Posts by Graham Marsden

Euro report slates wireless comms, recommends smoke and mirrors

It's not that..

... I don't agree with the content of this piece, but frankly it reads like a rant rather than informed opinion. Come on, El Reg, you can do better than this.

Journos 'risk charges' for covering Parliamentary debates

Not missing the point at all!

"A public interest test should be applied when one is planning to step away from the norm."

Oh really? And who decides what this "norm" Is? As I've posted before, I make BDSM equipment but it is *MY* choice to post that, not yours nor anyone else's.

What about someone being gay? If they choose to "out" themselves, that's up to them, but I don't accept that anyone else has the right to do that unless they're preaching from an anti-gay stance.

You say "the rule should be that anyone has the right to publish anything unless it can be shown that it is in the public interest to suppress" and whilst I can agree with that, it's only when that there is actually a public interest benefit in publication.

Revealing details of someone's private life simply to sell newspapers etc is *not* in the public interest because there is no benefit to the public.

@No Sympathy

You say you "can see no merit in the suppression of legitimate news stories due to the embarrassment they may cause whoever it is this week caught with their pants off... (or wearing the wrong pants)" but you miss the difference between "What the Public may be interested in" and "Public Interest (meaning "what is of benefit to the Public")

The media (bless their cotton socks) are, of course, deliberately trying to blur and confuse the distinction because the former is what sells more newspapers/ gets more viewers even though there is no *benefit* to the public other than some salacious tittle-tattle to liven up their breakfasts.

Revealing someone as a hypocrite (eg John Major preaching "family values" whilst he's shagging Edwina Currie on the side) is perfectly legitimate reporting, but stories about "We caught X in bed with Y" is just muck-raking gutter journalism.

@Absurd

Also does BBC Parliament Channel have to put in a time delay with a "CENSOR" button to bleep out any names that might be covered by an injunction...?

Adam Curtis: The Rise of the Machines

"hopefully this particular series will strike a topical chord"

Hopefully it's a bit more interesting than that turgid, pretentious and over-long trailer...

Hollywood to 'retell' Carrie

What added value...?

Not added value, just added sex, violence and gore most likely.

Schmidt explains the Google way to self-erasure

"Better to have industry best practice emerge unimpeded by red tape"

In other words "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" or "we'll go ahead and do what we want until someone eventually passes a law to stop us which we can't ignore or bypass..."

Eight New Yorkers sue Baidu for $16m

Howls...

... of derisive laughter, Bruce!

"the complaint claims violation of the US Constitution. It names Baidu and, unusually, the Chinese government as defendants in the case."

So, typical Yank behaviour thinking that *their* laws apply to the whole world!

Iran accused of hacking nuke inspectors' phones, PCs

Blimey...

... I can actually agree with Matt Bryant on something!

Amazon US offers gift cards, free shipment for your e-junk

@Not sure it'll happen here

AFAIK that's only if they're sold through eg a charity shop, not if it's a private sale.

Supreme Court: DNA database retention regs are unlawful

"The European Court of Human Rights...

"... ruled against this practice in 2008, but current guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) states that chief constables" can tell people to fuck off because the ACPO thinks it knows better than the ECHR and the British Government is probably going to do likewise...

David Davis: Jobless should dig trenches for fat UK pipes

Which part of...

"Building a superfast rural broadband network is largely low-skill" didn't you understand?

Job Centre Drone: So, what qualifications do you have?

Unemployed geek: Well, I can program in Java, C++, Ruby, Python...

Job Centre Drone: Excellent, we have a perfect job for you, digging trenches for Broadband Cables!

Downing Street e-petition site to get new Directgov home

Because...

... it gives the People a forum where they can cry out in the belief that someone, somewhere in Government, will hear their pleas and actually give a shit instead of going ahead and doing whatever they want...

Apple proposes even tinier SIMs for future iPhones, iPads

Please make sure...

... your Irony Detector is switched on before posting...

Dixons to flog off old 'brands' Miranda and Saisho

Perhaps...

... they're hoping that people would have forgotten the sort of cheap plastic junk that Dixons put out under the Saisho label...

Serial hacker TinKode rifles through NASA satellite files

"he is motivated more by intellectual curiosity than mischief"

Doesn't matter. Based on another current story in El Reg, we can expect a Declaration of War imminently!

NHS IT dino-project NPfIT should be killed off - NAO

I'm allergic...

... to being hit by buses!

Perhaps I should have that included on my medical records...?

Hack attacks on US could spark military action

Team America - World (Cyber) Police

Fuck Yeah!!

BMW tests laser-guided car junction buddy

The expression S.M.I.D.S.Y...

... or "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You" will now be replaced by S.M.M.L-G.A.A.S.D.S.Y or "Sorry Mate, My Laser-Guided Accident Avoidance System Didn't See You".

Of course what both still mean is that the idiot behind the wheel didn't bother to make proper observation when pulling out of the junction.

THINK BIKE!

Israeli couple dub sprog 'Like'

A daughter called "Like"

I think that the dad is going to start regretting this when she gets to her teenage years and the number of boys liking Like increases...

Geek.com visitors attacked by DIY exploit kit

Re: Sandbox the web-browser

Ok, on a site called geek.com, users might be expected to understand what Sandboxing is, but for most people the response would be "WTF is Sandboxing? I go to the site in IE I click on stuff, pages come up, what's the problem?"

Teenage duo sentenced over credit card Ghostmarket

@Stiffer sentences required...

The Daily Mail forums are that way ---->

Sun attempts to ID entire FA Cup Final crowd

I think some people...

... need to check the settings on their irony detectors...

Bin Laden's porn stash: Too good to be true?

@"Seems to be a standard smear tactic."

Only because they probably thought they couldn't get people to believe that it was actually kiddy porn...

Up to $650 for a .xxx domain - or to keep your name off one

"apply to have their brands permanently "blocked" in .xxx."

"Nice domain you have here, Squire.

"Be a shame if anything happened to it, know what I mean..."

Peugeot compo cam aids amateur espionage

SECURITY!

Don't Peugeot know that Al Qaeda will be using this to plan attacks!!!

Software pirates should offer up more booty, says BSA

"Industry lobby group" says...

"Software companies should be entitled to bigger damages for the use of copied software."

Well *there's* a surprise now, boys and girls...!

(Where's that Pope/ Bear icon El Reg?!)

Haumea: Mysterious radioactive rugby-ball world

Erm...

... I think you mean "Gray Area" aka "Meatfucker" ;-)

Glass aeroplanes and iPads on the way, say boffins

Erm, ok...

... but I can't see any Pierson's Puppeteers around here right now...

Brazilians slap health warnings on knickers

Ok, so...

... checking yourself or getting checked for cancer is a sensible idea, but sheesh, talk about Passion Killers!

(There again, given the size some of the underwear sold, the warning would have to be printed in a 6 point font otherwise it simply wouldn't fit...!)

How bin Laden thwarted US electronic surveillance

@Jim Booth

Even better, put them in Geocaching sites!

Obviously it's a "dead drop" and the security services can spend ages watching them and then following the people who a) pick them up and b) leave stuff behind...

X-Prize offers $10m for working Trek tricorder

But can it say...

... "He's dead, Jim!"

Scrabble friends Facebook, innit

"if the word was good enough for Jesus"

So is that ancient Aramaic or Latin you're using, then...?

@Alpha Tony

"I play the real rules"

No, you play a set of house rules that you've made up.

@RIP The English Language

Paging James D Nicholl: "The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary."

English constantly grows, adapts and changes. If you want a language that doesn't, try French which has laws to protect it (not that many people pay attention to them)

@Lockwood

"To make it more marketable, Scrabble recently allowed proper nouns and I believe also stage names."

That was only a variant of Scrabble, not the official version of the game which uses the SOWPODS Scrabble Tournament word list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOWPODS

Scammers take advantage of ticket allocation to craft Olympics scams

So you can be ripped off individually...

... by the scammers...

... instead of being ripped of as a country by the last Government pi$$ing away huge amounts of money on a massive vanity project :-(

Police ordered to disclose ANPR camera sites

Cornish terrorism

Have you not heard of the Cornish National Liberation Army aka the Cornish Republican Army?!

This is a radical terrorist organisation with at least *one* member!!!

Facebook pulls plugs on Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile

There can be only one...

... Bitch!

(Icon because it's the one with swords ;-) )

Steven Moffat fumes over Doctor Who plot leak

Re: bloody spoilers

As soon as the credits start to roll I hit the Mute button (or Fast Forward if I've recorded it) and pay no attention until they've ended because of the blatant spoilers that the BBC often stick in.

Now I just have to figure out how to avoid them in articles in the Radio Times...

Apple and Google wriggle on US Senate hot seat

"we submit patent applications for many, many different things...

"...Often they are fairly speculative"

And at other times they're ridiculously speculative or are blatantly obvious or there is clear prior art, all of which *should* stop any such patent from being granted if it wasn't for the fact that the US Patent System is utterly broken and thus open to exploitation by Patent Trolls...!

Bradley Manning now in nicer Army prison

Oh dear, Matt

Even when I quote *YOUR* own words, you keep trying to evade the issue.

Feel free to really get the last word this time because I really can't be bothered to waste any more time on you.

Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Lucky Man

Oh dear, Matt, you are *SO* desperate not to admit you are wrong! I wasn't going to post again, but you've made another claim which I cannot leave to stand without challenge.

Yes I have "admitted" (good word!) that the prosecutors say they "won't seek the death penalty", but again you try to shift the goalposts with an irrelevancy because again I remind you that *YOU* said (I quote once more) "Manning has not been charged with any section of military law that includes a death sentence" and I have shown that UCMJ 104 *does* include a death sentence.

Now, based on what you have said, I have looked and searched and I cannot find anything which confirms your claim that "You have to specifically charged as violating Section 2 of Article 104 to face the death penalty", so please can you post a link that verifies this, because I cannot see how you manage to twist that meaning out of:

* * * * *

104. AIDING THE ENEMY

Any person who--

(1) aids, or attempts to aid, the enemy with arms, ammunition, supplies, money, or other things; or

(2) without proper authority, knowingly harbors or [protects or gives intelligence to or communicates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the enemy, either directly or indirectly;

shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct.

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj2.htm#904.%20ART.%20104.%20AIDING%20THE%20ENEMY

* * * * *

Section 2 of that is not some sort of stand-alone charge, nor does only Section 1 or Section 2 independently specify the potential death penalty, the two sections linked by "or" are clearly intended to be read together and *either* can result in the death penalty, ie "Manning *HAS* been charged with any section of military law that includes a death sentence".

So can you answer this without moving the goalposts again?

Re: RE: Re: RE: Lucky Man

"Nice try, but it was never an automatic death penalty"

Nice try, but completely irrelevant. You said (again I quote your exact words): "Manning has not been charged with any section of military law that includes a death sentence" and you then went on to say: "If you can prove otherwise, please supply a link or other evidence of a charge or warrant issues against Manning that does include the death sentence."

Well, Matt Bryant, I have done exactly that. I have supplied you with a link and other evidence of the precise charge against Manning and cited the exact law which states that such a charge can be punished by a death sentence", but, even having been presented with the proof that you demanded, instead of admitting that you were wrong (heaven forfend!) you immediately start trying to dodge the issue and move the goalposts.

Again I see that it is pointless trying to hold a reasonable argument with you, so feel free once again to have the last word (which will probably include some childish insults) if it makes you feel better. But it won't make you right.

Re: RE: Lucky Man

Quoting Matt Bryant: "Manning HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED with any section of military law that includes a death sentence"

Oh really? Perhaps you had better do a little more research...

* * * * *

CHARGE SHEET

I. PERSONAL DATA

1. NAME OF ACCUSED (Last, First, MI) MANNING, Bradley E. PFC E

10. ADDITIONAL CHARGE I: VIOLATION OF THE UCMJ, ARTICLE 104.

THE SPECIFICATION: In that Private First Class Bradley E. Manning, U.S. Army,

did, at or near Contingency Operating Station Hammer, Iraq, between on or about

1 November 2009 and on or about 27 May 2010, without proper authority,

knowingly give intelligence to the enemy, through indirect means.

http://nigelparry.com/enginefiles/uploads/20110302-manning.pdf

* * * * *

Article 104—Aiding the enemy

1. US Military

“Any person who—

(1) aids, or attempts to aid, the enemy with arms, ammunition, supplies, money, or other things; or

(2) without proper authority, knowingly harbors or protects or gives intelligence to or communicates or corresponds with or holds any intercourse with the enemy, either directly or indirectly; SHALL SUFFER DEATH or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct.”

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm104.htm

[All emphasis mine]

* * * * *

So the crime of "Aiding the Enemy" which Bradley Manning *HAS* been charged with under US Military Law carries a maximum penalty of *DEATH*.

Just because the Prosecutors have said that they "won't seek the death penalty" does not change the fact that he has "been charged with a section of military law that includes a death sentence", despite what Matt Bryant might wish to believe.

PS Why does being called "uninformed" by Matt Bryant (the man competing with Ian Michael Gumby for the award of the most down-voted troll ever) feel like being called "clueless" by Inspector Clouseau?

"There was a time when...

"...Manning would have been shot after a quick and speedy trial for what he's accused of doing."

Ah, yes, the old "Give him a fair trial and then hang him" method of "Justice"...

Nude gardener's arse hauled into court

Quoting from the Sexual Offences Act 2003:

66 Exposure

(1)A person commits an offence if—

(a)he intentionally exposes his genitals, and

(b)he intends that someone will see them and be caused alarm or distress.

Now unless the gardener a) knew that the neighbours were watching (with a telephoto lens from 150m away!) and was deliberately waving his willy at them, I don't really think that there's a case to answer.

Mozilla refuses US request to ban Firefox add-on

Bravo for Mozilla!

The US authorities have gone *way* over the line in this case and there's no way I can see that any court would justify their actions.

Insurance firm pushes out iPhone app that rates driving ability

This must be...

... some strange definition of the word "snoop" that I wasn't aware of, since "snoop" normally implies it's being done in a clandestine way that the user is not aware of, rather than "Download and install this app and get advice from it".

Government slashes consultancy spending

"We need to cut down on consultants!"

"Good idea, let's hold a consultation on how to do it..."