If ever there was an advert for not taking ketamine, Musk is it.
Posts by Manny Bianco
36 publicly visible posts • joined 27 Mar 2012
Elon's latest X-periment: Blocked users can still stalk your public tweets
Europe to force Apple to help rivals connect to iOS, iPadOS
Would this also require Apple to allow third-party smartwatches to do everything an Apple Watch can do in iOS?
The Apple Watch uses three rings for fitness. I don't know what a Samsung watch does, but if it doesn't use this three rings concept would Apple have to change their own Fitness app to reflect whatever Samsung's watches do?
At what point does Apple get to design and develop its own products to be used with its own products? Do they have to start making phone cases for Samsung phones, too?
Musk deflects sluggish Tesla car sales with Optimus optimism
Kill two vapourwares with one stone
Why expend all that time, money and effort into getting both the Fancy Self-Driving shizzle AND this weird Optimusk thing working, when you could just put an Optimusk in every Tesla?
One set of R&D costs to get an Optimusk to press the right pedal at the right time, and you're golden. Perhaps then you'll be worth that ludicrous $56bn remuneration package? (But probably not.)
Review of IR35 is in: Quelle surprise, UK.gov will forge ahead with controversial tax reforms in the private sector
For pity's sake! This isn't about contractors trying to pay less tax. I pay Income Tax, Employee NI, Dividend Tax, and Corporation Tax, and I collect VAT for the Treasury.
I run a one-man PSC. I create software test frameworks for a specific project, train the testers on how to write the tests for it, then I leave. I'm typically in a company for three months, four at most. I have also been asked to come back to a previous company to make modifications and enhancements to the framework, or to train others. It makes zero sense for me to be a permanent employee.
The company would have to set up a pension, health insurance and other benefits for someone who's only going to be there a few months. I'd have three new pensions every year which would almost immediately go into Paid-Up status. This is not of financial benefit to the company or to me.
By claiming that "IT contractors" are avoiding tax, you're showing an abject lack of knowledge on this issue. If anything, it's the companies we contract to who are avoiding tax as they don't have to pay the 13.8% Employer's NI.
IR35 gives contractors no rights, no benefits of being a permanent employee, and makes us pay EmployeR's NI and the Apprentice Levy. How is that even remotely fair on us?
If you think everyone should be working under PAYE, then watch as thousands of accountants, recruitment agencies, insurers, B&Bs, hotels etc. go out of business.
There is an easy fix for this mess: ditch IR35 and implement a hirer's tax, paid by the company for every contractor they hire. Simple.
Auf wiedersehen, pet: UK Deutsche Bank contractors plan to leave rather than take 25% pay cut for IR35 – report
Re: I currently collect £24k VAT
I wasn't fudging numbers, as it undermines my argument.
I pay MORE tax than if I were permanent, by about £4k, and not all VAT is reclaimed. I did say I collect £24k VAT, not pay it.
Also, don't ignore the money I spend on accountants etc. Permanent employees don't pay that.
The fact is, I make more money for the Treasury as a Ltd company than I would as a permanent employee. IR35 stops this. I'm one person. Multiply it by the many thousands who will close their companies and either retire, work abroad or go PAYE. The Treasury will get less money. IR35 is not fit for purpose.
Re: Hmm, I remain deeply deeply sceptical.
If there is an exodus, then it will be at the time the reforms come in by April 6th. DB aren't bothering to hire HERE in the UK. They are already offshoring the work. So, you have the double whammy of people being forced to find other employment to avoid investigations by HMRC, and other companies not engaging with PSC contractors.
I'm one of those affected, but at a different company. I'm working on a very important project of massive commercial value to that company. I'll be leaving on March 31st IF I'm deemed inside IR35 (despite my most recent status being confirmed as outside). I cannot go permanent at that company as they won't pay the agency's finder's fee payable when a contractor they introduce switches to a permanent role. They'll lose my expertise, experience and knowledge of their systems - and the systems I have built for them - and will try to backfill with a new permanent person or will offshore it, which is of no help to the UK.
This is also going to be seen as a way for companies to reduce their costs. They force potential workers to go through a specific umbrella company, where they get paid less, and the company doesn't have to pay Employer's NI or provide benefits like sick pay, holiday, maternity/paternity pay, pensions etc.
"As someone who has long been a salaried employee in an environment where freelancers have dodged taxes..."
What taxes have we "dodged"? We apply the rules as the law states. If I run a limited company I can take a salary to make use of my personal allowance, and dividends to make up the rest. Okay, they're taxed at a lower rate, but when you add professional insurances, accountancy fees etc., we take home just as much as you do. Also, my accountant - a massive company with thousands of clients across multiple sectors - recommends taking a minimum salary to minimise my tax. That's what any sane person would do!
My last permanent job in 2017 got me £60k pa. As a contractor I currently collect £24k VAT, pay £20k Corporation Tax and £7k Income Tax & Dividend Tax. That's £51k of tax going to the Treasury (£27k of which comes out of profits). Even if I could get £60k again perm, that's only £23,755.34 total tax (and all Ee and Er NICs). And remember, as a permie I don't need to spend that £2k/year on an accountant, or that £500 on insurances, so the profits of those businesses drop and their tax liabilities drop, and they can't afford to employ as many people, so income tax and Er NICs fall, too.
The Limited company route is a viable and legally-allowed means of structuring your work. I often have two or three clients at a time, and whilst this most definitely puts me outside IR35 and so you might think I'm not affected, the point is that companies are now reticent to use us at all regardless of our true IR35 status, because the IR35 legislation is so dumb and ridiculous.
This is a shitshow, and I hope it backfires on BoJo. I truly hope it brings down this government, a la the Poll Tax.
Re: Alternatively
In the very first paragraph of this internal HMRC manual it says they will decide whether or not to pursue people:
https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/employment-status-manual/esm0117
66
Where it is agreed that a worker who has previously been regarded as self-employed should now be treated as employed, then you will need to consider whether to pursue the employer for NICs and tax for back years. The law and practice relating to NICs and tax is different, so you will need to consider each separately.
For NICs, you should seek all arrears but, if you have to take enforcement action on arrears from the employer, you should limit this to the previous six years. You should only consider non-enforcement of the debt as a very last option after all other avenues have been explored and discounted. You should also ensure that the individual’s contributions record is amended accordingly. Remember that it may be possible to set Class 2 and 4 NICs paid against primary Class 1 liability.
For tax, consider recovery for previous years in accordance with existing instructions in the Compliance Operational Guidance (COG) manual.
99
Top tip: Don't bother with Facebook's two-factor SMS auth – unless you love phone spam
Deleted FB, life went on as normal
I deleted my account years ago, and you know what? Life went on as normal. People will text me, or - gods forbid - speak to me if there's an event I need to go to.
Do I get FOMO when I inadvertently don't get invited? No, because I'm a grown up.
FB is nothing more than a means of firing adverts directly into your eyeballs, and it's completely unnecessary.
Hey, you know why it's called the iPhone X? When you see Apple's repair bill, your response will be X-rated
If iPhone owners are sheep, what are Android phone owners?
Android phone owners keep calling iPhone owners "sheep" for buying iPhones, but aren't they just the same? If you will never buy an iPhone, you're just the same as someone who will never buy an Android phone. I'll never buy a BMW, so I must be a non-BMW sheep! Or perhaps I just found a different car that works for me?
Someone a few comments ago said that their Android phone has better specs than the latest iPhone? Okay, tell us which model you have, and we can take a look at the Geekbench results. AFAIK, the Apple A-chips are the fastest around. and they get more done with less RAM (helping battery life). I don't mind if you prove me wrong, because I'm not some weirdo who cares that much.
You guys carry on with your hatred, and I'll carry on buying an iPhone every three years, then selling it on for £300, bringing the cost down.
It works for me, and that's all I care about - I certainly don't care about you.
Totally not-crazy billionaire Elon Musk: All of us – yes, even you – must become cyborgs
Balderdash!
"...as artificial intelligence systems become more prominent, people will need to compensate for their biological shortcomings by integrating their brains with computers."
Bullshit. I can't even get a hotels website to stop sending me emails recommending I book and go on a trip LAST MONTH, you know, IN THE PAST!
There's no way any AI system is going to be a threat when we can't even get simple stuff right.
Lester Haines: RIP
YES, you CAN install paid-for apps on Android Wear – if devs rebuild them
Quite an oversight...
I'm not 100% up on the details of this stuff, but are we saying that Google released Android Wear with a bug in it that means paid-for apps cannot be installed on Wear devices? Who the hell tested this? Surely one of the tests is to check that you can install free AND paid-for apps on the device?!
Shoddy, Ted, SHODDY!
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
Re: But it doesn't look like they've fixed it...
But there's no real need to have the keyboard showing lowercase characters. The physical keyboard on most desktop computers show uppercase all the time. I understand that because the iPhone keyboard is in software it *could* be changed, but why? You already know that the next letter you press is going to be in uppercase because the Shift button is highlighted. When it's not highlighted, it's obviously not going to be in uppercase.
Putting alternative symbols on the keys would clutter it too much. They are there for when you need them.
I do agree with you about the multiple corrections though.
More Brits ditch Apple tablets for Amazon, Google, Samsung kit
Mozilla to Apple: we don't care about iOS
Re: Apps *can* open links in other browsers...
No, not all. Just correcting the story, as it said all email links and apps open in Safari.
My apps can check for the presence of a bunch of browsers, then allow the user to pick their desired browser to open links with. It's a few minutes of coding.
I do agree that Apple should have a default browser switch in the Settings though.
Apps *can* open links in other browsers...
"Any link in email or another app therefore opens in Safari, even when Chrome is present."
// Open a link in Chrome, if it's installed
if([[UIApplication sharedApplication] canOpenURL:[NSURL URLWithString:@"googlechrome:"]]) {
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"googlechrome://%@", theUrl]]];
} else {
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:theUrl]];
}
Also, here's a reasonable explanation as to why the Nitro JS engine isn't open to other apps: http://daringfireball.net/2011/03/nitro_ios_43
It's all about the malware.
iOS 6.1 KNACKERED our mobile phone networks, claim Vodafone, Three
A new Mac Pro coming this spring? 'Mais oui!'
Re: Nah.
Can you describe a Dell Optiplex 200? Can you describe it so that I wouldn't mistake it for an HP XXXX100? Thought not. A great many people can recognise the Mac Pro. What Macs "of one form or another" did the company you worked for, use? We use Mac Pros, iMacs, Mac minis, lots of MacBooks and MacBook Pros. They are quite distinct from the usual PC stuff. I can tell you what laptop my web developers use - a MacBook Pro. Can I tell you what laptop my Project Managers use? No. It's possibly a Dell, or an IBM or Lenovo, maybe an HP. Who knows? They all look the same.
So, for the simple reason that the Mac Pro is distinct from all other PC desktops, it is more recognisable.
Samsung: Never mind Steve Jobs, let's snap off a piece of stylus biz
Apple didn't include a stylus... but
...they didn't stop you from using one. That's the point.
You can choose to buy the stylus that works best for you, from a large range of third-party suppliers and manufacturers. Everyyone moans at the headphones you get free with an iPhone, and immediately replaces them with 'phones they want to use. It's the same with the stylus. How many people want to pay extra to get a stylus that doesn't suit their need?
Google donates 15,000 Raspberry Pis to UK schools
I can't help but think this is being done because people are starting to hate Google. They need to do something to raise their profile and image to the public. This seems to be the latest way of doing that.
Give me the child, and I will take all his personal info and sell him targeted advertising for the rest of his life, etc.
I've got the 'fastest growing THINGY ever', boasts Google+ chief
Apple shares take biggest one-day hammering in 4 years
Re: Jobs is pointing up/down/sideways/nowhere
Steve Jobs left Jony Ive with more power than anyone else at Apple, for the reason that he has been instrumental in Apple's comeback.
I just got an iPad mini from Apple. The queue for them was massive, and they are constantly running out of stock of all models.
Google+ exec declares Facebook 'social network of the past'
Apple sticks finger in dyke, cuts off Dutch flood of Galaxy S, SII, Ace
Invention
If Apple invented this feature, created it in code, produced a working device showing that invention, and they patented it, then they are allowed to sue others who take that patented invention, implement it in code, and produce a working device showing that invention.
Samsung didn't invent that idea, they stole it. They should have attempted to patent it. A quick patent search might have shown it was already patented.
This doesn't apply only to Apple against Samsung; it applies to Samsung against Apple, too. If you invent it and patent it, you have the rights to it.
Those of you saying Apple are in the wrong for suing others who have taken their ideas, what do you think when the multi-millionaire investors on Dragons' Den ask whether the invention they're presented with has been patented? I guess you're okay with that. I think you're probably okay if this were Samsung suing Apple for the same reason?
Google upgrades Gmail interface, now less 'drafty'
Hackers deface 'sinful' French Euromillions site
Oh you believers...
"Oh you believers. Wine, games of chance, statues all augur impurity and are the work of the devil."
"Believers." I assume, the majority of those using the website are not believers in that particular religion, so the message doesn't apply to them.
These religious nutters always ruin the party for everyone else. They're like the burned crisp at the bottom of the packet.
iPhone 5 'jailbroken' ... before most fanbois even have it
Re: what’s the point?
>>> Only just. Once benchmark I found in 2 mins on Google says the iPhone 5 beats the S3 with a score of 1601 vs 1588. WOW!
But as I pointed out, "DUAL-core CPU that beats the QUAD-core in the SIII", so the quad-core CPU in the SIII isn't all that it's cracked up to be. The SIII's chip is better because it's quad-core, right? No.
>>> Well fuck me, the S3 has a wide color gamut, but that's a negative thing now? Only an Apple fanboi could achieve such reality distortion.
Conveniently, you skipped over "which leads to distorted and exaggerated colors", and "lower power efficiency of OLEDs and concerns regarding premature OLED aging". Your 'latest tech' isn't so good after all.
>>> I agree that calibration should be available, but a bit of mucking about might give positive results.
You shouldn't *have* to muck about.
>>> As to brightness, who the hell cares. If the iPhone is really "twice" as bright as the S3, then I suggest it's far too fucking bright and maybe they'd like to rethink their battery conservation strategy.
I care, as does anyone else who wants a bright screen that uses less power than the SIII screen at lower brightness. Don't you get it? A brighter screen using less power? Apple have *already* re-thought their battery conservation strategy.
>>> Well your own figures suggest you paid a 25% premium, what did *your* calculator tell *you*?
Launch price £529 vs. £499. That's £30. It's not 25%. If you're going to compare prices at the current time, then yes there is a premium but the tech in the iPhone 5 is NEWER than that of the SIII (released in May), and clearly better.
Re: what’s the point?
"forget the fact you have paid a premium price for slightly behind the latest tech"
Dual core CPU that beats the quad-core in the SIII, 3-core GPU, manually laid out ARM processors (see below), camera that's better than the SIII.
From http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/09/25/teardown_of_apples_a6_processor_finds_1gb_ram_2_cpu_3_gpu_cores
Inside the A6, the most prominent features are the dual ARM cores and the three PowerVR graphics chips. Chipworks found that the ARM processors are laid out manually, which can result in faster processing speeds but is also more expensive and time consuming to develop.
"The manual layout of the ARM processor lends much credence to the rumor that Apple designed a custom processor of the same caliber as the all-new Cortex-A15, and it just might be the only manual layout in a chip to hit the market in several years," iFixit said.
-----
iPhone 5 display vs. Samsung SIII display. From http://www.displaymate.com/Smartphone_ShootOut_2.htm
iPhone 5: It is the Brightest Smartphone we have tested in the Shoot-Out series, it has one of the lowest screen Reflectance values we have ever measured, it has the highest Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light for any Mobile device we have ever tested, and it’s Color Gamut and Factory Calibration are second only to the new iPad.
SIII: The Brightness is about half of the iPhone 5 due to power limits from the lower power efficiency of OLEDs and concerns regarding premature OLED aging. The Color Gamut is not only much larger than the Standard Color Gamut, which leads to distorted and exaggerated colors, but the Color Gamut is quite lopsided, with Green being a lot more saturated than Red or Blue, which adds a Green color caste to many images. Samsung has not bothered to correct or calibrate their display colors to bring them into closer agreement with the Standard sRGB / Rec.709 Color Gamut, so many images appear over saturated and gaudy. Running Time on battery is less than the iPhone 5 due to the lower power efficiency of OLEDs, even given that the Galaxy S III has a much larger battery capacity and much lower Brightness.
-----
Price... iPhone 5 16GB £529. Samsung SIII 16GB £499 at launch, now £422.90 (Amazon).
I really don't think I've paid a premium to get a phone that contains "the latest tech" than the Samsung SIII.
Cook's 'values' memo shows Apple has lost its soul
Re: Oh come on ...
How do you know that for sure? Johnny Ive said recently that they don't design and develop their products for the money.
Samsung were found to have wilfully infringed on a number of patents held (validly) by Apple in the US patent system.
Samsung's lawyers trotted out the same old line about having a monopoly on rectangles with rounded corners, even though they were found NOT to have infringed on it.
Samsung were asked by Apple to license the technology/patents. They refused, and so Apple defended themselves. Samsung would've done the same - and, in fact, did, by claiming that Apple had infringed on some of Samsung's patents.