* Posts by Mark 85

12880 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Nov 2012

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Mark 85

Re: A lonely voice pissing in the wind.

There's been a lot before FB... Bebo (I think that's how it was spelled), MySpace, Orkut, and others forgotten by the winds of time. But Zuck thinks he's smarter than those others. We'll see.......

What next for the F-35 after Turkey's threats to turn its back on NATO?

Mark 85

Re: Failed coup?

He seems to be playing both ends against each other. Selling oil for one side, providing bases, etc. for the other. If does it well, he might just survive... but it is a very dangerous game for him to play.

Mark 85

Re: "The whole F-35 reminds me of a kickstarter campaign."

You have to admit it's fairly innovative.

No.. it's not. Consider bankers, stock brokers, and bookies...

'I found the intern curled up on the data centre floor moaning'

Mark 85

This definitely falls under the FM* Option.

*Freakin' Magic

Business users force Microsoft to back off Windows 10 PC kill plan

Mark 85

So they're backing down on the Enterprise version while still kicking the "home" users. It's beginning to look like that MS wants all the home users to go use someone else's operating system while getting the money from the Enterprise.

Boffins' blur-busting face recognition can ID you with one bad photo

Mark 85

Re: Amazing

If not than the burka becomes a fashion statement.

Hilton hotels' email so much like phishing it fooled its own techies

Mark 85

Re: Purchase order systems can be just as bad

Emphasise the reasons you are asking this and request that they try not to look like scammers in the future, then hang up and use a few expletives and then hang up..

FTFY

Julian AssangeTM to meet investigators in London

Mark 85
Trollface

To be fair, the donkey was only there because of confusion over a request for "a piece of ass".

Then wouldn't it be just "part of a donkey" and not the whole thing?

Cyber-crime cost calculation studies are rubbish: ENISA

Mark 85

Re: Mistaken approach

It's possible also that companies that get hit inflate the "damage" to their insurance companies. I've seen it happen with physical plant/office damage so why not cyber-damage?

Italian MP threatens parents forcing veggie diets on kids with jail

Mark 85
Pint

Re: Criminal offence to impose a diet lacking in essential elements ?

I'd imagine there are worse things than missing some vitamins (that can easily be supplemented) from a "proper" diet.

Who's version of "proper"? Your version, my version, any one of the commentards who posts here? Doctors with agendas? Celebrities who haven't a clue but truly believe in Dr. XYZ's diet? Any of a dozen con artists out there on the 'Net who offer dietary information and their product to give what you're not getting?

Meh.... beer o'clock here.. fulfills the requirement for the "grains" part of my diet.

#Censusfail Australia: Not an attack, data safe, no heads to roll

Mark 85

Re: No,No,No

So... it either was a DDOS attack or a DDOS non-attack? I thought by it's very nature, DDOS is an attack. I got to find a new dictionary for this....

Apple says banks can't touch iPhone NFC without harming security

Mark 85
Meh

Re: The Garden Walls Keep Me Out Anyway

I assume you don't work in any kind of I.T role in your daily duties if you have no smartphone.

Many of us don't. We carry the damn cell because of "support 24/7". Texting, payments, email by phone and all the rest of the stuff isn't needed. Before I retired, I did enough with IT stuff that I didn't want to take it home with me. Meh.....

Mark 85

Re: Nice of Apple to look after their customer's secruity so well

I can see it being for both, actually. Security for users/customers is slowly becoming a big deal as the media starts to pick up on breaches, etc. Apple seems to have taken a stand on this and their walled-garden on the surface appears to be working. In return.. Danegeld.

Google Chrome will beat Flash to death with a shovel: Why... won't... you... just... die!

Mark 85

Re: Why wait until December?

Why wait? Google's big revenue is ads. Way too many ads use Flash... so they need to let the advertising agencies switch. Follow the money...

Revealed: How a weather forecast in 1967 stopped nuclear war

Mark 85

It's very possible, especially if one believes the reports that a certain Presidential candidate argued with security advisors about "why can't we nuke them?".

London's Met Police has missed the Windows XP escape deadline

Mark 85
Big Brother

Re: Government investment in the Police

Then we're all going on a list for reading about this....

'Alien megastructure' Tabby's Star: Light is definitely dimming

Mark 85
Alien

Or maybe someone is playing with the dimmer on the light switch?

'Clock Bomb Kid' family sues

Mark 85

@James O'Shea

Ahmed's family, who have since moved out of the country to continue his schooling

Article says they moved out of the country.

Mark 85

I'm betting there's a few lawyers who really pushed for this lawsuit. Since they moved out of the country, this smells very fishy...

Brit network O2 hands out free Windows virus with USB pens

Mark 85

Re: I wonder

Now, go and find a nurse, and tell them you've forgotten to take your medication again.

Maybe no need to. Could be someone from Sony Marketing....

Power cut crashes Delta's worldwide flight update systems

Mark 85

Re: Single point of failure

Worked a privately owned company where the owner decided that the backup generator hadn't been needed in years, so he had it moved and connected to his house. I'll leave to the reader to visualize what happened 6 months later when the power failed at the plant/office. Two months later, we were getting new dual UPS's and two diesel generators.

Mark 85

Re: Leap Seconds

But.. but...but... the users are the testers.

More VW cheatware 'found'

Mark 85

I read it as from "start-up" (i.e. key start). Most emissions tests I've been through in 4 states over the years have you turn off the engine until the test equipment is connected. Then again, State test only take a few minutes. Maybe this is the EPA test that's 20 minutes long?

Thermostat ransomware

Mark 85

I would think A/C... Set it way down. A/C's are usually pure electric (or a heat pump but still electric) where as heat is often gas. Depends on the country, I guess.

Mark 85
Devil

Re: Oh FFS

One day... in a galaxy far, far, away and far, far, in the future. Maybe.

Walmart buys Jet.com

Mark 85

Most curious... $3 Billion? For a one-and-half year old company? I realize the stock has been slipping but still.. $3 Billion?

PCs’ PCs pwned: Irish cops probe mystery malware attack

Mark 85

Re: What's this Pen thing from O2....

Nicely done..... upvotes and for the oblique reference: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/08/o2_sent_customers_a_windows_virus_on_usb_pens/

Breaking 350 million: What's next for Windows 10?

Mark 85

Re: Windows 10 a hopeless muddle

The acceptable amount of ads in an OS is ABSO-FUCKING-LUTLY none whatsoever.

This is dead on. But I'd like to add... no telemetry to "personalize my experience". No apps/programs that I can't remove permanently. No borking of the computer because of an "update". I want it just work quietly in the background so I can do my work....

.security .TLD .launches

Mark 85
Pirate

I wonder how soon the scammers and malware slingers will move in? Perhaps "MicrosoftTechSupportYouHaveAVirus.protection" will magically appear so we don't get phone calls...?

Ok.. but seriously.. what assurance is there that anything there will be legit?

China's moon rover dies of extreme old age, after two-and-a-half years

Mark 85
Pint

done in by unexpected extremes in the Lunar climate

They didn't get the NASA and Russian data then on the temperatures, etc.? Or didn't believe it?

Still, they get a well done for landing it and get some science back for 2-1/2 years.. more or less. I hope the government feels the scientists are entitled to a beer...

US Politicians tell DEF CON it'll take Congress ages to sort out how to regulate crypto

Mark 85

Re: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

It's an oxymoron much like Congressional Ethics.

Mark 85

@nematoad -- Re: Trust!

Amen to that. What's wrong with having a bit of anarchy in you? Oh wait.. you won't follow orders, show your papers, and salute properly. Or maybe it's cheer with sufficient exuberance during speeches....

Sorry, I didn't spend 4 years in the Marines and time in a combat zone to willingly give up my rights, nor to let others give up theirs. I agree with Hurd, that law enforcement really needs to focus on the actual investigation standards. Not some pie in the sky magic wand of watching everyone and everything. If government can get to the actual data, so can the bad guys.

Privacy warriors drag GCHQ into Euro human rights court over blanket spying, hacking

Mark 85

@Rich 11 -- Simple Absolute Answers

Your last paragraph sums politics (and currently the US Presidental race) succinctly. I'm not sure that politicos even realize that they fall prey to this with pondering legislation. Answers.. easy, simple, fast. No thinking required but someone will be blamed for being evil.

AdBlock Plus blocked in China: 159m forbidden from stripping adverts

Mark 85
Coat

Re: Cats and bags

Oh... Windows 10 it is then.

Render crashing PCs back to their component silicon: They deserve it

Mark 85

I go a bit further... I tell the computer that if doesn't stop acting up, I'll turn it into a boat anchor. I then show it a picture of a very deep lake. They usually get the message as I only have to tell them once.

The developer died 14 years ago, here's a print out of his source code

Mark 85

Re: How?

Easy... someone has the company checkbook.

New York jerks face $25K fines for hassling ex with fake caller IDs

Mark 85

Re: CallerIDFaker.com

There's a section covering this in the TCPA.

TL;DR: It's illegal to spoof a number on a sales call.

It's also illegal to set up robocalls for sales pitches. And then there's the "Do Not Call" list. Having a law is one thing, enforcing it, is something else.

Mark 85

FCC?

I would have expected the local cops to be involved since harassment is a crime in most districts or at the very least a violation of a restraining order.

Very peed off: Ohio urologists stay zipped after embarrassing leak

Mark 85

I do believe that it's time for a change... apologies by CEO's with the statement "we take your privacy seriously" should be followed publically by said CEO falling on his sword.. in public.

Ok, more seriously... there needs to be something (law? penalty?) that hits the C-suite types and the board hard when there's a breach. Something that says "lip service and weasel words aren't enough".

California to put all your power-hungry PCs on a low carb(on) diet

Mark 85

Re: I wonder what they're planning to break

These bureaucrats are barking up the wrong tree. Cloud computing is the 900 pound energy hog.

Just consider for a moment, which cloudy, tech companies are based in California... and which ones of those do some serious lobbying. A possible connection?

Londoner jailed after refusing to unlock his mobile phones

Mark 85

Re: Sooner or later...

There is no God given or legal right to refuse access to mobile devices, PCs, etc. even though the crims and clueless try to promote coverage under privacy rights.

Ok... now go over on one of the Windows 10 topics and say that.....

Mark 85

Re: Petty crime

That's pretty sad, isn't it? Even if one is "innocent", it plays into the "if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear" crowd. Once everyone is convinced, it won't stop there.

West country cops ponder appearance of 40 dead pigeons on A35

Mark 85

Re: OCD Puma?

Ah... it was badgers.

Top infosec top bods praise and damn in Pwnie Awards

Mark 85
Coat

Hmm.. the cynic in me wonders why MS doesn't get an award for porous operating systems that keep the security folks gainfully employed.

Mines the one with the downvotes from the MS fanbois.

Perlan 2: The glider that will slip the surly bonds of Earth – and touch the edge of space

Mark 85

Re: @Unep Eurobats "The quote rang a bell but I don't think I've ever read the full poem."

One of my favorite poems and very appropriate. I'm also pleased that someone beat me to posting it. I

suspect we have someone around here who is so techy they don't get it. Wish there more upvotes to give.

Microsoft adds new 'Enterprise Products' section to privacy policy

Mark 85
Mushroom

so that Microsoft can “collect your Microsoft Edge search queries and full browsing history associated with your user ID to personalize your experience.”

Now why the hell would I want my "experience" personalized? I just want to use the damn computer and do the things that I want. I don't need a personal experience or relationship with it. It's tool... a machine, not a person. Eat s**t and die MS.(1) Win 10 will never see the light of day or the dark of night on one of my machines.

And no, I don't want you peeking in my data, bugging my friends, or generally fiddling with my equipment.

Time for some e-mail filters, perhaps? See icon... it's a better solution. (2)

And lest the Penguin Brigade come forth to preach to me, I'm working on it.

(1) This also applies to any other bit of software or company that insists on "personalizing my experience". Wankers..... Now get the f**k off my lawn.

** See (1)... apply as applicable.

Simply not credible: The extraordinary verdict against the body that hopes to run the internet

Mark 85

Re: @Mark85 You can't buy Congress!

Rent? And here all along I thought we had the best politicians money could buy.

Mark 85

Well...Congress seems divided. Some what it to go, other say "stay". They've already decided no money is to be spent by government agencies on the separation from the government. They've been warned about this a lot, yet Congress chooses ignore it and send ICANN out on it's own. Why it's almost as if someone lobbied or bought Congress for this particular affair.

$67M in bitcoin stolen as hacking typhoon lashes Hong Kong's Bitfinex

Mark 85

@jeremy 3 -- Re: wow... el reg really is visited by only old cynical IT hacks

How about that we've been around the block more than once and have seen the scams, the vaporware, the false promises, the bullshit.. ad infinitum ad nauseam?

We're old, we're jaded, we have our scars. Someday.. you'll be just like us.

Mark 85

@FuzzyWuzzys

the banks and governments maintain gold reserves and investments to ensure the currency can be backed up should something fail.

That's pretty limited as it's protection for themselves. We "little people" will be fending ourselves as will most corporations until things get sorted out.