Posts by ahfakopsdfi

Where are the women in cyber security? On the dark side, study suggests

Re: You cannot get true gender equality. Why? Numbers!

But that’s exactly the issue: trying to make girls see tech careers as viable. There have been continuous initiatives over the last 40 years, all to no avail.

Interestingly, in the 1970s a very “women’s lib” aunt tried to put me off going into computer programming because “in 10 years’ time all programming will be done by women” (and actually, so what if it had been?). I did go into programming in the early 80s, probably about 1 in 6 were female. By the time I left the industry 8 years ago the ratio was even fewer.

El Reg visits two shrines to computing history as the UK lifts coronavirus lockdown

Re: The legacy

A few years ago when we were doing a PC refresh, we had a well-passed official retirement-age PA who was adamant she didn’t want her PC upgraded as it would only confuse her, probably wouldn’t work properly and she had important stuff to get on with etc. etc. So we left her old screen and keyboard in place and replaced “the box bit” under the desk. She was as pleased as anything that we hadn’t upgraded her … and a few weeks later once she was convinced everything was working fine for her colleagues told us she was ready for her new PC! So she got her new screen and keyboard (and yes, I believe we did transfer the post-it notes that may or may not have had her password on … sometimes you need to make life easy on yourself!)

Long haul flights on a one-aisle plane? Airbus thinks you’re up for it

Re: The Golden Age of flying is over

Probably because some of us actually find the seats more comfortable when NOT reclined! (And yes, I can sleep sitting upright, thank you)

I guess the compromise is reclining and non-reclining sections, then we can all be happy!

Next-gen Freeview telly won't be another disruptive 4Ker

Re: Freeview Play

It's not so much the silicon you need to worry about - eighth most common element in the universe (by mass) - it's everything else: helium, rare earth elements, polluting by-products etc.

HP exec: 'CYOD' will TEAR APART the IT dept as we know it

If there's going to be a "a menu of certified options", how much does that differ from the current state of a catalogue of options from which users can select? I could see that it might be a longer list with more options, but surely the business would set-up the contract and then call-off against that?

Doesn't look like a major seismic shift to me, just an incremental expanding of options ...

Welcome, friend, to Metroland

Excellent

Just that ... excellent.

More from the techno-literary interface please: first the opening chapter of the steampunk novel, now poetry ... let's show that technology and the arts can mix!

UK.gov holds summit to stop satnav-driven smash-ups

"However, the main reasons the satnavs cause problems is because it can take months for map updates from local councils to make their way onto the gadgets."

And yet I'm still using a 2001 AA road atlas and haven't once driven over a cliff or down a footpath, or across the grassed-over former route of a now diverted road.

Updating the mapping data doesn't seem to be the main problem: it's getting people to use some common sense rather than blindly rely on technology.

UK Met Office: World temperature back down to 1997 level

Balance

"Temperature back down to 1997 level" or "2011 11th warmest on record"? Depends what message you want to send I guess. And according to the NASA and NOAA series it's either "back down to somewhere between 2001 and 2008 levels" or "back down to 2003/2004 levels".

Why your tech CV sucks

Application forms rather than CVs, but same difference

If we ask you to complete an application form, that asks you to explain why you are the ideal candidate for the job, please take the trouble to do so - don't cut and paste your entire CV into the box (particularly including your name and other personal details when the instructions ask you to only include such details on the equal ops monitoring part of the form that only HR see). I am not going to read it all the way through to try and see whether you actually match the job description (and even if I did start to, if you're is the 97th application I'm reading I may well miss something, and you won't get an interview even though you are ideally suited)

If we ask for specific skills, please make a point of mentioning that you do actually have them. I have to score your application against those criteria: if you don't actually mention them HR won't let me give you full credit for them ... even if it's kind of implied in something else you say.

Please apply for the job we advertised, not the one you want to do.

If you are going to regurgitate the list of attributes from the person spec in a list that starts "I have the following attributes" at least copy and paste the things correctly. Particularly if we've said "Must be able to work methodically and retain a keen eye for detail" do not say "I work methodiclly and have a kean eye for deatail", 'cos that's not the impression you're giving!

On the other hand, if you actually read the instructions and the job description and person spec and write your application to make sure that you've mentioned all the things we asked about, you'll probably get an interview!

BOFH: Hordes unleashed... by a RAM upgrade

User perception of upgrades

We had an IT-illiterate senior PA, and we always knew that any change, she would be convinced had affected her PC. New printer, new microwave, clock change ... anything. So when we were planning a PC replacement roll-out, we left her tatty old mouse, keyboard and monitor (complete with password post-its!) in place and just swapped the base unit - which was out of sight under the desk. Not a word of complaint: she may even have thanked us for leaving it all alone for her! A few months later she was complaining about how slow her PC was compared to everyone else's new ones: so at that point we "speeded it up" by swapping the peripherals!!

Fantasy Premier League falls over

FSC ??

Forest Stewardship Council?

Fire Service College?

Forest School Camps?

Financial Sector Continuity?

something else not on the first page of search results?