Posts by Dinanziame

China’s top court calls for blockchain to record vast number of transactions

I fail to see what this achieves that cannot be done far more efficiently with a dumb database?

IBM ends funding for employee retirement clubs

Re: Saga

Who says they didn't? This is the company that outsources exclusive rights to sell coffee in its offices to the highest bidder.

NASA's 161-second helicopter tour of Martian terrain

Re: Outside our original design limits

I think they deliberately give gross underestimates of the reliability — considering so many things can go wrong, each component is designed to last for years

America bucks global smartphone decline with help from Apple

Re: eWaste 'Я' US

Apple has realized that this is coming, which is why they want to offer a leasing scheme: you pay them $X per month, and they'll keep sending you their latest shiny, every year. They probably hope you won't notice the new phone isn't substantially different from the old one...

Apple scraps 3-day return to office amid COVID-19 cases

Re: Show me someone who is dead-set on getting people back to the office

I like it if everybody is in the office, so I can go talk to them. You remember hating it when people show up at your desk and interrupt your work with their questions? That's me. Hell, I even like it when people come to my desk, because it's much easier and faster to answer in person than through chat/mail/VC.

Tech pros warn EU 'data adequacy' at risk if Brexit Britain goes its own way

Re: Inadequate approach to data adequacy

The Government have been negotiating in good faith and trying to convince the EU to do the same.

You mean the part where the Government has signed on the dotted line and now wants to renegotiate everything? That's the "good faith" part?

Oracle really does owe HPE $3b after Supreme Court snub

Couldn't happen to a nicer company

Incidentally, it's the second year in a row that Oracle loses billions of dollars due to a supreme court ruling. Last year was losing the Google Android lawsuit. It looks like the main department are Oracle (lawyers) are not good at their job.

Elon Musk 'violated' Twitter NDA over bot-check sample size

A sample size of 100? Really?

You're making a beginner's mistake: You're assuming Elon Musk isn't lying through his teeth.

Cars in driver-assist mode hit a third of cyclists, all oncoming cars in tests

"three leading systems" WTF?

The leading self-driving car system is Waymo, which has already sells a service with nobody behind the wheel. These systems are at best assisted driving.

How ICE became a $2.8b domestic surveillance agency

Re: Why?!!

It's easier for them to deport people who are caught lying on a form, rather than simply unwanted. Being a criminal doesn't automatically exclude you from having rights, but lying about it does.

Google shows off immersive maps, AR-flavored search, Pixel 7, and more

Re: which will allow users of applications like Google Meet to simulate the presence of in-room

I have a "background" picture of myself sitting in front of the laptop. I can set it up for the meeting and do something more useful meanwhile... Nodding would be a nice feature though!

Indian government accuses Uber of jacking up prices for loyal customers

The first hit is free

It is common for businesses to offer a reduced price for first-time customers... The difference here being, the pricing is a black box.

Virginians sue to block rural Amazon datacenter

That might actually be a justification for the rezoning — it's unlikely the region already has an industrial zone of that size. It's probably a very significant increase of industrial zoning in the county, which is almost entirely farmland. It's not entirely unreasonable to do that if demand for industrial zoning increases; now if it has to be in that particular place, that's another question.

Uber, Meta to reduce hiring as stocks slide

Re: Meta Freezing hiring?

Data centers typically don't require more than a few dozen people to change hardware when it breaks.

Switch off the mic if it makes you feel better – it'll make no difference

Mandatory XKCD

Google cancels bi-annual performance reviews, shifts to GRAD system

Er... Ever heard of grades, or grading?

Elon Musk wants to take Twitter public again 'within 3 years'

Re: Libtards meltdown

Censor stuff that's illegal, not just objectionable.

So porn would be allowed then?

Ex-Googlers take a stab at building 'general intelligence' that makes software do what you tell it

Sounds cool, doesn't work (so far)

Understanding what the user wants is only half the problem. Interfacing with the systems that make it possible to do what the user wants is a lot harder. You pretty much immediately have to implement a new API for every use case, and nothing scales. Entire industries need to adopt common standardized API for this to be successful.

But it's certainly enough for a VC pitch and possibly enough to get bought up for $X billions by $CORPORATION

Meet Moeco, Ukrainian-led biz using IoT trackers to follow supplies into invaded land

I'm reminded of the Apple airtags, except that this solution directly sends its location over 4G instead of relying on nearby iPhones... And somehow seems cheaper as well. Which, of course, directly leads to questions about the potential uses for stalking.

Apple's grip on iOS browser engines disallowed under latest draft EU rules

Re: What is a NOT a native iOS app on iOS?

As opposed to a "web app", aka website.

The idea is that Apple doesn't like it when people buy something through a website without paying anything to Apple. So Apple is deliberately crippling browsers on iOS so that websites are slow, so that companies develop an iOS app to replace the website, so that Apple can grab 30% of anything bought through the app.

Google bans third-party call-recording apps from Play Store

Re: I don't understand

What's this all about. Why can't I just record my calls with my choice of software if I so choose.

The stated justification is that you shouldn't be able to do it without the other person in the call knowing about it. Not sure what business it is of Google. Maybe they're afraid of lawsuits.

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

"Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM"

This used to be true. Now, I think people should be fired for even proposing IBM.

Nokia quits Russia over Ukraine invasion

Re: boom

You could be correct:

Russian navy evacuates flagship in Black Sea. Ukraine claims it was hit by a missile

Huawei reportedly furloughs Russian staff and stops taking orders

I understand the sentiment, but "illegal invasion" has always struck me as a sort of oxymoron... As of there were laws regulating such things.

Beijing approves first new video games in nine months

Do books need to be approved as well?

Legit not sure

China: Our big tech companies are hiring, not shrinking

How many of these new employees are "party compliance officers"?

US Army to build largest 3D-printed structures in the Americas

Looking forward to construction being halted because the printer is out of magenta

Google must pay €150 million fine to French Competition Authority, court orders

Re: Please report on the date the fine arrives in the bank account

For fines dished out by the EU, they had to pay the fine before appealing, IIRC. That said, are you worried that they are not paying the fine? I tend to think that the bodies issuing the fine don't forget that little detail, and would complain loudly to the media and add punitive interest rates otherwise.

IBM deliberately misclassified mainframe sales to enrich execs, lawsuit claims

To think I interviewed with them 12 years ago

*shudder*

If you fire someone, don't let them hang around a month to finish code

Extra credit

Fire somebody, but keep them for a month to train their replacement. Possibly, a cheaper, offshore, replacement.

Russian devs plan alternative Android app store after Google Play bans paid apps

Re: The proletariat

Your use of the communist manifesto term 'the' is disturbing

Re: Dirty Apps in NashStore

Google Play cutoff in Russia: a meaningless, feel-good action

Note that this only blocks paid apps, not free apps, and for a good reason: without Visa or Mastercard, they cannot process payments.

Google resumes shoveling stuff into its 'Privacy Sandbox'

Re: And yet can I find a clock that ticks ?

Why would you want a ticking clock?? Are you looking for a gift for your mother-in-law?

The first step to data privacy is admitting you have a problem, Google

"Google knows what every byte of that data is, and what it's used for"

I think that's very optimistic. In a lot of cases, Google has been hoovering up data without even having any idea whether it would ever be useful... Just in case.

File Explorer fiasco: Window to Microsoft's mixed-up motivations

Ads in the OS

Ouch. I'll stay with Apple then. Privacy is not my concern, but distractions definitely are.

Chip world's major suppliers of neon gas shut down by Ukraine invasion – report

That's a good thing!

Having a global supply chain that breaks down in various places as soon as there's a war anywhere on earth makes it less likely that governments will resort to war.

People inconvenienced by the lack of chips for their new rig can console themselves thinking that at least, they don't have bombs falling on their town.

China's chip-making ambitions face setbacks

To be honest, I hope China has a lot of issues with this, for as long as possible. The faster they manage to produce chips, the easier it will be for them to decide to invade Taiwan.

Google buys threat intel giant Mandiant for $5.4bn

Re: Sales tax?

I assume that companies, like real estate, are considered investment. You don't pay sales tax or VAT when you buy and sell stocks, or when you sell your house.

Amazon cuts credit for charities to access web services

Re: Bezos must need a bigger yacht then

Bezos is way past yachts now, he needs a space rocket company just to dent his bank account.

Deutsche Bank seeks options as sanctions threaten Russian dev unit

Re: 'fast-track "knowledge transfer" from developers in Russia'

Has it ever happened to you that you started at a new job, and you were immediately as productive as the guy who had worked there for ten years? Yeah, me either.

Google to wind down pandemic work-from-home

Depends a lot on how you work

It's certainly easier to code from home (assuming your can isolate yourself from noisy kids!) But I feel there's a lot less communication happening between team members, and especially for new members, it's way more difficult to know what's going on, even with daily video conference meetings.

Oracle, SAP suspend business in Russia amid invasion

Re: OK, less of a sanction then a favor isn't it?

"In a show of support for Ukraine, Comcast has offered to provide internet service to all of Russia."

EU, US close to replacing defunct Privacy Shield II

This is silly

It's all very well promising your citizens that their privacy will be respected, but then you should walk the talk, and at least force companies to store the data in the EU.

Not that I'm particularly sensitive about privacy; in fact I'd say the evidence is that most people don't really care that Facebook or the US government knows about them. I'm just pointing out a fundamental flaw in their argument.

JavaScript survey: Most use React but satisfaction low

Re: Frameworks

Some library code saves typing, but you really ought to be able to produce it yourself.

That's all well and nice, but there's really a lot of stuff people should not do themselves. The prime example is encryption, but websites are full of pitfalls as well, especially regarding security. "Nice for grown up programmers" can also mean "lets you shoot yourself in the foot".

US imposes sanctions as Russia invades Ukraine

Re: A quiet word in China's ear is needed

Yes, Taiwan really clung far too long to the dream of taking over mainland China. They should have declared independence in the 70s, when the US finally admitted that the "True China" was ruled by communists.

Re: re. more blankets

Popular opposition to nuclear was strong in Germany... And, also, opposition from the coal mining industry.

China details relocation plan for up to five million datacenter racks

Re: Also aids employment

Building data centers generates employment; managing them, not so much. A bit.

I'm wondering why it is necessary to make a plan out of it though. In the US, it seems simple optimization has already ensured data centers end up in relatively empty areas with cheap energy.

AI-created faces now look so real, humans can't spot the difference

fake face for myself which looks pretty much like me

It's called a picture (or a selfie if you're a millennial). Just set it as your background image for the VC and go back to bed.

UK starts to ponder how Huawei ban would work

An important point is that nobody ever found such a backdoor either.

My life as a criminal cookie clearer: Register vulture writes Chrome extension, realizes it probably breaks US law

Re: however on the good side

Just checking: By mildly-dishonest, you mean "showing you ads"?