Posts by NATTtrash

Oracle Zooms past rivals to run TikTok’s cloud, take stake alongside WalMart and ByteDance investors

Re: They are not all vacuous

Thanks to the Gregory Brothers, Trump gives TikTokkers really something to shake their booty to...

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDBVYO_8p0U)

I am so excited that this nasty foreign platform has been secured for vacuous American Teenaged Shufflers and Hip hoppers...

:D Indeed

And if the Shufflers are so "unhappy" to be outside US, new issues might be just on the horizon...

But Trump’s objection to TikTok was that it sends data to China and today’s news hasn’t explained who will end up controlling that data.

At first glance it appears that TikTok Global will keep it.

So, does this now mean that data will be sent to the US? Hmmm, wasn't there something about that?

"The news comes in the wake of an EU court ruling two months ago that transatlantic data protection arrangements - known as Privacy Shield - were "inadequate"."

(https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/10/facebook_ireland/)

Sorry we shut you out, says Tutanota: Encrypted email service weathers latest of ongoing DDoS storms

Re: Best advert ever

Don't forget to mention that protonmail does have the possibility to send a new mail notification to another email address when desired, while Tuta doesn't do that.

By now, both have (access through) phone apps, I think (sorry, flip phone here, so only vague memory).

Furthermore, Proton and Tuta can be free (as in beer, although supporting a good cause is recommended), while some of the other alternatives you mention are not (e.g. Posteo).

Anyone else noticed that the top countries for broadband speeds are well-known tax havens? No? Just us then?

"Agreed. But even with the methodology you suggest, it is probably still misleading."

Furthermore, there are quite some standard beginner errors in the stats here. As the article says:

"Funnily enough, there's a weird trend for nations popular with non-doms to have nippy internet. Who took third place? You guessed it, another microstate: Andorra."

Every first year student knows that, if the sample size is smaller, the mean/ modus might be skewed (strongly), since the small sample size makes the weight and impact of the "exceptions" stronger. So I'll leave it to the commentards here to contemplate the bias introduced by comparing these national samples, when a quick MIN and MAX shows the range in results is 1.3023 ≤ measurements/IP/country ≤ 40.914. As always, it would be great to look at the raw data, but that isn't available. I wouldn't be surprised that, with means skewed and a large spread of data, a multivariate would show no significant differences at all.

So... (see icon)

Life with Amazon's fitness band: Upload your half-naked pics to see how fat you'll look without exercise. You now sound stressed – relax!

Re: Dystopia

I'm sure oldtimers here can remember those free hall of "funny mirrors" in theme parks. So no need for subscription cloudy business. Move on, nothing to see here that you couldn't see before...

Start Me Up: 25 years ago this week, Windows 95 launched and, for a brief moment, Microsoft was almost cool

Microsofts biggest invention...

In a move that cemented its place in computing history and made Bill Gates the richest man on Earth, Microsoft stopped stealing its ideas from the likes of Xerox PARC and Apple – and came up with a few of its own, forming Windows 95. And the biggest was the Start button which, even a quarter of a century later still exists albeit after various redesigns and rethinks.

Redmond Windows 8 Brilliant New Idea Taskforce: "That Start Button thing is useless, let's remove it."

IT blunder permanently erases 145,000 users' personal chats in KPMG's Microsoft Teams deployment – memo

Re: make deletion routine

I agree. But users behaviour can be somewhat... less straight forward. As the piece says:

several CIOs stressed that personal chats should not be used to store essential business data.

Which is very true of course. But then again, we've all seen at some time that a user thinks it's a great idea to move those files (s)he wants to save to that place on their desktop which says "Recycle Bin".

RasPad 3.0 converts Raspberry Pi 4 to a tablet – be prepared for some quirks

Re: Absolutely amazing...

It is perhaps helpful to remember that the Pi's main goal was to spark peoples (kids) imagination, creativity, and engagement. If you can't see it doing more than "flashing LEDs", it might be it says more about you than the Pi.

Putting the d'oh! in Adobe: 'Years of photos' permanently wiped from iPhones, iPads by bad Lightroom app update

Really, since so many people never really back up anything.

Very true. We all have had calls from family/ friends along the lines of : "It was here, and now it's gone" Or: "I think I deleted it. It did ask me whether I was sure, and I think I hit yes". But either way, it always results in: "Can you get it back?"

Then again, most didn't start with a dodgy <fill-in-which-was your-first-box> that was so unstable that, if your mum turned on the Hoover, you lost a whole night of coding. Of course you didn't save because the cassette tape took so long. And that's disregarding the fact that most users nowadays don't go beyond the "is there an app for that?" level...

Oh what a feeling: New Toyotas will upload data to AWS to help create custom insurance premiums based on driver behaviour

Re: That's settled, then.

ADDITION:

Apparently the EU eCall system is built in and very active in current new cars sold in EU.

Recently, Volkswagen had to stop/ recall their Golf 8 (and potentially other models) due to eCall "software issues". Audi, Skoda, and Seat, also VAG, reported similar issues (== similar components).

(In German)

15.05.2020 - https://www.heise.de/news/VW-Golf-Lieferstopp-wegen-eCall-Problem-Rueckruf-moeglich-4722518.html

In addition, Toyota might not be the only one, taking for example the comments of Markus Duesmann, the head Software of VAG (previous CEO Audi):

(In German - 15-07-2020)

einer automobilen Daten-Cloud [...] die markenübergreifende Car.Software-Organisation

Re: That's settled, then.

"Of course, if you own a car with "OnStar" then you'll need to disable that as well since it's doing the same job for the other brand..."

Indeed. And don't forget that the EU might also need a second thought there too. After all, they passed the law for the mandatory installation of "eCall" in all cars sold in the EU.

eCall in all new cars from April 2018

Today the European Parliament voted in favour of eCall regulation which requires all new cars be equipped with eCall technology from April 2018. [...]

It communicates the vehicle's exact location to emergency services, the time of incident and the direction of travel (most important on motorways), even if the driver is unconscious or unable to make a phone call. An eCall can also be triggered manually by pushing a button in the car, for example by a witness of a serious accident.

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/ecall-all-new-cars-april-2018

Not sure how far the implementation on that is though...

TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, has developed proposals for technical requirements and test procedures for the European type-approval of eCall in-vehicle systems.

So about that old timer you had for sale...

Bratty Uber throws tantrum, threatens to cut off California unless judge does what it says in driver labor rights row

Re: I’ll scweam and scweam and scweam until I’m sick!!

There is a certain amount of validity to you view, to mine as well.

I think you hit the nail right on the head there: the optimum most likely is somewhere in the middle. After all, another argument for that is continuity. As the (lacking) availability of pharmaceuticals and medical devices during the COVID developments have shown, there is a fatal flaw in the logistic model that converges to one/ very few production points.

Then again, you're also right on the cost side of things: the race to the bottom is something producers will keep chasing, while consumers don't give a flying about anything, as long as it doesn't touch their finances and life in any way. A perfect feedback loop that can only be broken by some ballsy, non-popular intervention (hmmm, suppose that rules out politicians).

Re: I am conflicted on this

Maybe this is a generational thing, but I've never liked the concept of protecting people when they don't want protected.

I think different legal frames and cultural backgrounds lead to some misunderstanding here.

In EU the issues with Uber have little to do with unwanted protection. Fact of the matter is that Uber tries to dodge their legal obligations because it's advantageous for them financially. That this works in the US is possible because there are different/ no employer legal obligations here with regard to for example health insurance or ensuring other (employer) social contributions (e.g pension payments, disability).

Again, we can argue whether this is about protection, but that discussion is cut short because of the simple fact that it's the law, whether you like it or not. Hence, non-compliance is illegal, and, as Uber now finds, trying to outsmart it troublesome.

I'm afraid that, as we find frequently, it isn't so much about the individual (your Uber drivers are happy being contractors), but more about somebody convincing you of that point because it serves their (bigger) purpose... As you mention yourself with your (very correct) Vietnam point...

Re: Call his bluff

"So I think that Uber will shut down for a while."

Maybe not only an empty threat, but might be even a dangerous one. For Uber that is. Before they know it somebody might hold them to that promise...

Re: I’ll scweam and scweam and scweam until I’m sick!!

"dubious electro-scooters"

...which by now start littering the city everywhere. I would really have a perfect day if cities start gathering them up and taking them to the tip, like they used to do with the piles of discarded bicycles during my student days. And then send a bill to all these companies for "Entsorgung".

But more to your comment: I think Germany's push for minimum wages and against zero hour set ups and "self employed entrepreneur" cost shifting operations is also a factor there. If I'm informed correctly, this now also happens in other sectors there, e.g. Hermes parcel delivery, workers in construction, and Eastern EU truck drivers and shipping crews put on extortion contracts by (Dutch) logistic companies, travelling through/ working in Germany and not complying to local (labour) laws?

Re: I’ll scweam and scweam and scweam until I’m sick!!

"Granted, Uber have something with the app and the user experience and frankly a bit baffled why established taxi companies haven't joined that model."

True. But then again, don't forget that running such a set up requires resources. On a global scale (and with additional, corresponding (3rd party) revenue streams) this might not be such a big issue. But for all those local/ city taxi firms, that might be a more significant load to carry. Then again, I have seen more companies in in various EU countries doing exactly what do suggest...

Geneticists throw hands in the air, change gene naming rules to finally stop Microsoft Excel eating their data

File > Excel Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect

Re: I must be missing something...

With LO true for DEC10. But did you try DEC-10 and DEC 10?

I see you try to write SomeThinG ImPORTanT?

I look forward to the new names being broken by a future Excel "feature" update...

Indeed. Or any other software TBH. As for example people know who try to write a publication/ text with words/ abbreviations that have a different format of caps and lower case than your software thinks appropriate...

University of Cambridge to decommission its homegrown email service Hermes in favour of Microsoft Exchange Online

Re: Modern

"The uni will need to spend several thousands of pounds, plus many thousands of yet-uncounted man-hours...

Yep, you got a point there. And that's exactly what all the greybeards here are going on about all the time: (the philosophy you need to do everything, including) doing science on the cheap.

And as professionals we all know it isn't just science.

So that's it? That's the justification? We should all push continuously to turn the world in one big Lidl?

Re: Single point of failure

Aren't we getting too much into the details of things? Isn't it more about an university being an independent institution, not hindered, or if you want, bound by "real life" interference and alternative motives? Should it not just simply pursue (and teach) "science", whatever that may be? After all, we all know/ have personal experiences that biz and science aren't that compatible (always).

I know, I know, accuse me of sniffing too much idealism, but we all have seen examples of "compromise", diluting original objectives, right? And let's be honest, biz isn't really known for being really progressive (when it might hurt bottom line).

Mozilla doubles down on anti-tracking tech: It'll be tougher for wily ad-biz cookie monsters to track Firefox

Re: I can't remember...

OK, have an UP then...

Re: Wait a minute

But... But...

"Every Body" always tells me they have nothing to hide...

BTW, am I the only one who is somewhat hesitant when suspects A, and especially G, say they want to reduce tracking?

This investor blew nearly $300,000 on Intel shares the day before 7nm disaster reveal. Yup, she's suing

Who knows, maybe it's not so stupid/ bad looser, but is the lady the front person in a rather cunning plan: let's see if we can trip up Intel even more. Not only do they loose market share because their 7nm efforts fail (continuously), but also let them haemorrhage cash by winning a class action. Either way, you're right: winners, whatever the result, are the lawyers chasing the ambulance. One can see vultures circling already...

Chinese tat bazaar Xiaomi to light a fire under Amazon's Kindle with new e-book reader

Re: I have a kobo

...using it as a instrument panel on a microlight.

Yes, seen that too. Looks pretty cool. I myself am still thinking about having a go at "solarising" a Kobo (https://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-charging-ereader/ ).

Linux Foundation starts new group to build pandemic-popping software

Re: The right tool for the job?

I suspect old-fashioned contact tracing is at least as efficacious

I would even dare to say it's the main success factor.

This whole app hyperventilation is in line perfectly with what we've seen before with other (non-related) issues: it's easy and convenient for politicians to package and communicate something as a simple, all solving solution for something. "No worries, we can solve this with technology!".

Thing however is that the tech is just another, albeit more sophisticated tool, but never a final solution. So yes, maybe tracing apps help with the work of containing infections. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise you can't push it out and then lean back because you established world peace.

But that's exactly what "those speaking to the people" seem to do now: simple message, KISS principle, not my problem any more cause I solved it ("Look, we made ##### billion available!") and now let the plebs clean it up. Meanwhile we already see people coming in who "relapsed" to pre-February behaviour, and think they are "safe because I installed the app"...

Re: Corona Washing

There was an incident in 19th century London which is considered to be one of the foundations of modern public health.

You're correct, that would be John Snow, seen by many as the father of modern epidemiology. He wasn't "the first" however, although that statement also is heavily dependant on the fact that we are not that smart that long as a species that we know you need a causal relation for all this (exposure to buggy makes you sick).

A couple of centuries before Snow there was a gentleman called Girolamo Fracastoro, a professor at the University of Padua, who wrote a book called "De contagione et contagiosis morbis". In it he concluded that "something" was passed on from one human to another, which was making them sick. On that, he concluded that (personal) hygiene was a very important variable in this whole equation. Funny thing is that some 5 centuries later, some still seem to think it's OK to sneeze "into the wild", and you can still find more buggies, including the poo E. coli one, on keyboards and that nice order screen at MacDonalds than on toilet seats...

Nokia 5310: Retro feature phone shamelessly panders to nostalgia, but is charming enough to be forgiven

Re: I still use an old style nokia phone from the 00s

I can do nothing more than subscribe (and applaud) all the points you mentioned.

Did notice though that if your retro phone (for me my refusing to die Samsung C270) becomes a talking point, the question "So tell me, how often do you need to charge yours?" is always a winner for my (now 12 year old!) battery. And still it packs the latest innovations: the battery cover broke... So just had to 3D print a new one =P

AMD pushes 64-core 4.2GHz Ryzen Threadripper Pro workstation processors

Re: Apple will rule them all

Now imagine what could happen in Macs with vastly larger heat dissipation areas/cooling parts.

Indeed, that would be a "Genius" move...

Fixing Apple's Engineering in an Hour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlOPPuNv4Ec

...acronym ARM means: "Advanced RISC Machine"

Well, maybe it comes as a kind of a new discovery for you, but most of us here kinda know what ARM is. I personally already had one in the 80s.

AMD has said the new silicon will be confined to “OEMs and system integrators,” which sadly seems to rule out individual chip sales to enthusiasts who fancy building their own machines based on the new processors.

That's a pity, but maybe also good protection against hurting myself. News like this always gives me an itch "to build it and see what it can do". Then again, I must also admit that such a system might be a bit of overkill for my daily Solitaire use case nowadays...

Privacy Shield binned after EU court rules transatlantic data protection arrangements 'inadequate'

Re: Cynicism is *the* simplest politcal doctrine

Kind of sad actually. Since (as those old enough here) know, the discussion on the "ownership of data" is actual ever since company execs figured out "what to do with this new interwebz thing" in the 90s. We all remember sessions we sat in, where it was concluded that money was made with data, so maybe the owner of that data should perhaps profit from her/ his property. In stead users (data owners) have been ushered in with narrative that the use of services is "free", carefully concealing the fact that what they give away is worth much more than what they receive. And have no control over/ are hindered excessively in determining what is in- or excluded. Then again, we should not condemn users for that though. After all, legislation determines that specific consent should be given, and a clear choice (accept/ reject) should be available without limiting "the service". So how many websites have you seen that offer just an "Accept" button? And how much is that "policed"?

Re: Standard contractual clauses

Perhaps when it turns out to be profitable? Like for example that nice post Brexit NHS data the US seems so interested in?

https://www.theregister.com/2019/12/12/nhs_england_database/

Re: Standard contractual clauses

... available to certain United States authorities, such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)...

Where did I hear before that such a direct connection between a company/ companies and governments is "bad, very bad" so you need to boycott them?

AMD fans forced to sit out latest Windows 10 Insiders build due to 'bug impacting overall usability of these PCs'

ElReg says:

Someone less kind than us might suggest...

Oops, need a new Depend.

Companies toiling away the most on LibreOffice code complain ecosystem is 'beyond utterly broken'

Do you mean that Multiplan clone with a whiff of Lotus Quatro, or the Multi-Tool Word for Xenix base? Or are going back al the way to for example the Alto or VisiCalc? After all, the greatest asset of the human species is its ability to learn...

Mozilla unveils $4.99/month subscription-based VPN, says it won't hang onto user logs

Re: Advertised VPNs?

When has Mozilla done that, historically speaking?

Don't get me wrong, I use them too, but there was the Cliqz thing for example...

https://www.theregister.com/2017/10/09/mozilla_tests_cliqz_in_germany/

Cornish drinkers catch a different kind of buzz as pub installs electric fence at bar

Re: Only commenting here because

Cross pond translation can be very precarious. Just imagine the disappointment, caused by just one letter...

Cornish Rattler Apple Cider, Alcohol Units 3, ABV 6% vol

Ratler, the German equivalent of the British shandy, low alcohol, 2% ABV

Re: what happens to the drunk

I always thought it was general knowledge that, if it burns when you pee, you better visit your GP...

Re: what happens to the drunk

Who can't differentiate between the bar and the urinal?

You're asking? Really? We all have seen some examples there. Then again, we have to be understanding of less experienced punters (That's just the way we are, aren't we?). Slip ups can always happen.

Re: Puntastic

Well, I suppose such a fence could be worked with. Now, about that fence on the loo...

Google: OK, OK, we pinky promise not to suck Fitbit health data into the borg. Now will you approve the sale?

Re: We accept your conditions, just prove your honesty

Insurance would be my concern, if I had such a device.

Indeed. We all have seen the reports of Googles "insight" into peoples health status, behaviour, questions, and concerns. It's true that competitors are already "in the health market". Then again, Google has already shown (and shared TBH) its aspirations to exploit healthcare much, much further than just "counting steps". Especially in environments where healthcare is for sale (now or in the very near future) Googles strategists might be smirking excessively. After all, the only purpose of your health has, is for somebody else to make money with it...

Oh what a cute little animation... OH MY GOD. (Not acceptable, even in the '80s)

Re: Adult floppies...

Now you mention it: anybody know how Larry's doing these days?

No more Genius Bar bottlenecks for you, Mr Customer? Apple exports independent repair provider program to Europe and Canada

Re: "I think they're trying to take the heat off"

That last thing Apple wants is to be obliged to conform to a pesky law.

Very true. But then again, you must admit they have proven themselves masters at this "control-the-herd" game. I mean, if you read the piece carefully... They do comply, but if you then see their conditions (Brilliant isn't it? Complying with your conditions?), you realise they remain very creative at collecting idiot tax. And are not hindered doing so...

Go on, devs, have a Flutter on Linux desktop apps: Google and Canonical launch alpha SDK

Re: ... Trojan Horse

Let's all just hope that Canonical doesn't do anything silly, like for example declaring *buntu-core some kind of dependency, trying to hinder a quick sudo apt purge -y snapd...

Linux Mint 20 isn't exactly bursting with freshness but, hey, there's kernel 5.4 and it's a long-term support release

Re: Does LMDE 4 work okay on old computers?

Oh and it can only tun 32 bit systems

That could be a PITA, since many decide not to do 32 bit versions any more (☹), like *buntu, on which Mint is based. Then again, since LMDE, like LenG says, is Debian based, you're still good (at least for now)...

Re: align itself with Debian ...

... or maybe Devuan. I'm still not happy about systemd.

Indeed. I would even dare to say that a major part of the time needed for a fresh install is needed for just one thing: reviewing (love that abundant documentation, don't you?) and systemctl disable a large part of that haystack. But honesty does also force to admit it's not as bad as it used to be (after distilling the final bash script to automate).

Re: Form or function?

I personally think you got a point there. But maybe we should also consider the fact that we are perhaps not the "typical user" (if such a thing exists). For many "average users" (tech support people, please join in) a simple change of GUI is a major earth shattering event. How many of us have gotten the phone call that "there is now a thingy on my screen and it used to be on the left but now it is on the right, and I don't dare to click it, because yesterday on the Beeb there was a story that peoples computers were locked and they were extorted because they clicked on something"? (Oh yes, their cache shows they have no probs roaming and clicking dodgy websites).

So yes, for many a change of colour (or how many times do you read that there are now exciting new wallpapers available?) is a big thing. Which they never change ever later. But...

Yeah, you've got a point, for the (more) tech savvy it's not that exciting. Then again, stability is nothing to be sniffed at...

FYI: You do all know that America's tech giants, even Google, supply IT to the US military, right?

Re: @IGotOut - But of course....

Yes. Right. I seem to remember some people blowing a fuse about some alleged close ties between some consumer tech corp and some evil government some where. I understood it was bad, very bad. Wasn't that about Huawei or something? Not sure. Let me Google that...

Oh...

Well bork me sideways: A railway ticket machine lies down for a little Windoze

Re: Train Station?

Come on, you're selling yourself a bit short here. Can remember "your" Chicago Grand Central on my way to Minneapolis. The main hall was pretty grand TBH. And while we're on the subject anyway, what about NY Grand Central? I mean, if you want a good example of art deco, there you are. Talking about clocks: nice clock on the info stand BTW. When I was there, there were a lot of people in that museum who seemed to be going somewhere...

Rental electric scooters to clutter UK street scenes after Department of Transport gives year-long trial the thumbs-up

Re: No they're not an effective means to reduce car traffic

What I could also observe over the last years, since they popped up in my city: rental scooters make people behave anti-socially. Scooters are left on the pavement at the very spot the driver steps off them. Hence, they block parts of the pavement next to the entrances of appartment buildings, at bus or tram stops. People drive them on the pavement with all the associated risks of relatively large relative velocities, overtaking from behind and slightly randomly walking pedestrians.

Same thing here.