* Posts by PassiveSmoking

697 publicly visible posts • joined 29 Aug 2010

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US plans to apply export controls to 0-days put out for comment

PassiveSmoking

What, do they think that if you can't report on a vulnerability that it will magically cease to exist and that all will be well? That nobody will try to exploit it? That nobody outside the US is capable of finding 0-day vulns?

What new idiocy is this? I haven't got a facepalm big enough to express it.

Get off the phone!! Seven out of ten US drivers put theirs and your lives at risk

PassiveSmoking

Re: Darwin's Law is still in effect.

Except these idiots can take innocent bystanders whose only crime was being in the wrong place in the wrong time with them.

You want to die in a moronic way? Fine, do it by trying to test if your gun's barrel is blocked by putting it to your head and repeatedly pulling the trigger. Don't do it in a way that can take out an innocent third party.

Get another loan, fanbois, the new MacBook Pro and iMac are here

PassiveSmoking

... but you can't keep the rest of them from bitching about products they're not going to buy anyway.

Jeb Bush: Repeal Obamacare and replace it with APPLE WATCHES

PassiveSmoking

Bush?

Oh God, not another one.

That DRM support in Firefox you never asked for? It's here

PassiveSmoking

DRM in open source couldn't work?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the Adobe DRM module is essentially a black box that takes encrypted data in one end and spits out an unencrypted video stream from the other, and the reason it's a black box is so that it can't be reverse-engineered, right?

Okay, what about the bit of the system that takes the unencrypted stream and displays it? Isn't that part of the system open source? What's to prevent an enterprising coder writing a module that intercepts the video stream after decryption and spooling it to disc instead of displaying it?

Have I missed something here? Because to me it seems that aside from all the other arguments against DRM that it would simply be useless in this context.

ISS 'naut: How we collect our POO and DROP it FLAMING on hapless Earthlings

PassiveSmoking

Dear astronauts,

Please aim your next dump of dumps at the houses of Cameron, Miliband, Clegg and especially Farage.

Rand Paul is trying to murder net neutrality. Is there a US presidential election, or something?

PassiveSmoking

That's assuming people who work in tech have a view as simple-minded as "regulation bad, deregulation good". Most of us know there's more to it than that. There are times where regulation is a bureaucratic road-block, and there are times where it is necessary to keep corporations from riding roughshod over consumer rights. For example the EU regulations on E-Commerce are making it harder to do business in Europe, but consumer protection regulations give consumers a vital legal recourse if a company, for example, refuses to refund or replace a product that was clearly faulty at the time of purchase.

Thatcher and Regan deregulated the banks in the eighties. 20 years later, the entire financial system nearly collapsed under the weight of trading that would have been illegal under the regulations they did away with and we're still feeling the fallout of that today. Given that ISPs can get away with selling crap service by including the immortal "up to" weasel words, I think a bit of regulation in this area might be prudent.

Dot-com intimidation forces Indiana to undo hated anti-gay law

PassiveSmoking

Re: It's called freedom, folks

"Gays require different pizza from other people"

That so should be on a tee shirt!

Bloke faces 25 years in the cooler for upsetting Thai king on Facebook

PassiveSmoking
Thumb Down

The king of Thailand is an utter nob-end and has sex with farm animals.

Come at me, bro!

This one weird trick deletes any YouTube flick in just a few clicks

PassiveSmoking

You can still delete any video you want

Just make a DMCA claim against it.

Day FOUR of the GitHub web assault: Activists point fingers at 'China's global censorship'

PassiveSmoking

How about redirecting all internet traffic that originates in China to lemonparty.org for a while?

Europe could be drowned in 'worthless pop culture' thanks to EU copyright plans

PassiveSmoking

The Steamboat Willy Epoch

That's never going to happen.

In fact, expect the opposite. Copyright will be extended and extended to make sure all works from Steamboat Willy onwards remain in copyright forever. It's happened before after all, multiple times.

Dino-boffins discover ancient, TOOTHY-CLAWED, four-eyed MONSTER LOBSTER

PassiveSmoking
Coat

It wasn't a rock

It was a rock lobster!

.... sorry.

Short circuit at Large Hadron Collider slows return to matter-mauling

PassiveSmoking

It's always the same whenever you get some building work done, the workmen leave junk everywhere. I hope they've checked the ATLAS for builder detritus too, otherwise there may be an embarrassing announcement soon that CERN have discovered that the Higgs Boson is composed of stale ham sandwiches and page three pinups.

Jailed Brit con phishes prison, gets bail

PassiveSmoking

Beaten by the best?

Is it just me or is the heaping of back-handed compliments on the perpetrator feel like an attempt to deflect blame away from people who should have been smart enough to notice they were being scammed?

"That Homer feller grifted you good"

"Well son, there's no shame in being beaten by the best."

"But he didn't seem so smar - "

"We were beaten by the best, son."

Osbo: Choose a IoT fridge. Choose spirit-crushing driverless cars

PassiveSmoking

I prefer spirit-crushing driverless cars to pelvis-crushing cars driven by nobs with mobiles.

Can't pay $349 for an Apple Watch? Get a Chinese knockoff for less than $50

PassiveSmoking

Boom

Those things are cheap for a reason. Their batteries probably don't have any protection circuitry, or if they do they have probably implemented it so poorly that it doesn't work. I certainly wouldn't want to pay £50 for the "privilege" of strapping a lump of lithium with probably no safety equipment (because that shit's expensive) to my wrist. It would be like the explosive neck collars in The Running Man, only you'll survive to feel the agony of your hand going up in flames.

Try watching the EEVBlog on fake Chinese chargers if you want evidence of how seriously these knockoff makers take electrical safety concerns.

The SHOCKING storage truth: Everyone's buying spinning rust

PassiveSmoking

Reports of my death

I've been seeing articles predicting the death of tape for probably over 20 years now.

I fully expect in 20 years time I'll be seeing articles predicting the death of hard drives.

As long as there's a niche for these technologies to exploit they will never die. They both have the advantage of being bit for bit cheaper than their successors, and in the case of tape of being very stable in storage for very long periods.

Long live spinning rust!

Nokia boss smashes net neutrality activists

PassiveSmoking

Subject: Fire. "Dear Sir stroke Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire which has broken out at the premises of..." No, that's too formal. [deletes] "Dear Sir stroke Madam. Fire, exclamation mark. Fire, exclamation mark. Help me, exclamation mark. 123 Carrendon Road. Looking forward to hearing from you. All the best, Maurice Moss."

You're outta here! Baseball star strikes out sleazy trolls who targeted teen daughter

PassiveSmoking

Re: Dare.

In other words if you're in the least bit a notable public figure (and maybe not even then) and you want what's best for your friends and family, you must under no account acknowledge that your friends and family exist on a forum such as Twitter or Facebook?

That sounds reasonable.

Apple Pay a haven for 'rampant' credit card fraud, say experts

PassiveSmoking

Re: ApplePay is very secure

It can also easily be cloned. All that data in the magnetic strip and onboard chip is very poorly protected and duplicating it all onto a blank card is child's play once you've got a copy of the data. The only bit that's not easily copied is the signature, and any competent fraudster should know how to forge a signature too. Not that anyone ever looks at the signature on the card any more, even when it's not a CNP transaction.

Murky online paedo retreat: The Nether explores the fantasy-reality divide

PassiveSmoking

First, kiddy porn is a crime because it's got actual victims. The children in those photos are being abused on camera for the gratification of sick fucks.

Second, Glitter was quite clearly abusing kids before he was downloading kiddy porn. He was not "using" photos because he wanted to work out his issues without hurting real children (which he was doing anyway because of point 1), he was using them because he was a sick fuck and they were probably serving as a substitute for not having access to real kids.

Thirdly, arresting people on the basis of what they think or imagine is thought police. If you think depraved things about kids but never actually carry them out should you be arrested for that?

PassiveSmoking

Nobody's arguing that having photos of child abuse is a crime and you should do time for it.

But what about that guy who went to prison for having a pornographic cartoon of Lisa Simpson?

In the former a real child was made to suffer for somebody's sick gratification. Who was made to suffer in the latter case? Last time I checked, Lisa Simpson doesn't actually exist.

PassiveSmoking

Actually...

If you ask your wife to sit on your face while you photograph it and she agrees to it then you've both committed a crime that can land you on the sex-offenders' register. Sorry to have to break it to you, but there are some acts between connecting adults that have been criminalised.

Telly behemoths: Does size matter?

PassiveSmoking

Eyesight and subtitles

As someone with a visual disability, I have to say the arrival of the plasma TV was a godsend. They were so expensive back then that I had to resort to renting one, but the 42 inch plasma I rented from Martin Dawes was the first TV I could comfortable watch from about 5 feet away which was as close as I could get my sofa. It was also in the 42 inch plus range that I was first able to read subtitles without having to get up and basically sit right in front of the screen.... until high-def made teeny tiny subtitles fashionable. Now I can't read them any more on my 50 inch plasma.

So now I'm looking to buy an even bigger telly on a budget, and because 4K is a thing now, buying a 1080p set would be a bit silly because it's probably going to be obsolete in a not very long time frame.

Bite me, high def.

Britain needs more tech immigrants, quango tells UK.gov

PassiveSmoking

Re: @ PassiveSmoking

Bunk off?

Get the fuck out!

I WORKED for a degree, I invested a lot of money and a huge chunk of my life into getting the little white piece of paper that says I'm qualified to do my job. Then I WORKED for an entry level job where I didn't earn much but gained experience necessary to get a better one. Now I WORK for the salary I EARN now.

You really think a software engineer should be on the same pay scale as a burger flipper? Are you trolling? Or are you a Comrade? Or are you really just that stupid? Maybe instead of venting your tall poppy syndrome attitude you should invest some of your life in some actual self-improvement.

PassiveSmoking

Re: @ PassiveSmoking

Oh, and FYI I never said I was better than a burger flipper. I said that the skills I've worked to acquire and the work I do with those skills are more demanding than the skills a burger flipper needs. Nice job reading into what I said. Projecting a little, perhaps?

If someone does a job that requires a specialised skill set or that makes more demands of an individual than flipping burgers then they should be compensated in recognition of those skills and demands. A soldier at the entry level, for example, probably isn't going to be highly educated (which you will probably misconstrue as me saying all squaddies are morons based on your track record), but they put their lives in mortal danger for the sake of people they've never met and probably never will. Therefore their job is more demanding and they deserve higher pay. A surgeon has invested years of hard work and money into learning how to cut somebody open without harming them with the intent of helping them survive things that would otherwise kill them. Therefore his job is more skilful and he should be paid a salary that reflects that.

PassiveSmoking

I didn't invest half my life in getting an education just to work for the minimum wage. If I wanted to do that I'd have quit school at the earliest opportunity and got a McJob.

Ads watchdog: Er, what does woman in her undies have to do with ‘slim’ phone?

PassiveSmoking

What do women in their undies have to do with smartphones?

Selfies, duh.

Anonymous: Snap on that Guy Fawkes mask, we're marching against child sex abuse

PassiveSmoking

Re: 'Operation Death Eaters'

I think a better name would be "Operation Paedo Finder General".

Did you not yourself admit to being a "Fiddler on the roof?" A KIDDY-FIDDLER!

By the power vested in me by hysterical tabloid newspaper readers, I decree you GUILTY OF PAEDOPHILIA!

Excitement in boffinry circles as GIGANTIC ALIEN RING BLOTS OUT SUN

PassiveSmoking
Mushroom

Installation 04?

Just so long as it actually is a ring system and not a Halo.

Increased gov spy powers are NOT the way to stay safe against terrorism

PassiveSmoking

Even the Daily Mail commentards are worried and appalled at the idea. That's got to tell you something when even the Hang 'Em High crowd aren't particularly thrilled with the idea.

This could be a case for Mulder and Scully: Fox 'in talks' to bring back The X-Files

PassiveSmoking

Oh Christ

I know I'm flying in the face of popular opinion here, but X-files was crap. The only reason anyone watched it was the vain hope of getting to see Gillian Anderson's boobies.

What's more it bred a generation of keyboard Mulders who think that they've discovered mind-blowing proof of government conspiracies when in fact all they've discovered are the paranoid rantings of some nut job who thought Bush blew up the twin towers, that the moon landings were faked, that vaccines are full of mind-control drugs, that commies are putting fluoride in the water to sap our precious bodily fluids, etc etc ad nausium

Careful - your helmet might get squashed by a Volvo

PassiveSmoking

Re: What a stupid fucking idea....

You're confusing cycling lanes with ASLs. ASL = Advanced Stop LINE. The space ahead of the car stop line that's meant for cyclists to stop. If you pull into the ASL box you've technically jumped the lights.

As for cycle lanes, a) cyclists are not legally required to use them. b) they're usually full of rubbish that's hazardous to cyclists (broken glass, old coke cans, bits shed off cars like hubcaps and wings mirrors, etc. c) They're usually poorly maintained and full of potholes which are also hazardous to cyclists. d) They're full of drainage channels and drain grills, again not good for cyclists. e) They put you in a very dangerous place at T-junctions. f) Car drivers treat them like parking spaces so you keep having to duck out of them to avoid parked cars, causing you to jump in and out of the main traffic flow. It's safer to just stay in the main traffic flow. g) They're usually designed by total morons. They're usually far too narrow, often contain obstacles like lamp posts in them, they tend to run right in front of bus stops or even through them, etc. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-month/book.htm

But if you're such a great driver and are fully familiar with the rules of the road because you've studied the highway code extensively as required for being a competent driver, then you'd know that already.

EU VAT law could kill thousands of online businesses

PassiveSmoking

Re: Amazon Seller Account

Downvote for using the term "SJW". Anybody who uses that acronym is spouting nonsense.

PassiveSmoking

Re: This is entirely UNreasonable

In principle I agree.

In practice, tax men can be anal and merciless. It might not be in your best interest to ignore it.

Cool Large Hadron Collider to fire into doubly powerful ring

PassiveSmoking

Re: 95% of the Universe is made up of math particles and hyper-dense equations

At least you're not using the comment section to plug your own ridiculous website for a change.

Also you might want to consult your doctor, they may have some meds that might do you some good.

Sacre block! French publishers to sue Adblock maker – report

PassiveSmoking

Re: Money speaks, as usual

Also, I don't just use an ad blocker because I find ads annoying (which I surely do), I also use one because I know that ads aren't typically served by the site that's displaying them and are, at best a privacy intrusion and at worst a potential security risk if the ad server is compromised.

If my ad blocker doesn't block ads because its makers saw fit to accept money to allow ads through then it's time to start looking for a new ad blocker.

Solar sandwich cooks at 40 per cent efficiency

PassiveSmoking

Re: Photovoltaics is a one time, one way molecular erosion PARLOR TRICK !

Then why are there satellites with solar panels that have been up there for decades? The solar panels on the ISS still function and some of them have been up there since 1998. Furthermore they're riddled with holes from strikes with micrometeors and other space junk. If they still work in space after nearly 20 years while shot full of holes I think you might be underestimating them.

Pub time for NASA bods? Orion spacecraft test launch called off

PassiveSmoking

Re: Why is wind a problem

An A380 Airbus is 500 tons empty. Try watching one of those landing in a strong cross wind!

PassiveSmoking
FAIL

Re: From your photo...

The problem with your typical moon hoax conspiracy nut (or conspiracy nuts in general) is that a) they think they're smarter than everyone else, and b) they're actually so fucking stupid that they're too fucking stupid to realise just how fucking stupid they really are.

They all think they're Agent Mulder when they're really Jenny McCarthy

Orion 'Mars' ship: Cosmic ray guard? Go. Parachutes? Go. Spacerock shield? Go!

PassiveSmoking

Re: Hope they've put extra strings on the parachute!

Fortunately high density plastics do the job just as well and weigh a lot less.

Brit smut slingers shafted by UK censors' stiff new stance

PassiveSmoking

So if I made a porno of ten dominatrices (<- is that the right plural) whipping and caning a tied up jihadist into submission and spammed ISIS twitter feeds with it, I'D be the one in trouble?

And next whenever you show two people in bed they will have to leave enough space between them for the holy ghost.

FOUR, count 'em, FOUR big rockets launching in next seven days

PassiveSmoking
Flame

Can we arrange them to all launch at the same time? From the same launch site? That would be awesome!

Men, Women and Children: Shows how crap the internet is via the medium of crap film

PassiveSmoking

Re: "Starring Adam Sandler"

Beat me to it.

Why do people keep giving this man money? You'd get similar results if you just used it to wipe your arse.

Musicians sue UK.gov over 'zero pay' copyright fix

PassiveSmoking

Re: Makes sense

Have you actually ever tried to use UV? It's such a ridiculous system that I gave up on it very quickly. Given the choice between a UV disc and a "triple play" disc (which includes the blu-ray, a DVD and usually an iTunes download of the same content) I'll take the triple-play version every time. UV seems to have been either deliberately designed to discourage you from using it, or simply designed by people who didn't realise people might want to use it.

Your PHONE is slowly KILLING YOU

PassiveSmoking

I wish they'd build a cell tower near mine. The signal's shit.

PassiveSmoking

I'd say the bigger danger is walking under the wheels of a bus, or driving into a baby stroller (for pedestrians and drivers, respectively).

Giant bank IT cockup of 2012 'could have brought down ENTIRE financial system'

PassiveSmoking
Trollface

Re: I hope I'm not...

ACTING grand Negus Brunt!

NSA mass spying reform KILLED by US Senators

PassiveSmoking
Coat

Why do bills in America have to have such infantile names? PATRIOT? USA-FREEDOM? CAN-SPAM, etc? Are American politicians really so childish they can only support something if it has a cute name?

Wait a minute, what am I saying?

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