Posts by Jeffrey Nonken

Leeds hospital launches campaign to 'axe the fax'

Re: Patient use

efax.com

Vodafone cops ads rap over Martin Freeman's vanishing spaceship

"My other gripe with those commercials was, [your] team mate is moaning at you because you've lost connection again... over the voice chat"

I've actually seen that happen. Gaming buddy of mine's connection would go titsup but for some reason he had a few extra seconds of voice comms before being sucked into the black hole. "Uh oh, just lost my connection... " We knew he'd be back a few minutes later. And no, I don't think he was messing with us. Just some peculiarity of his crappy service.

I also knew somebody who did voice comms over the phone in her lap while she played the game on their PC. (Obviously a third-party voice chat, not the in-game chat.) She theoretically could have lost one connection while maintaining the other.

I'm not disagreeing with your complaint, mind you. Neither of the above is the usual case. I mean, that's all of two people.

Look at me! Phone industry contracts nasty case of 5g-itis

"the technology holds the promise to change the way we live, work and play."

Well... yes and no. It's an evolutionary change, not a revolutionary change. I mean, not likely. Who knows? Revolutionary changes are usually obvious in hindsight but difficult to predict. But this just seems like Yet Another Incremental Speed Upgrade.

Besides, as soon as you reach your cap, they'll just throttle to 3G speeds anyway. So who cares?

Microsoft: You don't want to use Edge? Are you sure? Really sure?

Re: Links to resolutions, will work with any browser

""Because they're not sitting in their bedroom with one PC, but instead have a fleet of..."

You almost certainly have at least 10 unix systems in your house, doing their jobs so unobtrusively that you don't even notice them."

Red herring. There could be 100, or 1000, but that doesn't mean that Parent isn't correct that many businesses run specialized software that only runs under Windows.

As for your numbers: can you give some examples? Where would I find these 10+ *nix systems that the average IT worker wouldn't be aware of?

Re: Links to resolutions, will work with any browser

I don't know why so many downvotes. People who don't have to work with specialized software that only run under Windows, I guess. It's easy to say "just make the vendor write cross-platform" but real life doesn't work that way. Or "write your own." Easy peasy!

Re: Er ... weren't the 90s-noughties browser wars fought over this shit ?

"No one *needs* Windows that much. (Moribund workplaces don't count)."

True. This development environment for the microprocessor I use? Pfft. Who needs it? I should just learn to hand-code in binary.

Or just find a less suitable processor that has a Linux IDE. Because there are so many to choose from.

Dust off that old Pentium, Linux fans: It's Elive

Well... I've got a 1GHz Pentium III machine I wouldn't mind finding a use for. Granted that it's probably not worth it, but it's such a cute little compact mini-desktop that I can't stand to toss it.

I have to grant that because I just (last weekend) installed Mint Linux 19 Cinnamon x64 on a 5ish-year-old Lenovo laptop (i3 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, SSD-240) and I'm running a personal Subversion server and remotely accessing it via VNC as I type this. It's sitting on an otherwise empty shelf in my closet and connected via 2.4GHz WiFi.

So the Cool Gadget Nerd in me wants to run this low-resource-requirement Linux on the PIII, but the Practical Geek keeps reminding me that I have another i3 laptop looking for something to do other than collect dust, and why do I need an ancient PIII desktop computer again?

Re: If it's snappy on old kit...

Yes. Both are very different from the original and from each other. The Netflix series is barely recognizable. Don't watch it for nostalgia; watch it for its own sake.

The new Dr. Smith is WAY nastier. Prettier, though.

Google's 'other' phone platform turns up in post-apocalyptic mobe

I'm trying to work out what a science fiction webcomic has to do with e-mail?*

Unless you're secretly Howard Tayler, in which case I claim my five quid. Or something. ... Though as far as I know, Howard lives in the States, not SA.

Seriously, though, I don't think anybody uses their smartphone to its full potential. A wrench, yeah, it pretty much has one job, pretty easy to meet that potential. But a smartphone? "Swiss Army Knife" doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what it's capable of, even if you only include the apps currently available, not the potential of apps yet to be written, or that could be but never will be.

Does it do what you need? Good enough. Is it excessive? Next time consider a dumber phone. But don't try to make yourself stretch to fit what the phone can do. A tool is supposed to be there to help YOU, not the other way 'round.

*I'm not actually trying to twit you on this, but naming one of my favorite webcomics caught my attention. :) Like SF webcomics? Have you seen Quantum Vibe? For a more Steampunky feel, try Girl Genius.

A flash of inspiration sees techie get dirty to fix hospital's woes

Re: Interfering with ceiling tiles can be dangerous

Sure, but ask me a hard one. Clear it with security first, invite them to have a guard stand by if they want. At worst they'll say no.

Re: I do all my own stunts?

Comically Missing the Point, one uptick. :)

Re: Noisy phone lines in building

One of our worker bees came to me with 60Hz interference on his CRT monitor. Different monitor didn't help. Could not find the source. He didn't have anything that would generate interference like that.

I guess I finally beat my head against the desk enough to shake something loose in my brain, because I suddenly remembered that the main distribution box for that entire floor of the factory (...ok, half of it) was on the other side of the wall that end of the desk was pushed up against. Well... Technically it was inside the wall, of course. What was in the corridor was just access. But you get what I mean.

A quick test confirmed it. Next morning I reported the diagnosis and the victim happily rearranged his desk in mirror image. Problem solved.

It only took two monitor swaps and three nights of frustrating diagnosis.

Cock-ups, rather than conspiracies, top self-reported data breaches

So... Hanlon's Razor alive and well, I see.

If you weren't rich enough to buy a Surface before, you may as well let that dream die

Actually, I've been paying off debts and I can afford one now.

Reminds me of that old joke...

Me: I wish I had enough money to buy an elephant.

You: Why do you want an elephant?

Me: I don't! I just want the money.

VMware 'pressured' hotel to shut down tech event close to VMworld, IGEL sues resort giant

Re: So thats the upside.... What's the downside again?

I don't see any of those as upsides.

Huawei pleads with FTC to overturn US ban, says it's 'anticompetitive'

Huawei isn't China, it's a Chinese cellphone manufacturer.

Ex-UK comms minister's constituents plagued by wonky broadband over ... wireless radio link?

Well, his lips were moving.

Unpicking the Pixel puzzle: Why Google is struggling to impress

Reasonably happy with my Pixel XL, but I miss my Sidekick II all these years later. (Sidekick is just a T-MOBILE branded Hiptop.) I doubt that in 10 years I'll look back on this phone with such nostalgia.

*Sigh* Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

Python wriggles onward without its head

I'm impressed! This time the photo actually matches the content -- that is, it's a photo of an actual python, not just some random snake. :)

Denial of denial-of-service served: There was NO DDoS on FCC net neutrality comments

Re: It beats me why some gun-happy Yanks haven't terminated him!

I realize that people in the rest of the world don't understand this concept, but murder is actually illegal in the U.S. Being allowed to own things that can be used to kill people doesn't change that.

It's much like in your country. It's possible that the list of deadly things you may legally own might be different in some details, but that doesn't change the fact that using them to kill people is just as illegal as killing people by other means.

Sorry, Neil Armstrong. Boffins say you may not have been first life-form to set foot on the Moon

Re: Buzz also says they didn't go to the moon.

Also Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/buzz-aldrin-moon-admission/

Go peddle yer papers.

Re: Buzz also says they didn't go to the moon.

I see your moon landing hoax conspiracy video and raise you a counter-video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_loUDS4c3Cs

So... cyanobacteria are known for their pedal extremities, then?

Bank on it: It's either legal to port-scan someone without consent or it's not, fumes researcher

"why are you running VNC on port 80?"

Bwah hah hah hah! Go ahead, try to connect to that. I double-dare you.

Those are nowhere near my VNC ports.

Cracking the passwords of some WPA2 Wi-Fi networks just got easier

Nobody is claiming otherwise.

Meantime, THIS technique won't work against it, and for the moment, it's secure.

The age of hard drives is over as Samsung cranks out consumer QLC SSDs

I think it'll be when the operating costs drop below spinning rust.

Re: Luxury

Thumbs up for the Burroughs reference, my father used to work for them.

Re: Luxury

Ignoring for the moment the IBM 360 and the IBM 1620 at college, the first drive I ever worked with professionally was a CDC Hawk drive with 5MB fixed and 5MB removable.

When I described that to a colleague the following year he exclaimed, "five megabytes? You'd NEVER fill that up!"

Re: QLC? It's not the one for me

"The endurance of some high-capacity enterprise HDDs is actually less now than SSDs."

Yes, but it's a technology people are comfortable with, therefore it's superior in every important way.

Ever seen printer malware in action? Install this HP Ink patch – or you may find out

Re: Had to give up on HP inkjet years ago

My (used, bought from a friend who needed some cash) HP laptop won't boot if I try to upgrade the WiFi module. Bios gives an error that the configuration of incorrect. Same module works fine in my Lenovo of the same era; they don't need to force me to spend money on little stuff.

All sorts of annoying things on the HP that are done right on the Lenovo.

Last month I bought two Acers.

Game over for Google: Fortnite snubs Play Store, keeps its 30%, sparks security fears

Re: this is only news because fortnite

I'm 61. Haven't seen a milkman since I was a child. Know enough to turn untrusted sources back off and to laugh at your presumption.

Young punks. Get off my lawn!

Re: A free to play game

If Epic were interested in their users, they could check the OS and settings and pop up a reminder to turn off side-loading once installed. Even pull up the setting for you.

Now me, I do that as a matter of course. Only one or two things I side-load anyway, and I always turn off untrusted sources immediately. Also I own a Pixel. :) But I think Epic should include the reminder.

Re: Sweeney shuns Google's haircut

I don't know where you are, but I'm in the US. Here you can sure anybody for anything.

But the first question is going to be: in what way did Epic _force_ you to install the game?

Look over this way. See this? This is me not installing Fortnite.

If I can do it, you can do it. Be brave!

The Solar System's oldest minerals reveal the Sun's violent past

You had me at "blue crystals."

Early experiment in mass email ends with mad dash across office to unplug mail gateway

My girlfriend used to claim that if Niagara Falls was a British territory it would be pronounced "Niffles".

Here's why AI can't make a catchier tune than the worst pop song in the charts right now

Re: Well mixing should not occur

Oh, trust me, it exists. Otherwise heterodyning wouldn't work.

Skype Classic headed for the chopping block on September 1

Well, the bad news is, next time I use Skype I'll have to run the upgrade, then learn the new interface.

The good news is that I don't use Skype unless I absolutely have to. Last time I did, it was to talk to my father (with my sister's assistance -- at his end). But Dad's dead now, so that leaves... zero reasons for me to use Skype.

As it is, Skype wants to be my Best Buddy and tries to take over my phone every time I install it; send me constant notifications about things I don't care about; chew up CPU cycles I would rather spend playing Candy Crush (note: I have less than zero interest in playing Candy Crush); chew up battery life I'd rather spend oh hell, you get the idea.

It's just a drain on resources and my tolerance levels. If I install it, it's to use it once, then I uninstall it. Then I gargle battery acid to clean out the taste.

Not quite as bad on my PC because I can set it to not start on boot.

Pros: It's not actually an incurable wasting disease.

Scam alert: No, hackers don't have webcam vids of you enjoying p0rno. Don't give them any $$s

Kitten videos?

It walks, it talks, it falls over a bit. Windows 10 is three years old

Re: "the Windows 7 hold-outs should finally feel able to make the upgrade"

Put the menu system back the way it was, stop pushing your solutions in my face, and let me turn off the Phone Home feature and we'll talk.

Also put the file explorer back to XP's style and stop burying the context of new windows.

Farewell then, Slack: The grown-ups have arrived

I don't see it as anything like a substitute for email. I see it as a chat system. The fact that it archives is a nice feature, that's all. The fact that it supports emojis is just an annoyance.

FCC caught red-handed – again – over its $225 complaint billing plan

And then there's this silly myth going around that every journalistic effort is required to present a "balanced" and unbiased viewpoint. Who decided that? Based on what criteria? What were they smoking, and how can I get some?

As for comparing to a work of fiction, since when is there anything wrong with pointing out how ridiculous are a person's actions? ... Oh right, since we decided that news reporting must be "balanced".

Fresh cup of WTF with lunch? TeamViewer's big in Twitter's domination-as-a-service scene

Rule 34.

Re: To do the same for free...

What happens to me is that I verify that my colleagues are mature adults who respect me.

The butterfly defect: MacBook keys wrecked by single grain of sand

One definition for insanity, yes.

OTOH there can be legitimate reasons for re-trying actions that fail repeatedly. Regression testing comes to mind. Also, if you've seen it work at least once.

Hipster horror! Slack has gone TITSUP: Total inability to support user procrastination

Well... There's always discord.

BlackBerry KEY2: Remember buttons? Boy, does this phone sure have them

Re: Phone cameras

TL;DR "economies of scale".

Mr Orlowski likes his photos. If you don't like that, don't read his gadget reviews. Or else learn to scroll.

Photography isn't my priority, but I like Andrew's reviews, so I sometimes read and sometimes scroll past depending on my mood.

UK Foreign Office offers Assange a doctor if he leaves Ecuador embassy

But even Brits can't all grasp English punctuation rules.

Reality Winner, liberty loser: NSA leaker faces 63 months in the cooler

"Being called Reality Winner should itself be an indictable offence."

Ad hominem! ;)

Buttonless and port-free: Expect the next iPhone to be as smooth as a baby's bum

No, don't hold back! Tell us how you really feel.