* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

Fingerprint tech makes ATMs super secure, say banks. Crims: Bring it on, suckers

Mark 85

Re: Rats!

Add to that since rats normally only live about 2+ years, that information has a built in expire date.

Badda-Bing, badda-doom: Microsoft search guru heads up giant's new AI boffinry unit

Mark 85

Re: I Love Big Brother, He is My Friend

Aha.... I was going to ask about this: "democratize AI for every person and organization," but your post puts it all in perspective.

Four US states demand restraining order to stop internet power handover to ICANN

Mark 85

Re: They know what it is and how it works

OK, who told them, or did they crib something from Wikipedia?

That and also "who put them up to this?" and "why only those 4 states"?

Sad reality: Look, no one's going to patch their insecure IoT gear

Mark 85

Re: "non-geeks have shown little interest in the security of their IoT gizmos "

The problem with security is not that non-geeks don't care, it's that manufacturers don't care.

I think the manufacturers do care... they care that truth doesn't get out. If it did, they would either have to do something productive about security or watch the bottom line go to hell.

Pokemon NO! Hospital demands ban on virtual creatures after addicts invade private wards

Mark 85
Devil

Not a bad idea but then it won't be a canyon very long when the bodies start piling up.

Nissan reveals self-driving chair

Mark 85

Re: End of times

Indeed. I'm not sure why the moving chair is even necessary. What's the use case except to give those who are lazy a place to sit. Before I get jumped about the "what about the mobility impaired"? I've seen very few places where seemingly healthy people will stand up and offer a seat to someone with an obvious impairment.

UK will buy 138 F-35s

Mark 85

Part of your Navy's problem is the power plants selected for the carriers. Gas turbines don't do steam very well which needed in quantity for the cats.

Redback sinks fangs into Aussie's todger AGAIN... second time in five months

Mark 85
Coat

Re: Eek...

On the other hand, don't ask them to swallow.

Ok.. I'll go quietly to the time out corner for that.

City of Detroit's IT boss took payola from tech suppliers, now faces jail

Mark 85
Devil

Re: Punishment fits the crime

Flint... and he would have drink the water.

Mark 85

Re: It's the way of the world

I'm wondering why the fine didn't at least match the amount of the bribe. Maybe crime does pay... somewhat?

HP Ink COO: Sorry not sorry we bricked your otherwise totally fine printer cartridges

Mark 85

Corporate Blame Game...

Rather, the HP Ink COO places the blame on the company's handling of the rollout,

So he's in the C-Suite and blames "the company"???? Huh????

Revealed: The true horror of being a big CEO

Mark 85

Re: So that was a "typical" day?

So he didn't hit on the reporter? Or maybe the unnamed staff member was the target of the day? Given his history... I guess I should go check out one of the scandal rags for this info.

Yahoo!’s security shambles

Mark 85

Just another reason Yahoo! became irrelevant. The entire C-Suite ought to do some serious porridge time for all the aggravation they've caused users with the hacks and all the ineptness they shown in everything else they've done.

Elon Musk: I'm gonna turn Mars into a $10bn death-dealing interplanetary gas station

Mark 85

Re: about being mad

Fine, you stay put. For myself, it's the adventure itself. Like moving to a strange place and seeing what happens. I'd like to see something that I've never seen before, even if it will kill me. I'm one of those with a sense of wonder about the universe and this would be a prime opportunity to fulfill that sense. So hell yes. I go in an instant with no regrets no matter the outcome.

Mark 85

Re: Musk seems to be losing it

Hell.... I'd go in an instant also just because. I miight not pass the "age" requirement but it would be glorious. We all will die sometime so why not at least try make a better future?

Oh Snap! How intelligent people make themselves stupid for Snapchat

Mark 85

Re: As good as it gets

Nice paraphrase. You're Jack Nicholson and I demand my 5 pounds unless you're carrying an axe.

That's cold: This is how our boss told us our jobs are at risk, staffers claim

Mark 85

I went through one lay-off (mass firing) where two emails were sent out with different rooms to report to. Yeah... it got nasty and fast.

The other one was the company announced 10% layoffs across the board including upper and middle management. Come the day, our team of 10 (including the manager) meets. Manager stands up and says "everyone rise. Those who still have a job, take a step backwards... not so fast 'Smith'." Two minutes later, another manager walks in with Smith and escorts our manager out and leaves Smith. Our team bailed as quickly as we could find a new job.

Mark 85

Re: When it comes to cold goodbyes...

I never worked at a place that used the pink slip method.

I think it is more verbal shorthand than an actuality.

It is now mostly just a verbal shorthand. But it wasn't too long ago (back when one got a pay envelope with real cash in it) that the pink piece of paper was real. I think most people felt like they had received the "black spot" if they opened the envelope and saw pink.

152k cameras in 990Gbps record-breaking dual DDoS

Mark 85

Re: Good news

It won't bother the lawyers though.

Mark 85

Re: Hands up...

Well.. there's one person here who disagrees with you. I do believe we have another paid shill running amok.

Mark Zuckerberg and the $3bn cash fling: He's not your father's tech kingpin

Mark 85

Re: Fooey

That sounds a lot like a certain wannabee politician I can think of...

On second thought, more than a few politicians and CEO types.

Daesh-bag hacker gets 20 years for harvesting US military kill list

Mark 85

"This case represents the first time we have seen the very real and dangerous national security cyber threat that results from the combination of terrorism and hacking,"

So for these many years of massive data slurping.. this is the first case? Sort of makes me wonder why all the rabid slurping then?*

*Right.. power and control of the masses... but the argument from the gov is about "terror".

Swiss vote for spy powers

Mark 85

Re: Switzerland.

Don't they have to leave the money and go live somewhere else?

Earliest ever recording of computer-generated music is restored

Mark 85

Looks like one needs the Soundcloud app to hear it. Pity that.

Security man Krebs' website DDoS was powered by hacked Internet of Things botnet

Mark 85

Seems that IoT is about to bite itself in the ass... if it hasn't already. Add zilch security to basically solutions looking for problems.

As for the cameras... while necessary for many businesses and home security, the manufacturers just don't give a crap as to who has access to them. Pity... security of the device could be a selling point, in my opinion.

Silicon Valley’s top exorcist rushed off his feet as Demons infest California

Mark 85

Re: This is what happens

My favorite sign from 2nd level support... Picture of a voodoo priest... "Computer fixed. No chickens needed to be killed --- this time."

Yahoo! joins! Adobe! Flash! flush! mob!

Mark 85

Yahoo has a browser?

Who knew. But then again, I don't look at their "content" either.

R2D2 delivery robots to scurry through the streets of San Francisco

Mark 85
Mushroom

@Big John -- Re: The same goes for the Amazon Drones

Not armed, but armoured. and a lot of it. That makes it hard to damage, and hard to move if it doesn't want to go.

Think reactive armor (armour). The armor that gives back if you're too close.

High rear end winds cause F-35A ground engine fire

Mark 85

Wasn't there a Chevy Chase movie with an airplane that had those same faults?

Forgive me, father, for I have used an ad-blocker on news websites...

Mark 85

Re: Numbers...

Why don't they come here and and try the poll?

Would you knowingly walk into an ambush? I don't think so. I don't feel guilty. El Reg is unblocked but my hosts file kills off most of the offensive advertisers. I use this one for starters and add to it if needed: http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/

Most of us have been making the point and been ignored... you want readers... push back on the advertising industry. No shouty, no malware, no autoplay, no screaming music. And.. no fucking tracking.

Yeah.. I suspect the industry does read the comments here but figure we're just a bunch of ungrateful malcontents. I will state proudly that I'm an ungrateful malcontent. Bite me ad agencies.

Terry Jones has dementia

Mark 85

I'm saddened by this. More than saddened as I've known a few people who have had this.

UK copyright troll weeps, starts 20-week stretch in the cooler for beating up Uber driver

Mark 85

Re: Sounds like a complete prick

Considering his line of work, lack of any remorse and general attitude... yeah a prick, a bully, a weasel.

Judge makes minor tweaks to sex ban IT man's order

Mark 85
WTF?

Re: Still no pity

WTF? Are you a bible belt Repub from the States? You sure do sound like a few that I've met.

Mark 85
Trollface

Maybe the simplest solution is to just issue every order to every person as soon as they are born? Maybe include some blank forms for orders to be filled in at a later date when someone thinks of one that 's been missed?

Cosmology is safe and the Universe is one giant version of the Barbican

Mark 85

Re: "...the universe is probably directionless."

No need for roads then we're going?

Mark 85

Re: life in the matrix

Methinks someone at the BBC has been reading too much SF from the 50's......

Report: NSA hushed up zero-day spyware tool losses for three years

Mark 85

Re: It monitored the world's internet traffic to try and catch sight of the tools...

And what did they do after lunch...

Either had a meeting or took a nap?

If we can't fix this printer tonight, the bank's core app will stop working

Mark 85

Re: Yawn LDS

Squid? It's hell when the clay on the tablet dries out before the scribe can put a stylus to it.

US Homeland Security launches IoT willy-waving campaign

Mark 85

With all these "experts" trying to come with plans for secure computing, we just know there will be no agreements from any of them on anything. They'll spend millions of tax dollars and each will come up with it's own plan and requirements and IT will basically either have to incorporate all of them or be fined. I'm thinking if and when this all over, IT will be between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Not enough personality: Google Now becomes Google Not Anymore

Mark 85

Re: A childhood? WTF!

Yeah.. childhood. I guess they think we need to have a bonding and a relationship with products these days. Sort of harkens back to some advertisers having the human in the commercial hug a product while moaning "I love you" only more sinister in that it's recording your reaction.

Man accused of $180k ass-based gold smuggling scam awaits verdict

Mark 85

Re: Midas touch...

And you certainly wouldn't want to bite it to see if it's real, either.

Behold the fruit of your techie utopia: A $43 San Francisco fog-infused martini

Mark 85

Re: Never been

It was a fun city and interesting back in the late 60's and early 70's. Now... you couldn't pay me enought to visit it.

Game over: IANA power-grab block pulled from Congress funding bill

Mark 85

There really, really should be something in place to deal with what can only be deliberate lies and manipulation of facts purely for political or personal campaign purposes.

There is... it's called re-election. The voters should recall him or vote him out but that probably won't happen. Once in office, it's damn hard to boot the incumbent out even with a highly qualified challenger running against them. Pretty sad, isn't it?

2 in 3 Millennials block ads

Mark 85

Sooner or later, the ad industry will have to clean themselves up. Blocking you because you use an malware/annoyance condom is a problem that needs to be sorted out between the websites and the advertising people. If they as a group don't sort this out, a lot of websites will just not get any traffic and die.

The blame isn't with us users/readers, it's with the industry.

TV industry gets its own 'dieselgate' over 'leccy consumption tests

Mark 85
Flame

Stop it... just stop it!!!!

Stop the mindless adding of "-gate" to every stinking scandal or cover-up. El Reg, you're better than the mass media that feeds the rest. Take a stand and drop the "-gate".

Zuckerberg to spend $3bn+ to rid world of all disease by 2100 (Starting with Facebook, right?)

Mark 85

Re: Sofosbuvir?

Well put, David. This drug is just the tip of the iceberg in quest for profits among big pharma. Most have basically shut down their research and go looking for startups with the next big profit maker. Since government and insurance are paying for these meds, there's nothing in the mindset of the average patient to insist on lower prices as it's paid for by someone else's money... or so they think.

Corporates and their major stockholders have no shame, no ethics. Pretty sad world we're in.

Mark 85

Gates and Zuckerberg to save humanity. Gag me with a warm puppy, please. I'm believing this is just a nice feel good thing for them to atone for their greediness.

Maybe I'm being too harsh as Gates has done some good work on the malaria problem....