Posts by Alan Gregory 1

Root the camera?

A while back I was given a number of Nooks, they required online activation which was fine until the servers were switched off.

Fortunately yes pretty easy to access the nook via alternate methods and activate it locally.

Anyone have any suggestions as to cameras that support smart home protocols that can be pointed to nas drives for storage?

Wrong Title and not enough respect to the title Engineer

Two points here

First is that the term 'Engineer' is hopelessly mis-used.

Too many people call themselves engineers when they have no right to do so.

Those people at Microsoft don't help matters by creating those pesky MCSE courses either.

I'm sorry but that particular qualification means, at best, you can call yourself a technician. Not an engineer.

To be an engineer you need to have, at least, a bachelors degree in an suitable subject, an appropriate level of experience and pass the entry requirements for one of the accredited institutions such as the IMechE.

IIRC they actually have recently increased the requirements from Bachelors degree to Masters for all new entrants.

So anything that helps bring back the prestige to a title that, in terms of study, is equivalent to that of a Doctor or Barrister.

Second point is that getting the Queen to head up the prize is absolutely ridiculous, what connection has she ever had to engineering other than possibly opening a few factories?

A more appropriate choice would have been Sir Joseph Whitworth who pioneered the idea of standards in engineering. Specifically with regards to screw threads. This development meant that items could be designed in different factories and assembled in remote locations safe in the knowledge that it would all fit together.

Something that is seen today in every industry. Think back to the RFCs or the development of standard PC architecture in recent years.

Arguably Joseph Whitworth was the giant upon whose shoulders Brunel rode because the rapid expansion of the railways, bridges and iron clad ships would not have been possible without the work performed by Whitworth.

Crossley what a twonk

You can debate the rights and wrongs of what Crossley was up to but one thing is inexcusable.

When the personal details of over 20,000 individuals were leaked due to the rank incompetance of Crossle - some of whom were no doubt innocent, but the data doesn't make that distinction - he could have and indeed should have, according to the code of conduct for solicitors and the ICO, contacted those who were affected.

The fact he didn't should have resulted in a larger fine and if this is the way the ICO deals with the single largest data leak before Sony decided to join the fray then they are not fit for purpose.

acs law

Any chance el reg can get a comment from crossley?

Find out how things compare to his trains punctuality or coffee queue.

dodgy percentages

The way the percentages are calculated is screwed.

Due to the amount of coursework a sizable number of students go into the exam knowing they have already passed. Conversly a sizable number of students know that they have failed before the exam and so don't bother to turn up.

And the famous 96.7% pass rate is based on number who pass divided by number who turn up.

What they should do is base the percentage pass rate on numbers who sign up for a levels against those who walk out two years later with a pass. Unfortunately as that would drop the percentage pass rate to c 60% politically that won't happen.

first thoughts on headline

'Eruption in Iceland'

I first thought had kerry katone been on the sauce again......

I'll get my coat

More like old tin foil hat

Weren't the ghostbusters crossing proton beams in excess of 10TeV decades ago??? Proof that nothing untoward will happen.

Election date

Why the big speculation about the election date.

I've known for three months that the election will be on May 6th.

How do I know?

In december I've had 2010 calanders pushed through my door from the three main political parties and all three of them had May 6th highlighted with a note reminding me to vote for the respective candidate.

So what will work?

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ship him over

Am I the only one that thinks it's a tad suspicious that the Aspergers, rather conveniently, surfaced once McX realised he was looking at a long stretch in a maximum security prison in America rather than six months in an open prison just down the road.

Are we to allow the legal precedent to be set that you commit a crime, develop an illness after the event and dodge justice because you aren't very well???