Posts by John A Blackley

Dawn of the X-Men? MUTANTS swarm AMONG US, say geneticists

I'm sorry but I'm a European and I prefer my breading on the outside.

Better luck next time Blofeld! Five Bond plot myths busted

'Analysing' Bond plots is like explaining a joke.

If you have to do it you've missed the point.

New science: seas will rise due to CO2 ... but not for centuries

Re: So somebody else's problem then

It works for me.

UK.gov to spunk £2m a year policing global cyber-security

Funny

The UK government. It's sponsoring a center to advise other governments on IT security. The UK government. Advising anyone on IT security.

It is to laugh.

Climate sceptic? You're probably a 'Birther', don't vaccinate your kids

My conspiracy theory......

....overrides your conspiracy theory because I say it does and because I conducted an 'internet poll'.

That's why I'm a psychologist and you're not.

LONDON iPHONE 5 MADNESS: 'You must be CRAZY to buy Apple'

Crazy indeed

I think people who line up to buy any phone on the day it's released are........... well, they think differently from me.

Having said that, I think people who, over the course of a year, spend so much time and energy to piss and moan about one technology company and its products are equally......... different thinkers and they should all be treated in the same asylum.

Governments block YouTube over that video

Re: The film has served its purpose

Sorry, I thought I was talking with someone interested in conversation.

I won't bother you in future.

Re: The film has served its purpose

Your stupid nonsense is their strongly-held belief. I understand that you don't share that belief (or appear to share any belief). What you don't appear to understand is that 'they' don't subscribe to your 'values'.

Say I met you down the pub one night and proceeded to rubbish your choice of clothes, drinks, football team and girlfriend. What then?

Re: The film has served its purpose

I am not, in any way, apologising for "these people". I am simply pointing out cause and effect and that the effect was entirely to be expected by the perpetrators of the cause.

I agree that the "civilised way of dealing with something you don't like" is very different from the way these uncivilised (by our lights) people reacted but the perpetrators of this film knew, when they made the film, what the reaction would be.

So, is all the blame to be laid at the feet of a group of religious fanatics? When you poke a beehive and get stung does all the blame lie with the bees?

The film has served its purpose

The film itself is a dreadful, childish p.o.s. that nobody in their right mind would waste time watching. So I did.

It is a cheap provocation designed (which is much too grand a word for this crap) to create fury among the more excitable parts of the muslim world. Whether the makers of the movie (and remember that 'Pastor' Terry Jones - he of the televised Koran burning was a backer of this 'movie') had a more complex motive in mind than simply to stir up trouble in the Muslim world is hard to say. (I doubt it. Terry Jones doesn't strike me as a complex kind of person.)

So rant about the ignorance of Muslims if you like. Rattle on about freedom of speech until you're hoarse. But think on this: This nasty little film was meant to cause trouble and the kind of trouble it caused resulted in the death of four Americans.

I wonder how 'Pastor' Terry Jones feels about that as he lies down to sleep at night.

The iPHONE 5 UNDERMINES western DEMOCRACY: 5 reasons why

Wow!

I must not read Lewis Page enough. This is the first time I've ever seen an entire article that's a troll.

Gunman takes potshots at Dell HQ, chopper search ensues

Some basics

' Round Rock, which is part of the Texan progressive reservation of Austin'

Hippies are not allowed in Round Rock just as people from Round Rock have to bathe multiple times after visiting Austin. Round Rock people are people obsessed with ticky-tacky little boxes to keep their stuff in and SUVs. Austin people are, by and large, unemployed musicians with some vague idea of what a hippie used to be.

Old men who use computers less likely to get dementia

Re: In other news...

My (89 year-old) father has no use for a computer. On the other hand, his 'relaxing' recreation (as opposed to his physically demanding recreation which is carpentry and gardening) is doing hellishly (to me) difficult crosswords and sudoku puzzles.

I feel he may outlive me.

Auditor: You know what Scotland needs? Proper IT experts

Surprised?

No surprise that, A) when governments want to cut costs the bureaucrats cut what they don't understand and, B) that auditors will point out a lack of controls which leads to project failures.

One small problem is that, now we're paying Nicola Sturgeon to be Minister For Independence instead of doing an actual government job, there'll be even less money to do what the auditors suggest.

'This lawsuit is not about patents or money, it's about values'

Re: Everybody's an idiot.............

Thank you for demonstrating that you know pathetically little about the jury selection process in the United States.

Please close the door on your way out.

(p.s. Here's a hint, it has to do with summary and discretionary challenges.)

Everybody's an idiot.............

.....if an El Reg commenter disagrees with them.

Do those who deride the interviewed juror know much about the jury selection process in the US?

China's net addiction staff told to stop the beatings

I see an opportunity for El Reg

Every hopelessly addicted fanboi and every frothing-at-the-mouth Apple hater obviously need regular beatings to restore a sense of normality.

An El Reg bootcamp opportunity?

Watchdog probes rules for naughty mobe fondling on flights

Never mind radio interference

I want everyone on the flight to stow their i-things, mobes, assorted compters AND books.

If, on taking off or landing, the plane suffers a Whoops! moment, the last thing I want is several hundred projectiles ricocheting around the cabin.

Leaked Genius Bar manual shows Apple's smooth seductions

Re: Not a cult... Apple

Dear God! A sensible comment on a thread about Apple!

I must watch out for flying pigs on the way home.

Apple demands a quickie, aims its torpedo at 8 Samsung mobes

Well boo ****ing hoo

Apple won a jury decision in a trial in America and all the haters are a-weepin' and a-wailin' and a gnashin' of their teeth.

In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter?

Driving a car? There's an app for that

Where do you put the luggage?

The post is required, and must contain letters.

Hunt vows: 'UK will have fastest broadband in Europe by 2015'

Too little imagination

IN a time when Britain is crying out for meaningful infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy, there's an opportunity for the government to invest in a national fibre infrastructure which it could then lease space on to various private entities.

Unfortunately that would take courage, imagination and commitment. Things that our politicians do not even understand, never mind possess.

Investor pulls out of Facebook, pumps cash into pork-printing joint

"The pork sheet will be electrically stimulated in the bioreactor chamber"

I can hear, now, the cries of, "It's aliiiive! It's aliiive! Bwahahaha!"

Cloud engineering could save humantiy, suggests boffin

Re: My question is

My God! You're not proposing the El Reg's description of ' which would spout huge amounts of sea salt particles' might be........................ inaccurate, are you?

My question is

How do they separate the salt from the seawater? Giant vats of boiling water aboard?

NASA gets funding for Mars InSight mission in 2016

Don't kid yerself

The yanks are looking for oil.

RIM reshuffles UK and European team ahead of new OS

Re: Really?

Which would give rise to my second question. If security is a requirement, why?

Really?

"another smartphone vendor is about to get clearance"

Did the rumour say who? Or, given the other vendors' attempts at security, why?

Samsung spends $4bn tarting up Texas factory

Well done Austin!

It was a bit of a coup when you got the original plant. Getting this investment is a testament to the good works the people have done there.

Jimbo Wales: Wikipedia servers in UK? No way, not with YOUR libel law

Fortunately, there were two excellent responders

Translation: There were two people who agree with us.

Surfing far too tedious or terrifying, say Northern Irish women

Re: Getting over the hump

@Pete 2: My experience of older people tells me they don't use the internet because there's bugger-all of importance out there.

Biz chucks millions at anti-malware, but ignores shoulder surfers

Not the only weakness

Many companies rely on technology to protect their assets - and completely or almost completely ignore the process and the people surrounding that technology.

Password sharing is rife in some companies.

Too many companies do not educate employees on security policies ("Oh, they're out on the 'net somewhere. You should go read 'em".)

Too many companies do not employ sanctions for breaching policy.

Too many companies do not employ SIEM tools or the processes to make good use of them.

Too many employees walk away from terminals that they're logged in through

Too many employees talk too much, in public places, about their companies' security weaknesses

And on, and on, and on.

A tool is only a tool. Having a tool does not mean you're doing a good job.

Network sniffing algorithm could have fingered 9/11 suspects

This cannot be good news

See title

First, Google goggles - now the world gets self-censoring specs

No insults to offer

but the more I learn about various religions, the more I smile.

Thanks, folks, for the entertainment.

SHOCK: Poll shows Americans think TSA is highly effective

I think TSA is wonderful

and I tell them so each time I go through an airport.

Due to my sad life the feel-up I get in airports is about the only sign of affection I receive nowadays. Problem only arises when I ask for a phone number.

Re: Does it really matter what the American public thinks?

which is interesting because the majority of Brits seem to have no idea what the majority of Americans are like - but, hey, that doesn't stop them from opening their ignorant gobs and rattling their tonsils.

BMW slams ad machine into reverse, screeches out of pirate den

In Britain there is already such a list. I believe it's called Hansard.

Kidney-for-iPad fanboi sues after illness strikes

Re: What to say.

@ Peter R. 1: "Firstly, it is a choice which will be made by poor people."

Are you saying that we should protect poor people from the choices they have to make?

Google may face grilling by MPs over 'immoral' tax avoidance

"moral"?

What on earth is "moral" about taxes? The government demanding money with menaces?

And who are politicians to lecture anyone about morality - fake or not?

OK, hands up: Who hasn't sold an iPad to a big biz?

Do any of the Apple haters

actually own the networks and the companies that they're determined to "protect" from Apple kit?

If not then, in my experience, they'll allow Apple kit if they're told to do so.

Enough of this "computing as an end in itself". Computing power is a utility and the real world expects to be able to plug into it and get what they want from it. Techies get paid for figuring out how to make that work, that is all.

Greens wage war on clean low-carbon renewable energy

Re: Do you really have to call them environmentalists?

@ Rampant Spaniel:

Wish I had more up votes to give.

That is the most coherent conservation statement I have seen in many years.

Reg readers scrap over ultimate bacon sandwich

Where I grew up

ketchup was for people with ideas above their station. Brown sauce was for the masses and who cared where it was made.

BSkyB deals Ofcom a blow in battle over telly sports prices

"Sky has no theological objection to wholesale supply"

WTF?

Samsung to probe claims of underage workers, abuse at supplier

"A team of inspectors consisting of Samsung personnel from Korea headquarters will be dispatched to Huizhou, China on 9 August."

You have until then to hide the kids.

Microsoft and NYPD install big data crime-fighting system

Re: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

"The People..... at least in a democracy"

Most people in most democracies are too lazy to watch anything except crap television.

Re: Shades of "total information awareness".

Please read a book called The Bell Ringers

Banking IT cowboys 'need whipping into shape by watchdog'

No argument

When compared to the amount of money to be made from speculation, the amount of money to be made from retail banking is miniscule.

Of course bankers appear to have a hard time figuring into that calculation the amount of money that can be lost from speculation - et, voila, we have our present crisis.

Back to the first line: This is why banks will invest in systems to aid in their specualtion but not in retail banking systems.

Doctor Who gets one-off special to mark Time Lord's 50th year on telly

Jean Luc Picard

FTW

Deadly pussies kill more often than owners think

Is it only in Georgia

that people didn't know cats are predators?

And is it only in the western world that people are horrified by that fact?

French minister: 3 strikes anti-piracy rule a 'waste of money'

Re: Against human rights.

Since when has being "fundamentally wrong" been considered in lawmaking?