Could they be less specific?
"exercise normal prudence"
Is there any phrase they could have used that would convey less information about what they expected people to do?
Posts by Allan George Dyer
2547 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Jun 2009
Page:
Indian authorities issue conflicting advice about biometric ID card security
The Human Genome Project will tell us who to support at Eurovision
We have redundancy, we have batteries, what could possibly go wrong?
Enterprise IT finds itself in a war zone – with no script
Tuesday 8th March 2022 04:44 GMT
Re: Cutting Russia off from the InterWebs is stupid
@DS999 - "China is not going to invade Taiwan."
Well, It wouldn't be an invasion, it would be a reunification, according to Xi's perspective. They don't need to label everyone "neo-nazis", they are already using "separatists", which is quite possibly a far worse crime in Xi's eyes.
Of course China wants their rebel province Taiwan to return willingly. They believe that Taiwan will be quite willing, after a suitable period of re-education The success of this approach can be seen in Hong Kong and other places.
Saving a loved one from a document disaster
Saturday 5th March 2022 08:22 GMT
Re: Imperrfect
Not just typists. I always thought the left side of the original PC keyboard was perfect for WP: Ctrl Alt Shift stacked above each other, with the F keys all within easy reach of one hand in two vertical columns. Forty functions instantly available (once you'd memorised the combinations). Moving the F keys to a single row along the top makes every function a stretch, or for both hands.
The right side of the AT keyboard, though, was a great improvement, but why not just drop the Numlock key?
Yes, this does make the keyboard a bit wider. So what, you've see a piano, haven't you.
The zero-password future can't come soon enough
Thursday 3rd March 2022 12:39 GMT 
There is a place for biometrics...
but it is not for online authentication.
The server trusts the client to truthfully report what it "saw", whether that is the finger on the fingerprint reader, or a face in front of the camera etc. An attacker has complete control over their own client, so they can introduce fake biometric data.
icon - used glasses are a great source for fingerprints.
Plans for UK rival to Silicon Valley ditched
Computer scientists at University of Edinburgh contemplate courses without 'Alice' and 'Bob'
Monday 28th February 2022 10:49 GMT
Re: Well...
@MachDiamond - "interns around for low cost/slave labor. Most of them were useless"
Isn't that the deal? You get some low-cost labour, but have to spend time supervising them, they get practical experience. And the ones that weren't useless from the beginning get the best references at the end.
Americans far more willing to hand over personal data
Thursday 24th February 2022 11:41 GMT
@msobkow - "I don't understand why people in normal, civilized western nations would be so afraid of having their spending, surfing, and viewing habits tracked and tallied."
A few thoughts to get you started:
- It changes the relationship between buyer and seller to the detriment of the buyer. The supermarket can offer you the minimum quality product you will accept at the maximum price you can afford.
- the information can be used to manipulate your thoughts and beliefs.
- Sensitive personal information may be leaked inadvertently, e.g. a pop-up ad for haemorrhoid cream during your important presentation.
- sensitive personal information may be stolen and misused by criminals. It doesn't harm the data-collector if YOUR identity is stolen.
- normal, civilized western nations can change into less-civilised places quite quickly (invoke Poe's law here)
Sure, it's been going on in some form for centuries, but IT makes it so much more dangerous.
Interpol: Policing model needs to change with cybercrime
Friday 18th February 2022 04:04 GMT 
Nice to see Craig Jones is realising that cybercrime is organised, but what is he doing as Interpol's cybercrime director if he didn't already know this ten years ago, or earlier? Many of his subordinates and colleagues in other agencies must be far better qualified for the position.
Or does he think the only way to get people to listen is to trot out the stereotypes he claims to be dispelling?
Ericsson admits it may have paid off ISIS terrorists
Hong Kong Watch says its website suddenly can't be seen in Hong Kong
Make assistive driving safe: Eliminate pedestrians
Saturday 12th February 2022 02:32 GMT
Re: designated right or wrong side
@Snake - "Ten seconds later an older woman steps on to the sidewalk from the street and places herself 8 inches in front of me."
Isn't the reasonable action to allow people to get out of danger? A pedestrian on the footpath should give way to a pedestrian leaving the street. Even if there is no traffic at the moment (these horseless carriages move fast, you know).
OTOH, I'll come to a dead stop and wait to see if a phone zombie walks into me, particularly if I'm carrying a large package.
UK.gov threatens to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok
Wednesday 9th February 2022 04:07 GMT
Long term solution...
So many parents struggle with monitoring and controlling their children's use of technology?
How about teaching this to older teenagers at school, along with use of contraceptives* and other essential life skills. There can be class discussions, led by specialist teachers - trained professionals, about morals and appropriate age. Eventually, those kids will be the new responsible parents.
The problem is, it would be seen as too expensive.
* Yeah, I know some places pretty much ban teaching about contraceptives, that's another problem to be fixed.
Labour reminds UK.gov that it's supposed to be reforming the Computer Misuse Act
FBI says more cyber attacks come from China than everywhere else combined
Monday 7th February 2022 05:11 GMT
Re: "the USA and its allies have had some wins"
@W.S.Gosset - "the (ex)Prince who said something similar" Wei Jingsheng has some interesting ideas. However, I would suggest that both feudalism and the elitism of the Chinese Communist regime are both examples of a broader phenomena: the rich and powerful think up rules so that they stay rich and powerful.
Monday 7th February 2022 04:52 GMT
Re: "the USA and its allies have had some wins"
@W.S.Gosset - "Lin Biao" Thanks for the reference.
"Cultures don't change that fast" Sometimes they do. Something that was unthinkable (e.g. votes for women) can become normal in a generation. Perhaps there are aspects of culture that are more fixed, but some of it could be the group that is loosing power formulating a strategy to re-establish the attitudes that benefit themselves.
"And you might be surprised to learn that every Chinese person you've ever met or seen in the West would be described in an English context as --at the very minimum-- lower-upper class or upper-middle class." Perhaps I should mention that I live in Hong Kong? I'm quite well aware that recent Chinese expatriates are very well-off, but any regular reader of TheReg may have noticed the reports of poor conditions in Chinese tech factories.
Monday 7th February 2022 04:25 GMT
Re: "the USA and its allies have had some wins"
@The Man Who Fell To Earth - My point was that tagging a current regime based on a remark at least 46 years old is likely to be misleading. China was still very much an agricultural nation in Mao's time, held back further by the Great Leap Forwards. I would accept that a feudal label could be appropriate at that time (with certain reservations... there is an implied European and religious context). Fascist might be a more relevant term today, with strong industrialisation in many cities, militarism and nationalism. In between, there was a period of opening up and (relative) liberalisation, where both terms were less applicable. It's complicated.
Friday 4th February 2022 08:15 GMT
Re: "the USA and its allies have had some wins"
@W.S.Gosset - Which of Mao's subordinates said that? Liu Shaoqi was executed in the Cultural Revolution.
Mao himself died in 1976, remarks from the age of Harold Wilson and Gerald Ford might not be entirely descriptive of the situation today, especially in a country where GDP has grown over 100 times.
UK government opens consultation on medic-style register for Brit infosec pros
Wednesday 26th January 2022 05:10 GMT
Re: Forewarned is forearmed .... and the smartest freely available option is to take good heed.
When did amanfromMars 1 start replying to their own comments, and adding links to previous comments? This could be the next step towards the Singularity!
OTOH, could we get amanfromMars to respond to the consultation document? That could keep them tied up for years.
Throw away your Ethernet cables* because MediaTek says Wi-Fi 7 will replace them
Tuesday 25th January 2022 03:47 GMT
@SGJ - "it won't be usable a room or two away but this means it will be usable in crowded urban areas!"
In a crowded urban area, the walls of your room might be in touching distance, and the concrete wall between you and your lounge means you can't contact the AP there. Save the cost of a 2m ethernet cable by buying a $X Wi-Fi 7 router for every room!
icon - Escape!
Planning for power cuts? That's strictly for the birds
Tuesday 18th January 2022 05:51 GMT
Re: That's a nice incentive
@Charles 9 - Then that crew member has to find a plausible failure mode they can trigger that's not in the plan, resulting in it being investigated and added to the plan. Sounds like a win.
Bit less of a win if they find such a failure mode, and decide to save it for the in-laws next visit...
North Korea pulled in $400m in cryptocurrency heists last year – report
Tuesday 18th January 2022 05:15 GMT
Re: Further to the North Korea story:
@Clausewitz 4.0 - "McAfee was in the antivirus business"
I think pavel.petrman was referring to McAfee's fame in the paranoid-batshit-crazy business, rather than his brief, early stint in the antivirus business.
"exploits and software implants developer" - somehow, I read that as "explosive software implants developer", it seems appropriate.
China builds 'free trade data port' inclusive of submarine cable landing station
Wednesday 12th January 2022 04:59 GMT
What does that even mean?
"realizes the first cross-border operation in China"
It's (obviously) not the first international submarine cable entering China, what border is it crossing, and why is it different? Nansha is in the middle of the Pearl River delta, and from the link Hong Kong and Macao are involved. These big statements often leave me wondering, has something been lost in the translation, or is it purely PR hype?
Entirely unjustified speculation... does "cross-border" refer to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (crossing the internal border between the two systems in one country)? Perhaps this is the first international cable terminating at a shared data centre? So international traffic to Hong Kong and Macao can pass through the same data centre... and be subject to the same inspection as Mainland traffic. Is this the extension of the Great Firewall to protect Hong Kong and Macao too?
How convenient, to have a single point which all approved data can flow through.
LAPD cops who preferred playing Pokémon Go to tackling robbery can be fired, appeals court rules
Bitcoin 'inventor' will face forgery claims over his Satoshi Nakamoto proof, rules High Court
Saturday 8th January 2022 09:41 GMT 
Maybe it's a double-bluff?
He is Satoshi, still has the key, but realises that any attempt to sell will trigger an investigation that will lead to him. So, he very publicly looses this case. Later, when he sells some, the investigation leads to him, and everyone says, "Nah, he's the idiot who couldn't prove he was Satoshi in 2022, someone's set us up, keep looking".
A time when cabling was not so much 'structured' than 'survival of the fittest'
Tuesday 4th January 2022 04:50 GMT
Re: Sounds like us (sic)
Apparently, my grandfather's preferred method for checking whether the bulb or the fuse had blown was to, while standing on a wooden chair, lick two fingers and put them into the bayonet cap light socket. However, this would have been before UK electricity was standardised on 240V.
Low on passengers, low on memory: A bad day on the London Underground
Friday 31st December 2021 03:45 GMT
Re: Shocking Service!
@jake -
"I clearly said most" - And I think you may be looking too much at USA and Europe, which did have major development immediate post-WWII and less so since. Across the rest of the world, I think the development has accelerated since then. The 1MDB scandal in Malaysia was a major set-back, but it was only possible because of the massive amounts of money flowing into building in the region. Similar things are happening in SE Asia, S America and Africa.
"I hardly think that a single poster-child (Shenzhen) is representative of an entire country" - I first visited Shenzhen in 1993, so it was a convenient example for me. However, I've seen massive construction in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian and Shanghai too, and on later visits some had been completed and were in use. Maybe some haven't been completed because of Evergrande's problems, I haven't visited for a year. Still, I think Shenzhen is fairly representative of many cities in the country.
"Hong Kong is, and has been, a shit-hole" So you were just passing through? (sorry, old joke)
"Same for are New York, London, Rome and Tokyo. And all of them are in far worse condition overall than they were in the '60s. Yes, that's from personal experience." OK, so you're not a fan of city life. But HK was better in the '60s?, really? The Cross Harbour Tunnel wasn't opened until 1972, so crossing the harbour was a slow ferry journey, with the new MTR lines as well, the city is a lot easier to get around. The population in 1960 was about 3M, now 7.5M. Compulsory education for ages of 6 and 11 was introduced in 1971, now enrolment in tertiary education is 67%. A lot of things have changed in HK since 1960, and many of those have been improvements.
"Perhaps your definition of "decline" is different than mine?" Yes, I think so. "Cities" have grown over the period, in terms of population and infrastructure. If you're talking about quality of life for the inhabitants, then that is a lot more complicated and subjective, and different for different cities, or even districts of cities.
Thursday 30th December 2021 09:06 GMT
Re: Shocking Service!
@jake, @vtcodger
'"But I think overall, that cities as we knew them in the 20th century may be headed for long term decline."
Overall, I think that most cities have been in decline since the end of the post-war building boom, call it roughly the late 1950s or early 1960s.'
Declining since the early 1960's? No, there's plenty of cities worldwide that only started developing fast more recently. Shenzhen, for example, was a large building site 30 years ago. Evergrande's troubles might be the beginning of the end of China's property boom, but I wouldn't bet on it. Hong Kong had some of the highest property prices in 1999, now the prices, adjusted for inflation, are 3 times higher and new developments (generally old 10-story blocks being replaced by 20 to 50 story blocks) consistently sell-out before completion.
I guess cities will evolve but still have a recognisable relationship to 20th century cities, just as 20th century cities have a recognisable relationship to medieval and Roman cities.
Please pay for parking – CMOS batteries don't buy themselves
Who you gonna call? Premium numbers, but a not-so-premium service
Online retailers delaying sales of Raspberry Pi 4 model until 2023, thanks to a few good chips getting scarce
Dutch nuclear authority bans anti-5G pendants that could hurt their owners via – you guessed it – radiation
Monday 20th December 2021 09:12 GMT
Re: Source of radiation
@jdiebdhidbsusbvwbsidnsoskebid
"(a similar product advert claims it needs to be recharged by exposure to moonlight for 5 hours!)"
Obviously contains ground-up werewolf bones. It's scientifically proven that having your throat ripped out by a pissed-off werewolf is 100% effective against harm caused by 5G signals.
icon - the one with the silver knife and the bulb of garlic in the pocket... can't be too careful, got to cover all possibilities.
Newly discovered millipede earns its name by being the first to walk on one thousand legs
Friday 17th December 2021 05:00 GMT 
Was it injured?
Millipedes have 4 legs per segment (distinguishing them from the centipedes that only have 2 legs per segment), so 1306 legs is 14 legs short for 330 segments. Even allowing for no legs on the head segment and, possibly, the arse segment, there's a few legs missing.
[Edit] The wonders of Wikipedia, the first segment (Collum, not to be confused with a character from LoTR) has no legs, the next three have 2 legs, and the last few may be legless, so it can all add up correctly.
Humanity has officially touched the Sun (or, at least, one of its probes has)
Apollo 17 samples yield fresh insights 49 years after mission left the Moon
Playing jigsaw on my roof: They can ID you from your hygiene habits
China: Bars app that often hosted dissenting conversations
Friday 10th December 2021 09:01 GMT
Do a like-for-like comparison... both China and democracies have implemented lockdowns in response to covid. China's have been very stringent, and are still imposed on entire cities for a handful of cases. The main difference was that they wasted a month at the beginning, arresting and intimidating a medic giving an early warning. Another difference is that no Chinese officials have been reported driving to Barnard's Castle to test their eyesight, or holding Christmas parties while under lockdown rules.
As for only affecting a small percentage, when the affect is death then strong measures are justified. Do you object to speed limits and seat belts because only a small percentage ever died in road accidents?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
