Posts by Rob

@Samantha

Not too bad for a role model though, I mean you did start of the conversation dirty and then it all ended up very informative, so all in all Santa's still thinking of the children ;)

(Headin' out the door with Santa's coat)

Difficult one....

.... but I think the phrase of "so severe and oppressive as to be wholly disproportioned to the offense and obviously unreasonable" should be taken into context.

I agree that just paying the costs of the tracks would not suffice as you do need to make an example of people to discourage further crimes. If it were me, fair enough I got caught doing something wrong, but if that figure was sterling I would be broke and homeless, which is far too excessive and from what I remember she's a single mother (someone else can verify that or not). Although in this country if she was a single mother that sort of fine would be pointless if she got house benefit, as she would never have any money to pay the fine, monthly or in a lump sum.

(Don't get me wrong I hate the Ass of Amecs as well)

RE: Memory usage

@Allan, your not the only one, my Vista install is running smoothly and performs better than my last remaining XP machine.

One definite improvement is my Vista hasn't fallen over or hung on applications for over 3 months now and the frozen apps that happened before hand always crashed without taking the rest of the system or other processes with it.

Have only experienced 1 BSOD and that was the AV's fault which was corrected with an update the following day.

I do have issues with things like the sidebar, it does and will eat RAM so mine's always switched off, hogs screen real estate as well, it's only an updated version of Active Desktop and that was a nightmare from start to finish. I tend to get my older apps and games to switch off Aero when they go full screen, massive speed improvement for those apps and Vista's ok at switching back to Desktop and Aero a number of times.

I certainly wouldn't touch anything like '98 or millenium just to get a speed increase by trading up on the amount of crashes and BSOD's. Although I still believe 2000 to be the most "robust" of the family, I like Vista has definitely come on leaps and bounds since it's release. I think everyone has been wise to hold off until SP1 though, fingers crossed it will see more improvements.

Not had any issues with Vista networking either, seems to work better than XP's did in terms of speed and reliability (I use it with a number of different WiFi's and routers, discovery and connection are quick enough).

I like WoW....

.... but come on over 2 grand (sterling) for laptop with a bit of graphix plastered over it? If you are a fan and buy the laptop, why would you want another copy of the games.

The more interesting story is...

.... what lead to Ash feeling up his missus sister, tell all (unless your other half reads this site that is, I wouldn't want to contribute to short dry spell for ya).

Definitely a waste of time

I've had a number of projects list on an appraisal, but come the actual appraisal half of them have been ditched and other projects have taken their place but they don't get mentioned as they weren't a "goal" from the last appraisal.

In this case pointless is definitely an understatement.

@Dave Bullions

Carlsberg don't do brewery raids, but if they did........... the men would be clad in black commando gear and would take over the brewery which was being defended by stunning scantily clad female security guards who didn't put up much of a fight but explosions and drama would still ensue....

Re: the CHAV thing

I pointed out I was referring to the Acronym version due to the nature of the article, but it is just one of those words that has been bastardised for modern times.

I'm slightly better off...

... as my clock seems frozen on 2:19 so I'm 4mins closer to heaven.

Disappointed that this BOFH doesn't at least run to 3 or 4 pages, I've now gotta find something else to read for the rest of the afternoon.

Oh bugger! ....

.... we're really setting oursleves up for an arse-kicking in the future.

@Marco

Are you saying we all turn into drooling fools.... DaNM...keyboRaD shORTZiNG OUT

Oh dear, sorry....

.... I've been culling the spawn in my pond each year in an attempt to reduce the amount that visit on a yearly basis.... sorry, not going to stop either cause they make a bloody racket when their humping and the cats keep bringing them in, you ever heard a frog/toad scream (at 3 in the morning it wakes and brings you to your senses pretty sharp).

Cost vs Competence

So what the US have a cheaper build with punch. That just translates to more equipment and fire power to accurately destroy you fellow amercian soliders or allies with.

They may have some really good kit that bests most people but they have an apalling unprofessional fighting force that seems to do more damage politically/pyshically/mentally to everyone but their enemies.

RE: We care!

Just to be pedantic, we aren't but do help the US in being The leading violator in surveillance (globally), have you heard of Menwith Hill?

RE: Ah good we're safe

"US actually invaded Vietnam, in response to the murder of one of their, er, quiet radio operators."

Not quite, the US invaded Vietnam to gain access to the oil drilling rights in the see. Most of the "excess" bombs that were dropped in the sea were for the purposes of ground sounding to see where the best oil fields were.

Even the French weren't stupid enough to think they could win the Vietnam War which is why they pulled out.

As for this listening post, it appears we haven't bent over far enough, as the US cock isn't in far enough. Yet another relationship with the US we get nothing back on except grief.

Sounds like...

... he was gutted he didn't "invent" the internet, smoked something and then came up with this ramblings which is re-inventing what's already there.

I've done that before, so far I have re-invented a mechancial device for washing cloths (Doh! washing machine), horse-less carriages (DOh! Cars etc) and a box on levers and pulleys to move people up and down various levels (DOH! Lift, american translation - Elevator)

Breaking News Lester!

I just heard that the People's Liberation Army for Lexicon Decency has just snatched Mobe from the street. Apparently Mobe was walking down a road local to where it lives, on it's way to the Dole Office, when a black transit pulled up and bundled it in.

A number of witnesses said it happened so fast they didn't even have time to read the number plate. As yet there has been no word from the abductors.

Hmmmm

"Somehow a beach holiday and techie toys don't seem to resonate together very well..."

Judging by the pic they seemed to be doing well, a fine looking machine... (you know the rest)

(No coat, it's hot on this beach)

WOW!

WooHoo!!

Confusion

So when will the confusion ensue with our Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) and it starts dropping students on the enemy, don't get me wrong I don't think that's a bad thing.

(What do you mean you can't find my coat, I have the cloakroom ticket)

Sounds like...

... the EU was running short of cash and needed to make a quick euro.

Does the broadcast industry care seeing as most production is now going tapeless (if it isn't already).

@Doc Jones

"The hysterical Dax Farrer is a good example. Just one of several posters demanding that critics shut up."

I think it's more of a case of put up, as in put up the evidence to support your whining.

It's easy to argue, harder to win without the evidence to back it up though.

(Where was it you bought your title? Send me the URL)

Patents system shite again

Sounds like Sony might never brinf this to market but are applying for it, just so that they can add to their portfolio of patents, like many other companies do nowadays.

How long before all companies stop making products and just apply for patents, we'll have a lot of ideas that are too expensive to license for manufacture.

Sympathies....

I sympathise with those of you that suffer quite badly with a multitude of possible catalysts.

Mine have been down to stress and diet. I'm a firm believer that a large part of the cause of the pain is down to some sort of blood change in the brain. So far we have had 2 other possibilities regarding the chemistry taking place and possible cause. What happened to the theory about every migraine sufferer having a small hole in the heart. Also how does this link to the other theory about blood vessels in the brain being smaller in one area and thicker in another?

Far too many theories get thrown around to do with migraines, I think most of us would like the theories to be a bit more substantial before being published rather than filling us all with some sort of false hope and making us think of half a dozen other possibilities that we could do to our lifestyle to stop them occurring.

Wow..flashback

I'd almost forgotton about Compuserve, like all the others I had my first internet connection with them. My mate and I learnt HTML in a night and used the compuserve pages to create our first website and we got paid for it (I think we we're advertising some software for the Apple (no, not a Mac, they were Apple's back then)).

Happy days..............

C'mon people...

.... what planet do you think you live on, since when have you really had rights, they are just an illusion given to you by the government to help you think you live in a democracy. Since when have we lived in a democracy? Anyone vote for the now current Prime Minister? Anyone making a difference on fuel prices?

Unfortunately we live in a society where the law is next to useless when tackling extremists within a minority group, so what can you do about it, technically nothing, so they can carry on as they please.

Don't get me wrong, I disagree with the whole issue of having to hand over encryption keys but at what point is it ok to carry on like that. Without intervention technology will make everyone grease proof, yes it would be nice to have rights, but if your a pedo and you've locked up all the evidence on your harddrive the police will not be able to touch and those involved will get equally frustrated about that fact leading to lacklustre for the job. It's a vicisious circle, somewhere we ahve to break, how I don't know.

Prehaps all protest groups should be registered with a member list, prehaps the groups should police themselves, weed out the extremists so that the more sensible protestors can distance themselves, who knows. Certainly none of you lot as I haven't heard of any suggestions on how this could be resolved, instead just moans about rights and personal privacy, all of which are important, but if you want to protect then start being proactive rather than reactive.

So in short it seems she is as bad as the extremists as I presume she has done nothing to stop or discourage the extremism within her ranks.

(reaches for flak jacket and runs at the door).

Video Toaster!!

Other people that remember the Toaster, at the time it was the best bit of kit I ever used. Toaster was definitely mind blowing with Lightwave, especially after starting out on Imagine :)

Ah... those were the days.......(he says digging around in his loft for his old Amiga A1200)

B - Paris Hilton

Who do I give the quid to? (what was the prize again?)

Some of you need to take this seriously...

... he's just married something that's not going to talk back (well at least not that he can understand).

Foreplay could be a bit dicey !!

(I think one of you has picked up my coat by mistake, I'm still moving towards the door though.....)

(...... nope it's cold outside, I really need my jacket)

No, the thrill seeking kids...

.... find other kids and beat the crap out of them and film it on their mobiles, only the really thick ones keeping out of the way of the aforementioned yoofs play on train tracks.

@Graham Jordan

In short yes they would, it's easy to detect the signals your talking about and impossible to narrow it down to 1 household as the signal is everywhere right now (currently being received by your fillings if you have any).

The people in the van use a combination of databases and laser microphones. An address that used to have a license is flagged, van pulls up outside house, microphone is pointed at each window, if they a hear a TV show, they'll come a knocking on your door. If your watching downloaded content, I think technically it's out of their jurisdiction, but they'll probably make sure you get done anyway, somehow. Think of them as Traffic Wardens of TV's... also don't forget you can refuse them entry as well, they need a warrant for that.

Kinda disagree....

.... got one of these for my missus as a general camera (she doesn't like using any of my SLR's).

I must admit as a happy-joe-click-all camera it fairs fine, if you have this camera for simply just taking a fairly decent shot then it's great. Most Joe Public's don't even know that the orange glow isn't actually supposed to be there so in terms of it's quality in low-level light conditions, I don't think it fails that miserably. Obviously if you know it shouldn't be there and you find the quality in low-light to be poor, your also obviously someone that should have a better camera from the start.

All in all I would have ranked the score maybe another 5% or so higher (this coming from someone who carries around a 350D all the time as play camera).

WOW!

Want to see pics of this.... anyone?

Too much acid, surely?

Why is it amanfrommars talks more sense about rocket science than he does about IT ;-)

Your all missing the bigger issue!

Which is, why aren't we doing something to make porn surfing safer!

@David Wiernicki

You git, the title of your post now means the whole office knows I was wasting time reading ElReg (laughter is unheard of in our office).

It's a done deal

"HD DVD has the DVD brand, lower manufacturing costs, higher physical resilience and a more complete standard."

Surely with that statement alone, HD-DVD is a winner as it has far more economic benefits to the people of most concern which is the studios. Lower manufacturing costs means higher profit margins.

please, please, please....

let it be successful so that that Apple have to build in the option to untie it from iTunes, I'll immediately go out and buy 2 iTouch's.

In our day...

... our dad used to wake'us up 'alf hour before we had to go to bed... piece of coal and a worm for our tea.... etc.

Coat is well and truly on :)

Perfect tool too catch a Jihadist

Would it not be a good idea for the intelligence community to release the exact same program but with slight modifications, say like reporting on who actually installed it and uses it and also what else is on their computers. The intelligence people could just sit back and watch the info roll in.

I'm pretty sure ....

.... it's not Dominic, the evidence I have is his website, have you read the shite programming he's responsible for!

Now that's shocking! (plus we all know who to blame now, so a good article El Reg)

amanfromMars

He's done 3 posts, quick someone start decoding it, he could be a human sympathiser who's trying to save us from the machines rising.

Why?

"If you visit eBay via its sponsored Beacon application, for example, it would feed details of your activities back to Facebook, which would tell your friends about what you're selling via the newsfeed."

Why would I want to do that? I'm happy to rip joe public off by selling them some peice of tat, but I certainly wouldn't do it to my mates.

I feel sorry for the people that have filled in every detail of the personal info on Facebook, they will probably have a harder time getting away from this flak.