* Posts by Wommit

446 publicly visible posts • joined 8 Dec 2009

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A paper clip, a spool of phone wire and a recalcitrant RS-232 line: Going MacGyver in the wonderful world of hotel IT

Wommit

Re: Common use machines should always use pigtail extension leads for USB

phuzz,

Maybe not on business machines, but gamers just love PS2.

USB is a polled solution, your usb device might have to wait, ohh, a millisecond or two. PS2 however is interrupt driven. much faster. :)

A boss pinching pennies may have cost his firm many, many pounds

Wommit

Re: How to get around the budget

And ... The RNs shiny new war canoes are still floating hotels. For the officers at least.

Apple bag-search class action sueball moves to Cali supreme court

Wommit

@Jtom

I would REALLY like to see a company try to enforce this. The amount of "things" people need to take with them is legend. Try telling a Type 2 diabetic s/he cannot have an emergency bar of chocolate / fizzy drink at hand, try telling a female she cannot have "ladies products" with her, try telling someone with a heart condition that they cannot have medicines at hand, wow, what crap that company would be in.

In ALL jobs that I have been in there have been lockers, personal storage, etc for the personnel to use.

NEVER have I had to leave my personnal belongings outside of my working environment. Sometimes I have had to change into personal protective gear, but my own stuff has been secured on site in a locked container.

Galileo! Galileo! Galileo! Galileo! Galileo fit to go: Europe's GPS-like network switches on

Wommit

""In addition, all cars sold in the EU must have a chipset capable of accessing Galileo signals."

For what purpose?"

The EU governing body demands that a tracking device be installed on all new cars and you wonder why. Umm...

Sysadmin told to spend 20+ hours changing user names, for no reason

Wommit

"Most of what I did was pointless and there only to keep us busy and stop us getting bored and doing stupid things."

Sooo... They gave you stupid things to do, to stop you doing stupid things.

The encryption conundrum: Should tech compromise or double down?

Wommit

Re: Let's be clear. These data fetisihsts want to dump due process. They want it all, all the time

"Would you rather live in a world where not just death but mayhem can come from anywhere at anytime without warning?"

Perhaps you'd better read the news. We're living in that world already, and have been since before we climbed down from the trees.

"Because the human condition basically means we'll end up at one of two extremes. Either the Police State or Anarchy. Any attempt to try for a third option will eventually gravitate towards one or the other end."

And will swing back and forth again and again. That's life.

"And before you quote Benjamin Franklin, allow me to counter with this idea. Perhaps, to spin on a Jack Nicholson line, humanity "can't handle freedom"..."

I think that you will find that 'people' can handle freedom very well thank you very much. It's governments that cannot handle the people being 'free.'

Wommit

Re: Let's be clear. These data fetisihsts want to dump due process. They want it all, all the time

" the ONLY clue you've got is a hint of a hunch and no way to back it up enough to get, say, a warrant. The ONLY way you'll get the evidence is if he commits a crime, but if it's something like a suicide truck bomb, three words apply here: Too Damn Late."

So, guilty until proven innocent then.

I don't think that I'd like to live in that world.

Amazon's Netflix-gnasher to hit top gear In December

Wommit

Re: The question is...

Oh, I just love the speed at which the comments get smutty.

Uber drivers entitled to UK minimum wage, London tribunal rules

Wommit

This ruling might impact upon a larger community. Those whose conditions of employment force them to use their own vehicles for transport 'between' jobs, those who work such long hours that their salary (when calculated against hours worked rather than hours contracted) falls below the national minimum.

Carers, working for home care companies, or local authorities, often have a requirement that they use their own vehicles for transport between jobs. The travel time is not recognised as work related either. So, often, the actual time taken between starting work, and finishing for the day / week, means that the employee is paid significantly below the minimum wage.

Many in the IT industry are pressurised into working extra hours without pay or time off in lieu. Sometimes this is just an hour or two a week, very often (in my experience) much, much more. As 'salaried' employees they (we) do not get overtime. Thus when our actual hours worked, are calculated into our salary, we are getting quite a raw deal.

A whole section of the employed community, the armed forces, poorly paid for a normal working week, find that their real hourly rate is minuscule when on active service.

Snowden investigator slams leaker-detector background checks

Wommit

@Tom Paine

Yes, both governments like to make their own mistakes. And then collect all that information into a single database where it can all be stolen at once.

Wommit

" whenever someone stabs you in the back, from a professional standpoint it is a hard thing to endure"

Yeah.

I wonder how the American people feel.

'Please label things so I can tell the difference between a mouse and a microphone'

Wommit

Re: Easily fixed...

@DJO "In a similar vein for the nautically minded, "Port" has 4 letters, just like "Left""

And Sherry has more letters, just like "Not Left".

Smelly toilets, smokers and the Kardashians. Virgin Media staff grill top brass

Wommit

@Olip

"is it really so hard to realise that treat your employees well = happy employees = employees do good work"

To realise that the 'C' layer would have to value their employees as much, or more, than The Bottom Line. So, yes, it really is that hard for the current batch of MBAs to realise that.

Forgive me, father, for I have used an ad-blocker on news websites...

Wommit

Just had a look in my fuck bucket.

Nope, they're all there.

So not a single fuck was given.

Zombie Moore's Law shows hardware is eating software

Wommit

@Boltar7

Who pissed into your cornflakes this morning?

Latest F-35 bang seat* mods will stop them breaking pilots' necks, beams US

Wommit

Re: More $Billleeeeeeoooons

"How about spending on creating a cabinet post for peace process to encourage peaceful resolution of conflicts under win-win (1+1) instead win-lose (1-1) game? Can we do it for just four years, one US presidential term?"

With the two muppets currently in the lead for the POTUS job, you have to be joking. I know our political twunts are bad (UK of course), but those two really abuse the name of dumb Americans.

P.S. I know that not all Americans are dumb. But really, those two are giving the rest of you a bad name.

Wommit

Re: This sounds a bit odd.

"Whirlybirds are generally piloted by grunts or noncomms and as such are expendable."

You must be USAian. In the Peoples Republic of the UK our Helicopter pilots are officers and / or Royalty.

Wommit

Re: Airbag Collar

"All that is needed is an airbag collar similar to the neck protection devices used by F1 drivers"

F1 drivers don't spend a lot of their time looking up / left / right / down left / down right / behind. Kinda useful in an air combat situation.

While the fighter pilots silk scarf may be a bit of a fashion statement, it does prevent sores developing around the neck from constant rubbing against the flight suit.

Wommit

Re: @Wommit @Richard 12

"All fighter jets shot down in the last couple of decades were brought down by drones."

No, a missile is not a drone. Their capabilities are completely different. Missiles have one similarity to drones, they both concentrate their attention forward in a small cone. The drone may see much better forward and down, but that is just a minor difference.

Pilots can look around themselves to see above, to the sides and, to a point behind. Using the Mark ! eye ball the pilots can also make the decision not to fire at what appears to their sensors a valid target. The drone operator only has the drone sensors.

And, while air to air missiles are very good, ask yourself why the US DoD formed the "Top Gun" school to teach air to air combat. The reasoning might surprise you.

Wommit

@Daz555

" the last gen of fighters to have a pilot sat in them?"

Err... Yes, and No. Drones can be remarkably effective in a ground support role. But to gain and keep air superiority you need an aircraft that is able to defend itself and attack others. The delay time for a drone to observe and act upon dogfight conditions would IMHO be too great.

Wommit

Re: Is there any other type?

"It is the unprepared type that not surprisingly causes the worst injuries."

Really?

All of the aircraft that I have worked on have had manually initiated ejection systems. The only aircraft in which the seat occupant might not have initiated the ejection himself was in the Sea Vixen. There the pilot may initiate the observers ejection as the observer had to leave first due to a great risk of collision if the pilot went first, or they ejected together.

If you are aware of an aircraft which might summarily eject its occupant(s) please give a link. I would be really interested in reading up on it.

Wommit

Re: This sounds a bit odd.

"When we're talking about a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars per airframe, the pilot isn't anywhere near the most expensive part of the whole system."

However the pilots training is.

Wommit

Re: This sounds a bit odd.

The drogue parachute (the only part of the ejector seat relevant to this discussion) fires after the seat starts descending. Any earlier and the seat would just tangle with the drogue before it opened. The seat and occupant need the drogue to deploy to stablise both of them in a feet downwards position. Once stablised, and below a set height, the pilot is detached from the seat and sent on his (her) merry way. Then the main parachute opens and the remains of the pilot float gracefully to earth.

The initial cartridges which start the chair rising are powerful enough to get the seat clear of the airframe. Many twin boom aircraft had high level tail planes and these had to be cleared without the advantages of the rocket assisted ejection seats now used. The extra lift given by the rocket assist is to get the seat occupant up to parachute height, a must if the rest of the seat deployment / pilot separation / main parachute opening is to take place.

Wommit

This sounds a bit odd.

This report, whilst saying that the bang seat needs modifying, neglects to say why. I know that it's reported that the seat parachute deployment may be delayed, bit of a bummer if you're ejecting at 0 / 0, but that mod is to allow for less helmet forces on to the pilot.

Most of the things in the article point to the heavier helmet being the problem. That is not an Ejector seat problem. So Martin Baker are being threatened because of a problem that isn't their fault. How is that fair Mr. US DoD?

I'm glad to see that no ones mentioned slowing down the ejection acceleration. These seats have to get out fast and high to save the pilots life in low level and low speed emergencies, re the aforementioned 0 / 0. The pilot, of course, being the most expensive part of the whole system, of course if (s)he wasn't then I doubt that any one in authority would care.

Microsoft cuts ribbon on Euro cloud bit barn for Office 365, Azure

Wommit

Re: Segregation

"And because this is Microsoft, whose laws applies when the SHTF, American or European."

Legally, European law. Illegally, extralegally, just don't give a fuck legally - US law.

Will US border officials demand social network handles from visitors?

Wommit

Re: Arse

Yeah, I got one of them too. Hee hee.

Wommit

Re: Rubber gloves or Facebook?

Nope. You is just his Bitch.

Wommit

Re: Stupid questions...

@Bombastic Bob,

Don't try to piss off the TSA operatives. They can go home at the end of their shift, could you just walk out of the interrogation room?

They have all the time they need, do you?

They have the law on their side (rightly or wrongly) do you?

Do not try to pisseth off THE MAN. For THE MAN is vengeful, and will smite thine arse with Bubba, and the friends of Bubba, until the end of time.

Wommit

Re: Stupid questions...

We already had to implement a US entry policy which blocks travelling execs from accessing company resources until they confirm they cleared US Customs, and even that's conditional on them not having to hand off any equipment because then that needs reflashing first"

Reflashing, then bleaching, and maybe thermal shock treatment (with thermite.)

Even then, I'm not sure that I'd trust that device ever again.

HP Inc's rinky-dink ink stink: Unofficial cartridges, official refills spurned by printer DRM

Wommit

@Dr. Syntax

You must remember that HP, and all global companies now, are ruled by the stock exchanges. If they have a 'good' quarter now then their price rises. The next quarter might be crap, but they've still got the extra investment cash to ride over that.

The lawyers and accountants who now run nearly all companies only look at one thing the "Bottom Line." Neither staff nor customers come into this equation. The 'C' layer are quite happy to screw both if it means that their bonuses are secured.

Wommit

You owe me a new keyboard.

Alleged buggy software wrongly flunks wannabe lawyers from bar exam. What happened next won't shock you

Wommit

Lawer prevention

surely that's a feature.

Voyager 2's closest Saturn swoop was 35 years ago today

Wommit

Re: How big is a few?

After 39 years, a couple of weeks is still just a few days.

US Treasury to launch pre-emptive strike on EU's Ireland tax probe

Wommit

Ireland doesn't need to worry,

It doesn't have any oil, the Americans won't invade.

NASA's free research trove may have broken arms trafficking rules

Wommit

Re: NASA: past its sell-by date

" (i'm rather fond of it so i'd rather not give the plod reason to liberate me of it)"

Oh, so you think that the plod needs a reason to 'liberate' it off you?

How naive.

UK IT consultant subject to insane sex ban order mounts legal challenge

Wommit

Re: Beyond words

"This is the sort of thing you expect from a repressive, authoritarian, police state, not from a western democracy."

Err ... This is the UK. It is a repressive, authoritarian, police state. Hadn't you noticed the cameras?

The calm before the storm: AMD's Zen bears down on Intel CPUs

Wommit

AMD needs to survive, and, if possible, grow. Intel hasn't any other credible competition.

Recently I built my new desktop workstation, all AMD. For my uses it thrashes the relevant i7. But then I don't game, I need cores and lots of them.

I am looking forward to hearing more about the Zen.

(AMD fanboi.)

Fun fact of the day: Network routers are illegal in Japan

Wommit

"It seems not very different from the mail address on your paper mail - every time you mail something you are letting the post office know you are sending something to a particular address (and further inferences can be made from the mass and dimensions of the package), and no one seems to think whether that's a violation of privacy."

But then the Post Office would have to enter all of the details on each and every item posted into a computer, thus causing unacceptable delays in delivery ... err ... wait a minute ...

Microsoft wins landmark Irish data slurp warrant case against the US

Wommit

Re: Things I never thought I would say....

"That being said, if the United States Government really wants that data they will get it. Ideally that will be through a formal request to the Irish Government where it will wind its way through the various courts."

The US government has always had this option, it simply tried to avoid using it because it would have had to produce evidence suitable for the Irish courts to grant a warrant. That level of evidence probably hasn't existed now, or previously.

Alleged Aussie plum plucker pleads guilty to motel tissue swipe

Wommit

So ...

In Aussie you can't even help a bloke out with tiny problem without being nicked by the rozzers. Blimey, what's this world coming too.

Brit Science Minister to probe Brexit bias against UK-based scientists

Wommit

The 'Remainers' on this forum should look at quite recent history. The Euro nearly failed with the Greeks budgeting (or rather not budgeting) crisis. Italy has also become shaky, Spain is desperate for any foreign currency income. The EUs budgets haven't been signed off by their auditors at all. And you lot want to stay joined with them.

And who now remembers the ERM crisis, 16th Sept 1992? The day that interest rates rocketed to 27%. When The UK was unable to devalue the pound because of the European treaties prevented the Pound from falling below 6% of it's current value. That treaty cost the UK 3.3Billion Pounds! If the Pound had been devalued, the UK could have made a 2.4 Billion Pound profit. I remember watching the news, thinking that I was going to lose everything my Wife & I had worked for. Everything. Are you sure you want to remain?

I wonder how long the Germans will allow the Euro to exist, they are paying dearly for their attempts at European Federalisation.

Those of us who remember what the UK was like before we entered the EEC (note EEC not the EU, that came by stealth later,) would like to go back to those times. Not the rickets and workhouses before anyone suggests them, but making our own laws, be they stupid or saintly. Deciding for ourselves the direction our country is to go in. Call me a racist bigot if you like (I'm not, but I don't care what you call me; be careful of the libel laws though) but I would like us to have full control of our own borders too.

The absolute shock from our political "servants" at the result of this referendum just shows how out of touch the ruling classes were and still are.

Please remember that the future isn't fixed. If we fuck up, well it's our fuck up. No one else's. Can you honestly say that if we did / do remain?

A little image magic gets Curiosity's wheels turning again

Wommit

Re: As the (no doubt made up) Chinese apothegm has it:

Maybe not. Language is a dynamic tool after all.

A bad day for DBAs: MIT boffins are replacing you with a mere spreadsheet

Wommit

I can't see any reason for this reporting tool to upset any DBA at all.I mean even MS Access had a similar tool, and DBAs still worked on real DBs.

DBAs and DB designers (often the same person) will always be needed to design and optimise a DB. And all of the other administrative tasks that need doing.

Perhaps this tool will give more DBAs employment fixing the damn stupid stuff that the users built (in the looses possible sense of the word) so that it can perform provably correct and reliably.

Still what do I care? A few more months and I'll be a lazy arsed retiree.

Google slammed over its 'free' school service

Wommit

Re: And is anyone surprised?

I always thought that it was the Bear who was Catholic and the Pope who ... err ... maybe I've been wrong all this time.

Don't doubt it, Privacy Shield is going to be challenged in court

Wommit

We will be on this round-about until the US realises that it has boarders and its jurisdiction ends there. America, land of the free (free data for government, gov agencies, LEOs mega corps, corps, hell anyone with the money to buy the stuff.)

Safe Harbo(u)r has been bugging me since its inception.

Chilcot's IT spend: Tighter wallet than most public sector bods

Wommit

I wonder if

"Lessons are going to be learnt."

Post Brexit EU will spend 'stability and peace' budget funding Chinese war drones

Wommit

Oh {Deity}

Is every post for the next ten years going to be referenced to the apparent stupidity of the British voters?

The referendum is finished, get over it.

Lindsay Lohan ‘happy’ to turn on Kettering

Wommit

Re: If you turn on Kettering

I'm not sure that mains gas has arrived at Kettering (or 'Kettrin' as the locals call it) yet. Definitely none of that newfangled electrickery at all.

A trip to the Twilight Zone with a support guy called Iron Maiden

Wommit

Very, VERY, similar thing happened to me when I worked for an international trading company. I was in Paris supporting our office there and was having dinner with a few Dutch colleagues. I had commented about the lack of 4G their and a colleague said "Don't worry, Wifey will be coming tomorrow." My initial reaction was to pale, thing of the working / drinking time I'd lose, and then 'What about the Kids? She's not bringing them too is she?'

My concern must have been visible because they pointed to a sign on the wall, the only word I could read being "WiFi."

Here's how police arrested Lauri Love – and what happened next

Wommit

Re: Although the burden of proof lies with Love

It's all about the presumption of guilt, whether innocent or not.

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