Posts by Jeff Deacon
164 posts • joined Wednesday 6th June 2007 13:42 GMT
Re: HS1/HS2 link not HS capable
Ah, getting close!
But there was a private scheme (Central Railways Ltd) to provide such a link specifically enhancing freight capacity and removing it from the passenger railway. I seem to remember it being roundly condemned by all, especially the government, and it sank without trace. Now what is being proposed is a higher cost, more intrusive scheme that will not address the real transport needs. Just as good as any other Government sponsored scheme then!
I would venture to suggest that the EU bit is to insist that any new railways built in Britain are to their TGV standards, and therefore incompatible with the vast majority of the British railway system. Nothing new here either!
Re: well hold on there pardner...
Win+r certainly works on this Win98 box, though it has been updated with Unofficial Service Pack 3.
http://www.htasoft.com/w98se.htm
How about we stop whinging ...
... and support ReactOS instead?
http://reactos.org/
Buy them a pint or something
When are we going to get ... ...
When are we going to get the proportionate investigations of the Mail and Trinity Mirror?
According to the ICO report (see Guido for a link), the Mail group are many times more prolific at this hacking lark, and Trinity Mirror beat the total of Mail and News International offences into a cocked hat! But the purpose of this Grauniad and BBC inspired attack is to destroy the Murdoch organisation. So there will be no investigation beyond the Murdoch organisation.
Please can we have an "Uncle Joe Stalin" icon?
title
Most of the trains from Warwick to London have power supply at each seat to permit you to recharge during the journey, and have enough power left to gossip/surf all day in London.
Posted in US proposes online IDs for Americans
titular thingy ... ...
As a data collection exercise, it strikes me as being like the TIA or MATRIX disasters, except that it has the veneer of a purpose, whereas the two previous attempts were just pure central government data acquisition.
Why have we got control freak governments everywhere?
re: back office
It seems they are moving every system across to the Lloyds equivalent. In branch procedures recently changed as well. My guess about the length of down time for the web site is that it is to ensure everyone has forgotten what went before, so that when the "new" (ie rebadged Lloyds) offering is "unveiled" everyone will acclaim it.
The greed of the managers who destroyed the rather successful Halifax Building Society should be recorded in the annals of British financial mismanagement.
+ 1
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Posted in Police hit delete on DNA profiles
Don't hold breath
It would be good news if ACPO Ltd had a track record of doing what they have been told. For example the Home Secretary has instructed an end to the target culture within the police. To the Plod on the ground, there appears to have been no discernible change.
Put that beer back on ice, and don't hold your breath.
(Please can we have a "blue in the face" icon?)
Posted in Prosecutors kick Phorm case upstairs
Apparently ...
police officers (not the high ups) refer to this "organisation" as "Can't Prosecute Sh1t".
Posted in Ofcom slaps down ham botherer
In Amateur Radio, we have the only hobby with its own International Treaty!
Let us also not forget that it was a radio amateur (Phil Karn, KA9Q) who made networking a practical proposition for the masses. He wrote only the second implementation of TCP/IP. His own web site tells the story at:
http://www.ka9q.net/code/ka9qnos/
and notes that it has now served its day.
But elsewhere radio amateurs are still making progress in many forms of electronic communication.
G1TRL
The shit floats to the top
Just a small technical point:
Turds produced from a diet rich in fat float. If the diet has little fat, the turds sink.
Just thought you'd like to know ... yes, I'm on my way ...
"...unemployed PM" ??
He may no longer be PM, but he still has a constituency to represent in Parliament; a duty that he has signally failed to discharge. Perhaps he ought to do that before all this self aggrandisement.
Beer 'cos its Friday.
ACPO Ltd
ACPO Ltd is the cause of the problem, not its cure.
Orange will have the upper hand.
T-Mobile just wanted out, so Orange will be supplying all the management of the new "joint venture". It's an Orange takeover.
downwards, alas ...
Of course Orange will drag T-Mobile downwards, it's what rationalisations do - lowest common denominator and all that.
Already voted with my wallet, and taken my T-Mobile PAYG number off to ASDA Mobile (Vodafone reseller at a fraction of the price).
link is refered as phishing site → #
Me too.
"Phishing Site Blocked"
"We prevented you from loading this page as part of our safer, faster, and smarter DNS service."
IWF on Steroids? Anyone got the numerical address?
I don't often do "me too" replies ...
but in this case I will make an exception.
Fastmail provides an excellent service, run by people who want to provide an email service. The moment Opera changes it into part of their wider "offering" it will have started the downhill trend.
Those who are thinking of migrating away might want to consider Virus Free Email at https://www.vfemail.net/ They have a similar charging structure. Again, not part of the "big business" of the internet.
In the UK ...
what are the log files that one should ask for when told the usual story that its been deleted/camera wasn't working/not entitled/etc? Anyone from PlodIT who could slip us an anonymous tip?
No a lot!
You don't really need an answer to that question, just say NO
Not only that, but also ...
The quick route that M$ pushed this through the ISO was on the basis of OOXML already being a "de-facto" standard widely in use.
Mot only should M$ get shafted for trying this on, the ISO should also suffer for having let M$ abuse their due process so severely.
Time to get the re-votes that were ridden over roughshod by committee "rules".
"As the PND develops, the code will be updated by the NPIA."
The NPIA is a wholly owned subsidiary of ACPO Ltd, the private limited company that brags about being the equal of a democratically elected government [see the box towards the top right of the front page at www.acpo.police.uk].
Well, it cancelled my expansion hopes!
I am a one-man business at present. I thought about taking someone else on about a year ago, as there seemed to be plenty of work to support two. But then I started to look at the legislation and obligations that surrounded that move.
It was more profitable to turn away good business.
WHat happened to Mozilla selling users browsing habits?
Early in the development of Firefox 3, they announced that they would be selling their users' browsing habits to Giggle (who fund much of Mozilla anyway), in much the same way as if you had installed a Giggle Toolbar. Never did hear if they had backed away from that, so never bothered to change to version 3. Actually 2.0.0.20 works very nicely thank you! I just hope all the exploits are aimed at the new glitzy features that only exist in version 3.
Just out of interest ...
Just out of interest in this minefield of stat-porn, does anyone have an idea of the number of sites blocked by the Chinese to protect their citizens against the very same sort of evil?
Precisely ...
You have outlined precisely why I refuse to use Chip & PIN in any retail transaction.
When the law is changed to force banks and merchants to accept the same liabilities as if a cheque had been used, then I will reconsider my stance. But not until.
Posted in Lotus Symphony 3 beta goes OOo
Re Historical Symphony
I had always thought of Symphony as the junior partner to Smartsuite (WordPro, 1-2-3, Approach, etc). Symphony was what you got bundled with your new PC in an attempt to get you to pay for Smatsuite.
Re: Inevitable and unstoppable
Don't worry too much about the election, it won't make blind bit of difference on two counts:
1. There really isn't any difference between NuLabour and BluLabour. After all, Cameron is the "heir to Blair", and the rot really got underway on Blair's shift.
2. Our government is no longer in Westminster, but in Brussels where they merely pull the strings of the pseuds in Westmonster. Since they signed the Lisbon Constitution Treaty, our Prime Minister has been required by EU law to do what is he told by Brussels. The only question that he is permitted to ask when our national government in Brussels has said "Jump!" is "How high, sir?"
As for your question, YES. "Selected for special treatment" springs to mind.
Ofcom Self-Justification
Am I being far too cynical? Or is this Ofcom (aware of the Tory intentions on its long term non-survival) trying to get its defence in first.
They know that by the time our Dear Leader finally agrees to an election, there will just be a few moths in the public purse. So if Ofcom can demonstrate that they are a net revenue raising Quango, then surely the Tories will leave them alone as they will need every penny that Ofcom can raise for them (amongst all else needed to undo the damage).
The grenade is for the Ofcom offices.
Posted in Angels can't fly: Official
In previous years
In previous years he would have been part of the research team that proved flight was impossible for the Bumble Bee. Its a good job that Bumble Bees never read research papers. I doubt angels do either, unless its to have a good giraffe at the pomposity of the fool. Good bit of self publicity though!
Have a beer to celebrate!
Posted in Home Office battles to make CCTV useful
It was even earlier
Before the Panda cars were the Velocette water cooled "motor bikes" with windshields as tall as the Bobby and his uniform helmet. And VHF radios meant that they didn't need the blue police boxes for the patrolling officer to ring back to the station to confirm that he had nothing to report.
Acrobat 5 doesn't have JavaScript
I knew there was a reason why I refused all the more recent updates!
Posted in Plug-in Prius production plan posted
Still the wrong approach
By the looks of it, they are still pushing what is basically a petrol engined car with a bit of additional electric stored power to look green. And at double the price of a vehicle without all the added complexity. And they don't hit their advertised mpg figures, at least mine never has. I'll never buy another.
Instead look for the Volvo Recharge. Much more sensibly, they have started from an electric car, and are bolting a generator to it. Much more efficient, much less complicated.
Even more fail
AC @20:04, you can't have been reading the emails etc, can you? If you still believe (in AGW) after the release of all the proof that the Climate Change lot have been making up their data to fit their theory (and its not just the CRU at UEA, but the Australians and the Kiwis have been caught out fudging their data too); if you still believe, then you are joining up the wrong set of dots.
"The NPIA, a technology quango linked to the Home Office,"
Let us not forget that while the NPIA might be "linked to the Home Office", it is in fact a wholly owned subsidiary of ACPO Ltd. ACPO Ltd claims to be in "EQUAL partnership with government" (see www.acpo.police.uk), so the link to the Home Office is rather tenuous at best. ACPO Ltd is a company limited by guarantee, set up that way in order to evade the Freedom of Information Act (see the reasons why they refuse FoI requests unless it suits them, on their web site).
It isn't only WiFi !
If the article, and the commenters above, have the right end of this rather nasty stick, then running a Tor outlet node will become illegal too.
Hmmm.
Posted in Cathay Pacific clobbered by kaput khazis
No, it isn't only one airline, and it isn't only recent!
In 2006, I flew on an A340 of Air New Zealand from Auckland to Hong Kong. We were delayed by about an hour and a half at take off, with the aircraft loaded. Then they told us that it was the loos that were the problem. Throughout the whole of the 12 hour flight, the port side (left side if facing front) loos were completely out of action, and the starboard loos were out of action for about 50% of the time. Never have I been so glad to get off a flight. Fortunately the onward connection via Cathay Pacific to London was a Boeing! Everything worked well.
Posted in Suzuki unwraps Mini-like plug-in hybrid
Right approach
For my sins, I drive a Toyota Prius. I am right fed up (insert other words of emphasis to choice!) with its appalling mpg compared with all sorts of cars of similar size, but without the added weight burden of electric motor and battery. The reason for Toyota's errors is that they got the basic design principle wrong. The Prius is a petrol car with a bolt on extra electric power pack.
This Suzuki machine, like the Volvo Recharge project car, is an electric vehicle with a bolt on generator. I suspect that the design will be much simpler without the CVT gearbox and other stuff necessary for a mechanical transmission. When they get the motors into the wheel hubs (as Volvo were doing last time I looked) they can do without mechanical brakes and rely instead on regenerative/resistive loads. Fewer mechanical bits to go wrong, easier car to look after.
PC World need something going their way!
Popped into my local branch the other day to shelter from the rain. What I saw was significantly reduced amount of shelving, and large areas of bare floor. Plentiful bargain offers, in some cases only a little more expensive than reputable traders on the interwebs. I asked the cashier when the store was due to close. She couldn't tell me, having just started that morning!
Different Technology, but someone else got there first!
Just have a look at American Science and Engineering Inc's Z-Backscatter technology, and the other devices they have. No need for carefully calibrated transmitters.
http://www.as-e.com/products_solutions/zbv.asp
Have a browse around while you are there. The see through your clothes scanner has been "privacy enhanced" since they first developed it. Originally the image on the web site showed all the wrinkles and creases under the subject's clothes! I'd expect that it still will to those with "a need to know".
Posted in Packing heat gets you shot, say profs
Just another attempt ...
Just another attempt to disarm the citizens of the USA, and to turn them into the sheep that we have become in Europe. News reports in the UK seem to indicate just how much safer we are because only the police have firearms, and they never make mistakes.
Poppy's comment
I'm afraid that I read Poppy's comment to indicate that the Home Office knew their policy was a bit light on fact when they launched it first, so they invented/reinforced the Poppy Institute to give it a cloak of respectability before the Bill got to its Third Reading!
Of course, I could be cynical.
Posted in US to cede control of ICANN?
Wholly unexpected, not!
In this completely expected move, we see another step on the way to global governance. Things like this must be wrested from the control of national governments who might know what to do to make it work, and how to go about it. Instead it must be vested in a toothless and inadequate multinational committee that is designed to fail. When they have delivered their fail, then the UN will step in with a "solution", the one they already have up their sleeve but don't want to declare yet. This is just like the EU, only bigger and even more perilous to the ordinary citizens of the world.
re: Here we go again
Weren't CRT VDUs supposed to bring about all sort of harm as well? Just another health scare that faded into oblivion once they found something else to be scared about!
Pint, because alcohol is the only medication that cures scary fears.
Welcome to those who refuse to upgrade from XP
I am happily working on a mixture of Win2K and Win98 PCs doing all that I need them to do (and it must be confessed sufficient play value too). No need to upgrade to Microsoft's next. As some will realise there are enthusiasts who continue to advance Win98, sorting out bugs and restrictions that MS left behind in their continuing rush to fleece their customers. Doubtless other enthusiasts will continue to support Win2K and WinXP when necessary.
re: Did he get his kit back?
Sam Liddicott Posted on Friday 4th September 2009 @ 15:58 GMT:
"Did he get his "raided" computers back, or are they kept as a punishment to him and his kind?
The Register needs to report on these kinds of details."
Also of great interest to the self employed will be the effect on his work, and I suspect that he cannot bring any action for recovery of lost turnover.
@ How so? By h 6 Posted Friday 14th August 2009 16:52 GMT
"How are there not any comments on this story? Are the Brits on holiday?"
Of course not. At that time on a Friday afternoon, the editorial staff were all having a "Forward Planning Meeting" in the public bar of the "Admiral Nelson", or was it the "Painted Parrot".
Re: "I don't think you can be a proper citizen in our society in the future if you're not online,"
Graham said: "And it doesn't really matter a whole lot if you *are* online because using the internet to contact our allegely democratic Government just gives them another opportunity to ignore us..."
Being on line also gives our guvvermint another opportunity to fill a database from monitoring our activities!
But there is hope! If I become a refusenik, does that mean that they will throw me out?
Posted in Image spam: the threat returns
Another alternative solution to the spam question
The problem with solutions such as Symantec Message Labs or the alternatives is that everyone's definition of spam is subtly different. Which means that they never get it completely right.
My solution is to use email suppliers who understand the email process, and how to defeat spam. Suppliers such as Fastmail.fm or Lavabit.com. Because they make effective use of techniques such as grey listing, spam is rare anyway. Then use an email client with built in Bayesian filters, such as Pegasus Mail. The way you train the filter will ensure that spam removal is tailored to your own tastes, and not that of some large Merkin company.
Works very well for me.
Anyone making a typo in OpenDNS
will find that they do exactly the same thing.
Are there any good guys left?
