* Posts by Tocsin

8 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Jun 2009

This whopping 16-bit computer processor is being built by hand, transistor by transistor

Tocsin

Re: Yes!

Our maths teacher did this to us in 1971 - built on vero boards, 16x 8bit memory, accumulator, command register, counter and a few gates... after one or two attempts to do other things, I spent a (mostly) enjoyable career in IT ;)

(I still have the manual!)

UK probes ebook pricing

Tocsin
WTF?

Odd pricing

I'm not a zealot on eBook pricing, but do draw the line a paying 50% more for the eBook - £6.65 for the hardback and £9.99 for the eBook in one case just meant that I did not buy the author's work at this time...

HP dumps Microsoft's Vail Home Server 'to focus on webOS'

Tocsin

KV Tranquil power

John - watch out for Tranquil's transformers, they seem to be programmed to fail after c.13 months...

I eventually gave up and cannibalised the A3 server I was using, putting whatever I could into an HP MSS box. (Which I will now keep running on WHSv1 as long as possible, then look at the open source and admin-hogging replacements I was avoiding).

Tranquil's box design good, transformer spec and customer service 0/10.

Ditch the malware magnet

Tocsin

PDF munging

"The only function in Acrobat i havent found a replacement for is condensing multiple pdfs into a single pdf file"

ABBYY (who do FineReader) had a PDF Transformer utility that may fit your requirements (I'm a user, no other connection with the company).

Please shut up about the Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash

Tocsin

ted - can't let that one go (and Stuart 25...)

Do you teach your ab initio pilots to fly below or above icing levels? (assuming you taught IMC as well as basic PPL...)

The Chinook in question was not permitted to fly in icing conditions, which were forecast at below the MSL - to fly above MSL (or your MSL +10%) _WOULD_ have been negligence.

The Mull itself was in fog, but a yachty saw the Chinook flying below cloud level - which was the safest possible / only possible place to be flying (given the requirement to fly at all). Does that answer Stuart 25's question?

Why the Chinook impacted the Mull is a question we will never know for sure, but I cannot say "with no doubt whatsoever" that it was pilot error. I also cannot say that the MoD position is defensible "with no doubt whatsoever", and becomes less so as more "hidden" information comes to light.

Why no comment on Haddon-Cave, Lewis?

Chinese firm hits back at cyberspy claims

Tocsin
Unhappy

@Cameron Colley

Yes I know all the usual (and some unusual!) techniques. This is repetitive, consistent (not rotated IP), and massive (many users affected). I tracked back using a well-known use-on-your-own-network-only network mapping software package.

Yes, I am trapping it at the outer firewall, but it is still a pain in the arrse.

I gave the owner the benefit of the doubt in my original email, but the least that should have been done was an investigation and reply...

Tocsin
Flame

When they stop port scanning, I'll maybe listen!

For the last several weeks my computer has been port scanned - tracked back to what appears to be an official Chinese institution in whois (61.139.105.163) .

Emailed the IP address owner - no reply

Emailed the Chinese consul, copied owner - no reply.

Reminder email, no reply.

Will either write (pen and paper!) to the Chinese ambassador, or report the (continuing) incidents to the police for investigation.

RIP Personal Computer World

Tocsin
Unhappy

Another career ends...

I bought the second issue - seen on spec in a newsagent. Then got the back issue, then put in a regular order, then subscribed (still am...), then changed career (to IT from intending optician!).

Earlier this year I took early retirement from that IT role - spooky!

All the best to the PCW crew, and I hope to see your work elsewhere.