* Posts by fifi

114 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Apr 2008

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Widow lost savings in Facebook stock, sues all concerned for $1.9m

fifi
FAIL

Re: Someone needs to slap that B_TCH and her lawyer!

"This is a simple case of eager lawyer willing to throw a piece of C__P legal suit at a wall and see if it sticks."

Can you blame him? She's got 'mug' written all over her. I'll bet he's got her to invest in his law firm too, selling the fact that they've just taken on a high-profile case involving facebook.

Text-and-drive teens ratted on by AT&T mobe tech

fifi

Down to the parents again

If the parent is paying for, or subsidising the car and/or phone then it's relatively simple to enforce. "If you want that car and/or phone, then it's on my terms including this tech AND 'find my iphone' must remain enabled. If you're found texting while driving, you will lose both"

It's about boundaries.

Numbers don't lie: Apple's ascent eviscerates Microsoft

fifi

Re: Eviscerated?

"There isn't a person in the world who does any *REAL* work that can get by with nothing but a phone or ipad"

I often do and I'm a DBA.

I can 'get by' It certainly wouldn't be my first choice, but I can do everything on an iPad that I can do on my laptop, including various flavours of VPN, ssh clients, RDP and access google docs.

Lithe British youngsters prioritise fun over privacy and security

fifi

Numbers?

Could be a combination of mis-placed naivety and numbers.

Not taking precautions with regards to security leaves you more vulnerable, certainly, but there's so many of them that the chances of it happening specifically to them is so low they never encounter it and consider it a non-issue.

That doesn't mean there isn't a large number of young people who ARE affected by their lack of security but as long as the rest are thinking "It's never happened to me, what's the problem" then their attitudes won't change.

fifi
Trollface

" If you REALLY had 200+ friends, how do you have time to post on a website?

I am proud of my low friend number on Facebook, consisting only of people I know in person"

I have almost 300 facebook friends, all of whom I know in person. Not all of them are local enough to me that I see them all regularly but it's a good way to keep in touch.

You need to get out more and meet some more people ;)

BMW recalls 1.3m motors over fire risk

fifi
Flame

"The glitch has been known to prevent the vehicle starting."

Yes.. I think turning a car into a raging inferno might well prevent it from starting...

World's biggest music streaming service launches - for tech idiots

fifi
Mushroom

Doesn't really surprise me, the level of technical ability (or lack thereof) of many people I encounter scares me. Don't forget that by even reading el Reg, you'll probably going to be years ahead of the average in terms of technical ability.

(explosion icon as that's what some people seem to expect if they press the wrong key)

Electric cars: too pricey until 2030 (or later)

fifi
Go

Not just battery prices

Until range and charge time is addressed, I think petrol powered vehicles will always have a place, even if it's as a second car for longer trips.

More should be spent investing in standard form-factor power cells that can be swapped out like the BetterPlace system, which would allow an electric vehicle to be refuelled in only a minute or two. If that was the case, range would be less of an issue.

Apple purges drunk-driving apps

fifi
Pint

Speed and drink

You can slow down for a speed trap, you can't sober up for a breathtest

Police probe British Anonymous activists

fifi

The true Anonymous?

The people they will pick up from using the publically available apps to assist in the DDOS are very much the "low hanging fruit" to use a bullsh*t cliche.

The people behind the act are the ones that probably didn't do that much hands-on DDOSing and will likely not be caught...

iPhone 4 developers get software update, but will it fix death grip?

fifi

software fix?

I wonder if it's going to do something silly like disable the antennae not in use when making a call, or something.. It wouldn't stop the "short" but it might mean the two antennae aren't interfering with each other while in a call.

UK.gov slams Facebook over Moat fan clubs

fifi
FAIL

offered

As I understand it, he was offered help, but he didn't take it up. Unfortunately, I can't locate my source, nor verify it's legitimacy.

Revealed: Government blows thousands on iPhone apps

fifi
Boffin

plugs?

"show the ignorant how to check spark plugs"

Fantastic..

Does it also show them how to access the plugs an almost any modern car where even replacing a headlight bulb can be a dealer-only job?

Linux IRC server leaves backdoor open

fifi

if and if and if

So 'if' you run Unreal with the backdoor, and 'if' you also have an exploit within reach of the user....

every "if" case required lowers the chance of a systemwide takeover.

fifi

some risks...

Yes, the backdoor enables "a person to execute command with the privileges of the user running the ircd", but that's the rub. It only has the same power as that user.

It does show that linux isn't immune, but it also shows that when it IS affected, the damage is limited to the compromised component, it's not a systemwide takeover.

Also, it should be emphasised that it was only the source code that was affected. None of the binary packages have the backdoor.

Spotify available on TV

fifi

squeezebox

All I want is Spotify on my Squeezebox :(

O2 to step back from unlimited mobile data deals

fifi

No upgrade for me then

I was almost ready to upgrade to an iPhone4. Guess I'll leave it for a while now.

Boffins warn on car computer security risk

fifi
Pint

complexity

I agree with you there.

On one diesel car I had, the pulley came off the alternator so the battery wasn't charging. I still drove several hundred miles, went climbing and camping for the weekend and drove home no problem. (I did buy a spare battery en route just in case)

My last diesel car, however, didn't even manage 40 miles when a pulley wheel delaminated and the belt came off. All the electronics drained the battery in 30 minutes.

Apple-obsessed geeks launch fanboi dating site

fifi

ifancy?

It's been done before.. iFancy is an iPhone OS only dating platform.

Gyration Air Mouse Elite

fifi

reminds me of the Ultra

I had the Gyration Ultra and mobile keyboard several years ago. Apart from the gestures (which I would think can be programmed) and a new casing, I don't see anything new here.

Smartphone app botnet experiment blows up a storm

fifi
WTF?

Shoot in the foot.

Surely this sort of 'research' can only serve to reinforce Apple's argument for a controlled software marketplace?

Hubble snaps space conker bonk aftermath

fifi
Welcome

Conkers? Asteroids?

Looks more like a Klingon bird-of-prey decloaking if you ask me.

Directgov battles terrorism with report-a-website page

fifi
Grenade

Facebook?

Judging by the content of many wall posts on various groups, by white british people on Facebook, which are rather "vocal" against muslims, I'd expect facebook to be taken down quite soon.

UK moob jobs rocket 80 per cent

fifi

phnar?

I thought it was spelt fnaar. Consider me informed.

Stranded Hartlepool pair refuse coastguard rescue

fifi
WTF?

Just can't win.

I can't help thinking there's a potential Darwin award in there somewhere, but if they HAD left them, then there'd have been a public outcry.

IMHO, as long as the wood is more important to them than their own safety, then they don't need rescuing.

Vote, vote, vote for Barbie the computer engineer

fifi
Thumb Up

Accesories?

A electrified firesafe, complete with beancounter Ken locked inside?

A USB stick of pr0n and incriminating emails?

Fujitsu: 'iPad? That's ours'

fifi
Grenade

Windoze POS?

They look suspiciously like the handheld POS that the Apple retail stores use.

Compulsory perv scanners upset everyone

fifi

Euope?

Is this going to become another time that we end up with the nasty-bureaucratic-want-to-control-us EU protecting us from our own government?

iPhone OS update sticks customers with premium call bills

fifi
Stop

Who clicks on adverts anyway?

I'm always amazed at how effective these ads are. Simple solution, don't click on it

Multi-million investment hints at UK battery swap shops

fifi
Thumb Up

Underestimated

This technology isn't getting the coverage it deserves.

One of the biggest barriers to the Electric vehicle market is range. While you might well get 200 miles out of a batter, as long as it takes hours to charge, it's not going to be a viable alternative to petrol or Diesel. With this swappable battery technology, the range question is no longer a serious issue.

Sun squeals over 'UK's first iPhone baby'

fifi
Thumb Down

Didn't work for us.

The iPhone app was about a week out on our actual conception date, compared to what it suggested.

Google Wave invites stack up - who's still playing?

fifi
FAIL

almost useable.

It would be a good tool for me, where I want to communicate, collaborate and chat to colleagues that I never, or very rarely see face to face. But, it's just too slow and flaky to be usable yet. Search doesn't always work. Can take hours, if not days, for a wave to appear in a new folder when it's been moved, adding new members to an existing wave means they sometimes can't see the historic content... the list goes on.

I know it's in preview, but a lot of these are pretty fundamental problems, and unless some changes start to show, it's not going to go anywhere.

Discrimination warning over airport body scanners

fifi
Flame

Profiling?

I find it somewhat ironic that while it's widely accepted that the most effective way of identifying potential risks is down to profiling, it's also being argued that it's in breach of privacy or human rights.

What about my right to be defended by the state in the optimal way?

Peppa Pig told to belt up

fifi
Grenade

ffs...

Have NO parents got any backbone these days?

If the little girl wants to act like a pig, then she should be treated like one till she sees sense.

French top MOT failure league

fifi
FAIL

Context?

This info is, essentially, worthless other than for some pub chatter.

If a car fails on ANY of the following:

Tyres, Lighting where a bulb has blown, road wheels, driver view, a corroded exhaust on a vehicle more than 5 years old, signalling where a bulb has gone, reg plates, suspension on older cars.

Then how can it be a reflection of the car's reliability?

I could have a nearly new Toyota which would fail with bald tyres, a worn wiper, and a few blown bulbs, none of which are an indication of a vehicle's reliability, or pass with a 1964 AC Cobra, which has a 50% failure rate according to this report, because the driver has taken the care to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy.

Statistics fail

Rogue phishing app smuggled onto Android Marketplace

fifi
Grenade

Duck's bottoms

Some complain that Apple's approval process is overly strict, and it does seem a somewhat slow and tedious process from time to time.

However, we need to remember that those of us reading El Reg are those who, I'd hope, have some semblance of technical knowhow, and I think readers forget the general inept, ill-informed and generally gullible nature of the average user. I think the Android Marketplace will probably be locked down, but not to it's detriment despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the geek community. For Android to succeed as a consumer OS on consumer handsets, it has to, to borrow and appleism, 1: just work and 2: gain the trust of it's userbase. Without those, it will fail in the massmarket and be relegated to the realms of geeks and gadgets.

You can't have it both ways. You either want it to become a popular and mainstream success, or remain a near-infinitly flexible platform that -you- can tweak without the interference of BigBrother determining what apps you can and can't install.

Pioneer puts Pandora Radio in your car

fifi
FAIL

Need?

no. I don't "need" a cable to connect it to the stereo.

But unless a wireless connection can:

Charge the phone

Hold the phone securely

Allow me to control the iPod with my steering wheel controls,

I might as well take advantage of the cable connection.

fifi
Dead Vulture

UK?

That's fine, but when will Pandora be available in the UK?

it's a rather important issue for the UK readership.

No more dirty phone calls

fifi
Thumb Up

Old hat

bring back the Nokia 6250.

That thing was bombproof.

I liked scaring my friends by dropping it in pints of beer, and lobbing it carelessly across the room :)

Yorkshire Ripper loves Wii Bowling

fifi

reasoning

I should clarify my previous comment:

If they are buying Wii Fit as a way of improving fitness, then it's a waste of money.

If they came clean and said it was a way of occupying their time, it might still cause some comment, but it would be a far more honest use of the money.

fifi
FAIL

Wii unfit

http://news.olemiss.edu/index.php/200912164777/wiifit.html

recent research has shown that WiiFit has pretty much bog-all effect on fitness.

Yet another waste of money

Monty launches frantic 'save MySQL' web campaign

fifi
Unhappy

forks and docs

Yes, you can fork the code. Drizzle, MariaDB and Percona are all working on this. However, you can't fork a brand, and at the enterprise level, and in the board-room, it's the MySQL name that they're paying for support on.

Also, AIUI, the documentation isn't GPL'd, and as such, can't be "forked" in the same way the code can. Unless someone is willing to reverse engineer all the functionality and document it as such, then the documentation isn't going to leave Oracle's hands, at least not without, I'd expect, a hefty licence fee.

fifi
Unhappy

why sell...

...and I forgot to mention this, but while Monty and David were, indeed, the founders and certainly had a say in the running of MySQL, they weren't to my knowledge, majority shareholders, and even if they had been dead set against the sale of MySQL to Sun, their votes alone wouldn't have stopped it.

So no, I don't think they've sold out. Certainly some things could have been done better, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The best (of the worst) patent claims of 2009

fifi
Boffin

Gloves

I've been toying with the glove design myself. I use my iPhone for music and sat-nav in the car, and the only thing preventing me from using it on my motorcycle is that I can't operate it with gloves on. Equally, you can't easily remove a glove while riding.

I think, however, that some sort of "finger tip" that you can apply to your own gloves would be a better bet.

US mum calls 911 over Grand Theft Auto

fifi
Troll

electrickery?

I'd have thought pulling the circuit breakers would have been quicker.

Official: British telly really is almost all repeats

fifi
Megaphone

Value for money?

they wouldn't produce value for money, they'd produce the most profitable, lowest common denominator tripe imaginable. At least with the licence fee they are some-way accountable for the crap that's pushed out.

Wireless e-car recharge tech within range?

fifi
Go

hot swap?

I still think easily swappable power cells is the way forward here. By all means improve charging options, and work on the technology, but I doubt any charging technology will be as quick as swapping a flat cell out for one that's fully charged.

Work on a standardised form-factor, develop testing, storage and charging rigs that can be deployed at service stations, and suddenly the limited range of electric vehicles becomes far less of an obstacle.

Unused phone lines to be taxed for rural broadband

fifi
WTF?

wtf?

We use cable for data only.

A BT copper line is "made abvailable" but we don't use it, nor pay line rental on it to anyone.

We use VOIP over the cable for our geographic home phone number.

From this, and section 3.3 and 3.6, it would seem that we need to pay the tax twice, once for the cable internet, and once for the BT line that's redundant. I wonder if we can request BT to remove the line from the local junction box.

Footie fans flock to clock 'Miss of the Century'

fifi
IT Angle

pointless

I still can't see the attraction of watching overpaid prima donnas kick a ball about.

Google moves tanks onto property market's lawns

fifi

stop and think for a moment...

If the house is empty, what is there to rob?

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