Posts by Florida1920

YOU'RE HISTORY: Ancestry.com goes titsup for TWO DAYS

The plot thickens

It's an NSA/GCHQ conspiracy to keep us from finding out where the bodies are buried.

Tumultuous Twitter torches top talent, topples COO

Re: the end is nigh...

Is "social media" finally on the way out?

I don't think so. Twitter is popular, with the media for sure. They only have to figure out a way to monetize it. Besides, anything repressive governments try to shut down can't be all bad.

Greenpeace rejoices after getting huge renewable powerplant cancelled

Strong cases against hydro

Here in the States we went on a big hydro-power bender starting in the 1930s. We've since had good reasons to regret those choices, all of which are available online to anyone interested. Sorry El Reg, but the tone of this article is crap.

Deleted

Hope lives on

Thanks to whatever FF add-on blocked both photos so I never saw them.

Sipping a pint while I compose "Ode to White Space."

100% driverless Wonka-wagon toy cars? Oh Google, you're having a laugh

Re: Wrong

These things shouldb't be driverless, they should be driven like normal cars but with all kinds of sensors etc making it ultra safe. Making it entirely automatic is a step too far.

Wrong. After a few years it will be seen that person-driven cars are the safety issue and everyone will be forced to use robot cars. Using a communications system similar to cellular networks, they'll be able to chat and avoid collisions. Most modern cars are inherently safe; the loose nuts behind the wheels are the problem. I do foresee some initial problems, though.

PASSENGER: HAL, stop here. I want to get a coffee.

HAL: I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

MH370 'pings' dismissed as false positives

Easier than doing real journalism

Get ready for another month of mindless speculation by CNN.

What can The Simpsons teach us about stats algorithms? Glad you asked...

Re: "prove causation" != "observe a [certain amount of] correlation"

although the Divorce rate in Maine having anything to do with Per capita consumption of margarine (US) surely must have some mileage with the dairy industry...

It's an udder mystery.

One with Milk Duds in the pocket.

Facebook exec: I HATE the INTERNET and I REALLY hate journalism

Self-fulfilling prophecy?

If the mainstream media picks up on this story, it could become the Mother of all Clickbaits.

French teen fined for illegal drone flight

Hang on....

They should have given him a suspended sentence.

ET hunter: We will find SPACE ALIENS in 20 years

What preceded telecommunications?

Easily obtained and exploited fossil fuels drove the Industrial Revolution, leading to large-scale capitalism. The discoveries necessary for radio communication mostly came from the country where the Industrial Revolution arguably began: Britain. Without railroads running all over, and global shipping commerce, telecommunications would have been unnecessary. So another factor in determining a planet's suitability as a coherent radio source is, does it have easily-exploitable energy sources? There may well be billions of intelligent societies in the universe, but most of them may be stuck in pre-industrial agricultural civilizations. We'll never hear from them and they won't be listening for us.

Assuming that alien civilizations not only looked a little like us, but also functioned economically and socially in the same way, was okay for 1950s s-f movies. But it seems very hubristic today. They may be out there, but we may never contact them. All in all, knowing what we know, they probably wouldn't mind.

Comcast exec says wired broadband customers should pay-as-they-go

Here's what Comcast is saying as of 8 April:

We'll be launching multiple trial approaches, and here is an overview:

In the Nashville, Tennessee, market, we will increase our data usage allowance for all tiers to 300 GB per month and also offer additional gigabytes in increments/blocks (e.g., $10 per 50 GB).

In the Tucson, Arizona, market, we will increase our data usage allowance for XFINITY Internet customers subscribing to the Economy tier through the Performance tier from 250 GB to 300 GB. In addition, those customers subscribed to the Blast! tier will receive an increase to 350 GB, those subscribed to Extreme 50 will be increased to 450 GB, and those subscribed to Extreme 105 will be increased to 600 GB (see table below).

XFINITY Internet Package New Data Usage Allowance

Economy 300 GB

Economy Plus 300 GB

Internet Essentials 300 GB

Performance Starter 300 GB

Performance 300 GB

Blast! 350 GB

Extreme 50 450 GB

Extreme 105 600 GB

In the Fresno, California, market, we will begin trialing a Flexible-Data Option specifically designed for casual or light Internet users who typically use 5 GB of data or less a month. This option will be available only to Economy Plus customers and will provide a $5 credit if a customer’s total monthly data usage is less than or equal to 5 GB per month. However, if a customer that chooses this option uses more than 5 GB of data in any given month, then she will not receive the $5 credit, and will be charged an additional $1 for each gigabyte of data used over the 5 GB included in the Flexible-Data Option.

In Huntsville and Mobile, AL; Atlanta; Augusta and Savannah, GA; Central Kentucky; Maine; Jackson, MS; Knoxville and Memphis, TN; and Charleston, SC we have begin a trial which will increase our data usage allowance for all XFINITY Internet tiers to 300 GB per month and also offer additional gigabytes in increments/blocks (e.g., $10 per 50 GB). During this trial, XFINITY Internet Economy Plus customers in these markets can choose to enroll in the Flexible-Data Option which will modify their data usage allowance from 300 GB to 5 GB, and provide a $5 credit if their total monthly data usage is less than or equal to 5 GB per month. If customers choose this option and uses more than 5 GB of data in any given month, then they will not receive the $5 credit and will be charged an additional $1 for each gigabyte of data used over the 5 GB included in the Flexible-Data Option.

We believe that the approach we are taking with our data trials is fair because it means those who use more pay more and those who use less can now pay less.

https://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/data-usage-what-are-the-different-plans-launching/

The one with the cap in the pocket.

ULA says to blame SpaceX for Russian rocket rebuff

Re: Oh shit

Perhaps there is something else of some importance the USA needs from Russia

I have a friend who can get you a deal on slightly used Ladas, if you buy in quantity. They make more-interesting lawn ornaments than those creepy gnomes.

(Thought I'd left the keys in my coat pocket, but no worries -- it won't start anyway.)

LA air traffic meltdown: System simply 'RAN OUT OF MEMORY'

Software quality assurance is a Good Thing. If someone had tried an "impossible" or "unlikely" scenario like a U2 transiting LA airspace under VFR at 60,000 feet when the s/w was developed, this problem could have been dealt with without endangering hundreds of lives. When testing s/w, try stuff "no user will ever do," because you can bet your butt someone eventually will.

Teen jailed for ARMED ROBBERY says he and pals had been inspired by Grand Theft Auto

Don't blame it on the Bossa Nova

Back in the ancient days books made people do evil things. Then when we got radio it was that darn rock and roll music. Many moons later it was movies, then television.

Just a little historical info: Movies and television preceded rock 'n' roll music.

Brit IT workers are so stressed that 'TWO-THIRDS' want to quit

KZZZZZRT!

These 2/3 are clearly not reading the excellent instructional articles published in El Reg, "BOFH." There is no stressful situation that can't be solved with the careful application of a cattle prod.

Selfies are so 2013. Get ready for DRONIES – the next hipster-cam-gasm

2014 will be "year of the drone"

Appropriate term for a year in which the U.S. holds 'mid-term' elections.

Silk Road dealer 'SuperTrips' faces 40 years for DVD drug imports

Supertrips must have been sampling his product to be buzzed enough to set foot in the U.S.

Vladimir Putin says internet is a 'CIA project'

Just because he's paranoid....

Having fun thinking about all the assets CIA, NSA and NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) are throwing at Russia and Putin these days. There probably are enough spy satellites hovering over Moscow to affect the weather.

Asteroids as powerful as NUCLEAR BOMBS strike Earth TWICE YEARLY

Re: The odds are not too shabby @ Bilby

Bradford, Leicester, and the East End of London also spring to mind as highly desirable for large impacts.......

You Brits, always thinking about yourselves. But thinking small. As a loyal American, I vote for Mississippi.

Most Americans doubt Big Bang, not too sure about evolution, climate change – survey

You can examine the science and the peer-review process. You can't examine religious faith, which is its one and only card to play. They can't produce "God," explain resurrection or loaves and fishes, or prove there's an afterlife. And still they brag about their impotence!

Edward Snowden on his Putin TV appearance: 'Why all the criticism?'

Re: The russian record != the record

How can a guy like him have such a high approval rating

Inexplicably, many Russians of a certain age miss Stalin. The Russians who stayed behind miss the days when the USSR looked like a power player on the world stage. Putin is perceived as the guy who can restore the glory that was Moscow. Apparently they're willing to endure living in a country run by gangsters to relive those heady days of the KGB, the gulags and the Tsar Bomba.

Meanwhile, if I were a non-Russian living in one of the Baltic states, I'd be worried.

Elon Musk's LEAKY THRUSTER gas stalls Space Station supply run

Re: Say what?

Floating around Earth in his laser-armed space station, stroking his white cat

Floating around Earth in his space station, stroking his frikkin' laser-armed Great White Shark.

FTFY.

Ancient Earth asteroid strike that dwarfed dinosaur killer still felt today

Re: Fascinating

Genetically engineered space-sharks with lasers mounted on them. What could possibly go wrong?

You'll need a bigger launch vehicle.

In Australia, protesting against Brendan Eich will be a CRIME

About Proposition 8

What isn't talked about is the content of the Proposition 8 campaign. The videos produced by its supporters were about as nasty as you can imagine. The thrust was that gays were a threat to children, a guaranteed fear tactic. The whole campaign revolved around demonizing gay people. It was hate speech from start to finish. Eich's $1000 helped underwrite that campaign. Trying to make Eich out to be a martyr for free speech is a sad joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PgjcgqFYP4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqDGhdiXz-U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kKn5LNhNto

Welcome to the Brave New World

Not dissimilar to the situation in the US, where corporations now have equal rights to humans. Given the resources available to corporations, the Supreme Court rulings essentially give corporations more power. In some US states you can be prosecuted for photographing/video recording abuse of farm animals.

There are ways around anti-boycott laws. Instead of saying "Company A is prejudiced, don't use their stuff," you can say, "Company B isn't prejudiced," and leave the rest up to the reader.

Governments who try on such practices only open themselves up to bigger problems down the line. Unfortunately, too many of them then resort to setting snipers on rooftops and sending journalists to prison. History shows such governments may last a while, but sooner or later their sins come back to bite them. Our governments may be starting down roads that lead to tragedy.

NB: No matter where you stand on a particular issue, remember this: If they can get away with doing something to one group of people, they have normalized that practice. So tomorrow they'll feel perfectly justified in doing it to you if it suits them.

Five-year-old discovers Xbox password bug, hacks dad's Live account

Hacking MS security

"So simple, even a child can do it!"

I QUIT: Mozilla's anti-gay-marriage Brendan Eich leaps out of door

"I wonder if those people that stopped using Mozilla will also never use Javascript?"

You're pretty clueless, aren't you?

Re: WTF

"The LGBT community are just like everyone else - except that the others don't get to protest/cry/complain about it."

You're doing a pretty good job of crying about it yourself, AC.

You must have been out sick when your classmates studied the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Labor Rights efforts, back when strikers were shot down in cold blood, and the Anti-War Movement in the 1960s-70s. Or the very foundations of the Republic in the first place. Everyone gets to protest, Eich included. At this point, the majority of commentards are okay with Eich spending money to achieve his ends, but when the people affected by his actions respond, they get all sensitive. The actions of a CEO, past and present, represent the corporation s/he heads, like it or not. That's just how it works. Stop crying and get over it. The guy's a jerk and he got what he had coming to him.

Re: Do people on this forum even understand the issue?

"so hurting a larger class of citizens, such as the middle class and poor is also wrong ? So when is the campaign against Aynn Rands disciples beginning ?"

Romney/Ryan (a Rand disciple) were soundly defeated in the 2012 presidential election. Sounds like the campaign was well underway back then.

Re: Baker quits Mozilla as well

"Eich is not Mozilla"

He is when he's CEO. When you become head of a corporation, all of your acts and beliefs, past and present, are elevated to corporate policy, because you are the head of that corporation. Twas ever thus. Eich should have thought twice before mailing in that $1000 check.

GRAV WAVE TSUNAMI boffinry BONANZA – the aftershock of the universe's Big Bang

They knew they had the real deal when they decoded the waves and read the message: "So long, and thanks for all the fish."

Tux, 'cause penguins like fish too.

Malaysia Airlines mystery: Click here for the TRUTH

Re: So what is going on?

Why is there a need to have the functionality to allow an identification beacon on a civil aircraft be switched off in flight?

Every electronic component contains a compressed volume of smoke added during manufacturing. Sometimes, for reasons not always apparent, one or more components in a device spontaneously decide to release their smoke. So far, no one's ever been able to get the smoke back inside a component once it's escaped. All you can do is remove the power source and hold your breath while the affected components die a slow, smoldering death.

If you hold your ear close to the device you may hear the components scream. Or else get burned. Don't try this at home.

One with the smoke & BS detector in the pocket.

Mozilla takes Windows 8-friendly Firefox out back ... two shots heard

It's an inexplicable design choice

other than that it makes Windows 8 users less likely to try new browsers

Not inexplicable at all, then.

Not sure if you're STILL running Windows XP? AmIRunningXP.com to the rescue!

Re: Your all up your own arse

What about making a butterfly joint?

You roll joints from butterflies? Ewwww....

Re: Why ...

They thought no one would notice. Now that you have.....

That NSA denial in full: As of right now, we're not pretending to be Facebook or Twitter

This just in

"FACEBOOK TO BUY NSA"

"We'll show them how to do it," says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Is the World Wide Web for luvvies and VCs – or for all of us?

"Berners-Lee must surely regret not doing a better job"

I surely regret reading this hatchet job on Berners-Lee. Was there any alternative tech in 1992 that got kicked to the curb by incompetent, myopic Tim?

Neil Young touts MP3 player that's no Piece of Crap

"I don't like modern soft Jazz"

That alone was enough to earn up upvote!

Happy 75th birthday, Adam Osborne

Ah, the Good Old Days. I couldn't afford an Osborne. After playing with a scratch-built COSMAC Elf, I plunked down for a TRS-80 Portable, that cost twice as much as the quad-core, fuel-injected, PosiTraction PC I'm using now. But those early machines were exciting! In the words of Moriarity, this system is "bo-ring!" RIP Adam.

The one with the fondleslab in the pocket.

Google! and! Facebook! IDs! face! Yahoo! login! BAN!

I use Zenphoto on a few sites.

http://www.zenphoto.org/

Massive new AIRSHIP to enter commercial service at British dirigible base

Which one's Pink?

If they had any class they'd have made it look like a pig.

Microsoft shunts top exec Julie Larson-Green sideways to make way for Stephen Elop

Bottoms up!

Larson-Green gets to drink free at the Ribbon Bar.

French youth faces court for illegal drone flight

Excellent video

That's a stunningly beautiful piece of work. I hope someone sets up a fund where I can contribute to paying whatever fine they assess. They should hire him to do PR for the city. Well done, lad!

From 0 to ERUPTION in 60 days: You thought that volcano was COLD?

Not that pointy-eared dude

I remember the days when they were called vulcanologists, and a real man never went anywhere without a hammer.

Imprisoned Norwegian mass murderer says PlayStation 2 is 'KILLING HIM'

What goes up

I understand the view from the roof of the Oslo Radisson is great.

The one that converts to a parachute.

My smelly Valentine: Europe's perfumers wake to V-Day nightmare

We need to know the sample size in olympic swimming pools.

The one with speedos in the pocket.

China confirms Jade Rabbit lunar rover has conked out

It's baaaaack!

According to the Grauniad, the rabbit has risen from the dead.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/13/jade-rabbit-lunar-rover-alive-after-all-says-china

It wasn't dead after all, it was only pining for the smog-filled streets of Shanghai.

The moon is pregnant!

The rabbit died! You know what that means!

Comcast to acquire Warner Cable – reports

Won't someone think of the 3 million?

Comcast is allegedly going to "divest" of 3 million subscribers, apparently to limit the debt load of the "merger." What happens to them if there's no other cable/cable-Internet provider to pick them up?

My area was served by Adelphia (remember them?) until Comcast bought them up. I just know Comcast is going to kick us to the curb, and I am NOT going back to ATT DSL!

UK spooks STILL won't release Bletchley Park secrets 70 years on

I was "born" in 1947. But that's all I can say about it.