Posts by TheTor

1Gbps, 4K streaming, buffering a thing of the past – but do Brits really even want full fibre?

Re: Surveillance, command and control??

What if you have more than one person in the house wanting to watch different things?

Chrome's default-on ad blocker – which doesn't block adverts on 99% of websites – goes global

Re: piHole config files ?

https://firebog.net/

Go for the ticked lists (https://v.firebog.net/hosts/lists.php) if you want minimal disruption.

https://blocklist.site/app/ for some others.

Not cool, man: Dixons spanked over discount on luxury 'smart' fridge with wildly fluctuating price

Re: 4k for a fridge?

Aah, so you're a waffle man!

Introducing 'Happy Quit', where Chinese smokers are text-spammed into nicotine abstinence

Re: Not much to brag about

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/

We (may) now know the real reason for that IBM takeover. A distraction for Red Hat to axe KDE

Re: KDE is really good now

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

That's why a bear can rest at ease

With just the bare necessities of life

5.1 update sends Apple's Watch 4 bling spinning into an Infinite Loop of reboot cycles

Re: Analogue?

<snip>nobody wants to have to remember to charge yet another device every night. That, and the fact that for all the marketing they're still more cumbersome and clunky-looking than a traditional watch.</snip>

That depends. Most people think my Fossil Q Explorist is a traditional watch until I tap the screen to wake it up. And I tend to take my watch off at night anyway, so popping it onto a dock by my bed takes no effort at all. Battery lasts 2 days, so not a problem if I forget one night. They have moved on quite a bit from the first generation watches problems, you should take another look...

Google cracks down on dodgy tech support ads

Re: Ad-block?

https://www.foaas.com/

That is all.

It liiives! Sorta. Gentle azure glow of Windows XP clocked in Tesco's self-checkouts, no less

Re: Bag for life.

At Tesco (not sure about the others), if you press the "Request subtotal" button, you can take whatever you put on the scales off without it complaining. Fill one bag, press the button, take bag off scale, and continue with the second bag.

Worked that one out when I had a bunch of stuff that wouldn't all fit on at the same time.

How evil JavaScript helps attackers tag possible victims – and gives away their intent

Re: What if you don't allow JS at all?

"and their clueless "developers" require so damned much scripting via so many different CDN servers (_AND_ google metrics shhhtuff) that it's pathetic"

Firstly, you would be complaining that the page takes too long to load all those assets from halfway around the globe if "developers" weren't so "clueless".

Secondly - do you really think its the devs that want to put all that "google metrics shhhtuff" on the page?

Chinese web giant finds Windows zero-day, stays schtum on specifics

was? Still is - mines still in use every day. Built like tanks...

Apple's magical quality engineering strikes again: You may want to hold off that macOS High Sierra update...

Re: countless issues

[quote]Why do you have any web browsers on machines you claim are "on their very own little network, locked away from the outside world"?[/quote}

To render HTML documents? They don't have to exist on the internet you know!

(Yes, I know, a minor use case, but possible. A number of software installs give help docs in HTML format).

Jeff Bezos purple prose reveals Amazon Prime's passed 100m customers

Re: 99m, 999 thousand, 999 now

Are you actually buying items marked 'Prime' though? Dont forget, not all products are fulfilled by Amazon. The ones that do, arrive on time (if not early) every single time.

Microsoft's Windows 10 Workstation adds killer feature: No Candy Crush

Re: Consumer refers to who's paying

Actually, you still can - although officially ended, the upgrade tool still works, and issues valid licences (assuming the previous version is properly licensed too - although using Daz loader works). I actually upgraded a Windows 7 VM three days ago without a hitch...

http://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

Engineer named Jason told to re-write the calendar

Re: Not IT related, but on topic ...

Or a glass hammer. Oh, and some tartan paint. And an AC battery.

Abolish the Telly Tax? Fat chance, say MPs at non-binding debate

Re: Threatogram received from Crapita today

Some things are deemed to be in the national interest. And, strictly, paying the TV license is not "paying for the BBC", it's paying for the privilege of watching TV. You don't have to watch TV if you don't want, so you don't have to pay for a TV license. Just like you don't need to have a car, so don't have to pay road fund license.

No it isn't. Its for watching live broadcasts (or any beeb content) on any device. I can watch dvds, netflix, et all, on my TV completely licence free.

Amazon Key door-entry flaw: No easy fix to stop rogue couriers burgling your place unseen

Re: This implementation stretches the bounds of stupid

There will probably be a market for ugly cages people can bolt onto their front doors to achieve this effect.

I think they are called 'porches'...

UK.gov not quite done with e-cigs, announces launch of new inquiry

I don't however believe anyone should be encouraged towards nicotine addiction

Thats the thing though - there isnt any definitive proof nicotine alone is addictive. In a cocktail of other carcinogens found in tobacco, yes. With just glycerin, we aren't sure.

That might be a more useful study...

Cigarette addiction is more that just nicotine - the inhale/exhale, hand to mouth movement, after eating habit etc - vaping satisfies all those without the cancerous chemical cocktail in traditional cigarettes.

The British government's Science and Technology Committee has launched an inquiry into the impact of e-cigarettes on health, along with regulations guiding their use, and the financial implications on business and the NHS.

And we get to the crux of the matter...

BBC Telly Tax petition given new Parliament debate date

Re: If you have issues with the Telly Tax...

"A TV Licence is a legal permission to install or use television receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, and to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer. This could be on any device, including TVs, desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, games consoles, digital boxes, DVD, Blu-ray and VHS recorders. This applies regardless of which television channels a person receives or how those channels are received. The licence fee is not a payment for BBC services (or any other television service), although licence fee revenue is used to fund the BBC."

Highlighted the important bits. Its not for using a TV, its to watch live TV, and live streamed content. Not non-BBC on demand content.

"It is an offence to watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on any channel and on any broadcast platform (terrestrial, satellite, cable and the internet) or download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer without a valid TV Licence."

Energy firm slapped with £50k fine for making 1.5 million nuisance calls

Re: I miss the good old days.

FYI, you can register your mobile number with the TPS too...

Vaping ads flout EU rules, even if to promote healthier lifestyles

Re: opponents are using guerrilla tactics

Going by some of the comments on past el Reg articles discussing vaping, a disturbing amount of the general public are very uneducated regarding its health benefits over tobacco products. I've had people stop me in the street, on more than one occasion and tell me I would be better off healthwise smoking actual cigarettes!

There are people out there that would rather see all vapers and smokers alike banned outright...

TfL, WTH is my bus? London, UK, looks up from its mobile

Even with the app, times listed are optional

I live in London, two stops away from the last stop on my particular route. Using the TFL website, I regularly see 'due in 5 minutes'. 10 minutes later, it still says 'Due in 5 minutes' as the driver for whatever reason still hasn't left yet.

I've also had occasions when it would say it was 5 minutes away (usually when it's absolutely bloody freezing!), only for nothing to turn up and 5 minutes later re-checking only to find that 5 minutes turned to 15 (as though they stopped short and turned it around, and the next one is now on the list instead).

Even with live tracking, it still only tells you how long it should take to get there from where it currently is, not how long it will take to get there...

Wanna write a Cloudflare app? No? Would $100m change your mind?

Re: I'm sure CloudFlare serves a purpose. Somehow.

https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/200172656-Does-Cloudflare-have-bandwidth-limits-or-charge-for-bandwidth-

Cloudflare don't charge for bandwidth. That in itself can be a huge cost saving...

If your servers go down, they keep serving your content until it's back up.

Because they take the majority of the load, you can reduce the amount of in house infrastructure needed to serve your content.

All for free.

Even without the added goodness of their web application firewall (paid plans only though), they are well worth the effort to set up and use.

Amazon granted patent to put parachutes inside shipping labels

Re: SOE

https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B008JELLCA/

Re: "Get couriers to deliver to a nominated supermarket"

DPD suck balls though.

"Hi, we are going to deliver your package on a day we know you wont be there. Re-arrange delivery through our website if you arent going to be available, or pick a nominated safe place, etc".

OK, let's log on to their website and pick the 'leave in a safe place - enclosed front porch' option.

At work the next day, receive a text message - 'We attempted to deliver today, but no one was available to accept the package'...

OK. Perhaps the delivery guy didn't read the instructions too closely, so let just save trouble and rearrange delivery to my local pickup stop - a newsagents just down the road. Confirmation text message received the next morning that my package would be delivered according to my preferences later that day. While at work, I receive another text saying my package wouldn't be delivered to my pickup location, as the item was 'unsuitable' for store delivery and would be delivered to my home address (which of course meant I wouldn't be there yet again).

OK, let's log on yet again and pick the 'deliver to a neighbour' option.

On the way home the next evening, after not receiving any more messages, decided to check the tracking. Apparently the item was 'picked up from the depot' (on the far side of London) from someone called 'DISPOSED EMPTY'. Apparently they considered their job adequately complete at that point.

The item in question? a £2 fidget spinner (not for me I might add!) that could have fit through my letterbox, that didn't even require a signature...

It's just 'Pro' now, guys: Microsoft gives Surface a subtle resurfacing

Re: Wont even give me a free pen...

Only if your'e over 50!

Hi! I’m Foxy! It looks like you want to run Flash. Do you need help?

Re: NoScript: already solved

Check out Web Developer (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/web-developer/bfbameneiokkgbdmiekhjnmfkcnldhhm).

A bit overkill but can block javascript, cookies, plugins, popups, cookies, styles, form validation... pretty much everything.

The real battle of Android's future – who controls the updates

Re: "no marathoning at the back"

/snicker

The UK's Investigatory Powers Act allows the State to tell lies in court

Re: Welcome to 1984

Theresa, if you read this:

1984 was a warning ffs, not a playbook!

Sorry Nanny, e-cigs have 'no serious side-effects' – researchers

Re: Addiction: yup

http://www.ecblendflavors.com/bacon-eliquid-flavor/

You call it 'hacking.' I call it 'investigation'

@Novex

Santander online banking does, dunno about others. When you register, you pick a phrase, and picture that they show to you each time you login (after entering your personal customerId, before entering your username/password).

Osborne on Leave limbo: Travel and trade stay unchanged

Re: Growing Sense of bereavement..

[quote]Brussels has done stuff like protect all of us from 90 detention, safe harbour failures, privacy invasion on a grand scale from our own government, clean beaches and clean water and many more things like that.[/quote]

Because they treat us better than our own government is no reason to blindly give up on democracy. There is no reason we couldn't elect our own government to work towards, and enact for those very same rights (other than the fact that all of the current lot suck more than an EU mandated vacuum, but that's another kettle of fish).

Remember, we put our current government in power. Our failure to look past which MP would make the best PM based on nothing more than who looks better eating a bacon sandwich is no ones fault but our own.

Africa poses for 7,000 snap mosaic

Extraterrestrial?

Anyone know what the small blue lights in a small line in the middle of the map are?

The case for ethical ad-blocking

Re: Use the hosts file as an ad blocker

Depends how its done.

Nothing stopping the site using an inline script to obfuscate the page, then serve some code via an ad call to decrypt it. Block the ads, you block the code that lets you see the content. Works with all forms of ad blocking too, even at a firewall level, not just ABP/Ghostery etc (and with ABP you can pay to have your adverts whitelisted!).

Also, what's to stop them using reverse proxy rules that make the scripts appear if they are coming from the same domain as the site itself?

There are companies working on ways to serve ads, even with ad blockers enabled, right now.

And this is the way things are going. Ad agencies aren't going to give in easily. Subscriptions will never match advertising revenue.

As much as I hate them too, they aren't going anywhere for some time.

You can always rely on the Ancient Ones to cock things up

Re: There will be blood...

You really need to try violence. Threats sometimes work, but for those really stubborn ones, actual violence is needed.

Came home one night after a long day at work recently, and went to switch on the media PC hooked up to my TV. PC came on, but nothing appeared on the screen.

Spend the next hour checking connections, reseating video cards, swapping out cables, verifying the TV still works, ad nauseum. Finally got to the end of my tether, swore loudly, and kicked it as hard as I could.

Immediately afterwards, I hit the power on button, and BOOM. Working as intended. Hasn't played up once since. They CAN be coerced :)

How Apple's early VR experiments accidentally led to RSS

Re: And still going strong.

Check out Desktop Ticker (no affiliation to myself btw)

http://www.battware.co.uk/desktopticker.htm

Not dependant on a browser, stand alone program, has a nice little customizable rss ticker I can position just about anywhere on my desktop. No icons to click, just headlines scrolling past like those annoying mid program advertisements on American TV, but without being intrusive.

After being unable to find a browser ticker that worked to my needs, this is the best I could find online today. Not sure how I would keep up with the news without it.

Shopping mall CCTV gear commandeered to blast websites offline

Re: Proliferation

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/unsecure

NERDGASM as Apple announces 'special event'

Re: Assuming it's about the watch

Then when are you supposed to charge the bloody thing?

Sorry, chaps! We didn't mean to steamroller legit No-IP users – Microsoft

Re: WTF

To save yourself a bit of hassle in future should something similar happen again, and do the following:

Register your own domain (or use one you already have), and create a sub-domain that is a CNAME to your no-ip/dyndns etc domain. Set the TTL to an hour. That sub-domain is what you give out to your suppliers.

Next time the service goes tits up, simply register with another dynamic DNS provider, update your sub-domain, and within an hour service is restored.

3 million Freesat receivers now out there, and boxes to get YouTube

Re: EPG, SchmeePG

Have you tried sticking a freeview tuner card into a pc, and hooking up to your TV?

I currently use MCE on Windows 7 (and have done for a number of years now, it's actually pretty nice), and a blackgold dvb-t2 card so I can record those HD channels - no problems whatsoever, can add channels in the EPG to a favourites list (and then only show my favourites!). It has series link, recording at a touch of a button (although recording seem to be uncompressed, so can take up a little space) but on the plus side, all I have to do is minimise MCE to have access to a fully functioning PC :)