Posts by MisterHappy

Actor couldn’t understand why computer didn’t work when the curtain came down

Apparently it's now the year of the Luminous Lemur

Students using ChatGPT beware: Real learning takes legwork, study finds

Not just AI

I have found this with many things that present you with the answer instead of requiring you to 'learn' the answer.

The immediate thing that comes to mind is how it seems to take me twice as long to learn a route using sat-nav than it did when I had to use maps & planning. Being given the answer instead of having to find the answer doesn't seem to embed the knowledge as quickly.

Or I could just be old...

BOFH: Recover a database from five years ago? It's as easy as flicking a switch

Saved by apathy?

Who hasn't been saved by something they hadn't got round to throwing away yet?

Bank of England smells hint of dotcom bubble 2.0 in AI froth

There are a few medical AI systems that are being used for cancer screening & diagnostic processes. These are 'trained' on what to look for and then, IIRC, the 'flag' rate is set at around 5% so that the slightest indication is checked by a real person. It has increased throughput and reduced diagnostic times.

Taliban impose tele-ban and take Afghanistan offline

You mean "Y'all-Qaeda"?

Europe's largest city council delays fix to disastrous Oracle system once more

Re: Unbelievable level of incompetence across the board

Soon to become ROUS?

Workers: Yes, RTO makes sense. No, we’re not going to do it

Upvote for "Loud Alan"... We all have a Loud Alan somewhere

BOFH: HR discovers the limits of vertical mobility

Very nearly coffee > Keyboard time there!!

"The Wheelie Chair"... That brings back so many memories, I have moved whole departments like that.

Wrapping the network leads around the pile 'o stuff usually helped keep slippages to a minimum & TBH it was the easiest way of making sure that all of "Bob's" stuff went along with his chair because heaven forbid you mixed those up. 19" CRTs too, none of the fancy 'modern' lightweight flat screens.

Hack to school: Parents told to keep their little script kiddies in line

Hang on a sec

Parents are supposed to keep an eye on their kid's activities to make sure they are not 'hacking' but not responsible for the same kid looking at p0rn?

BOFH: These office thefts really take the biscuit

Re: Biscuit Bribery

It works great with builders as well

Huawei counts cost of Western bans as UK business withers

Tinfoil Hat time

Now that the US government has a 10% stake in Intel is anyone going to be wondering what Intel might be ordered to do?

Can we expect a blanket ban on Intel chips from non-US allied counties?

I was a part-time DBA. After this failover foul-up, they hired a full-time DBA

Re: Paging Doctor Strange

I have had this & it caused a failure & restore from backup. I followed the steps laid out in the suppliers documentation and borked the software.

A call to their ServiceDesk and then one of their Tech people guided me to one of the appendices which stated that "If running version X, steps 7-9 should be omitted".

On the plus side, it ticked the box for our monthly "restore a server from backup" test & the update worked perfectly when missing out the unwanted steps of the process.

As companies race to add AI, terms of service changes are going to freak a lot of people out

Just for fun...

I pasted that snippet into Copilot (yes, I know, sorry) & this is what it returned...

That’s quite a powerful clause. Let’s unpack it so it’s easier to understand:

What It Means

By agreeing to these terms:

- You’re giving the company permission to use any content you provide.

- That permission is forever ("perpetual"), worldwide, and free of charge.

- They can transfer or sub-license the rights to others.

- Your content may be used for:

- Running and improving their service

- Developing new services or technologies

- Enhancing machine learning models (especially for content moderation)

Why This Matters

- You lose exclusive control over your content.

- Even if you stop using the service, they may continue to use your content indefinitely.

- It could be shared or repurposed beyond the original platform.

If the content you’re sharing includes personal info, creative works, or sensitive data, this type of clause definitely deserves a closer look

Critics blast Microsoft's limited reprieve for those stuck on Windows 10

Never had a 'real' job

I am an old git who has only ever worked in IT. From mainframe support to programming to network support... I still run Windows at home because I really can't be arsed with Linux. I play around with Raspberry Pi SBCs and have them doing various things, including a pi-hole but I don't want to dig into it.

"How the hell do I exit VI" is a common search because 'esc' :q! is such an intuitive way to exit without saving changes. I spent too many years pissing around with command lines, I like a GUI, being told "Oh you have to do xyz from terminal" means that someone didn't write a GUI that does what I want.

I get enough Linux at work, Ubuntu, Rocky, SUSE & even a CentOS7 box that isn't supported anymore but heaven forbid anyone criticise a Linux distro for ending support!

Rant & moan over... downvote away because I'm not "IT Pro" enough for you. Mine's the one with a stack of ICL 2900 punch cards in the pocket >

British IT worker sentenced to seven months after trashing company network

Re: Rationality and IT

I'd guess it's the equivalent of keying your manager's car on your way out.

Some signs of AI model collapse begin to reveal themselves

Recent Google AI confusion

Converting a US recipe to UK (Cups to Grams) was more fraught with problems than I expected.

Search: "1/2 cup of planko breadcrumbs in grams"

AI: "5 cups of planko breadcrumbs is approximately 113 grams. A standard measurement for planko breadcrumbs is 50 grams per cup. Therefore 1.5 cups would be 75 grams"

Re: "an article I read on Litvenyenko"

+1 for the Monty Python reference

Techies thought outside the box. Then the boss decided to take the box away

Goldfish Bowl?

We have something similar, the managers like to term it 'The Goldfish Bowl" because everyone can see what they are doing.

Most people outside it refer to it as "The Vivarium".

Actors' union complains about Epic Games cloning Darth Vader

Re: "The onset audio outtakes are hilarious"

Carrie Fisher supposedly called him "Darth Farmer" on set.

Microsoft pitches pay-to-patch reboot reduction subscription for Windows Server 2025

Re: I'm torn

100% agree, we have spent enough time educating users that they need to accept the monthly patching window, they are used to it & we are used to it.

What about when MS tell you that "Oh, this patch really does need a reboot, sorry"? Back to negotiating downtime?

Microsoft mystery folder fix might need a fix of its own

Re: Quality control - yes we’ve heard of it

TBH Windows 10 EOL is also Windows 10 Extended Support day.

"Yes you can keep Windows 10 for up to 3 years, just pay the monthly fee per computer"... Same as Windows 7, Server 2012R2 & probably Server 2016 in a year or so.

Small businesses may decide it's easier & possibly cheaper to scrap and replace but larger organisations will sign up for the extended support.

EU gives staff 'burner phones, laptops' for US visits

Re: Good practice

Is PornHub counted as social media? Asking for a friend...

UK government using AI tools to check up on roadworthy testing centers

From a friend...

"Mechanics don't seem to want to/can't due to the rules just replace these consumables and pass the car, they have to log a fail then re-test once fixed."

I asked a friend about this a few years ago when he worked in a testing centre. Apparently the regulations state that the MOT is for the state of the car "As at the time of the test" so any failures are logged even if it is a wiper or a bulb, it also allows the most common failures to be tabulated. He did say that the re-test for things like that are generally just a check box of "Thing that was broken has been replaced/fixed/"

Brits must prove their age on adult sites by July, says watchdog

Google & Bing too?

Will search engines be expected to conform with this?

Safesearch off + naughty terms + show images... Oh no, porn without verification.

As usual, a badly thought out substitute for basic parental responsibility.

Win a slice of XP cheese if you tell us where Microsoft should put Copilot next

Obligatory Sir pTerry

Isn't that a little place in Lancre?

The workplace has become a surveillance state

Surveil ethically?

We have a few devices that must not be removed from a certain area & Spaces is set to alert if they are.

It is very easy to see the benefits of this but it is just as easy to see the use cases that could be put forwards if management wanted to monitor employees. Yes, spaces will allow me to see what device is connecting to APs in an area, it can also tell me the username. From that I can check email logs, firewalls etc to build up a pretty accurate picture of what someone has been doing.

When I swipe into the building (on the few times I attend the site) my employer knows I am there if they look at the logs, I think that's about the level of surveillance I am comfortable with.

The moment someone says "The logs show that you were inactive for 20 minutes when you were supposed to be working on..." then it is time to leave.

Another 'major cyber incident' at a UK hospital, outpatients asked to stay away

Who 'Owns' IT?

It would be interesting to see if the IT dept have their own director or if they are under Finance.

In my experience, IT running under finance = spit & bailing wire.

BOFH: The devil's in the contract details

Sounds far too familiar

Although they do usually include a lady sales rep because of reasons...

BOFH: Don't threaten us with a good time – ensure it

Ouch!

"Yes – because we use a different cupboard sometimes – to mix it up a bit."

This is far too close to one of my previous employers to be a coincidence, surely.

Fired Disney staffer accused of hacking menu to add profanity, wingdings, removes allergen info

Re: Have Disney found their scapegoat?

FYI... Disney withdrew that argument & are no longer disputing the right to sue.

SCC, one of Europe's largest resellers, orders staff back to their desks for three days a week

Paying for the office space

Yet another case of a company deciding that if they are going to be paying for all of this office space then their staff are damn well going to use it!!

After 3 years, Windows 11 has more than half Windows 10's market share

Why Upgrade?

Depending on the industry, having support for both hardware & software is a pre-req for some certifications. Not having that could cost them business.

Also, a hardware refresh of 3-5 years means that IT departments aren't trying to support multiple variations of desktops/laptops.

"We" run a 5 year refresh on most PCs with a 'sweat it' attitude for non critical areas that means some kit may get a bit old but as soon as any of it breaks then it is swapped out for new.

'Right to switch off' initiative aims to boost economy by beating burnout

Re: Small step

Why did you read that email at 7pm though?

It's about choice, if I choose to work until 8pm to get something finished then I get a pat on the back and no quibbles a week or so later when I tell my boss I need to take time to drop my car in for a service. If it's pre-arranged then I will get paid for my time.

I have a work phone, unless I am on-call it gets turned off when I finish work (usually between 5pm & 6pm). My boss has my personal mobile number but knows it is only for those "oh shit" moments when throwing bodies at the problem is needed.

What this (hopefully) will do is make it so that your manager cannot insist you are available out of normal hours.

BOFH: The true gravity of the Boss and the 3-coffee problem

More Coffee!

After 8 coffees the BOFH needs to be pointed at the coloured pencil brigade

Chinese electric car brands zapped by price surge as EU cranks tariffs

Re: Mostly Garbage

Just wait until Apple gets into the EV market.

"The component you have connected is not registered as belonging to this iVehicle, please purchase a genuine Apple iCar part"

CHIPS Act hangover sees most US science agency budgets cut for 2024

Re: Wait a minute

If they don't give the military more than it asked for then they can't pad their 'consulting fees' with the big defence contractors.

OR

If they don't give the military more than it asked for then they can't build all of those super secret bases that sci-fi & conspiracy theorists love so much.

Fresh version of Windows user-friendly Zorin OS arrives to tempt the Linux-wary

Re: Coincidence...

I must respectfully disagree with the phrase "They will have spent so much effort on learning how each new version of Windows works". I'd estimate about 80% of our user-base never learn how Windows works, all they want after any upgrade is for the 5 or 6 icons on their desktop to still do the thing they always have.

They don't care that they are running Win 7, 10 or 11, they just want to double click on an icon and open their Excel Database (shudder).

However, these same end users are the ones who probably wouldn't care if their desktop was Windows or Linux as long as those icons were the same and did the same thing.

'Exemplar' digital hospitals trust hit by multiple tech-related traumas

A lot of moving parts

Part of the issue is that there is no single provider for NHS Systems, a lot of the time someone will do 70% of what is required. Cerner may or may not include a Pharmacy component which means that a separate Pharmacy system would have to be sourced & would (hopefully) be able to interface with Cerner. Another central system might have pretty much everything but some of it not as good as a specialised system so that part doesn't get implemented.

Back in the day of on-prem system it was possible to use an integration engine to extract records from one system, do a bit of formatting and then pump that into a second system, rinse and repeat until you have several systems that can pull the relevant information from other systems. These days I would guess a lot is cloud based and a lot of what could have been done by internal IT is now a paid for service from the supplier so integration may not be as simple.

With the under-staffing in the NHS front line at the moment, people may also not be able to get trained on systems so what could be a 2 minute process ends up being 10 minutes & a call to IT.

Vote now on who should take the lead in Musk: The Movie

Kevin Durand

The Paul Bettany movie "Legion" was on Film 4 last night & when Gabriel kicked open the door to the diner I thought "Oh crap, it's Elon Musk!"

BOFH: Monitor mount moans end in Beancounter beatdown

Re: Excellent!

I can do you one better on the mileage I think...

When using a company van to travel between sites you must use the routes specified. Apparently it was the most fuel efficient & the mileage was checked every now and then by a manager with nothing better to do & questions would be asked if the 8.6 mile trip had somehow taken 9 miles.

I remember a couple of times when people called from another site to ask where the engineer was because they had been expected "an hour ago", it was usually because of an accident or delay & the engineer sitting and waiting for the traffic to clear because they couldn't deviate from the specified route.

Bear in mind that on one refresh of the vans, they took out all of the radios to discourage the engineers from pulling up in a lay-by and just listening to music (a thing that had never happened).

Apple jacks prices to juice profits because $19.3B a quarter isn't enough

For that 10%

Maybe because someone doesn't want to pay a full subscription for just that 10% of content they are interested in?

Piracy was big when region locking was in place & release schedules differed between geographic areas. It was easier to download the movie that had been released in the US than get hold of a legit copy (either ebay a R1 disc or wait until the released in R2)

Netflix came along and suddenly lots of stuff was easily available in one place & piracy dropped

Now everyone wants their own subscription service so you "need" 4 or 5 subs to get the content you want so Piracy is going up.

Not even the ghost of obsolescence can coerce users onto Windows 11

Re: "I wonder if someone... might use this to sue Microsoft under the Trades Descriptions Act."

If they can do that, can I sue Apple when the iPhone 14, that was touted as "The best iPhone Ever!!" turns out not to be as good as the iPhone 15?

Let's take a look at those US Supreme Court decisions and how they will affect tech

Re: Question...

Thank you... I appreciate the clear reply

Question...

Please bear with me as I am unsure of the impact of this.

Is this saying that a business owner cannot be forced to make a website (or cake) that goes against their personal and/or religious beliefs?

Or

Is this saying that an employee of WebSiteCo can refuse to work on something that goes against their personal and/or religious beliefs?

Turning a computer off, then on again, never goes wrong. Right?

Re: Reminds me of an old (early '80s) AI koan ...

Happy memories of when I did desktop support & would shlep across site or to a different site only to hear a variation of:

Me: "Can you show me the problem please?"

User: "I open this & select here & then click this button and then... Oh, it's working now"

Think of our cafes and dry cleaners, says Ohio as budget slashes WFH for govt workers

Make everyone equally miserable

"saying state employees such as police, firefighters, and garbage collectors didn't have the luxury of working remotely, and with the COVID-19 pandemic over, no one else does, either."

Oh great, instead of seeing how they can make things a little better for some people they have decided to make things a little worse for the rest.

"If I can't have a puppy then no-one else can have one, so there!!!" Does sound like the reasoned argument of a spoiled child.

Dell reneges on remote work promise, tells staff to wear pants at least 3 days a week

Re: With so much attention towards CO2 emissions and climate change why do

"maybe reduce the salary a bit when people want to work from home most of the time."... I have a serious issue with this. Why would they reduce my salary?

If you are going to say that I have reduced commuting costs then I would ask if my colleague who lives less than a mile from work and walks to work every day will also have his salary reduced.

When I took the job there was no mention of an increased salary because I had to drive an hour each way.

Journalist hurt by exploding USB bomb drive

Mum's Basement?

I have told everyone, sooooooooo many times, it's not mum's basement, it's..

MY FORTRESS OF POWER!!!!!!

The Shakespearian question of our age: To cloud or not to cloud

Re: Shakespearian question?

Maybe the downvotes are for your implied hypocrisy?

You "Kind of" went off of Joni Mitchell after she "Kind of" went off of Spotify? It may not have been your intent but the implication is that while you can choose not to listen to her music because of her choices, she cannot exercise her right to withdraw from Spotify because of their choice.

I could be misinterpreting but that's my view. As for downvotes & upvotes, I tend to hit either one only when its a strong agree/disagree, otherwise 'meh'.