* Posts by Soap Distant

92 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Apr 2010

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Drone crashes after operator failed to spot extra building site crane

Soap Distant

Re: Common cause?

Perhaps even more bizarre than a Reg unit, it's the diameter of a sphere made of 1/12 of a pound of lead.

SD

Lawyer defending arson suspect flees court with pants on fire

Soap Distant

Re: Bah!

Battery powered lions? Whatever next, solar powered giraffes? :o

NHS patient letters meant for GPs went undelivered for years

Soap Distant

Re: FTFY

Physical records are easy to be burned, flooded or otherwise tampered with, lost or god knows what; no audit trail either.

These paper records need to be forgotten about as a bad idea. They're not easy to share to start with. That's not to say that records shouldn't be tightly controlled.

Yes there are risks regarding information security, but I do know of Dr's practices that have burned down with loss of (illegible) records - isn't that a massive clinical risk? I think so.

SD

Hitler's wife's lovely lilac knickers fetch £2,900 at auction

Soap Distant

Re: Where's the tech connection?

"My solution is a dog whistle up the ..,"

I'm told I'm so tight-arsed, that only dogs can hear me fart anyway...

SD

NHS patients must be taught to share their data, says EU lobby group

Soap Distant

"Put Dido in charge. There, fixed."

Misread that and thought, "But there's already a dildo in charge..." Or did you make a typo?

SD

New booze guidelines: We'd rather you didn't enjoy yourselves

Soap Distant

Re: Ban it or shut up

Uh, eh? We had evidence-based policy on anything, ever? Was I napping?

SD

DVLA misses out on £400m in tax after scrapping paper discs

Soap Distant

Re: just get rid of it.

I get the whole payg idea behind chucking vehicle excise duty on fuel prices, it's even proportionate.

But the whilst the idea of sticking insurance costs on there too might appeal from the get rid of uninsured drivers point of view, somewhere, somehow we need to be checking that the vehicles on our roads have been checked at least once per year that they are roadworthy - even though it counts for only one day.

ANPR wouldn't seem to be the answer there either.Perhaps you'd need to show a valid MOT at the time of purchasing fuel also?

Just thinkin'

SD

Brits who live in 'smart cities' don't really know or care

Soap Distant

Just...

... give everyone night vision goggles and remove the lighting altogether. Cheaper option, just issue free torches...

Seriously, I'd just like to see the return of public conveniences in towns, much more useful than wanking around with the street lighting imo

SD

Pubs good for the soul: Official

Soap Distant

Arse! Drink! gurls!

As title.

SD

Discworld fans stake claim to element 117

Soap Distant

Should be called MrsCakium.

SD

YouTube’s 10 years of hits: Global recognition at last for Rick Astley

Soap Distant

Gangnam Style made me realise I wasn't sexy anymore.

:(

SD

Revenge porn 'king' Hunter Moore sent down for 2.5 years, fined $2k

Soap Distant

@ Breen Whitman

You are a troll. You will shortly be removed to your usual bridge of residence. Please remain there indefinitely.

Irish electricity company threatens to cut off graveyard

Soap Distant

Letter conventions...

It has been many years since Soap learned how to correctly write a letter, but as I recall it if you address the recipient "Dear Sir/Madam" then don't you sign off, "Yours faithfully"? Or is that not a thing anymore?

/pedant

/SD

Love your IoT gadget but could you keep the noise down?

Soap Distant

Xmas gift

"...has interfered with your chair’s settings, causing it to operate the last two hours in Anal Sex mode."

Where do you get these? I was just thinkin' of the boss...

SD

Identifying terrorists: Let's find a value for needle in haystack

Soap Distant

What do the general public know?

I was at the pub with a small group of friends, mostly of the older generation but savvy enough to do one or two things online, last weekend. I was asked about the TalkTalk hack and how could it happen, what it meant, etc.

Naturally I used patronising, non-jargon type language to explain (well, there's a mummy computer and a daddy computer...) The end result was that they were absolutely mortified to learn that there was no guarantee that their online activities were, well, private or safe.

To my point then, Joe Public seem to be very unaware of the risks to them from so-called hackers (crackers/scammers): they seem to understand the risks of letting HM's Govt. frolic with wild abandon through their personal data even less so.

I noted that this week's Panorama focused on hackers and identity theft, perhaps they'd like to educate the British public on the scope and ideas behind this new bill? I don't think the public are aware to any significant extent what this means to their personal data.

A close family member and I sometimes discuss privacy and the Intertwebz, he was in the "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" camp, until I pointed out that everyone has something to hide, even if they don't realise they wished they'd hidden it more carefully later...

Will we see a fall off in the usage of online services I wonder? I've noticed I'm more reluctant to do things online for sure.

SD

UN privacy head slams 'worse than scary' UK surveillance bill

Soap Distant

Re: Vincent Cerf was right.....

@Dan Paul

Did you grow up in an Amish community?

Here's the little-known legal loophole that permitted mass surveillance in the UK

Soap Distant

Re: What the what?

168 Three Ha'pence or 4032 Quarter Farthings...

SD

Cops use terror powers to lift BBC man's laptop after ISIS interview

Soap Distant
Meh

Good god...

I've never downvoted so many posts in my time here as a 'tard until reading this thread!

I agree with all who think journos and their sources should be protected. I'd also recommend those interested in the state of the Middle East watch this.

I found it utterly fascinating, wonder if he's still got his laptop?

SD

European Parliament votes to grant Snowden protection from US

Soap Distant

Re: Well, it's a start

"and I hope the MEPs who voted for this will follow through."

Depends on the quality of the catering at the event I guess.

SD

Dad who shot 'snooping vid drone' out of the sky is cleared of charges

Soap Distant

@Mark 85

Yes, it's generally limited to size 6 to 9 (2.79mm to 2.03mm diameter shot wikipedia, could be horseshit) it's very small in any case. I'm not sure on the primary uses of shotguns in the US, maybe more hunting which would use much larger shot, maybe 5mm diameter and a count of only 30 or so per cartridge.

@Successcase

The spread of the shot at that range is vast. At 40 yards with a full choke fitted only 70% of the shot will be in a 30" circle. With commonly used chokes it drops to 40%. At 67 yards with large shot there would be huge holes in the shot pattern, so it was a very lucky shot. With smaller shot I doubt it would break the drone.

The best clay shooters (google George Digweed) in the world can break clays at about 400ft range but clays are very fragile and those shots are no easy feat. If this guy hit the drone at a near vertical 200ft he should start competing (and most likely winning!)

Good outcome from the judge I think though.

SD

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

Soap Distant

Hmmm

Should've taken the blue pill...

Things you should know about the hard work of home working

Soap Distant

Traffic Time

I get to work from home depending on what kind of project I have and where any sites are geographically that I need to visit. It does up your hours some, but I'd rather work for two extra hours per day than sit burning petrol and going nowhere.

That said, I think it's critical for most professions to actually have regular contact/banter/whatever for all the reason stated above.

SD

Arizona lads recover epic stratovid – two years after launch

Soap Distant

Re: Curvature

It's hollow

SD

Right, opt out everybody! Hated Care.data paused again

Soap Distant

Re: It is imperative we listen to the public and address

"It is imperative we listen to the public and address..." means they're still wanking about with this despite the fact it's a disgraceful exercise in monetising patient data, but it's too valuable to leave alone it seems.

It's disgraceful because it's conflated with the rather more sensible idea of sharing patient medical data with medical professionals involved with a patient's care, something that improves clinical safety. All without selling it on.

@h4rmony - I can't speak for all clinical IT systems rolled out as part of CfH and broadly speaking, secondary care (Hospitals) IT is far more primitive than Primary (GPs for the uninitiated) but the systems I am familiar with have very robust audit trails. Nabbed that wrong 'un Shipman iirc.

Sadly, I've gotta agree with the headline.

SD

Apple hypegasm countdown. What will the new, big iPad ACTUALLY be called?

Soap Distant

Kirsty Young

Now I'm showing my vintage, but she was a damn fine reason to watch Channel 5 news. My recollection of current affairs in the '90s is a bit hazy though...

Oh was the poll about iStuff? Err...

SD

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

Soap Distant

Oii!

I can see the pub from 'ere!!

Wikipedia’s biggest scandal: Industrial-scale blackmail

Soap Distant

Re: wikipedia; governments; churches; large companies; military etc.

@ AC " Humans basically are another herd animal for the most part."

Worse still we're actually very tribal.

SD

Microsoft backports data slurp to Windows 7 and 8 via patches

Soap Distant

B'stards!

Oh they're such barstuds! Don't think I'll bother installing those updates...

Get whimsical and win a Western Digital Black 6TB hard drive

Soap Distant

Gah!

Gah PPI again...

Microsoft replaces Windows 10 patch update, isn't saying why

Soap Distant
Coat

@Trevor_pott

Chin up old boy, jump on one of these.

Ba da dadda ba da dadda....

SD

Care.data is a complete omnishambles, says study into hated scheme

Soap Distant

Re: Assumptions

That's quite the problem, massive inconsistency - the NHS has most stringent IG and data protection in place, depending on where you are, suddenly this crock of... flies in the face of all they've worked for.

I'd be happy to write on this, Ikabai SItal :)

SD

'WOMAN FOUND ON MARS' – now obvious men are from Venus

Soap Distant

Re: It can't be

@ hatti

It's where she ends up when she keeps disappearing in the Wuthering Heights video... Took her ages to get back tho ;)

Bloke cuffed for blowing low-flying camera drone to bits with shotgun

Soap Distant

Re: Hard to hit with a shotgun?

@TitterYeNot

"As far as endangerment of his neighbours goes, I've always got the impression that on a clay-pigeon shoot, no-one's too bothered about who's the other side of the hedge at the end of the field, as if you're firing almost straight up, standard shot will have lost pretty much all of its kinetic energy by the time it hits the ground."

Every clay shoot I've been to in the UK has a safety officer who ensures to the best of their ability that no gun will be discharged within 300yards of of a public highway or other land. The types of ammunition are restricted at clay shoots so that the range is limited. Shot size and charge are limited, admittedly some idiots may fail to observe these restrictions. If this guy used size 8 shot, it's like pinheads and would feel at worst like light rain if it landed on you.

What's astonishing is that it broke the drone at 83m (did someone say?) That's an Olympian shot with size 8 and a seriously fragile drone! I'd be mightily impressed if I could even chip a clay target at that range!

Anyway, what kind of bollock-headed rude twat flies a drone over someone else's property? Really? Not sure they got everything they deserved.

SD

THEY WANTED OUR WOMEN: Neanderthals lusted after modern humans

Soap Distant
Thumb Up

Thought it was obvious...

In the mid nineties, I spoke to a work colleague about this. It was reported by all the best paleoarcheobiscuit types that the neads hadn't interbred with the Sapiens types, I called horseshit back then.

Vindicated, all you shortlegged hairy types :D

SD

The wonderful madness of metrics: Different things to different folk

Soap Distant

Re: What was the Fucking Point of this Article?

Well, it was actually interesting to me, since I don't deal with this part of the IT sector but am sometimes questioned about it. Sure it was a bit generalist, but pretty informative to the uninitiated I think.

Uh, thanks for your post.

SD

This whopping 16-bit computer processor is being built by hand, transistor by transistor

Soap Distant

Utterly stunning! The website is amazing. Our so called tech friendly gov should be funding this!

SD

The Government Digital Service: The Happiest Place on Earth

Soap Distant

Re: Sounds like the NHS

NHS managers are like the Sith, always in pairs, there is a talented apprentice who actually does the work and another more senior but hopelessly incompetent master who is adept in the dark arts of workplace politics...

PS I'm not either one, it's just a pattern I've noticed.

SD

Streak life: Oz woman flashes boobs at Google Street View car

Soap Distant

Re: Naked he-boobies legal. Naked she-boobies not. Explain.

Blimey! They look like a dead heat in a zeppelin race! (Robert Rankin you star!)

SD

GRUNTY CHIMPS 'blend in among locals' after moving to Scotland

Soap Distant

Re: Resistance is futile!

Spot on Tikimon. Us humans have become far to used to suspending disbelief to realise that the rest of the animal kingdom just has common sense!

SD

SO. Which IS more important to humanity: Facebook, or Portugal?

Soap Distant

Some of you voted for Facebook??!

I can only assume you're on a laggy connection and you slipped. I hope. IMO, Facebook isn't worth the steam from one of my turds. is probably a net drain on the world's economic output with all the time folk waste on there...

SD

Boybanders ONE DIRECTION launch DoS attack on open-source bods

Soap Distant

Re: Babymetal

Arghh! I can't unhear that now and it's 'orribly catchy! ~scrabbles frantically for something else to listen to~

French Google fund to pay for 1 million print run of Charlie Hebdo next week

Soap Distant

I'd love to buy a copy, I'm not sure where I can in the UK, but I'll certainly be looking.

I worry a bit that this will provoke a backlash against innocent people. There is the Pegida movement in Germany and it's hard to forget Anders Breivik and his motives. This won't help.

This isn't a nice way for the world to be turning.

Je suis Charlie

Oh BOY! The MICKEY MOUSE Apple Watch is no heart-throb

Soap Distant
Go

Re: Tat?

I've often wondered if anyone will invent or develop SoIP (Smell over IP) and what uses it could be put to.

So maybe those fast food ordering pages could smell of pizza? You could make your FB page smell of BO when you've been for a run?

Maybe Anonymous could all simultaneously fart at an unpopular target in teh interwebs? DoS (denial of Smell) attacks...

That's probably enough. Especially given my handle...

SD

Forget the climate: Fatties are a much bigger problem - study

Soap Distant

Re: How about "Graph Grappling" as descriptor?

Maybe... attraction to alliteration? :)

SD

Police in U-turn as 'shop a gun-owner' hotline is scrapped

Soap Distant

@DavCrav

The truly and vastly overwhelming majority of those with a SGC and guns in their possession are acutely aware of their legal obligations regarding the handling and storage of guns. I can speak as one who is aware that I might well be considered partly responsible for the loss or theft of my guns if I fail to adhere to the laws regarding this. And face prosecution.

Those that I have shot with over the past 3 decades are self-policing regarding safety and security, I have yet to meet someone who would relax any of the golden rules governing the use of firearms or shotguns. For example, if anyone is seen to handle a gun incorrectly at a shoot, they will have instruction from strangers to put them straight, whether they wanted advice or not!

I think the original thrust of the article is that the shooting community were to be scrutinized further than they already are and that this was unfair, and that this scrutiny was considered unnecessary.

I'm inclined to agree.

As for discerning if someone is depressed or turning into a pisshead (intemperate), again, I firmly believe that the community would largely police itself. But in any case, would the police or any other body or group be better placed to tell if someone was going to blow a gasket and become dangerous? I wouldn't place a bet.

There's moral high ground to be had in the steering groups and committee rooms where firearms are concerned - doesn't mean any sense comes out of 'em.

SD

If only 0.006% care about BLOOD-SOAKED METAL ... why are we spending all this cash?

Soap Distant

Re: @AC You are on the money!

@Dan Paul

"Their is no "fair trade" it's just a subsidy."

You're spot on there, to my mind, fair trade would be about the cut of the deal that the growers/producers get being made fair. What seems to be happening is that you pay a premium for the end product and the grower/producer gets a little more for their work. All the middlemen benefit as normal.

SD

Who rules the ‘net, when will we see Oculus Rift and should tech tycoons really be homeless?

Soap Distant

It sounds...

A bit like Regina maybe has a cold? Hope she gets better, poor lil egg!

SD

Greeks best in the world – at, er, breaking their mobile phones

Soap Distant
Joke

Didn't know dolphins used plates even :O

Ok I'm gone

SD

NHS slow to react as Windows XP support nears the end

Soap Distant

Re: Ach, just pay MS more money

Unfortunately, some of the clinical systems suppliers have designed their software to only work with MS closed source implementations. That kinda ties the hands of IT services within the NHS with regard to open standards.

I suppose that raises the question of which clinical systems supplier to use, but that would open a whole new can of worms. There seems to be no unified policy within the NHS or gov to nudge such suppliers down the open standards route.

Just some fine words that butter no parsnips.

SD

Ploppr: The #VultureTRENDING App of the Now

Soap Distant

Brilliant!

"You swipe right, offering a delivery of fertiliser."

Would that be an R-Swipe then? :D

SD

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