Posts by andy gibson

Intrepid Change.org user launches petition to make Jeff Bezos' space trip one-way

Re: poor phrasing ?

Playing pool with planets? You'd need to be pished to do that

Cloudflare launches campaign to ‘end the madness’ of CAPTCHAs

Re: Hardware dongles?

The pictures usually ask you to identify a bus, bike, or fire hydrant on the picture I would have thought these objects are globally known?

Oops, says Manchester City Council after thousands of number plates exposed in parking ticket spreadsheet

Swiss number plates

Many years ago I remember watching a Jeremy Clarkson TV show about driving around the world. He said that in Switzerland the number plate stayed with the owner for life and that you could look up their address in a public database.

And as a result meant there was little road rage or motoring trouble because you could easily go round to the car owner's house to deal with it later.

Not sure if its true or just Clarkson talking out of his arse as usual.

China has a satellite with an arm – and America worries it could be used to snatch other spacecraft

satellite with an arm?

Wasn't this the plot in Netflix's "Space Force"?

That's it. It's over. It's really over. From today, Adobe Flash Player no longer works. We're free. We can just leave

Re: Doomsday Book

Digital Domesday Book lasts 15 years not 1000

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/mar/03/research.elearning

Re: "hoping no one ever creates software as insecure as that ever again"

Who needs insecure software these days when hackers can just take your stored details from a company.

I got an email from Unifi today saying that they'd lost my details to a security breach.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ubiquiti-tells-customers-to-change-passwords-after-security-breach/

Chuck Yeager, sound barrier pioneer pilot, dies at 97

Re: The Right Stuff

The Apple TV alternate history one "For All Mankind" was better.

Glastonbury hippy shop Hemp in Avalon rapped for spouting 'plandemic' pseudoscience

Geraint of the family Christopher

Here he is back in May:

"Geraint Christopher, who said he should be known as Geraint of the family Christopher"

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/glastonbury-shopkeeper-charged-public-order-4144390

On the 11th day of Christmas TalkTalk took from me... the email address of my company

One thing to bear in mind is that a lot of legacy diagnostic software doesn't work on anything other than XP. I diagnose Peugeots freelance and the best software is one that only runs on XP 32 bit.

Yes there are newer programs out there (Diagbox) but its clunky and far less user friendly than good ol Peugeot Planet.

Re: "...own domain raises a flag with me"

Back on Phoneday (1995) Sheffield moved to a new dialling code (0742 to 0114) and switched from six digits to seven for telephone numbers.

The amount of businesses that *still* have their number shown as [phone] is staggering.

Netflix chooses its own judgment in 'Bandersnatch' case: Settle and make the nasty lawsuit go away

Why be jerks about it? I'd not thought about my (probably long lost) CYOA books for years and being reminded about them in Black Mirror would have sent me to Ebay or Amazon to relive my childhood again like I do with Usborne books of the early 80s and generate them some cash on buying some new ones.

Incidentally the famous Usborne Ghosts book tie in with Inside No. 9 writers has been a big success.

Apple's global security boss accused of bribing cops with 200 free iPads in exchange for concealed gun permits

Re: Back in the UK

And when we have to deal with any nasties, our resourcefulness knows no bounds

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/world/europe/london-bridge-narwhal-tusk-pardon.html

When even a power-cycle fandango cannot save your Windows desktop

PROGMAN.EXE

IIRC the Windows 3.1 interface was still present in Win95 and 98?

Ordnance Survey recruits AR developer to build 'geolocated quests' to help get Brit couch potatoes exercising outdoors

Re: Plenty of games to get you walking

"how about a free to use phone app for leisure use that shows decent quality map imagery with all the footpaths"

It already exists - Maverick for Android. Uses a variety of map sources, including OS 1:25000

Maverick app for Android

Free, and lets you download 1:25000 OS maps.

Samsung asks New Jersey court to sink class action suit about Galaxy S7 waterproofing woes

I'm with Microsoft

when it comes to phones and toilets:

https://youtu.be/l9evyGr57hs?t=9

The car you buy in 2025 will include a terabyte of storage. Robo-taxis might need 11TB

Me too, bangernomics for me every time.

Remember when the keyboard was the computer? You can now relive those heady days with the Raspberry Pi 400

This must be the best modern keyboard with a computer inside.

https://www.hackster.io/news/a-beautiful-raspberry-pi-powered-zx-spectrum-489deb2020ab

Fancy a steaming portion of Kentucky Fried Bork? A fingerlickin' flub that's pure poultry in motion

USB stick left in?

Doesn't that message appear if it tries to boot from a USB stick?

Google screwed rivals to protect monopoly, says Uncle Sam in antitrust lawsuit: We go inside the Sherman parked on a Silicon Valley lawn

Re: "so a majority of people do change search engines"

If you want OS maps on your (Android) phone I can't recommend Maverick highly enough.

Onwards! To the airport and adventure! And this rather lachrymose Linux screen

Re: I wouldn't call it "Linux despair" ...

"Cleaner 'didn't tell anyone' when charity shop accidentally deposited £90,000 in account"

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cleaner-didnt-tell-anyone-charity-22620073

We're not getting back with Galileo, UK govt tells The Reg, as question marks sprout above its BS*

Re: re: What does that even mean?

I think their bronze badge should be replaced by a dunce's hat.

UK govt reboots A Level exam results after computer-driven fiasco: Now teacher-predicted grades will be used after all

Re: One simple lesson

Something you seem to forget- no matter which "colour" is in power (Red or Blue) the civil servants never change.

Elite name on Brit scene sponsors retro video games preservation project at the Centre for Computing History

A lot of backers dropped out when they changed things mid way through production. Something about removing offline play?

EU orders Airbus A350 operators to install anti-coffee spillage covers in airliner cockpits

Re: Amateur design and construction.

1996:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wWkyZPKE64

TomTom bill bomb: Why am I being charged for infotainment? I sold my car last year, rages Reg reader

Re: Simpler than I expected

You're on a hiding to nothing if you expect a company to cancel a direct debit for you. I've seen plenty of stories of utility companies and Virgin Media continue to charge when people have left them.

In fact when I moved house from one VM area to another they couldn't just change the address, they had to set up a whole new account and a new direct debit.

When the new one was set up and money debited I ended the old DD - which resulted in threatening emails from Virgin about terminating my service while under contract and to reinstate it immediately otherwise I'd be liable for penalties.

Trump's bright idea of kicking out foreign students unless unis resume in-person classes stuns tech, science world

Re: Does the Big D.T. talk to mayors at all?

D.T.

Dickhead Tyrant?

Windows 10 Insider wondering where Notepad has gone? Fear not, Microsoft found it down the back of Dev Channel

Re: WTF ?

I've not forgiven them for removing PROGMAN.EXE

Former UK Labour deputy leader wants to know how the NHS's contact-tracing app will ensure user privacy

I'm happy to do the job, I've been practising my sad face and saying "lessons have been learned" so I'm more than qualified.

When you bork... through a storm: Liverpool do all they can to take advantage of summer transfer, er, Windows

Re: The Swan

Nice to see another Swan visitor. Hopefully you'll both be back at The Bridewell now its returned back to a real ale place and not a fancy gin and spirits bar.

Motorola bounds out the G8 with a harder, better, faster smartphone for the thrifty

Re: Hits the sweet spot

I know how you feel. I'm going to have a play with flashing my G5 with TWRP and one of the custom ROMs out there first.

Windows 7 goes dual screen to shriek at passersby: Please, just upgrade me or let me die

Re: eh?

Same here. Got a Dell E6440 laptop. Core i5. 250Gb SSD. 8Gb RAM.

Runs like an absolute dog with Windows 10 - slow, sluggish, unresponsive. But flies with Windows 7.

Cache me if you can: HDD PC sales collapse in Europe as shoppers say yes siree to SSD

"spinning rust"

If it means an end to your over-used "spinning rust" phrase you seem to insert in every hard drive article, hurrah.

Android owners – you'll want to get these latest security patches, especially for this nasty Bluetooth hijack flaw

"you'll want to get these latest security patches"

Goes into settings - system - updates....

"Your device is up to date. 1st Feb 2019"

a one year old Motorola phone.

Rockstar dev debate reopens: Hero programmers do exist, do all the work, do chat a lot – and do need love and attention from project leaders

"Why Software Projects need Heroes"

Software Projects already had one way back in the early 80s. His name was Matthew Smith.

Y2K? How about Y2.02K as Lloyds suffers its second TITSUP* of the year

no security checks

Quite worryingly it allowed me to login, setup a new bank transfer recipient and transferred £2000 without any of the usual security checks and phone calls.

Revealed: NHS England bosses meet with tech and pharmaceutical giants to discuss price list of millions of Brits' medical data

Re: Good News!

But isn't it true the child didn't actually need a bed and had flu and tonsillitis which could have been treated at home in his own bed?

Plus, when my child is sick, I tend not to photograph them and send it to the Daily Mirror.

In tribute to Galaxy Note 7, BBC iPlayer support goes up in flames for some Samsung TVs

Re: DIY

"Most Android TV boxes are awful"

They aren't. There have been some brilliant ones over the years, the M8S+, the TZ95, the Mi Box S, all supporting the many free TV and movie APKs or your preferred IPTV of choice.

Talking a Blue Streak: The ambitious, quiet waste of the Spadeadam Rocket Establishment

Re: Nearby Airfield?

More pics here from 2017

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/raf-spadeadam-airfield-northumberland-march-2017.107831/

Fancy yourself as a bit of a Ramblin' Man or Woman? Maybe brush up on your cartography

Maverick app

If you want a great free Android App that includes OS maps, give Maverick a try. There's a paid version too.

BBC said it'll pull radio streams from TuneIn to slurp more of your data but nobody noticed till Amazon put its foot in it

Re: So stop listening...

"When the BBC see their listening numbers are dramatically falling (online) they will realise the error of their ways".

If only. Their recent schedule and presenter changes on R2 and 6Music have led to widespread criticism and lost listeners, but they don't care.

Class-action sueball over refurbed iThings will ask Apple what 'as good as new' means

TIME Computers

TIME computers used to do this regularly at their service centre back in the late 90s.

Android PDF app with just 100m downloads caught sneaking malware into mobes

Re: Infuriating

"So Play protect is basically worthless then?"

Often turned off so people can use third party TV and movie steaming apps which aren't in the Play Store.

Back to school with El Reg - how about a chunky Lenovo for the student in your life?

I had to double check the date on this article and see if it was a review of the first eeePC notebooks with talk of Celerons, soldered in RAM, and tiny storage.

And I see Lenovo are still dabbling with horrible, easy to wear out charging sockets.

US soldier cleared of taking armoured vehicle out for joyride – because he's insane, court says

Re: So...

Or for the modern generation who might not have read Heller, this was a Simpsons episode. Bart has ADHD, gets medication for it, steals a tank.

Breaker, breaker. Apple's iOS 12.4 update breaks jailbreak break, un-breaks the break. 10-4

Re: Just Have To Say

"Don't do what Donny Don't Does"

You TalkTalk a big game, says ads watchdog, but your testing not good enough to say your Wi-Fi's best

Pre-approve ads?

As all Ofcom seems to do is investigate misleading adverts from ISPs which usually involves a lengthy investigation with a "sorry we won't do it again" - Why doesn't it save time and check and approve or deny them BEFORE they're released?

Double-sided printing data ballsup leaves insurance giant Chubb with egg on its face

"Hey boss, we've done the mailshot you wanted. And we saved the company loads, we only needed half the envelopes you bought"

Portal to 'HELL' cracks open in street – oh sorry, it's just another pothole

This is an oldie but goodie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3mg4w9l3Kw

Great disturbance in the Force as Star Wars' 'big walking carpet' is laid to rest

I hope the next Star Wars related headline I read on Monday is "The Peter Mayhew Foundation receives over £1 million in donations from grateful Star Wars fans"