* Posts by M.V. Lipvig

1566 publicly visible posts • joined 2 Feb 2019

FCC ups broadband benchmark speeds, says rural areas still underserved

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: I'll wait for it

Yes, as DSL is copper and you can only run a signal through so many repeaters. If you spring for that initial fiber install though, don't expect to see any reimbursement from them.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: never been to Europe

Until your line goes down and the tech is scheduled to arrive 4 weeks from now, unless someone more important loses their connection.

Toyota, Samsung accelerate toward better EV batteries

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: To give some context

Right now ICE vehicles are better for 2 reasons - lithium battery problems and charger availability and nobody say home charging because more than half of all car owners do not have access to a home garage. They park in streets or parking garages, and they are not going to be EV friendy for decades even if they start now.

The most logical way to handle charging is add charging stations to existing gasoline stations. There are plenty of them and they are already set up to handle cars needing to refuel while providing meatsack facilities. Plus, going to need the power to feed them and that means nuclear reactors if you want it now. We also need faster charging, and that is where lithium alternates step in. Get the charge time down to 10 minutes, and get places fitted out so people won't have range anxiety, and people will make the switch.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Safer?

Lithium is the problem, and it's a huge one. And, while it was once state of the art it no longer is. Other chemistries not using lithium at all are more power dense, charge faster, have more charging cycles, don't catch fire and are not temperature sensitive. Lithium battery cars are the Model Ts of the EV world, and new models are being released. I like the aluminum graphene batteries that will start being produced out of Australia sometime this year.

Copilot can't stop emitting violent, sexual images, says Microsoft whistleblower

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Re: no hot sauce today

That automatically makes the voice of "me" as Fry.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Robo-corp-speak

Oh, there will be someone fired all right - the guy that reported this.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

"And in my experience, women present at such scenes tend to be fully clothed."

Not when the paramedics get hold of them. That's why they carry scissors in their pockets.

BOFH: I get locked out, but I get in again

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Re: Your mission, should you choose to accept it...

Doesn't work, sometimes works, doesn't work.

Boeing-backed air taxi upstart Wisk plans to fly you across town at UberX prices by 2030

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Re: What could possibly go wrong?

"And then when the CEO says they're going to be as cheap as ground taxis - you know the delusional thinking and bullshit is fully operational at this company."

The part they left out is "until we run the ground taxis out of business, then we'll make up for it." And if it never happens, well that's a problem for the venture capitalists what forked over for the aircabs, innit?

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Drones as a Service?

No, terrorists chose large jumbo jets because it would add to the terror for future fliers. All it really did was end hijacking forever as the social contract between the hijackers and victims was broken. Do as you're told and nobody gets hurt no longer exists, and the immediate response by the victims is charge the hijackers before they kill us all. I know if I'm on a plane being hijacked, the instant it's announced I'm attacking. Better to die in action than to sit there waiting on it, because either way a hijacking IS a death sentence. Your only choice is whether or not you let them accomplish their goal. If you stop them and survive, bonus.

But now, an autonomous plane that can carry 4 adults plus luggage? You're looking at probably 1200lbs of payload there. I can think of plenty of nasty stuff to do with a self driving aircab that would clear city blocks. And, it has the added terroristic threat of making people afraid when they hear an air cab coming in. There's one particularly nasty thing that could be evil literally for miles. Not posting it though as I'm not giving anyone any ideas.

X protests forced suspension of accounts on orders of India's government

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Exactly as I've been saying for years.

NASA warns as huge solar flare threatens comms, maybe astronauts too

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Trollface

Does anyone else see the icon in the picture?

You do now, and you can't unsee it!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Rivian decimates staff to put a brake on spending

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Re: The end of electric vehicles

The battery issue has pretty much been solved, but lithium is not part of the solution. Graphene alumium ion batteries will last well over 7000 recharge cycles vs lithium's 1000 cycles before degradation becomes noticeable, and when it does reach EOL they recycle into aluminum and graphene. Plus they don't have the slow charge times, temperature sensitivity or fire risks that lithium has. If the charging infrastructure is in place, charging aluminum batteries won't be much different than stopping for a tank of gasoline.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: When somebody runs a red light and hits your car,

Nah, would not be a problem. Seimens has been selling traction motor controllers for EV conversions for years. They may even be providing support for the EV makers. It's possible that not all the features wouldn't work but you could debrick the car enough to be just a car.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: So if they go bust...

I would guess the Muskmaster <phew> will be wanting to buy it. That way he can roll it into Tesla and have a truck to sell.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Seriously? I just passed one on the road earlier today and it was a tiny little truck for a 4 door. They're about the size of a late 1990s Toyota Tacoma crewcab, otherwise known as a Hilux in the land of driving on the wrong side of the road. I figured 4500lbs with battery weight.

Nokia brainwave turns cell towers into cash cows with backup batteries

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Re: This makes some sense, I guess.

Don't put your generators in a hole in the ground when the ocean's right next door?

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

There is a law requiring that they report outages that affect a certain amount of people, and the FCC can and will fine a telecom over a preventable outage. And, a single power outage could potentially affect dozens if not hundreds of towers.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

What a neat idea!

I can see it now, right about the time the backup batteries reach the bottom, the commercial power fails and now there's not enough juice left to turn on the lights, much less get a generator onsite. Telecom outages over a certain magnitude are also FCC reportable, and the FCC will be very happy to fine any telecom who caused an areawide outage by trying to save a buck on power costs by running the emergency backup system dry. One FCC fine can wipe out all the savings that might have been had.

Worse than that, battery life is measured in both time and discharge cycles. Are they going to save more in electricity than it will cost to replace the batteries several years sooner?

Amazon hopes to avoid labor regulation by simply abolishing national watchdogs

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Just... bullshit

I would like to point out to the leftists here that it was a hard left leaning Supreme Court that made that particular ruling.

Save $7 million on cloud by spending $600k on servers, says 37Signals' David Heinemeier Hansson

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Everything old is new again

And for this it's about damned time. It's no different than renting vs owning a house - a renter pays the costs of the house just like a homeowner does, plus a profit to the owner. It does not save money to rent vs own. In the case of data, you don't even own your data anymore, it belongs to the host. Once it's in their clutches they can use it for their own needs and the minute you're no longer profitable enough (notice I didn't say profitable, I said profitable ENOUGH) then click, and your business is gone. Cloud providers with deep pocketed investors have been subsidizing the actual cost to suck people in, and now they have your data so you will start paying more and more to keep it. The hosts will do this frog in a pot style, by slowly raising costs until the frog is done. This company going back to hosting their own is a step in the right direction and I hope others follow.

U-Haul tells 67K customers that cyber-crooks drove away with their personal info

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Re: Alternatively ...

It amazes you that a company would rather take a chance on a maybe happening this quarter than spend money to prevent it? Look at it from their point of view - they weren't hit last quarter and spent no money, and so far so good on this quarter. And if they are hit, apologies are cheap and what are the chances lighting will strike twice? Until it costs them a lot of money, and perhaps jail time for C suiters, expect no change. Making a breach result in prison for the decison makers would go a long ways towards a solution.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: The cyber-crime pandemic world

Not really, if you make it law that a breach means the company is responsible for all costs to the people whose information was compromised, and that in a bankruptcy proceeding those victims get first crack at the assets, then lawyers, banks, ect. The first company that goes under because of this, with their creditors and class a shareholders taking it in the shorts for a change, will cause the rest of them to spend the money for a solution.

Google Maps leads German tourists to week-long survival saga in Australian swamp

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Joke

Re: Danger maps

Google knows this, and it's all part of its ethnic cleansing program. Ethnic, in this case, is defined as meatsack.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: What did we learn today, boys and girls?

That must have been routing you over a toll road then. I've noticed that google maps will always try to put you on a toll road even if it makes the trip miles longer. Near me there are two towns connected by a free 4 lane highway about 10 miles apart. 1/2 mile to the east of that road at the southern town is a toll road that heads northeast. Google will route you the toll road, have you drive about 15 miles to an exit on an east/west highway, then 10 miles or so back west to reach the northern town. Hit the avoid tolls tick, and it properly routes you over the 10 mile road. This is not the only olace it does this either.

BOFH: In the event of a conference, the ninja clause always applies

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

I see. Welcome, new guy. PFY stands for Pimply Faced Youth.

Apple makes it official: No Home Screen web apps in European Union

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: No problem

That's exactly how I look at it. Sorry, Boss, but <program> crashed again so I can't do my job. Here's the trouble ticket. No, I don't know why, if I was a programmer I'd be working for a different company.

Out with the old, in with the new as 100 Starlink satellites take atmospheric exit

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Disposible like BIC or Gillette razors

The US military will never rely on Starlink for anything. We have our own geostationary big birds up there, and there is near total earth coverage with them. No military should rely on Starlink after what Musk did to Ukraine. Several times he shut off service to them during military operations that Musk did not agree with, costing lives, equipment and opportunity to strike the enemy.

It doesn't matter who you side with in that war, it should be plain to see that using a commercial satellite service for national defense js a bad idea as you would have to get your operations approved by someone who may decide that nope, you're not using our satellites in that attack you already started.

Dave's not here, man. But this mind-blowingly huge server just, like, arrived

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: So, he was just fired ?

It would best for the dealer if he was registered. It was the IRS that got Capone. The tax man could care less about where your money comes from as long as he gets his cut.

Someone had to say it: Scientists propose AI apocalypse kill switches

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: I'm no expert but...

The big guys are already trying to stick it in everything they sell. M$ comes to mind. Only they're training the AI to be pickpockets, to slip into our computers and snatch our data. I figure in 5 years or so, a lot of companies are going to develop new tech, then head on down to the patent office just to find their cloud/AI provider was there a week earlier filing a patent on that idea.

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Re: Just don't

Bloody HELL!!! AI GOT AMFM1!!! HE'S LEGIBLE!!!

Dell staff not alone in being squeezed to reduce remote work

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Sounds like you need to get the media to make a stink about it. Call your local green idiot group and tell them anonymously that your company is going to make everyone drive their big SUVs to work and most of you have a one hour commute. Might as well get something that is of some use from those fools.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge
Alert

Where I work, the ONLY ones whining about WFH are the office gossips. Based on that, I assume any other worker bee that wants to be back in the office is only interested in getting their captive audience back so they can get back to nattering on about whatever horseshit they like to sniff on their weekends instead of doing their jobs.

Harsh? Don't care. I've never enjoyed working for someone else, but WFH has been the most tolerable work situation I've ever had and I'm not giving it up without a fight. I just need to make it last 2 more years then all y'all can stuff it up yer arse!

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Hybrid

Who notices a printer when the office gourmawful decides hit the breakroom around 10:30AM for a little pre-lunch aiguiseur d'appétit of 3 day old microwaved leftover fried shrimp from Long John Silver's? You may have been hungry before, but now you question whether you'll ever eat again as you roll in the aisle, grasping your own throat, hoping to collapse your own windpipe to end the horrid torrid nightmare that was once life-giving air seeing as there is not a convenient cannister of mustard gas from which to inhale deeply from.

Air Canada must pay damages after chatbot lies to grieving passenger about discount

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge
Trollface

That's funny, it tastes just like regular incompetence!

Artificial incompetence, the same terrible experience as regular incompetence with only half the calories.

Dems are at it again, trying to break open black-box algorithms

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

I see no reason here

to force a company to reveal its sources. Just do not allow their software to be used as evidence in any trial or any sort of policing action if they don't. Let the company make the decision on whether or not they release the information.

Apple Vision Pro is creating a new generation of glassholes

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

I believe most of the time, that question was being asked in the Gents.

Apple Vision Pro has densest display iFixit's ever seen, and almost-OK repairability

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: BTL

Really? I see Ming the Merciless's minions.

https://www.katekligman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/flash_google_wires-300x199.png

No, wait, I mean this one.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/d9/64/ead964d225df244923564668852fab24.jpg

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

The only possible reason I'd buy one is if it was an augmented reality, not cameras showing the world, and only if it could read my head position and where I was looking in order to display IR camera readouts while driving. I would want it to be able to tell when I was looking in the rear view, and display what I would see in the reat view if my eyes could see IR. if I looked left or right, I would want the glasses to switch cameras seamlessly so that again I would see what I was looking at if I could see IR. Others may feel differently, but that is the only possible use I would have. I doubt they could make that happen before I either pass on or get too old to drive though.

Ford pulls the plug on EV strategy as losses pile up

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Once upon a time....

This is true. I put 200 miles in just running errands due to how far from town I live. If I go visiting, or need to check on property, that's 500 miles in a day. And just a few weeks ago, nobody with an EV north of Kansas was getting a charge as it was too cold for the batteries to take a charge even with the preheat. The thing about winter in the US is that cold almost always comes with strong wind, and that wind will suck the heat away faster than the car can generate it, and I doubt the car makers are adding insulation weight under the batteries.

Microsoft seeks patent for tech to put words into your mouth

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Microsoft’s filing doesn’t state the intended purpose of its invention

Nope, sorry, got Satya on a recorded line here giving me authorization to use the software free of charge. Wanna hear?

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Theoretically speaking?

US patent law is in serious need of reform. There arw companies whose entire business model is to patent anything they can so they can sue people for violating that patent. That thinking has even generated a BOFH episode.

https://www.theregister.com/2004/03/09/bofh_protecting_bodily_waste/

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Imagine what havoc this technology would unleash

Was he talking about the Steele Dossier? Oh, wait, that was the Russians working with the Democrats, wasn't it?

FBI confirms it issued remote kill command to blow out Volt Typhoon's botnet

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Explain again to me

And now the Chinese know that there are billions of dollars worth of brickable CNC machines running ancient net connected Windows with no protection whatsoever, and that in the event of a shooting war Western manufacturing can be shut down.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Thanks for nothing

It also said that a router that was not affected would not respond, sooo... the router's firmware was already messed up. It would be the equivalent of Barney Fife jiggling door handles, then locking any doors he found unlocked.

Congress told how Chinese goons plan to incite 'societal chaos' in the US

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: IoShite.

"I'm baffled to what actual value IoT brings to home appliances."

I see, you think it should bring value to the purchaser. The only value to the purchaser is a negative value.

Windows 10 users report app gremlins after Microsoft update

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Anyone else recall that M$ said that Windows 10 would be the last OS ever, and that they would just update it periodically? I do. And, I was pretty ticked off when I bought a new laptop about a month before they announced 11.

Mozilla slams Microsoft for using dark patterns to drive Windows users toward Edge

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Dark?

Send them one. Let us know if they pay it. This is not snark.

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: "with the added trust of Microsoft"

Out of? Nah. On? Yes.

Trickbot malware scumbag gets five years for infecting hospitals, businesses

M.V. Lipvig Silver badge

Re: Only

Did he have something on the Clintons? Because having something on the Clintons is how you get Epsteined.