* Posts by TheManCalledStan

60 publicly visible posts • joined 30 Jul 2008

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ASUS recalls motherboards that flame out thanks to backwards capacitors

TheManCalledStan
FAIL

QC fail

I suspect overly tight QC being overridden.

Given the different brands of capacitors being used, the original QC camera specs would go red everytime an alternative capacitor was used.

So instead of recoding the QC cameras to look for the stripe only (instead of all the features shown on the cap), they switched it off...

I haven't bought new pants for years, why do I have to keep buying new PCs?

TheManCalledStan

Re: When you say "pants", - nothing wrong with old tech

2008 MAC Pro Quad Core, makes an excellent MInecraft server for my kids and their friends to grief each other on!

Copper broadband phaseout will leave UK customers with higher bills and less choice, says comparison site

TheManCalledStan

Re: "TalkTalk" and "reputable supplier"

Agreed in the now, but the transfer of ADSL customers was in early 2015, the infamous data breach was in October 2015 so at the time they still had a facade of reputability! Alas, no option for Vulture style with strikethroughs to get the tongue in cheekiness across...

TheManCalledStan
Meh

Not really true about VM

"And although Virgin has not had Openreach's legacy copper network to contend with,"

They did have ADSL customers on Openreach copper, but sold them all to TalkTalk... so more accurate would be "Virgin avoided future copper issue by offloading the ADSL "luddites" to another reputable supplier"

Theranos destroyed crucial subpoenaed SQL blood test database, can't unlock backups, prosecutors say

TheManCalledStan

Sharks Patrol These Waters!

Random factoid, Boise, Schiller and Flexner are the company law firm for Theranos, who litigated on behalf of our favourite the SCO group (the case of SCO vs IBM still isn't dead...)

Openreach and BT better watch out for... CityFibre after surprise £537m takeover deal

TheManCalledStan
Meh

Openreach still have the obligation of maintaining copper... OFCOM please man up and say to everyone plan for it's demise... so Openreach have more of an ambitious plan for FTTP and LLU ISPs the game is up don't object to copper withdrawl...

In touching tribute to Samsung Note 7, fidget spinners burst in flames

TheManCalledStan

Why does it need mains charging, shouldn't it be a case of an inductive coil and when they spin it'll charge and they get sound, insufficient spin and no sound!

Comms providers call on Ofcom to get tough on Openreach

TheManCalledStan

It's essentially, "We would like you to hobble BT at all levels, not just BT Wholesale and Openreach", then whilst BT are completely screwed competitively be profitable...and still not invest anything in creating our own networks".

Noticeable, that VM and other network owners like Cityfibre and Gigaclear are signatories... FCS - who are Sky, Vodafone and Talk Talks plans only benefit those who use OR architecture for their networks.

OFCOM and UKgov have been the architects of the debacle that is UK SFBB, by being unable to look to or plan for the future... then subsequently realise that their best for the consumer orientated plans don't work for a dynamic technology based infrastructure that evolves faster than they can run a market consultation!

Pro who killed Apple's Power Mac found... masquerading as a coffee table

TheManCalledStan
Thumb Up

Still life in em yet!!!

I also rescued an old 2 intel processor one from the WEEE pile at work...

it now acts as a media server with SERVIIO holding all my kids DVD movies available for them to watch with no danger of the DVD being turned into coasters!

These workhorses still have plenty of life in them for the right application...

Mighty Soyuz stands proud at Baikonur

TheManCalledStan

Re: Middle Naut

That's very much their public face.

However, if you are fortunate enough to be invited to a Russian's home then things are very different.

They are incredibly hospitable and cheerful in their home environment, with the table soon laden with food, fruit juices and drink.

BT dismisses MPs' calls to snap off Openreach as 'wrong-headed'

TheManCalledStan

Re: New Zealand has done it.

Because NZ has an ideal situation and a proactive government...

CHORUS the NZ equivalent of Openreach is an absolute monopoly

Openreach, has VM as a network competitor (~50% coverage) with 20% of connections market, which VM has promised to expand to ~65-70%, so will have ~25% connections market.

20-25% of market is a significant revenue stream that would help cover a lot of the capital investment required for an equivalent project from a nationalised OR.

BT and Openreach: Splitsville or not? We'll not find out till Feb – at the earliest

TheManCalledStan

Re: The important question...

CHORUS in NZ has an absolute monopoly... Unlike in the UK where there is competition in the most "profitable" parts, which is the main focus of for profit companies... so not a really comparable...

TheManCalledStan

Re: The important question...

Not to say that you put a valid question, but the opportunity for an effective unmessy separation or state owner has past.

A clear government led initiative should have been implemented in the 90s, very early 00s. Ala S.Korea and other forward thinking countries.

But the approach taken was let the market solve the problem when in reality there were 2 markets, the low expense and the high expense infrastructure. The market was never going to solve an issue with that kind of problem...

TheManCalledStan

Re: The important question...

What control does UKgov have over National Grid? It's a PLC, with OFGEM as a regulator...

So no different from status quo with BT.

Netwreck Rail, i agree, state owned company LTD by guarantee... but not really a flagship example of state control...

Natural monopoly? National Grid yes, Openreach no more, for the market segment where VM is not present, yes. So based on VM assertions 30-35% of the country will have BTOR as a monopoly.

CMA to review BT whinge over superfast broadband price setting

TheManCalledStan
WTF?

Really TalkTalk....

Competition is so distorted that TalkTalk can offer their Fibre broadband for free for 12 months.... and give you a £50 shopping voucher...

Ex-competition watchdog and TalkTalk adviser calls for Openreach split from BT

TheManCalledStan

Re: Not 50%

Yes 50%, as in network coverage not connections. I hoped that would have been clear from VM plans to extend coverage to 65-70% (although I wouldn´t out it past them to have a plan for 65-70% connections ;-p)

TheManCalledStan
Meh

NZ is bad example... Chorus has effectively zero competition and a government who is fully engaged an has a real infrastructure plan for fast broadband.

VM provides competition to ~50% of the population which according to VM plans will rise to 65-70%... ie. all the best bits of the market... so not really a like for like situation.

UK.gov finally promises legally binding broadband service obligation – by 2020

TheManCalledStan

Re: Still waiting in our village

Unfortunately, it wasn't the deal... the deal BDUK came up with was for the next affordable ~25%, leaving anywhere between 5-10% with no improvement... politicians then casually substituted the next ~25% for "rural" in all their soundbites and made people like yourself think that it would be a project directed specifically at rural areas. Despite corrections from BDUK, pokliticians carried on with the rural theme and getting the percentages wrong creating even more disappointment...

TheManCalledStan
Meh

A zero cost to government promise... by 2020 BTs ~10Mbps to final 5% promise will be in place... which reading between the lines means that UKgov has decided that a forced demerger of Openreach is not on the cards... otherwise it wouldn't happen due to BT putting everything on hold with the whole thing in court for X years and very little at all happening.

Virgin Media boss urges UK watchdogs not to pick wrong BT battle

TheManCalledStan

I don´t see that request for wayleaves as unreasonable... just that VM would have to have the same obligations as Openreach... Wholesale, equivalency of access/price and USO obligations...

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

TheManCalledStan

Dorothy was finding the optimal position of her 5G trouser antenna to stream 4K films was giving her a bit of a headache...

WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

TheManCalledStan

Dorothy's WebEx demonstration that she couldn't wear the bionic bra as the motion charger had been installed in reverse drew keen viewing!

Another chance to win a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive

TheManCalledStan

Relax! I'm a GM spider, poison been replaced with tattoo ink! So it was a butterfly you wanted on your shoulder, right?

BT circles wagons round Openreach as Ofcom mulls forced split-up

TheManCalledStan

Re: Do it!

But Chorus is a true monopoly... there is minimal competition from other telecoms...

Um... Monopoly = 1 dominant company....VM has 50% coverage which will grow to 66%, so not most but half currently which will shrink...

TheManCalledStan

Re: Do it!

But Openreach doesn't have a monopoly, it has Significant Market Power).

Other utilities operate complete monopolies, in that there are no competing networks in the areas they operate. So unlike NATGRID or other utlity networks there is no guaranteed revenue.

BTOR does have and VM has stated that it will grow it's network to 2/3rds of the country (very likely the most profitable bits), which means that BTOR will have no monopoly in 2/3rds of the most competive/profitable areas... VM is be vertically integrated so has multiple revenue streams to provide investment, hived off OR won't so will need to match VM somehow to diversify revenue stream... but that would be more or less what BT group is at the moment.

BT slams ‘ludicrous’ Openreach report as Vodafone smirks

TheManCalledStan

Re: External Observers would agree with Vodafone

I'd agree with you on the pricing re: Spark complaining if it wasn't for one aspect in the news item.

It's the consumer groups who are complaining about it too...unfortunately the article quoted focuses on Spark, only mentions in passing the consumer groups having issue and no detail.

TheManCalledStan

Re: External Observers would agree with Vodafone

There is no competition to CHORUS though...it's an absolute monopoly.

In the UK VM has 50% coverage of the most profitable bits of the market...

There also seems to be some issues with charges being higher than anywhere else as a result...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11407238

TheManCalledStan

Re: Of course Voda want direct dark fibre access

Newer news story on same issue from same rag... £7BN in liability to the taxpayer.

TheManCalledStan

Re: Free market?

Privatised for £13 billion in 1984.... which is about £40 billion in now money... Doesn't sound very knock down to me...

Mighty Blighty broadbanders beg: Let us lay cable in BT's, er, ducts

TheManCalledStan
WTF?

PIA

They already do have access via Physical Infrastructure Access that OFCOM has regulated.

I'm guessing that these companies simply don't want to pay for leasing access and want it for free???

MPs attack BT's 'monopolistic' grip on gov-subsidised £1.2bn rural broadband rollout

TheManCalledStan

Competition

Never was any, nor could there be any really!

Fujitsu premise was give the whole BDUK lot to us, which really doesn´t differ from BTs.

Virgin Media to hike broadband prices by nearly 7 per cent

TheManCalledStan

Re: Pushing boundaries, but only in a limited way

More important than that, is if VM grows their coverage too much they will become an SMP player and have to wholesale... which would burn their profit margins.

Helium-filled disks lift off: You can't keep these 6TB beasts down

TheManCalledStan

Re: Not enough Helium

Indeed!

Birthday balloons would be far more fun with Hydrogen instead!

We'd have banging parties all the time!

BT: Ofcom's planned wholesale price cap? Just a smidge too tight

TheManCalledStan
Stop

Cut, cut, cut, cheap, cheap, cheap... you get what you pay for.

If OFCOM keeps applying price cuts, it's no surprise to me that BT will only install FTTC and roll out slowly as they are unlikely to get the profit margins that are required for more substantial infrastructure investments.

BT boss barks at TalkTalk for being 'copper Luddites'

TheManCalledStan
WTF?

Could have sworn that the shareholders paid best part of £25B back in the 80s for BT... hardly call that a gift!

Given BT's current market cap is £20B and allowing for inflation, seems that UK gov got a good deal...

TalkTalk to Ofcom: 'Talented, lovely monopolist' BT must be reeled in

TheManCalledStan
Meh

Re: But...

But local loop unbundling is down to the alternative supplier investing and putting their equipment in the exchange and compete. BT has no influence there at all... they have to let alt suppliers into exchanges.

The absence of real competition is down to alternative suppliers not investing in a competing infrastructure like Virgin Media. Only thing is VM is happy at the size it is because they don't have to wholesale.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

TheManCalledStan
Headmaster

Seminal Performance!

Surely Clancy Brown must truly be recognised for his portrayal of Eugene H Krabs in SpongeBob Squarepants!

Wealthy Kensington & Chelsea residents reject BT fibre cabinets

TheManCalledStan
Meh

Re: Virgin Media doesn't have boxes everywhere, why does BT need them?

Telephony service is USO, not BB. The telephony service they provide is perfectly good...

Of course BT could FTTP everywhere and that way it would only take ~20-25 years for roll-out to take place on the scale that people would like... instead of giving people 2/3rds an improved (not ideal, but better) in a 5 year period.

Lawyers of Mordor menace Hobbit boozer

TheManCalledStan
Headmaster

No objections!

I'd say in a letter that, "The Tolkein Estate has not objected in 20 years to the use of the name."

As such, the public house has been making fair use of the name.

iPads seized from shelves by Chinese officials

TheManCalledStan
Meh

Hmm....

So based on the premises provided of China not recognising Taiwan as a self-determining sovereign nation which can't be invaded. The Falkland islands which Argentina has never recognised as being self-determining and under the sovereignty of the UK, can simply "not-invaded" by some relocating troops from the Argentine Mainland?

TheManCalledStan
WTF?

I don't think so!

PRC is going to invade Taiwan to "seize" at the Foxxconn plant?

BT reveals ultra-fast cable blowing plan for homes, biz

TheManCalledStan
Meh

You need a sky package

Sky is only offering FTTC to people who have or take one of their Sky TV packages (£25 at least)... So £25 + £20 + £12.50 line rental = £57.50 where are your savings?

NHS fined £375k after stolen patient data flogged on eBay

TheManCalledStan
Meh

HDD prices

With HDD prices as they are contractors are going to be tempted.

NHS need to realise that they need to get the basics right like verification and onsite destruction.

Some contractors offer this, they have HDD shredders on lorries. They come in with the lorry your IT guys bring the HDD and tip them in a hopper. They can verify that the HDD were destroyed.

It costs a bit more, but it's peace of mind.

Comet 'sold 94,000 pirate Windows CDs', claims Microsoft

TheManCalledStan
Stop

making money

The problem may be that Comet was charging above cost for the discs.

If the discs provided were at cost then there would likely be no issue.

However, by making a profit on the discs they would be in breach of any license agreement they had with MS.

BT fibre rollout reaches Scotland, Wales

TheManCalledStan
Meh

What caps and fups?

There hasn't been any for ages on unlimited products... they've gone for traffic management instead.

Still another 3 million homes worth of exchanges that need to be announced.

Remember, it took NTL and Telewest 15 years, £15billion and bankruptcy to get to 50% of the population that VM now serve.

It's not like ADSL where the engineers go to the exchange and perform an upgrade.

It's go to random place on map, place cabinet.

Contractors come in supply power.

Engineers back to connect everything up.

Then repeat at another random place on map.

It's an indication of this society that they don't understand the logistics required for this infrastructure build, and have this "I expect and want it now attitude".

Telcos snub UK.gov broadband cash pot

TheManCalledStan

@Brian

True Brian, there is USO for telephony and the same for other utilities... in which case costs above £3.5k in the install falls to the customer to pay. Hence, the shocks some people have when they buy a house in the middle of no where with no phone and find it'll cost £18k to run 5 miles of copper.

There is no USO for broadband... how would that be implemented? Solely with BT or for all ISPs? Do you subsidise BT completely for this or force them into a loss situation? What about other companies with nationwide ducting and networks (C&W, VM and Fujitsu), do you leave them out or include them in this plan of yours?

PIA is not a regular lease... it is access to infrastructure. It is currently fit for function, i.e. BT telephony. Geo and VM are complaining about ancillary charges. e.g. when there is a blocked duct, BT want to charge for the work needed to clear it and things liek new boxes,etc.... BT don't need to clear it for their telephone system to work, they will clear it if and when they pass their own fibre through and bear the cost. But why should BT bear the cost for another company's network roll-out? This is the kind of thing VM and Geo don't want to pay for. VM has even quoted what they would like to see charged... which is less than what VM charges contractors when they accidentally damage VMs network...

http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/DerryCitySite/files/8e/8e45ded4-f244-401b-ae75-fd0d143954c9.pdf

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4812-openreach-publishes-lower-prices-for-duct-and-pole-access.html

Don't imagine that the telecoms are altruistic, they put their own spin on all of their annoucements and tailor the PIA requirements to fulfil their own goals, which is to improve their own margins!

TheManCalledStan
FAIL

eh?

Business is inherently risky, if you want to make money safely put it in a bank account...

Geo do not want to take part because it's too risky, fine but don't blame BDUK and BT and OFCOM.

The rules have been out for a long time and were quite clear, leased lines are not part of the deal because BT does not have SMP. There is loads of competition for leased lines, looks more like trying to get a cheap way into a competitive market, without taking on the debt that everyone else has to. Taking on debt for infrastructure is part and parcel of the business, good revenue streams allow you to take the rough with the smooth and survive in the business. If your revenue stream is not large enough for the game, you cannot play in that market segment (simple economics).

PIA is not supposed to be cheap, it's an alternative to creating your own network. This allows you spread your costs. If PIA is unjustly expensive, then surely building your own network is cheaper...

Theresa, don't complain about BT if BE or any other ISP is not LLU'ing your exchange, it means that it's not economical to do so... otherwise those ISPs would have done so already! And BT has nothing to do with those economics!

UK shamed in high-speed broadband study

TheManCalledStan
Holmes

Not surprising with OFCOMs dithering...

Whilst the rest of Europe allowed the rest of their incumbent telecoms companies to begin domestic fibre, OFCOM dithered until 2009 until allowing BT to begin domestic fibre roll-out.

VM burdened by debt has limited capacity to increase it's footprint.

And smaller ISPs don't have the capital for larger roll-outs necessary.

So, the blame is clear OFCOM and UKgov dithering...

Hunt blasts progress on BT infrastructure-share plans

TheManCalledStan
Stop

I don't think politicians are in any position to criticise any organisation about planning abilities and timelines...

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