* Posts by prouton

6 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Aug 2014

FYI: Chromium's network probing accounts for about half DNS root server traffic, says APNIC

prouton

Which is why

I avoid NXDomain hijacks entirely by turning off search via the address bar. Using a browser on a wide screen monitor, there's no problem keeping separate address and search fields available at all times. Plus, if I have any doubt about what the domain name is, I do a search on it first and select from the google results that look most legitimate.

Oh, and I change the DNS servers at the router level away from my ISP's servers.

That awful moment when what you thought was a number 1 turned out to be a number 2

prouton

the text referred to "Bear Steams"

That would be what comes out the Bear's, um, "stern".

Crash, bang, wallop: What a power-down. But what hit the kill switch?

prouton

But what if you designed it so it couldn't accidentally be pushed...

Back in the day I was a computer operator on an IBM System 370 box, which required something called a motor-generator unit to supply 3-phase power to the system. The unit itself was a plain looking box about the size of a wide freezer, with doors on the long sides for access to the guts. Toward the top of one of the doors was a cut-out through which the EPO button could be accessed. Now some clever engineer just knew you didn't want to place a push button at waist level that would kill everything in the room, so they smartly made it a "pull" to activate switch.

Unfortunately, one day the IBM CE was enjoying some free coffee, leaning against the unit at just the right spot, and when he moved forward a belt loop on his pants managed to snag the rim of the switch and Bam! down goes the system. Okay, that's embarrassing enough, but as luck would have it the wall panel relay also died in the incident, and it took a full day to find a replacement for the part.

Shortly after that the versatility of the 80-column punch card was put to use -- one was taped over the hole in the motor-generator's door panel.

Strip club selfie bloke's accidental discharge gets him 6 years in clink

prouton

"it's in my pocket man! It's my friend's, he has a license to carry it"

Oh, well, that's all right then. Presuming of course that his friend carries *him*. (Would that make Sorn a "man purse"?)

Charlotte, NC thinks it has won the Google Fiber lottery

prouton
Alert

Why would Google want to deal with the tinfoil hat brigade in San Francisco? There are lots of municipalities around the country that will work *with* them to get it done.

Trundle, trundle, FLEEEP: iPhone 6 production grinds to halt

prouton
Trollface

Time for an intervention

It sounds to me like the iPhone is suffering from anorexia nervosa.