Posts by Tony Barry

MIT boffins crack fusion plasma snag

Disagree (respectfully of course) with Bload

Bussard's polywell may or may not work. It stands ahead of ITER because in principle, net power units need not require billions of dollars to develop. The science can be adequately proven (or disproven) with much smaller amounts of funding.

I think that research like this stands to benefit humanity considerably. I would award such efforts a

A PASS

(with respects to BLoad's much harsher scoring system).

Google flicks pennies down geothermal well

Like fusion?

Geothermal ... requires the right geology. In some places it will work. In many places it won't be economic to drill deep holes. In some places it won't be safe (will precipitate earth tremors).

Fusion ... well, ITER's costing an arm and a leg (USD9e9 ? something like that). Personally, I cannot see this as an economic solution without some serious engineering breakthroughs and enormous cost reductions.

Personally I'm hoping Robert Bussard's polywell works out. It might just save our bacon.

Steve, because he makes clever things that work.

Apple faithful snared in phishing scam targeting Mac.com users

Apple users

I'm an Apple Mac user since 1991, and I assert with some confidence that I am probably dumber than some El Reg readers. I use a Mac because it allows me to continue to be quite dumb about the mysterious inner workings of my computer while still doing quite useful stuff. So it is with great sadness I read these articles that Holy Steve (on whom be the Blessing of the OSX) has not provided the Mac Faithful with the protection that the Faithful require. I realise that at times the Form of the Browser does not lend itself to such Protection; that it is Sacrilegious to have a pure and minimalist interface overlaid with dialogs written in TechnoSpeak. However the Other Religion of the Mac Faithful (the Massage of the Hip Pocket Nerve) is at stake here. There are miscreants among us, whose sole aim in life is to spread confusion, despair, and dynamic linked libraries. Shall we allow them to Massage the Hip Pocket in reverse, and take from us what is rightfully due the Holy Steve (on whom be the Blessing of the OSX)? I say no! Bring on your Anti Phish Dialog! Bring on your Insecure Web Page Dialog! And whatever else will keep our money safe and warm until it is required by the Holy Steve (on whom be the Blessing etc etc).

Regards.

Exploit code for Kaminsky DNS bug goes wild

Optus patched.

And doxpara came back up too ...

Regards,

TB

OptusNet Cable DNS in Oz is pwned

As of 4pm Saturday, Optusnet Cable DNS in Australia has been pwned. Users who use the default DNS provided by Optusnet Cable and attempt to connect to Google's site are redirected to a malware delivery page.

The discussion can be found here, at Whirlpool.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1021320

Note the doxpara website, to check if the DNS has been patched, is currently unavailable.

Regards,

TB

Apple takes axe to MacBook Air SSD price

Australia Store Anomaly

Apple's Store has a Refurbished MBA (SSD) for sale at AUD3689 - Link is

http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=F0FS0X/A

The Store also has a new MBA (SSD) for sale at AUD3538 - Link is

http://store.apple.com/au/configure/Z0FS?mco=NzUyMzg2

Cheaper to buy new than refurb ... Hmmm.

Apple MacBook Air Early 2008

What about the lock?

Sorry Tony but your review didn't mention the deal-breaker for me ... the lack of a kensington lock slot on the MBA means it really is not suitable for my workspace.

I can handle the soldered-in battery. I can handle the ordinary graphics, the lack of ports ... but it's too easy to lift, and I cannot guarantee nobody will leave the door open and some miscreant dips in and lifts it. Too easy.

Kylie wraps herself round Dalek

Could Lewis Page comment on the knife-holding grip of Leela Please?

Seems to me that knife is just Not Held Right.

MIT boffins plan for asteroidal doom

Velocity of Apophis at impact

From NASA's page

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/a99942.html

Vterm for Apophis is about 12.5km/sec (7.7miles/sec).

Buckle up. The Developer Highway Code's at the start line

Some Microsoft titles are good titles

I haven't read this particular offering, but I think "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell (Microsoft Press) is an absolute Must Read. I am not an M$ fanboi either, despite this uncharacteristic comment to the contrary.

Fundy dunderheads make monkey of monkey man

Fundamentalism is a state of mind.

i have seen fundamentalists of many kinds. Elec.engineering fundies are my favourite, perhaps because I associate with many elec.eng. people. Some insist on Atmel AVR and detest Microchip PICs. Some insist on PCs and detest Macs. Some (the amplifier fundies) insist on MOSFETs and detest Marshall valve amps (S/N, THD, other arcane parameters). Then there are the audiophile fundies. They love expensive speakers and "oxygen free copper" cables and detest anything that doesn't have gold plated connectors.

Fundamentalism is not about religion. It's a state of mind. Seldom right, but never in doubt. Binary logic (right/wrong, black/white) instead of many possibilities with perhaps no absolute answers to most things. Dawkins is just as much a fundie as any religionist. The sad thing is that evolution has not yet bred such a formerly useful but now obstructionist trait out of the gene pool.

Regards,

Tony

Creationists open biblical history museum

Many comments, little tolerance

Depending on your temperament, it may be hard to suffer fools gladly ... but it may be necessary if we are to get beyond the evolution / creation ping-pong we read here.