Posts by Cederic

UK government shakes magic money tree, finds $500m to buy a stake in struggling satellite firm OneWeb

Re: It Could Be Made to Work ???

"UK-based Catapult Satellite Applications" suggest it could be made to work.

I know this, because I read the article.

UK space firms forced to adjust their models of how the universe works as they lose out on Copernicus contracts

Re: "are explained in language an adolescent could comprehend."

All deals currently made are at worse terms than we had under the EU.

Given many of them are "let's agree to continue to trade on the same terms as before" I'm finding this rather unlikely.

Re: "are explained in language an adolescent could comprehend."

No free trade? Even though we've signed 19 trade deals already, are in advanced negotiations on 17 more and that doesn't include the ongoing trade negotiations with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the USA and the EU? Not to mention the work towards joining the CPTPP.

It's amazing how much you can get done when you don't have 27 other countries pulling in different directions.

Re: "We did so for good reasons "

I think you'll find that two Leave campaigns were found in breach of electoral rules. Of course, you'll also be aware I'm sure that five Remain campaigns were too.

Illegal campaigning is bad, all seven of them.

Re: "We did so for good reasons "

Check my posting history on this site, I've provided enough information in the past.

I'm certainly not going to waste my time with someone clearly incapable of understanding.

Re: "are explained in language an adolescent could comprehend."

Oh dear, still sore that the British people have faith in their own country? Upset that we have left the EU?

Tough. We've left the EU. We did so for good reasons and now we're going to enjoy the advantages of free trade across the world, unhindered by the protectionist continental political control. Better yet, we have a head start on all of the remaining EU nations who will have to join us when the EU collapses.

It's already on its way. I'm finding this all very entertaining.

Cummings? Entirely irrelevant. I was campaigning to leave the EU in the 90s. The only people that care about him are the people upset that they lost the referendum, lost the General Election, lost the European Elections and lost the other General Election. Why, it's almost as though the British people have consistently and repeatedly voted to leave the EU, which is why we have left the EU.

Enjoy being part of a strong independent nation.

Oh please. We get information from US police, from Australian police, from Swiss police and from Moroccan police.

Why wouldn't we continue to get information from French police?

Perhaps before drawing such silly conclusions you should look into the law enforcement exclusions with GDPR and also the difference between ECHR and ECR.

Euro police forces infiltrated encrypted phone biz – and now 'criminal' EncroChat users are being rounded up

Re: So...

While it may well be poor security at EncroChat that doesn't preclude it also being good police work.

Also, I now hate you for making me admit that the French police might actually have done something good.

I was screwed over by Cisco managers who enforced India's caste hierarchy on me in US HQ, claims engineer

Re: General concern

Yeah, while the old class distinctions are almost entirely irrelevant there's still very much a two tier system.

One does not simply repurpose an entire internet constellation for sat-nav, but UK might have a go anyway

Re: "quantum compass technology"

How much global coverage does Japan enjoy with those 4 satellites? How much do they make licensing the technology and access to the technology to other countries?

The UK armed forces operate globally and will want Commonwealth nations and NATO partners to access and benefit from the technology too.

You've accused Apple of patent infringement. You want to probe the iOS source in a closed-room environment. What to do in a pandemic?

Well, you could for instance use that hour to walk into the room, log into the laptop as an administrator, and change the password of the user account that the reviewer will log into, and set that account to expire in, say, 8 hours.

Although quite why they're using a laptop instead of a screen and wireless keyboard/mouse so that the computer itself can be locked in a cupboard, I do find confusing.

Yes, Prime Minister, rewrite the Computer Misuse Act: Brit infosec outfits urge reform

Re: CMA Violation....does this count?

No. Section 10 is the "doesn't apply to us" clause that also lets the police search your phone even when you scream, "No! That's got my naked bottom pictures on it!"

Re: The law is fine and doesn't need changing

Yeah, I've had several occasions where I've had to tell colleagues to stop immediately and report it to less capable people in another department, entirely because of who had legal authority to investigate and fix things.

Even where the Infosec team trust and ask me to do things I'll sit and shadow them while they do the work, using their credentials on their keyboard with me in a purely advisory role (where the advice may be, "..and now type this.")

If you want unrestricted access to hack away without fear, go and join the NSA.

Good

A company deciding that I'm a security threat and hacking my PC are breaking the law and must continue to be breaking the law.

Seems to me that aspect of the Computer Misuse Act is doing its job.

Finally, a wafer-thin server... Only a tiny little thin one. Oh all right. Just the one...

no bills?

So who's he leaching 'net access from?

Beware the fresh Windows XP install: Failure awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth

Re: Almost mouse free

Mine don't perceive rodents as food, so they don't generally bring me dead ones.

They bring me ones that are still alive enough to play with.

I'm fairly sure I have two mice living behind one of my bookcases even now :(

Once again, racial biases show up in AI image databases, this time turning Barack Obama white

Re: this is not bias

By your definition, to be bias the system would have to be rejecting non-white faces in favour of the white ones.

Is that's what's happening?

I've opened both images in an image editor, used a colour picker to select from the cheek, forehead, chin of both images.

- Forehead in the light, both are the same colour.

- Forehead in the shade, both are the same colour.

- Cheek on the left, the selected image is a darker brown than Obama (but similar).

- Chin, centre, Obama is a darker brown than the selected image (but similar)

- Hair, both are the same colour

Where's the bias? Hell, where's the skew?

It doesn't look like it's in the software if people think one image is black and the other white.

this is not bias

Results are skewed. That is not indicative of bias.

People crying wolf about racial bias will lead to real racism being overlooked. Anyway, at the scale included in the article the image of Obama and not Obama are very comparable indeed.

When you bork... through a storm: Liverpool do all they can to take advantage of summer transfer, er, Windows

sigh

As a fan of the Liverpool football club and its messiah Klopp I can only look at the title and subtitle of this story and laugh.

Big Tech on the hook for billions in back taxes after US Supreme Court rejects Altera stock options case hearing

Re: It will cost us money...

It did seem to make more sense to use pounds (or I guess guineas) for that magnitude, but I couldn't track down contemporary writing guides that would help confirm that they didn't in fact mean shillings.

My £269bn estimate derived from £35,000 (i.e. 700k shillings) in 1772 as a percentage of Government spending in that year and applying the same percentage to Government spending in 2019. An obvious flaw is the significant increase in the welfare state during the intervening centuries that will distort figures somewhat.

Re: It will cost us money...

I was reading the judgement from the 1772 case that confirmed slavery was not legal in the UK last night and they deferred judgement explicitly because 700,000/- was at stake - the 14,000 slaves in the UK at that time, valued at approximately 50/- each.

The /- nomenclature tends to mean shillings, but 700,000 shillings in 1772 equates to just over £5m now. While that may not seem a lot, relative purchasing power (e.g. by comparing Government expenditure then and now) puts it at the equivalent of £269bn of value now.

Then they explicitly discounted that financial implication and made the judgement based on the law and not its impact.

Re: It's a scam

How is this a scam?

It's an incentive based reward. "Help our stock price grow and you'll benefit."

It has a cost to the business, and it's that very cost (in the form of an intangible liability) and how it was allocated between related businesses that led to the court case. It has a benefit to the employee, who in the UK would be liable to pay tax on the actual cash benefit realised; I rather suspect the same applies in the US.

Ex-barrister reckons he has a privacy-preserving solution to Britain's smut ban plans

TSP 2121

So by modifying a standard that isn't used to share pornography over the internet they think that they can change how pornography is shared over the internet?

I'm confused.

Hey NYPD, when you're done tear-gassing and running over protesters, can you tell us about your spy gear?

Ok, if there weren't riots, why are there 1500 burned out buildings in Minnesota?

If there wasn't looting where did all the video footage of people running out of broken windows carrying expensive goods come from?

If the protests were peaceful then who hurt all these policemen?

RIP David Dorn, a black life that sadly it appears did not matter.

Re: Liar, she hit a traffic light

The irony of course being that the police in London have not used tear gas or rubber bullets, thus demonstrating that your attacks on me are spurious and based in ignorance.

Re: Liar, she hit a traffic light

"if the horse bolts [..] that's an accident" ? No wonder you posted anonymously, I wouldn't put my name to that grotesque propaganda either.

If the horse bolts because violent rioters are throwing bicycles at it, that's not an accident.

I don't see the police in this clip wearing riot gear. They're certainly being attacked.

https://twitter.com/DarrenPlymouth/status/1268253728043347968

Stop pretending that the violence is police initiated. You look silly.

Re: Protests

In London "largely peaceful" protests resulted in 27 police officers being injured.

-- https://twitter.com/bbcnews/status/1269574979680702470?lang=en

Those police officers were not in riot gear, didn't attack the crowds, actually kneeled before the baying mob, allowed statues and war memorials to be defaced.

What I see as riots are the ignorant fools using the death of a man as an excuse to pursue their anti-Government agenda through use of violence with a small number of idiots using that as cover for their criminal looting.

I concede, I was taken in entirely and firmly formed the impression that they were riots.

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-st-paul-buildings-are-damaged-looted-after-george-floyd-protests-riots/569930671/

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/riots-flare-in-new-york-washington-and-la-as-trump-threatens-to-deploy-military-20200602-p54ysc.html

Perhaps you'd be generous enough to help me understand the correct term for violently assaulting the police, looting shops and burning down the city?

ServiceNow slammed for 'tone deaf' letter telling customers contracts can't be tweaked as COVID-19 batters businesses

Re: We use Service Now where I work...

With the added issue that no matter how many times a department manager will tell you they understand this, they'll still demand a customisation instead of changing their processes, then call the system broken because it works how they asked for it to work, then call it expensive because the support costs have tripled because they outsourced the customisation work to an offshore code farm that couldn't give a fuck about anything beyond getting the next customisation contract.

I'm not bitter. Honest.

The incumbent President of the United States of America ran now-banned Facebook ads loaded with Nazi references

Re: I'm still not sure how much of this is pulling our leg

Apparently everything's a dog whistle. I guess I'm just not a dog, I don't get it either.

845GB of racy dating app records exposed to entire internet via leaky AWS buckets

Re: Herpes Dating was also revealed

Yeah, some people catch herpes by being kissed by their mother while still an infant, and can go through life struggling to find someone that doesn't mind the risk of cold sores (or worse).

I can easily see the attraction to them of a site that lets them find someone entirely unafraid to kiss them.

In Hancock's half-hour, Dido Harding offers hollow laughs: Cake distracts test-and-trace boss at UK COVID-19 briefing

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

We've left the EU. We end the transition period at the end of January.

Start dealing with it, because it's the new reality, whether COVID kills your elderly relatives or not.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

I don't think you've fully grasped that normal folk voted for Brexit and voted for Boris to have an 80 seat majority.

If you think Cummings lied about Brexit then that's your choice. I know for certain that the media lied about it, the Bank of England lied about it, the BBC keep lying about it, countless politicians of all parties lied about it and the Civil Service, politicians and the media have spent four years trying to overturn the democratic will of the people.

Perhaps you feel that my correct course of action would be to spew vile hatred towards all of those, picket their houses, threaten their families and lie about them? Is that the behaviour you're advocating? Or would you stand up, say, "Hang on, get a grip, maintain some perspective, obey the law, don't be a cockwomble."

Because that's all I'm really doing.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

Fortunately I managed to provide you with multiple links, so you don't have to read the one you dislike.

In your personal situation your wife has had to come up with weekly lesson plans for your 6 year old, because the teacher that should have been doing that was doing.. what?

Yes, some teachers are working hard. Yes, some teachers are doing very very little. Yes, the unions fought to avoid their members having to actually earn that nice guaranteed pay that so many people can't get right now.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

Oh ffs.

https://twnews.co.uk/uk-news/fury-as-teaching-unions-celebrate-victory-of-keeping-schools-closed-until-september

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8413875/Fury-teaching-unions-celebrate-victory-keeping-schools-closed-September.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/11/teaching-unions-accused-celebrating-schools-remaining-closed/

You're welcome to challenge the wording but it's no fantasy.

Incidentally, in case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to apologise for being better informed than you.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

It's clearly escaped your notice that teaching (and other) unions fund the labour party, and that teaching unions have been celebrating the opportunity to get paid for an extended holiday.

I'm so sorry that reality does not conform with your prejudices.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

Link as requested:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-28/top-aide-to-u-k-s-johnson-pushed-scientists-to-back-lockdown

While the person above you claims that the media can't be trusted on this, note the date of that report predates the witch hunt against him, and it's a hell of a lot more evidence than the person to whom I replied provided.

As for the SAGE meetings being 'secret' as someone claimed, perhaps they'll welcome a link to the SAGE meeting minutes:

https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?organisations%5B%5D=scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies&parent=scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies

Note in particular paragraph 5 of the 17th Meeting on 18th March, and paragraph 21 in the 18th meeting on 23rd March, the day lockdown was announced. Also notice that the attendees of both meetings did not include Cummings.

It's almost as though the Government was following the advice from SAGE at the time.

Now, is that enough evidence for you and the other ignorant people accusing me of lying? I hope so because none of these unwarranted attacks are backed by any references at all.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

Given that Cummings wanted to lock down a week earlier than we did, you are wrong about him controlling SAGE and wrong about the Government not being advised by SAGE.

Do please try and include basic facts in your unhinged rants.

Re: "......worst death toll in Europe"

Right now there are the countries that were able to shut down completely before the virus was loose in the community - like Taiwan and New Zealand - and countries that had it spreading for weeks before it was acknowledged as a pandemic - like the UK.

Faced with prevalent infection in the country the Government had very few choices available. It's easy to sit to the side and criticise, but have you heard the shit being spewed?

"We should have locked down earlier" is the attack on the Government, who were being advised by SAGE not to lockdown the same week that they finally did.

"We should re-open the schools" cried the politicians, before backing their union paymasters in preventing that happen.

"Where is all the PPE?" asked the union activist nurses, while their colleagues modelled it in fucking Tik Tok videos.

"Why didn't you protect our care homes?" bleat the media, yet don't fucking dare ask Sturgeon why Scotland's care homes have many many more deaths.

"It's too early to stop lockdown" cry the cowardly sheep, as they flock to the streets to attack war memorials.

Aspects of the Government response have been shambolic but to pretend that the Government have managed this any worse than their peers across the world, or indeed any worse than the cunts like Kneel to the Mob Starmer would have done (bearing in mind he has no answers - for anything, ever) is wishful thinking.

I don't like the current situation but politically motivated attacks aren't helping anybody.

It looks like you want to browse the internet with Chrome. Would you like help? Maybe try Edge? Please?

I've been avoiding Chrome as much as possible for a while due to Google's attempts to intercept all internet traffic and prevent people understanding what they're actually doing.

Sadly many sites don't work properly in non-Chromium based browsers, so I do have Chrome installed anyway.

Microsoft are not however a company I trust to do any better :(

BoJo looks to jumpstart UK economy with £6k taxpayer-funded incentive for Brits to buy electric cars – report

Re: Free parking for electric cars

I'm British and male, I've got no hope of getting a housing association property.

But that aside, go to Rightmove, search for flats in Birmingham. Over 1600 results. Now filter for ones that have parking. Under 1100 results.

That's almost a third of flats that have no allocated parking. That's one in 8 of the properties available in Birmingham that have no allocated parking.

(Except that it isn't: of the 3970 flats and houses listed for sale, 2917 have parking; a quarter of Birmingham has nowhere to park)

Re: Free parking for electric cars

Maybe it's because during my life I've lived in flats with no dedicated parking at all.

Sorry, I'll try and be born into a wealthy family next time.

Re: And what happens to all the unwanted petrol cars?

No, you sell them to the people for whom an electric car is impractical.

Not that you'll get a lot for yours, the market'll have a glut and nobody can afford a new (second hand) car anyway.

Re: Free parking for electric cars

You forgot the "People that live in flats", "People that live in cheap shitty housing with no drive" and "People that can't afford two cars" communities.

If I was working I could afford two cars, using an electric for local trips and keeping the other for fun and trips to Manchester or Scotland. I can't however park anywhere near my house so charging the electric car would have to be done somewhere else, a frustrating and time consuming experience.

Amazon declined to sell a book so Elon Musk called for it to be broken up

Actually Amazon just have a blanket 'reject' for anything that mentions Coronavirus/COVID.

That doesn't mean a manual override can't be used, but I suspect the automated filter is saving them a shitload of work at the moment. Almost nobody has something worthwhile to say in book form on the topic, and it's an attractive keyword to put in your title or blurb to attract people searching for it.

Re: Amazon is a shady bookstore

Me! I did.

An extra 20% of fuck all is still fuck all but hey, the ebook is still cheaper than the print version.

If Daddy doesn't want me to touch the buttons, why did they make them so colourful?

Re: they've actually had no incidents. But I haven't taken the tour..

The big red one by the door!

Especially if it had a sign saying, "Do not press!"

Re: no Kids in the DC under ANY circumstances

A tier 5 data centre belonging to a former employer of mine holds an annual families day, which does include tours of the halls, specifically targeted at the kids.

In the years I've known of it, they've actually had no incidents. But I haven't taken the tour..

Barmy ban on businesses, Brits based in Blighty bearing or buying .eu domains is back: Cut-off date is Jan 1, 2021

"Fuck EU." was the sole content of the letter I sent to my MP the morning after the 2016 referendum.

Dear [MP's name],

Fuck EU.

Yours sincerely,

Juvenile but a source of great personal satisfaction. I never did get a reply, although he did get upset when I wrote to him telling him to leave the House of Commons because he was betraying the British people.