Posts by Sir Runcible Spoon

Xbox 720 to double-up as a DVR

Sir

@Mark B

"Xbox Media Centre acts as a media centre extender for a PC"

Maybe I misunderstood your post, but it is equally adept at streaming media from a NAS array without the need for a PC. Just sayin'.

Sir

So, if I've already got Sky+ HD 3D or whatever, what's the point?

Vint Cerf: 'The internet is not a human right'

Sir

"Human rights are an illusion"

I suppose that the blood that was spilled fighting for those illusions are also an illusion?

Doctor Who girl Amy Pond axed in 'heartbreaking' exit

Sir

At the risk of ruining by up/down vote ratio, I have to agree.

Getting rid of Pond and that dork Rory should have been done after a couple of episodes.

Pond is only memorable through sheer persistence of hanging around like a klingon. When she finally goes I will most definitely not be sad.

CERN: 'New physics starts now'

Sir

I was given to understand that the Higgs part was a field effect imparting mass to matter.

Personally I'm looking forward to force fields and light sabres :)

Sir

Dark matter is just all the time that was created at the big bang that hasn't been assigned yet.

The moment a computer crash nearly caused my car crash

Sir

Thesis submissions are next door.

At least I know you don't twit!

Forecasting logon storms with desktop virtualisation

Sir

A word to the wise regarding improving login times - sort out the users local roaming profiles before migrating them to a VDI environment.

A place I've been working at has just migrated >5000 users into a virtual desktop environment and there are still applications loading in the background whilst the machine is trying to establish the virtual environment. You can make the VDI load as fast as you like, but if it's pre-dated by loading up loads of useless apps/drivers before becoming available it's all 'VDI' to the user and can create massive bottlenecks in support helpdesks.

Still, loads of opportunity to make yourself popular by streamlining your favourite users' desktop for them :)

I have you now! Top 10 Star Wars Xmas presents

Sir

I fucking hate pedants.

Oh, and wasn't r2d2 owned by annakin and not obi-wan?

Damn neutrinos, I've a good mind to set Higgs on to them.

Feds propose 50-state ban on mobile use while driving

Sir

"What about the seven missing states?"

they just called, they're on their way but have been held up by some kind of accident involving a truck driver and a couple of school buses.

Sir

Can't say I've ever noticed Jesus fish drivers being particularly poor.

However, I've been tempted to create a little fishing rod to stick to the back of their car to see what they would do when it was noticed :)

Sir

Are CB radios excluded?

Sir

"There is absolutely NOTHING that is so important that it won't wait until you park your car"

Whilst I am inclined to agree, there was the time my wife called me (on my hands-free) about 10 minutes into a 5 hour journey oop-norf to tell me* she had just concussed herself and had just about enough co-ordination to hit re-dial on the phone before passing out.

I then called the ambulance which got to our house about 2 minutes after I did.

Having said that, even with the hands-free I always make sure I'm not maneuvering** and slow down a bit to give me more reaction time before I answer.

*it was very garbled speech but worked out something was wrong.

**Roundabouts/junctions and such

God particle hunt breakthrough expected TODAY

Sir

"Did you have lunch-ladies at school then?"

A fair point. Not sure I can explain that one really, except that maybe they were also peasants :D

Sir

"Dinner time"

That would be lunch-time then, peasant :P

'Why the hell are we paying elite crypto crackers £25k?'

Sir

I swear if I could do it again I'd be a builder who could plaster, plumb and do electrics.

OnLive Game System cloud gaming console

Sir

Assuming this is some kind of Citrix-like virtual window onto the remote server, what's the overall bandwidth usage like (for those with capped connections).

If you play a lot, I bet you end up using quite a bit. My online radio connection manages to rack up a fair amount if I use it every day for a month.

Good idea though, kudos to those that got this into play.

Taxpayers to cough more for multi-billion pound failed NHS IT project

Sir

I don't mean the overall group, I mean the person. Set a fucking example that will make people in gov think twice before signing away all our money. Untouchable bastards.

Sir

Who actually signs these ball-busting contracts?

GET THEM!

God particle may be within our grasp

Sir

The trouble with this reality is that the only thing you can bank on in terms of true meaning is self belief, the logical extension of 'I am, therefore I think'.

The problem with this is that when people postulate increasingly insane theories to explain 'things', someone dingbat is likely to listen because they can't be arsed to do their own thinking.

Everything in the known universe seems to be able to be expressed as some form of energy. Perhaps people project onto this sense of energy (there are obviously types and expressions of energy with which we are not yet familiar) with their sense of powerlessness and loneliness to create some form of being that 'is' this energy.

We could all be arguing about the same thing, just perceived through the varying prisms of our own experience and delusions.

Well, that's my delusion anyway :)

Thieves plunder apartment for Facebook booty

Sir

Obviously not much of a deterrent, although it keeps the prison population down.

Just who are you and why does it matter?

Sir

When I wake up in the morning, I don't ask myself "Who am I?", I ask "What am I?"

Answers on a postcard to..

Quantum computing comes closer as diamonds get spooky

Sir

Perhaps we can get them tangled together so they can play with each others' (Qu)bits.

2011's Best... Cars

Sir

"Next year it will get the all-singing, all-dancing Sync voice command system."

screeeeeeeeeeeeech...

"Oh shit!"

"oh no. Wet wipes please"

Rainbow Islands

Sir

Be fair, Bubble Bobble was great, but so was Rainbow Islands.

I admit to loving this game.

2011's Best... DVRs and Media Streamers

Sir

Blimey, I thought the minimum bribe level was one turnip!

Inflation eh?

GCHQ code-breaking challenge cracked by Google search

Sir

"you'd be better off working for the bad guys"

That really says it all. Have you truly thought that one through?

Spooks are unfortunately necessary in this day and age, and they need to be kept on a short lead by those who are publicly responsible for their actions; but to suggest that working for Blofeld would be better is just asking for a swim with the laser bedecked sharks.

Apple Thunderbolt Display 27in monitor

Sir

<sexist joke>

Just because the women won't baulk at the price, it's still the bloke that pays for it.

</sexist joke>

<reality check>

A women wouldn't spend money on techie toys for the boys anyway, they're much too clever.

</reality check>

James Bond savages the Kardashians

Sir

Craig Charles FTW....what? oh..umm..

Seriously, fair play to the guy. I'd rather be rich than famous any day, but then I think I'm a f*cking Alien.

Ten... top Xbox Live game downloads

Sir

Nice one, I didn't realise it wasn't in this category. I'll definitely look up the other one though, thanks.

Sir

No Darkstar 1?

I know it's a bit old, but I've just discovered it and it deserves a mention - very Elite :)

BUSTED! Secret app on millions of phones logs key taps

Sir

I think he may have been asking why, not how it was possible.

After all, not even Phorm tried to intercept https traffic at source afaik - something to do with it being obvious that it isn't to be read - a bit like 'private & confidential' stamped on an envelope.

Rock star physicist Cox: Neutrinos won't help us cheat time

Sir

"Took me a minute or two :)"

before or after it was posted?

Boffins find new 2012 glyph on 'secret' Mayan brick

Sir

"Cosmos Regenerated" != "Earth Apocalypse"

because the Earth isn't the center of the known cosmos now is it?

The date probably has more meaning to ET's who's society encompasses vast areas of space-time.

Bloke claims ex swiped his sperm to make twins

Sir

That would depend on their level of internal muscle control surely? </joke>

Boffins one step closer to Terminator vision

Sir

@TheRealRoland

PMSL new keyboard please :D

No Xbox Live hack say insiders

Sir

This is exactly what I have done ever since M$ refused to remove my credit card details from the account. I had to wait until the card expired, then just never associated another one.

I purchase points online from reputable sellers to cover what I need to buy, they send me the code via email which I redeem through my xbox live account. Then I buy what I need, usually leaving around 2-300 points in the account.

UK nuclear: Walking into darkness with eyes screwed shut

Sir

Not to worry, fusion is just around the corner in 20 years, or was that 50? I can never remember.

Superhero oil-burping algae will save the world

Sir

"they saves the planet" precious?

Not so fast: Italian boffins say neutrinos not faster than light

Sir

Perhaps when they exceed the speed of light they collect energy.

Neutrinos still FASTER THAN LIGHT in second test

Sir

Blimey, last time I ask a question round here.

Everyone seems to be getting a bit shitty on these forums these days, no salt of pinch like proportions even.

I was once told that the only stupid question is the one that never got asked. They were obviously wrong.

Sir

Would this work..

Simultaneously send a neutrino beam and light beam as an initial marker, then exactly 60 seconds later, send them both again, then again and so on.

It wouldn't matter if the clocks weren't exactly in synch then, as long as they could measure accurately enough.

Does tech suffer blurred vision on 3D future?

Sir

It took me a while before deciding to take the 3d plunge, but I haven't regretted it.

Now, if they could only release some decent material (just waiting on the TT-3D release)

New human-brain chip can be adjusted for cannabis effect

Sir

What kind of computational power does it require to throw a 9 dart finish?

Sir

So, how long before the computers need analysts?

Think your CV is crap? Your interview skills are worse

Sir

I once got asked if I had a linkin/fb account from one interviewer for a security role once. I answered that I prefer to keep my personal life out of the public domain, and certainly don't want to give out personal career information to just anyone.

He was surprised at first, but then decided it was a good idea and was going to eliminate a lot of the info on his own pages.

Sir

I know exactly what you mean. I had to take a tech test to get my current contract and they were testing all sorts of background from networking to coding.

Some of my answers were tagged with a little note saying 'this is a complete guess btw'.

I got the contract, apparently I also scored the highest - must've been lucky guesses!

Sir

Excellent flame bait. They'll be along in a minute to put the fire out I'm sure.

Is there no room in the interview world that encompasses the fact the people can get nervous?

When I'm working, I can walk straight into a viper pit of board level directors who are baying for my company's blood and come out of it with a recommendation for further work; but put me in an interview and I get nervous, hot and sweaty - I simply can't seem to help it no matter how confident I am.

Maybe if the hiring staff weren't so perfect I wouldn't feel quite so intimidated perhaps?

Ten... remastered videogame classics

Sir

Two excellent titles

+1

Swearing doesn’t help pain if you do it too much

Sir

I often find that the expletive *sugar* works fairly well.