Posts by Paul Hovnanian

Works both ways

If the goal of Daesh is to get a bomb onboard a planeload of Americans, I'd expect all laptops to be banned from cabins leaving as well as entering the USA. Also on flights within the USA.

Al Shabab already demonstrated the ability to have ground personnel walk a bomb around security and hand it off to a passenger. Fortunately, the only fatality (on a Daallo Airline flight) was the bomber. But the USA has demonstrated it's complete inability to crack down on crooked ground personnel (although the merchandise usually heads in the opposite direction). So it would be trivially easy to recruit someone to carry a package into a secure area.

Contractors generally like the convenience ...

... perhaps.

But (in the states) practically everyone from the IRS (our federal tax collector) to unions will conspire to make your life hell if you try to contract yourself out. I like having a boss sit around and skim his cut off the top of my hourly fees just slightly more than the body cavity search that numerous gov't entities will perform should I try to make a living on my own. I'm not sure how things are in Australia. But I suspect somewhat similar.

You are an employee. Of someone. Unless you can jump through some pretty tight hoops to prove otherwise. Abraham Lincoln may have freed the slaves, but the authorities still aren't happy about seeing any of us walking around without a master.

Six-terra

So, not a hard 'C' like Cthulhu?

I'm not sure the Kardashians are great spokespersons for any products. On the off chance that something they use might result in unchecked derriere growth, most people I know would steer clear.

Get your server room a mascot

A rat terrier.

Jammed Keyboard?

Replace it with a dishwasher safe keyboard.

Wrong victim

Och! It's a kilt not a skirt.

1.37 Billion ...

... upvotes attached to a comment about poor database security?

No. Do not want.

What with the increasingly tight coupling between passenger entertainment systems and avionics, I don't want any third party software loaded anywhere on an airplane that I'm flying on. No thanks. The 787 broke new ground by getting an exception granted by the FAA to allow IFE and avionics to operate on the same data buses.

Not that I think it matters. IFE systems are sold as prepackaged hardware/software systems, not general purpose computing platforms. Other than software patches provided by the vendor, there is no system requirement to install and run third party apps. If CoKinetic wants to get into the IFE business, they can go out and develop their own hardware platform. And get it certified.

Chinese New Year

Year of the Rooster.

But it will take me weeks to remember not to write Monkey on all my checks.

Define Pornography

Ezekiel 23:20

Looks pretty bad to me. Better block that book from my kids' PCs pending a $20 fee.

The FBI has forgotten its job

Which is to build a prosecutable case against the suspect. Not to play James Bond or George Smiley.

Poker tell

Libratus' CPU fan kicks into high speed when he gets a good hand.

The revolution

... will not be televised.

Object lesson

Passenger airlines are no place for jokes.

Ryanair excepted.

I guess ...

... they'll be trying to resurrect their Windows for Warships development program.

Before this, we hadn't had a ship disabled by a Zero since WWII

Fair Use

Using that phrase within the artwork might be protected by the 'fair use' doctrine. It's possible that HBO objected to the use of that phrase as the file name when it was uploaded. It would then appear in a search along with their branded merchandise. So, change the name and put it back up.

I don't understand ...

... exactly what “Harold” meant by "The 2IC is having none of that argument". He provided an estimate along with identifying some possible risks. And the #2 boss is saying "No"? Does he have some insight into the process and a more streamlined approach? Or is he one of these supervisors that just think the IT department throws a handful of faerie dust at the servers and its 'job done'.

Having worked in some heavily audited lines of business, this sounds like a request to 'just get it done, but hide the expenditures' which can get even a CEO canned. Or at least the business banned from government contracts. Now I understand that not everyone must answer to this high a level of accountability. But Harold should take whatever steps are needed, through official channels, to request budget for and set up charge lines to track this activity. That might be enough to stop 2IC in his tracks.

Protector

Because 'Dalek' was already taken? And these drones aren't slowed down by a curb.

When will this be available?

I need to organize my hard drive.

Forget self driving cars

Some pedestrians already do this in Seattle. Mainly, the hobos.

California initiative

They just passed Proposition 64: Legal recreational weed.

Initiative? I don't think so.

$12 million?

Big deal. That sort of expenditure regularly falls behind the filing cabinets at some of the outfits (private business) that I've worked for. Call me when they buy $250 million of automated test gear, put it o a shelf somewhere and then sell it off for surplus, unopened.

Old line

"You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!"