Posts by oiseau 1153 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Feb 2013
VAT is a regressive tax because it taxes rich and poor for the same amount ...
Indeed ...
And the rich usualy have a way (through their business or companies) to recover all or most of the VAT they pay as they also charge/apply VAT on their businesses' invoices/billing.
O.
Shocked, I tell you. This is all news to me. Cable companies and telcos engaging in consumer-hostile behavior, gerrymandering the service maps and using regulatory capture ...
You don't know the half of it.
This behaviour from cable companies and telcos is common all over the world.
Most (if not all) of the time because they have politicians and regulators, when not amongst their shareholders, deep inside their pockets.
The FCC/Ajit Pai combo is a perfect example.
It is shocking.
But not news.
O.
"Quite a lot."
And you know that to be an actual fact?
Is it up to just the people involved with the Hayabusa2 probe or are there international bodies collaborating/overseeing the process/protocols? ie: peer review
I have read nothing about that and I do find it rather worrying.
"... last thing they want is for the sample to get contaminated ..."
I think you've missed the point I wanted to make.
My fault probably because I was not clear enough.
"Anything on the outside is going to get quite hot ..."
I'm not referring to the sample getting contaminated by us.
I'm referring to the sample contaminating us.
ie: We don't know exactly what constitutes (besides asteriod dust) the sample that they are bringing back to earth and what it may (or may not) bring along with it.
O.
There's a film made in 2017 by Daniel Espinosa called "Life" .
Well made although bit far fetched in some aspects but downright scary in others.
Since it was announced, this Hayabusa2 mission has kept me wondering about just how much thought, peer review and control is actually going into the handling of whatever will be brought back to Earth from the surface of a rock that has been hurtling through space for eons.
For what we know (not much nothing really), it could well end up being more than just asteriod sand.
O.
... how will we know we have installed a new OS and not have an underlying boot loader telling us there are no invisible partitions, no hidden processing cores watching our every keystroke, no trojans bypassing our firewall ...
Hmm ...
Probably the very same way we knew about the Intel Management Engine (ME), that autonomous subsystem incorporated by Intel in most if not all their chipsets since 2008.
Yes, that one.
The one you that runs without your knowledge even with the PC shut down and which you cannot turn off or remove without terminally bricking your rig.
O.
Close, ...
Nice try but no.
It's as close as possible with respect to the article, which did not refer to anything but the late 2000s.
The 2000s run a range that goes from the first one of the series (2000) to the last one (2099), after which they become something else. ie: 2100s.
The OP did not make reference to anything in between 2000 and 2099. 8^P.
So, late 2000s is that, late 2000s.
Cheers,
O.
... if you expect a company to cancel a direct debit for you.
I see this is a worldwide thing, evidently not limited to what are these days called first world countries.
Where I live it is one of the main complaints customers have.
When I was but a child and living in the US, my father puchased a car from a Ford dealer, an ugly beige two door Falcon with financing directly from the company.
I cannot recall the price but it was a relatively small amount up-front and something like 36 installments of $66.66. (late 60's)
A wife, four children and a dog meant money was always short and I recall his being very happy when he finally paid the last $66.66.
Nevertheless, the billing for the $66.66 continued to arrive at our mailbox, so for the first two or three months he called Ford's credit office and everytime they said it was OK and the problem was solved.
The billing stopped but was replaced with overdue payment notices and after that, polite letters demanding payment or legal action.
This went on for about a year or so and I recall my father actually being refused financing for something we needed from Sears thanks to this.
Eventually, when confronted by xerox copies of all the cancelled checks personally presented by my father at some office in downtown DC, whoever was responsible for billing or whatever finally managed to solve the issue.
It's not the same as direct debit was unheard of at the time, but it shows there's really nothing new under the sun.
O.
... you'll have to buy a PSU for the Raspberry Pi ...
You'll have a hard time finding an OEM phone charger that gives you the solid 5V@2.0A/2.5A needed to run a RPi with something plugged in.
Most if not all phone chargers these days are designed to charge Li-Ion batteries and this happens without issues even if the voltage drops considerably below the nominal charger output voltage, even as low as 4.5V, which is well below the minimum voltage a RPi needs to boot properly ie: 4.8V.
O.
... which gives you a clue to the potential benefits of offering them separately.
Of course.
How could they possibly miss the opportunity of gouging their customers just a bit more.
Not to mention the fine print/legalese that will appear somewhere saying that whatever happens to a phone not charged/used with their charger is, unfortunately, not covered by the warranty.
Wonders never cease ...
O.
I'd never use my phone for payments or banking ...
Finally. =-D
Thanks you for saying that.
I've been saying the very same thing since this NFC thing came on and been endlessly made fun of as being backward. Because, you know, new and shiny is good and ah so convenient.
Well, not for me.
Electronic wallet my ass.
O.
... make people behave anti-socially.
... left on the pavement ...
... block parts of the pavement ...
... drive them on the pavement ...
What you describe is exactly what has happened in my home city, more than 4.000 km. south of the ecuator.
These contraptions are the bane of pedestrians and should not be allowed.
Fortunately they are becoming less and less visible these days.
... don't see many benefits ...
That's because there are no benefits to be had.
Save for the pockets of the city authorities in bed with the owners of the rental company.
O.
... but then they go and layer a shower of shit called systemd on top of it ...
Quite so ...
But that's Debian and that Poettering DH's take on what the init system should be like ie: an abominable piece of steaming crap.
Inexplicably, quite a few distributions have followed suit even though it flies in the face of the Unix philosophy of 'doing one thing and doing it well'.
It is not part of Linux (the kernel).
O.
Sounds like a good idea!
Cool?
Good idea?
You're either joking or just didn't notice when your mates spiked your ale.
Fortunately, I'm not running a server or have responsibility for maintaning one.
But if I were I would not let any MS software crap near it.
Not if Hades froze over.
Twice.
Good idea indeed ...
Sure.
O.
“Kristian Fiskerstrand has done a stellar job maintaining the pool for more than ten years, but ..."
It seems that, for whatever reason, he's really not up to the task anymore.
It's quite obviously his prerogative to stay or leave if he does not want to continue doing what he has done quite well up to now.
He's absolutely under no obligation to keep doing it.
But to leave the helm unmanned without someone to replace him or at the very least send notice to those that depend on his being there is as irresponsible as it can possibly get: kind of flushes ten years of stellar work down the loo.
Clearly more than enough reason to look for a suitable replacement.
ASAP.
O.
"All those 'free' services ...
Indeed ...
Because if the service is free, it's just that you are the product.
But people out there (99.99% of them) think all this crap is so cool and convenient.
No one understands what it is all about and I fear it is already too late.
We are doomed.
O.
... issue arises if you later wish to claim warranty service ...
Then they should print that in big bold lettering on the first page of their warranty:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using other than our brand of [whatever] voids this warranty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But it is not done (or the fine print is illegible) because it scares potential buyers away.
Still, it wouldn't matter to me because:
1. I wouldn't ever be so dumb as to buy a fridge with custom water filters.
2. If I have't taken it apart, it isn't really mine, so no warranty* to speak of.
O.
* After a few weeks use without issue, obviously.
... said product hacking of this sort is entirely legal, in America at least.
Hmmm ...
Is there any other place in the world where it is not entirely legal?
ie:
Whose goddamned fridge is it anyway?
Or am I actually renting it from GE under some new type of contract?
Maybe I just think it belongs to me but for some strange reason it does not.
Right-to-repair legislation, which aims to ensure consumers have a legal right to repair products ...
It is incredible that right-to-repair legislation would be actually needed in a country where property rights are clearly enshrined in the constitution, to the extent that said rights many (most) times are enforced contrary to and without remedy to public interest.
O.
46 years. Nixon was impeached ... *
I'm citing 231 years of continuous Democratic process with all its institutions intact.
No small feat in the Americas.
O.
* IIRC, Nixon resigned to avoid the final House vote and then the Senate vote, which would have probably impeached him so he decided not to chance it. Republicans in congress are still bleeding from that wound, which (besides most of them being professional assholes) is the main reason for closing ranks behind The Idiot® on every occasion.
End it now.
He has to go.
Hmm ...
Steady now, don't go and ruin a great 231 year streak.
Get ready and come November flood the voting booths with people willing to vote a change instead of staying at home because they can't bother and ignoring the fact that the Electoral College is a clear and present danger.
With all its defects and pitfalls, Democracy is the only way to go.
I know what it is like to live in a country where Democracy, institutions and due process have been trampled on quite a few times, curiously enough (or not) with the concourse and approval of US governments of the time.
Believe me, it is not something you want.
O.
... systemd, is a cancer that needs to be cut out of Linux before it infects enough of the system to kill it permanently.
Thank you ... 8 ^)
I've been saying the very same thing ever since I finally left MS OSs for Linux and after going through quite a few distributions, realised just how much like the Windows registry systemd was.
The registry is nothing but a developer sanctioned virus running inside the OS and Poettering and his crew want to install the same thing running as systemd in Linux.
And while all this is happening, everyone thinks that all this new Microsoft loves Linux is just a happy turn of events.
O.
... they never reciprocated for his time and belief in their platform.
Look at that.
Unheard of.
Tsk, tsk ...
Seriously ...
Who in their right mind would actually expect any sort of reciprocation from MS that did not involve getting fucked over thoroughly?
Twice.
This poor chap actually thought he would get some sort of reward or acknowledgement.
Probably also thinks Santa Claus will make up for it come December.
Now he knows better.
O.
... experience has shown that the public sector does not understand the concept of "value for money" in the slightest. ...
Hmmm ...
Value for money ...
Yes, I've heard of it.
But it depends heavily on who is evaluating, what they are evaluating and basically if they are actually valuating the right things. ie: everything, particularly things cannot be translated into money/dividends.
As things stand, the private sector has clearly shown, at every chance it's had, what their concept of "value for money" is:
The most money for them with the least value for the rest of us.
As such, it is absolutely at odds with the aim of ensuring common good, general welfare and security and the well-being of everyone in the nation.
Clearly a task for the state to undertake.
Examples abound all around the world, not only in the UK.
No need to get into the details.
O.
Incredible ...
The UK insists in handling its affairs to the private sector, whose main and only interest is to make money with the least effort.
Is this is to keep some part of the government bureaucracy running smoothly and efficiently?
Must be a joke.
Let's take, for example (there are many others), a pharmaceutical corporation.
Are they in the business of ensuring the population is and remains healthy?
No.
They are in the business of making money by selling drugs, which may or may not cure different illnesses.
If they actually go into the business of ensuring the population is and remains healthy (and are good at it) they'll make much less money and maybe even go out of business.
This is all utter rubbish and the results of this policy are there for everyone to see: hospitals, NHS, PPP schemes, railoads, public transport, military recruitment, public housing, and so on.
The list is as long as the failures encountered, with a huge cost to the common man.
You cannot put public matters in private hands, it's a recipe for ruin.
O.
The consequences of his period in office could will resonate for generations.
Yes, will resonate.
And it is not at all certain that the US will ever recover from this grotesque spectacle.
Without going into how many millions of people decided not to take the time to go and vote Democrat or voted for unelectable candidates, lets not forget that The Moron® gets away with every single one of the stupid/outrageous things he says/does because the senate majority (reined in by Slime Kings® McConnell and Graham) either applauds and cheers or turns a blind eye.
It is a sad, sad view from outside the US.
I wonder if its citizens can actually see it.
O.
Hello:
... obvious that the company is in the business of gathering data ...
Indeed ...
What they use the data they gather is anyone's guess* but you can be certain that it is not just a fraud prevention exercise.
And if we take into account that what they are doing is very shady if not downright illegal ...
O.
* not really, it's either up for sale or payment on behalf of eBay for the "service" rendered.
Hello:
Not many people are still using an 8 year old ...
I still use my trusty Asus 1000HE 2.0Gb Netbook, puchased used albeit in mint shape in early 2010.
Runs Devuan ascii and always goes with me when I have to travel to the country.
Had an issue with the mobo last year so I got another with a broken screen for ~ $40, did the transplant and was on my way again. Kept the charger and sold the remaining parts, recovering almost $25.
Can't beat that.
When not on the road, it doubles as a host for my coffee roasting software.
O.
"That's just the name of the shop."
Beat me to it.
Congress has been urged to introduce a measure that would require the FBI to get a warrant before agents can review Americans’ internet browsing and search histories.
All this is just pour la galerie.
There will be protests, indignated congresspeople and senators, rights groups, etc.
Ammendments will be passed and pledges made.
But the powers that be will still search your whatevers when they please.
You just won't find out about it till it's too late.
In the end, it will be is up to us to (as far as it is possible) to make the effort to protect ourselves.
O.
... with Google's services inevitably playing an outsized role.
Inevitably?
No, it's your doing.
You (and many millions) have chosen to make it inevitable.
After all ...
It is so convenient!
And so cooooool!
It seems you may have finally come to realise the outsized role Google has in your everyday life, yes?
You're probably a bright chap (after all, you write here), so you've surely grasped that there are consequences to be had from this overbearing presence of Google and it's services in your personal and professional activities.
eg: just how much it will cost you the day Google decides it's presence and all their services are no longer free, cheap or an option: that you have to use them in order to be able to communicate, work, partake in commerce or just plain exist.
No?
I think you should reflect on that.
Because it's coming.
O.
I use none of these. Ever. The Google-Apps on my phone ...
I had a smartphone once, a few years ago.
Being security conscious and new to Android, the first thing I did was read up, root it and install a third party monitoring programme to see what was going on.
Once I realised what the installed/downloaded applications were up to everytime I used one, I decided to get rid of it.
Unfortunately, available options are becoming less and less.
Damn, all I want is a fucking phone, if possible without a camera.
ie: one that works always/everywhere, has a long battery life and if I want to, have email, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a decent/updateable browser and can sync with a decent desktop application (obviously non-MS).
It should also be easily repaired without having to pay through the nose.
But it seems that it is too much to ask these days.
O.
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