Posts by Dennis

Acer flaunts first Ion-based nettop

Won't be buying one

After the hardware "support" I've recently received from Acer, I won't be oging anywhere near them again - expensive, poor communications and very inflexible.

Terabit Ethernet possibilities

Why the need?

We've been doing 32 channels sdh @ 10G for YEARS*

We've been doign 80 channels sdh @10G for a few years

Sometime soon, we'll move to 40G SDH (though not sure how many channels we get out of that.

Gazillibit ethernet - why would anyone want this? surely this would be a datacentre technology, as we already have the long haul technology. Who's built a server bus technology capable of getting near this speed. So what's the point?

* This is what most of your internets/ mobile backhaul etc goes over. I know, coz I built it,innit.

La Cie's quiet fans

@Murray

Good link, good teech.

The thing that made me need a new keyboard was the inventors name: Frank Fish.

Genius.

Nearly as good as Lord Chief Justice I Judge....

LG tests 100Mb/s download phone chip

Second Word

Batteries.

Backhaul is easy - you put a CDN around your THS sites, then you offer your 700mb movie in 60 seconds yes, but traffic shape everything else.

ok so you might need to upgrade a few microwave's up to 10Meg but it's not the end of the world.

Windows internet share drops below 90 per cent

@ DAN*tastik

'scuse the pedantry Dan, but isn't the use of per-cent based on the fact that we are use a decimal system.

So your 131 actually becomes roughly 70 over 100 (where 100 = 77+1) (all OCT).

but it's not per cent, as cent refers to a decimal value.

I await with glee the etymologists along to tell me what per 100 is called in Octal.

Mines to one with the TI Graphing calculator in one pocket and tissues for the nose bleeds in another,

Nokia N96 16GB smartphone

E71

Is what it's all about - it's got all the important features listed here, a battery nearly twice as big and fits in your pocket. Thank you nokia for producing the best phone since the 6310i.

MoJ cancels tender for prison mobe detectors

Is it me?

Chicken wire. - cover the walls, roofs and windows.

This surely is a tech free and low cash solution.

It's a damn prison, they're behind bars anyway, just make the bars a little smaller....

Arizona boffins get a grip on their newly-fat pipe

2mb a song...

just very short songs.

10gig sdh * 32 channels on a single dwdm has been commonplace for 5 or 6 years now.

40g is developed but not really sold.

Alot of the research $$$ has gone into getting adaptive optics to work - getting lamda configurable line cards.

alot of the carrier $$$ has gone on making better use of what they've got.

maybe the headline should have been "new optical network deployed, first for 2008".

mines the one with MOR hanging out of the pocket when I left that industry.

Apple rattles legal sabre at Canadian tech school

I wouldn't go to that school

The head dosn't understand that VSBT isn't an acronym.

Thicky.

Segway shock army to invade Department of Transport

back @ dave

Yep - I'm sure they do, but when they step out into traffic from infront of a parked bendy-bus, and I'm pushing 25mph+ on a race bike (and wigh over 100kg) simple physics would prevent me from "giving-way" to said pedestrian.

@ Most people

"Segways should be allowed to use cycle lanes".

That's fine by me - cycle lanes are generally a waste of space for most cyclists: Put me in the traffic at 30mph - it's way better then having to deal with kerbs, potholes and intermittancy of the cycle lane.

BTW the last pedestrian that stepped out without looking at me finished up with a broken arm. That hopefully learnt him.

Intel says 48 core graphics is just over the horizon

Corrs

An here was I thinking there were only ever 4 Corrs

Mine's the one with the violin

London's black cabs get wireless payment kit

The 1.50 markup

Is absolutely disgusting.

I'm sorry you want me to pay you MORE for the privelidge of paying you in the first place.

I've been going to germany for years and never had an issue paying with my card there - every cab takes cards and non of them add a mark up.

Google's spycar revs up UK privacy fears

Well it didn't catch my face last week

Just my single middle finger turned upright as it cut me up whilst I was struggling on my bike up highgate west hill.

Not sure they're software has a blur setting for "scary fat lycra clad swetting man."

David Davis tells El Reg that Labour is 'mesmerised' by tech

@ AC - BBC/Pro Labour Apporatus

Had to laugh last night - London tonight lead with a 10 minute blurb on some deputy mayor who'd "borrowed" 25k from a punter while a parish preist.

It's a shame there wasn't any non political news yesterday - such as the brutal murder of 2 french post grads.

Shopper connects to Jesus via Denon link cable

Amazon Reviews

Someone should really come up with a compendium book of comedy amazon reviews.

Those for the book "Penetrating Wagners RIng" had me in stiches for days.

Canada.gov blocks sale of space company to US

@get your facts straight

Ha ha ha.

1) Rick posts a crap comment designed to insight annoyance in our cannuck breveren.

2) Rick get's flamed

3) Rick get's annoyed at flame; toys leave pram.

Settle down lads, none of it would have existed if we hadn't given you tv, radar, the jet engine, expresso makers.

maybe not the last one.....

O2 says 128Kb/s is all its 3G customers need

@Anton - bang on - great post

Annecdotal I know but...

There are 10 of us sat in an office up in newcastle all running 3g - all within a few meters of each other.

I constantly get 3.5G - good rates - super access etc, the bloke right next to me get plain old 3g, as do a few others, the remainig chaps can't get a signal and are left with gprs.

We're all on a coroporate flat rate job.

So @pete - we don't get charged per meg - that's not where the main operators are interested in making cash....

BTW O2 ripped and replaced Nortel 3G kit when they got bought by telefonica who had an existing deal with lucent (I think) - wouldn't be suprised if thats et them back a couple of years on the infrastructure side....

Final beta of Firefox 3 available now

strange....

it's installed on mine with 10 or so forward/back buttons across the top...

Fixing the UK's DAB disaster

The sucess/failure is all about in car

I don't know where people listen to their radios, but for me it's just in the car.

iplayer/any other content delivery method all well and good - make that happen in my car please - then you can turn off fm/dab.

poorly planned, poorly executed and poorly marketed.

Video conferencing gets cheaper, nastier easier

@Tony

I'm with Tony on this - it reeally is ace...

the 300k$ cisco kit buys you

3 big old plamas

a bunch of hd video cameras.

surround sound audio (both mics and speakers.

a table that is exactly replicated at the other side.. and matching pain for the walls..

it's beyond ice cool.

sure we can have msn to chat to mum on our year out in oz - but this is for the big boys brokering mega deals.

Arthur C. Clarke dead at 90

Strange reactions

is it me - the guy died at 90 after a great innings - should we not celebrate his life rather then mourn his passing.

ps please ban RIP - am I the only one that associates the phrase with chavs these days..

Cambridge brain touts wind-n-server combo farms

Shocker - Cambridge Cyber fogey has eccentric idea

The mans a plank and obviousely has no real world experience.

Those that can,do;, those that can't,teach

.

It's as stupid as saying well it'd be best to fill up your cars fuel at the refinarey because tankering it around the country just dosn't make environmental sense!

Still, lots of big mirrors in various deserts please....

ps the sun can shine at night - assuming that you've superheated enough of something to keep the turnies going....

Nortel widens telecom tubes with 40Gb/s optical cards

OME6500> Massive.

No it's not. it's a medium size, very flexible piece of kit, however if you want massive, then the HDX is where it's at. Huge multi terrabit optical x-connect, ASTN capable etc with something daft like 32 10 gig ports pre shelf, over 2 shelves...

The 6500 wins out though as it (should) support PBT...

Virgin lags in scumjumbo race, bins airliner drag-start plans

reinforce the gear?

Is it me or has this been slapped down before it got near started.

Reinforce the gear? put the nosewheel in a sled.

tow from a different point?

persoannly i'd like to see it go all the way and have aircraft launched with engines off/idleng using a electromagnetic catapults

of course we'd need alot of electrical energy for that, and therefore we needd a bit more investment in fusion...

Ten years old: the world's first MP3 player

@AC

wow such vitriol!

firstly: so what? they could afford to.

secondly: that'd be a good thing for the rest of the market surely?

thirdyly: I think thy're pretty good/get a life.

The way I see it itunes won the day becuase it's actually usable.

And surely if the ipod looked good and works well then that's a good thing?

for the record, I have a 2nd gen nano which get's well abused and it's still going strong (witht he exception of the shite headphones that went in the bin early doors for a new pair of shures), no other apple products. I use wintel at work AND home.

HMRC self-assessment online gets awards nod

@Joel

Joel, it dosn't work for secure records because of the way the revenue's IT deal with these "customers".

The article you quote is sensationalist (to say the least). the system is very, there's abuig long list of people that can't use it, and that's to protect national interests.

Sony signs on for made-to-order DVD service

@Chris C

<pedantry>

Sorry Chris - Speed roughly equals bandwidth - so I think you meant bandwidth and monthly data limmit/ download cap or something.

It would be better to scratch the term bandwidth all together and replace with baud rate or simpy speed.

</pedantry>

Brocade's Backbone wants control of the data center

Data Center.. a product?

becuase it's not.

If it is then you're welcome to patent/trademark/whatever it.

.

EU moves to establish gibberish as lingua franca

@Colin Millar

because they don't need to be translated twice and they don't need to be translated to themselves

(23*23-23)/2 =253

and next - the countdown cunundrum

Knock, knock: Cisco is banging at your door

RE:RE:Hurragh

CC Learning, as far as I can tell is part of their marketing stratergy, and that's where and why they're sucessful.

1) Build some dodgy kit

2) Ensure everyone pays you to become certified on dodgy kit.

3) Ensure only certified techs get access to support*

4) Customers feel tied in to a product as they've spent $$$ on training.

* is they key differenciator between cisco's sucess and nortel/juniper/avaya/etc's failings

yes you can do juniper trainig, but does anyone care?

Supersonic stealth jumpjet rolls off production line

Why buy eurofighter at all

Surely we should have bought into f35 from the start - assuring commanlity accross all attack platforms, then you dismantle the RAF leaving only heavy lift capability there and put all fighter/bomber capability in the Fleet Air Arm.

plus plenty of UK tech in this bird.

PS the multisensory in-helmet heads-up display is awesome

NZ bans Brit immigrant's overweight missus

@Andy Gibson

I think this would be a great idea for the next budget airline:

£20 flat charge, cofvers the first 50kg.. then weigh yourself and your luggage in - and..

0.1 pence per kilo per mile addition.

I'm a bit on the choddy size (BMI tipping 30ish (which is complete tosh - I'm fit as a butchers - and spend ALOT of time at the gym), but get just as annoyed by skinnies plgging massive cases onto their flights...

Tidal power plans pit greens against greens

Title

14bn on a tidal project that will provide 4% of our power needs... and we spend only a few million a year funding ITER and the like. Priorities?? anyone???

Facebookers bring HSBC to its knees

@Jason Harvey

You've obviousely not been to uni for a good while. The whole thing is set up for you to rely on am pverdraft (hopefully the summer job pays it off).

Northrop enters US Army monster raygun lorry race

Mirrors

"if a lasers(sic) just light" - no, a laser is just e.m. radiation - and the common or garden type happens to be in the visible spectrum.

Not sure what part of the spectrum these are supposed to be in but you can be they're not in the vis spectrum..

The BBC iPlayer 'launch' that wasn't

C4 Public Service

Actually it is a public service broadcaster. Under the terms of their licence they do have a public service remit albeit quite limmited

They also receive a small fraction of the license fee.

BBC Trust backs calls for Linux iPlayer

Open source is not a religion. Everyone and everything does not have to respect its rights .

And can someone explain why we should have to be so respectful of people's religous rights. We should no more repsect them then people's desire to have iPlayer ported to their old A3000 Acorn...

BT feels the need for 50Mb speed

Pannic!

This is just BT panicking that they can only just get BT Vision SD working on standard POTS. Sky and Virgin and (almost) DVB are near enough offering (some, expensive) HD, BT can't get near unless they seriously up their game.

50MBit/s is for BT Vision HD and for nothing else, which to me sounds like fairly savvy investment.

Even with 21CN the backbone wouldn't support every joe downloading hours of 720p from a torrent.

BT's IPTV aims to lure footie fans

Unfair Practice

Unfortuately that's how it works..

IPTV works in a walled garden - it's multicast technology

VOD is similar but uses point cast.

So the end user equipment is tied to the service provider (so they can set up the vlans/VCCs to get the correct QoS/Cos)

It's not like a "grown up myspace" which is just internet video.