Posts by Dave314159ggggdffsdds

Infusion of $3.5bn not enough to revive Terra's 'stablecoin'

Re: The only downside

" the people buying crypto knew it wasn't backed by any government"

Knew? Hoped, imagined, believed. But not 'knew', because whilst it's not entirely clear the evidence is against it.

We can bend the laws of physics for your super-yacht, but we can't break them

Re: I've only met three billionaires and they've all been perfectly lovely

Elon Musk is a bit of an outlier, because he's less a typical billionaire, and more an obvious Bond villain.

Re: ""Don't you know who I am?"

"And then ask when I'd be fixing it."

Well, yes. Not the clocks going back, the obviously broken logging.

That's more about customer service and how you speak to people than the message itself. The client wasn't asking for the laws of physics to be broken, the techie just wasn't explaining well enough what the problem is.

Yes, that's easy enough to do by looking at the distribution of a bunch of results. If you're e.g. still getting the same shape distribution, but the centre has shifted, it's a sign the sensor is drifting.

Re: NICE TRY

It's obviously a joke. It states something completely obvious. It's been working on various 'psychologists' for years too.

"Unfortunately superyacht owners really do seem to believe the laws of physics don't apply to them."

IME it's more that no-one is willing to tell them no, and capable of explaining why properly.

In the case mentioned in the story, it's ridiculous that no-one was willing to tell the owner 'this is a different kind of connection, you aren't on the end of a wire', which would probably have been all it took.

I'm a technician, not a magician

(Yes, I've used that one on a VVIP client, who stopped complaining and started laughing.)

Isn't it about time that people realise that citing the joke paper D&K wrote, because you don't know enough about their field to know it's a joke, is in fact the actual DK effect?

BOFH: You'll have to really trust me on this team-building exercise

And the LTNs.

The best bit is the freebies section, mostly filled with people trying to avoid paying to dispose of their rubbish. Best one I've seen was the 'free hardcore/rubble' which was in the form of a WWII concrete bomb shelter, collector demolishes.

You're missing out on old people ranting at clouds, and imagining every delivery man is a home invader, though.

Ransomware plows through farm machinery giant AGCO

Re: Chickens, meet roost.

" that effectively holds their customers to ransom when it comes to maintaining products"

The interesting thing is that while there is a small and highly vocal group of ex JD customers (or soon-to-be-ex) loudly criticising the model, their sales have increased because almost all their customers love the stuff they're doing. Farming is mostly big commercial business these days, and what they offer fits perfectly with that while deeply pissing off the relatively few remaining diehard independents.

If you buy a million dollar tractor, and hire a guy on $30k a year to operate it, would _you_ want him fiddling with the thing if it breaks down? On the other hand, if you buy _yourself_ a million dollar tractor, and you can't fiddle with it yourself, how pissed off would you be? I'd be annoyed enough to buy another brand.

Apparently the real problem isn't that JD have come up with something unacceptable to a few farmers, but that those farmers are JD fanboys and won't just go and buy the competing model from another manufacturer :)

Thinnet cables are no match for director's morning workout

Re: 10 base 2 network

If you have an event scheduled, you finish the proper work nice and early, and if you're really diligent do bits and pieces or timesheets or some such (or, if normal, this sort of thing) until it's time.

John Deere tractors 'bricked' after Russia steals machinery from Ukraine

Re: If I owned a piece of equipment

"but I have a real concern that when electronic parts fail it will be simply impossible to source replacements even from dealers"

But in fact you can buy stuff manufactured by third parties, if there's demand. Exactly the same problem exists with mechanical parts for old, rare cars too.

Re: If I owned a piece of equipment?

What you suggest would affect value, not ownership.

IBM ordered to pay $105 million to insurer over tech project's collapse

Re: Whoa, whoa, whoa ....

" I have been told repeatedly that English law does not allow for damages beyond actual losses."

A) that's something of an oversimplification. There is stuff that says what can be claimed, but no overarching statement of what cannot be. Direct consequences of something vs indirect consequences is a grey area. But just for example, if you're injured and can't do your job, you can get compensation for the injury and for lost earnings - but not for the higher wages you expected to get once you'd found a new job, which you were planning to do before you got injured.

B) these were actual (directly consequential) losses, according to this court case.

BOFH: The evil guide to upgrading switches

Re: rule 1

Ime you get rid of them by stacking them in a wheely cage, taking them down to the basement, and watching the facilities guys (who insist you can't take anything past the doors yourself) push them off the loading dock. At that point it's their problem.

South Yorkshire to test fiber broadband through water pipes

Re: common ducting

People never consider the drainage issues - a concrete-lined trench will fill with water sooner or later unless v well drained. Especially if the water main shares it.

This presents a significant limitation on depth, if you want the conduit to be able to drain into the existing system the lowest point has to be above it. You're also going to want one way valves to stop a blocked drain backing up into the conduit.

The time you solved that months-long problem in 3 seconds

Re: Fuck that

The real question here is why no-one had checked the simple bugfix was applied _before_ sending a chap halfway round the world.

Re: Fuck that

If you're in that situation and don't know how to use it to negotiate a massive raise, you need to pay more attention to that skillset and less to adding to your technical skills.

BOFH: Putting the gross in gross insubordination

Re: Well, that was a surprise

You think leaving the BOFH needing to train a new pfy is a situation in which you can enlist his help? Are you new round here?

The BOFH doesn't use Apple products - even quite powerful demons don't attract the attention of the Dark Lord himself if they can avoid it.

Apple notches up ninth €5m fine for ignoring nation's competition watchdog

This is exactly why such fines shouldn't be.

Re: What to do?

Never, when they are this kind of thing. There is a dispute over a matter of law, not a refusal to acknowledge demands. Apple have _acknowledged_ the demands, in that they have replied refuting them.

Re: What to do?

It's not at that stage - the Dutch authorities still need to decide if they're going to pursue these penalties, and, if they are, to get them confirmed by a court.

"Trading Standards used to do this, but they just don’t seem to have the resources nowadays."

Of course they do. They have a court order and just need to send in bailiffs to get money to spend. Why on earth wouldn't they do that? To 'save' the costs of bailiffs' fees that are included in the court order?

'Hundreds of computers' in Ukraine hit with wiper malware as conflict continues

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

No, it's to ask for citations for the null hypothesis and/or blindingly obvious, while making huge claims that actually require evidence and providing none.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

"Air superiority won't remove the troops from the ground"

I mean, no. But if they're in little bits all over the ground, mixed with the mud, that's what people normally mean by winning...

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

Antivax tactics from the Putinbot, big surprise.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

Downvotes because it's Russian propaganda - it's part of the Kremlin whataboutery.

Re: I think that

"almost always set to the low end of that range"

?

I was under the impression that the reverse is true, because low-end dial-a-yield gives much, much dirtier explosions, and, well, it's a continent away, why wouldn't you use full power?

"older russians are taking them at face value because they don't know any better"

That is a rather ludicrous contention. Who, if not older Russians, knows about state propaganda being a dubious source?

Anyone who believes Kremlin propaganda does so because they want to believe. Older Russians want what Putin says to be true, even while they know deep down that it isn't.

Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

TBF, I'm OK with the idea that National Express is run by people who hate us all. It fits the facts.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

That document says what Russia claims to have, and it suits the US to accept the claim in that context.

If you think a Cold War ICBM and MIRVs has any chance of getting to target against modern missile defences, you haven't actually looked at the developments. Really, there is zero chance of even a single warhead making it to target by that route.

There is some chance of a tactical warhead making it as far as Warsaw, if launched from the Belarussian border, but that's assuming saturation with short range missiles and getting lucky. Anything that has a flight time of more than a few hundred seconds simply has no survivability.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

You're forgetting the bit where there are missile defence systems. Sure, Russia can launch stuff. It won't get through. They were losing the race by the end of the Cold War, and have built _nothing_ in that line since, while the West has kept upgrading the defences.

A Cold War ICBM won't get through. Every one of the MIRVs will be destroyed. Zero chance of a single one even getting lucky and getting through to target.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

"We are not the world's policemen."

But we should be. It's morally wrong to stand by while Putin destroys things and kills people, when we could so easily stop him. The world would be a much better place with a democratic, liberal, wealthy Russia instead of a totalitarian warmongering kleptocracy.

Re: SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

It's funny, you're on Putin's side and you don't even realise it.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

Russia is not thought to have many working warheads left; if there are any at all, it's a handful. More to the point, they have no delivery system that can reach past Warsaw, and even that's only if they launch from Belarus and get lucky.

"Sure, NATO could do nasty things to Russia's military, but not before Russia's military arranged for most of NATO to become glowing glass"

You're going off message in the first part, but the last part is pure Kremlin propaganda. The simple reality is that Russia has less military power than at the end of the Cold War in Cold War era terms, and no modern military equipment whatsoever. NATO will achieve absolute air superiority in a matter of hours, and that's game over: any Russian deployments after that will be bombed out of existence as soon as they move.

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

"He doesn't even allow women to wear heels around him as it just makes it obvious how short he is."

Or jealous. If ever there was a closet cross-dresser...

Re: "Of course you realize, this means war"

Silly Putinbot with silly propaganda. Obviously Russia is not a superpower, there is no MAD on the table anymore, and NATO could wipe out the Russian military in days if it wanted.

The depressing thing here is that NATO's leaders won't take a stand.

Your app deleted all my files. And my wallpaper too!

Jesus, you're so far behind the times you must be reading this on a CRT. Modern OS handle all those things for you. It's only *nix that gives users a chance to f-it-ubar in the ways you're suggesting and even praising.

Windows and MacOS will both perfectly happy do a fresh reinstall, or install a new version, without needing to take special steps to protect your personal files.

Re: Concepts are hard to understand

Even this can be a subject for a far right rant, huh?

Ukraine hit by DDoS attacks, Russia deploys malware

Re: Bomb the crap out of him

Russia ain't a superpower. This isn't the Cold War anymore. If NATO had said they'd treat an attack on Ukraine as an act of war against themselves, Putin would have backed down immediately - he is not going to start a war he'd lose in days.

Real-time software? How about real-time patching?

Re: Site Acceptance Test

The other stories were about missing seeing somewhere nice...

Microsoft to block downloaded VBA macros in Office – you may be able to run 'em anyway

Re: At Veti, re: the ribbon.

Anyone who's actually done support knows how brilliant the ribbon is. Power users don't benefit. Ordinary users suddenly found stuff they never knew was there.

There is no doubt whatsoever that it was a huge step forwards. You're just ranting at clouds if you won't admit that it's good for most other people even if not you.

Re: A tighter security method.

The use of VBA is perfectly cromulent at low levels, and absolutely evil in situations where 'you should probably be using a proper development platform'. The problem comes when you start with the first, and slowly add stuff until you're in the latter category.

For basic - sorry, unintentional pun - automation of simple Office functionality, there is nothing that even comes close to VBA.

Re: Macros are the only real differentiator left between MSOffice and LibreOffice, bar one.

The problem with LO is the regular embarrassments it causes. Hence why no major company uses it. The thing is absolutely riddled with show-stopping bugs.

To err is human. To really tmux things up requires an engineer

Re: Step outside

"One flash of the hazards is a universally understood symbol for "ta" used when the person who you are trying to thank is behind you."

No, it's a universal sign of a bad driver. Hazards do not mean that. People who use them like that shouldn't be allowed to drive - it's a sure sign they can't do so safely or sensibly.

Re: universal?

That sounds like a correct use of hazard lights. I always put them on if stopped on a motorway without anyone behind me, etc.

Re: Step outside

Oh god, you're one of those idiots who thinks hazard lights mean 'thanks' rather than 'f off, you're dangerous'.

The jokes write themselves here.

Tesla to disable 'self-driving' feature that allowed vehicles to roll past stop signs at junctions

Re: Not a "bug"

That seems like a badly marked roundabout - no lanes, so it's single lane all the way around, despite the markings on the approach road.