Posts by Roq D. Kasba

URRGH! Evil app WATCHES YOU WATCHING PORN, snaps your grimace

It's the users fault either way. You can run Windows 10 all day long clean and happy without a security suite if you don't install anything ;-)

Huge SUPERHENGE erection found near Blighty's Stonehenge

Or maybe they've discovered that stonehenge is just a frilly detail on a circle the size of the Avebury one. Either way, it is very very cool

Photoshop for 40 quid: Affinity Photo pushes pixels further than most

Re: £40 too expensive... @Roq D. Kasba

>>>Let's get this straight, GIMP is unuseable crap.<<<

And yet as I can use it OK, it can't be? I know the interface isn't as simplified as some picture editors, and I would agree that it isn't the right tool for everyone, but Photoshop also has its own opaque methods (until you learn its ways).

>>>>>don't expect it to 'be' photoshop<<<

>>>Then why do people keep saying it's a photoshop alternative?<<<

I guess they mean in the sense that a boat is an seaplane alternative. Not the same, but you can get similar results and have a similar level of control. But you can't blame the software for what people say about it, the GIMP (and plugin) developers are quite clear that they're not trying to replicate Photoshop, they are making a graphics editing package - as such they do some things differently. Some of the stuff they do is simply not as good, some is far better.

That Wavelet Decompose (plugin) is incredible, AFAIK there is no similar functionality in Photoshop to decompose an image into 10 different frequencies of wavelet, but it is incredibly powerful. Different packages, different capabilities, different pricing models. I like GIMP not just for the compelling price-point, but because it does what I need, when I need it, because I learned how to use it.

Re: £40 too expensive...

GIMP's not that tricky, just learn the interface and don't expect it to 'be' photoshop. It's not, it's GIMP, and has some different metaphors. If you want plugins, one of my favourites is one that separates an image into wavelet frequency layers - so you can touch up some low or mid frequency stuff (eg the shadows associated with facial lines) whilst keeping pore-sharp detail. Looks extremely natural, extremely powerful technique.

The most tragic thing about the Ashley Madison hack? It was really 1% actual women

Re: No Dick Left Behind Act of 2015

It does show how absolutely bullshit the claim that millions of married men were having relationships though AM is though. The site was never a risk to public morality any more than ElReg readers dating, despite pretending to be.

If you discount the percentage of profiles set up by admins, men pretending to be women, and worried spouses, that 1% looks a lot closer to 0% active 'women'

Fancy a mile-high earjob? We've had five!

Re: Shame no Sennheiser and AT.

For over a decade I've had a Sennheiser pilot's headset - wonderful thing. Active NR reduces the droning engine noise, meaning you can reduce the volume of the incoming radio, meaning you respond more quietly, meaning you're more relaxed, meaning you fly better. Yep, that's quite a claim, but it worked well for me :-)

An actual bargain

https://www.7dayshop.com/noise-cancelling-headphones/7dayshop-headphones-active-noise-cancelling-headphones-with-aeroplane-kit-and-travel-case

These are excellent for the price. I mean, look at that price, they're worth every penny and then some.

Collective noun search for security vulns moves into beta testing

Re: Another

A Tedium

A Bumache

A Boredom

An Inveitability

Camera-carrying DOLPHIN SPY caught off Gaza

Extraordinary rendition, torture, confession

Boffins dump the fluids to build solid state lithium battery

Re: Another week...

Yes, my phone is doing just fine with the lead/acid cells in the wheelbarrow i haul them around in because no battery technologies ever reach the consumer...

LaCie to shutter Wuala cloud storage service, data deleted Nov 15

Re: See There!

I have exactly one use for Java, and it is not through choice that I use Movie Magic Budgeting. The software does do some things fairly well, but the Java implementation is horrible, nothing copies/pastes properly, etc. Rewritten as a native app I might even like it as opposed to be desperate to find a decent competitor...

Hardware company non-core service

Hardly a shocker - every time the bulk of sheer hardware companies try to do software (eg backup utilities that come with drives, browsers on 'Smart' TV's) it's crufty, and gets abandoned/goes unpatched a few years later. You can never rely on it.

Similarly, using a non-core service like this is going to get the chop at some point - want cloud? Go to a company that already has everything in place and has bet the farm on it without exposing their core business - Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Rackspace. Want a smart TV? Better to get a dumb one and a media box of some flavour, etc.

Donald Trump dumps on Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

Re: Sure

Hmm Trump is not the greatest advert for USA - those floods of smart people are smart enough to spot a c*nt when they see one.

Re: Good for Trump

Ah, the closed system view of a multinational. Every bit as likely is that facebook/<whoever> would just keep a token US presence and offshore the whole damn lot to <wherever>. This isn't grain fields, this is not geographically tied. Make it hard for a business to compete on home turf (where it pays taxes), and that makes other places more attractive - and then they get some of that tax money instead. It is better for you (guessing you're American) to keep the country's tech economy vibrant.

What happens to the West Coast if Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and all their friends decide to close operations in USA and move to Ireland or Antigua or Poland as a main hub? The Internet won't really know or care, most of The Internet don't even use these services or at least do so in their native languages. If you move the offices 50 or 5000 miles, as long as the lights stay on, nobody cares.

Re: "...details a plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico."

I can't think of a single instance where a giant wall hasn't solved all the problems

Mozilla testing very private browsing mode

Sounds good to me

If you are having a private browse, you actually want it to be private and not just swapping one set of trackers for another

'Marshmallow' picked as moniker for Android 6.0

Re: Well, it could have been worse....

Mackerel?

Re: Well, it could have been worse....

Marmite, now there's an aroma for a phone... Mmmm

Hey, folks. Meet the economics 'genius' behind Jeremy Corbyn

Re: Bonds

Silly me, I thought that agreeing a deal with a guy was agreeing a deal with the guy. I've omitted a few key details deliberately because the unions are such a stitch-up in this industry sector, however let's look at a similar scenario.

Let's say you and I agree that I'm going to pay you £300/day to do some job, whether administering a database or whatever. We agree the deal - that is you and I agree that it is fair to us both, and both agree to the terms as adults and able to make rational decisions. I'm not offering you sub-minimum wage, nothing illegal, just an agreement between adults. Now some mobsters come by me and tell me I have to use their DBA company, no choice, no options, and by the way it's £500/day, and if I use you they'll break your kneecaps and burn down my datacentre. You are cut out of the deal. Our agreement counts for nothing. Does that sound fine to you? Let's be clear, this ISN'T a safety issue, ISN'T in fact any other kind of issue other than sheer protectionism. By all means choose that world, and just hope you're on the right side of it or you will starve.

Re: Ignorant git?

Hairy Carey, I think you'll find

Re: Bonds

Ah, the unions.

Throughout history, unions have done a massive amount of good for a huge number of people. We have all benefited from increased safety legislation that arguably starts with unionisation, or is at least accelerated by it, for instance.

However, in my current job, I just offered a short term role to a guy for £200/day, he was happy to take it. One of the union bods (and it is a small industry sector, maybe 80 people on the union's 'ok' list) called him up and warned him off our job as they were demanding £350+/day from other clients. I know some of those other clients are actively recruiting guys from South Africa an Romania on under £200/day just because of the bullying and overreach of the union. So, as a result, I can't use the guy I wanted, I have to pay more for someone I don't want, who is going to get all pissy for working a full-length day despite earning more than any other person (including myself by a huge margin). Honest days work for an honest days pay doesn't come into it, it's a feifdom protecting jobs for the top half of that union list who think that £1200/week is not a fair deal for an NVQ2/NVQ3 (GCSE/A-level rough equivalents) guy and hold the industry to ransom.

It pains me to say it, but Thatcher had a point.

Re: "Oh, and in really bad times, gold is useless as it cannot be eaten or worn."

If we're into shotgun and baked bean territory, you'll damn well have to be prepared to use the shotgun and be hella fast on the reloads.

Re: It's OK

The Seppo's love a bit of Ayn Rand. Insofar as any of Adam Curtis' documentaries are about any subject, 'All watched over...' is a good introduction to Rand and her influence - surprisingly large considering.

+1 for Jarvis - but the timing is right. Labour are determined to throw away the next election at the moment (tories don't have to win it, just not lose it as badly as labour), so they need to do a Foot/Kinnock thing whilst Jarvis is preened for office. Having had a life and career before becoming a parliamentarian he needs to get some more miles logged first. 2020, after the eyewatering victory by the tories again, they'll let him out of the back office.

Unless Labour watch the polls in the next year or two, realise their mistake, and bring him out in time for the next election, just having a bit of a flap around to distract the pundits. No mistake, Jarvis is one of the most credible politicians in the party and most likely is PM material.

For those who don't know him, he served on the front lines and is someone who puts himself behind his convictions, not straight from Oxford PPE without tasting life.

Would YOU make 400 people homeless for an extra $16m? Decision time in Silicon Valley

$39M, and caveats

Just wondering if it'll end up like the 'right to buy' of former council properties ending up in the private rental sector at 4x the price to councils. If the land is valuable for its convenience, then local high earners buy themselves a local trailer crash pad, others follow suit pronto, and you end up subsidising rich kids party zones (driving out more legit residents).

Alas those 100 households probably supply a lot of the service staff for businesses the local elite rely on, and people need somewhere to live. If it can be ring fenced, that has to be a good thing for everyone.

My suggestion that he'll never read? Join the consortium of state, county, social housing NFP himself throwing $16M of equity into the project. He gets to retire wealthy, but has an active interest in the community and if the city/state do decide to cash in in 20 years, his kids see some of that benefit too.

Assange™ is 'upset' that he WON'T be prosecuted for rape, giggles lawyer

Re: "Ego-stroking myth has been discredited"

We all know the worst thing that could happen for Assange is to go to Sweden and found not guilty, and not be extradited. He'd hate to feel that unimportant.

We do, of course, have a serious UK contempt of court/bail jumping issue to deal with first, and that is when he would be extradited if he actually is wanted by our American pals.

Cheers, Bill Gates. Who wouldn't want drinking water made from POO?

Turdwater

Cleaned turdwater beats unclean anyotherkindofwater hands down.

We're extremely lucky in countries where we can turn on a tap and trust the supply - future wars won't be over oil, oil's useless without water...

Exploding Power Bars: EE couldn't even get the CE safety mark right

In other words it is entirely up to the manufacturer to determine ....

I think that obligation passes to the importer if physical manufacture is outside the EU.

I saw some 3-way plugs in a pound shop the other day without CE mark from the importer, mentioned it to trading standards who visited,next day they were all removed from the shelves.

IWF shares 'hash list' with web giants to flush out child sex abuse images online

Collisions - not really a big deal as the most fleeting of visual confirmation will easily identify it as such

Random numbers aren't, says infosec boffin

Nonces

One word, two very different meanings!

Indian carriers forced to send TXT for every 10 megabyte download

Not much data, but then not rich target audience

Mobile data, especially when it sets itself to roaming without leaving the shores, is so convenient but boy is it costly. Where it's possible to earn less a month than the cost of my sim-only phone package, it makes sense to have clear national consistency. 10MB may be irritatingly small for those of us who live online, but for an emerging market it makes a lot of sense.

I use ~15-20 GB of mobile data monthly across two providers, I shudder to think hire many nag texts I'd get, mind ;-)

Carphone Warehouse coughs to MONSTER data breach – 2.4 MEELLION Brits at risk

Re: Sorry

Lol cheers Shades, I'm running a balance of 6000 more up votes than down, so can take the hit (especially as points don't, apparently, make prizes). Please do the honourable and down vote this post as well, just because commentards.

+1 for you by the way

Downvoters, just a question - do you know where I live and the branch I'm referring to and the staff are your stepsiblings or something? I can't believe it's you personally, as if you're able to comprehend The Reg, you're not telling me technical lies.

Compared to the level of competence of the staff on my local branch, URL parameter stuffing would be sophisticated.

A close shave: How to destroy your hard drives without burning down the data centre

Re: Magnetic dust

I assume you don't mind killing the heads at the same time, so fine pumice powder would take advantage of the disks spinning and get the head to grind it in...

Alternately, corrosive magnetic epoxy resin would be handy, it'd turn the platters into one solid mass, and do a pretty good job of rendering unreadable any bits that someone managed to delaminate...

Perhaps middle-aged blokes SHOULDN'T try 34-hour-long road trips

Re: Lane merging

In Auckland I saw signs saying 'Merge Like a Zip', confused the hell out of my Mrs who doesn't know how zips work.

Death to DRM, we'll kill it in a decade, chants EFF

Re: People slowly realise how much of a problem it is

I experienced exactly this with a UK-purchased EPSON inkjet MFP and trying to buy ink for it in UAE whilst working out there. We had to get it shipped from the UK in the end.

All hail Ikabai-Sital! Destroyer of worlds and mender of toilets

Expert in a weekend

Let's face it, people often look for qualifications to find an expert, which means someone who has had to study to get qualifications as opposed to having hands on experience...

Safe as houses: CCTV for the masses

When hardware companies do software

I've yet to see a good app from most hardware companies, and that includes Samsung. They focus in the hardware, then stop supporting the firmware and app after a couple of years...

Hack a garage and the car inside with a child's toy and a few chips

Driving the car

The numbers generated by a fob should effectively be a hash of the previous number, with the receiver accepting upto n (often 512) codes *ahead*. That would make a capture and replay of an earlier code useless, as the receiver would be looking ahead from the attempt that did start the car, all previous codes are garbage. This is the weak point in the plan, but hardly weak enough to spoil his otherwise fascinating research, just for completeness and may give him a lead...

BTW, frustrate friends at parties, press the button on their car key fob 513 times, the receiver and it go out of sync, and you brick their key until someone with a spare key uses it a few times to get them all back in sync.

Want to download free AV software? Don't have a Muslim name

Re: yeah, that'll stop thum pesky terr'ists

As a Jihadi, are you going to use your real name to download a piece of free AV software but be foiled by this moronic move? FFS it is beyond stupid.

Obsolescence of food is complete: Soylent now comes in bottles

Re: I thought hospitals already had this...

Tea mug pre-heat, that's good. I don't drink tea at home, nor today that often, otherwise I'd try that.

A respected former lecturer once described engineering as 'Approximate physics for profit', which I thought was rather good, too.

Re: I thought hospitals already had this...

@dan, May I recommend optimising your morning routine hence - hop in shower with your toothbrush, brush teeth. Next shower gel/shampoo to clean the unclean bits, then finally, whilst hair is rinsing better, a wet shave. The time in the shower softens the bristle whilst you engage in other grooming, and doing all activities in the shower increases your effective shower time.

Engineers - can't resist optimising things...

Viagra found in Chinese 'Kung Fu rice wine'

Perhaps sinadefil production is a side-line, and the kit is contaminated?

What I can't fathom is how someone decided to *test* for sinadefil contamination of hooch?

Lottery chief resigns as winning combo numbers appear on screen BEFORE being drawn

Re: Killing the goose that lays the golden egg?

Actually, fixed-odds machines (video fruities, roulette, etc) are far more efficient than the lottery. The lottery is encumbered by the play period (weekly) as opposed to being able to take £20 bets every 20 seconds. It's the churn rate that fucks you up, not the return rate. Casinos also have a much slower churn, so slower lose rate than fixed-odds. It's hard to lose £1000/week at the lottery, trivial on fixed-odds.

Re: Lie Detectors

Placebos - if you believe they work, if you appreciate the theatre of wires, tubes, rolling graphs, five questions at a time, you'll be more likely to tell the truth. But it's theatre, much like airport security.

UK's first 'DIY DAB' multiplex goes live in Brighton

Re: Was the picture necessary?

I'm all for pictures of people smiling, etc. No issue with that. By extension of this logic though, why not illustrate a story about Pluto with photos of two guys kissing? Just as relevant to the story. It's the uneven application of the irrelevant that is wearing, though, and lets the side down.

Was the picture necessary?

Brighton has a beach, although not a sandy one. Other than that, I can't see the tie-in. Lazy choice.

Yes, you have to use a huge picture as a part of your new publishing template, but this isn't the Daily Mail website, we're all tech enough to find pictures of slim pretty white girls with few clothes if we need tittilation. This is the kind of thing that keeps women feeling uncomfortable in IT, and I think we're better than that?

Bloke cuffed for blowing low-flying camera drone to bits with shotgun

I've spotted a market

Thin, strong threads hanging loosely between a tree at the end of the garden and the rooftop - fly through them with a rotary wing and they'll immediately get caught all around the propeller shafts making the units pretty much useless and fall from the sky in a nice semi-controlled way. Then you own a drone.

Thought YOU'd had rude service in France? Ce n'était RIEN, M'sieu Pantalons Malodorants

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