* Posts by Steve Walker

39 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Oct 2007

Party like it's 1989... SVGA code bug haunts VMware's house, lets guests flee to host OS

Steve Walker

Re: A standard dating back to 1987?

Yup remember it well, my pride and joy a VLB Tseng 4000 was the dogs back then and Fractint showed me so! Project still seems alive even today https://www.fractint.org/ - for those that can't imagine PCs taking minutes to draw images ...

Creep travels half the world to harass online teen gamer… and gets shot by her mom – cops

Steve Walker

Re: @StargateSg7 ... @AC ... The cat is pretty well out of the bag already

Indeed no 'A' for accurate :-)

Disk drive fired 'Frisbees of death' across data centre after storage admin crossed his wires

Steve Walker

Re: My god it's full of springs!

I worked on lots of N1500, 1700s and V2000s from the late 70s into the early 90s and I can assure you they were all hellish, arms, levers, motors, pulleys, bastardo springs & unknown electricikty circuits that somehow managed to work.

The modular versions added extra fun where (ex)rental jocks(tm) would spray everything with servisol (in an attempt to get high or fix it) and then that would degrade the plastic around the module mountings and the modules would then flap about.

Cheers R*Jocks for that extra workload.

We had I believe these style drives for the backup kit and there were trusted *nix nerds that were only allowed to handle anything to do with the kit and they lived & worked within the halon environment ...

Trump Hotels left orange faced: Hackers plunder systems for credit cards

Steve Walker

Similar to the the AA breach as well then, they'd (or their payment provider) stored the CSC number as well as the other card data.

Seems (some) organisations seem to be able to just ignore that particular PCI-DSS requirement.

Must be a tick box then we're missing :-)

SQL Server on Linux: Runs well in spite of internal quirks. Why?

Steve Walker
Linux

Re: Interesting

Actually I thought they were in love with SaaS? Maybe it's "eggs in several baskets" at the new friendly Microsoft we are seeing...

TBH I will give this a go and see how it performs, have plenty of room on a shiny vsphere cluster so dropping in another "test" VM won't hurt :-)

*hides*

Virgin Galactic and Boom unveil Concorde 2.0 tester to restart supersonic travel

Steve Walker

Re: No so great in time savings

IMSMR check in for Concorde was far more streamlined than that :-) That high ticket price included some nifty pre and after flight experiences.

I remember well the "BA" blue slippers & eye cover you got in your "personal" travel pack.

If someone is stumping up £7.5K+ for a ticket on a plane they would not want to be with the great unwashed in the same lounge as those heading out to *Ibiza*.

Sysadmin flees asbestos scare with disk drive, blank pay cheques, angry builders in pursuit

Steve Walker
Happy

Re: Die Hard VII: Sysadmin

AC you are in space ... just the wrong franchise - and now in it's full nerdness-

"The economics of the future is somewhat different. You see, money doesn't exist in the 24th century. The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, First Contact

Off now to fix some stinking COW on a Friday!

'Power equipment failure' borks EE's data services across England

Steve Walker
IT Angle

I risk Friday wrath but ...

Looks like they need someone to step in and save EE's bacon.

/leaves faster than their network

BBC vans are coming for you

Steve Walker
Happy

Re: why do I have to tell ... my address?

What is a TV Licence needed for?

To use and install TV receiving equipment at the licensed place. It covers:

a) watching and recording programmes as they’re being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, including programmes streamed over the internet and satellite programmes from outside the UK, and

b) watching and downloading BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer.

This can be on any device, including TVs, desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, games consoles, digital boxes, DVD, Blu-ray and VHS recorders, or anything else.

So "BBC programmes" not just BBC TV it is the programming they cover not the equipment as it was years ago. Move forward young man!

£11bn later: Smart meters project delayed again for Crapita tests

Steve Walker
Unhappy

Unlikely, as Capita are involved they would forget the string and you know both cups would be incompatible.

Server retired after 18 years and ten months – beat that, readers!

Steve Walker

Longevity

We have recently retired a Windows 2000 box that was made before 1999 (the OS has in fact been migrated to a VM as it still serves a use) and the hardware was all made from items we were using at the time, it would be AT and would probably have been AOpen hardware with a PIII at around 450Mhz it has done the job for many many years and it was only retired as a hardware server as we were worried the original hard drive from the 90s would fail.

It was in Telehouse nearly all it's life after leaving our little "server room" and then finally retired from a new DC when we moved in Jan 2015 where it was running up-to October last year.

Not sure on the fans but the insides look like the day it was made, a fine layer of dust on the odd component but nothing major.

Probably at the time it was pretty expensive to make - even had 2GB of RAM ...

Microsoft Office 365, Azure portals offline for many users in Europe

Steve Walker

Re: not panicking

And remember to replace "virtual" with "cloud" on that CV thus ensuring you keep your skills up to date :-)

Microsoft's MCSE and MCSD will become HARDER to win

Steve Walker
FAIL

Re: I remember when I were a lad....

Yes that made me smile as well "Must Consult Someone Else" was the moniker we gave to people with them in the day :-)

NetBEUI LOL now that made networks fun and WINS :-) oh the tears come back to me now.

Space: 1999 returning to TV?

Steve Walker

As well as you!

Always remember watching that episode in true fear - had to watch but was shit scared!

Best Buy fires parting shot at Dixons with closing down sale

Steve Walker
Happy

After-sales Cover?!!

If they *do* close and it goes wrong that's what a good credit card and the manufacturers warranty does :-)

If I am paying someone the pleasure of 23% then they can cover it if it goes wrong for me!

Thank you VISA.

Facebook triple stuffs Swedish data center

Steve Walker
FAIL

Sweden has a very very very good fibre infrastructure. We should not be mocking it.

Lots of homes have 100mbit to the property and there are decent rates of connectivity in the wilds as well.

Nothing like our 1mbit ADSL crap.

I am pretty sure that whoever put the data centre there knows how to connect to the outside world with it.

iPad baby baffled by paper magazine

Steve Walker
Thumb Up

Fully understand.

My 2 & 1/2 year old stands in front of the TV with her hand out and moves up and down - as that is what she has seen when using the Kinnect. To her that is "how" you work the television.

And as for phones, surely you *always* touch the screen ... She knows no different - if you present her with a classic phone with buttons she thinks that what you pay for shopping with ...

Go figure! This is their world now not ours. I had some Lego and Meccano and a TV with 3 channels and 4 buttons on the knob on the front - and this is all I knew.

Regards,

Steve

Stephen Fry's truly terrible mistake

Steve Walker
Happy

DAB suits me in the kitchen fine

@SuperTim "Who has a "radio" now anyway?", I do in the kitchen and one for my dossing about room, I enjoy news & sports on BBC 5 Live, which without either a connection to the internet or SKY I can only get at a listen able way is via DAB, yes it may not be "2010" to listen to the radio but I do and I am pretty sure a lot of people *do*. I happen to enjoy visualizing the commentary from Motson!

@Nosher spot on mate, I can imagine internet radio tethered by a 3G phone/dongle in the car = utter wank.

I think that yes DAB+ or whatever would be nice in the future but for now my kitcehn DAB does me just fine. And no I cannot use MW in the kitchen as anything electrical kills it - something DAB has no troubles with AND I get 5 live sports extra as a bonus.

Just my low bit rate view :-(

Ofcom smites silent callers

Steve Walker
Happy

VIP

I used to get the silent calls from an "international" CID which never showed the number always around 6 ~ 9pm, just after the kids had gone to bed and that pissed me off! Having a look on some forums someone suggested getting a phone with a VIP option whereas it only rings for people in the phone book.

Viola! no calls from anyone I don't know :-) Yes you might miss the odd person but then again with BT messaging they can leave one if they are a real caller.

Gets rid of all the unknowns completely, withheld, privates and internationals in one button press!

But you gotta love OFCOM for the half arsed attempt to do something about it. 'bout time BT/Virgin/However had a call back number that told you who called and where from and the number to call them on to tell them to fuck off from calling me at night.

Brits still getting bull from broadband providers

Steve Walker
FAIL

@hugo tyson

Not what they are going on about.

When you ring ISP XYZ and they say to you for £9.99 a month you'll get a 8meg line mate. Then when you get the line in it syncs at 2meg that is what the bitching is about. Being told you'll get 8 and you in fact get 2.

F/A to do with anything other than the distance you line has run.

FTTC should however improve this for the majority of people, however it is the bullshitting ISPs giving it all the wank about 8meg and 16meg lines to you door are what OF(to-the -brown-envelope)COM are going on about. And the fact unless you live in the grounds of the exchange you don't get.

Microsoft rejiggers EU browser ballot after complaints

Steve Walker
Unhappy

Who cares?

I wonder who actually gives a fuck what browser appears where on the ballot box and in fact that you see a ballot screen anyway?

I would imagine 99.9% (random number) of people who have a computer from PC world or argos or a club book or where ever don't even know there are other browsers or in fact even care about the fact.

If Miss Smith can get to facebook and yahoo mail then I am pretty sure Miss Smith is happy and that little 'e' on the desktop suits her fine.

Then we have Jo Nerdboy Freetard who likes to know that ButtsnifferMemoryHogNoFlash v.98pre-alpha will be on some ballot pop up screen because he feels the 'e' is getting tooooooo powerful and will one day lead to him going blind or whatever, well that's just spiffy for Jo Nerdboy Freetard.

Me I just don't give a flying ass poke with a cactus, I just install whatever I think will do. If the 'e' works so be it, if the 'fox happens to be clicked then that's fine to.

What next a ballot screen on notepad? Or the bloody calculator?

Just ranting, had to queue a lot this morning :-(

Nationwide Freeview tune-up takes place today

Steve Walker
FAIL

@Richard Porter

Nope; sorry mate, seems your box is on the list.

Philips DTX 6370 Set Top Box Nov98-Aug01

Philips DTX 6371 Set Top Box

Philips DTX 6372 Set Top Box

From http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/2kequipment listed as incompatible with 8K mode.

The /05 is only for the UK in case anyone thinks that's important.

HTH

Steve

NASA probe scents crusty bonanza in dark moon bottoms

Steve Walker
Alert

Koenig knew about nuclearness and the moon - all bad

"It may be that nuclear energy is the only practical lunar option."

Just about 10 years and 4 days too late. Tried that; blew moon away; many funky aliens then turn up in ever campiness outfits to slap moonkind about.

Maybe if they had huge windmills and used the solar wind :-) all very nice and green and ooo tangent - I just want them to find the clangers ... that's all ...

A bored Steve on a Friday afternoon.

Ofcom fails to sweep away power-line networking

Steve Walker
Flame

Some standard then :-(

I do love the comment:

"The regulator does admit that power-line kit can generate interference, but claims that can be attributed to "the manner in which it is installed or operated", and that it will be examining the issue further by working with the Radio Society."

By "installed" they mean "plugging the f**king thing into the mains" like it shows in the instructions.

Yes; they may have had only 150~ complaints and it might not be a major worry to the public BUT a standard is a standard and it should meet what it is sold under.

If those 150~ complaints were about them bursting into flames and melting kittens then I doubt you'd see them for sale again ever and those deployed would be considered a clear and present danger and ripped out in seconds - but a buzz buzz buzz on some radio somewhere does not really harm anyone does it ... plus radios aren't cute and fluffy and snuggle up on your lap.

Oh well the ones near me got removed so I could at least get on with my radio related work :-(

Flames because I mentioned it once!

McKinnon faces final appeal against extradition

Steve Walker
WTF?

Still?

I just feel this is an epic waste of the tax payers money. (I'm not alone surely?)

By the time he and his lawyers have finished eating up the public funds there will be no legal aid until 2015 at this rate for anyone else :-(

I feel the only winners here are the lawyers :-(

Baffled-by-tech MPs expense IT support

Steve Walker
Paris Hilton

@Tom 15

Unless it was not a scart to scart lead? Could be scart to something else and he was sticking the "something" else end in when he should have used the scart bit?

I dunno to me it just shows what a bunch of clueless butt-o-muppets we have running our shit, hell most I would not let run a bath let alone a whole department.

Bollox to all of them I say :-O

Paris because she might be able to do something useful in a bath and with bollox.

'Bionic ear' can detect Wi-Fi, FM,GPS signals simultaneously

Steve Walker

Bionic

But does it go "doooo do do do doooo do do do" when you're using it ...

If not massive fail :-(

Sky dishes up iPlayer-style service for Xbox 360

Steve Walker
Thumb Up

Something Useful

So So So So So So glad I a) have got an xbox360 and b) got rid of VM for Sky!

This is something I will use having multi-room and the 360 is in the "attic" gaming/spare room it now means I can watch Sky without having to get a dish wired up there when I can just use hardware that is already working on the 'net fine.

Thanks Sky. (Never thought I would say that)

BBC goes live... over Wi-Fi

Steve Walker
Happy

Working on a LG Renoir (910?)

Works fine, small(ish) picture but for the news catch up would be fine. None of the radio links work as they are all 404s and no Radio 5 Live :( Which makes it crap to me.

Online crime maps go live

Steve Walker
Alert

Typical

For the Thames valley it is located here http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/Instant-atlas/atlas.html And as I suspected in my town I live in the shit part :-(

Just what you need when selling your house lol!

NASA inks deal for ISS plasma drive tests

Steve Walker
Flame

Brings back memories of a certain Queller Drive.

"This is the voice of voyager 1, our ship is unmanned and unarmed, we come on a mission of peace and goodwill"

*shudder*

McKinnon gets date for final showdown

Steve Walker
Go

@Paul Smith

I do agree.

He knows full well what he will get over there in court and what it will be like in jail., unlike here where he would have got a piss poor fine and some time mowing roundabouts.

AND I do hope he is defending himself with HIS money and not MY tax pounds which I would rather have spent on new heating for my little ones school (fat chance).

Think we need a "send him there and don't waste our time whining" campaign.

S.

VbyV password reset is childishly simple

Steve Walker
Paris Hilton

VBV and MSC

In years to come both these initials will be the shorthand for "an utter load of b*ll*cks that no f*cker wanted and was as useful as sh*tting into the wind after a curry"

So you could say, "... that wind farm is VBV ..." and everyone will know exactly what you mean.

Steve

Hasbro kills Colonel Mustard in the corporate office with the marketing ploy

Steve Walker
Happy

@NathanD Re Pistols

From my book on such stuff :-) It says:

Colt invented the first revolver which was aptly named after its revolving cylinder. Colt was issued a patent in 1836 for the "Colt firearm equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets" this came with an innovative (as the time) cocking device as seen in many early "cowboy movies".

As for pistols they were intended for single-handed use at short ranges. There are three basic types:

First a single shot weapon from which others were developed. Now manufactured for target shooting where accuracy is called for.

Second the revolver carrying the cartridges in chambers <- with a mechanism which is actuated by the user each time a new round is fired and ejected.

And third, the automatic - which has been mis-named, as it is actually a semi automatic or self loading pistol, firing one shot each time the trigger is pressed - a truly automatic pistol "would" fire a burst of bullets as does a machine gun and as such would be classed as a machine gun and not as a pistol.

History of the word (or device known as a) "pistol" is thought to come from Pistoia which is located in northern Italy where around 1540 the first pistols came from. However the other side of the fence says that early pistols were carried in holsters which were slung across the "pistallo" or pommel of a saddle when used as single shot weapons.

And *unf* learning on Friday! Plus I always liked Ludo it had all you needed in a friendly family orientated game ... and the yellow rope you could never ever find after you had played the game once and your mum replaced with blue wool for you ...

Steve

It was Gordon Brown with the economy in the 2000's.

Upgrade drags Stealth Bomber IT systems into the 90s

Steve Walker
Happy

So I guess this is the SP1 for a B2

I can see the pain of the translation now:

try {

takeoff();

}

catch { //TODO }

try {

flying();

}

catch { //TODO }

/*

*** reserved for ah-64 not in this build.

try {

friendlyfire();

}

catch { //TODO }

*/

try {

landing();

}

catch { //TODO }

/*

this handles a crash if needed after SP1

try {

crash();

}

catch { //TODO - Pilots }

*/

... cause you know they will!

World's first Blu-ray record pressing

Steve Walker
Happy

First real CD?

In 1982 Sony and Philips made the first players and CDs - you could buy.

I then worked at a Philips repair centre and I had a Philips 104 (I think) S/N 000088 - which came with a demo CD of all audio tracks in DDD (remember that on CDs???) - it had some "pop" but mostly classical - the first CD pushed for the masses was Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits - it was all DDD again and was pretty popular at the time - probably still is, I have my copy still and it is as they said in 1982 - still the same!

Regards,

Steve

Ofcom sharpens cutlasses for pirate radio assault

Steve Walker
Go

This makes some interesting reading on the subject ...

Hi,

Not sure how to do a link but here goes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_radio details where some of the Pirates have gone to here and abroad.

Oh and yes DAB encoders/exciters are getting cheaper and appear as test sets on eBay often.

Cheers & Beers

:-)

Creative climbs down over home brew Vista drivers

Steve Walker
Happy

As well

I must say I had an Audigy (original) card in my machine until I "upgraded" to Vista and found it always crashing or just not working and so junked it for the onboard audio which has worked well (for me).

Then I read about all this going on this week and thought what the hell, downloaded the drivers from d_K and installed the card back into the machine, used his drivers and I must say I was impressed that it just worked LOL the feature I wanted was audio out over SPDIF which did not work ever with the Creative drivers. First couple of clicks with the d_K version and I had digital audio out ... No problems. No crashes. Wtf could Creative not have shipped these last year ...

Helped me out :-)

W1NNT number plate vendor mocks L1NUX

Steve Walker

L1NUX on a Puma?

I think (maybe) I have seen that plate on a grey Ford Puma at sometime in the past, I wonder if that's the car it is on.

Not sure if it was the L7NUX or L1NUX, was in a car park as I wissed past.

But what's the fuss - I always wanted them (the DVLA) to release P155 OFF ..!..

S.