* Posts by Novatone

14 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Jul 2011

Trump backs Oracle as potential TikTok buyer

Novatone

I’d rather the Chinese government own it than Oracle

Oracle and Ellison are more evil than the Chinese government.

At least Microsoft would just kill it with neglect rather than the evil licensing that Oracle inflicts on the things it buys

Internet Archive preps Canadian safe haven to swerve Donald Trump

Novatone

Will be protected by moose and squirrel.

WebAssembly: Finally something everyone agrees on – websites running C/C++ code

Novatone

No, No, No, GOD NOOOOOO

I don't want people I trust writing code in C let alone ones that I don't.

I sure hope this is opt-in not on by default.

Can we get a system with enforced bounds checking and other safety features, please.

Surface Book nightmare: Microsoft won't fix 'Sleep of Death' bug

Novatone

Possible fix, Based on Surface Pro 4

The Surface Pro 2 had a similar problem, it would stick in sleep/wake limbo you had to hard boot to get it to do anything occasionally, the problem is largely fixed now, by firmware and driver updates that were pleasantly automatic.

I had the problem on my Surface Pro 4 as well, dead battery, hot in the bag, etc.

Here is the basic work around, disable Windows Hello (Settings > Accounts > Sign-In Options)

Disable connected standby on battery (Settings > System> Power and Sleep)

I may have changed some other settings but I can't remember.

The problem seems to be caused by wake being triggered accidentally, the system wakes at the slightest touch of the power button (I accidentally put mine to sleep as I typed that by brushing the power button accidentally while using the on-screen keyboard near the top of the screen) it also wakes when the power cord is connected or disconnected.

With the face recognition turned on it will not give up and go back to sleep, it just runs flat out looking for a face until the battery is dead or it overheats (or it did the last time I used it).

I submitted a feedback suggestion, disabled 'hello' and really haven't had a problem since.

Reminder: iPhones commit suicide if you repair them on the cheap

Novatone

Useless as a security feature.

If the phone does not detect tampering immediately this is useless as a security feature, a fact that I'm sure will be a prominent part of the legal case against Apple at trial.

Novatone

Tell Apple how you feel

The apple support page (linked to in the article) has a 'Helpful?' question at the bottom perhaps a few hundred thousand No responses with a personal explanation of why this stinks, is probably illegal, may lead to lawsuits, and may make you choose a different brand for your next phone may improve the situation.

Or at least ask them to clarify what parts must be kept original. Is it just the fingerprint sensor and cable that needs to be original? Can you unbrick by reattaching the original?

How do you anonymize personal databases and protect people's privacy – over to you, NIST

Novatone

Quantization would be a good first step.

Researches don't really need a birthdate accurate to one day, quanize to 1 or 1/2 month.

Group small zip code areas into slightly larger areas.

Quanize other location and time information.

Etc.

We can't all live by taking in each others' washing

Novatone

Your articles will be missed, they are some of the most consistently important and useful articles on the site.

Collective noun search for security vulns moves into beta testing

Novatone

I would suggest a (curly) bracket of bugs

A Pwn of vulnerabilities

But a stack or overflow would also be good

ROBOTS in sinister public-relations push ahead of coming WAR ON HUMANS

Novatone

Unplug and plug it in again?

If robots can unplug power cords and plug them in again my tech support business is in trouble.

Mono Magic: Photography, Breaking Bad style

Novatone

It is techno-Luddism

The Minolta 4 MP camera I bought in 2002 produced as good or better pictures than my 35mm SLR and now quite affordable DSLR or mirrorless APS cameras produce amazing pictures.

Using film in 2015 is just as stupid as using vinyl records in 2015 there is just no good reason for it other than nottalgia.

If you want to be disiplined, just be disciplined. Set the camera on manual and think about your shots.

IT blokes: would you say that lewd comment to a man? Then don't say it to a woman

Novatone

Just take their picture and send it to the company with a short description of the incident, anonymously if possible. Not asking for any action, just letting the management know what happened.

If reporting becomes common the problem will solve itself eventually, a few disciplinary actions will be taken and companies will create policies.

Help a hack: What's in your ultimate Windows XP migration toolkit?

Novatone

XP -> Windows 7

If the option of removing upgrading and returning is possible do it that way.

I'm doing a lot of these this month, here are the main stumbling blocks.

Drives, if the systems are all identical, getting one done and imaging to the others is a good way to go but there is a good change they are not identical.

Download the latest drivers available in advance, this might be difficult since the manufacturer's website will likely not have up to date drivers so finding even Vista drivers will mean needing to know the chipsets and downloading the latest drivers available directly from the chip maker. Soundcard and video drivers tend to be quite large so you will not be wanting to download those on-site.

The video cards may be a problem since there are a lot that have no Windows 7 drivers so unless the fallback generic VGA driver will be fast enough take some new cheap video cards or newer old cards and drivers.

Who'll keep taking Windows Tablets in the iPad era?

Novatone
Megaphone

Great Windows tablets are avaliable now!

As I was reading this using my Windows 7 tablet it occurs to me that the people complaining that windows sucks on tablets haven’t used one lately. The problem with the early tablets was the touch screen and the reluctance to go all-in and lose the keyboard. The early touch screens made the screen hard to read and all the laptop bells and whistles made them too heavy.

I’m writing this on an Acer Iconatab w500, I love it, a few tweaks to the configuration out of the box and it’s great. The best part is I can run all my normal software, office, java, flash even visual studio. It has no trouble lasting all day; I never turn it off or use hibernate.