Posts by fobobob

Easy-to-hack combat systems, years-old flaws and a massive bill – yup, that's America's F-35

Was thinking Kaspersky Antivirus

As Red Hat prepares to become part of Big Blue, its financials look as solid as Linux kernel 2.4

Re: Linux rescued IBM, so it's a good move

AIX for PS/2 was a thing, though it doesn't seem to have survived into the Pentium age.

Ethiopian Airlines boss confirms suspect flight software was in use as Boeing 737 Max crashed

Re: It's not flyable without it

Worse still, that (Kegworth crash) was due, in part, to pilot confusion over the source of cockpit smoke from a failed engine; the -400 has a different air conditioner configuration from -300, and pilots were not properly made aware. Assumptions about which engine supplied air to the cockpit lead to them shutting down their remaining good engine. You'd think Boeing would be even more concerned about anything even remotely related to actual flight controls.

Carolina coward fesses up: I was a tech support scambag, and I made millions out of defrauding the elderly

Re: Suck Shit

... for good measure.

This headline is proudly brought to you by wired keyboards: Wireless Fujitsu model hacked

On the other hand, if people consistent forget to lock their machines, I guess we can now do it for them, from the comfort of our vehicle outside the building.

Microsoft changes DHCP to 'Dammit! Hacked! Compromised! Pwned!' Big bunch of security fixes land for Windows

Re: Ahead of the game?

I'm waiting for them to open source the software they use to convert arbitrary PowerPoint presentations into deployable Windows features.

They're BAAACK: Windows 10 nagware team loads trebuchet with annoying reminders to GTFO Windows 7

Re: DDOS

Why all the hate for 8(.1)? I can understand the people's outright contempt for MetroUI, but the system can be whipped into shape with a few third-party applications, some update avoidance, and disabling of a few anti-features. Last usable MS OS to me. I therefore argue that the pattern still follows, with 8.1 being the "good" (relatively speaking) release (if we'll allow, as Microsoft does, that 8 and 8.1 are distinct enough to consider different OSs).

Airlines in Asia, Africa ground Boeing 737 Max 8s after second death crash in four-ish months

I just looked through an FCOM, and MCAS shows up in a glossary of terms, but literally nowhere else.

ReactOS 0.4.11 makes great strides towards running Windows apps without the Windows

If I remember to, I will give this a try after work :)

Slow Ring Windows 10 fragged by anti-cheat software in the games you're playing at work, says Insiders supremo

Is this a binary joke?

Fake broadband ISP support scammers accidentally cough up IP address to Deadpool in card phish gone wrong

Reminds me vaguely of a time someone was trying to scam a friend of mine out of some money (it was fairly obvious to both of us, but we wanted to be able to shove evidence in their face); joined the group chat, and dropped a "hey cool lol look at this guys" sort of link to a no-ip/dyndns name that pointed to a small webserver, and noted their IPs were coming out of Nigeria. IIRC they claimed they were from Boston.

A few reasons why cops didn't immediately shoot down London Gatwick airport drone menace

Re: Send in other, bigger, better armed drones?

Was thinking along similar lines, but I think a pair (or generally a small formation) of drones, dragging a net, would be adequate.

Shift-work: Keyboards heaped in a field push North Yorks council's fly-tipping buttons

Re: ARRRG the Punnage!

These are the puns I was expecting... I guess they left some for us all to enjoy :) They've probably all been used by now, but hey, who's keeping Tabs?

Pirate radio = drug dealing and municipal broadband is anti-competitive censorship

"In response, I wrote a letter to the editor raising concerns regarding their publication's approach and arguing it should notify the local FCC office of illegal activities rather than romanticize these 'broadcasts' or provide the 'station' with some type of legitimacy,"

I can't help but feel that the 'sentences' he writes 'read' sort of like a drudgereport 'headline'. You know, since we're clearly free to 'quote' things to delegitimize them, or imply that the word is being used in a way that is not 'coherent' with its dictionary 'definition'.

In Windows 10 Update land, nobody can hear you scream

Re: "Win 8 was stupid"

Same here, 8.1 was where I kind of jumped off the Windows train. Bought Win 8 Pro shortly after the Win10 RTM proved to be pretty much everything we feared it might be (unending "development", forced updates, even-more-questionable privacy practices, etc.). Just add ClassicShell, and it'll do most anything I need it to do. Though somewhat more difficult than Win7, I have yet to run into any major compatibility issues with old software such as early-2000s directx games, VB6, and older office variants; what problems I did encounter were easily resolved with the body of reference that has accumulated trough people's trials and errors to date. That last part is something Win10 seemed to try to throw out the window(s); fortunately, a lot of Win7/Win8 compatibility tricks are still relevant.

'This is insane!' FCC commissioner tears into colleagues over failure to stop robocalls

It has gotten so bad that I've resorted to just wildcard blocking whole area codes and local exchanges if I do not know anyone from them. I also block numbers from my own exchange so that I can shrug off any of this "neighbor spoofing" crap. I've also had to block a few exchanges that had their first two digits (instead of the usual three) spoofed to me.

Ever wanted to strangle Microsoft? Now Outlook, Skype 'throttle' users amid storm cloud drama

Re: I NEVER get tired of posting this

Outlook cloudy; I'll get back to you when the weather improves.

No need to code your webpage yourself, says Microsoft – draw it and our AI will do the rest

Re: The return of front page

I came specifically to joke about this; thanks for taking it off my hands.

Hello darkness my old friend, what happened last week in Redmond?

Skype, in my sphere, died (after being on life support for years) the day they started wasting gobs of screen space with 'chat bubbles' and other such ancillary crap that can't be turned off. I would like to be able to see more than 10 lines of text on a 1920x1080 display.

Oracle's JEDI mine trick: IT giant sticks a bomb under Pentagon's $10bn single-vendor cloud plan

Also Jedi Mine trick because bombs.

Also Jedi *Mine* trick because of One Rich Asshole Called Larry Ellison.

Hmm, there's something fishy about this graph charting AMD's push into Intel's server turf

Re: What a load of carp!

I'm just going to be here, quietly judging your puns from up on my perch...

If they did it some other way, it wouldn't look very much like a fish, now would it?

Fukushima reactors lend exotic nuclear finish to California's wines

Re: I know the author is based in Left-Pondia...

I was actually going to comment about this; though also a native of the left side, and having no significant background in chemistry, I have a strong inclination towards IUPAC names, including aluminium (it just sounds better to my ear). Sulfur over sulphur doesn't feel natural though, even though it was an established spelling well before I went to school.

Techie sues ex-bosses, claims their AI avatar tech was faked – and he was allegedly beaten up after crying foul

Type softly, and carry a big assembler?

GitHub given Windows 9x's awesome and so very modern look

Re: UI elements that make it obvious what they do?

Rectangles? Are you nuts? Just have the text floating there, in the same color, size, and face as all the other text on the page. Or possibly even grey it out so it will stand out (and totally not look disabled)

Boffins build neural networks fashioned out of DNA molecules

Seeing the image at the top of the article brought to mind the notion... genetic lottery.

GIMP masks font downloads, adds horizon fix in new build

Re: Hooray!

also

gimp -f

if you know you won't be creating any text

Security guard cost bank millions by hitting emergency Off button

Re: Why is hardware so sensitive?

Can-style electrolytics are bad enough... degraded tantalum caps like to properly explode when they experience abuse. Mainly an issue for older equipment, fortunately, from my experience.

dhclient

Once, In the midst of a rather bad case of morning grogginess, I spaced out and ran dhclient on a shared web hosting server. Instant network deconfiguration, and for lack of IPMI or similar on the box, a reboot ticket to the datacenter... fortunately, no major consequences for anyone involved.

Why would this even possibly happen? I've been using Linux for many years, but I'm often two lazy to set up my networking stuff statically or make sure it happens automatically, so running dhclient after a reboot had become a part of my personal routine.

The best part was the response from a higher level systems administrator to a trouble ticket I submitted, which detailed the situation thoroughly, and suggested to remove dhclient from our many servers, as it is yet another 'big red button' waiting to happen. The response was basically a whiny remark along the lines of "just don't run the command!", despite that having been the entire subject and general tone of my ticket. This apparently resulted in them getting "talked to".

Thunderbird gets its EFAIL patch

Re: Good to see it's still in development

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/thunderbird-will-phase-out-legacy-add-ons-will-support-webextensions/

Shame the current plan is to commit the same lobotomy they performed on Firefox.

Have YOU had your breakfast pint? Boffins confirm cheeky daily tipple is good for you

Not enough beer icons in the comments... I'll have one as well.

Outage? No, phones are playing silly buggers, insists Sainsbury's Bank

"I'm sorry Name, I'm afraid I can't do that..."

Still, better than Amazon's "Dear diversity hire..."

Developer’s code worked, but not in the right century

Re: No standard for epochs - @katrinab

Going by the amount of old COBOL stuff that needed updating for Y2K, I would be far more surprised if there wasn't.

'No, we are not rewriting Office in JavaScript' and other Microsoft tales

Toolbars

Don't want users wasting time hunting for functions? Give them the tool(bar)s they need to arrange their workspace the way they find it comfortable to use. Also, one sorely missed feature of the days of old: being able to assign macros to custom toolbar buttons.

Microsoft gives users options for Office data slurpage – Basic or Full

Coming from Microsoft, sounds like it could be read "almost all" or "all".

Within Arm's reach: Chip brains that'll make your 'smart' TV a bit smarter

Can't wait for...

clothing made entirely out of masks.

Tech support made the news after bomb squad and police showed up to 'defuse' leaky UPS

Re: We shut down central Edinburgh with a fridge

I believe I've seen them in RVs before, but this is something of a childhood recollection. Could be wrong, but it seems like a likely place for them to have initially appeared.

US Congress mulls expanding copyright yet again – to 144 years

Well, people are living longer these days...

Off with e's head: E-cig explosion causes first vaping death

Re: limit vaping to 20 watts

https://www.powerstream.com/18650-high-discharge-rate.htm also apparently someone stumbled across a sony datasheet for vtc5 that had a 40A curve visible, though they don't appear to be safely rated for it.

Re: limit vaping to 20 watts

These things also have insane short current ratings, often exceeding 200A.

Re: Souk an e-cig

I'll contest the notion (that they would attempt to attack it, provided the current regulatory environment on burning tobaccos, also not trying to suggest that this was specifically your own sentiment) by noting that they're actually making decent inroads in the vaping department themselves. There's money to be made, especially with increasing constraints on the burning-tobacco market. Most gas stations in my general area have at least one brand, and most of those have several to choose from, both one-time-use and with replaceable, pre-filled cartridges. I do not mind such competition, provided they don't make any overly hostile moves towards the more DIY markets, but I don't hold much hope for that overall. R.J. Reynolds even pulled a full recall on their own Vuse Vibe pens in the past couple of months, after some reports of overheating batteries came to light... not even any injuries or property destruction. It seems to me that they wish to at least appear to be on the side of good.

Re: Souk an e-cig

I quite enjoy shitting down the gullet of the "it's just water!" crowd. Unless they're legitimately into e.g. ultrasonic water misters. I'm well aware of the hazards and effects, both first party and otherwise (as far as they can be known). The amount of nicotine being exhaled is still noteworthy, and the water content negligible, so folks need to exercise discretion when vaping indoors and especially around others. Inconsiderate loljustwaterbrovapers need to take it down a peg. There are ~4 vapers in my office of ~20 folks, and not one of them billows clouds of stinky funk.

Re: Here we go again

I was actually thinking about making one myself, but there were a few design points that might move it out from under that definition: fuses (both a quick-blow for shorts, and a lower rated slow-blow for stuck-on conditions), a VRM/MOSFET tuned by a pot (optional, possibly as a selectable module, and the thing that makes the definition questionable), and a self-resetting thermal breaker. I'm totally willing to forego the fun little project if it meant other people knocking off the silliness entirely. I also suspect that at least mandating basic thermal/short protection would go a long way in preventing this sort of thing.

My personal battery failure

Had a battery short out in a mod (I guess people call them mods, but I had always assumed 'mod' referred explicitly to the unregulated 'mechanical' kind, but this was a regulated device), but this was exclusively due to my own neglect of the battery condition.

Inspecting the failed battery's sibling, it looks like the plastic wrap got chafed, split apart, and allowed the insulator ring to get pushed aside, resulting in the contact in the battery holder completing the circuit. Had it been pointing towards my face, I might've seen the spark/glowing metal before it was too late, but i'm generally glad I did not. The thing vented, sputtering caustic fun juices and flecks of burning material (which i assume were a combination of both the battery casing being melted from the short, as well as the now degenerating innards of the cell) in a show that was not unlike a standard bottle rocket motor in visuals, intensity, and duration.

In retrospect, I should've immediately exited the room and pitched it on the tile hallway, as there was nowhere safe to place the thing, so I wound up holding onto it in order to avoid a mattress/paper heap fire. My hands were burned fairly badly (all healed up just one month later, save for some dryness and sensitivity), as the gas jet was basically going through my index and middle fingers for the first ~2 seconds, and I eventually dropped it on the carpeted floor after having switched hands (only minor burns on that side). The battery popped out and rapidly melted its way into the carpet padding (cement foundation, fortunately), and ignited a sheet of paper that was nearby. Had to open a window with a handful of fingers looking not unlike barbecue sausage links, but in < 2 minutes, fire extinguished and room ventilating. Then off to the ER for a good looking over.

All told, damage entailed 7 fingers burned, 2 were fairly bad (and a third got a bandage stuck in it due to falling asleep with it pinned), ~1 sq ft of carpet ruined, near a corner, burnt people grease all over the smoke detectors and doors (since cleaned), a discharged dry chem extinguisher, and ~550 USD in medical (I wonder if anyone's health insurance in this country has *ever* covered any entire ER visit... base total was ~$850, with no ambulance ride or drugs). Plus whatever my landlord is going to charge when I get around to telling him about it. Which will happen at some point after he deals with a god damned raccoon (a family of them, I now suspect) that lives in the crawl space between the floors.

At any rate, the moral of the story is: don't neglect your battery condition, especially if you frequently swap the batteries in and out of a charger. This one was entirely my own fault, and even in America, I think it'd be difficult to sue myself. Also still cheaper than (treating) lung cancer.

Make masses carry their mobes, suggests wig in not-at-all-creepy speech

Don't forget to turn off WiFi too, as it's seemingly trivial to peg a location by cross-referencing ESSID/BSSID databases.

Second wave of Spectre-like CPU security flaws won't be fixed for a while

Re: FLASH! Ahh-ahhhh!

That stain appears to be from a leaking plugincontainer.exe

There will be blood: BT to axe 13,000 employees

Re: 106,000??

"Holes in the ground won't stare at themselves you know."

Actually, if you carefully position a mirror above them...

You love Systemd – you just don't know it yet, wink Red Hat bods

Might just be a Debian thing as I haven't looked into it, but I have enough suspicion towards systemd that I find it worth mentioning. Until fairly recently (in terms of Debian releases), the default configuration was to murder a user's processes when they log out. This includes things such as screen and tmux, and I seem to recall it also murdering disowned and NOHUPed processes as well.

HP Ink to compensate punters for bricking third-party ink cartridges

Re: Power Adapters Too

You're thinking of Dell, I think (hopefully). Unless something has changed, Dell uses a serial EPROM on the center pin, whereas HP uses a voltage output on that pin to inform the laptop of the wattage. I've hacked together functional adapters from an older adapter, a couple resistors in a divider network, and a severed power output cord. That being said, that center pin loves getting bent. Then your laptop won't charge, and you can only straighten it a few times before it breaks.