* Posts by ISP

78 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Mar 2013

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Father of Unix Ken Thompson checkmated: Old eight-char password is finally cracked

ISP

I've always found Rogers Profanisaurus a useful source of passwords.

How's this for a stocking filler next year? El Reg catches up with Gemini

ISP

Terminal

So long as there's some way to use it as a serial terminal I'm in.

Still need to do that often enough...

Wheels are literally falling off the MoD thanks to lack of cash

ISP

Re: It's great to know the price of everything ...

"But who'd want a big flat top naval ship with no weapons, and where you have to have your own VTOL aircraft if you want to play with it?"

The US Marine Corps

Sony remembers it once made a great little phone

ISP

My Z3C is still going strong, shame the Android 7 update was nixed by changes to the hardware qualification by Google so hardly Sony's fault. While it was in beta.

I'll see what the price is like in six months, could be a winner.

Node.js forks again – this time it's a war of words over anti-sex-pest codes of conduct

ISP
Linux

Re: anonymous coward

"more significant than people flaming each other on mailing lists"

Unless it is Linus doing the flaming of course.

US DoD, Brit ISP BT reverse proxies can be abused to frisk internal systems – researcher

ISP
Black Helicopters

Tip

I hope the researcher isn't planning any US trips anytime soon, otherwise his stay is likely to be protracted.

All of Blighty's attack submarines are out of action – report

ISP

"Those Nimrod MRA4's were never shiny or new. They were made out of recycled Comets FFS."

Unlike the very modern E-3 Sentry AWACS which was introduced in 1977 and is based on the 1950's Boing 707...

So tired of this dumbass argument. For those type of roles a suitable airframe is all you need as long as it hasn't passed it's fategue life.

ISP

Re: It is not UK defences it is other places UK should worry about

Based on recent reports the whole Argentine fighter force consists of four or five airworthy A-4AR Fightinghawks (aka Skyhawks with modernised avionics) which are at best transonic and can carry a whole two short range AAMs. I fancy the Typhoons chances actually, even if they have got more operational again.

Programmer finds way to liberate ransomware'd Google Smart TVs

ISP

Re: Factory Reset

"The menu is useless if it's ransomware that stops you getting to it."

In which case the documented procedure (available on the web sire, and in a youtube video) is to perform a full power off/on by removing the plug, press up arrow on the remote and tap the set's physical power button. This forces a reset.

Took me all of five minutes to find that.

If you're going to sideload apks via USB then that's a risk you knowingly took yourself.

ISP

Re: Factory Reset

My Android tv has a Factory reset option in th menu. Settings -> TV -> Storage and Reset -> Factory data reset.

I also recently had to reset the system cache after an android update made the wifi eat the battery, on may handset this involves arcane means to get into the bootloader. On mine, hold power and volume down until the phone resets. Not all manufacturers are brain dead.

I'm not likely to be installing endless apps on the tv but being able to run Plex and Kodi natively without a stick or external box has reduced the complexity of my av stand further.

ISP

Happened to mine, cure was to pin protect the kindle then enter the stunningly hard to find secret password "resetmyknindle" which forces a factory rest.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201175110

HMS Illustrious sets sail for scrapyard after last-ditch bid fails

ISP
FAIL

Re: I am enough of a naval history buff...

"Assuming we're under attack. The navy has reduced in size and we don't appear to have been invaded."

I agree! And as I've not been robbed you can scrap the police too!

Stay out of my server room!

ISP

(Someone please tell me what that movie is called! I wanna see it again!)

Office Space.

Britain must send its F-35s to Italy for heavy overhauls, decrees US

ISP

Re: Look on the bright side

Russia and India currently both operate the SU-33 from their carriers using STOBAR so it is quite feasible. Russia I believe are moving to the MIG-29K as it has more modern avionics and being smaller they can carry more.

So what you are looking for is something reasonably small with good STOL and rough strip performance that should then be easily navalised. Like, I dunno the SAAB Gripen? I guess that's why there's a design team in London working on Sea Gripen now.

Apple wants to buy Formula 1 car firm McLaren – report

ISP

Re: Apple have lost their way...

"It took Renault F1 to develop them into something that drove nicely without appalling lag and also worked across the rev range, no mean feat."

Ahem, SAAB 99 Turbo...

ISP

Re: Apple have lost their way...

Actually TVR are (supposedly) on the way back using Murray's carbon tech and Cosworth power.

An anniversary to remember: The world's only air-to-air nuke was fired on 19 July, 1957

ISP

Not forgetting the infamous Blue Peacock nuclear land mine, with added chicken.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock

Blighty will have a whopping 24 F-35B jets by 2023 – MoD minister

ISP

Also, the QE class requires a quarter of the crew of either Nimitz or Ford, not needing much more than the Invincibles. That's actually quite impressive.

Also QE stacks up quite well against the Marine Corps latest toy:

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/navy-builds-ship-for-f-35-ship-needs-months-of-upgrade-1697523492

ISP

Couple of problems with a reconditioned Nimitz or a Ford class for the RN. Firstly it would cause a political shitstorm of epic proportions not to build in UK shipyards. It would take real stones in the political leadership for that to happen. I've not seen much evidence of that in any party.

Secondly I'm not sure we have big enough dock facilities to care for them.

ISP

I know the French had some teething issues with the CDG (propellers?) but they seem to be getting those sorted, and even more than an airframe you should be expecting to get decades out of a carrier

ISP

"F-15C has a service ceiling of 65,000ft. F-35 just 50,000ft."

Well if we're playing Top Trumps :)

While the 1959 English Electric Lightning's service ceiling was kept secret it was shown capable of intercepting the U2 at heights of >65,000ft. It's even reported to have reached ~88,000ft in a ballistic arc.

Personally I think we should have made the carriers nuclear, we have the tech but there may have been some political will required. Gone with Super Hornet or Rafael plus some Hawkeyes, shit I'm starting to channel Lewis aren't I?

Wonder how easy it would be to navalise the Grippen. Ha, Wikipedia says they're working on it in a British development centre.

ISP

"The primarly lesson learned from the F111 debacle was how to ensure the program couldn't be cancelled."

Doubly ironic given that TSR2 was cancelled at least in part in favour of the cheaper F111, which we didn't get either because it became too expensive. Speaking of which isn't the Brexit related pound nose dive going to make the F35s even more expensive?

ISP

"I'm gobsmacked that anyone thinks the things will still be worth having in 15 years time."

Really? Then you don't realise how long aircraft types take to develop and how long they remain in service for.

For example, the US air force still operates the F-15 which first flew in 1972 and is expected to remain in service until 2025.

Ten years in the clink, file-sharing monsters! (If UK govt gets its way)

ISP

Re: Actually, no @dan 55

I had one rejected for suggesting that articles include the writers name to save me the trouble of hitting back when I realised they were his.

LASER RAZOR blunted by KickStarter ban

ISP

Re: Back to soap and water.

Gave up on the Gillette money making machine when the Fusion ones exceeded a tenner for four. Switched to a German Merkur safety razor and Astra Platinum razor blades at 100 for a tenner and got a better shave.

VW: Just the tip of the pollution iceberg. Who's to blame? Hippies

ISP

Re: Misfuel?

"Point is, car diesels are easy to kill with a lousy fuel. Tractors and other rugged diesels can take more abuse."

If the vendor sells you something that is out of the official standard you'll have a claim against them for any damage caused. Unlike putting the wrong fuel in yourself. And if you want to see an engine wrecked fast try petrol contaminated with water in any petrol engine...

Contaminated fuel is contaminated fuel, what they were trying to claim was Supermarket fuel is inferior to which I maintain. BOLLOCKS!

Oh and oldie, 50 years of driving experience does not equal good habits. My dad has been driving for longer than that and has developed a really bad habit of snatching 2nd at far too low revs. Fortunately they only do about 2000 miles a year now so so far the clutch has survived.

I've seen all the other things I mentioned done. In addition I've also seen people use a clutch like an on/off switch, all of these things put together probably explain the demise of their DMF and clutch at ~78k miles in their MK4 Golf. Mine was still going strong when I sold it at 90k, and unlike their Match mine was the 130bhp version which were much harder on the clutch.

The manual of my current car also warns explicitly about most of the above and in addition: driving with your hand on the gear stick causing wear on the synchromesh and gears and riding the clutch, ie driving with your foot still on it enough that it is not fully engaged. Which is why I despise any car with insufficient room next to the clutch for my foot, and I'm only a size 10. Volvo, Ford, Alfa, I'm looking at you!

ISP

Re: Misfuel?

"Any substandard diesel would do nicely."

Bollocks

All diesel sold in this country must meet an official EU standard. There are only three refineries in the UK that now supply the bulk of the country. Anything else is just snake oil. Before anyone starts waving hands and chanting biodiesel there are official standards for that too and it is normally blended at the refinery.

ISP

Re: Misfuel?

Been driving diesels for 12 years, worst I've ever done is pick up the wrong nozzle got nowhere near actually putting it in the car. The most annoying bit was trying to cancel the vend on the pay-at-pump device and get it to start over again while steam came out of the taxi at the pump behind me driver's ears...

ISP

DMF's are a red herring here too as more and more modern petrols have them too, particularly the ultra modern small capacity turbos with 3 or even 2 cylinders. A lot of problems with these are down to sloppy driving habits. Always engage the clutch before starting car (mine actually will not start unless you have the clutch fully engaged when you turn on the ignition), don't labour the engine by using too high a gear for the road speed and never use 2nd to pull away.

DPFs are indeed an issue if you don't understand how they operate and whether they fit the nature of your mileage. Petrol catalytic converters are also very expensive and there a variety of ways those can be clogged or damaged including misfueling. But it is still the nature of the mileage not the amount that matters here.

Fancy dual clutch automated gearboxes and highly complex electronics are much more a cause of expensive repairs than simple fuel choice.

ISP

"cost more to run for those who don't do multiple thousands of miles a year"

I keep seeing this banded about but I don't think it is the case. Especially now with the cost of diesel so low.

What are your extra costs? Both intermediate and full services for my car are the same price for both diesel and petrol models. Given that a diesel service is really change oil and fuel filter and petrol is change oil and plugs this should not surprise. Most diesels may need a cam belt change at $MILAGE but so do many petrol cars. And no matter what people thing timing chains are far from fault free either, and if they stretch, jump teeth or snap you'll know all about it.

You could argue that petrols cost less to buy, but this is only strictly true new. Used will be based on supply, the trade is full of 2-3 year old A4 diesels for example, whereas non-sports petrols are like rocking horse shit.

I don't drive huge miles but I do have a diesel. I don't commute in it, I live in a rural area so the majority of my driving is longer distances so I've never had any DPF issues. Snow and poorly cleared roads and side streets are also a frequent enough occurrence for me to prefer the torque of a diesel over petrol any day.

As for electric, I live in a flat. I doubt the neighbours would appreciate a flex coming out the window and across the courtyard to whichever non-allocated space I'd had to take.

Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour leadership election

ISP

Re: i for one, welcome... (actually I don't but that's by the by)

"as a pro-military liberal; a pro-nuclear green; an anti-pansurveillance patriot and a fervent believer in both market capitalism and a state health service, I have no idea who I could vote for anyway."

Ditto, and have another upvote. Honestly I'd love to have somewhere to put my vote that wouldn't have me holding my nose. Until then none of the above has it.

Acer Revo One RL85: A pint-sized PC for the snug

ISP

I'd forgotten about the Pi update. That sounds like a great option. Already using NFS for sharing anyway. The zbox didn't start out noisy but is definitely becoming arthritic.

Have to double check if lirc and the MCE remote receiver will play nice (should do) and that could be a winner.

ISP

Kodibuntu on the zbox (dual core atom with Nvidia Ion) has always worked for me. Reasonably happy to continue with that, and the Liva looks like a likely candidate. Thanks.

Wouldn't mind giving the Pi a go for it but have had previous reports of the UI being a bit sluggish. That was a while ago admittedly might all be good now. Maybe rescue the nephew's one if he's gotten bored of it for testing.

If I really wanted to be cheap I saw a 2nd hand NowTV box the other day for buttons, hack Plex client on that and call it quits...

ISP

Hmm, wonder what the basic one would be like with Kodi, my Zotac zbox is sounding a bit wheezy.

Even Microsoft thinks Outlook is bloated and slow

ISP

Re: Where is the real Outlook substitute?

" A calendar needs to be on the desktop so you can see your schedule, not in the browser"

I agree, and that's why I use the Lightning plugin and Google calender plugins for Thunderbird. That way if I enter a date on my 'droid phone it appears on Thunderbird and vice versa.

No outlook required.

Sod the law! We'll crack on with our metadata witchhunts, growl cops

ISP

Re: It's not about evidence but rather inference

"Having multi-dimensional, complex datasets could allow for all sorts of intrusive mining into our lives."

Yeah, they should leave that to Facebook!

Hardboiled, fast-paced, mind-bending fun – Dark Intelligence IS sci-fi

ISP

One or the other?

Never had a problem reading both Polity and Culture books. They do have similar post-scarcity settings with much of the action being set on the peripheries where such niceties break down, but come at things in different ways.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde: Fun, but not for all

ISP

Re: odd choices

It's not a slush box, doesn't have a torque converter. Rather it is a twin clutch automated manual affair like VW's DSG. Apparently Chrysler are getting this from Fiat instead...

ISP

Not for me

I really liked the Gulietta when it launched, while the looks may not be as good as some Alfas they are at least distinctive in a class which is largely quite dull.

For me the killer though was the proximity of the clutch to the centre console, this is probably a non-issue on LHD cars but when added to the shape of the console meant that from knee down my leg was hitting off it. The current Focus was the same, seems to be a design fad.

Shame really..

Little big phone: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, a toothsome hand-fulla Android

ISP
Joke

...is it hack proof ?

Well it survived Orlowski...

Ford dumps Windows for QNX in new in-car entertainment unit

ISP

"This would mean no screens (for the driver - for passengers there's no problem), and only switches, rotary dials or sliders for controls, all of which you can tell the state of just by touch."

That sounds great until you see just how many buttons and sliders you can end up with. While car hunting last year I saw a Handa Accord that had taken that approach and it looked like someone had just emptied a bucket of switchgear over the dash and stuck it where it landed. All labeled with tiny letters too, I can't see that being an improvement.

In most cases primary controls should be simple and workable by touch I agree. Ideally either on stalks or the wheel itself for things like vol +/-, next/previous track etc, or voice function activation. important information for driving such as distance to empty, average fuel consumption and temp should indeed be on a screen for the driver though, ideally in the instrument cluster/or a HUD as others have mentioned with functions scrollable without taking your hands off the wheel.

Relegating secondary controls to a touch screen isn't too bad IMHO though I do prefer the dual rotary temperature controls I've got now, climate takes care of the rest.

EU law bods: New eCall crash system WON'T TRACK YOU. Really

ISP

Re: Free?

"Don't be daft, it'll be illegal to tamper with "safety equipment"...."

It'll certainly be an MOT failure if it brings a warning light on in the dash.

'Tech giants who encrypt comms are unwittingly aiding terrorists', claims ex-Home Sec Blunkett

ISP

Re: Blunkett or Lane-Fox

" you just hope it's a long drawn out fight."

That does mean you're cheering for the lawyers though...

Interstellar: An awesome sci-fi spectacle – just cut the hamminess, please

ISP

Re: "Gravity" was accurate and realistic? Really?

"I came to the comment page with the following already in my cut-n-paste buffer:"

Shame you snipped the important part then: "as accurately as the plot and limitations of special effects allow"

As I understand it the research was done and script outlines were written that were even more accurate, but doubled the running time with exposition on orbital mechanics totally robbing it of dramatic tension. Best to accept this as an example of the tropes "acceptable breaks with reality" and "reality is unrealistic"

If you can name a good sci fi film with a more accurate depiction of space flight please do.

Patch Bash NOW: 'Shellshock' bug blasts OS X, Linux systems wide open

ISP

Re: This *shouldn't* have been a big problem

"even when /bin/sh will do....."

Which on many Linux's will just be a symlink to /bin/bash

Soundbites: News in brief from the Wi-Fi audiophile files

ISP

24-bit audio

"We understand 16-bit FLAC is equivalent to CD-quality and much better than the lossy MP3 files we’re all used to. You can get better-than-CD quality with 24-bit audio and DVD-Audio uses this with a 96kHz or 192kHz sample rate, both giving many more samples per second than 16-bit FLAC at 44.1kHz."

Of course you can also get 24-bit FLAC at 96kHz or 192kHz too. Sonos just doesn't support it (or didn't at least, haven't checked recently)

As has already been said here you almost certainly won't hear the difference between 16-bit 44.1 and higher with the important proviso that both are made from the same master. I've bought a few 24-bit flac recordings simply because they are mastered better than the CD version, Muse's 2nd Law for example which seems not to have everything turned up to 11 unlike the cd.

Driving with an Apple Watch could land you with a £100 FINE

ISP

Re: Knee Jerk Off

It's driving without due care and attention, pretty much a catch all offence.

JINGS! Microsoft Bing called Scots indyref RIGHT!

ISP

Re: Looks like many are missing the point

"but voter apathy is a tough nut to crack"

I'm not apathetic, but I refuse to vote for a candidate that does not at least somewhat represent my views. I am no longer prepared to vote for the "least worst" option. I'll continue to turn out and write None of the Above on my ballot until then.

ISP

Re: Vote Yes

"Haven't tried a Glenfarclas yet."

The 105 (proof not years) is spoken highly of. Aberlour also make some quality stuff, though the A'Bunah can be a bit variable due to the small batches.

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