Posts by Archivist

Once considered lost, ESA and NASA's SOHO came back from the brink of death to work even better than it did before

Re: Great Article, Thanks

Thoroughly agree!

I note the initial cock-up was to "save time". This has been a common theme in cock-ups I've seen and been involved in :(

Writing a procedure takes a lot of time and testing. If you are going to change it, at least give the changes as much thought (and testing as you can) as the original procedure.

Of course nothing can take away the fantastic skills and thinking of the team to recover the craft. In a world where a lot of people are doing really stupid things, it's great to see what humankind can achieve.

You've accused Apple of patent infringement. You want to probe the iOS source in a closed-room environment. What to do in a pandemic?

In the viewing room....

Those are elegant looking glasses Mr Hashimoto, oh Mr Kimura has the same taste!

Tech's Volkswagen moment? Trend Micro accused of cheating Microsoft driver QA by detecting test suite

Re: Petty or Pedant?

I think you'll find Gaffer Tape was invented for the film industry. The only squaddies were actors.

Google product boss cuffed on suspicion of murder after his Microsoft manager wife goes missing, woman's body found, during Hawaii trip

Sad but true

It is

Get in the C: Raspberry Pi 4 can handle a wider range of USB adapters thanks to revised design's silent arrival

I think he meant solder mask

"silk screen tweaks to reduce solder bridging in manufacture"

Re: Power to the Pi-ple

The headers connectors are rated at about 1 amp. Happy?

Going Dutch: The Bakker Elkhuizen UltraBoard 950 Wireless... because looks aren't everything

Here you go

There's a wired version here:

https://www.bakkerelkhuizen.co.uk/ergonomic-keyboards/ultraboard-950/

The $4.3bn trial of the century is over! Now we wait for judgment

From the article

"over-inflating revenues"

I think you're over exaggerating.

Ring of fired: Amazon axes multiple workers who secretly snooped on netizens' surveillance camera footage

With apologies to Tolkien

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them

Halfords invents radio signals that don't travel at the speed of light

Re: Speed of light

Repeat after me:

Electric current does not travel at the speed of light...

(But to my ears it might as well do)

Oh cool, Alibaba's first home-grown AI chip. Oh wait, it's only for its own cloud servers... for now

AI and I don't mean love 愛

This is a signal that every country needs to be in the chip race. Any country that's not will be owned by one of the "chip powers". Take your pick which one!

It's already happening in defence, this will be a hell of a lot relevant to economies and have widespread and fundamental effects down to an individual level.

Pro tip: Plug in your Tesla S when clocking off, lest you run out of juice mid hot pursuit

This is the unfortunate weakness of battery operated devices.

Of course fossil fuel devices never run out.

Titan-ic disaster: Bluetooth blunder sinks Google's 2FA keys, free replacements offered

What is this schadenfreuder you speak of? Even my English spellchecker picked up the mistake.

Or could it be: One who schadenfreudes?

We can do this the easy way or the Huawei, US tells Germany with threat to snip intel over 5G fears

World class bully

This is politics being used to influence economics.

God DRAM, that's a big price drop: Memory down 30 per cent, claim industry watchers

The article's reasoning doesn't make sense

So Intel is "to blame" as it focusses on server CPUs, leaving warehouses of PCs with no memory...

The last PC I peeped into had 2 sticks; the last server had 16.

?

What the #!/%* is that rogue Raspberry Pi doing plugged into my company's server room, sysadmin despairs

Shhhh...

There's an RPI in our server room... It's our GPS Stratum-1 time server. Been running for 3 years so far, untouched. Of course it's fully documented.

Decoding the Chinese Super Micro super spy-chip super-scandal: What do we know – and who is telling the truth?

Signal conditioning chips

Aren't chips (ICs) as we normally describe them but passive surface mount filters. It is extremely unlikely that power is available on any pads they are soldiered to.

The whole thing is bollocks.

Android Phones are 10: For once, Google won fair and square

Re: Good to have an audio jack but...

Funny that,

I prefer the 1/8 inch one for phones and 6.35mm for proper kit, if I use one at all that is.

Re: Holds an iPhone XS max...

That's ~~~~~~bate...

EU wants one phone plug to rule them all. But we've got a better idea.

Re: EU Standard plug

I think you'll find that most of those appliances you mentioned are internally fused. The fuse in the BS1363 plug is intended to protect the cabling to the appliance - that may include intermediate connectors e.g. a 2.5a rated IEC C7/8 or the in-line switching of a table lamp.

Our ring main legacy can be traced back to the aftermath of WW2 when Britain was broke and some clever chappie worked out a way of wiring houses using less copper.

When wired correctly there is nothing to choose in terms of safety between the UK and European systems (ring and radial).

The danger comes from appliances made for foreign markets that adopted the UK style 3-pin plug in radial circuits. These plugs are safe for use where intended but really dangerous when used in the UK as they fit but don't have a fuse.

Adaptors can be a hazard too. I bought a soldering iron from a European supplier that had a Chinese/Oz plug and was supplied with an unfused adaptor.

Dropbox plans to drop encrypted Linux filesystems in November

Re: Out of the frying pan...

@Zippy´s Sausage Factory

Yes I downgraded last year but I'm back. Dropbox's apps and functionality take a lot of beating, let's hope they repent...

Out of the frying pan...

I've just come back to Dropbox from Google and bought a year subscription. I'm pissed off now.

I'd be willing to bet that most of the moaners are using the free service. It's up to us who pay their wages to make a proper fuss.

Apple pulls iOS 12 beta 7 after less than 24 hrs

Re: Rollback

It's a beta - not for Joe Public. You can restore the device to the current OS anytime you want.

If you were part of the beta test programme you'd know the answer.

Creased Lightning: Profits wobble at Virgin Media while fibre project stays sluggish

Creative accounting

Moving money from pot to pot for best effect.

Re: Vermin media

Not fibre, but they give me a reliable connection with reasonable contention ratio through a reliable coaxial cable. That's a good reason not to switch to a corroded twisted pair.

To solve the problem I employ my rottweiler (wife) to phone them yearly to match their new customer deals - and they will if they think you're really going to leave.

The age of hard drives is over as Samsung cranks out consumer QLC SSDs

Re: QLC? It's not the one for me

Multi-level is not analogue. Of course the noise immunity decreases as the number of levels increase but that is catered for in the design. Indeed Pulse Amplitude Modulation is used in high speed signal systems.

Putting the ass in Atlassian: Helpdesk email server passwords blabbed to strangers

Re: The joy of the cloud

Actually you can self host it if you choose, but then there are many free alternatives that you can host with a little effort.

Apple takes an axe to its App Affiliate Program

Fairweather friends

My mum told me to avoid them.

First low-frequency fast radio burst to grace our skies detected at last

It's obvious..

580MHz is around UHF TV channel 34, so my best guess is that it's a C4 commercial break ;-)

Spooked Cisco chief phoned AWS, asked: You're not making a switch, are you?

What they didn't say?

Cisco to AWS: OK, we'll reduce the price of our switches to you, if you agree not to compete.

In the meantime others pay through the nose for Cisco kit.

Trump wants to work with Russia on infosec. Security experts: lol no

Re: Tee hee. Trump is to Putin as --

'The USA is obliged by treaty through NATO to militarily defend what are primarily EU nations,.."

Do you really think they are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts? Of course not, they're doing it for strategic and financial reasons. Europe should call their bluff.

Tech rookie put decimal point in wrong place, cost insurer zillions

One meelion dollars

I was called to the accounts office with my manager to explain the One million dollar transaction on my company credit card bill. At first I was horrified, until I remembered buying a Zimbabwean $1M bill on eBay (it cost a couple of quid), as a joke for a Zim friend's birthday. I'd intending using my personal card, but my computer had autofilled the company card number and I hadn't noticed.

After an explanation and a bit of banter at my expense, I coughed up the £2 to pay my debt.

'Autopilot' Tesla crashed into our parked patrol car, say SoCal cops

Re: Drugs

"Jaywalking" is a uniquely american concept,"

No it's a concept used in many civilised countries to protect humans from machines.

Heck, I'm sticking up for the US. I'll have to watch myself or next it'll be Microsoft.

Samsung escapes obligation to keep old phones patched

Who cares?

Most consumers don't care as long as it's big and shiny.

The contract is with the retailer, but try finding one of those who cares enough about it's buyers to do anything. If anything they are beholden to the manufacturer so they get first batch of a new handset.

As a previous poster said: exploits rarely happen in the field. However once everyone's bank branch is in their mobile, the bad guys will try more and harder.

BCC is hard, OK? Quite a lot of orgs blurted your email addresses in GDPR mailouts

Joker

I was reading my work emails when a seriously politically incorrect joke appeared in my in box. It had been sent as a reply to all. It was swiftly followed by an Outlook recall but remained in my Outlook web client long enough for me to save it (it was very funny).

Needless to say the individual who sent it departed shortly afterwards.

Admin needed server fast, skipped factory config … then bricked it

Re: Lightning icon required =========>

Indeed I remember EF91's blue glow :)

Not Singapore

Although Singapore uses connectors similar to the UK's I believe they use radial mains, not ring.

This is supported by some professional equipment supplied from Singapore with locally approved 3 pin plugs that did not have an internal fuse capability.

Not sure about the others mentioned.

Microsoft's most popular SQL Server product of all time runs on Linux

Close enough for me (in Darwin speak..)

I work in a mixed OS environment with BSD, several Linux flavours, MacOS and Windows.

In my experience, the Unixes (and Unix like OSs) differ slightly less than human beings do from person to person.

By comparison Windows is further away genetically than the great apes, even though they have a common origin.

My PC is on fire! Can you back it up really, really fast?

Just my luck

It was 10pm on Xmas eve when I was called to a TV transmission suite and shown smoke blowing out of a computer rack in the bottom of a tape cart machine (a bit like a tape library but more primitive). Oh hell, my shift is meant to finish in an hour..

I decided to leave it running as long as possible as it was on air.

When the programme had finished and the tapes loaded elsewhere, I shut it down and stripped down the computer. It was a proprietary build by Sony (pre-PC) with loads of boards and a passive backplane.

There was no sign of any burning or overheating on any part. So I took the only reasonable step and reassembled it. Powered up, surprisingly it worked fine, and no more smoke.

I was off shift that Xmas but it was on my mind. By the time I returned to work I had already a good idea what had happened. I walked round the back and shone my torch into each of the rear fans. Sure enough one was not rotating but looked normal. On removing and dismantling it I discovered the internals were baked to a cinder. This is before fan control and speed monitoring of course.

HP Ink to compensate punters for bricking third-party ink cartridges

AU$50? That's not enough to purchase *one* new HP cartridge...

No, but you can buy a 3rd party refilled one!

Chinese web giant finds Windows zero-day, stays schtum on specifics

Re: IP camera that doesn't require an ActiveX plugin

I bought a recommended no-name camera that didn't need ActiveX, and was so happy I purchased 2 more from the same supplier. To my horror although the same model number, these needed ActiveX.

As a Mac and Linux user they were no good to me. I tried to return them through eBay but the supplier could not understand my problem, and stalled for long enough for the return deadline to expire. I eventually got my money back from Paypal. It was a load of hassle.

Subsequent cameras have been rather more expensive named brands, but much less hassle!

'Your computer has a virus' cold call con artists on the rise – Microsoft

Never had a call

But then I've never signed up for anything Microsoft. Coincidence?

FBI raids home of spy sat techie over leak of secret comms source code on Facebook

Security

Guard: Good evening, what's that you're taking out?

Dubious employee: It's a Treeplespongegropper

Guard: I'll just write down 'equipment'. Has it got a serial number?

Dubious employee: Yes, look - 230V50HZ

Guard: I'll write it down

Dubious employee: I'll be returning it in the morning so you'll be able to just cross it off

Guard: I'm the 'late' man' you'll see Fred tomorrow

Dubious employe returns next day with a wall wart... Guard Fred is happy.

Ex-Google recruiter: I was fired for opposing hiring caps on white, Asian male nerds

Re: Political correctness BS

Anonymised application system are just the first step. Once you're face to face with the candidate it's impossible not to notice gender and ethnicity, and make a good guess at age and gender identity.

I like to think that I've only chosen on merit, aided by a system of pre-agreed questions and sensible scoring system, but who knows what's going on in the back of one's mind. A tricky one is: how will this person integrate with the team.

Apple: Er, yes. Your iCloud stuff is now on Google's servers, too

Storage is just a commodity

I really didn't think they'd be using a meeelion rack-mounted Mac Minis!

How many Routemaster bus seats would it take to fill Wembley Stadium?

Routemaster?

The image at the top of the story doesn't look much like the Routemasters I remember being introduced when I was a boy...

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the failest mobe of all?

Meaningless tosh

How can you compare the vast range of makes and performance levels of Android, with the narrow range and single maker of iOS?

Ex-cop who 'kept private copies of data' fingers Cabinet Office minister in pr0nz at work claims

Porn's not the point

What he was watching is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he was being paid a good sum of taxpayers' money to help govern the country. It seems he squandered a lot of time and money.

Germany says NEIN to purchase incentive for Tesla Model S

Cost is relative

The attitude that anyone who can afford a Tesla doesn't need the subsidy is a misnomer.

1. Everyone has an income. All but the very few have a budget beyond which it's not wise to spend. If your budget is 60K then why not go for a Tesla rather than a diesel Merc?

2. The subsidy is to encourage cleaner vehicles. It shouldn't matter where in the price range it it applied, as long as it acts as an incentive.

I took a model S for a test drive and can say it is a truly remarkable car that I would love to own. Can I afford one? If I gave up holidays and social life, I could, but it's not worth it. I've decided to wait for the model 3, which I will be able to afford without changing my life style.

Do I deserve a subsidy, or should I buy a nice diesel instead?

Apache OpenOffice: We're OK with not being super cool... PS: Watch out for that Mac bug

Math?

What is this "math" you speak of? Me thinks the article was written by a foreigner with an imperfect grasp of the language of England.