Posts by The BigYin
2838 posts • joined Tuesday 25th March 2008 12:38 GMT
Page:
"even 'moderate' muslims have fairly dodgy right wing views, concerning things like homosexuals and [women's] rights"
So do many Christians. I give, as one example, gay marriage (still rumbling through the process). As a further example, I give you "Intelligent Design". If you want to see real Christian extremists, go look at the USA with the Westboro Baptists etc.
This isn't a Muslim problem, this is a "fuckwit" problem (or a "lacking in education and societal enlightenment" if you prefer). But "fuckwit" covers all bases nicely (EDL, sky-fairy zealots et al).
Re: Irony
"If you don't know, that's an awful lot of Diet Cokes, given that Islam forbids alcohol."
So does Christianity.
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. [Romans 13:13-14]"
There are other quotes.
And in point of fact, I know Muslims who drink. Much less common than drinking Christians, I grant you that.
Re: Irony
I had the unfortunate occasion to be at a motorway services when they arrived. At first I thought it was a biker's outing as the uniforms looked the same (and there is a massive amount of racism in UK biking, most bikers* IME are xenophobes). Then I noticed the buses and paid more attention to the slogans on their clothing.
I left. Quickly. As I think many others did.
*I said "bikers" not "motorcyclists". Difference.
Anonymous are probably worse than the EDL. The Anons can read and write for starters....
Oh FFS
The EDL are a bunch of hate-filled, knuckle-dragging troglodytes who think all their ills are caused by someone else (I suggest they try looking in the mirror to discern the cause of any problems they may have).
However
They have every right to be a bunch of hate-filled, knuckle-dragging troglodytes and publishing their names is just encouraging some other hate-filled, knuckle-dragging troglodyte to do something stupid.
If the EDL break the law (e.g. ABH, incitement to riot etc etc) then let the police deal with them.
If you meet a member of the EDL and they try to engage you in debate, remember that they still deserve respect and it's their ideas that do not. (I strongly suggest that you only do this with an escape plan as their concept of "debate" is often "he who punches hardest and fastest, wins").
Re: Easy answer then
1. Good. Hopefully they close a few loopholes and we can see an end to PFI etc as well.
2. I never said it did, but Apple (like any company) has no requirement to be ethical; merely legal and hopefully profitable for their shareholders.
(And for the avoidance of doubt, the "shut up" in my comment was aimed at our gum-flapping, elected officials).
Re: Easy answer then
Have Apple (or Google or Starbucks...) broken the law? [Yes/No]
Yes - Fine the companies and prosecute those involved.
No - Tough. Either shut up or change the law.
Re: The police already knew about these guys
Simple. If they don't use the powers they have, they can claim they don't work and that they need more powers.
All increasing surveillance does is force people into using strong encryption which makes the situation worse.
Or...
...educate people that one sky fairy is no better than another sky fairy because their (probably) is no sky fairy at all.
Re: And...
All that is needed are parental/block controls on the account settings on-line. Default to off.
Or are UK parents too cretinous for that and we must all now be censored "for the children"?
Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-!
And it was Labour who pushed forward with PFI etc which is simply another dodgy accounting ploy to hide the true cost, as well as enrich their tax avoiding chums.
Our MPs are long on talk, and very short on action when it comes to all this, have you noticed?
Maybe we should tax hot air!
DRM: Digital Repression Mechanism.
And...
...last night in the pub I find out that O2 by default censor Internet access.
Someone needs to look up "fiat money".
That said, I don't trust the Bitcoin infrastructure. I guess I simply don't know enough about how it works, and with life being too short to do everything, this is one thing I am letting slip by.
WHAT?
Payment can be taken without positive action from the cardholder?
Screw that!
Re: Just a shame that....
Gamers know who nvidia are, get them first, keep the platform open (which would be a first for nvidia), let the innovation run rampant and the rest will follow with gen 2.
Sony used to do cheap crap and Nintendo did basic game&watch things. Then they changed the game.
Interesting
But how can it succeed if it doesn't run Windows 8? :-)
Re: Good to see
It is worth mentioning that if they were a British company, they wouldn't have to worry about that because they'd just have to buy the right person dinner.
Re: So what is the difference between No. 10 and 1600 Pennsylvania
The UK give you a bit more choice. You can vote for:
The right-wing, public school old-boys; or
The right-wing, public school old-boys.
Umm...yeah.
Good to see
Unlike the UK, the USA's bark usually has some bite behind it.
And they are surprised by this?
Who do they thing sets policy in the UK? It sure isn't MPs and hasn't been for a long, long time.
Hence the tax laws we have, the complete lack of banking regulation, the destruction of the railways and now the dismantling of the NHS.
Typical hypocrisy
On the one hand you have the PAC screaming about tax dodging.
On the other you have a nice dinner wiping £2 billion from your tax bill.
On the third (the one under the table) you stuff £150 million to your pals.
THIS is exactly what it wrong with the Tories and Labour. That right there.
Hypocrites to a person.
Neat
Installed and trying it - quite neat really. I miss some features like my weather widget, but as an exercise in UI design is it interesting.
No real surprise
Some of HMRC's offices are run from a tax haven. I shit you not.
Only in the UK would the tax inspector sell their own buildings to a company operating out of a tax haven.
Want to avoid paying taxes? Just buy the head of HRMC a nice dinner. Job done!
Want to change tax law? Just second a few accountants to the right MP. Job done!
Want to de-regulate banking? Just stuff the banking regulator with bankers who don't want regulation. Job done!
Is it any wonder the country the fecked?
Labour and Tories both to blame in equal measure as the are both cut from the same cloth.
Too quick to cosy up to their rich chums and gouge the tax-payer to enrich them further.
Inquiring minds want to know
Will the new audio drivers mean PulseAudio finally works?
Re: mothers day
Modern mother's day started in the USA, it has no real connection to Mothering Sunday. Mothering Sunday was to do with visiting one's "mother" church. Although Mothering Sunday has, overtime, acquired the trappings of the USA's Mother's Day (but keeps it's original date).
Just like Father's Day, Mother's Day (and Grandparent's Day and Secretary's Day and...) is just an attempt to get people to buy more cards and tat. Seriously, if it takes Hallmark to advertise a day in the calendar for you to remember to say to your mother/father you love them (or your secretary that are doing a good job or whatever); then you are a cock of the highest order.
Semi-rant ends.
One question
Does the smart meter benefit me as the consumer?
No?
Feck orf then.
Re: correction
Not really.
So long as you have verified the contact (by some means) and they have need to see the data (for whatever reason) you can send it (or let them retrieve it). That communication should, however be secured and the recipient required to keep their copy secure until they are done with it (whereupon it should be destroyed).
I wouldn't reply to a random email though. I'd call the company and then ask them for an FTPS site, GPG key or something similar.
Re: @Radbruch1929
Yeah, the whole "orphan works" thing has never really sat well with me. Just because one doesn't know who made it (and under what license it was released) should not give one the right to use it; unless one knows for a fact it's so old as to be out of copyright.
Imagine if the argument were (sort of) flipped:
"Why did you Torrent that film?"
"Well, m'lud, there were no opening or closing credits and my best efforts could not identify the owner."
"Fair enough. Case dismissed. NEXT!"
Lunacy.
"Apple told me they carry out spot checks for security reasons. But I don't think any private company should have the right to ask you to send over such personal documents by email."
They have the right to ask, you have the right to tell to go and fiddle with themselves.
Also, never, ever send such data in the clear via email. It's why we have encryption and other security measures.
Re: The problems it causes.
"free software can and indeed does in many cases implement DRM, there is a world of difference between free software which can be closed source, and open source software"
You clearly have no idea what free software is.
Once a bastion of freedom...
...and the free exchange of ideas, the Internet is not to have a Digital Repression Mechanism installed into its core.
The W3C are fundamentally wrong on this one.
E&Y you say
One of the largest advisors to the government on tax issues, you mean.
All the big accountants control government tax policy, it's in their interest to do so in order to allow them to sell "solutions" to their clients.
Does PAC no realise they are interviewing the very people who wrote the law?
If the government doesn't want tax loop-holes, stop asking the people who profit from tax loop-holes to write the friggin' law!
And IF Google has evaded tax, why is the PAC running the shown and not HRMC?
You know, HMRC. The people who sold their buildings to a company in a tax haven.
Not Orlowski?
I would have thought this would have been covered by the resident "IP" zealot Orlowski.
Or did he pass because it doesn't reinforce his prejudice?
Re: Somebody PLEASE!!!!
GIMP is not 100% PS compatible as it does not render 100% of PS's layers/objects/filters with 100% accuracy, 100% of the time; which would be a mandatory requirement to act as a PS replacement in a professional shop.
Oh, and GIMP doesn't have CMYK support (bug 123598), so it's a non-starter as a PS replacement.
This is simply a case of PS being the de facto standard, and that means you have to support it and its features (which will be hard due to patents).
That all said, GIMP is fine if that's all you use and all you need. Nothing wrong with GIMP. It's just not PS.
Re: Wave hands madly and-
"I'm sorry hplasm, this media is protected by DRM and I am unable to print. Please contact www.hotnsweaty.com for a license"
Re: I really don't like the idea of gesture TV
You put gaffer tape over the lens. Beyond a power button, the TV itself has few/no controls.
Congrats, you just bout a £1,000 paperweight.
I really don't like the idea of gesture TV
How does the TV know the gesture was mean for it and you're not simply swatting away a fly?
Facial recognition? Does it know you are focused on it?
OK, so how do I know it isn't doing anything else with that data? Where are the safeguards for my privacy?
Will TV start reporting when I look at the screen, what I look at etc so ads can be targeted at me even further?
Where are the safeguards against me being further gouged by Big Media?
"5 pairs of eyes are detected, this film is only licensed for 4 pairs of eyes at once. Please upgrade your license at www.bastards.com"
There are none. The TV is becoming even more the agent of Big Media rather than the owner's device.
Easily solved in on fell swoop though; mandate that the TV's OS, applications and drivers have to be GPL and user serviceable. Done.
"Oh, but innovation blah-de-blah-de-blah..." Bullshit. Innovation explodes when there is freedom. I give you "The Internet" as one example. Imagine the uses that could be used if hackers had freedom, here is but there:
1) TV that doesn't report back to mother (or doesn't without your express and informed consent).
2) TV that modifies the picture and then puts it into a person's field of view (for those with certain vision issues)
3) TV that will access any Internet service you see fit, not the OEM's walled garden.
The privacy and security of users trumps any industry desires. Always.
Re: Question
Another thought on distance. If the likes out AutoTrader and give me a radius of a postcode, why can't recruitment sites filter on same? Actually I know the answer to that, because I asked someone when they wanted me as a DBA in Southampton.
"Oh" they said "I didn't look at the regions, I just did a keyword search."
So even if the sites did offer it, the recruitards wouldn't use it!
Fucking morons. End of.
Re: Question
Err...no. How about they switch on their brains.
Areas considered: Edinburgh.
Is London in Edinburgh? Is Edinburgh in London?
No.
And that's before we get to the skillset.
As for travel distance...a satnav map would seem to help here. Long/Lat of target post code. Long/lat of start postcode. Distance between? Fudge that by adding, what, 10%? Assume an average travel speed of...40mph? Bingo, bango, bongo; there's yer time. (Note: you will need to gather some better data on distance fudge-factor and average speed).
Is it accurate? No, but it's a damned sight better than annoying me for about jobs I don't want to do in places I don't want to live.
When Joe Miggins of Boggins Recruitment calls me up about some wholly unsavoury job, I simply assume that they (and their company) are a bunch of buzz-word bingo bottom feeders. I don't think I've been wrong yet.
And anonymity is given another stabbing
Without anonymity, there is no privacy. Discuss.
I do not have, nor do I want, a Farcebook account due to things like this. But all it takes is a friend who does to tag me and BAM....my name is there and I can no longer escape the machine.
Maybe it's time to start a new trend and wear dazzle.
Re: Good.
This. In spades. And not just homoeopaths - all pedallers of quackery and pseudo-science. Unless, of course, they can prove it works under proper (verified, repeatable, fully-blinded) trials. Which they can't.
What about everyone else?
Will the civil servants etc who purchased these face censure? (My guess is no)
Did any person from the UK aid their sale (e.g. ECGD, MP, civil servant)? Will they face censure? (My guess is no).
Now that he has been prosecuted, can we now move on to homoeopathy, chiropractors, mediums etc etc?
Re: As I predicted
I like the look of the Surface hardware. That's a semi-decent concept.
The OS is a pile of vomit, as is the lock-in
Re: Values
I have little issue with kids and guns (no, I don't own any or shoot).
Kids killing kids with guns, that's an issue.
But so is kids killing kids with anything really.
I've got some Borax downstairs. Maybe you should provide a link to that as well.
And cooking oil. That's dangerous too, when hot. Can you give me a link please?
Knives! My goodness, I forgot about the knives! Best give us a link so we can all be safe!
Water! ARG! You can drown in that! Link please! Help me! I'm scared to go in the kitchen!
You are beyond ridiculous, Badvok.
You have to consider intent.
Kids hurt (and kill themselves) climbing tree. What do you want to do? Expel kids for doing what kids will do?
She needs a bollocking, sure, but not expulsion.
Question
When I say I want a permanent job doing Java-type stuff in Edinburgh; why do I constantly get calls for contract work doing C# in London?
Oh wait, I remember why; they are morons!
A waste of my time, their time and the client's money.
Re: Another PR stunt by MPs
Yeah, because Eire's economy it's a doing sooooooooo well.
Face/palm
Re: @The BigYin: Another PR stunt by MPs
MPs cannot accuse Google of immoral acts whilst they themselves do similar things.
Changing the law to get money from Google and protect themselves is also immoral.
They have one clear choice and they are not taking it. Too busy with this circus which achieves nothing.
I would be better of if the UK had proper tax enforcement. The purported £2billion from Vodafone would have been a good start. But no; one handshake and all gone. The culprit in all this faced no censure!
Actual banking regulation would be good too.
Our MPs are long on words but very, very short on action.
