* Posts by Totally not a Cylon

354 publicly visible posts • joined 17 Nov 2018

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Google unleashes fightback against ChatGPT, a Bard by any other name

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

This is how the AI wars start....

Can we please stop referring to VIs as AIs.

These chatbots are not AIs they are Virtual Intelligences or VIs, just smart enough to answer simple questions.

An AI can actually initiate conversation.... "Does this unit have a soul?"......

You can run Windows 11 on just 200MB of RAM – but should you?

Totally not a Cylon
Linux

Re: 16GB of RAM is the minimum

And yet my 2013 MacBook with only 8GB comfortably runs the latest version of MacOS......

Takes a bit longer to boot due to having to boot Opencore fast but once booted runs pretty quick.....

Penguin icon because no Apple icon and mac is almost unix......

BT keeps the faith in 'like fury' fiber broadband buildout as revenues dip

Totally not a Cylon
Pint

Re: Moving to FTTH

Like the others; thanks for the link.

My area shows as 'building out now' AND we have Openreach vans and various bods all over the place but.....

'Not available to order yet, give us your details and we'll ignore you for the next few years.......'

The fibre mess is one of the few things which Thatcher is legitimately responsible for, the plan was for BT (or even GPO might be that old) to replace the entire phone network with fibre back in the 70's but Rediffusion objected as it would hurt their business of supplying cable tv/radio so the phone network stayed as copper/aluminium/wet string......

US government calls foul on Apple and Google over walled gardens for apps

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

Wont change a thing...

Speaking as a consumer not a developer.

This will not change a thing for the vast majority of Apple users, we want an app for our phone we look in The App Store.

You want a subscription for your app? better have an ApplePay option........

Most of us picked Apple for the 'all in one place' simplicity of it.

Looked at from a Business point of view for company devices; probably a good thing, we can have our own 'company approved' app store except how many companies are going to bother?

Looked at from the viewpoint of a small developer; how many app stores do I need to support/use? expected response: F*** that! I'll stick to App Store........

The small very vocal minority who are calling for this will be pleased, the rest of us not so much because of "I have to sign up for ANOTHER app store? why?"

Now, if you make Xbox games run 'out of the box' on Playstation and vice versa then you may have a point......

Smart ovens do really dumb stuff to check for Wi-Fi

Totally not a Cylon
Linux

Re: Mesh wifi does the same.

I'm looking at an Odroid H3 sbc with 2 x 2.5Gb ethernet, sticking router/firewall/pi-hole/dns on it and running the whole network through it.

commercial stuff has some nice toys/features but a proper edge-control device which just controls in/out is better......

Totally not a Cylon
Black Helicopters

Mesh wifi does the same.

I have 3 Asus wifi mesh devices which are hardwired together to provide wifi coverage in each room,

every minute each of them pings dns.msftncsi.com ..............

fortunately, because I run pi-hole and own dns none of this leaves my network.

Oh, and I've gone into the devices' settings and turned all this off, but it doesn't actually turn off.............

we need military grade firewalls; not to keep hackers out but to keep our own devices inside!

It's been 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

Consistency is what matters....

What units you use doesn't matter, what does is that everyone working on a project uses the same ones......

Fun fact, building and plumbing supplies are still sold in Imperial sizes as is jam & milk........

Also, everyone should use Imperial Units (Freedom Units) as the UK has at one time or another invaded everyone apart from Portugal........

Gonna run System Restore in Windows 11? Microsoft says some of its apps won't

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

wtf Microsoft?

How the hell do you break command prompt?

I can kinda understand how windows can get its internals twisted over restoring apps and the registry but command prompt?

Just how do you screw up so badly the underlying code?

Elon, you finished with the Orbital LART?

Nice smart device – how long does it get software updates?

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

DIY

Just make your own. I've just made my own connected doorbell using a Pico W to detect the bell push being pushed and send a notification to my Raspberry Pi Z-wave controller which uses Homekit Bridge to make the Homepod ring and notify my phone.....

Totally not a Cylon

Downvoted for saying the Government...

Like the idea but not with the Government holding them.

Fat EVs may cause 'more death on our roads' – watchdog

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

Re: Weight is relative...

Actually but only when on a solid none suspended surface what matters is ground pressure.

When driving on a surface the amount of wear is dictated by the pressure on between the surfaces, vehicle weight/axle weight only matters on bridges, trailers and other none solid items.

I drive a 4x4 with large tyres which can drive over surfaces you cannot walk on without sinking due to the vehicle's ground pressure being lower than that of an average adult. My vehicle still weighs 1.8 tonnes but it exacts less pressure on the ground than a 16 stone person.......

Further UK roads used to have a 38 ton weight limit for normal vehicles (heavy haul has its own rules) but then we were 'harmonised' with Europe and forced to raise the limit......

Heata offers free hot water by mounting servers on people's water tanks

Totally not a Cylon
Linux

Re: Temperature Gradient?

My PC is quite effective as a heater when playing World of Warships; the fans spool up very quickly and the wave of heat is very noticeable.....

Must check which is more efficient, heating or gaming.....

Robot seal tested for stress relief on pretend Mars mission

Totally not a Cylon
Linux

Weebs, otakus and furries....

Why are they testing people who need social activities when there are plenty of us who prefer being alone?

Penguin because there is no catgirl icon.....

Larry Ellison mea culpa as traffic cop stops Big Red boss on own island

Totally not a Cylon
Flame

Re: Orange Corvette

Where's the mind bleach?

the next line and Larry........

Elon Musk to step down as Twitter CEO: Help us pick his replacement

Totally not a Cylon

Mr Clinton?

That is Louis Rossman's cat not the former White House inhabitant...

Though since moving to Texas from NYC Mr Clinton does seem a lot less stressed and more chill.......

Totally not a Cylon
Facepalm

Clarkson?

How could this list not include Jeremy?

Totally not afraid to be controversial, known to punch people on live TV.....

Loves provoking people as well......

Perfect for CEO of Twitter.

Patch Tuesday update is causing some Windows 10 systems to blue screen

Totally not a Cylon
Pint

Re: It's nearly 2023 and still ...

Beta? that'd be nice windows often feels more like an early alpha....

Microsoft patent eyes ads in streaming online games

Totally not a Cylon
Facepalm

Race Car Liveries?

Advertising Standards are going to get really confused/mad over this......

What's a 'real advert' and what's a custom user created design?

Plenty of JPS and Marlboro liveries in Forza which have been created by players.

Microsoft Teams: A vector for child sexual abuse material with a two-day processing time for complaints

Totally not a Cylon
FAIL

Botticelli and Raphael?

Ok, how does automated software tell the difference between real live kids and cherubs painted by the old masters?

Last time auto porn filters were tried most of the National Gallery got blocked....

European telco body looks into terahertz for future 6G comms

Totally not a Cylon
Flame

6G should be coverage not speed.

The next mobile data standard should be about maximising coverage from existing base station locations rather than just upping the speed.

Let's fill the holes in the network before adding speed which is not needed.

Patch Tuesday updates spark errors when creating Hyper-V VMs

Totally not a Cylon
Terminator

Can I interest you in some management/navigation software? It enables your company to see where all your vehicles are and issue updated routing to them.

Apple preps for 'third-party iOS app stores' in Europe

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

Re: now extend it to the German Car Makers.....

The Infotainment system is. It should be separate to the engine management/safety systems.

Whereas that big screen in the dashboard is 'A General Purpose Computing Unit'.

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

now extend it to the German Car Makers.....

Now I want to see the European Authorities apply this to the German Car Industry as well.

If Apple can be forced to open their devices to other App Store then surely cars should be treated the same?

Why can't I just install CoPilot (other satnavs are available) on my car's infotainment system? Why should I be forced to use the rubbish satnav the car maker has been paid to put on?

Popcorn time if they do....

NASA's Orion Moon capsule to splash down this Sunday

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

Almost.

If it's a suspiciously round number in either set of units then it's been rounded by PR.

Orbital mechanics doesn't fit either set of units and give nice round numbers......

Oh, NASA's primary audience is the average US Citizen who thinks in Miles, Gallons & Fahrenheit. Your favourite search engine can quickly provide conversions between units; why complain that they are not given in your favourite?

C++ zooms past Java in programming popularity contest

Totally not a Cylon
Holmes

Percentages don't count

Giving the percentage rise in number of people interested in a language doesn't give any indication of how widespread usage is.

If I invent a programming language lets call it 'Toaster' and teach 4 other people then the number of people using it is only 5 and yet the increase is huge; there are now 5x the number of people using it. That's 400% increase!

BOFH: Come back to the office. Your hotdesk is nice and warm

Totally not a Cylon
Flame

Re: Your hotdesk is nice and warm

That'll be in part 2; personal diesel heaters..... (all the rage over here at moment)

fitted of course by BoFH and PFY who have kept the remotes. Brings a whole new meaning to hotdesking......

Peekaboo: Once-hidden galaxy revealed to be window into cosmic history

Totally not a Cylon
Headmaster

Actually it's from:

Douglas Adams,' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.'

Totally not a Cylon
Pint

There is a theory which states that should we ever understand everything about The Universe it will promptly disappear to be replaced by a more complicated one.

There is another theory which states this has already happened. Several times!

.

.

.

.

.

All this has happened before and will happen again.....

Apple brings DIY fix-it store to Europe, UK – with gritted teeth

Totally not a Cylon
Pint

Re: No Mention Of "Planned Obsolescence" -- Why Not?

Somewhere around I've still got original IBM PC-XT and PC-AT metal keyboards which still work....

Both as keyboards and as LARTs due to their solid construction.....

Totally not a Cylon
Angel

Re: "the cult of HIS HOLY STEVE"

Not quite, Musky Husky (Blame The Click for this) is the equivalent of Moses.....

After all he is 'the One to Lead Us to The Promised Land' (Mars)

You get the internet you deserve

Totally not a Cylon
Terminator

Re: @Steve Button - .

Even Toasty makes more sense....

Startup raises $30 million for wireless power delivery system

Totally not a Cylon

Re: Pigs might fly.......

Radiated power limits put a stop to it....

Even in the US max Radiated power is 4W

and UK is 1W unless licensed when it becomes 4W

Both can be higher for point to point, but that is between fixed antenna which are above people........

Killing trees with lasers isn’t cool, says Epson. So why are inkjets any better?

Totally not a Cylon
Megaphone

Windows & USB killed printers

There was nothing wrong with printers and their config until Windows & especially USB based 'Windows Printers' turned up.

These spawn of satan would only work when plugged into a windows pc, with no option other than USB.

At least a decent centroids port printer once you'd set the DIP switches correctly just worked, barring paper jams which were resolved easily IF THEY EVEN HAPPENED!!!!

Glorious fan-fold sprocket fed paper, even came in multipart variety for copies.....

Oh, GET OFF MY LAWN YOUNGLINGS!!!!!!

After lunar orbit trip NASA's Orion capsule is on its way back home

Totally not a Cylon

Re: Working flawlessly - and stultifyingly boring

Which is why they also have excellent side discussions about how to cook bacon and whether pineapple belongs on pizza.....

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

Re: Working flawlessly - and stultifyingly boring

You want real scientific talk?

go look up NasaSpaceflight on Youtube.

They let real scientific types talk out loud and unscripted..... LIVE!

Facebook approved 75% of ads threatening US election workers

Totally not a Cylon
Linux

Re: Ads?

Pi-hole + own DNS + Linux = no stealing of my electricity to display junk......

DoJ worries messaging apps could hide evidence of crime, corruption

Totally not a Cylon
Facepalm

Back in 'Ye Olden Dayes'

Why should DoJ, Feds, Police etc require companies to keep records of communications when back in the olden times (1980's and earlier) this was conducted on paper stuffed in packets and sent via a man called Geoff with no records unless you used carbon paper between 2 pieces of paper..........

Going further back business was done in person with only a secretary to keep 'minutes' and the secretary could be instructed don't write this next bit......

And the bad guys won't comply anyway......... c..f. various politicians....

Norway has a month left until sun sets on its copper phone lines

Totally not a Cylon
Flame

Re: The big problem

2 green boxes where I'm connected, one has battery the other doesn't.

To say the BT Tech was angry was an understatement......

Musk says spat with Apple over App Store ejection threat for Twitter was 'misunderstanding'

Totally not a Cylon
Alert

Re: Yes, but...

That would be Gouda.......

Goudere is like Tohra from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.......

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

Re: Yes, but...

Oh it doesn't.

Once we have indoctrinated someone into the cult of Apple they can never leave.......

if they try, we go all goudere on them......

Android users in 12 US states cleared to sue Google Play

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

Other devices?

Now apply this to other devices too....

Like cars and smart tvs.

Surely the infotainment system in modern cars counts as a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet?

and game consoles/handhelds, what about those?

ISS resupply drops off experiments for life in deep space

Totally not a Cylon
Boffin

Re: Moon Microscope?

Potentially worse is the bit labelled "Do not even try to remove".....

We've all got the stories about what happens when a 'smart person' sees such a label.

Guess the most common password. Hint: We just told you

Totally not a Cylon
Pint

Appropriate complexity

Passwords should be of 'appropriate complexity' for the site they're used on.

ie, logging into a news site which has no payment/address details then why do I need more than a simple password?

logging into a shopping site with none saved payment details which I might use again then yes a bit more complex but all miscreants would get is my address

a shopping site with saved payment details and which I want to use regularly then definitely a secure complex password with 2fa using whatever I choose but not sms.

Oh and when I've used the password generator built into my Mac and your site responds with 'you can only use letters, numbers and _' expect to be abused.......

Happy Turkey Hangover day!

IT manager's 'think outside the box' edict was, for once, not (only) a revolting cliché

Totally not a Cylon

Re: On the floor?

yep. I've still got a dual psu full tower case which when stood next to the desk is still tall enough to be higher than then desk....

Ideal for putting the monitor (CRT of course) on top to provide more desk space....

Totally not a Cylon
Facepalm

What was the packaging?

For full irony or a BOFH moment, were the anti-static mats wrapped with nicely static inducing polythene bags?

So that the act of placing a box of them under a device would actually generate the static charge they were hoping to alleviate.....

***** Bring Back the Moderatrix! *****

BOFH: We're an industry leader … in employing idiot managers

Totally not a Cylon
Flame

Actually you just need to make sure the frames are of the 'open outward and turn so outside can be cleaned from inside' variety.

Have to think about the safety of the cleaners, nothing to do with that window's ability to open wide enough to allow an office chair to exit gracefully........ It might be on fire and need to be 'removed' from the office....

India follows EU's example in requiring USB-C charging for smart devices

Totally not a Cylon
Black Helicopters

Re: Great

Louis Rossmann has a good video/rant about incompatibilities between alleged 'USB-C compliant' chargers and devices.

Basic takeaway is that expensive chargers work fine but cheap ones do not.....

Just follow the instructions … no wait, not that instruction to lock everyone out of everything

Totally not a Cylon
Thumb Up

Would that the smaller cousin of the Bugblatter beast or its larger cousin?

I can't check the guide its currently updating......

With potential hurricane approaching, NASA leaves mega-rocket on launch pad

Totally not a Cylon
Mushroom

Re: LMAO at modern engineers ======>

There is a slight difference between a satellite which is sent up and doesn't come back and a crew capsule which the occupants at least want it to return safely.

Also Ariane 5 is now as dead as Shuttle, Ariane 6 is yet to fly so is theoretically in the same state as SLS.

Windows 11 runs on fewer than 1 in 6 PCs

Totally not a Cylon
Happy

Re: @aerogems - And?

Or for the social crowd:

MP/M running on a 286 with a bunch of serial cards as a '286 is too much performance for 1 person'....

For those too young to remember the early 80286 based PCs were genuinely thought to be too powerful for single users, anything upto 16 connected via serial terminals was expected.....

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