SATA firmware...
There was a SATA firmware that could disable your computer... Seagate made it for their earlier 1TB drives (and all others in that series). Version SN04 if I'm not mistaken (I've got one sitting in front of me...).
Posts by Tim Bates
917 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Mar 2007
MacBook batteries susceptible to hack attacks
AGs mull fate of hard-core gaming in Oz
Optus turns mobiles into PVRs
Wednesday 20th July 2011 08:15 GMT 
So that's what that is...
Cool. I'd been wondering what it was since the day we got a notice not to select it during signups. It actually sounds like a useful thing - schedule a TV show to record while you're travelling and watch it when you arrive for example.
And assuming it's on par with the streaming service they already offer, it should be quite OK quality when watched on a mobile device.
Sydney newspaper hacks Wi-Fi networks!
Tuesday 19th July 2011 10:57 GMT
MAC filtering = fail
MAC address filtering failed as a security method before it even started (on open networks anyway)... If any authorised devices are present and using the network, you can see their MAC address and simply need to spoof it. Almost all WiFi adapters will let you change the MAC address in the driver properties (on Windows anyway) so it's not exactly difficult to do.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 10:47 GMT
Little lock...
WPS based setups generally don't show the padlock - there's one in view of my laptop right now which I can't connect to. I know it's running WPS and has a WPA-PSK set - I installed it.
Another case, as someone mentioned, would be where there is a wireless hotspot with other methods of protecting the network. McDonalds WiFi is open, and may have been some of the networks they found. Until you connect, you wouldn't know.
We have a setup at work for updating client's laptops - open wifi which is forced through a proxy which only allows access to windows update and activation, and some AV update sites. Our's would show as one of their "insecure" networks, but wouldn't be a leech magnet like they are implying.
Valve strengthens Steam setup
Tuesday 19th July 2011 10:34 GMT
Finally!!!!
So one question - how are they making it so it's cachable when it's spread around so many servers? Or at they making the URLs all the same regardless and doing the magic in DNS?
I'm all for them going HTTP and cachable - we'll save hours and GBs of downloads some months if our local proxy can catch it all... *IF* it can catch it all that is.
Most Adobe Reader installs are out of date
Friday 15th July 2011 08:36 GMT
Me too
I also came into the comments to see if there was someone already saying this. Pity the first response to said comment was an idiot assuming it was an MS bashing.
Microsoft NEED to adopt a (secure) method of allowing 3rd party tools, especially very popular ones, to update in the SAME way Windows and other MS products do. It would save having 14 different little popups bitching about updates when you log in. And given how some vendors seem to think their updater is the most important tool you've installed, it could speed up login times for many users.
Friday 15th July 2011 08:36 GMT
Easier way to get docs on the internet...
The NSW state government department I used to work for had a far easier method to post DOC files to the internet.... Simply post the DOC file to the internet.
Was particularly fun whenever a new version of MS Office came out and the newer documents wouldn't open on any computers still using older versions (which was usually most computers).
W3C moves to snuff Apple web patents
Thursday 14th July 2011 13:19 GMT
Agree
"toxic force in innovation" is a very good way of saying it. For starters, the iPad would never have come out if the CrunchPad hadn't been so talked about... The iPhone was a copy of the dozens of other smart phones already out at the time (albeit with more built in storage).
And lets not forget how long Apple took to innovate things like MMS and copy and paste into the iPhone... I think they're now just starting to approach the levels of other smart phones that were available when they first released...
Behind Microsoft's $15 Samsung Android royalty claim
Wallabies battle cattle farts
Friday 1st July 2011 09:04 GMT
So...
I'm reading this as CSIRO is attempting to develop a bacteria strain that can be stuck into the guts of cattle to reduce their farts... Right?
As a rural dweller, I'm so looking forward to seeing ads for commercial products that come from this... There's already an ad where they've photoshopped exhaust pipes onto cattle - should be easy enough to modify that one!
NBN Co launches satellite services
Telstra goes hi def for voice
Four National Broadband Network myths
Microsoft nails second Android device maker
Tuesday 28th June 2011 06:34 GMT
$5 features
A feature may cost you $5 in licensing and say another $10 to add to the device, but that $15 is far, far higher value inside the final device...
Put it this way - would you buy a smart phone for $500 if it didn't include that cheap, $10 (manufacture's cost) camera? Or would you go and buy the $600 model from the competitor?
Google Instant Pages: Search sites rendered before you click
Wednesday 15th June 2011 11:39 GMT
Here's an idea Google...
How about making it so that when I search for something, you bloody well give me results for what I asked for instead of guessing everything I do.
And eff off with that instant crap. I find it highly annoying to have crap flittering around my screen while I type. Yes, I have it turned off, but I because I often use different computers (not mine so logging in isn't a good fix), I don't really want to be turning it off every few days.
Aussie censor bans Dead or Alive
Tuesday 14th June 2011 09:54 GMT
WTF?
OK, I know our censorship system is screwed up, but beause OFLC cocked up, retailers have to pay staff to remove it from shelves, the publisher can't sell it, AND the publisher gets to re-submit it?
Surely OFLC should be re-issuing the classification automatically and as a matter of priority given this is more or less their own fault... Do warranty laws cover government processes?
UK gov to create central procurement team
Monday 6th June 2011 09:38 GMT
Just ask New South Wales...
NSW government did this experiment a few years back. Aside from the comical if it wasn't so serious choices of brands and products (Acer laptops for example), there was thousands of man-hours wasted trying to order anything, and product lists were usually out of date by the time they were published (meaning the only items available to purchase were no longer available).
The best part - NSW Department Of Commerce made the exception that if you were aiming to spend over $1million, you got to just put it to tender and choose your own supplier anyway. So the biggest spenders got to blow however much they wanted on whatever they wanted.
Dear Dell and Microsoft: You're not Apple
Wednesday 25th May 2011 08:49 GMT
Dell would sell more if...
Dell would sell far more consumer products if they got out of the box and started letting resellers in real bricks and morter shops sell them. That's where 90% of consumers still go to when they want a new computer. And when they walk in, they see HP, Lenovo, Asus, Toshiba, etc... And not a Dell in sight (except for a few select models in the 1 or 2 super-chain stores that have a deal with Dell).
We love Dell here at our shop. We direct business customers to buy Dell servers, and don't even look at other brands. But when it comes to selling laptops and desktops, we can't even mention Dell (or we'll lose a sale). Yet for our own needs, we choose Dell laptops almost always... Sad really.
New Mac fake-defenders similar to Windows scareware
Tuesday 24th May 2011 09:29 GMT
Unprotected idiots
The proper answer may be to keep your system updated, but that relies on the software vendor pushing updates out quickly. I trust some Linux distros for this, but exactly 0 proprietary closed source OS vendors.
And even if you do your best to keep up to date, updates can fail for many reasons. If you're not manually going and installing updates EVERY day, you're possibly open for attack.
One computer at my last job, which was left with it's government supplied image, was supposed to get updates from a government supplied server... However it never did, which lead to it being open to Conficker and other such fun.
And lets not forget that some malware goes out of it's way to prevent updates installing, but remain hidden from the user, who may think they're perfectly safe.
Tuesday 24th May 2011 09:18 GMT
Problem...
hedwig:~# sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda
-bash: sudo: command not found
hedwig:~#
I guess your malware only works on systems with sudo configured by default...
Also, I'm not 100% sure how it will go in getting permission to dd onto the drive while it's mounted. Never been silly enough to try that.
Aussies stumped reading the phone bill
Hackers turn Cisco phones into remote bugging devices
Tuesday 17th May 2011 08:34 GMT
VLANs
>Anybody out there ever heard of access lists & vlans perhaps?
My thoughts exactly (well, different words but same idea). I'm not in any way a network guru or security guy, but it just seems plain stupid to me to take a VoIP device and stick it on the same LAN as other devices.... It's asking for trouble, especially if you have public access phones (hotel rooms, conference rooms, etc).
I did read a story about a guy who connected his laptop to the VoIP phone's socket in his hotel room... Gave him access to the whole hotel LAN (which presumably their guest internet access didn't).
CNET sued for giving kids LimeWire
Friday 6th May 2011 10:09 GMT
Copying levy?
Something I've always wondered... In countries where a CD/DVD piracy levy is charged, can you claim it back if you're a person that creates content and uses recordable media because it's low volume? What about if you're a person that owns a direct to DVD camcorder and uses blank DVDs to record their family holidays?
The above is not intended as a serious question - just wanting to add a point about presumed piracy.
Facebook fails webmail tests
Google dumps Aussie Wi-Fi data tracking
Friday 6th May 2011 10:02 GMT 
Privacy nutters win...
The privacy nutjobs and people who are clueless win again. Hooray for loud angry clueless yelling.
Simple rule for those who still don't get it - if you want it private, keep it behind closed doors. If you go outside (or let your network wander outside), then you lose your right to privacy.
End of the tether: Google plays nice with carriers
Thursday 5th May 2011 09:43 GMT
Plain stupid
Why not simply charge for data and not offer things you can't provide? Surely a MB of data is a MB of data to the telco regardless of whether it was transferred to/from a mobile phone or a router on a massive corporate LAN. Drop the "unlimited" mobile data plans, and suddenly there's no need at all for these silly wars on software applications.
I can see another sales point of view for blocking "tethering" though - tethering will reduce the need to sign up for a USB stick based mobile internet plan. But because I have a sane ISP that treats me as a customer, I'll continue using my simple little Samsung B2710 connected by USB to my laptop when I need internet access out and about.
How two failed capacitors stranded Sydney rail commuters
Five amazing computers for under £100
Wednesday 27th April 2011 09:04 GMT
Re: Haters comment
Why do people assume that just because someone speaks badly about an iProduct that they must be a "hater"? Why, also, is it acceptable for people to harp on about how magical the iPhone is with no reasoning, yet these people are not labelled "lovers"?
I think the iPhone is one of the most pathetic communications products available. I don't hate Apple, but I also don't keep quiet about how bad a product they have made. Particularly to people who think it's the best thing since sliced bread.
Wednesday 27th April 2011 09:03 GMT
iPhone 1 was unique
What do you mean the only thing unique about the iPhone 1 was it's interface???
It was very unique - when it launched, it was the only top-shelf phone that didn't do MMS, didn't have copy-and-paste in any form, and had nothing really going for it. Pretty unique asking price in my opinion.
Heck, even the current iPhone doesn't do Bluetooth beyond basic audio, and is one of a very very small number of 3G phones that doesn't do standard video calls. That's pretty unique!
Apple sued over iPhone location tracking
Tuesday 26th April 2011 09:12 GMT
Ummm
So that sleezy "genius" at the Apple store would never take a copy home, right?
Nor would the random guy/girl at a computer/phone shop you hand it over to when you have a question about it...
And of course no suspicious wife/husband/friend/relative would ever plug it into a computer and take a copy while you're off cooking dinner or taking a shower.
Never. People just aren't like that...
HP ProLiant power supplies 'may die when dormant'
Tuesday 26th April 2011 09:12 GMT
Caps
I had a no-name homebrew style box as a server at my previous job. Ran no worries for about 2 years prior to my arrival, and another 12 months after I started. Shut it down one day to move it, and 10 minutes later, it wouldn't turn on.
In my case, popped caps in PSU and on the mobo. Stable until it got switched off.
Tuesday 26th April 2011 09:11 GMT
Re: To be fair...
Yep. HP's printer warranty department is lightyears ahead of the consumer PC/laptop department.
We usually get a brand new printer shipped when customers have warranty issues with printers.
Laptops/desktops on the other hand - let's just say one customer with ON SITE NBD warranty was required to take the computer 100km to an authorized repairer, and ended up not having the computer for nearly 3 months.
I thankfully went with Dell for my home server - 3 years NBD onsite, and I know Dell come to town (same company as the "local" HP repairers, but Dell's travel distances are more sane).
XXX domain names go live
Monday 18th April 2011 09:26 GMT
Clean test .xxx domain please ICM...
I really like this new domain. It will make filtering porn somewhat easier for those who need such filters. Business networks, family PCs, etc - all these are going to have one very easy filter rule to apply before all others.
For the same reason, I see a problem where governments think they need to control their citizens however :-(
Microsoft breaks own world record for IE nonsense
Australians can’t read or count
Monday 4th April 2011 08:55 GMT
Can't haz calculator?
What's the crap about people not being able to do maths without a calculator about? Who cares!?!?!
I struggle to do fairly basic maths without a calculator, but it doesn't mean I'm no good at maths. I actually did 3 unit maths and physics, both of which I did better than "average". Does it still make me stupid because I need technology to assist me?
South Brisbane residents to get FTTP ahead of NBN
Tuesday 29th March 2011 04:58 GMT
NBN it
They should build it not just to the NBN specs, but for NBNCo. There's no point having the 2 of them running competing fibre networks, and having 2 non-competing networks operating in different geographical areas will just annoy ISPs.
Telstra needs to ditch the wholesale bit and go purely retail. NBN will kill their wholesale thing anyway.
Google cops €100k French spank in Street View slurp outrage
Tuesday 22nd March 2011 10:08 GMT
Sarcasm?
Please tell me you aren't serious... It's a fine of roughly $US150 THOUSAND issued to a company with a market value of $185 BILLION and a profit last year of around $19 BILLION
Let's put it this way - It's like a person on a wage in the higher end of average being fined one whole dollar.
Aus gamers set to get adult rating?
Tuesday 22nd March 2011 06:17 GMT
Agree
I fully support the R rating for games. I hate the idea of potentially missing out of a game because some bureaucrat says it's too naughty for me as an adult.
But more needs to be done to prevent kids buying/renting such things. This applies not just to games, but to DVDs, music and magazines and cinemas. I find it appalling that some people working in such places either don't care or don't know what the rules are, and just take the money and let it happen.
Assange ambushes Australian Prime Minister on live TV
Wednesday 16th March 2011 10:07 GMT
And even if he did it...
Is it worth killing the guy just so some embarrassed politicians can try to feel better?
Wouldn't the better solution be to have politicians simply not say stupid things just because they think no one is going to find out (*cough* Gordon Brown *cough*)?
(Yes I am aware some "current" military "secrets" were leaked, but surely details of military locations are detectable by the "enemy" using their eyes anyway - does it really make that much difference if some poorly armed rebels find out where the US camps are? Is this worth purposely taking a man's life?)
Intel: 'We ate McAfee to slip security into silicon'
Router-rooting malware pwns Linux-based network devices
Qld police warn against Windows service scam
Thursday 3rd March 2011 10:17 GMT
No pre-test
If they're the same lot doing the rounds of our northern-NSW town, there's no pre-screening surveys... I got one at the exact same time as my parents (who I'm living with, and our phones all run through a PABX). Neither of the lines had previously had a survey done - we all would have refused.
I'm hoping they catch the bastards doing this soon. I'm sick of people coming into the shop I work at and asking about it - it's such a time wasting exercise trying to tell people "yes, it's a scam" 15 times while they re-enact the entire phone call (with saying "scam" between every word).
Windows 7 service pack 1 set to lift off today
Wednesday 23rd February 2011 10:13 GMT
Re: Linux...
700MB updates for a fresh Linux install? That raises some questions, particularly this one:
Do you realise the updates for this "fresh" install probably also cover tonnes of things "Windows" isn't? Office type software for example would probably be about half that download, and obviously something Windows 7 SP1 doesn't cover.
Steve Jobs clarifies 'Subscription Gate' confusion with more confusion
Memo to iPad mimics: No one wants a $799 knockoff
Wednesday 23rd February 2011 09:16 GMT
Or...
>otherwise a lot will pay the extra say £50 because its an iPad.
And other people will pay the extra $50 because it's NOT an iPad. I wouldn't pay $300 for an iPad/iPhone (if they were that price), but have already bought an Adam for $US600.
Why? Because I can do what I want with it, not just what a loony CEO says I might like to do.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
