Posts by Adrian Crooks

Opera beta bear hugs plug-in-free video

Is HTML an open standard?

If HTML is an open standard then it really doesn't make sense for them to be standardizing on a codec that is not. Like another poster stated, how about we let the browsers battle out which codec they support, but I would suggest lets twist that a bit and declare that the codec, (whichever codec they use) must be open and free. Therefore if someone creates some "ACME" codec that is openly published, then use of it is acceptable by the standard.

Right now web site developers often settle first on what works across the largest audience and then look into working with the smaller crowds. Picking a single format could stifle competition.

In the case of OGG VS h264 due to hardware acceleration then I see that as a chance for some enterprising developer/company to provide an accelerated player that kicks dirt in the face of h264 players. Better yet, I see it as an opportunity for someone to update the format to be more acceleration friendly.

Whichever the case I would love to get rid of the heavy flash player that sucks tons of resources to play simple 480p video.

Facebook re-write takes PHP to an enterprise past

It's not the language, it's the compiler/processor

So their solution was not to re-architect their system and code, but instead switch to a different language compiler. This seems like a slick workaround to the problem of native code compilation since they only have to support a high level -> high level conversion instead of going all the way to binary.

The funny thing is that this unfortunately shows how much room there is available for the current PHP engines to improve.

Microsoft IIS vuln leaves users open to remote attack

It's ASP

1) It's not about whether the webserver needs to execute uploaded code, it's about how you can trick something into executing an uploaded file.

2) Uhm... the web server may be running a site built with ASP. Surprisingly there are quite a few sites out there that run .ASP.

Media monsters float co-op ebook 'storefront'

The tech is almost there

Lets not exaggerate and say this device will cost any more than the existing e-Readers or Netbooks. The tech is there to last longer than "two hours" as we can see with many Netbooks. I can't believe some of the arguments here exaggerating points and dismissing others.

Until we see a live demo, and not a comic book hand made up to wow us video, then everything is extreme speculation. IMO the only problem they will have with something like this is getting the right size to be a usable pad/tablet. I have certainly wished to have an iPod touch that's the size of a 10" Netbook screen instead of an actual Netbook. Make it close tot Netbook pricing and I certainly would be a customer.

P2P snafu blows lid on secret Congress probes

Just don't allow it

They should just not allow work to be stored on private computers instead of considering protecting people who accidentally share the information. Yes, I can see the sharing as being accidental since this does not seem to be some huge conspiracy worthy of distribution to the world. The idiot probably dragged and dropped it by accident or shared their MyDocuments folder...

Sucks about the investigation though. I hope if anyone is actually innocent that they don't get unduly dragged through the mud.

US military shows off hack-by-numbers battlefield gadget

If it was made by a Hacker...

The use itself is a bit suspect, but the device could probably better than we give it credit for. Odds are if someone "lost" it odds are it could be made to phone home and pinpoint the idiot that swiped it.

Disgruntled admin gets 63 months for massive data deletion

Did they say how the old admin broke in?

A lot of posters seem to assume that it was a rogue account, which it may or may not have been, and a few even think it was just the regular old admin account. Hopefully none of these posters are administrators or security consultants.

US appeals judge shares porn stash with world +dog

So Porn is illegal?

If it's not easy for the public to get a hold of then except for the bestiality charges I'm rather annoyed with the prudish behavior of the feds. Too bad, I can appreciate a judge that doesn't live in an ivory tower.

Apple store detains teens for installing iPhone game

@Nexox Enigma

I didn't see the part in the article that said they just installed the game by browsing an clicking install. If I saw unauthorized applications on the phone they I would wipe it out and start fresh, you never know what nasties could lie in wait for other customers to discover.

Frameworks and the danger of a grand design

Gone too far in the other direction?

Sure you don't want to make something excessive, but at the same if you make it too stupid then in some ways you will become like your code.

I believe in simple elegant code. Looking at KISS (keep it simple stupid) refers to the developer regarding the stupid part.

Probably the most important part of development is requirements gathering, the rest can be done by a monkey that follows orders. Slick designs are a luxury afforded to those who have to look towards the future.

PS3 firmware adds HD audio

@Jan Buys

The PS3 is built to have a purpose more than that of just a games console. Not everyone wants to boot a computer to play a game, or have to fiddle with requirements and hardware drivers. I could reverse the argument and say that computers are only for work and serious usage, or that people should get a console instead of a PC if they want to play games. As a media/entertainment box the PS3 is shaping up to be quite nice piece of hardware.

Only one man can save Motorola

@pctechxp

The fact is though that you got those phones while the man was in charge, thus maybe he was doing something right. The phone concepts were appealing even if their implementation needed work.

Mr. and Mrs. Boring sue Google over Street View pics

Hmmm.. tough one

Normally if someone can walk down the road and see your property plainly without any vision augmentation gear I would say "tough" deal with it. In this case if you check out the pictures it seems almost like they drove up on to the property to take pictures. Perhaps there is some argument to the "private road" issue, so I won't dub the Borings as money grubbing scum quite yet.

Also if they do win, I'm not so sure that 25K is really reasonable... though considering the cost of a good (*cough*) lawyer, that amount may be just enough to break even.

US teen cuffed for disposable camera 'Taser'

Just because it doesn't kill doesn't make it OK

The article does not tell the whole story. Was the student threatening to stun people? When the teacher tried to confiscate it was the discharge purposeful? If the answer is yes to either then the kid should be roughed up good and proper.

If you disagree then I say fine, as long as you agree that it is also fine when I kick you in the crotch. Inflicting pain on someone not appreciative or deserving of such treatment is not acceptable. The arguments I see here are as dumb as the ones for water boarding.

Land Warrior 15lb soldier-smartphone kit lives on

Focus on what works

So they have found the mapping and navigation management bits work well, in which case those are the parts they should probably focus on first. If they focus on just a few things they can improve them far, far more than if they spread themselves thin.

First 'Facebook harassment' defendant cleared

Could be reasonable

On both sides it could be considered reasonable. The article lists that he had previously been warned - "The prosecution said Hurst had previously been cautioned in November 2007 for continually contacting Sladden." Therefore if the guy shows up in any way as watching or trying to contact Sladden, then it needs to be brought up not just filed away as "oh, I'll just block the request". The guys response that she is friends of his friends/acquaintances may also be reasonable as it's difficult to draw a line in the sand when there are other mutual people/places involved.

Hacker holds onto ill-gotten gains thanks to US courts

@lglethal

We have those laws too in the US, but I believe the article indicates he is a Ukraine resident which makes it difficult for anything the US determines to have much of an effect. If the US is truly interested in getting him then it can be done, but the department of justice or whoever is handling this case may have other fish to fry.

AT&T to crush copyrighted network packets

It's not what you do, it's how you do it

Or so I've been told. The large corporations whip themselves into a frenzy with brute force methods when they should really be considering social engineering more. In the end the law abiding people suffer.

BitTorrenters seek sanctuary in Pirate Bay

Legality, and morality

@Gordon

Good job on saying what I was thinking.

A lot of people get their undies in a bind because they try and equate legality with morality. While legal rules try to originate with moral rules so that people can get along with one another, often this only occurs as a matter of convenience. What is legal is about what is manageable, not what is right or wrong. Now ask yourselves if by theft you were thinking legal or right and wrong? If one side argues right or wrong, and the other argues legality, then they get no where because they are not arguing about the same thing.

One last parting thought - Do you do things because of the rules or because of your sense of right and wrong?

Rendition lawsuit targets aerospace giant Boeing

I need more cofee

Most of that was a bit tough for me to follow, but from what I've read about the state secrets issue it is a bit of a mess. Just because the state abused the privilege of declaring something a state secret doesn't mean that the logic behind the ability to declare hands off on a state secret is wrong. At the same time we can't ignore that the courts based their decisions on the abuse of such ability. It is just mind boggling to just let things go with that.

IMO the courts are being way too lenient on the other branches. I wish they would take the credibility of the source of the declaration of such supposed secrets into consideration.

New Jersey scraps death penalty

@ other side of the coin

@ Andrew Norton

That's an interesting point of view. One that should always be considered, but I tend to minimalize (sp?) fear based decisions that benefit those causing the problem. By lessening a punishment for fear of what the criminal may do is to allow the criminal to take control. I firmly believe that the crime belongs to the criminal, such that enforcers should never uphold an agreement to benefit the perpetrator of the crime. But if an enforcing body allows for the benefits of a criminal directly due to the crime they have or may commit, then they accept the encouragement of the criminal/crime.

Hyperic charges after disgruntled Ubuntu upgraders

The problem with Ubuntu & linux at large

Users shouldn't have to know how to run the xorg reconfiguration, or much about th e computer in order to get mainstream features working (desktop, network, removable disks). Users did have one option that they really should employ more often, and that is the Ubuntu Live CD. I've used the Live CD to check it out first to make sure that nothing radically changed, and that at the very worst I'll have to do with Microshaft and do a re-install.

Thai police nab manhunt suspect

Just because experts did it doesn't mean they were the only ones that could

@Dan

Just because they used an "expert" doesn't mean they required one. It's twisting logic to say that because they didn't need an expert, that the people who did it were therefore not experts. Additionally an expert at un-swirling is just that and doesn't need to be some other type of expert in order to receive the title so long as the context is declared.

It's good to hear not all criminals who try to use technology to cover up their crime get away with it. It's also good to hear law enforcement have some basic tech skills themselves.

Google updates desktop for Linux

Interoperability

I like being able to work on documents at home and then transport them to work. Do I want to convert to and from MS Word format every time? No, so I just pick one format and carry on as usual. If you don't like a feature then don't use it, chill out people.

Hackers unlock iPhone - again

Depends on the support agreement

If you don't want your phone disabled after you hack it, then can you reject updates? If you reject the update then are you breaking your contract with AT&T? I can see the argument for saying you own the hardware, but unless the support agreement says they have to support hacks I don't see their updates as a problem.

The problem I see is that they lock down your phones to AT&T. Once AT&T has their contract and you have paid them their money, I don't see why you should not be allowed to use YOUR device on another provider. It's plainly anti-competitive.

Student suspended in gun rights email row

Right to bear arms...

Part of the reason people in the USA can have weapons is to keep the Govt' in check and defend against external threats. They help when faced with individual violent incidents, providing for your family or defending livestock, but if those reasons went away you would still have to take in consideration defense against those with too much power.

If the school is a private school with no Govt' assistance then I cannot argue with them kicking out a student for whatever reason they suspect will stick. I just hope their reputation for being a stupid intolerant school, as intolerant and stupid as the student they punished for speaking their mind sticks to them for the rest of their existence.

Ohio docks official one week's holiday for data breach

We don't know all the details

Don't slam the guy who gets docked a week because of this. We don't know if he is just the token offered up as a pitifully small sacrifice. If the state didn't allocate enough resources you can't blame someone who just is not up to the task... That's like blaming one wimpy firefighter for not being able to put out a forest fire by them self.

I don't know if ONLY one person is to blame, but the state has one thing right - They did not allocate the right resources for the job.

Sony talks up 'world's first' OLED TV

It should be at least 720p on a 30"

I can see the difference between 1080p and 720p on my 20" CRT monitor, and I can see the difference between 1280x720 (720p) and 1280x1024 (most LCD) on a 19" so for me the number of pixels is important. I also like colors and hate how over boosted primary colors are on my LCD along with the ever gray blacks. As such I like the OLED angle, but really wish for higher resolution before it's usable in a large TV.

For now though I like what they have done and hope they keep on pushing to build something usable in mainstream entertainment. The way it is right now I don't see anyone paying that much for an 11" screen.

Sony delays launch of PS3 virtual community

Sony needs to keep it real

The problem with Sony is not that they are delaying features, it's that they tend to put their head in the clouds about what their system can do, and how well it is doing it. If they had kept in better touch with the customers and their engineers they would have never given us a wrong release date, or at least it would be less frequent that they push back a date.

Sony has good hardware, but bad support. For those that say the PS3 is not unique, I say they know nothing about the current machine. The current machine is very different in comparison to the previous Playstation. As such they have an extremely long teething time which is compounded by development teams being aggravated by having to spend more time on something to get it to market later than the XBox 360 competition. Sony pushed forward with innovation (*applause*) but then forgot they are running a business with BOTH clients (game studios) and customers (*boo*).

TV makers go ape for 100Hz LCDs

Do the theaters show films at full 24fps?

If the theaters show films at 24fps, at this so called perfect rate for your eyes and brain then it's too slow for me. When there are large simple objects moving fast on the screen I can see the pop between position changes on almost all display devices (except the laggy ones but we all know the down side of those). The 100hz is probably just BS marketing for higher refresh rates.

Google Adwords dive-bombed by American Airlines

Is Google suggesting the Adword?

If Google is suggesting the Adword, then there is something suspicious. If there are just a list of Adwords that you scroll through and pick then no-problem. If Google understands the Adword is contextually linked to AA then they have a problem.

Feign ignorance all you want, I know you are not faking ;)

While it may be a bit much to say AA is oh so well know, it is well known enough to pull an adword fakeout on. Google seems to be behaving badly by recommending someone piggy back off the fame of others, when they may be pulling the equivalent of a bait and switch with a competitors product. I know a company that had issues with Google and advertisements placed by competitors pretending to be said company. It happens, and Google seems unwilling at times to pull the advertisements.

Northrop enters US Army monster raygun lorry race

Mirrors help a little

It's all about the heat. If you stick a mirrored surface in front of a laser it will still get hot, which is the reason for using a laser. Sure some of it will be mitigated, but this will also now make them more vulnerable & traceable to other currently in use weaponry.

AT&T's race car logo lawsuit crashes and burns

I give a damn

I don't watch NASCAR but it seems a bit disturbing that anyone can make a deal to exclude competitors, not through filling supply lines as a market preferred source, but just by saying that they can't make any other deals with the competition.

It makes me wonder why they are choosing the grandfather angle though. Maybe it's easier to get a quick decision on that one.

Google's permanent video sales less-than-permanent

Nobody has done download video correctly yet

This is not unexpected. Amazon tried to do something similar (maybe it's still running) and it sucked so bad they resorted to massive legal disclaimers and the like to ensure the customer could be treated at like trash at will.

Genetic researchers fill 1TB a week

It's more than just picking up a bunch of cheapo drives

For research that is supposedly valuable I wouldn't dare put them on cheap generic drives. 1TB drives are a recent item so I would be careful if I were to go out to the local fry's/best buy/compusa. Regardless the biggest issue I would have would be the physical space, power, and maintenance requirements.

If the data has to be accessed on the fly so that .zip files are out of the question they could still evaluate compressed partitions.

Cloak and dagger Chinese firm tells Google to change its name

Suspicious

Why would large amounts of people be trying to telephone Google? Maybe Google should also put a contact us link on their website and then explain they don't want to be contacted by phone? Changing their name is ridiculous so I can only see this as suspicious.

University boffins squeeze 500GB onto a DVD

Sure it can be used as backup media

If the disks show up in regular stores for decent prices then I don't see why they could not be used as backup. You could backup your entire machine every week/month as a matter of convenience. A 500GB disk would save you the time of having to configure the selected directories, and you could save a snapshot of the executables required to open the files... In other words you image the whole machine and if something goes wrong you don't have to reinstall all the apps.

If the disk is not too reliable then as long as it is cheap enough you can just make a lot of backups. One backup every month should cover your butt, so as long as the disks don't die every week I don't see a problem in using it as a running backup, not a historical one (10 year archiving?).

Fidelity employee steals 2.3 million consumer records

Nothing impressive, at least they apologized

This was an inside job so I don't blame them for negligence. Any company can run as many background checks and employee evaluations as they want, but a bad seed with the right access is untouchable unless/until someone else finds out.

Netgear promises 3G femtocells by end of year

Somewhat useful

Perhaps not a WiFi killer, but if it does use less power and enables a quicker integration of voip into the cell phones then I would be happy to have it. This would make the phones simpler and quite frankly they don't need high speed WiFi considering the level of quality A/V they are able to handle. Perhaps streaming music and calls automatically to your stereo, or letting you copy some thumbnails from your PC could be useful.

Quick-charging electric cars could be round the corner

High power outlets at gas stations is not a problem

Currently you can set your self and station on fire just by getting out of your car. All you have to do is build up enough static on yourself or the skin of the car (drive through a dry dusty area at speed) and then you can create your own arc. Every year people start pumping gas and go back inside their car, pickup up some static and then when they go near the pump again they set it on fire.

A high power outlet could easily be configured to connect under an enclosed shroud and do a programmed low power pre-check to verify all the connections are safe. Lets not knee jerk about minor issues (if any) here, it's not like someone will be able to pull the trigger on it and shoot lightning bolts at fellow motorists.

Fossil, Sony restyle Bluetooth watch line for the mainstream

Could be of minor use

Controlling your music player without pulling it out of your pocket could be a good idea, but it is of little value. How much more effort is it really to pick up your player and click the buttons on it? Still though this can be sold if it targets the right market.

Creationists open biblical history museum

I see trolls and idiots

I see a lot of crazy talk on both sides, but I see more undue poking from the supposedly scientific posters... though I don't see them professing anything other than a dislike of the creationist model and support of the evolution model, so maybe science has nothing to do with it.

1) Before you talk about your religious beliefs please remember that trust in the bible/spaghetti monster/xyz is faith based. Proof is not necessary and trying to incorporate it will often bring about disaster (not always though).

2) Evolution is... well, a theory, or fact (whichever way you want it). In either case remember what all science is based on, not fact (in the sense of absolute truth), not observance which determines the case for the fact, but instead assumption. Yes that's right, it's all based on on the assumption that you understand the cause and effect. A real scientist accepts the continual possibility of being wrong, otherwise they are using faith to justify themselves (Doesn't make them wrong though).

You can put me in the idiot category, because I'm not trolling, but at least I know I'm an idiot.

Panasonic premieres 12.2 megapixel compact

What kind of stabilization?

The last time I looked at a Panasonic they had mechanical stabilization which was quite good. Does this one have that feature too? If so the low light shots may be better than expected, regardless I can't judge it until I see sample shots.