Posts by Rick Brasche

Seagate makes CES splash with $99 drive, 'personal' cloud offerings

Re: personal cloud

May I suggest the Intelligent Defined Internet Of Things as the next buzzword! :)

please stop with the market buzzwords.

a Cloud was once a term to mean online storage systems that existed in undefined systems not under a user's physical control. It could be anywhere, and everywhere. And that was at least acceptable.

Then people selling SANs started calling the same kit as a Cloud and just changed how it looked to the Administrators. Same stuff, new blinkenlights on the box.

Now we're getting USB drives called "the Cloud" and some of them aren't even NAS capable. Because it's not physically inside your desktop, anything is now marketed as "cloud".

And that p*sses me off. Now get off mah lawn! All you MBAs out of the server room, let the grognards get the work done! :P

Renault Captur: Nobody who knows about cars will buy this

as an American, all I can say is...

"waah!" at least you HAVE an option for a tight, efficient diesel motor.

If I want an underpowered yet utilitarian city/econo car, I am lucky to find something that queefs out any useful torque at all (HP numbers be damned) and still barely see 35 real world MPG unless I spend 2X on some hybrid heavy battery backup system.

Even our version of the Smart got no oil-burner and barely gives 40mpg.

So at least you guys get decent gas mileage with your gutlessness.

(hell, we never got the Fiat 500 with the Twin Air in California either :( )

Cambridge boffins and Boeing fly first hybrid airplane over British skies

Re: Can you clairfy

no need for retractable anything. If they're driving the prop solely from the electrical motor, they can switch it to regenerative braking by the controller, using the prop exactly as you describe.

they could get real fancy and use adjustable pitch too.

Blind justice: Google lawsuit silences elected state prosecutor

very good article, thank you, with one minor nitpick

where it says that elected officials represent the people who elected them, it should be amended to "theoretically".

Which country has 2nd largest social welfare system in the world?

Re: yay, statistics

and again, you're talking only Federal, and leaving out individual State and County amounts. As well as private and "faith based" community partner initiatives.

A nation of CODERS? Yes, says UK.gov, and have some cash to do it

you know what you get when you have a "nation of coders"?

it's called a GLUT, and anyone in that field gets to fight hard over the scraps of jobs that millions of others are "good enough" to get. It becomes an employer's game.

Just like all those unemployed "web designers" who were gonna "make it big" during the first dot-com boom. All the hype about learning that HTML, where even when the industry was strong, there were three applicants to every position.

Focussing attention on one job type, whatever it is, on a national scale, is not the way to go. A broad based system on as much of the basic skills for as many fields makes more sense, with specialization available for those who want it.

For those who lack the vision of what the "next big thing" will be, trying to force those without vision and drive into those fields hurts those who actually DID plan ahead.

Renewable energy 'simply won't work': Top Google engineers

Re: reducing energy consumption

derp

it's not "the rich" that are increasing the population at 2-4x their replacement levels.

NSA mass spying reform KILLED by US Senators

Re: Start with the obvious. Repeal the THE PATRIOT Act,

here's legislation I can get behind: No Backronyms for any political use. Only allowed for hardware systems, and only universally acceptable for space program use. Amateur space programs included.

voting reasons?

these should be mandatory for everyone. Even if written by a staffer, it's still attributed and while won't affect the low information voter, those of us with reading comprehension and memory longer than 10 years will find it extremely valuable

Re: Do I care enough to comment???

that's a lotta commenting for someone pretending not to care enough to comment. Passive aggressive much?

I'M SO SORRY, sobs Rosetta Brit boffin in 'sexist' sexy shirt storm

Those Who Can, Do...

Those Who Can't...are professional victims who need to take down Those Who Can.

Anonymous ‪hacks the Ku Klux Klan after Ferguson‬ threats

Re: Do any of you realize...

"Evidence you say? Excellent, lets have a trial and hear it argued out in court, rather than submit to predetermined verdict by anonymous internet nutjob."

complains about statements from one internet nutjob because it counters his heroes which are a larger group of anonymous internet nutjobs.

sounds legit. Maybe they can sack up and hit the guys who made the violence threats first as well? Naww, that wouldn't be "cool".

3D printed guns: This time it's for real! Oh, wait – no, still crap

Re: Has WiRED

hey, I'm excited about 3D printing because my apartment does not wire 220 3 phase nor can it handle the weight of a Bridgeport. But a decent sized 3D printer will run off of 110V 15A and fit on a small desk.

Plus, with some new filaments Ive heard of, a 3D printer can produce all the weird gaskets, O rings, and rubber bits I'm always losing/breaking when working on cars, Nerf guns, plumbing parts, you name it.

Excited or concerned about 3D printed guns, that's a whole other story. I do like the idea of doing some really cool models of anime or movie firearms tho. The Dalek tommy gun from a new Who episode comes to mind.

Re: But against the backdrop of your British readership...

the 9mm cartridge the Sten used is still commonly available. Like the .22LR rimfire, there are different flavors, but you can still run your old school stuff off of ammo you bought today.

First space Hasselblad goes under the hammer

I know a guy who loves cameras and has money

and I just sent the auction link to his son.... here's fingers crossed!

Cheap blow-up baby incubator bags James Dyson award

Re: Good and bad

increasing overpopulation in "third world" nations is already, and will continue to be, the cause of more violence, wars, atrocities, and environmental damage than any amount of clever warfare.

A human being is the biggest threat to anything. One would say that assisting more survivable births in areas where live birthrate already exceeds the environmental capability to support and the death rate by nearly 2 to 1 is a greater crime than a smart bullet that only hits the arsehole who decided a bomb in your childrens' bus is easier than a bomb in the car of the "leadership" he's in competiton with.

Virgin 'spaceship' pilot 'unlocked tailbooms' going through sound barrier

was this perhaps part of the flight testing regime?

It'd be interesting to see if this was part of the test profile, to determine performance problems or recoverability issues with an unlocked descent mode. Like pilots deliberately entering flat spins to determine recoverability of new jet designs.

Could still be a malfunction. Just because the software records the system set to "unlock" does not mean the lever was thrown. A short anywhere in the system would read the same, and if the unlock level is "fly by wire" there are plenty of places where an unlock command could be inadvertently set.

I'm still kinda surprised the mechanism that rotates the tail had enough authority to force them into reentry position at that speed.

How Hollywood film-makers wove proper physics into Interstellar

Re: so 'Lost in Space' gets a reboot.

I was thinking more "Farscape"

science, wormholes, strange aliens, but without the surfer bro-scientist and alien parties.

Tim Cook: The classic iPod HAD TO DIE, and this is WHY

who cares that an older media storage system went bye-bye?

for real world applications, solid state is superior for media players.

Just because Apple refuses to allow you upgradeable memory doesn't mean you gotta dream of all your gigabytes you'll ever want at the time of purchase.

Hell, most people build playlists anyway and sync those, which are easily digested by any of Apple's current offerings. How many thousand hours of tunes does anyone need in their pocket? Want more, sync the other list. no big deal.

Or get a more friendly non-Apple unit where you can pop in whatever the largest capacity memory card is that fits your budget. wait a year and the next larger one comes along. If one goes bad, it's seconds to eject and replace with a fresher, faster one.

El Reg spends One Night in Hell with Queen's Brian May

the book sounds great

the rest, not so much

Rise of the machines: Silicon Valley hardware store to deploy ROBOTS for customer service

Re: I foresee trouble

Ironically, it was at this very store where I watched a checkout clerk, an actual employee, reduce a young Hispanic girl to tears because he spoke to her in Spanish which she did not understand because she was born "here" and he was saying "you can't be Mexican, you can't be Latina if you don't speak Spanish. You can't call yourself Hispanic if you can't speak Spanish" etc.

Don't know if this tool thought he was being flirty but the lady was upset that she was being called out about her Mexican soccer team jersey as if she was some sort of failure for not speaking the language of her parents' birthplace...and with three of us in line speaking to the manager, and one guy almost getting to blows against this arsehat, well, he's no longer working there.

With "service" like that, robots are not to blame for being the best choice of replacement.

In fact, I suspect there are no actual replacements occurring. the robots are enhancers-making the staff there more efficient. Store isn't gonna hire more people, so a robot helping out makes those who are there capable of doing more important stuff.

Like not being a racist or cultural elitist and p*ssing off your customers.

awesome, right down the street!

I'm gonna have to see how well this works...and find out just how poorly the 3 Laws are implemented....muahahaha!

KRAKKOOOM! Space Station supply mission in PODULE PRANG EXPLOSION CHAOS

And Elon Musk was nowhere near the area according to his press office

however we still have unconfirmed reports of a Model S leaving the area at a high rate of speed emitting a maniacal laugh.

Scientists skeptical of Lockheed Martin's truck-sized fusion reactor breakthrough boast

kids these days, so impatient!

why in my day, every vapor announcement was "20 years from now"...thanks to short attention span yoof, everything is announced "only 10 years" nowadays,

now get offa mah lawn!

Vanmoof Electrified Bike: Crouching cyclist, hidden power

250 watts?

even here in California, USA where government needs to monetize every working citizen to fund the rest, we're allowed a kilowatt before getting nailed with "motorcycle" status, and all the insurance/licensing fees that come with it.

My kitchen mixer has more than twice that of the e-bike. Now realizing that those tiny little 50cc motors get well over 1HP (closer to 2 or 3), 250 watts is barely 1/3 hp. And most people whinge about gutless 50cc scooters. This means ebikes are charging a lot more money for a lot less "oomph".

It's not that much more expensive (especially in bulk) to get closer to 1kW. But eBike suppliers are either sandbagging for obscene profit or overly regulated. Here in CA, it's definitely the former.

Tesla's Elon Musk shows the world his D ... and it's a monster

Re: Only 2 motors

thing is, the standard Model S is already two motors, they sit end to end and power a common shaft that goes to the differential from there. It's how Saleen "tuned" the Model S and making more accelleration by dropping the single gear ration.

So this new one, probably has 4 motors, replicating the rear drive unit and moving it forward. At the very least, three.

http://hooniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tesla-drivetrain-small.jpg

Particle that behaves like matter and antimatter found: Majorana fermion

question

If, at this level, observation tends to modify or even create behaviors, and we're reasonably sure that with enough energy mass can be created, is it possible that by the extensive effort of explicitly searching for a given theoretical particle, scientists may inadvertently be creating it or causing the effects they seek?

Most of these exotic particle experiments are so specific as they seem to the layman unable to observe, confirm or deny anything but the specific particle or phenomena sought. All this hardware, all the specialized sensors and extreme conditions - not able to "see what happens" but only to confirm a razor focussed hypothesis.

Is it possible that physics has reached a point where it's almost impossible for a "hmm, that's weird" observation of something tangental that can lead to a new avenue of investigation? A type of "myopia" that this hyperspecialization that appears required at these size and power levels? Are we pushing so hard that our methods adding squirrels to Shroedinger's Box?

'Space bubbles' may have helped Taliban down 'copter in bloody Afghanistan battle

Re: National Security.

nevermind the Russians couldn't pacify the region either. And they weren't hampered by "civility" and "rules of engagement".

Found inside ISIS terror chap's laptop: CELINE DION tunes

should be enough evidence of criminal intent right there

Weapons of Aural Destruction

Women-only town seeks men

Wicker Man Redux?

Nic Cage and the bees think this could be a trap.

Galileo! Galileo. Galileo! Galileo frigged-LEO: Easy come, easy go. Little high, little low

fnar!

injection anomaly-that's wot I told 'er!

Finally, a practical use for 3D printing: Helping surgeons rehearse

Re: Goth friends

old goth?

well where were you when we sacked Rome? :)

Boffins attempt to prove the universe is just a hologram

so if I get this straight..

if they find garbage "noise" in their readings, it proves their point?

Can we apply this to other theories as well? I know lots of government pundits like to confuse "missing or questionable" data as "proof" of various economic programs already

Trundle, trundle, FLEEEP: iPhone 6 production grinds to halt

cue the "scarcity"

and the preorder hype in 3...2...1...

BOFH: We CAN do that with a Raspberry Pi, but think of the BODIES

ah a teachable moment

it's so heartening to see when experience is transferred from the master to the student, and seeing the gleam of enlightenment at the moment of comprehension.

*snif* 'tis a thing of beauty that brings tears to me eyes.

Wall Street's internet darlings require an endless supply of idiots

this is how the Modern Enterpreneur in Silicon Valley makes his/her business case

Take something that's already been done, but do it now in such a way as to foist off as much of your operating expenses onto other suckers..errr..investors, and the general public/your neighbors, etc.

then brag about the big profits you make because you don't pay for infrastructure, or insurance, or backend hardware, or parking spaces/floor space, or "volunteers". Crow about how your "new" idea is "superior" to established products that actually pay for their operating costs.

Then, sell your company/idea for $billions before public backlash, regulation enforcement, and legal issues catch up and shut your "new thing" down. Don't forget to complain about "Conspiracy!" before that, too.

Sure, Big Corporate does Evil Things like that too. How this "justifies" a thousand penny-ante "enterpreneurs" crapping all over where they live, is beyond me however.

The regulations got put in place by will of the same people who pride themselves on dodging them, around here.

Now I'm off to make Big Money with my sewage/toxic waste disposal service, where you call into an app and an "independent" truck picks up the stuff and makes it disappear. We don't actually do it, but we have "rules" for our drivers to follow...so it's not our fault if these "independent contractors" don't follow the rules. Besides, we're cheaper than that Big Disposal Outfit that pays all those oppressive EPA fees.....

Experimental hypersonic SUPERMISSILE destroyed 4 SECONDS after US launched it

to be expected

you can't make an omelette without breaking a few sound barriers. or rockets.

Hypersonics is hard. So is air at that speed. It's like designing a car to reach 100mph, much easier for the first hundred than the second.

as speeds go up each incremental boost is exponentially tougher.

Microsoft exits climate denier lobby group

funded by "oil" = evil

but funded by snake-oil = savior of mankind?

"Green" energy and control pundits are the farm animals wanting to take down the Big Oil farmers, talking big but really about moving themselves and their profits and power to the top when they couldn't do it any other way.

2 legs bad, 4 legs good. Soon after the "green lobby" wins, it's "some animals are more equal than others."

We need to adapt. But we need to be smart. No one with a big agenda can be trusted outright. Problem is, you're still a bloomin' idiot when all you do is decide which trendy party to be part of and accept everything from them as "truth", and take all practical limitations and warnings of such as "heresay".

Trading "Scientists" and "Consensus" for "Priests" changes nothing but the conceit. Science doesn't need a priesthood, but most everyone falls on their "statements of authority" instead of actually doing a little research of their own. If it's real research, it's open. If it's hidden, there's a problem. Monsanto, for example.

Re: ...that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

climate? or is it "really bad weather"? Like how San Francisco and London call that opaque vaprous smokescreen "fog" ? :)

LOHAN packs bags for SPACEPORT AMERICA!

sadly not "available at WalMart" here either

can't pick up anything bigger than a C (about the size of the battery of the same designation) at a store without proper documentation and license. IIRC even the bog standard D size is now considered powerful enough to be under that restriction.

The reloadables El Reg is using are well within "high powered rocketry" and require a lot of hoop jumping.

Yes, all Europe's ridicule of American freedoms is coming home to roost. We're becoming as No-Fun as the the UK and EU! :(

Top Gun display for your CAR: Heads-up fighter pilot tech

Re: So many things to consider.

I had an 07 FJR. Miss it daily.

fortunately there;s a helmet on the way that will have relevant HUD info sent to the visor.

Vulture 2 strapped to speeding van before delicate brain surgery

thats a tougher test than needed

because your airflow is a lot more turbulent going over the hood and windshield than your actual flight envelope.

If V2 handles that dirty air at speed without issues, the actual flight will be a breeze..natch

Shields up! Nvidia crams Tegra K1 into gaming slab to rival your PS3

Re: Controller?

the controller is supposed to support PCs, but for me the "win" is that it works with the current Shield portable. Gives a lot better control options especially when patched into a TV and runnning "console mode" or running my desktop PC remotely.

the ability to "stream" not only games but to run your desktop remotely -even outside your home network- from a tiny portable is all kinds of fun. Don't need much speed to fire off an email that pretends you're home, and you'll never use a 3DS or Vita to do a quick edit to an Office doc (i have one of those tiny bluetooth keyboards) while out and about.

Call girl injected Google exec with heroin, drank wine, left him to die – cops claim

Another lesson learned from Tyrion Lannister

best to ask "where do the whores go?" BEFORE getting into a relationship where they try to kill you.

Like frozen burgers, 'Bigfoot' DNA samples have a touch of horse

one thing to keep in mind...

one thing to keep in mind. DNA samples of polar bears may not have actually been obtained in the Himalayas, regardless of the claims of whomever submitted the sample. Before rethinking any theories, make absolutely SURE the samples are both actually from their claimed location, and/or were NOT planted for some honest yet overzealous cryptozoologist to conveniently find.

I Wanted To Believe...Then I Grew Up. :(

Facebook 'manipulated' 700k users' feelings in secret experiment

Re: Perfect for the pollies.

you DO realize Zuckerberg, et al, funds and supports the DNC in all things and is a whole lot more likely already doing this for HIS preferred politicians.

Who was it that was able to make a direct phone call to the President to complain? Someone paid a LOT of money and favors to do that. Who helped organize and support the $5K a plate "fundraiser" here in San Jose a couple months ago?

It's funny watching people cast aversions on one side while ignoring the actual observed facts about the other. What you think the republicans "might" do is a lot less critical than what the democrats ARE doing RIGHT NOW.

Worry about the GOP if it ever gets "in charge" again.

Tesla, Nissan, BMW mull all-for-plug, plug-for-all electrocar charger plan

going to need on-site electrical storage

the service station of the future is going to need a large onsite storage bank- no way mains power is going to be enough to supply on-demand to the half dozen or so stations down any reasonably busy urban road. Especially at lunchtime/after work. Since it only needs to hold the charge for a couple hours between peak usage, would supercapacitors be suitable?

Déjà spew: US would accept higher bills for less CO₂ by two-to-one

any bets this poll was taken at around 11 am or 1PM local time?

so when they call the people who are home all day - ones who are either rich enough to have 3 hour lunch breaks, or don't work to pay their own bills, I'm sure they get plenty of people who won't sweat any difference in their bill.

the rest of us were at work and didn't answer the phone call that caller ID says is coming from some telemarketing firm.

Alienware says it WILL ship a Steam Machine in 2014 – running Windows

so in other words,

it's a box you could build yourself for less, except with user controlled multicolored lighting. And zero upgrade path?