Posts by ben kendim

'Maybe the problem is you' ... Linus Torvalds wades into Linux kernel Rust driver drama

The world went to hell when we lost PEEK and POKE

It's my damn computer and I will read and write anything, anywhere in its memory that I want!

All that security crap, worse than even the TSA!

CompSci teacher sets lab task: Accidentally breaking the university

Re: I crashed one of two graphics domains

Lucky you, you had a terminal with a CRT...

As an undergraduate in the 70's I decided I wanted to do image processing. The hardware available consisted of a Univac 1106, card punch machines, a line printer the size of a Volkswagen beetle (but significantly louder than that beetle sans muffler.) The software development environment was paper pads and marker pens (to draw diagonal lines across the top of card decks.)

I chose 100 x 100 resolution (line printer was 132 characters wide) at 32 gray levels. As it was rather hard to find image data (where was Lenna when you needed her?) I wrote code to generate patterns including stripes and gradients to begin testing. (I remember one of them was based on the diamond shaped Renault emblem, easy to generate.)

To output grey levels on the paper I used the FORTRAN-IV '1H+' Hollerinth at the beginning of each line, This caused a carriage return without linefeed. Then I sent multiple overlaid lines to the printer. At each character position a 0 level would be a blank, a 1 would be a period, and so on... I think level 31 was something like overlaid {M, W, E, 3, O, S, Z, \, /, [, ], +} or some such dark sequence. This meant each line was printed 12 times using that '1H+', before a line feed occurred.

I submitted the deck of cards, and went away to lunch. When I came back, there was a note for me where the output printouts were placed. it said to immediately see the Professor in charge of the computer center. I had shredded a spool of their expensive ink ribbon and put the line printer out of action for the rest of the day - pending a service call from Univac.

What no one had told me was that the line printer had a full width ink ribbon, and that it advanced only with a line feed. So it was getting banged on 12 times in quick succession and this was happening 100 times for each image printed.

And that's how you cut an ink ribbon on a line printer...

It's about time Intel, AMD dropped x86 games and turned to the real threat

others' -> other's

Only one other, not multiple others. :-)

Google's memory safety plan includes rehab for unsafe languages

My computer, my code, my memory. So I don't need any of this security stuff...

I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I code... :-)

To make my life a lot easier, I use C or C++ and

a- I usually avoid 'private's. I have everything declared as 'public'.

b- I also have most 'important' variables (except small local things like i, j, n, etc.) as globals...

c- I try to avoid #include of anything other than standard libs. I make a single huge .cpp file from everything of mine that I would have included. (Obviously including .h are OK.)

But then again...

1- I am the only one using the code which I write.

2- I never deliver. No one else ever gets their hands on it...

3- It is for research, not production or distribution.

4- It only ever runs on my own computers.

Microsoft veteran ditches Team Tabs, blaming storage trauma of yesteryear

Really??? This is a problem? Nothing better to write about?

I use tabs and I use spaces and sometimes I mix them just because I feel like it at the time. Never had a problem, never thought about it.

If your compiler can't handle that, you need a better compiler.

If your interpreter can't handle that, you need to be using a compiled language. (In any case, independent of this reason...)

Techie invented bits of the box he was fixing, still botched the job

Yup, been there, almost done that!!!

Summer of 1978, I opened the still spinnning disc drawer on a 360 with inoperative interlock. Scared the heck out of me. I did not reach in to unload the disc pack, just stepped back from it... I was an intern, and was worried about being sent home.

72 flights later and a rotor blade short, Mars chopper loses its fight with physics

Why are you linking to Xshitter for photos instead of NASA or JPL???

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/26/nasa_ingenuity_rotor_damage/

You all can't be bothered to see if NASA or JPL have imagery? You need to go to Musk for that?

Musk 'texts' Nadella about Windows 11's demands for a Microsoft account

But why is The Reg linking to Xshitter? JPL doesn't have a website?

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/26/nasa_ingenuity_rotor_damage/ You all can't be bothered to see if NASA or JPL have imagery? You need to go to Musk for that?

Forgetting the history of Unix is coding us into a corner

Ahem... Tektronix 4010.

"A host machine, plus dumb text terminals on serial connections, with no graphics and no networking – even so, high-end kit for the 1970s."

You wanted graphics in the 70's? You got it!

https://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/4010 was a beautiful machine!!!

CLIs are simply wizard at character building. Let’s not keep them to ourselves

Finally, that rare someone who understands where we live on the spectrum...

Merry Christmas. Thank you for this gift:

"When you're in a full-screen CLI, especially editing, what you get above all is focus. Compared to a GUI desktop or, heaven help our grasshopper minds, an in-browser task, it is supremely quiet and uncluttered. It is you and your keyboard, and text that wants to be free of variant forms and options. If you're coding or writing text where actual content is more important than form, it is a zone for reason and thought like none other in modern computing."

YouTube's 'Ad blockers not allowed' pop-up scares the bejesus out of netizens

what we need to do is make the advertisers hurt...

The ad blocking plug-in we really need is one that also examines the blockes ads and makes a list of the advertisers and products they advertise. Then, in addition to us not seeing the ad, we would know who tried to put an ad for what on our screen - so we can boycott them... You ask, who would pay for the servers and the creators? I don't really give a damn. If I like the content enough, I will donate directly to the creator (e.g. Tom Voelk of Driven fame.)

Owner of 'magic spreadsheet' tried to stay in the Lotus position until forced to Excel

Re: ping

Obligatory response: https://youtu.be/jr0JaXfKj68

Learn the art of malicious compliance: doing exactly what you were asked, even when it's wrong

Absolutely..

As a new hire Assistant Professor I was tasked with keeping minutes of a faculty meeting. I did so, verbatim. Examples: "Professor X said the Dean supported us for opening a new faculty position, but he would like to not let Mechanical Engineering know about it for now." Or, "Dr. Y said we should put EEyyy on the schedule, even though there will probably not be enough students to open it." and on and on. Was never asked to do minutes again...

Seriously, you do not want to make that cable your earth

Yellow? Perhaps in Britain.

All the DECNET thick cable I had in the US was orange.

Orders wrong, resellers receiving wrong items? Must be a programming error and certainly not a rushing techie

Packing chads (acquired from the big waste drawer built into the punch machine) into a car's exhaust was always fun. Especially when it was parked with the aft end pointing where people were likely to line up, like the student lot at the university, right by where everybody lined up for ride share...

Woman sues McDonald's for $14 after cheeseburger ad did exactly what it's designed to

Re: The Sin of Gluttony

Why are you being so negative?

cos the sin of pi is 1.

Microsoft warns against SMS, voice calls for multi-factor authentication: Try something that can't be SIM swapped

Re: but I don't see any use for it anymore.

Bank of America had a feature that generated a new credit card number for use in online purchasers. It was good for a single merchant, you could set the monthly credit limit, you could set the expiration date, and the charges would appear in your regular credit card. Best thing ever! I used it, and never had need for PayPal, or any other payment processor.

Why BoA took it away last year, I'll never know...

SpaceX’s Starlink finally reveals its satellite broadband pricing for rural America: At $99 a month, it’s a good deal

Starlink's website is just a service address and email harvester

I went to their website to check out about the system, and it just wanted my email and address. No way to get any information on what they are considering to offer.

So, I simply walked away.

The power of Bill compels you: A server room possessed by a Microsoft-hating, Linux-loving Demon

Re: Wiring Issues

That's exactly why you test both magnetos during your run-up before taking off in a piston airplane.

Mozilla doubles down on anti-tracking tech: It'll be tougher for wily ad-biz cookie monsters to track Firefox

Re: Barking up the wrong tree

Why do all other tabs need to see cookies set by a page in one tab?

Assign a tab ID to each cookie, allow it to be sent only to that tab, and clear it as soon as the tab is closed.

Here's why your Samsung Blu-ray player bricked itself: It downloaded an XML config file that broke the firmware

Re: Why...? Just Why?

The correct response is to take the disk back to the retailer, have them give you a replacement, take that one back when it doesn't play, repeat as many times as you can...

LibreOffice community protests at promotion of paid-for editions, board says: 'LibreOffice will always be free software'

"they should have subscribed to the board-discuss mailing list,”

He must have pulled this gem from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Philip Arthur Dent should have gone to the basement of the planning department to see that his house was scheduled for demolition.

Linus Torvalds drops Intel and adopts 32-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper on personal PC

Re: AMD vs. Intel: War Games v3.0

Ah, I 'heart' AMD since the 2901/2910/2930 bit-slice days. Good times writing microcode....

Mick & Brick, was an excellent book as well.

OK, so you've air-gapped that PC. Cut the speakers. Covered the LEDs. Disconnected the monitor. Now, about the data-leaking power supply unit...

Re: In Langley, Virginia, USA...

... and elsewhere... From almost 5 centuries ago...

"The large fireplace with gilded hood (ocak) stands opposite a two-tiered fountain (çeşme), skilfully decorated in coloured marble. The flow of water was meant to prevent any eavesdropping,[65] while providing a relaxed atmosphere to the room. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkap%C4%B1_Palace#Privy_Chamber_of_Murat_III

LCD pwn System: How to modulate screen brightness to covertly transmit data from an air-gapped computer... slowly

Re: Timex/Microsoft Datalink watch

Absolutely, first thing that crossed my mind!

I had one and in 1995. When receiving a security briefing, I told the briefer I had one, and that we should update the briefing materials to talk about these watches.

She was not delighted at the prospect... :-) :-)

Ikea hopes to spare shoppers the one-way Helvete of its stores with ÅR app overhaul

Never ever go into the rat's maze...

This is how IKEA is meant to used:

1- Find what you want online and get it's aisle / bin number.

2- Park you vehicle in the pickup area.

3- Enter, backwards, through the checkouts and into the warehouse.

4- Get what you want.

5- Pay for it.

6- Leave.

Put down the cat, coffee, beer pint, martini, whatever you're holding, and make sure you've updated Chrome (unless you enjoy being hacked)

There are very valid reasons no not upgrade Chrome...

If you are running flash, especially in full screen kiosk mode, it is not feasible to upgrade Chrome.

Because Google took out a user's ability to always allow flash from specific sites using the chrome://flags/#enable-ephemeral-flash-permission flag in v. 69, anyone using flash in an unattended kiosk needs to use an earlier version. (Never mind that Google doesn't even have an ftp site for old versions, you need to get them from who.knows.what.malware.lies.here.com.)

See https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/chrome/7y0gbgs06L8/3ehByJReGQAJ or many other posts from aggravated users.

So much for doing no evil. I wish I could take back the many thousands of $ I gave Google, buying many Nexus'es, Pixels, storage, Fi subscriptions, etc...

What happens when a Royal Navy warship sees a NATO task force headed straight for it? A crash course in Morse

The Polish ship in the photo is not a destroyer..

... it's an Oliver Hazard Perry class guided-missile frigate.

Google settles Right To Be Forgotten case on eve of appeal hearing

Costeja González has no right to be forgotten in the USA... Thankfully.

https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/google-spain-sl-v-agencia-espanola-de-proteccion-de-datos-aepd/

Mourning Apple's war against sockets? The 2018 Mac mini should be your first port of call

A card reader or TTY would not talk RS-232...

... it would want a 20 mA current loop.

Ubuntu sends crypto-mining apps out of its store and into a tomb

Re: New funding possibility?

Great idea... I wouldn't mind leaving pages open on El Reg, or The Guardian overnight.

Leave it to Beaver: Unity is long gone and you're on your GNOME

Re: More evidence that the Gnome crowd have the Win10 problem:

"When software authors pull the "we know better, so no configuration for you" stunt, users get angry!"

Well said! After 5 years, I still have not forgiven Mathworks for going from the perfectly functional menu interface in Matlab to the Microsoft inspired 'ribbon' abomination.

No Windows 10, no Office 2019, says Microsoft

Re: Office 2003 still runs well on

Office 97 runs very well on the only Windows machine I still have around, an XP.

Kruge has the correct answer to MS

No Windows 10, no Office 2019?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KW-Nw6XVWQ&start=65

No Office 2019 then...

Drone smacks commercial passenger plane in Canada

Why does your desk assume it didn't hit a prop?

(The drone, I mean, not the desk.)

So, which craft landed without incident, the drone, the King Air, or both?

"There's also no news of where the drone struck. As the craft landed without incident, The Register's aviation desk will assume it wasn't chopped up by the plane's propellors with attendant spray of plastic and metal."

A King Air prop, with a PT6A driving it, could probably shred a DJI and never know it.

Essex drone snapper dealt with by police for steamy train photos

So go get a commercial license and tell the railway to go jump in a lake...

Let me get this straight, if he were to get a CAA commercial drone operator license, then the railway would have no standing in the matter, right? (Unless he actually hit a train or landed on their tracks or right of way.)

WDC's My Cloud Home Duo is a natty piece of kit but beware iContent

Re: An Internet facing file server...

Obviously, the easy solution is to give it a static address that is in a segment blocked from routing to outside the LAN subnet. There is no need for most drives to face the cloud - as long as you have one machine on the network providing ntp service so that they can keep reasonable time/date synch,

When the My Book Live's cry that they can't reach the WD mothership to get their update, it makes me so sad. :-)

But it probably came with an arbitration clause...

The first My Cloud I bought had an arbitration clause in the terms and conditions that a customer had to accept to be able to use the drive. So I sent it back.

I have bought about a dozen of the old My Book Live drives (seven of which are right in front of me now) Only one of the MBL's has so far failed - not the disk itself, but the partition. (MBL uses a goofy block size) so I just converted to an internal drive, reformatted and reloaded it. (Seven days of the week, seven drives, each backed up weekly = daily backup,)

As long as that arbitration clause is there, I'm not buying any more WD stuff.

Boffins throw Amazon Alexa on the rack to extract hidden clues

Re: Sales of these are going to crash at some point

"... convenience trumps security every flipping time."

Not if an airplane is involved, unfortunately!

'Tech troll' sues EFF to silence 'Stupid Patent of the Month' blog. Now the EFF sues back

Welcome to the Stupid Australian Judge of the Month Club

But then again, maybe it's not the judge that's stupid at all. It may be the Aussie legal system that's goofy.

If so, I apologize to the poor judges that have to work within that system.

Video intercom firm Doorbird wants $80 for device password resets

Roll your own garage door remote

Beaglebone: $39

Relay, wires: a couple of bucks.

Time to code and install: half an hour.

Being independent of some company: priceless.

Airbus' Mars plane precursor survives pressure test

And the landing/takeoff speed over ground would be???

I am sure it can fly. It can get up to the required INDICATED airpeed and fly about.

Tougher on landing or takeoff though. The actual speed over ground would be hundreds of miles per hour. So even if there were a 10 mile long runway on Mars, the tuchdown speed would be something like 600 mph.

Austin Meyer wrote about this long ago: http://www.x-plane.com/adventures/mars.html

Re: Forward view

Not at that airspeed! (see indicated vs actual speed over ground)

Drone biz Lily Robotics takes $34m in pre-orders, ships nothing, shuts down, gets sued by San Francisco DA

How does my credit card issuer fit into this story?

I wonder?

Gone in 70 seconds: Holding Enter key can smash through defense

Re: Missing item in the series?

And how dare *you* make fun of people with lysdexia?

Lenovo downward dogs with Yoga BIOS update supporting Linux installs

I have not bought SanDisk since one of their flash drives tried to install U3 on my machine, many years ago... I have not bought Sony since rootkit, how long has it been? I would never have bought Lenovo since the fishy thingy...

Do these manufacturers think we will forget?

Sysadmin flees asbestos scare with disk drive, blank pay cheques, angry builders in pursuit

Re: Die Hard VII: Sysadmin

Pang! :-)

Google's AI finds its voice ... and it's surprisingly human

They have Majel Barrett Roddenberry's voice digitized...

... that's what I want to hear from my droid! https://twitter.com/roddenberry/status/772493204121944066

Excel abuse hits new heights as dev uses VBA to code spreadsheet messaging app

Used Excel for PC board layout...

OK, it was a small board, but Excel was the most convenient thing I had right then.

Select all, set column heights and row widths to 0.05", and use borders/lines with 0.025" thickness, and voila PCB design tool... Can do multiple layers using different colors.

Here is a sample I just did in 5 minutes...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6XOKbodr2nOVDV6a014X2JjRVk

Re: @Gene Cash

Did mine in 6800 assembly...