Posts by Anonymous Cow Herder

Now that's integrity: Bloke sinks 7 beers, turns himself in. Cops weren't looking for him

Agreed, US percents are smaller, just like their gallons

Apple iPrunes iTunes: Moldering platform's death expected to be announced at WWDC

Songs of Innocence

Does this mean I can finally get rid of that dam U2 album?

Amazon Alexa: 'Pre-wakeword' patent application suggests plans to process more of your speech

Wow! If you don't have a pressing need, such as a physical disability, for such a device why would you have one, Alexa?

Canuck couple returns home after night on tiles to gaggle of randomers hanging out in their flat

WMD

" They knew very well that a well-armed population is much more powerful than any army, the obvious exception being use of weapons of mass destruction/genocide which happens to be politically unpalatable in these modern times."

WMD and chemical weapons seem perfectly palatable to some regimes.

Re: It always pays to carry a Micro-Uzi in a shoulder holster

@ JAKE "See how silly you lot sound over your fear of the unknown?"

Its not the fear of the unknown, its the fear of (highly) armed individuals who think its a good idea to escalate every situation that they encounter.

NASA to celebrate 55th anniversary of first Moon landing by, er, deciding how to land humans on the Moon again

Re: Flat earthers

I know the sky is up and it's Earth all the way down but..

it's never occurred to me to ask a Flat Earther what is past the edge.

Holy smokes! US watchdog sues Elon Musk after he makes hash of $420 Tesla tweet

Re: Who was continually shorting Tesla stock?

"What about if you executed a short trade and then secretly got all you financier friends to sell thereby tanking the stock". I think getting your "friends" to finance your gain, doesn't make them very good friends and makes them sound pretty gullible.

Re: Maximum Hubris

"The vast majority of journeys are made with one or possibly two people on board, yet hardly anyone (statistically) buys two seater cars."

I, like many people, commute to work alone. I do have a family and therefore need more seats almost every other time I use the car. The economics of buying two cars (even if there were any cheap two seater cars) just aren't there.

You could argue that I could commute on a relatively cheap motorbike, but I 'd rather be a passive organ doner (as a card carrying member), than actively trying to give my organs away.

Nokia reinstates 'hide the Notch' a day after 'Google required' feature kill

Re: Black electrical tape will suffice for me

"stop stretching the screen out so far I can't actually hold the device" - maybe somebody could develop a screen with side notches for your fingers.

Self-driving cars will be safe, we're testing them in a massive AI Sim

Re: Does it include

Does it include:

Millions of potholes and no or very faded and mostly obliterated white lines / junction markings etc?

They did say Oxfordshire, so the answer must be yes.

Re: L5

No. The Uber accident was not caused by “AI”

It was bad AI. Though the human contribution is not great

Your point about Uber cutting wires is incorrect.The standard collision avoidance system is disabled in computer controlled mode as it conflicts with the more sophisticated sensors. It is enabled in human control mode.

The NTSB write in their preliminary report:

"The report states data obtained from the self-driving system shows the system first registered radar and LIDAR observations of the pedestrian about six seconds before impact, when the vehicle was traveling 43 mph. As the vehicle and pedestrian paths converged, the self-driving system software classified the pedestrian as an unknown object, as a vehicle, and then as a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path. At 1.3 seconds before impact, the self-driving system determined that emergency braking was needed to mitigate a collision. According to Uber emergency braking maneuvers are not enabled while the vehicle is under computer control to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behaviour. The vehicle operator is relied on to intervene and take action. The system is not designed to alert the operator."

The cause of the accident seems to be that despite tracking the object for 5 seconds, the AI failed to accurately predict that it would still be in a collision course until it was too late.

The human failing is in not implementing emergency maneuvers of any kind. It is not realistic to expect the human operator to intervene in an emergency - there simply isn't enough time to assess the situation and act (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847814001284). Google has already tested the assumption that the human supervisor will be constantly vigilant and concluded that the assumption is false (http://uk.businessinsider.com/larry-page-google-self-driving-car-autonomous-2016-9?r=US&IR=T).

When it comes to autonomous vehicles, there is no halfway house. The vehicle has to manage come hell or high-water.

It's 2018 so, of course, climate.news is sold to climate change deniers

Re: It's not about whether the earth is warming (or cooling)

" more accurately man-made climate change deniers" - So you accept that the climate is warming, but you think its all part of Gods plan to cook us alive. Nice.

Build another ark, but this time out of asbestos.

What a flap: SIM swiped from slain stork's GPS tracker used to rack up $2,700 phone bill

Huge Phone bill

Voland's right hand - had the answer. Basically you use a stolen mobile (or SIM in this case) to phone your own premium rate number. I actually can't think of a legitimate use for premium rate numbers. I accept that there must be, but all the ones you hear of are set up for this kind of scam. The phone companies are acting as enablers to the scam and (I suspect) receive a cut of your astronomic bill as if to add insult to injury.

Shatner's solar-powered Bitcoin gambit wouldn't power a deflector shield

Re: World leading Geothermal nation ... Iceland ?

Not to mention the 1.21GW required to power a DeLorean.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich quits biz after fling with coworker rumbled

Re: Staff flings are frowned upon in US corporate tech world

There are plenty of "family run companies".

The White house, for example.

Re: confused

I hope your not implying that the affair was instigated by the board as a way to get rid of the CEO without it looking like the company screwed up. Gonna need a whole lot of counselling for the individual that took one for the team.

Re: For a Chief exec:

Agreed adnim,. have an upvote.

"..the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation." should read "..the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation, which they asked him to write".

Unbreakable smart lock devastated to discover screwdrivers exist

Re: tamper-proof screws aren't

"Commonly used on bathroom stall partitions. It's a strange world we live in when our valuables are secured behind common Phillips head screws. But you just try to steal our toilet door"

Which is a good thing too. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Re: tamper-proof screws aren't

Agreed. A padlock by definition should be more than tamper proof. Security is not a "feature" of a lock.

It should require a great deal of force to open illegitimately. The more I spend on the lock, the more force is required.

Waldorf Salad

Have an upvote - "Waldorf salad is off as we're all out of waldorfs"

Un-bee-lievable: Two million Swedish bugs stolen in huge sting

Re: Used to be a day in the strife on the Balkans 10 years ago.

Jake, I'm glad you got your bees back. Have an up-vote for the international version of colo(u)r, it made me laugh

Blood spilled from another US high school shooting has yet to dry – and video games are already being blamed

Re: Early information

"We are also getting nearer the point in the UK were the general public will be calling for the right to own guns for self protection."

No we aren't you f**king troll

Re: Early information

"We do not have ready access to guns in the UK, so the savages are using acid and machetes. Include those numbers and the UK comes much higher up in the rankings of violet deaths in USA cities."

Nowhere near

Re: Always from the same school?

"Incidentally, one person was killed and another injured at another school shooting incident in Georgia on the same day. Georgia school shooting: One killed, two injured."

"Probably in a constituency that the Democrats won 2016."

Did you just make a witty comment about a high school shooting?

Are you actually drunk or crazy?

Re: Locking up guns not the solution

I'm not sure exactly how old you are, but gun homicide in the US has been high since the 1970s. It hit a horrific peak in the mid 1990s but its always been pretty high.

Re: Early information

@ooFie

I think you've been a little more than biased with your data. Generally, the number of gun related homicides per capita tracks the number of guns per capita. The fit isn't perfect but it certainly does not make your point. The US actually has a low number of homicides compared to the number of guns in circulation, but that seems to be because they hit a saturation point quite some time ago.

UK had pretty good gun controls before the hand gun ban and so the fact that it did't reduce much (It actually halved from 1000 in 1993 to around 50 in 2010) should not be evidenced as a failure. For a bit of balance, the gun homicide rate in the US is on a general decline since the peak of the mid 1990s, but in my opinion, the numbers are still shockingly high.

Re: Early information

A step in the right direction

British egg producers saddened by Google salad emoji update

Re: Sandwich cream

Eyes on the news there, Skalamanga. Have an up-vote

Bungling cops try to use dead chap's fingers to unlock his smartmobe

Consent

I think the consent is in the EULA of the bullet.

UK's Department of Fun seeks data strategy head – experience not needed

Re: The dog in the photograph

Obviously viewing doggy porn as he's blanked the screen.

BBC Telly Tax petition given new Parliament debate date

"40-45% of a slightly above average earner's annual pay is not "a small amount"."

Try employing someone to collect your bins privately, let alone a security guard, a teacher and a doctor. I would imagine anyone unfortunate enough to require chemotherapy would receive more benefit from the NHS than they pay in taxes. Want to swap places with them ?

Re: If you have issues with the Telly Tax...

Are you sure that "dumbed down for 11 year olds" isn't about your level ?

"i have'nt watched nothing on the BBC for 20 years" -> "I haven't watched anything on the BBC for 20 years" reads much better. My 10 year old wouldn't have made those grammatical errors.

I suspect you may be trolling.

Osama Bin Laden had copy of Resident Evil, smut, in compound

Re: Malware

"Torrenting popular films and playing counterstrike is a common use of a PC, particularly in Pakistan"

He was stealing films!! What a b*****d. Honestly the more I hear about that man, the less I like him.

Dick move: Navy flyboy flings firmament phallus for flabbergasted folk

Re: Superb skills

Agreed.

I think his punishment should be to draw female genitalia. It would show the US has no bias with regard to air-art

User loses half of a CD-ROM in his boss's PC

Important question

Was it the dark side which became lodged in the PC?

Good news, everyone! Two pints a day keep heart problems at bay

Other research has shown...

floor polish had brought about all the symptoms of death, but that it just wore off.

Britain must send its F-35s to Italy for heavy overhauls, decrees US

but what exactly were you planning to attack with those drones?

I think you're mistaking this

https://www.firebox.com/Parrot-AR.Drone-2.0-Elite-Edition/p5369

with this

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/11/pentagon-kills-its-killer-drone-fleet.html

My Nest smoke alarm was great … right up to the point it went nuts

Haha, I got it :-)

UK copyright troll weeps, starts 20-week stretch in the cooler for beating up Uber driver

Company website.

I couldn't resist having a look. It has to be the most facile piece of crap I have ever encountered. God help the "1000s of customers" who were taken in. Obviously not web savvy.

I'm still not absolutely sure you haven't faked the web site as a prank.

Have an upvote :-)

Pretending to be a badger wins Oxford Don 10 TRILLION DOLLARS

curing hiccups using digital rectal massage

Everything is computers these days. (Paul Merton)

Sorry Nanny, e-cigs have 'no serious side-effects' – researchers

iCig

US needs Apple to develop an e-cig with rounded corners. That will bring the FDA around.

Swiss effectively disappear Alps: World's largest tunnel opens

Re: 84 Empire State buildings

I hate it when they use non standard units.

An empire state building is 0.4762 cubic football fields. And so you can visualize the length of the tunnel, its 741.5 Jumbo jets, wingtip to wingtip, (the last one will not fly because it has only one wing

Hope that helps.

Gillian Anderson: The next James Jane Bond?

So long as they don't interfere with the Bond "plot"

Bond goes to swanky casino and has sarcastic exchange with villain.

Bond shags woman closely associated with villain (later girl is killed)

Bond is captured (somehow) and tortured by villain (always in person) who fails to take opportunity for an easy kill.

Bond somehow manages to escape (you can make this as ludicrously improbable as you like).

Bond leads a large group to attack villain's secret hideout defended by improbably large number of henchmen.

Bond kills villain.

Chuck in a speedboat / car chase at any point you like.

Simples!

Google kneecaps payday loan ads

I wonder at the sort of person who takes out a loan product...

I think you'll find it's the kind of person who really should be protected from these vultures.

These companies are able to saddle their mark (I use the phrase deliberately) with huge extra fees for missed repayments in a matter of days, let alone weeks.

I don't see much fake outrage on this forum.

Auto erotic: Self-driving cars will let occupants bonk on the go

Car takes over

with some fairly simple "optional extras" in the event that you have to take over the activity of driving, the car could take over your activity. Problem solved

Lenovo's file-sharing app uses hardwired password '12345678' ... or no password at all

In other News

FBI get a court order forcing Lenovo make the OS more secure.

Here's a great idea: Let's make a gun that looks like a mobile phone

Re: "Absolutely no one can make sense of the United States' infatuation with firearms."

Nowadays, the English no need to carry weapons. Fixed it for you

Nest: It's no longer all about you. Now it can recognize your kids, too

Re: Think of the children (sorry)

I don't mind the kids being tracked, but I do object to buying them a phone. Can't I just get them "chipped" like the cats ?

Knackered Euro server turns Panasonic smart TVs into dumb TVs

Re: During the meanwhile ...

I refuse to watch any TV but I do like to read the works of Shakespear and imagine them being performed by the greats: Gielgud, Olivier, Waterman...

Re: TV problem?

Degaussing. To get rid of the magnatism that's stuck inside the telly.