlantic (like the MAFIAA, NSA, CIA etc) and the US corporations that they work for. Certainly, the Chinese intend to be a greater worry to our national defence but they have no need to spy on me. My choice between Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus and so on makes no difference to national security.

OnePlus, for example sold me a nice, bloatware free, phone. If they want to spy on me, I just want them not to sell it to dodgy US corporates and eveven dodgier US financial organisations.

Yorkshire cops have begun using on-the-spot fingerprint scanners

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Black Helicopters

Re: "allowed police to identify a driver following a pursuit"

although being white and polite can help.

You forgot male and over 45.

Secret weekend office bonk came within inch of killing sysadmin

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Terminator

Re: fibre or fiber

For speakers of English, the spelling is "fibre".

"Fiber" is close to a childish word for someone who tells untruths.

Epic spacewalk, epic FAIL: Cosmonauts point new antenna in the wrong direction

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Pirate

It's like dropping a brick out of your car window at 70MPH - it is unlikely to hit YOUR windscreen.

I just visualised my little brothers Hot Wheels set. It would if you were doing one of those loops at the time!

Forget cyber crims, it's time to start worrying about GPS jammers – UK.gov report

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Thumb Up

Re: Big Brother is Watching You

what happens if you need to call the emergency services quickly?

I imagine he stops the car, gets out and gets it out of the boot. If he has been in a bad enough accident to become unable to do that, he may not have been able to use it if it had been in his pocket.

Trump White House mulls nationalizing 5G... an idea going down like 'a balloon made out of a Ford Pinto'

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Devil

Who would you trust?

Seeing that "public mobile companies" seem to be part of the megacorporate ownership of much of the more right wing side of US politics, it is currently the same thing as the US federal government - with a little help from Vlad the Invader anway...

Well done, UK.gov. You hit superfast broadband target (by handing almost the entire project to BT)

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Facepalm

95% of what?

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a fudged (made up) figure. Is it...

1 95% of the population

2 95% of potential subscribers

3 95% of families

4 95$ of homes

5 95% of "important" areas

6 95% of The UK mainland

7 95% Of the entire UK surface

8 95% of something else?

I am undecided if its number 5 or 8

Apple whispers farewell to macOS Server

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Re: I can see why they are saying goodbye

I like to think that spooks on this side of the pond are (slightly) less in the pocket of US big lawyers, big corporates and the republican party.

Agreed, ours are certainly not perfect but at least other European spooks know where and what the UK is!

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Big Brother

Re: I can see why they are saying goodbye

As you have an office in the EU, it is not really possible to host anything confidential in the USA.

There may be a sham agreement at present but it will eventually go the way of the "Safe Harbor" (sic) as soon as someone has got around to taking it to court.

Basically, because of dodgy US courts and an unanswerable load of spooks, your stuff is up for grabs and will then make its way to anyone who can pay for it.

Thar she blows: Strava heat map shows folk on shipwreck packed with 1,500 tonnes of bombs

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Pint

Re: Water movement?

I saw it burn through the bottom of a mess tin. This was part of training so it may have been faked.

User stepped on mouse, complained pedal wasn’t making PC go faster

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Go

@Duffy Moon

That reminds me of an error I saw long ago

"If you see this message, it is really, REALLY bad!!

France gives les citoyens the right to cock up official paperwork

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Re: "Forgot your tax return, mon ami? Pas de problem!"

Parce que c`est drole.

Cryptocurrencies to end in tears, says investor wizard Warren Buffett

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FAIL

Re: Heard an excellent quote

as something for criminals to steal, or extort

Are you sure you are not thinking of the US Dollar? Much dodgier...

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Black Helicopters

Cryptocurrencies - The ultimate capitalism

You no more need to know how bitcoin works than you do your TV or smartphone. It's nice when you do but you still use them, even when you don't.

All the central banks that are objecting to Bitcoin etc are longing for the good old days of central control. My cryptocurrency "wallet" is effectively a finger raised to those who think that Stalin and Ceausescu were right.

I suspect that it is not the fact that Bitcoins etc could be used for bad things that causes the hostility. Most investment schemes could and have been used from everything from tax avoidance (their favourite activity anyway) to illegal drugs.

Why are all the big banks and investors hostile then? Why have, supposedly democratic, governments been persuaded that this, new,perceived freedom is a bad thing? It is because it is outside the control of those banks and investment bodies. They can't control what people do. They can't destroy its usefulness with "high speed trading". They can't report to each other what we have done and they (wrongly) think that it is untrackable. Some people on wall street are looking to get into Bitcoin or something. On my salary, I keep away from stockbrokers but even if I did, I would not see any point in that. If there is a good chance that I loose money, I might as well do it myself.

Swiss cheesed off after Apple store iPhone does Samsung Galaxy Note 7 impersonation

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Megaphone

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. ®

"WTF do you think you are asking us questions?!?"

That could be a national government or a right-wing thinktank.

FBI says it can't unlock 8,000 encrypted devices, demands backdoors for America's 'public safety'

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Black Helicopters

Re: Legal channels

They certainly asked Apple who told them to get stuffed - in legalese of course.

Beer hall putz: Regulator slaps northern pub over Nazi-themed ad

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Mushroom

I'm sure

Most of us have come across people who do not feel that they have had a productive day unless they have complained about something.

I suspect that the first thing that passes through their heads in the morning is something like "what am I going to get angry about today?"

Memo man Damore is back – with lawyers: Now Google sued for 'punishing' white men

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Meh

Re: How to leak information...unintentionally

@Agamemnon

I'm politically antagonistic....

... Google is Retardedly and Blindly Liberal.

Those two lines do not sit well together.

"Politically agnostic" would indicate neither left or right wing. Outside the USA, this is translated as "liberal" meaning neither socialist or conservative..

Your usage of the word "liberal insinuates that you see the (liberal) politics of the centre as somewhat to your left.

That does not indicate "agnostic" to me or is there another meaning to that word?

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Boffin

Re: I am confused

everything he said in his memo was backed up by a myriad of prominent sociobiologists

Apparently, at least one of the people he quoted said he did not agree. They replied and said so.

Actually, Damore seems to have been fired because he is an ar**hole. Holding really stupid opinions is one thing but pushing them round a, supposedly, knowledge based business was just stupid. That's what got him fired. Those around him probably knew his opinions anyway.

The healing hands of customer support get an acronym: Do YOU have 'tallah-toe-big'?

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Pirate

I tell users...

"Just carry a screwdriver. It intimidates them."

Either that or I tell them that computers are like lions, tigers and bears. They can sense your fear.

Military alliance NATO adopts official hymn

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Megaphone

Re: To be fair...

I would have suggested "You're in the Army now" by Status Quo. Some versions sound like they have Billy Connoly as the NCO shouting at them in it!

And we return to Munich's migration back to Windows – it's going to cost what now?! €100m!

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Big Brother

@Dan 55

Is it really Microsoft's fault that Libre Office is at least as functional as MS office and Free?

Well, actually, it is. It's Microsoft's fault that MS Office is no better than it is and is a major "cash cow". If they made all their software virus proof, genuinely open file format and reasonably priced, I suspect that their financial state would be less rosy!

Brazil says it has bagged Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean for £84m

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Pirate

Re: All I would like to know is.....

I appreciate that warships are not exactly the sort of item you would find on Amazon

There was an aircraft carrier on Ebay a couple of years ago...

SuperFish cram scandal: Lenovo must now ask nicely before stuffing new PCs with crapware

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Pint

@Notwork

Trying to tell a Windows fan to install Linux is as pointless as trying to tell a Linux fan to install Windows.

Some of us can and do both. What kind of fan does that make us?

I suppose I could qualify as an "Anything but Apple" fan.

Beyond code PEBCAK lies KMACYOYO, PENCIL and PAFO

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Happy

Re: from a prior support gig....

SEP = Someone elses' problem

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Go

Re: Agincourt and Crecy! NFN

My mother was from Fife. NFF was a common comment in medical notes there until the Forth and Tay road bridges opened up.

Facebook: Who needs millennials? The cops love us more than ever!

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Big Brother

Re: At the A/C, ""It's a mystery why it's failing.

She asked for my "FaceBook, Twitter, or other Social Media account information"

My first thought would be "Am I sure that I want to shop here?". That sort of thing is nobodys' business but my own. Anyone who wants it, is either intending to spam me or nose around in places that do not concern them.

I presume she was bot asking for passwords etc. That would be a sign of criminal intent such as when known criminal organisations require them upon entry to a country.

PHWOAR, those noughty inks: '0.1%' named Stat of The Year

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Holmes

I have been saying it for decades

I hear the uninformed stating that we are "full up" but having seen this island from end to end know that we are hugely empty.

It has proved impossible to tell some people that we are not overcrowded. Some tiny bits are certainly. I would not consider living in or anywhere near those bits myself. I would not think it is right to force any refugees to go there either (Human Rights/decency etc). If some people want to go on living there, that is up to then. The rest should be allowed and helped to get somewhere nicer.

Caithness and Dartmoor seem like huge improvements over inner London, Birmingham and Manchester for example but I hear that the village of Imber may be returned to civilian use one day.

Australian central bank says 'speculative mania' and crime fuel Bitcoin

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Big Brother

I just like the idea

I like the idea of having a little money that "they" don't control. If I needed to send something to someone on the other side of the world/Country/town when the banks are closed.

No I'm not a terrorist. I might just want to pay a plane ticket home for a friend in the middle east, or a Christmas present for a nephew "down under" or a kebab for a mate in Aberdeen. It's just an easy method of doing it. If "they" want to track it afterwards, they can. It's too trackable for anything dodgy. Anyone who tries to use it for illegal purposes is a total wally!

And, hey, if the £200 I put in 18 months ago has grown a lot, I don't mind!

Kaspersky dragged into US govt's trashcan as weaponized blockchain agile devops mulled

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Boffin

Re: Why just single out kaspersky?

I repeat a previous suggestion that Kaspersky is the tool for people who do not want to be too cooperative to the CIA, NSA and other such criminals ,

'DJI Mavic' drone seen menacing London City airliner after takeoff

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Black Helicopters

Unless they have a picture.

I am ready to suspect that it was a polythene shopping bag. This is good 'cos we've, sort of, banned them already! Alternatively, it was a government stealth helicopter disguised as one.

Rogue PIs found guilty of illegally snagging personal financial info

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Pirate

It's a start

A very very very very small start.

There are bigger companies and even arms of government, local and national, who need to go through this process,

Do I think the more deserving will face this? Not at all...

YouTuber cements head inside microwave oven

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Flame

This video should be demonetised

All the money this has raised, possibly the whole channel, should be removed and given to some suitable charity.

Drone collisions with airliners may not be fatal, US study suggests

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FAIL

¿¿Terrorism??

No. Terrorism is people who try to change the world by terrorising other people into submission.

I am sure a few years ago, someone in the USA was nearly charged with terrorism for driving a big scary car too fast down the road where there might be children nearby. That is Ars*holism.

The people who fly big drones where they might fly into aircraft are ars*holes then. The people who fly little ones there are just twats.

Save serious words for serious problems. There is a big difference between ISIS and some idiot with a £200 toy.