Posts by Grunchy

Trump fires cybersecurity boss Chris Krebs for doing his job: Securing the election and telling the truth about it

Ah yes, the American political circus. Let’s gaze upon the spectacle of stupidity.

McAfee rattles tin for $600m+ in fresh IPO filing valuing firm at $3.6bn

People still buy antivirus?

I’ve never paid a cent for antivirus so I’m genuinely surprised at the valuation.

Oh well, live & learn.

Selling hardware on a pay-per-use or subscription model is a 'lie' created by marketing bods

Re: Spot on!

I personally don’t pay for any “software as service”, nor “hardware as service” either. I also actively campaign against all such schemes, too.

The only cloud services I subscribe to are free ones such as gmail.

Opex is nothing but a nightmare scenario which any video gamer has first-hand experience with: when the day comes to shut the service down it’s always for the vendor’s advantage, never for the subscribers.

Oh and that crack about avoiding maintenance and such? Not only does the vendor expect that the subscription fees pay for all of the capital cost and ongoing operating costs, he also wants a sizeable profit to boot, in addition to complete control including the power to shut down the service at any second (or else exercise his monopoly powers and jack rates up 10 fold).

I’m a gamer. All cloud schemes are bad. I know firsthand.

Unprotected quantum 'puters may hit 4ms brick wall, thanks to background radiation slashing qubit lifespans

Re: B*ll*cks

4ms is not enough time to teach it phenomenology.

Here's some words we never expected to write: Oracle said to offer $10bn cash, $10bn shares for TikTok US – plus profit share promise

I have nothing to do with Oracle or Tik Tok so whatever.

It's like, "blocks of ice found on mars!" and I'm all, whatever.

So long, Top Gun... AI software waxes US F-16 pilot's tail 5-0 during virtual dogfight drills

EMP hoax!

It’s a book somebody wrote!

https://www.amazon.com/EMP-Hoax-David-Hathaway/dp/1983751758

Re: Awesome

Nice try, Hal

Toshiba formally and finally exits laptop business

From Sharp minds come Toshiba products.

Whoops, our bad, we may have 'accidentally' let Google Home devices record your every word, sound – oops

Re: Simple Solution

Yeah but they followed you around with your phone... that has a microphone...

Everybody, just relax... what I heard was that somebody at Google was merely curious about where a certain person was in the world, and only made the mistake long enough that the person was found.

None of you need to worry about it, they weren't looking for you this time!

Legendary Li-ion battery boffin John Goodenough to develop gel power packs with South Korea's SK Innovation

Thunderf00t busted Goodenough back in 2017

Goodenough was caught making unsubstantiated claims:

https://youtu.be/8RbwOhM6PUk

Is this present news cause for another busting?

They've only gone and bloody done it! NASA, SpaceX send two fellas off to the International Space Station

Re: You

That reminds me of the time Rocketlab demonstrated how trivial it was to snag a rocket by its parachute. You know, the far cheaper and easier and more reliable option.

America finally launched a rocket!

Big whoopy ding!

Also: America landed plenty of rockets on top of their thrusters, in the 1960s, on the MOON.

Colour me a little underwhelmed...

OK brainiacs, we've got an IT cold case for you: Fatal disk errors on an Amiga 4000 with 600MB external SCSI unless the clock app is... just so

Re: The root of the problem

...and I was just about to gripe about LS120 super disks, too...

Tesla downs tools in California, New York amid 'non-essential' biz clampdown

Re: I didn't think Electric Jesus believed in the virus

Musk is a denier of things being able to grow exponentially. David Suzuki had a famous quip about exponential growth: in a jar of bacteria that doubles in population each minute, it only notices a problem when the jar has finally filled to the half-way mark.

The Reg produces exhibit A1: A UK court IT system running Windows XP

My Sony UX533 still runs XP

It runs XP just fine, thanks. Microsoft and IT professionals the world over issued dire warnings of, what, impending doom, calamity, destruction. Look it's just for playing Solitaire and Minesweeper, ok? Maybe a bit of 3d pinball. That's about it. Get over it, I still like me old Sony UX533.

California tech industry gets its first big coronavirus hit: RSA Conference attendee infected, in serious condition

Its worse than you think

The virus has anywhere from 2-6% death rate, which is terrible, but about 12% get “severe” symptoms, possibly leading to the need of a medically-induced coma, as in the case mentioned. So it’s a lot more life-threatening than you might think.

Probably people need to be shown footage of patient’s suffering so they can become patient enough to wash (with soap) for the recommended minimum 20 seconds.

Who's got the WD-40? Owners of Motorola's rebooted Razr whinge about creaky hinge

I preferred the original StarTac, who cares about the Razr. They brought back the wrong one!

Artful prankster creates Google Maps traffic jams by walking a cartful of old phones around Berlin

So what’s the deal

Are you guys gonna extradite Assange, or what.

IBM, Microsoft, a medley of others sing support for Google against Oracle in Supremes' Java API copyright case

Re: Obviously, all the big cloud providers want to be free to copy anybody's API...

That works for me, I don't intend to pay anybody for software, ever.

Much bigger problems to solve

Here's a boggle that defies the collective might of everyone's IT intellectual powers. It has persisted for decades with not a single human able to solve it.

"If your download doesn't start within 30 seconds just click here to start it manually".

It's interesting you lot are still stymied by Y2K, 20 years on.

Tea tipplers are more likely to live longer, healthier lives than you triple venti pumpkin-syrup soy-milk latte-swilling fiends

I reject this story

I only came here to express my discontent. Flame away.

Why is a 22GB database containing 56 million US folks' personal details sitting on the open internet using a Chinese IP address? Seriously, why?

Re: There are reasons

What dya mean, like a VPN or something?

You lie, you never found nuthen

Where's the smoking bodies, that's what I want to know.

SpaceX flings another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit in firm's heaviest payload to date

Re: Think

If starlink consists of 24 launches of 60 sats, that adds up 1440 sats in total. Surely not nearly enough cell towers, for all of Earth? Particularly since a majority of them are whipping over ocean, Sahara/Gobi/Outback, polar barrens at any given moment?

I’d love to have a proper working sat smartphone though!

I’d love to converse with my N.Korean chums finally too!

Google and IBM square off in Schrodinger’s catfight over quantum supremacy

Re: Colour me interested...

I’m keenly interested in SpaceX’s starlink tech. Supposedly whizzing over Canada & northern USA any moment now.

I’m chuff’d to finally IRC with my North Korean mates ! We got a lot of catching up to do :)

The Nokia 3.2 is a phone your nan will love: One camera's more than enough, darling

I updated to iPhone SE

Look, you can get em practically free, plus you can snap on a FLIR One for next to nothing. It WORKS, man. I’m surfing here on it at this very moment in fact. And did I mention the two actual cameras?

I sincerely use freephoneline.ca and a PAP2T, no foolin! You dopes are paying 95£? For Finnish tech?!

Reusing software 'interfaces' is fine, Google tells Supreme Court, pleads: Think of the devs

Re: C, not Pascal.

The first time I saw a java program, I thought: “huh, so it’s C then.”

I’m not alone in the world!

What’s a ‘brexit’

What is that, some kind of brekky biscuit? D’you have it with ketchup?

I could throttle you right about now: US Navy to ditch touchscreens after kit blamed for collision

Re: Based on my (Citroen) in car touch screen

My working theory is the helmsman had a sudden case of trots, ran to the head, heard the "turn aboot!" order, dashed out without properly drying his fingers (wiped all over his dungarees), and was aghast when the touch screen wouldn't register commands from soggy digits.

Also, he didn't use soap. Or water.

EXACTLY like Tesla

My Tesla has two throttle controls, the left wheels are under my command and the right wheels are under my wife's command. Equality, huh? Anyway, its a difficult system especially at a certain day of the month.

This is not the cloud you're looking for.... Oracle's JEDI mind tricks work as Trump forces $10bn IT project to drop out of warp

Re: a really stupid way to run a country?

I would blame Tesla if it tried to drive under a trailer and chopped my head off, yeah I'd definitely blame Tesla. No matter how bad a driver I might otherwise have been.

It's Friday lunchtime on International Beer Day. Bitter hop to it, boss'll be none the weiser

Beer Day, eh

Register has gone downhill so far it's almost on a par with Vanshardware.com!

Van Smith, anyone? Hello?

Ah well bottom up. Figuratively and literally.

Despite high-profile hires, Apple's TV plans are doomed

Best deal is OTA

I made an awesome antenna out of cardboard & tinfoil (had to trim sort of a zig-zag shape with a modeling knife). Picks up all the local channels. Fantastic!

I do have a HW150PVR which works "ok" (for $30), but only on one TV. I'm considering getting Homerun Extend to transcode OTA & put it on the home network, except it only has 2 tuners (per box). Hmm, hmm.

Apple, I want the $0-per-month solution. I know you will never deliver, nevertheless, that's what I want.

My unpopular career in writing computer reviews? It's a gift

I actually bought gloves like this

I got Kevlar knit refractory gloves, the working hypothesis being, if they are for handling red-hot forgings, they ought to have unusually good insulative properties (and also remarkably tough, and cut-proof). And if that is true, they might be warmer than the average glove. They should make remarkable winter gloves!

I paired them with a set of US military windproof gauntlet mitt covers I got from the surplus and now I've got me a kick butt pair of winter mitts !

Unfortunately, they are like 1 step down from boxing gloves.

PC rebooted every time user flushed the toilet

Voltmeter

Whoever thought you'd need a voltmeter to diagnose an electrical fault.

NOBODY THATS WHO.

Oh, wow, Canada: No more carrier-locked phones for Canucks

I dunno - I think I still boycott cellphones

It's like $100 a month for - what?

I have a free VOIP subscription with freephoneline.ca and that's adequate.

Sorry if it offends anyone, but I choose to put that money into investments instead.

Donald Trumped: Comey says Prez is a liar – and admits he's a leaker

Re: Impeachment?

Okay, wait a minute.

YOU are telling ME that, even though the President can have anybody pardoned for any crime at any time he wants,

* he is not able to commit any crime he wants?

* he cannot stop any investigation into any crime he wants?

What the F man?

This guy is Judge Dredd - He is the law!

The only thing I'm surprised is he doesn't just repeal the constitution and put the country under Trump law. Cancel all elections, repeal democracy, and set himself up as King Trump and Kiss My Ass.

What difference does it make

The only Americans who love Trump are assholes, everybody else already knows Trump is a piece a crap.

There's no direct evidence to win a conviction, furthermore Trump would have to be impeached by his own party, who are probably not keen to do so.

So, what does it prove? Trump is immune, and now emboldened to do even worse crimes.

Good work team!

F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen on IoT: If it uses electricity, it will go online

I'm not paying extra for that crap

I'll buy the cheaper, non-IoT equipment, thanks.

I'll do my level best to run "IoT" vendors out of business. Why?

It serves no worthwhile purpose to me.

Also, I'm a gonna save a buck too.

Software dev bombshell: Programmers who use spaces earn MORE than those who use tabs

Tabs and spaces are for BABBIES. You don't "need" any of that overhead. Oh right, this is the internet. Ok then, *I* do not need any of that overhead. *You* who need spaces & tabs also need gentle words of support from your MAMAs.

No matter which you use, the compiler summarily ignores all that extraneous trash.

Phew: ISS re-supply mission launches without destroying Wallops launch-pad

5 minutes late

Musk should get his lawers ready for breach of contract lawsuit.

I would expect Nasa has substantial damages due to the delay...

(imagine having to pay all of Nasa crew for 5 mins while Musk is wasting time in the bathroom, needlessly delaying the launch, of all the nerve)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Microsoft's 'Ms Pac-Man beating AI' is more Automatic Idiot

Actually, I do want to see the computer beat Ms. Pac Man

I don't care about the machine learning, yeah it's a hack, whatever.

I just want to see the solution dammit !

WDC fires another shot at Toshiba in flash foundry spat, whispers: Pick me, Tosh!

Finally fixed my WD20EARS

Meanwhile I finally got around to fixing my old WD20EARS which was factory programmed to park the heads after 8 seconds. I had to figure out how to disable AHCI to boot into FreeDOS and set the idle to 300 seconds. The poor drive had been parking once a minute for 14,000 hrs! Its a wonder it didn't park itself to death.

WDC is the devil.

Soldiers bust massive click-farm that used 500k SIM cards, 100s of mobes to big up web tat

Re: "I've got 2 houses in that very village!"

I've got 9 computers, we should start a business venture...

(just need 1 other guy with 500 iphones and 1 another guy with 375,000 sim cards, I reckon)

Jailed fraudster admits running same cold-caller con from behind bars

Phishers

My work is taking phishing more seriously since some viruses got into the network storage & had to be excised. So management started sending scam phishing emails to everybody on staff - and there are some that just cannot figure out the difference between legitimate communication and a suspicious phishing attempt. They click every link sent their way, probably in like 2 seconds without a care in the world.

So the company is (I imagine) working its way toward barring certain individuals from being able to communicate using company email.

It seems like they may also have to consider barring the same individuals from talking on the phone, or even receiving visitors for that matter.

The sad thing is that social-engineering phishers could easily get to those individuals merely by taking them for lunch, at which point they'd probably have to just be let go.

This seems like a logical conclusion, except I think just about anyone is susceptible to being fooled at one time or another...

First-day-on-the-job dev: I accidentally nuked production database, was instantly fired

To Be Fair: at least in Canada, you can fire anybody you hire within their first 3 months with no notice or explanation and no legal problem. Similarly, the new hire has the right to quit on the spot, within the same time period, without giving any notice or reason, either.

(Because giving notice goes Both Ways).

Firing the ignorant clumsy new guy who wrecks the whole operation seems wrong, but is it?

No, it is not.

Re: Documentation issue.

Well to be fair, most of the time the documentation people don't know what they are talking about.

They rely on "SME" or "subject-matter-expert".

That's probably the guy who should be fired. Or one of them...

Or the guy who never proofread the docs, or the guy who never asked them to be corrected/updated, etc.

Everybody should be fired

The new guy, because he's so ignorant/dumb he doesn't know what he's doing (for the job he's been hired for).

The CTO for same reason.

The docs team, same reason.

The rest of the company? Yes, they are indeed all fired.

Trump field day!!

3D printing and drones are the tech del día at Spanish startup fiesta

Pretty good rendering

Not bad CGI