Posts by jeremy996

High-heeled hacker builds pen-test kit into her skyscraper shoes

I'm impressed. The problem with so much technology is its usefulness depends on someone finding an application a bystander understands. The analysis and solution works rather well; the best spy boots since From Russia with Love.

If SexyCyborg turned up in the computer room at one of my old employers the place would stop completely. The drool would fuse the aircon as well. When I did security testing, the most useful outfit was a brown "cowcoat" over a dark blue three piece suit and a clipboard with half-completed 'official' forms on. (But that was in the days when people used to use a post-it on their screens with login and password).

Mandela memorial. Yup, let's SNAP A SELFIE, say grinning Obama, Cameron

Context (and history) is everything

@ obnoxious Git et al

It will take 50-100 years for the fog of media crap to dissipate around Mandela; he wasn't a saint, but he was hardly the most effective communist/terrorist either. As a communist, he spent their money and used their structure, but he tried to embrace the free market on getting to power, (or at least keep his deputies on the straight and narrow). As a terrorist, there was a serious attempt to avoid civillian casualities and surprisingly little humanitarian impact given the resources they were supposed to be able to draw on. (The Spectator, of all things, has an interesting article on this subject).

South Africa could have been a complete blood bath, with a wholly military violent transfer of power. From my viewpoint, he appears to have been instrumental in achieving a peaceful transition to the current bunch of self-centred, self-serving politicians. Whether he will still have a legacy in 100 years remains to be seen, but I see the hand of a pragmatist who had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve and an ability to use the meager tools at his disposal.

Are biofuels Europe's sh*ttiest idea ever?

Baby steps

I have a Land Rover that runs on Waste Vegetable Oil, WVO, as my very small contribution to not using food crops to make road fuel and to try and leave some dino-diesel in the ground.

You cannot argue with the Chatham House paper in terms of energy use for bio fuels; current policy is truly stupid. Unfortunately, I cannot see EU and national government coming up with better ideas, as they pander to vested interests and the need to get re-elected.