* Posts by Rob 21

22 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Dec 2010

Boffins develop 'practically free' sulphur-powered batteries

Rob 21

Re: excellent

In the case of NiFe just follow the patent stream which came to an abrupt end after Exide bought up the rights. Much easier to sell deep cycle Lead Acids that still fail <10 years than sell a product that you will pass on to your children.

After Leveson: The UK gets an Orwellian Ministry of Truth for real

Rob 21

Re: Don't bring Lucy Meadows into this...

Did you miss Andrew's point that there was no proof that Milly Dowler's messages had been deleted, and that the story that they had came from the Guardian? I'm rather of the opinion that the Guardian is the house organ of Common Purpose and their articles are for the purposes of herding rather than accuracy.

Yahoo! makes Brit teen app maker VERY RICH with Summly buy

Rob 21
Happy

The boy done good

Nice one. Though I seem to recall using a good summarizing tool that Lotus shipped in the early 90s, ran on Win 3.x and did concordances and indexing too. Can'

The UK Energy Crisis in 3 simple awareness-raising pictures

Rob 21

Because we have so little storage, we always buy on the spot price, and when heavy demand continues, we get to find out just how badly we want it, which balances out the cost saving of not storing it in mild weather and low demand. We did this partly because N. Sea gas was abundant and it seemed silly to pump it out, pipe it 100 miles, and store it again. Oh well.

The most recent decent post on TOD is this:

http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/6329

New Zealand court hands out second peppercorn downloading penalty

Rob 21
Facepalm

Re: On a point of accuracy...

Torrenting is peer to peer. Otherwise it's an ftp or http call.

Microsoft 'touches 16k shop workers' to flog Windows 8 hard

Rob 21
Coat

Re: operating system

That'll be Linux, then ;-)

Microsoft can't even shift Windows 8 slabs in the middle of a tablet frenzy

Rob 21

Re: Telling the customer what they really want...

Henry Ford didn't like Jews. So? Neither does my kebab shop.

Microsoft blasts PC makers: It's YOUR fault Windows 8 crash landed

Rob 21

Re: IT's what happens when you don't listen to your customers

XP SP3. Now, and forever!

'Leccy-starved Reg hack: 'How I survive on 1.5kW'

Rob 21
Meh

We were going to do that where I am in cash-strapped Iberia. But...

they've cut the payments by 30% per unit, meaning there's no positive return on your investment.

The microgen scheme here requires you to fit a 6.7kWh 2-axis tracking array, so you're out £20k up front, and in for 12 years before you get a clear profit, without inflation.

If they allowed smaller scale grid-tie setups, as in the UK, we'd be doing it, but it's 6.7 or nowt, AFAIK.

Rob 21
Happy

Re: A thought provoking argument

Most of those folk will be nodding sagely and going "microwave... plasma Tv... madness, madness!" anyway.

I am (N160 netbook, external HDD, broadband dongle. 1 LED spot, 1 8W CFL, and a woodstove).

'Doomsday' asteroid Apophis more massive than first thought

Rob 21
Happy

Re: Hammer time

And it has a great recipe for pemmican too. One of THE Survivalist classics.

Capita bungs staff £250 if they cheer up, smile for ad snaps

Rob 21
Meh

Its a trap

1. Take photos

2. Submit photos to boss

3. Get downsized as you clearly have nothing better to do

Software bug flattens NYSE trader

Rob 21
IT Angle

Re: No due diligence here

The rape of our investment funds and pensions is not a bug, it's a feature. How else are GS going to continue to earn their money in an environment where there are no true earnings, only transfers?

Moon at annual perigee this weekend

Rob 21

So what

There's perigees many months of the year. We're gardening using an astrological calendar and will be leaving well alone on Sunday and Monday.

Oz anti-gang law hits email, maybe torrents too

Rob 21

Re: mad max

I think the NZ gangs are Maori. They're just waiting for the Mad Max scenario to put Pakeha on the menu.

UK Home Secretary approves TVShack's O'Dwyer extradition

Rob 21

Re: Dear Theresa May

Because the Jordanians will ... 'do things' to him. Whereas the US lets fellow inmates 'do things' to you in choky, so that's alright.

Rob 21

Re: Re:Oodles

They get scooped up and sent back home pronto. The vic gets a delayed autopsy while a weapon is found in his/her personal effects and connection to a hitherto unknown extremist organisation is discovered.

Microsoft blames poor Windows sales on PC slump

Rob 21

No, it means Windows 7 Starter Edition

The Jar Jar Binks of code.

Iranian gov mouthpiece Press TV finally gets taken off the air in the UK

Rob 21

Shame

I thought you could get a decent picture of the ME by letting Al Jazeera and Press cover what the other left out. Fox is just MSM on PCP, no more ideologically biased than Sky, just with added chewing the scenery and soiling itself. RT has become the refuge of independent US journalists of late.

Punters hate copyright, says Steelie Neelie

Rob 21

Freetards win (sort of)

Ayn Rand had it right. There's no private property that a desperate poliitician won't sieze "for the public good". Couldn't happen to a nicer industry though.

Operation Ore decision a 'serious miscarriage of justice' - lawyer

Rob 21

If only

You might have Vogon's lead tech on the jury, but the jury foreman could and should restrict their input to what the defendant's brief brought into the case via the expert witnesses. You're restricted to being as smart or as dumb as the arguments presented in court.

A good thing too, given how easy it would be for the jury to spend their time going over some scrote's FB site and deciding to put him away on the grounds of dodgy syntax and uploading %hit3 fotos.

'Smear agricultural land with human poo'

Rob 21
IT Angle

Coinicidentally,,,

I shall be taking up last years poo during this cold snap and putting it around the apple trees. The worst part of the pit compost toilet is the steamy vapour that gives you a damp behind on cold mornings. After a couple of years intermittent use of the things, I'd rather have a dunny than an indoor one, even on days like these. The best ones are out in the woods, just a seat with a view in the middle of nature. Magic.