Posts by evilhippo

Google plonks right-wing think tanker and defence drone mogul on AI ethics advisory board

"Most of the internet"

Ah I get it, the link redirected me to The Onion! For a moment then I thought you were serious ;-)

EU will have agreed a tech tax by March, says French finance minister

Re: So...

"it's no surprise that in the last 50 or so years the rich have gotten richer and the poor poorer, a trend that has been accelerating in recent years."

Manifestly untrue, indeed mankind has seen an unprecedented increase in prosperity almost everywhere over the last 50 years. Many of the 'rich' have indeed have got richer, and most of the 'poor' have got richer too. Moreover, someone else getting richer does not make someone else poorer as economies is not zero-sum games, which is why socialist 'economics' are such arrant nonsense.

MPs slam UK.gov's 'unacceptable' hoarding of custody images

Re: Um

Just Tory? You seriously think the other parties are any different? The Stupid Party & the Evil Party always look after themselves first

GoDaddy exiles altright.com after civil rights group complaint

Re: re: The solution is to educate people

It is not the best way, it is the only way. Same applies to Islamosfacist material, Marxist material, Nazi material, Deep Green Human Extinctionist material, etc. etc. etc.

Refute bad ideas rather than try to hide them & pretend they don't exist.

Apple store besieged by protesters in Paris 'die-in' over tax avoidance

So these are people protesting that they want more expensive products?

Memo man Damore is back – with lawyers: Now Google sued for 'punishing' white men

Why is El Reg posting politically partisan smear pieces written by Baizuo?

Re: I am confused

You seem to think the author of this article is serious journalist seeking truth. Snap out of it!

UK.gov's Brexiteers warned not to push for divergence on data protection laws

The entire point of Brexit is divergence, otherwise why bother?

No parcel drones. No robo-trucks – Teamsters driver union delivers its demands to UPS

Re: Horse carts vs delivery trucks again.

Because they can't possibly find another job doing something else?

Internet giants removing 70 per cent of reported hate speech, crows European Commission

Re: Who defines hate speech?

You really do love and trust Big Brother, don't you.

Worst-case Brexit could kill 92,000 science, tech jobs across UK – report

Re: So one remainiac commissions a report from load of other remainiacs...

Because everyone should want an extra tier of state bureaucracy scrutinised their tax dealing so they have have their money expropriated more easily?

Bigmouth ex-coppers who fed media MP pr0nz story face privacy probe

Re: @ Naselus

So what? I was never a fan of Damien Green, but as he did not break any laws, so it is a scandal & almost certainly a crime that police information was to do the legs of a politician that the Plod didn't like.

If you say it loud enough, Uber will sound atrocious: Super Cali juristic discrimination process

Because objective reality is politically incorrect.

Expect a lot of down votes.

Cost of Africa's internet shutdowns? $1m a day – quarter of a billion total

Re: Why Shutdown? Build Up (walls)!

True, when you are a nominally communist state with an unrepentant history of mass murder within living memory, on a scale unmatched in human history, it is amazing what you can force through

Re: "suddenly removing people's ability to communicate"

Well other than the whole pervasive corruption on a scale few Brits can even begin to fathom, yeah sure, pretty much the same. Oh... but drier? Rather depends where you are, Africa is a large place & many parts are more or less constantly soggy and smell of rotting plant litter and garbage ;-)

Your top five dreadful people the Google manifesto has pulled out of the woodwork

"The document is an embarrassment"

A critique like yours that is loaded with ad hominem remarks is the true embarrassment. You have clearly never heard the phrase "play the ball, not the man".

Google's macho memo man fired, say reports

Re: Feel Good

"I've read the full memo not just the synopsis"

Well that puts you in a tiny minority.

I read a couple critiques of this thing, then actual read the memo... and then went back to check I had read the correct memo because it did not have much in common with what the outraged protests were ascribing to it.

Dear racist Airbnb host, we've enrolled you in an Asian American studies course

Odious behaviour, for sure. But that should not trump Freedom of Association. The state should not be involved in forcing people to do business with other people. However as AirBnB can set their own T&C, it should be perfectly fine for them to kick out anyone violating their T&C.

Sorry, Dave, I can't code that: AI's prejudice problem

So this seems to be suggesting that the problem with algorithms is they are not reflecting the *correct* political biases? That they might actually reflect reality in unpalatable ways, for example by daring to notice that in the real world fewer women are less interested in STEM for perfectly understandable preferences?

Big Internet warns FCC's Pai: We will fight you all the way on net neutrality

And you are right to be uneasy, Net Neutrality, particularly as structured in the United Snakes, make it harder for new market entrants to get a toe hold with some innovative new approach to things, so naturally large established players just love these regulations to bits (see what I did there?).

Seriously, how did people not see that from the beginning?

Germany to Facebook, Twitter: We are *this* close to fining you €50m unless you delete fake news within 24 hours

Re: Canada debating a bill that would criminalize Islamophobia

"That claim would not stand up in court as the koran (and bible and, and ad nauseam) actually contains the items you mention."

Your faith in courts is touching. Once the state passes a law against hurt feelings (i.e. branding free speech "hate speech"), the truth of a statement becomes irrelevant, only what emotional effect the statement has.

The only fake news that will be tolerated it official state sanctioned fake news. And of course the state is a fit institution to determine what people can say on-line, particularly the German state, what could possibly go wrong with that?

Tim Berners-Lee says privacy needs fixing – and calls for 'algorithmic transparency'

Re: "Control of personal data"

"Good luck with that! Facebook / Google / Microsoft / Uber make up their own rules / write their own laws"

And that is as it should be. If you don't like those companies, don't use their services (I only use Uber in that list).

Force employees to take DNA tests for bosses? We've got a new law to make that happen, beam House Republicans

Re: @GATTACA

" I suggest you look up the following terms: "empathy", "humane" and "golden rule"."

The actual issues here are "who pays for someone's health issues?" & "are they allowed to actually assess the risks they are agreeing to underwrite?". The money has to come from somewhere.

Uber blackballs 'Greyball' tool it used to deny rides to regulators

Re: Reward the little guy

At twice the price? No thanks, I'll stick with Uber.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee refuses to be King Canute, approves DRM as Web standard

"Sir Tim Berners-Lee refuses to be King Canute"

No, he is indeed being King Canute and used the King Canute analogue correctly, pointing out that he and W3C do not have the power to ban things people seem to think they have.

Tech contractors begin mass UK.gov exodus in wake of HMRC's IR35 income tax clampdown

Re: "the job of Government is to support the people, not tax the people"

As there is nothing 'ethical' about government itself... various aspects of government may or may not be desirable, but supporting government (via tax or whatever) is not a matter of 'ethics'.

Re: "the job of Government is to support the people, not tax the people"

"Corporations and individuals should stop trying to use laws and procedures to avoid taxes."

Why? Only an idiot allows more of their money to be appropriated by the state than they have to. The state uses laws to tax people, people use laws to minimise that tax. Nature of the issue.

London Internet Exchange members vote no to constitution tweak

But it *does* affect their bottom line actually, even if some are too blind too see it.

Oh, for F...acebook: WhatsApp, critics spar over alleged 'backdoor'

Re: Facebook?

"So, a company that makes money spying on you, has been found to have a backdoor in one of its free apps to spy on you?"

Except it hasn't, it was just another Guardian "fake news" story. Did you actually read the whole article?

China gives America its underwater drone back – with a warning

Re: Lying so-and-so's

What? Get with the program! Yes, China may be unilaterally annexing a huge chunk of the South China Sea but TRUMP is the problem! Can you not read all the insightful comments by the geostrategic geniuses here?

View from a Reg reader: My take on the Basic Income

Giving people other people's money in return for doing nothing beyond existing? Oh yes, what could possibly go wrong with that?

Excellent way to ensure no over-seas money get involved in any UK based investments. And also a great way to ensure investors in UK keep their money well away from the Sceptred Isles & safely overseas, never to touch these shores if they want to invest in various things and would rather not get taxes for just moving the money.

People who have a lot of money are almost as mobile as their money: if you make it expensive for them to move that money, they will either move it before the law gets imposed, and then probably move themselves as well. And good luck implementing such a tax at a global level as the places that do not reap huge benefits for avoiding such foolishness. Merchantalism was cutting edge thinking in the 16th century, but now it suggests a breathtaking lack of understanding how modern wealth creation actually works..

Re: Talking of daily mail

I was planning on doing the same for the BBC and Guardian

Ireland reaps benefits of Apple's tax schemes, even without EU bounty

Re: Obligatory rifling pockets icon

Ireland is toast if that happens. Northern Europe and France want a high tax cartel but it is hard to see how that is in Ireland's interests

Unlucky Luckey: Oculus developers invoke anti-douchebag clause, halt games for VR goggles

Re: Americans, again not realising there's a world outside them

There is no "lesser evil" in the next US election, just two qualitatively different Greater Evils

Will US border officials demand social network handles from visitors?

Re: Simple answer

I too have stopped going to the USA due to the hassle of getting through the border, but I hope my comment does not mark me as a complete oaf in the way yours marks you.

You mean people still willingly travel to the USA? I have lots of friends there but I just wait for them to visit me, or just use Skype, as it is just not worth the hassle of getting felt up with some barely intelligible officious drone with a below average IQ to get into the country. There are plenty of other places to visit for a great deal less effort.

BBC will ‘retain your viewing history’

My viewing history of the BBC is nothing whatsoever. Pity I still have to pay for them though.

Re: Not bothered.

But if you have a TV in the UK you are paying for it regardless even if you do not watch it.

Re: The real goal is..

"but that the programmes the BBC chooses to make are those for which it has the largest number of people wanting to watch?"

If so many people want to watch what they produce, why are they funded by a tax also taken from people who do not want to watch the BBC?

Best solution: abolish anachronistic tax funded BBC entirely, data problem solved. In any case they have no data on my viewing as I never use their services. Pity I have to pay for them regardless though.

'What this video game needs is actual footage of real gruesome deaths'

Re: As usual, PETA is lying.

"Or shoot a wild boar ... they may be varmints, but they sure taste good!"

Truth! Occasionally do that in Croatia. Best tasting meat ever!

Re: Here's an idea, PETA, write your own damn game

Thread winner

Replacing humans with robots in your factories? Hold on just a sec

A "robot" is just a machine and machines have been a facet of manufacturing for a very long time. Health and safety laws and minimum wage regulations (and other taxes on job taxes like social security) motivate companies to get rid of human workers *entirely* as the technology becomes available, because that is what state regulations are incentivizing companies to do. Of course that might also put a few lawyers at Pinsent Masons out of a job as well, but that is just a happy consequence of automation rather than its primary objective.

UK IT consultant subject to insane sex ban order mounts legal challenge

Re: "He was found not guilty, therefore he is innocent"

"You can see why the medical practitioners and the police are very concerned."

Who cares? Since when can medical practitioners and the police punish a man without either sectioning him under the Mental Health Act or convicting him of a crime? The "concerns" of the police and medical practitioner is utterly irrelevant or we *are* living in a Police State.

Colour us shocked: ISPs not that keen to sign up for Universal Service Obligation

Indeed, when perverse incentives are provided, people act perversely. That is why so much "well meaning" regulation ends up having the opposite effect to that imagined by the people who propose it, or at least assorted other highly undesirable effects.

California to put all your power-hungry PCs on a low carb(on) diet

So serious gaming PCs will be illegal? Ah the joys of central planning.

Russian spy aircraft are flying over Britain – and the MoD's cool with it

Re: El Reg, please

But, well what? It is a full on propaganda outlet.

Nitwit has fit over twit hit: Troll takes timeless termination terribly

Woah you are so going to get a lot of down votes for pointing that out.

Yes Milo might be a pain, but being a pain on the right seems makes you "baffling" apparently, whereas being a pain on the left just makes you edgy ;-)