Posts by robert lindsay

Google stuffs Gemini into Android Studio Panda 2 to build apps from prompts

"Since this was the free tier and only the first go, one must not be too hard on Gemini. The vibe coding concept is all about try, try, and try again until the code does what you want.".

I may be really old, but isnt that called programming?

Trump says he got a deal for rare earths in Greenland, but they won't come easy

Obvious

Global warming doesnt exist, and we need greenland because the ice will melt and we can get to the minerals because of the global warming that doesnt exist

Hegseth needs to go to secure messaging school, report says

Kegsbreath also just axed IT security training because our warriors need extra time flipping tires

Google Antigravity vibe-codes user's entire drive out of existence

"At the very least, run these kinds of tools in locked-down environments, thoroughly segregated from anything akin to a production system" which is exactly the kind of thing a vibe coder wouldnt know about

Apply here to win a Microsoft Ugly Sweater. It's uglier than ever

Peak MS was the glorius mess of windows 1.0

ChatGPT joins human league, now solves CAPTCHAs for the right prompt

Just as a footnote, The Human League name came from a SPI wargame called Starforce Alpha Centari. And for a IT angle the art director at SPI went on to make Amiga HW expansions.

Congressman proposes bringing back letters of marque for cyber privateers

And republican congressman talking about human rights is a abject joke at this point.

US Department of Defense will stop sending critical hurricane satellite data

Not as bad as it looks.

I'm the person who submitted the original links. From further conversations on reddit, it's not coming from the WH or even top of DoD, it more of a "opps" level somewhere down the line. Apparently their are talks to restore the data, as usual its just a matter of finding who pays for it. and with all the money going to the peace shield^W^W golden dome its a mess.

Elon Musk pukes over pork-filled budget bill with Tesla subsidies on the line

not even a poop emojie? Oh how the mighty have fallen

Tech support session saved files, but probably ended a marriage

I had a boss like that at one point - Dr. Norman Livergood (I kid you not) his first task he assigned our staff was done via a excel spreadsheet rife with misspellings. He then met with us individually, I pointed out the spelled errors, which did not go well. My task was to get our professors to use 3D animation in their teaching assignments, not if they WANTED to, but they NEEDED to. I expressed that lowly staff telling tenured professors what they needed to do would not be received well. This also was not received well. (also I cant spell, I know) Anyway he had most of the staff on a path to termination when he decided now would be a good time to tell the university that he had a great idea of making his department his own little kingdom which would work on outside contracts, the money to be kept in his department. The university was not amused. He left the next day.

40 years ago, classified Shuttle mission foreshadowed Challenger's fatal flaw

Tufte book covers this

https://www.edwardtufte.com/book/the-visual-display-of-quantitative-information/

It uses the actual viewgraphs made for the presentation on the launch/no launch discussion

US govt hiding top hurricane forecast model sparks outrage after deadly Helene

Re: Yet another way Trump admin fucked the public

True. However it was written by 100 guys whole WORKED in Trumps White House, and probably sand a very good chance of working in a second term. Your could of course argue that a exactly detail oriented guy like Trump would never let his suboridinates get away with something he didn't want, but that's another story.

The future of software? Imagine a bot, stamping on a human face – forever

Why does this remind me of "The Machine Stops" by EM Forster?

Tesla slams advisors for not loving Musk's $44.9B payout

And this is the same guy whois backing a man who has said he would ban electric car sales.

BOFH: Come on down to the dunge– erm … basement

Of COURSE he's installing VMS,you think they'll let that bastard Ultrix out?

Medical files of 8M-plus people fall into hands of Clop via MOVEit mega-bug

I worked for Maximius, to call them a shitty company is to insult shitty companies. On the downside, my info is probably in there.

Fancy tinkering with the atmosphere? The Derecho supercomputer can advise

in case anyone is curiius why DoE has so much better supers than NOAA, its because DoE runs abomb simulations, and has cycles to spare, since the people who sign their checks tend to add a couple of zeros just in case. Also supers need lots of power and elec, and Doe happens to run nuke plants ideally suited for the power and water needs.

America ain't exactly outlawing gas cars but it's steering hard into EVs

Bonus for the Gary Numan reference

NOAA, Microsoft partner to put climate models in the clouds

Re: Can someone explain to a humble techie

NOAA is not a rich group, compare the NOAA supers to what DoE has, it not even close. Part of it wanting save on facilty and sysadmin staff. And also if the system get hacked its somebodyelses fault. Azure is mildly curios though, my part of NOAA is going AWS.

Climate model code is so outdated, MIT starts from scratch

I mean sure, rebuilt your model however you want. However, if you pick a language like Julia then the only people who can tinker on it are both Climatologists AND Julia users. This may limit your pool. For now.

If it's going to rain within the next 90 mins, this very British AI system can warn you

I remember this being proposed in the US

When I worked for The University of Oklahoma in the early 90's. The idea was greeted with abject horror, by the science team. FWIW one of the members of that team became Trump's Science Advisor. They deserve each other, is all I will say.

The latest REvil ransomware victim? Sol Oriens. Oh, a US nuclear weapons contractor

Its probably not a issue, actually. Companies like these (there are lots) usually hire people as contractors where they work at Govt sites. You go into to your contractors office for intial check in a never see them again. In this case I'm guessing it would be at Los Alamos.

NASA to return to the Moon by 2024. One problem with that, says watchdog: All of it

Re: Waste of money.

well sure but if you go down that path their are vastly better targets than the space program. Their budget is chump change compared to defense.

Director, deputy director, CTO of Free Software Foundation quit after Stallman installation

what's the upside?

Not to be picky, but what exactly does RMS bring to the FSF now that's worth all this?

Texas blacks out, freezes, and even stops sending juice to semiconductor plants. During a global silicon shortage

Re: diesel car

Boston is fine. DC is a southern city, and usually only gets about 11" of snow in a entire season, and the last three have had a TOTAL of 4. We are proud of our panic. Now if you'll excuse me, we have 4" coming tommorow and I have to loot the safeway...

With depressing predictability, FCC boss leaves office with a list of his deeds... and a giant middle finger to America

Re: PDNFTT

The 1986 act requires the ER to TREAT you not cure you. If you are broke with cancer they will stabilize you, not give you chemo.

Trump fires cybersecurity boss Chris Krebs for doing his job: Securing the election and telling the truth about it

Re: Petro Ruble

Actually, Presidential pardons only work for FEDERAL crimes. He's got a lot of state level people sniffing after him in NY.

BeagleBoyz: 2020's hottest country-rap band, or N. Korea hackers stealing millions. Only one way to find out...

Re: Beagle Boys

yep, eternally trying to get into scrooge mcducks giant money bin.

Python 2 bows out after epic transition. And there was much applause because you've all moved to version 3, right? Uh, right?

joy

we dont even HAVE python 3 installed on half our systems...

OK brainiacs, we've got an IT cold case for you: Fatal disk errors on an Amiga 4000 with 600MB external SCSI unless the clock app is... just so

Re: Witchcraft

that only worked on SGI boxes

Automatic for the People: Pandemic-fueled rush to robo-moderation will be disastrous – there must be oversight

man thats a deep callback

everybody hurts

Remember the Uber self-driving car that killed a woman crossing the street? The AI had no clue about jaywalkers

I am the law!

Judge Dredd is not running down perps unless they've commited a crime. You mean Judge Death.

The pro-privacy Browser Act has re-appeared in US Congress. But why does everyone except right-wing trolls hate it?

Sad State

I was born in TN and while it has a disturbing love for a native slave trader/war criminal the men it sent to the US Senate had by and large been quality. Howard Baker, Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Al Gore (both junior and senior). In 2018 the Dems nominate a very popular former govenor against Blackman who always has been a trump troll. He lost by 10 points. And much of her support came from the area of my hometown, which actual staged a revolt against the confederacy in 1861 that was brutally put down.

Dundee Satellite Receiving Station: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

This is a international issue, this from the ocean-color mailing list from NASA:

Folks,

In early May I reported on the decision that I had just heard about that if followed through on would mean that the 50+ years of dedicated service to the international remote sensing community by the University of Dundee Satellite Receiving Station would be coming to an end. Despite the heroic efforts of a great many people, expressions of support from all sectors both near and far and even the formal submission of a university/industry partnership proposal for not only the continued operation of the Station but which outlined a clear, critical and meaningful role for the Station into the future, it appears that the position of a very few key administrators seems unchangeable and as evidenced by the message below, it seems as if the die is cast and what without hesitation I believe is a national treasure, may be lost. Facilities such as this are not just a collection of hardware, antennas, cables and computers. Those things are easily procured. However, it is the skill, experience, understanding and more importantly, the philosophy and dedication to the job, the science and to service to the community that is irreplaceable and once lost, can never be restored. As an optimist, I would like to believe that a last minute reprieve might still be possible but I am passing along this note from the Station in case it is not.

So, it is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I pass along this note.

With my very best regards,

gene

US regains supercomputer crown from Chinese, for now

Re: Depertment of Energy

Um, its parked in oak ridge, they have a nuke plant right nearby. And the Tennessee river for cooling.

Pointless US Congress net neutrality vote will take place tomorrow!

While I agree that the vote is pointless, it's not exactly new either. The reubs had 35 or so votes against obamacare while they we out of power. And it's certainly possible the dems retake the house, rollcall seems to think so, so they can certainly impeach trump, convict? no possible way. Meanwhile the telco get their winfall...

You think Donald Trump is insecure? Check out his online store

This isnt a security flaw.

Their is no security to begin with.

5.34 petaflop SGI monster forecast at US National Center for Atmospheric Research

Re: Yellowstone

fortran, lots and lots of fortran.

Research Box only

NCAR doesnt do operational work. This is a research box only. (and vastly more powerful than NOAA's operational machines)

Just TWO climate committee MPs contradict IPCC: The two with SCIENCE degrees

Generic Scientist

OK, so we are supposed to listen to a Physicist and a Chemist? Does El reg usually ask Programmers enterprise VM questions? After all both types work on computers. Or for that matter shouldnt I seek insight into the iphone6 on the sports page? After all a journalist is a journalist right?

The Mac at 30: Hardware and software wars – again and again and ...

Power Computing

One other thing about the buy of Power Computing, their staff was used to help apple set up their first online store.

Twenty classic arcade games

Where's the love for Missile Command?

Calling all readers: Want some new icons?

Any icon that makes andrew orlowski cry

Then I'd post here every day

Climate profs 'can't recommend' enormo-space-parasol

Alas

Somewhere, Achimedes Plutonium is in a corner crying.

Gene Simmons blames college kids for ruining music biz

Old news

he did this same rant in a interview on IFC's Henry Rollins show several

months ago.

A entertaining guy, but I wouldn't want to share a room with his ego.

Substitute teacher's conviction for porn popups set aside

speaking of crimes

She also had a miscarriage of her pregnancy from the stress of this case.