Posts by MrHorizontal

Don't forget the moonshark

ArsTechnica's moonshark: https://arstechnica.com/moonshark

Loving it

I have to say I absolutely love the farce this whole Cambridge Analytica 'scandal' has created.

The biggest issue is that the only breach was by Dr Kogan when he resold data mined from Facebook to CA. But that's just a breach of contract in the license usage restriction from the data from Facebook - nothing criminal. And nothing anyone can really do anything about it.

Of course Facebook has a whole heap of other data breaches, particularly in the use of customer lists that they make their advertisers upload (and break the law in doing so), but that's beside the point. Of course, there'll be plenty more popcorn on Facebook's front once GDPR is in full force...

Basically, CA provided 'Machine Learning' to campaigning. Therefore is campaigning bad, or is the fact someone provided more intelligent campaigning bad?

With Intel's 3D X-Point and their promise of non-volatile RAM, you will be able to use an 'in-memory database' safe in the knowledge that data is persisted. Then with just a caching mechanism equivalent, you just page it to a cheaper bigger disk. This actually simplifies computing dramatically and is a massive paradigm shift (the right place to use this term) in computing.

I generally flip between Chrome and Firefox depending on which browser has been behaving best recently. Currently Firefox 54 has the crown for fastest and best browser. Have no problem with the Firefox transfer thingy, but 1GB is a little mean.

Ad blocker in Chrome is a Google Gobble of Eyeo's AdBlock's 'allow some non-intrusive ads' scheme to control moar ads. What I'm most surprised by is that this hasn't launched an antitrust case against both Google and Eyeo, as this is a pretty blatant market control move.

As for whether I stop using Ad Blockers at all? Well that would mean that ad networks have to stop serving ads themselves and only allow publishers' servers to serve them, as they have no right to my browsing history - only the publisher.

The Illiberati

My definition for all these "liberal" campaigners, when as soon as the game changes and the argument becomes moot, they don't accept it and stfu.

Hang on...

...aren't there a bunch of Sky TV channels in Europe that have nothing to do with BSkyB or Murdoch?

Surely that's a bit more of a trademark infringement being in the *direct industry* BSkyB operates in rather than a name that spuriously alludes to 'Sky' and operating in a *totally different industry* as Skype does.

My suggestion to MS is to raise the fact that:

a) Sky is used by other TV stations in Europe

b) Skype has nothing to do with TV.

I only get 9 mbps... in central London

My exchange is fibre enabled. The other side of the road is served by a different cabinet and they're fibre enabled. Yet my cabinet hasn't been upgraded. Seriously how long does OpenTurd take to upgrade cabinets - it's been 3 YEARS since the exchange got glass!

Worse still, I'm willing to *pay* for FTTP from my cabinet, but I can't even begin to order because the cabinet has to be upgraded first. And there's no way I as a consumer can berate, take action against nor do anything to force the turds at OpenTurd get off the toilet and upgrade my cabinet.

Ofcom, are you listening?

Strictly speaking, if Google continue to trade in the EU, ie actually earn money and then do the double-dutch-irish-chocolate-starfish tax thing, then theoretically all EU-facing services of Google are subjected to the breakup...

I think this is more to do with tax, and somehow the EU is saying: "either pay up (tax) or break up (services)"

How to sort out DNS problems properly

Virgin Media's SuperHub is only useful for one thing: Ethernet to Cable modem bridging. Hardware-wise it's a pretty normal Netgear 802.11n router using a Broadcom chipset which is pretty much run of the mill and OK. However, VM's 'custom' firmware practically bricks the box.

I don't use either VM's DNS servers nor do I use spoofing DNS providers like OpenDNS or Google (spoofing means if a DNS record fails it shows a page of ads by redirecting). Instead you should use a non-spoofing (or ideally, a DNSSEC) upstream DNS server. Locally on your LAN you should also use either a full (Bind / Windows with Active Directory) or a caching proxy DNS (dnsmasq) server.

DNSSEC is sort of like SSL for DNS - not so much encryption, but means the record isn't spoofed. Because spoofing DNS is easy it's normally the first thing ISP's like VM roll out to do their blocking of pr0n/piracy stuff.

There is a more honest use of spoofing that OpenDNS and Google employ by providing you with a more useful page (read ads) when a DNS query fails.

Either way, your laptop is having to talk to a server miles away that may or may not be spoofing your DNS, in order to find the IP address of each and every image and page in a web page. So don't use any of them: use your own DNS server, with trustworthy upstream DNS servers.

Upstream servers don't need to be super fast, because the speed is being covered by your local DNS server - the upstream DNS servers just need to be reliable and honest.

Sound complicated it really isn't.

So how to do this:

a) If you already use Active Directory (e.g. you log onto Windows with Ctrl+Alt+Delete), then you already have a DNS server. Configure your PDC and BDC's DNS servers (which are a requirement for AD) with decent upstream DNS servers and tell the DHCP Server to use the PDC and BDC for clients.

b) If you have a QNAP/Synology NAS, they also have DNS server capabilities.

c) If you have a spare machine or a VM able to use exclusive use of NICs for WAN connections, then install pfSense, and bobs your uncle.

d) If you only have a bog standard router, try to use DD-WRT and make use of it's dnsmasq server.

e) If you're still out of luck, there are plenty DNS servers available for Windows that run as a service or in the task tray.

The point is they're plenty available, and you will notice an immediate speed up of your browsing (particularly on Mac OS X / iOS) when using it.

So which DNS servers to use? Most people will say use Google (8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4) or OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220). However, as I mentioned, they spoof DNS anyway (Google does support DNSSEC though).

The ideal servers to use are entirely dependent on your location, because the absolute fastest DNS servers will be the ones with the fattest low latency pipes to you. Thankfully, someone made a tool to do exactly that: DNS Benchmark.

1) Download Steve Gibson's DNS Benchmark: https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm. No need to install, like any proper software, just run it.

2) Open it and click 'Nameservers' tab

3) Right-click on the main list of servers, check 'Test DNSSEC Authentication'

4a) If you've used DNS Benchmark before, skip to step 5. Otherwise click the 'Add/Remove' button

4b) Click 'Rebuild Custom List' at the bottom, and click the new button also called 'Rebuild Custom List'.

4c) Wait about 40 minutes for the tool to sort through about 4200 DNS servers.

5) Go back to the 'Nameservers' tab, click 'Run benchmark'

6) Once complete, select the fastest servers you want to use - if you want DNSSEC-enabled servers, they are marked green.

A DNS Server on your network should have 2-4 upstream DNS servers. Usually when they don't have a record in their local cache, they'll request from all 4 upstream servers simultaneously and return the first successful result. Most clients will just choose the first one.

And with that, you have fast and authentic (if you use DNSSEC servers) DNS solution locally and no Virgin Media snafu's that even when it's working 'normally' it's broken.

I wonder if this has the same properties as the coriolis effect (e.g. the direction of the water vortex down a plug hole north and south of the equator) when under sunlight, and that proximity to the equator will change it's behaviour.

Geekspawn

Missing WOPR off the list was a pretty huge omission. I suggest updating the article with a whole page dedicated to it, because WarGames probably triggered more geekspawn than any other film I know - certainly true with me.

There's a pretty decent list of films on the 'pedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_about_computers, though not completely conclusive - for example, in anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion has the 3 Magi computers that run the entire society if we're going into Anime too.

Also, while not really so much as a 'character' in the film, the computers from Minority Report are still very influential in modern UI and interaction design right to this day too, especially with touch and gesture being so widely adopted.

You say it's game over for MIPS, others say it's an opportunity.

With ARM struggling to get into the server space, PowerVR being the GPU of choice in mobile, and MIPS having arguably an even stronger presence in the server space than Intel (in the form of the SGI/DEC heydays), it looks to me that Imagination is now actually a pretty serious threat to ARM's server initiative - given that supers these days are all ceepiegeepies, having MIPS+PowerVR is... another ceepiegeepie.

Also, don't forget that AST also has Intel as a consortium member.

Between the lines:

Samsung to Google: OK, we've got to pay these idiots in Cupertino $1b. If we have to do that, we will and we'll drop Android and go to WinPho 8.

Google to Apple: Oh s**t! Apple, what, exactly do you want us to do?

Apple to Google: Scrap Android.

Google to itself: Oh s**t! Everyone, eat a footlong with a big foot in it and then get a spade, we've got a big hole to dig.

This of course is what Apple wants.

What *should* happen though is this: Samsung, HTC, Motorola found guilty of infringing Apple. Apple found infringing by Motorola, Nokia and others for FRAND. All iOS and Android products injuncted off shelves. Congress goes 'oh s**t!', we've just let the patent system destroy our glorious icon, Apple. Patent system reformed, all cases appealed and back down. Everyone in the US still has a phone.

Would be interesting to see how other cloud providers like Backblaze respond to this. Hopefully they will introduce a slightly more flexible service than using their proprietary client. Glacier is not quite as good a deal as Backblaze (being $5 or £2.50/mth), but Glacier will store anything.

Where was the consultation?

I'm a resident of RBKC. I cannot find any consultation or method of objecting this decision which seems to have been taken unilaterally by this council without due process or authority.

I would much appreciate information on how to petition a formal objection on this decision.

Gonna need more than an apology...

It's pretty criminal if you ask me to so carelessly identify users like that.

I'd expect not only a whopping great fine from the ICO, but a renewed debate on Net Neutrality for mobile (should be no different to fixed) and also a kick-back to all O2 customers with a smartphone.

Given that it is worth about $17 for a website to know the identity of a user, tripling this to $51 worth of kick back to all smartphone customers should be the minimum. I'd expect that should be some a break from monthly charges, though O2 will probably think some free apps or other totally useless 'value-back' will suffice. It won't.

O2 should be in real trouble here.

Wait a sec...

... both the status quo and the 'new' have it wrong.

First and foremost, the Gregorian calendar is wrong with the concept of a leap year. The earth takes 365.25 days to revolve around the sun. We can make an existing 'day' 1.00068493150685 days without too much impact. That fixes the February 29th every four years issue, and just never have it.

Now leap seconds. As has been said, the earth's spin on its axis around the sun causes the issue with leap seconds. The issue at hand is what 'time' sunrise and sunset happens. As we know full well in Britain, getting up in darkness and leaving work in darkness in winter is a spirit-sapping experience. The point being is while it will take a good 100 years before there is a noticeable difference, given that at some point in time in the future (granted, very, very far in the future) under the proposed no-leapsecond time you will go to sleep at 11 pm in the UK and the sun rises, it's not representative of 'time'. By this virtue, technology 'because it's easier' doesn't help solve the problem.

Personally, just state that at 12 midnight on New Years, the second that strikes is X+Y seconds, and if Y is a +2 second or we miss 1 second for a given year, it happens. The entire world is drunk out of their minds, so who the hell cares for +/- 1 second? Certainly not technology, if it's internationally proclaimed that all time is 'fixed' at a given point in the calendar, then technology can do what it's designed to do: serve humankind. And in the meantime, you and I can continue moaning about British winters, and in the meantime have to drink a little bit faster or slower by a matter of a second or two every New Years.

Does it matter? It's all relative. I say, cheers!

Larry not happy

...with profit warnings for Oracle and with the TomorrowNow settlement and SAP still posts well, one can only guess what is happening in the higher floors of Oracle Towers.

Not defending Intel, but...

Registry

The actual domain name doesn't matter so much (though I agree that using a completely different domain like nwolb.com is just dumb from the bank's operations).

What actually matters is the registry that controls the .bank is not a US concern like the most untrustworthy entity of them all: Verisign. In other words, DNS and SSL need to be managed from a far more trusted source that is UK based, and one that has public oversight for this to be OK.

So...

Will the spin off of the PC business be called Compaq or Digital Equipment Corporation or something nondescript like Lenovo?

Unlikely

As others have said, there's no need for Apple to do this, they have the licenses to the content already, it's just in a different delivery format. It's not Apple's business to stream ad-supported media like Hulu as there are no gigantic 30-40% profit margins in that model that Apple looks at.

What absolutely would make sense and become an absolute powerhouse to be reckoned with is a combined Hulu+Spotify. Hulu needs Spotify's European customer base and expertise and distribution mechanism, both services are complementary to each other, both are freemium services, and both have the blessings and indeed seen as the darlings of the content owners.

That would also take both services to the next level and compete with the AGA conglomerate (Apple, Google, Amazon).

Web Objects

But from another perspective, I don't think the hardware is the issue here - it really depends on what and how iCloud runs in terms of software.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were using some whitelabel servers running Mac OS X. After all iTunes is largely a web services platform running on Apple's Web Objects - not a bad platform but not exactly a hugely mainstream platform either... and really what is iCloud but iTunes store on steroids? Wouldn't it be ironic if they were indeed hackintoshes?

<3 Teradata.

meh

Blame Bob Crow :P

meh

In all likelihood, Apple wasn't exactly releasing Java updates as regularly as Sun did, and I think they've just given up the ghost on maintaining it themselves. Don't forget the most salient point of this Java update is that it allows for other JDK's to be installed in the process.

Seems to me that they just want to palm off the responsibility to Oracle and be done with it. As to whether they've given Oracle their Aqua integration stuff as well is entirely a different matter, but if I were Apple I'd do that and maintain the ability to run it.

After all the Mac is actually a really, really good platform to run Java on - intended consequence or not.

Hot countries are more eco friendly than colder ones

As someone who grew up in the mediterranean, we have oil heating (ie the most expensive type) for winter and we have air con in summer when it's cold. We also have water shortages aplenty and we have to think of ingenious ways to get rid of rubbish generally, because if left out in the sun it stinks to high heaven.

What's different between hot and cold climes is that while we have central heating and aircon, we NEVER use it ALL the time. We only put aircon on if it's above 35 outside or during a heatwave, otherwise simply closing the shutters and keeping the house dark is a remarkably efficient way of keeping a house cool in summer. Opening the windows wide open is possibly the worst thing you can do to keep cool. Similarly in winter, we don't need the central heating on at all. Just a few short bursts (2 hours between 6 and 8pm for example) is plenty heat for the entire night. Needless to say if you have the aircon on while in bed, you're pretty stupid as you'll wake up with a chill, and if you have your heating on while asleep too, your duvet isn't good enough or, quite frankly, you're not heating yourself up making passionate love. Yes, sex is a pretty good way of keeping warm!

Rubbish in hot countries has to be picked up within a day before it gasses the street. Seriously perishable stuff is usually biodegradable anyway, and mincing it up and putting it down the drain is a better bet (provided your drains can handle it). Then what's left is plastics, glass, paper and aluminium, which surprisingly is all recyclable and doesn't stink.

Furthermore, when I explained to my (English) girlfriend that there was a water shortage one summer, she balked at the fact I left the bathwater in the bath and scooped it up and threw it down the toilet instead of using the normal flusher. Old soapy bathwater is perfectly good enough to flush away last night's curry (and the soap helps ward off the nasty niff emitting skid marks left in the old bowl).

Finally practically everyone over there knows that heating stuff up is the most expensive thing to do. So the amount of crap that resides on top of an oven (because everyone cooks real mediterranean food needing HOURS of cooking) is amazing - kettles, hot water bottles, coils for outside hosepipes linked to the outdoor shower and so forth. Last but not least the ubiquitous solar panels to heat up water is almost everywhere.

The point of it all, is just using PLAIN OLD COMMON SENSE and a little bit of LATERAL thinking pays a huge dividends - that's why my typical energy bills come in on average at on average, one sixth of mates' bills, and I wouldn't particularly call myself eco-conscious at all (I certainly don't bother unplugging my stuff, and I like my light!).

In some ways C# is more open than Java

While C# is an ECMA standard, when MS submitted it, it also submitted the CLR to ECMA as well, so it's as open as the other big ECMA standard, JavaScript. Java on the other hand has it's JVM exclusively controlled by Sun and now Oracle, and has never been 'open' in the same way, so it does surprise me that Java is perceived as an 'open' language while C# is perceived as 'proprietary'. For once MS did the right thing there...

Sure, mono and other C# / .NET derived projects aren't quite as enterprise ready when used away from Windows, primarily because only MS and Novell really drive C#, while Java has Google, Oracle, IBM and practically every other house supporting and contributing to it. Similarly OSS foundations like Apache, while incubating some C# projects, haven't made all of their projects C#, and that's the only thing IMO other than odd .exe and .dll binaries on a *nix platform when using mono that really stall C#. Credit to MS for producing it, because it's truly a wonderful language.

On the flipside though since I mentioned Apache, they've proven to be a very good house for incubating and even things like the relatively basic apache commons project establishes Java as a richer environment than most. I say that Oracle hand over Java to ASF and be done with this nonsense.