Posts by ab-gam

Sorry to be blunt about this... Open AWS S3 storage bucket just made 30,000 potheads' privacy go up in smoke

Re: Dude...Where's my data?

I think I'd actually like a globe that shows Czechoslovakia. I wonder if it's too cold for proper yard sales this weekend?

SanDisk's iXpand Wireless Charger is the unholy lovechild of a Qi mat and a flash drive

Re: Wait, what?

> At that point, this is no longer a backup.

Correct - it has effectively changed from a backup to another point of failure.

I wonder - do they allow you to access this storage from a computer so it can be replicated off the charger?

Battery-guzzling 4K hardware clad in an alloy battle jacket: Lenovo's 4th-gen ThinkPad Yoga X1 is its most metal yet

Too small for he resolution

I also have a 4k Yoga 900 - and I have to say that choosing a 13" 4k screen was one of the worse computing decisions I ever made. On a screen that small, the extra resolution does nothing but drain the battery and cause scaling problems - particularly with non-Microsoft utilities and programs.

Thankfully, this Y900 is starting to show its age and I'm going to have to replace it soon. A more reasonable resolution is one of the checkboxes I'll be using while shopping.

Windows 10 Insiders: Begone, foul Store version of Notepad!

...is code for...

"seriously showing its age" is code for "hasn't been reskinned in some obnoxious 3d modern semi-transparent flat hidden scroll bar cotton candy & unicorns theme."

Judge shoots down Trump admin's efforts to allow folks to post shoddy 3D printer gun blueprints online

Re: Why a 3D printed gun?

A shoelace has officially been declared to be a machinegun, so your concert is not just theoretical.

https://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2010/01/25/shoestring-machine-gun/

Gas-guzzling Americans continue to shun electric vehicles as sales fail to bother US car market

Re: Electricity in the USA

I used to make the drive between two major US cities (Atlanta and Nashville, about 220-ish miles each way) and have never seen a supercharger station. To be honest, I've never seen a supercharging station anywhere. The closest I've found are a half dozen charge points in a company parking lot here & there (that _usually_ don't have a gas powered car in them) and handful in larger shopping center parking lots.

Yup - Range

"Only" a 4 liter engine? As an American, ROFL. ;-)

You have it right about distances and required ranges though. I have a commute that averages 11 miles each way, and I enjoy having, by our standards, such a ridiculously short drive to and from work. Not so long ago, my commute was about 42 miles each way. Things are just spread out a lot wider here. For scale, in the small town I grew up in, the nearest grocery store was about 30 minutes by car, and where I am now, there is a ring road that goes around Atlanta that is 64 miles long.

Microsoft sees sense, will give Office 365 admins veto rights on self-service Power tools

"we are updating the launch"

Only Microsoft could think of calling backpedalling on policy & process changes so hard that they have to delay a launch as an "update"....

No it's not Russell Brand's new cult, it's Microsoft's Office crew rolling out their Save Experience

I started a slow slide, and they're pushing me

My slide started slowly, when I lost access to Photoshop and decided to try GIMP.

Now I'm dabbling with LIbreOffice, and have gotten myself 'corrupted' to the point I'm actively curious how much I can do in the Linux mode of a newer Chromebook.

Let's see what the sweet, kind, new Microsoft that everyone loves is up to. Ah yes, forcing more Office home users into annual subscriptions

Re: What a shock!

Has the MS Office suite for MAC finally acheived parity with the Windows version? The last time I had to support it, it acted a lot like a semi-cute little girl putting on Mommy's dress and high heels.

The April 2018 Update is so 1803, snort Windows 10 faithful as more settle down in 1903 town

"Fix it Till It's Broken (Again)"

I just got the 1903 update pushed to the system I use for domain management.

It automatically and transparently uninstalled ADUC via the tastefully limited path of ripping out all parts of RSAT.

Now it errors out when I try to re-add RSAT.

Not a big deal. It's only the system I use to administer AD users and groups.

Grrr....

Cooksie is *bam-bam* iGlad all over: Folk are actually buying Apple's fondleslabs again

I wonder how much of this is related to the $250 9.7" ipads I started seeing early this year?

I know for me, that price point is why the wife has an ipad instead of a color Kindle.

What a meth: Woman held for 3 months after cops mistake candy floss for hard drugs

That's OK - we also have "Drug Whispering" Cops.... no evidence needed

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/the-drug-whisperer-drivers-arrested-while-stone-cold-sober/85-437061710

Georgia also has 'Specially Trained' cops who can arrest (and sometimes get you convicted) of being under the influence of... nothing.

Microsoft slips ads into Windows 10 Mail client – then U-turns so hard, it warps fabric of reality

Permanent Change via Ephemeral Subscription?

I caught this little logic turd... "You can permanently remove ads by buying an Office 365 Home or Office 365 Personal subscription."

OK - so you can 'Permanently' - as in forever and ever - get rid of adds if you buy something that stops existing every 12 months - a Subscription. Can something really be permanent if you have to buy it again and again and...

Chirp unveils free tier of shouting-at-IoT devices audio net tech

Pet Safe?

I'm curious about the 'infra-sound' spectrum they mention and how it might overlap with the hearing ranges of various creatures - including the odd human who could hear the base oscillator in greenscreen monitors when the computer was off.

It's not like our pets need another reason to randomly go crazy.

Time to ditch the front door key? Nest's new wireless smart lock is surprisingly convenient

What is this "7v battery" you speak of?

1- I'm a technically inclined person, and I've been kicking around for many more decades than I care to contemplate, but I've never heard of such a beast. Is this something Euro/Brit specific like round power outlets?

2- Even if / when I find out what said beast is, I doubt I'll be able to find one easily in my moment of need.

Voice assistants are always listening. So why won't they call police if they hear a crime?

Even More Intrusion is Needed!

Otherwise their AI will not be able to properly identify Vigorous and Enthusiastic Sex vs, well....

Microsoft's Windows 10 Workstation adds killer feature: No Candy Crush

Re: Consumer refers to who's paying

That leaves Pro as the Red Headed Stepkid who Looks like the Milkman. You pay extra for it, but are still treated badly.

UK.gov puts Suffolk 7-year-old's submarine design into production

Lighten up Francis....

Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves... taking a Reg headline at face value.

Enjoy this for what it is. What would normally be considered a faceless government agency has tickled a kid silly by taking his drawing and putting it to 'official' use as a design exercise for their interns. The kid is thrilled, and the interns had a fun challenge. Win/Win!

Intel, Microsoft confess: Meltdown, Spectre may slow your servers

Wait one... Intel's new Security area is being run by HR?

For me, the scariest part was the blurb about Intel's new IPAS (product security) group being headed up by an HR type.

Ooohhh... Nothing but Good can come from HR running Security....

The age of six-monthly Windows Server updates starts … now!

Server is not xBox

Our IT needs are simple and fairly static. Barring any externally forced changes, I see no value in straying from our standard process - Buy new hosts with a current OEM copy of Server, add security updates for 5-7 years, lather, rinse, repeat.

The drama of twice yearly update risks is not worth whatever tweaks MS decides we need.

Enterprises gooey for Windows 10 as OS helps Computacenter rake it in

Unless I run into a serious compliance issue with 7 Pro, I'm not planning a 10 Pro migration until Q3-Q4 2019. If 10 gets patched to keep the Start button working, I'll entertain a faster timeline. I'm just not big on having to put Classic Shell (or similar) on a box to keep the Start button from going non-responsive.

Right now, 10 is only coming in on hardware that I cannot get pre-loaded with 7 Pro.

Migrating to Microsoft's cloud: What they won't tell you, what you need to know

Don't forget the constant status notifications...

I haven't noticed anyone mention the backend of this process...

It's rare that I go a week without more than one push notification from the MS Admin app on my phone. This service is degraded, that service is being researched, "some" customers are having a problem with something else....

Tails OS hits version 3.0, matches Debian's pace but bins 32-bit systems

MS has trained me to never ever trust any .0 release.

If new 3.0 features are not needed immediately, think its worth it to wait for .01?

Embrace our cloud, damn you: Microsoft dangles 40% discount on Azure instances

Re: Ads on TV?

Its a very simple, time tested formula. If you can steal the loyalties of the children, you have power over the parents.

Substitute subordinant / superior terms as appropriate and this dynamic fits most all situations..

Smart guns are a neat idea on paper. They'll never survive reality

Re: over engineered

>> If someone is breaking into your house, it’s most likely to steal something to fund his next hit. Why is your first reaction to end his life?

1- Someone desperate or chemically altered enough to break into an occupied house probably doesn't care if they injure, maim or kill you.

2- Handguns are not instant death-ray projectors. Statistically, most gunshot victims survive.

3- If the thief is coherent enough to recognize a firearm being pointed at them, there's a chance they will retreat, leaving both criminal and citizen unharmed. Standing there yelling "Stop, or I shall yell STOP once more!" does not provide this level of deterrence.

14 feet in a second or two

You will be surprised if you try it.

Have a friend stand 14 feet from you with a simulated knife (plastic spatula or other non-dangerous item) in his hand.

Put a simulated gun (a pen similar non-dangerous item) in your front pocket. You can even leave part of it sticking out to simulate a standard law enforcement type external holster.

Take bets on whether or not your friend can advance and tap you on the torso with his fake knife before you can draw your fake gun and point it at his torso.

Re: over engineered

>>...the issue might be leaving a loaded magazine, they are not as reliable if left (fully) loaded.

I have a hard time accepting <topic> advice from anyone who believes in fake <topic> related 'facts,'

Re: over engineered

>> I wonder if this became law would the cops be obliged to use it or would they be exempt to give them a better chance?

In the US, the Police and Government in general are ALWAYS Exempted from "Sensible" gun laws.

Re: 'Smart guns' - an inherent failure

I will speak to one specific area where you are wrong. The US culture of gun ownership DID help them win.

When the average recruit or draftee was skilled in the art of using firearms to take game animals for food, that's one less critical skill they had to be taught before being deployed. Years of familiarity and practice give something a few weeks of boot camp cannot.

Microsoft offers Surface-as-a-Service from its own stores

Re: Pay Forever

Leasing implies that you are paying for the depreciation of an item over your term of usage.

Based on the default settings for a Surfacebook Pro i5/8g/128, you can pay $1848 over 18 months, or $1848 over 24 months. If a device looses almost $2k in value over 18 months, how does it proceed to loose absolutely $0 additional value over the next 6 months?

Microsoft ends OEM sales of Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8.1

According to my Dell rep, Microsoft blinked and will allow OEM factory installed Win7Pro via Win10Pro downgrades for another year.

Windows 10 Pro Anniversary Update tweaked to stop you disabling app promos

Win Pro -- the New XP?

I just got done getting most of my newer machines licensed for the "free" 10 Pro upgrade. Licensed only - they are still running 7Pro. I did this with full faith that at some point 10 Pro would be a viable option for my company's end user systems.

Now I'm reading that this was a waste of time, as the tweaks that made 10 a good corporate citizen have been neutered instead of being improved.

Being at a place that spends money like its made of their own bone marrow, having to ask for a new budget line to 'pay again for something we already have' so I can get the LTSB Enterprise build is a non-starter.

I'm predicting W7Pro will become the next XP. Being held onto by many long, long after MS wants it abandoned.