Posts by Grinning Bandicoot

BOFH: Monitor mount moans end in Beancounter beatdown

I want one too

Back in the days when CRTs ruled the roost and flat screens were avante garde our shop felt the need for a "group instruction" system. After going through varied authorized suppliers we found a nice flat screen, purchased and mounted it. Soon the word was out about our nice "group instruction" system. The complaints came first slowly but probably on a log curve grew. Now the system was purchased and installed under budgeted authority and well below limits; BUT! So a spread sheet was created and the original shopping was repeated except on the clock. More time was spent on the justification then had been spent on the "group instruction output device". Soon a weekly visit from management for a while. Then the word flowed down from above and all appeared well. And it was funny but a lot of CRTs suddenly started appearing in salvage

Google ends partnership to build four San Francisco GoogleBurbs

Re: Googleville sounded interesting

Not missing much in San Andreas but up the hill California Caverns can provide some 'ohs and ahs' visually while getting a good physical work out to preparing for a Shenandoah Valley wine tasting. If enough stops maybe you'll see San Andreas

Hacktivist attacks erupt in Middle East following Hamas assault on Israel

Curious cynic

It has aroused my curiosity about the timing of this flare-up of a war that started in 1930. The Israeli government was beginning to make a detente with the Saudis while Jordan and Egypt had settled into a watchful peace. In Israel one growing party rejected any thought of any agreement with anyone including the Israeli government while demanding the right to maintain a private militia (reports dis not cover the shirt color) and the Hamas loosing local support because their promises made 13 year ago when picked as authority for the area now of a cause that unites people behind their seemingly opposing views. Is this a putsch by two group seeking more power? Any answers or is this cynic seeing chimeras?

Now for something different

It was a mere two weeks ago i believe that the IRC announced rules about legitimate cyber targets. It appears that the League of Nations rules fared better; those rules lasted to 1935. There exists an adage abut Sam Colt and equality. It appears that this means of communication now makes the keyboard more dangerous and of longer lasting effect. What is and has been said here echoes other outlets (!) and might be partial proof that cyber guerilla will worsen until it is destroyed.

Scripted shortcut caused double-click disaster of sysadmin's own making

Re: It is mandatory to have a Oh No Oh Second experience

But I have yet to understand why it is in my mind and not going tom the hand pushing the 'enter'. Do you have a answer for citation?

Re: The Sorceror's Apprentice

One lawyer from Disney in the audience.

Red Cross lays down hacktivism law as Ukraine war rages on

It looked like blooming flowers

Also not considered is the civilian acting as a guerilla (in the mind of the hacker) where in physical war just a token of military organization moves the civilian into the Geneva Conventions. Maybe the Letters of Marquis will return. Since Ivan the Third a culture of smiling friendly handshaking with one hand while the other holds the knife waiting the plunging moment has existed in Russia. Uncle Joe feed that culture and his ideological son V has celebrated the old Soviet state. Since it only takes one to make a war the IRC must be smoking some very strong stuff to have issued what it did!

There exists another state actor that has and is playing fast and loose with the international rules of conduct. Their historical ethos suggests strongly that this too is non-operatrive. The idea of war is to establish your will upon your foe in the most economical manner consistent with your goals and if non targeted damage happens - so what!

City council Oracle megaproject got a code red – and they went live anyway

What learning curve?

Same song, same blues on ITS ONLY A MINOR TWEAK.

And this to Megalodon.

Why can't datacenter operators stop thinking about atomic power?

On the other hand -Re: Big Brother plc

These same corporations cross ancient linguistic, ethnic, and religious lines which changes the balance of rivalries. This for better or more probably worse allows a different type of progressiveism than the past. If it weren't for some greedy SOBs risking their funds and lives organizing and participating in the Moscow Company and upsetting the state church I probably would not be here questioning a part of your core beliefs.

As to the British East India Company and the British West India Company the government of the UK derived funds that allowed such organized sports as the the American Revolt, the Boer Trek and of course the taking of the India subcontinent from the French. Seeing as to how internecine has returned to the area maybe your right it should have been left to the French.

California passes bill to set up one-stop data deletion shop

Re: Registration probably required

There exists a concept called 'agency capture' where the regulated become the regulators-. Based on the problem that I've had with ATT and the the response from the state's Public Utility Commission it is easier to believe that it exists to give friends of the incumbent regime a fancy title and a staff to do whatever than it is to believe service to the citizens. So why should this group be any different?

Google throws California $93M to make location tracking lawsuit disappear

Anti Trust the lie goes on

One thing is that happened is a lot of non government sponsored basic research has stopped. The anti-trust people appear to act only after alternatives appear: i.e.,AlCoA, American film vertical intigration, After the split of ATT and subsequent mergers what is left is the same faces with different makeup but no research unless its marketing and MBA in lieu of technocrat. The real tie breaking came with the fiber optic network. The landline voice is a vanishing animal, Copper is being replaced by Silica and business shifts to data intensive practices.

No friend of Google but when lookup has been replaced by google as a verb then it must be a very useful thing. Remember Yahoo; we chose Google over it because its revenue source was less intrusive. Google in its IPO was open about how and where it was planning to get revenue. On that note must not be too good in the collection because I reside 40 miles and speak a different language than than targeted ads indicate.

Since I'm on the soap box I thought about torture of one thousand cuts and then about 50 states. Each state's AG gets the money needed for the AG's special projects, nothing is overt so a return trip is possible and best of all cheap ads for the next election.

QUESTION: Which is preferred an accounting type with administrative skills or an engineering/technician type with administrative skills

Bombshell biography: Fearing nuclear war, Musk blocked Starlink to stymie Ukraine attack on Russia

Re: "If Ukraine wants to fight a war with Russia"

With your background I curious if the lands taken from the Mennonites by Stalin and given to his chosen ones, if so it might add to Vlad's panic to recover Stalin's true believers. After reading about Saint Helga or Olga which came from Ukrainian sources the war is becoming a holy battle against the good and the forces of V.

Re: "If Ukraine wants to fight a war with Russia"

You forgot Kiska and Attu not to mention Oahu. Also the second happy times (Donitz) off the Atlantic coast. No troops had landed in the mainland but then the only foreign troops in the British Islands Canadian, US arrived and settled in with it being said of the US personal 'over fed, over paid and over here. This it sounds like the invasion was from the west. Of course the width of the water between the continent, the British Isle and the Americas made a difference from occupation, bombing, and spies.

I haven't forgot the Channel Islands just omitted them.

Largest local government body in Europe goes under amid Oracle disaster

Its Economic Corporate vs Politcal Corporate Mamagement

With a private enterprise the success is judged on its ROI. With a political body it judged upon its management being returned to office without any reference to the very long term. Political bodies are also liable for capture by a dream, goal, or a wish to make things right (!). If the polity disagrees in theory out they are gone and no harm done. The actuality is the moment the capture happens the new process starts and if cancelled the following day its funny but some long term debt is on the books; whereas, the private corporation goes off on some different track come the next reporting quarter, a management change.

There problem is the something for nothing ideology. The masses want energy ever available but a rates below the capitalized costs. Smooth highways but why must you work at some other time. Swift clean trains that stop where wanted always all for mere kopeck or two. All these a political is rationally responds BUT political rationality is not economic rationality.

University cuts itself off from internet after mystery security snafu

Re: Mascots

Anteaters, Banana Slugs, Poets, Sage Hens How can one not get just a little confused? A guy in Grecian styled armor on a white horse does not lead out the football (American) at the school with the Spartan nickname but at one of rivals. AH college life where the major cares was getting the project done and exams.

Budget satellite drag sail shows space junk how to gracefully exit orbit

Waste Not

To date the big cost is in getting the device into orbit. After all the yammering about a nuclear plant's diluted waste water discharge where, O where, is all the outrage and oratory about heavy metal vapors and forever elements (!) being dumped into the atmosphere for the children to breath. Just compare the ratio of stupid to ignorant since the start of "The Satellite Age'.

Germany's wild boars still too radioactive to eat largely due to Cold War nuke tests

Re: This is actually a devious plan .....

americans are tasty and good to eat? I thoght it was only missionaries that matched that category.

Japan complains Fukushima water release created terrifying Chinese Spam monster

POOP poop a doo

When people and other biota stop pooping, then shall there be no more poop to be discharged.

There aint no freebies sayeth Thermodynamics

Last rites for the UK's Online Safety Bill, an idea too stupid to notice it's dead

Re: Not holding my breath

What no contrarian down voting a rational observation. HALLELJAH

Re: Not holding my breath

London as well as any city founded in the days of the HRE if not before were of necessity 15 minute cities. If a shop, the proprietor lived adjacent to his shop. Max Weber showed the size of a city was limited by the travel time needed to leave and return with the days supply of wood fuel. When coal became available that limitation was removed but shop keepers were limited by license or charter requirements. Then along came that massive urban renewal era known as WW2.

The thought that the human condition could be improved by separating the filth. the coarseness, and the odors of the factory or mill from the home now had an opportunity to be tested. Well the test just opened the door to a new set of misery.. You just cannot get something for nothing!

Revenue Neutral

Revenue Neutral sounds much better! This fee is just to cover the costs associated to this new public safety measure. Unspoken is that these costs include the new offices and furniture to house the staff, the additional cleaning and HR staff and most importantly the wage/benefit package of the new manager.

LibreOffice 7.6 arrives: Open source stalwart is showing its maturity

Re: MS created the original standards doc ?

What format was it submitted to the EU?

Chinese media teases imminent exposé of seismic US spying scheme

Re: I'm very dubious about this

I know that at present I have a portable non-certified device that gives under a meter repeatable locations and the cost was under $1000. See Sparcfun for costs and boards and where to get it elsewhere.

The original thought in SA was not to make it easy for a foe to use the system as a cheap precision bombing system. If faulty memory serves after the shoot down of KAL 007 the easing of SA was begun but the caveat about its return still floats. CalTech/JPL have a seismic event site that covers Taxifornia and Nevada very well and using the information given here I was not able to locate Mitchell's nor California Caverns.

Western Digital sued over claims of data-trashing SanDisk, My Passport SSDs

Is it MBA syndrone

What irritates me all to hell is that with the amount of WD drives is that the supposed fix much less the problem was heard here and not from WD. I've registered mostly all devices for warranty purposes but also to get fault information. When traveling at the end of the day the laptop and other digital information is copied into one of these drives and the last thing wanted is after something stupid happened to the primary source is to learn that the time spent making the copies was just pissing into the wind. It appears the the MBAs have again taken over from QA and another once respected name has been flushed.

Get your staff's consent before you monitor them, tech inquiry warns

Oops - look what I caught

If you are busy looking over your shoulder to see who is looking, how can look ahead for roadblocks in your project?

On another note there was a time when I operated in a position that had purchasing authority and in the process of carrying out my fiduciary duties would go on line to maximize the benefit for the agency. Kept getting blocked and after one finger pointing nasty session, it was found and quickly unfound [sic] that buying was done one good guy theory. So it can work both ways and managements brown streak can be unexpectedly aired.

Cops cuff pregnant woman for carjacking after facial recog gets it wrong, again

Hippos in Fantasia

Detroit is border line collapsed if published reports are valid . Gresham's Law can be applied to organizations also. So that any police are not going to the best or if good will migrate elsewhere. What I can not understand is carjacking is an act that must be completed in under 5 minutes if to be successful. At eight months a woman is at her most ungainliness and often takes more than 5 minutes to enter a standard auto . Don't even think of compacts or their kin.

5 minutes = 2-3 minutes for a bystander to understand what's happening; 2-3 minutes for the bystander to determine what will be the response.

Scientists strangely unable to follow recipe for holy grail room-temp superconductor

What is wrong with a good laugh

Mr Negitivity what is so bad about this. It appears in these days if it causes a blood pressure lowering chuckle it is a target for a downer. It was been occupying more of my musing that downer should provide an explanation as why. Myself having read something the was cogent, literate, and used sound logical construction but I thought the author totally deranged an got up tick because it was cogent, literate, and used sound logic(though using a weird premise or three). I for one got both Dr. Pangloss and The Life of Brian's closing but it just entered into this thought process that there were those that had a stick up their ... making them very inflexible who protested the works in which Pangloss and Brian were used.

Read 'Stress Analysis of a Strapless Evening Gown" or Worm Runners Digest or not - probably too painful because it is humor. One of the four that make humans human!

Re: Based on what I've read of its atomic structure

My thoughts were about the same. The crucible was bumped, a stray magnetic field, something not considered as non ordinary effected the processing and since the original sample the curse of a very rare event has the lab trying to duplicate the results. Who knows a neutrino interaction (a rare event) at the precise time that a subtle change in material properties would occur. Classicalists what is quote about the gods and driving man crazy?

US military battling cyber threats from within and without

Classification games (or don't tell about the peanut butter)

The security classification is as low as it can go and why classified? The frequencies are on the market in various hobby magazines. The DES codes should at the minimum be changed daily with the master key secured at SECRET or above.

This again shows the problems with classification of technical material. I've always tried to keep what was learned outside from that on the job; BUT, when the advertisement in a trade journal gives a more clear and concise explanation of something than the classified manual a problem of validity of such classification process is in the face

Want to live dangerously? Try running Windows XP in 2023

Re: My takeaway from this article...

A point that I might add could be called - 'it would kinds neat to have this little item just in case'. This is endemic to engineers and their ilk. It extends beyond software and is more than likely the direct cause of military projects making budgets a laugh not excluding the extra paperwork in the removal of the unneeded. If you're wondering I suffer with it also

RIP Kevin Mitnick: Former most-wanted hacker dies at 59

Oh No more class actions coming

USian TV in the off prime hours is populated by Infomercials offering cash for cancer caused by many sundry things. Now - here - we see pancreatic cancer linked to people who loomed large in the field. Just image the spokething asking if you have developed pancreatic or any other abdominal cancer after being exposed to some computer virus. Fingers hurt so time for a action against all keyboard manufacturers. This page will be referred but not shown as to the linkage that computers were the cause. Robbin, Shearim, and Lauff will represent you with the usual stipulations.

Re: And then it had to be open-sourced

The best way to think of the corporate mind set at ATT and its owners BellSouth is in the way a thief sees the world: an image of itself. They have in my way found any and every technique to avoid repayment of refund and deposits why but to protect The Corporation. Using this as a principle of understanding if they can monetize technical data against so may "THEM" do so against The Corporation. Scott Adams worked for a telco and his work illustrates this well.

The number’s up for 999. And 911. And 000. And 111

VHF vs UHF

Properly yes but for practicality no. Think as rule of thumb rather then the definition learned at whatever school. Shipboard different types of antennas though here at home I use one very large discone.

SpaceX says, sure, Starship blew up but you can forget about the rest of that lawsuit

Darwin is dead, dead ,dead

A) When launches for the Space Shuttle were planned for the Point Arguello area an EIR was done. Much concern about the California Sea Lion was expressed but it was not noted that at the next launch site 20 miles north that the Sea Lion would sleep through the launches nor the Bell Buoy seemed to be a mid blue water nap spot just for them. The Manatee described as shy swims in the channels around the various launch facilities at Cape Canaveral I guess to watch all the nesting birds. The only thing that worked effectively at the Booster Recovery Facility at Port Hueneme to keep the birds from making it a hang out was to keep the deck wet, very wet, but then the bipeds had problems. It is a question of adaption and how many generations it takes for a species to become adapted. When several no take marine sanctuaries off the coast of Taxifornia where established it did not long for the area to become populated by the Sea Lion chasing chasing the fish.

B) As noted elsewhere Texas beaches are driven. [First trip into Texas was startled to see posted at an entrance the sign " Patrons are reminded to remove their firearms before entering a cash handling facility" along with the more appropriate "Drivers are requested to used the entrance ramps" posted at the end of a frontage road and beginning of a dirt trail to the Interstate. Two conclusions I drew from this were 1) guns are the blast that is made when used are tolerated and 2)pavement is not necessary for travel. Conclusions: Mammals and birds can will adapt but Texans might somebody.

C) Late night programing on TV in the US appears to have captured by Legal Firms specializing in class actions. If it is suspected that a buck could be made, an ad is sponsored trolling people to list as the damaged party. I wonder if all the low hanging fruit (torts) have been plucked and this is an attempt to keep Houston's legal firms in the fore front of all class action legal teams. This suit has has ramifications far beyond this and I can see dozens of airports that could be effected in addition to several seaports.

A+B+C=CROCK

Chinese balloon that US shot down was 'crammed' with American hardware

In that case check out ISBN: 978-1-68247-304-7 Chinese Communist Espionage. This is the E-book the publisher has it in soft cover.

Re: Really?

Who says the PRC need use satellite frequencies. They kinds,sorta do their own thing treaty-wise. There remains lots of old VHF modulators out there and the ones I have came from [drum roll] China. Yeup the good ol' PRC were churning these so the CCTV could be watched on old box. The size of the gas bag could allow all sorts of SHF beams while shielding from below. Jamming ask Moscow how well it worked and check out QRP radio.

Re: Notice how....

That your called 'American Technology' used by the PRC is really components from the ROC. That should make some rolling in laughter and heads rolling'

Re: Notice how....

Vote! Always vote just not the way the supposed overlords want. If polled tell 'em anything just not your voting plans. A no show is a nod to the continued low brow entertainment known as POLITICS. We might not be immediately satisfied but after a few heads adorning pikes the message might get through.

False negative stretched routine software installation into four days of frustration

I once had a guy from work ask if I would stop at his house and look at a little electrical problem; I agreed. When I showed up and saw it was custom lighting with wiring all being the same gauge and color. I sinking feeling and the thought "O' sheeet". The question is "when you saw the wires was it lessor or greater than the three 'E' sheeet and did the wire map get saved in your know-it-all book?

Russian businesses want to party like it's 1959 with 6-day workweek

Or the PRC looks North

Consider this askew view of joint fleet operations. The PRAN has stated that showing the glorious friendship with Putin's Russia the navies are performing many joint exercises or is that closely shadowing the Russians. The PRC has made noises ( built an icebreaker) that any Arctic treaties had better include them. The Treaty of Aigun and the Treaty of Beijing still sit pretty hard and now the Treaty of Nanking has been taken care of; it time to look for more resources!

The ROC can wait will the Russians are disarming themselves in the Ukraine.

Firmware is on shaky ground – let's see what it's made of

Re: How far do you go?

A case given in a class held otherwise. The original manufacture of the equipment in the 1930s was purchased by another firm. This firm failed in the 1950s and portions were purchased as part of the bankruptcy. Meanwhile the equipment sold originally was modified somewhere in time and resold several times. An accident occurred and a negligence claim was filed. The claim against the company that purchased the assets on the bankruptcy was held to be valid by the jury. Currently the herbicide Roundup is being held to be the cause of non Hodgkin's lymphona and ads for legal teams (Plecos) run rampant despite the Oregon State University found no link. Nor was a link found between Dupont's Silicon that was used for BOOB jobs back when. The culture has arose that "its not by fault". Get intoxicated and drive your vehicle into a wall. A legal animal will be present to file your claim that the wall should not jumped out in front of your vehicle.

If the right to repair is fully effect, concurrently (in the US) there should be a major revamp of negligence laws. If not not nothing will be manufactured in US, not that the Chinese would mind and if pestered off would go the phone.

When it comes to Linux distros, one person's molehill is another's mountain

Re: Two sided

It was something I had read in the last century that compared in academics the defense of a school of thought as the same as territorial prerogative in apes. I contend the [ fill in ] about the distros is the same animal. I also contend based on observation that some are so locked in mentally that there is no other.

Online Safety Bill age checks? We won't do 'em, says Wikipedia

In this forum the other day a link was given to Monty Python's Lumber Jack sketch. Having a warped cynical mind I wandered off to watch the link which lead to going to my collection of Python and a binge watch. During the binge the words Profumo rose up -- yes politicians, spies, and extramarital SEX. [see the Wiki entry while you can] all things children need not know. By the WAY what about the very explicit expressions of sexual Angst spread through the urban wasteland by this very same group getting protected. Speaking of urban will the rules different down on the farm? That bunch knows a is stud is and does from before weaning!

This by it nature of questioning the powers that be might be the proof that children need the protection of politicians;that parents need not parent because the poles know how to make you think RIGHT.

Re: The Lords said they felt that "anonymous age verification is possible."

Why not? They know what and how much you eat and drink. They see your non-E reading material. And more important (at least to me) they know how not to tell.

It's this easy to seize control of someone's Nexx 'smart' home plugs, garage doors

Re: A US Company?

The company selling the product is local and can prove it by all the stored shipping containers from the PRC. Mostly assembled with final assembly being MADE IN USA decal.

Defunct comms link connected to nothing at a fire station – for 15 years

In 1965 I called Adelaide direct dial from Orange County, Taxifornia and the phone charges were $20 USD for three minutes but the taxes added were considerable (excise tax on excise tax because the temporary war tax was still in existence). The call went to a Central and a runner was dispatched

Vessels claiming to be Chinese warships are messing with passenger planes

Re: Joining the dots

Under your doctrine Diesel engine are military and anything using it for motive force is for war. If so better get all those wheat grower back behind oxen. In WW2 when Perth was a naval operating base subs had to refuel from a barge off the northwest coast in order to have sufficient patrol time. The nuke power system does away with that limitations and will allow max opportunities to go where it must.

HONOR

If you watch China's actions through the lens of HONOR (or Face) in the oriental sense it simplifies the guesses about the plans of both government and the PLA. Think how they built the biggest dam, the most high speed rail and roads that fall into the superlative description. It is a pointed reminder the Opium Wars, the donations of cities to European countries were aberrations and that fact is being broadcast. Since the Chinese have built their first ice breaker who do you think is on the list. The big worry is that they start to believe their own propaganda.

GPS vs GLONASS vs BEIDOU

A non-certified GNSS receiver is available on the open market for under 300 USD as a proto board if you want a package the price leaps to 1500 USD. Of course Qantas in its local area has both the Indian and the Japanese systems available so the only need to say and stay GPS is lacking awareness of the variety and availability of systems. Of course there is the fabled Galileo that we working works good. It stated purpose was to a pure non-military system(?) to avoid a shut down in case of hostilities [Special military operations don't count based on HIMARS results]. The Chinese have been playing this game for quite a while. A decade ago several in a navigation journal it was reported that several vessels sailing from way point to way point suddenly veered off course when in the same vicinity though at different times. So the more time past the more the present mirrors it!

Secret Service, ICE break the law over and over with fake cell tower spying

The law is directed at protecting USians. The simple way to avoid the hassle is to have the hyper secret Isle of Manx intelligent forces establish the site. Foreign agents are fair game and the surveillance must closely prosecuted and so what if USians are swept into the counter-surveillance: Its permitted in the law.

Let no sparrow fall unrecorded Vigilance is the price paid for the security blanket.

If we plan to live on the Moon, it's going to need a time zone

Now children Arthur Clark has already covered the question in one of his 40's short story [again it might be later when plan Sri Lanka move] where the British contingent elects to remain behind on the moon after other depart thereby depriving Internal Revenue. In The Moon is a Harsh Mistress the local domes ran on their local times and travelers just made due. But the real question was adapting a time frame to the moon and then a coordinated time base. Much ado about nothing! Construct the time base clock to work unattended in moon conditions, then launch. Where it lands then becomes the Prime Meredian of the Moon