Posts by Tim #3

Microsoft gets ready to kill Skype Classic once again: 'This time we mean it'

Similarly...

What's the latest on Skype For Business (ex- lync), someone said it is being killed off completely soon, is that true?

Arsenal are red, pundits have 'insights', BT and Sky splurge £4.5bn on footie rights

Don't worry, Sport England pours loads of our money into soccer too. So no.

Investigatory Powers Act: You're not being paranoid. UK.gov really is watching you

Re: Eat their own dog food

There were several exemptions for journalists too. Presumably so that they wouldn't write many negative articles about it....

DXC Technologies mails another corp message (gulp)

What are these bonus schemes that they speak of?

Connect at mine free Wi-Fi! I would knew what I is do! I is cafe boss!

Re: Just another attempt

Absolutely. It's also much more preferable than the type that requires you to create an account first, then they forever email you with the latest offers from that chain & all its partners.

Opera scolds stale browsers with shocking Neon experiment

Re: RAM usage and Opera 12

I know what you mean, but it's just an old pc, no data is stored on it & its not used for banking or anything, so there is nothing of mine at risk. I run anti malware on it too, to ensure it's not becoming part of a botnet etc and putting anyone else at risk.

RAM usage and Opera 12

I still have an XP box and have experimented with browsers for a while, as you do. Opera 12 works well on many sites, it uses very little RAM compared to when I have tried Firefox or Chrome, with multiple tabs open etc too. Chrome in particular has/had a memory leak that this Google issue thread is all about https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/86yzpxX7aws (though however do you sort that into most recent???) .

Opera 12 was an excellent browser, however some sites will no longer load nicely on it. Few good browsers are left for XP now, I tried to load SRWARE Iron but the installer for that kept failing, which is not a good sign! Anyone found any good XP browsers for this experiment?

Fujitsu seeks PC exit, finds willing buyer in Lenovo

Re: Do people really buy them

I've used them for years, excellent desktops, mine have been very stable and 100% reliable (famous last words...). They are probably not the highest spec for gamers etc, but not everyone always needs that.

Their convertible PCs are fabulous things too, used to have one from work, trialled it against all the opposition too and it won by a mile. Alas they are rather pricey, but if anyone has a spare T936 laying around I'll gladly look after it for them.

Google after six-year tax foot-drag: No they're fine about the fine. We're fine. No fine

What actually is the point of the public accounts committee? Has anything ever actually changed as a result of their activities, or is it just for a bunch of non-achiever MPs to pretend they are doing something useful? I can't think of a single example ever where their involvement has changed anything and benefited anyone - would be glad to hear of any that other readers know of though...

Tech firms fight anti-encryption demands after Paris murders

According to Bruce Schneier's blog today, the Paris attackers used no encryption. Also same reported on Slashdot now.

Another GDS cockup: Rural Payments Agency cans £154m IT system

Perhaps they shoud take this opportunity to stop giving taxpayers money to farmers and give it to those who actually need it instead. Here in East Anglia, arable farming is incredibly lucrative, with record yields every year and continuing very high grain prices.

Sadly, farming also contributes almost nothing to the local economy by way of jobs as so much of the work is mechanised.

HMRC fails to plan for £10.4bn contract exit... because it's 'too risky'

Nothing to worry about for HMRC, having Richard Bacon on your case is like being assaulted with a damp paper bag. Not for nothing is he known as "Emperor Nero" and other less kind nicknames (actually, it is for nothing, he's famed for doing nothing, except being among the very highest claimants of MPs expenses).

I thoroughly forsee that this report will have no effect whatsoever.

EU law bods: New eCall crash system WON'T TRACK YOU. Really

Security

Is there any mention of how this will be made secure? Otherwise I can see it won't be long before a load of fake calls are being generated akin to the "swatting" that goes on when gamers etc fall out, in escalation of road-rage incidents. Or even to divert the "emergency" services to distant areas when a criminal activity is planned to occur.

ISPs set to install network-level smut filters despite Lib Dem opposition

But...

So, how long will it be before some ISP Sysadmin decides to leak a list of celebs and politicians that have opten in? No doubt certain tabloids would reward that very generously....

Rocket boffinry in pictures: Gulp the Devil's venom and light a match

Re: Anybody working on superguns?

Worth having a read about Project Harp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP for more about superguns.

Though as Gerald Bull ultimately found out, there are dangers with getting involved in that field.

Egyptian navy captures divers trying to cut undersea internet cables

Re: Cable location

Also the cable needs to come ashore in Alexandria, where the Cable Station is a very critical point on the whole global undersea cables network. Interesting article here, albeit long, on the whole subject http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass.html

As for their motives, with Egypt's renewed relations with Iran there are numerous more possibilities than before.

Russian boffins race to meteorite crash lake as shard prices go sky-high

Could've been worse

If that had come down over Iran or Israel it could have triggered a bit of a nasty incident, and if it had crashed to earth a few thousand kilometers to the West of the Urals instead, France would probably have surrendered.

Report: Over 1.5 million UK drivers will have hydrogen cars by 2030

Er

"But that’s true of today’s electric cars, which have nonetheless failed to attract a large user base. That’s because they’re more expensive up front, even with government subsidies". Nope. It's because there is a very strong suspicion that it will require an extremely expensive new battery in a few years time, for which you will have to go to the car manufacturer as there is no competition at all. Oddly, the manufacturers tend to forget to mention battery lifespan or replacement costs.

Talking of forgetting to mention things, how will all the hydrogen be produced? oops.

END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH: TalkTalk no longer worst ISP in UK

Talktalk packet sniffing

Aren't Talktalk the ISP that introduced deep packet inspection of all their users' traffic without an opt out too? They sound such a nice company to deal with.

It wouldn't be impossible for them to use the DPI info in order to shape the traffic to Ofcom's website too, but hopefully they are too nice to do that...

2020AD: Space tourists will be FOUND ON MOON

Re: Answers

And don't forget, on your in-flight visa application you had to confirm that you weren't a visiting terrorist either. Not sure if that approach has always worked too reliably though.

RETURN of the PLAYMONAUT: El Reg's space hero suits up again

It's not all work and no play for our intrepid friend, he's been getting in some top notch biking too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3IDyNesztHQ

SECRET 28 'scientific experts' who Greened the BBC - Revealed!

Re: Oh that's priceless!

Actually, it's

Teh Interwebs: 1 BBC Legal team: 0 The Taxpayers -1

Goatse.cx opens up again - as an email provider

Surely that makes it eminently useful.

Swedish boffins: An Ice Age is coming, only CO2 can save us

Also...

On the subject of climate, is there any follow up or outcome on this story yet?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/29/boaden_tribunal_information_refusal/

Maude reckons UK.gov web makeover will save £1.8bn annually

Hmm

£1.8bn saving? And I just saw a badger on a unicycle.

Prosecutor seeks sports-bodies guidance on troll-hunting rulebook

Re: Looks as though...

I agree, even trolling ain't what it used to be. Take this discussion- a whole page of responses about trolling and nobody has even tried to encourage people to look at lemonparty for an interesting angle on the whole topic.

Peeved bumpkins demand legally binding broadband promise from UK.gov

Hmmm

You have to wonder whether the Country Landowners Association's motivation for this is really around improving broadband speeds or more around getting large payments for letting BT put new cables across their land. Maybe their members should all waive these payments, for the benefit of the whole rural community.

Shuttle Endeavour buzzes the Golden Gate Bridge

If nothing else

It's good to see that someone from ZZ Top was there to salute this accomplishment

Apple iPhone 5 review

Repairability

I always feel repairability is very important in guiding by buying choices, and I found a really interesting teardown of it here

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone-5-Teardown/10525/1

which at first indicates very promisingly that the two most common repairs- glass and battery- are nice and straightforward, actually the whole thing looks pretty good overall. However, I got all the way to the end of it before reading "The front glass, digitizer, and LCD are all one component, thereby increasing cost of repair." . Hmmph.

BT to win Norfolk broadband contract - if Europe gives the nod

Re: Cables

i entirely agree... last week new poles and stuff were installed down my road by BT, download speed has gone from 1.8 to 6Mbps, which is plenty good enough for me. No idea why new copper should be so much better than old, but hey...

Haynes Build Your Own Computer book review

Upgrades

Although I can’t really see many people buying this book, the volume of information that is available on the web, and it’s variable quality, does make things difficult for people to use. I think this is particularly true for upgrades. Even if, like myself, you’re just trying to upgrade a pc graphics card to cope with a change from 17” to 23” monitor (very new fangled here), clear sources of up to date accurate info are hard to find and it’s not as if you can even rely on finding a PC shop with knowledgeable staff either. Where are people going nowadays for such advice?

Voyager's 35th birthday gift: One-way INTERSTELLAR ticket

Re: The ultimate engineering project - couple of hundred years

Mind bogglingly, and going by my rough calculations, in a couple of hundred years time it will still have another 73800 years to travel at the current speed before reaching the distance of our nearest star. Unless it bumps into something on the way of course.

Number-plate spycams riddled with flaws, top cop admits

One further side effect of these cameras... all agricultural vehicles in this area have "lost" their front numberplates since the cameras were brought in (and rear ones, if they exist, are always hidden by whatever load is being towed).

Presumably HMRC can access these cameras info, and would otherwise use that to spot that the agricultural vehicles are evading duty by using red diesel for haulage purposes.

Hunt vows: 'UK will have fastest broadband in Europe by 2015'

I presume this statement is just a coincidence, coming the day after my "8Mb" Plusnet connection's down-speed recorded a new low of just 1.8Mb. Approx 4 or 5 years ago it would run at around 4Mb and even peak at 6-7Mb on occasion, and has gone downhill ever since. Maybe Mr Hunt should aspire to restore speeds to their historic levels to start with.

(apols to all those who can't even get these, er, heady speeds)

Scribe's mobe, MacBook pwned after hacker 'fast-talked Apple support'

iGnore?

Murdoch's fondleslab epaper axes 50 staff

All change...

There seem to be many things afoot in the Murdoch world since his recent departure from various newspaper boards, and they are happening quiickly. I was very surprised to see that last Saturday's Times did not include any listings for Sky TV channels. Any predictions for what is his next move?

Ever considered putting a rocket up someone's backside?

Re: State?

You've got a golf course on your arse? That's quite unusual in this country.

Top spook: ISP black boxes NOT key to UK's web-snoop plan

Re: Cunning terrorist ideas

or just post letters to each other

Sussex bobbies get undisclosed tablets in networked-copper trials

Indeed, you'd also think their spokesman would be stressing how well secured and encrypted they are. They are, aren't they?

Online bookie can't scoop £50k losses made by 5-year-old

There’s many similar sites too, last night I looked at booking a flight through a site onthebeach.co.uk – however when I got to the card number input page I was alarmed that it is not https – a quick google of them then found that their conditions, which you have to agree to, allow them to vary the amount they have said they will charge you – how do they get away with that? Natch, didn’t book with them but feel sorry for others who do fall for it.

Jailed Facebook hack Brit targeted Justin Bieber's girlfriend

This sentence seems utterly disproportional. Surely a bit of community service or something would've been enough, instead of what it is going to cost us taxpayers to imprison him for a year.

Facebook tests paid post promotion

This isn't unlike the approach where you pay your Prime Minister £250k for him to hear your views over a meal. And is about as desirable.

LOHAN Playmonaut jets off to Blighty

The team's lack of beards & pipes is a tad disappointing.

Queen unveils draft internet super-snoop bill - with clauses

Re: No worries

Fair point. And of course it will be provided at quite remarkable expense via consultancies which are run by old school chums of our dear PM.

What's the betting that ISPs will have to pay for the equipment but will only be allowed to use certain "secure" providers...

LinkedIn buys SlideShare

Is Linkedin still going, what have I missed? I haven't been on there for ages.

Reminds me I got some spam the other day about Myspace.

Telly is becoming moving wallpaper for constantly online Brits

Re: Unreliable statistics

I notice one of the graphics is about "question 64", and was wondering what kind of people fill in 64+ question surveys. Seems likes it is prudes.

Nokia's 41Mp cameraphone shoots towards retail

41mp

Would anyone else be fascinated to read a detailed article about just how they make a 41mp sensor?

Two teens cuffed after Blighty's anti-terror hotline hacked

Re: Time for a lesson in reality

According to a brief bit of research, it cost us taxpayers £140k to imprison a young offender for a year. Which is a bit more than the 30p that the Met and the lot that were hacked in Febs conference call fiasco seem to be spending on their own security.

Blighty slaps £100m spending cap on govt IT projects

Re: KInd of makes all those job adverts....

Has anyone really applied all of Prince2 to anything? A former colleague of mine used to work at the OGC (who devised Prince2) - even they do not use it for their own internal projects.

Plastic that SELF-REPAIRS using light unleashed by prof

Re: Glass ceiling needed.

Great!