* Posts by Silverburn

1609 publicly visible posts • joined 24 May 2011

The moment a computer crash nearly caused my car crash

Silverburn
Thumb Up

In prinicple I agree

ie that as a driver, not being able to detect that one wheel is spinning and the other is not, is pretty shoddy. Given the symtoms, even a cack-handed muppet like me could tell it was a software problem in desperate need of a reboot.

However, there are 2 points:

He's probably driving an American car. Which means there's 3 tons and 16ft of poorly built and cheap metal, oil, rubber and plastic between him and the wheels, which probably meant he had f* all feedback to begin with. He could probably run over a moose and not detect it, never mind notice some wheelspin. That and the system being unable to recover from a 'value exception state' on the fly is pretty bad too.

He did seem to soldier on a bit too long IMO, but you wouldn't immediately stop and do a full mechanical strip down every time it "coughed". 20 blocks is a bit long to make an informed decision though, I agree...

Asus Zenbook UX31E

Silverburn
Boffin

Deceptive photos

Note the photos in the beginning of the article on page 1 and 2; very thin, with the wedge having no receeding base. Then witness the receeding base on page 3.

If one of your assessment critera is thinness, I'd ignore these photo's and view the model in the flesh first.

CERN: 'New physics starts now'

Silverburn
Happy

Xmas spirit

...it's hiding behind the higgs particle.

Pah, humbug.

Android, BlackBerry phone owners favour Apple tablet

Silverburn
Happy

How to gain a majority

Here's a thought - if Apple want a true majority to ensure they can run the market, why don't they form a coalition with one of the smaller players who are willing to sacrifice all their principles and previous loyal customers just to piggy-back some market share?

Sound familiar for some reason...must be because it's a proven formula which has worked so well in the past...

Silverburn
Windows

Wait...

I think that the second generation Android tablets are going to kick some iButt.

Wait - didn't they say that last year? So next year will be the 3rd gen Androids, surely?

Third time lucky an' all that, or next xmas we'll be repeating the same statement, incremented by 1 version.

Fandroid icon required...

BREAKTHROUGH: Feisty startup slashes chip power by 50%

Silverburn

It would be interesting

to see how power effciency rates against that good ol' kilo of wetware.

Yeah, yeah, apples & oranges I know - but it would be kinda cool all the same.

ICO smacks Welsh council with record £130k fine

Silverburn
Devil

Errr...

Simple solution...

BUY YOUR OWN F*ING PRINTER AND STOP USING THE SHARED ONE!

Hell of a lot cheaper than a massive fine.

Though I don't doubt that HP will probably charge them 130k for ink cartridges anyway...

Voyager probe reaches edge of Solar System's 'bubble'

Silverburn

Yeah, but...

...it did take a few detours and tourist snaps onroute.

Methinks a dedicated, modern day extra-solar system probe launched today could probably pass it in a few decades.

Silverburn

Also...

"Windy" and a bit radioactive.

Supercomputer helps boffins crack 3D material sims...

Silverburn
Pint

Boffinry FTW...

God, I love shit like this. This has got the lot - hardcore maths (note the 's' btw), massive computing, funky graphics and groovy super-perfect alloys for the future.

Nice one chaps.

Ten... noise-cancelling headphones

Silverburn
Flame

The problem as I see it

Is that these 'phones all still like to dal with constant, unvarying noise. Irregular stuff like speech or crying babies still gets through, forcing you to rely on conventional 'brute force' noise cancelling tech.

When they introduce some with "wife/baby cancelling" technology, I'm definitely sold.

New human-brain chip can be adjusted for cannabis effect

Silverburn
Thumb Up

Biology FTW!

Is it just me or does the fact your brain output 20W make for a really cool stat? And the fact the body can maintain a constant environment and power supply to that 20W-sucking organ - even under load (sprinting/climbing/swimming etc) - also really cool?

Besides, isn't the human brain super-massively parrallel, thus making direct CPU comparisons irrelevant? We can do mult-face recognition, even in poor and/or dynamic conditions, with 'low-res' cameras in a split second, even with a significant background load (including imagine enhancement/pattern recognition to allow for the poor optics). Like to see your CPU manage that.

Boring BOFHs want cash prize more than space flight

Silverburn

Dads

Much as I'd love a trip 'round the block', I love my family more than that.

I suspect that was the reason most of the money-grabbers gave the answers they did - they simply want some security for their family over the coming years, rather than blow it on a risky, short-lived trip in space.

I'd have taken the money too, because II know I could pay for my daughter's university fees etc etc. And that's worth more to me.

Silverburn
Facepalm

Excuse me...

...but what use would a DBA be on a trip to mars???

Surely a 'generalist' but with excellent problem solving skills would be more effective use of a mission seat, if they were that flush they could afford a seat to an IT bod in the first place.

I suspect a mission to mars will outsource 90% of the IT function to earth anyway (the other 10% required to maintain the radio link would be trained into other mission staff), thus not requiring a seat at all.

PETA claims anti-Mario campaign was a joke

Silverburn
Headmaster

Shurely Shome mishtake

Leather *and* lamb skin..?

Silverburn

PETA bullshit

mentioned in the other thread, but applicable here too - go to youtube, and search for 'Penn & Teller Bullshit PETA'.

Amusing viewing.

Swedish college girls now twice as slutty as in 2001

Silverburn
Coat

Probably because

...Sweden has some of the tastiest and most liberated burds in Europe...?

HP unwraps Ultrabook

Silverburn
Windows

Have you used an iNovelty toy?

particularly the laptops? Nothing novelty-toy-like about them I'm afraid.

Maybe you should read El Reg's reviews on them, or god forbid - actually use one before passing judgement? And moving the cursor about in PC world doesn't count. I use a thinkpad daily, and on the month I had to use a macbook pro (while the thinkpad was getting repaired), I did not lack for one single feature or software, and it was bloody fast. They're actually pretty damned good.

The price is *definitely* not toy-like, it should be said...if Apple would get the price down to realistic prices, they'd sell these "toys" by the truckload.

Silverburn

Question is though...

...is Elite more than Ultra?

Silverburn
Meh

Svelte?

No sir, it is not.

A resounding *meh* from me.

Bagged salad contained decomposed AVIAN CORPSE

Silverburn
Happy

Gross

This is the reason I don't eat Salad...

Britain's Harrier jump-jets reprieved to fly and fight again

Silverburn
Happy

AC put it more politely than me...

..personally, I call PEBCAK on the septics...

Silverburn
Unhappy

Meanwhile, in the news

Ruskies invade good ol' Engerland, and meet fierce airborne, sea-borne and land-based resistance from heavily armed, well equipped and hi-tech british...

Oh wait...never mind.

Silverburn
Facepalm

yeah but...

...where were they when the goverment(s) ran up almost a trillion quid in debt?

Beancounter = incompetent muppets with a tenious grasp of the real world, if you ask me...

Silverburn
Facepalm

To the UK government...

<-- see icon

Naked vegans target Prince Harry over meaty 12-incher

Silverburn
Devil

Bullshit

For an alternative view on PETA, fire up youtube, and search for 'Penn & Teller Bullshit PETA'.

Amusing viewing.

The new touchy-feely Doctor Who trend: Worrying

Silverburn
Happy

Kirk would have...

...slept with the councillor for a start, then critised her for not wearing a skirt short enough, or having eyelashes not long enough.

Web keeps bent politicians honest, says Google boss

Silverburn
Devil

Is it me...

...or does politics seem to have a disproportionate amount of swindlers, liars, thieves, cheats and two-faced bastards compared to the general public?

What is it about bloody politics? Power corrupts?

Oracle coughs up $35m owed in unpaid overtime pay

Silverburn
Devil

Hmmm

At least those poor unpaid grunts can sleep easy knowing that Ellison doesn't get paid for overtime either.

Mind you, his annual package is worth almost double the entire unpaid overtime bill, so I'm sure he's not so bothered about a late night every now and then. <rolls eyes>

Lego movie greenlighted by Warner Bros

Silverburn
Happy

Personally...

..I'm waiting for the El Reg playmobil re-enactment montage, in the style of full-length robot chicken features.

Naturally, it would be rated 18...

Freebie Android anti-malware scanners flunk tests

Silverburn
Meh

One can't help but feel...

...that the open nature of android has made it it's own worst enemy, thus requiring AV tools in the first place.

That sound you hear is the Fandroids sharpening their downvotes, completely ignoring the possibility that I might actually have a point.

For balance, it should be noted that at least Droid users are aware that malware exists; IOS users still have the "it won't happen to me" attitude.

BT Tower falls over, crushes X Factor hopefuls

Silverburn
Facepalm

Dammit!

My mistake - I took the headline literally...turns out neither of these things happened, and the visual and audible vomit spewing from the TV has not ceased.

Thank goodness for MW3!

New claim: iPhone 5 was a goer until Jobs bottled it

Silverburn
Thumb Up

Jobs had a point

It's bad enough developing for the current platform(s), who needs another factor to do GUI's for?

Though given that a) Jobs has 'moved on' and b) The Android SII et al are stealing market share, I think the 4" screen/iphone 5 would be a mere postponement rather than a permanent cancellation. The current screen size is already looking dated compared to some android offerings.

Apple recalls first iPod Nanos over battery flaw

Silverburn
WTF?

Flying pork produce

Apple in generous out-of-warranty generosity shocker.

Though the cynic in me thinks that this will be an almost neglible return rate; who's still got and even using a player from 3 years ago, never mind six?

Ten... high-end Android tablets

Silverburn

@ Shitpeas

Another downvote vest for you...never mind, one of these days, you'll twig to what you're doing wrong. But it would appear objectivity, research and critical thinking are foreign concepts to you for now.

Israeli air raid vs Iran nukes boardgame out in time for Xmas

Silverburn
Thumb Up

Pfft

Boardgame?

Pah - it'll be the backdrop for MW4, just you watch. And it'll be f*ing brilliant.

Latest Call of Duty day-one sales hit $400m

Silverburn

Multiplayer

Wait for the complaints about network performance in multiplayer; that'll be along next.

Hopefully they learned something from Black-ops. I basically stopped playing, it was so bad.

World's only twin jet-engine bike drives onto eBay

Silverburn
Facepalm

Hmmmm

2 x jet engines, and a harley drum brake at the front.

Methinks split eardrums will be the least of the riders worries...

Renault Fluence ZE

Silverburn
Devil

Try motorbiking...

...same range per tank as the electric, same refuel time as the car. And to top it all, they're not even that economical compared to the latest gen tin boxes.

Will I sell my motorbike then? Not in a million years...

Silverburn

Looks like a real car...

...most notably a really, really boringly styled one.

And because of that, I'd disagree re: US statement...*this* car should be for the states, and we'll keep the leaf.

It's almost as if they purposely tried to make it look as totally normal as possible, and went too far.

Murdoch blames other NI execs for phone-hacking scandal

Silverburn
Thumb Down

Classy..

Real classy...

Listen Jimmy boy - you run the place, you take the responsibility when it goes pear shaped, as well when it goes well. That's what the big bucks are for.

So man up, take the hit, resign, and move on. Dad'll see you right whatever happens anyway.

Results in on why life, the universe and everything exists

Silverburn

And...

...anti-genders.

Another hushed HTC blower set for 2012 debut

Silverburn

Quad core...FFS

I mean just how necessary is a quad core anyway???

I'd accept a 1% reduction in productivity/speed/features if it meant keeping a practical battery life and handset size/weight. I wonder if you ran Floding @ home on it, how long it would take to melt.

It's a phone, FFS, not a PC.

Apple requires Mac App Store candidates to be sandboxed

Silverburn
Facepalm

And they said...

...Jobs was the one with sole domain over the reality distortion field...apparently they were wrong, as your post so neatly proves.

Minnow Android slab maker BEATS Apple in court

Silverburn
WTF?

@ Rogerjr

<-- see icon.

Silverburn
Thumb Up

@ AC

You're right of course - and in principle I agree with the theory of patents and intellectual property (but not the way it's been implemented and abused in some countries).

This case crosses them line from mere protection of intellectual property (and this one is as vague and dubious as it comes) and into the realm of market suppression through the use of vague and dubious patents and cunningly-timed legal enforcement.

Perhaps for balance in the article, we might want to hear how Apple gave them ample warning and opportunity to licence said patent, or to even to engage in simple dialog about it before resorting to lawyers.

Apple was OK to fire man for private Facebook comments

Silverburn

Nice mates..

So let me get this straight... only his friends could see the wall - which means it was one of his 'friends' who dobbed him in?

That's a nice bunch of mates you've got there...

Bill Gates drops $1m on laser-based malaria fighter

Silverburn
Happy

Dammit

I was wondering that too...

Moto rolls out Xoom 2 Android fondleslabs

Silverburn

3G option?

My 3G iPad has been surprisingly well used on 3G; is there a 3G option coming?

Americans' right to hang fake balls on trucks left dangling

Silverburn
Happy

Obscene bumper law

Your know your country is disappearing up it's own arse when it needs laws like this.

For balance, I should point out that being brits, we disappeared up our own PC/health&safety infected arses years ago.