Posts by S4qFBxkFFg

Re: 'Everyone loves Maplin'

Indeed.

"Reg readers are fond of "Maplins" as one of the few remaining outlets that allows electronics hobbyists to browse legacy components, cables, semiconducters, graphics cards and motherboards while scouting out the latest drones, 3D printers and more. Compared to Dixons Carphone and other old-world retailers, Maplin still has a reputation for customer service."

(Concerning the bit I put in bold.) Well, yes, I suppose that's correct - but in that vein, one could also say "Compared to the box containing a warm dog turd on a spring, the mismatched, extra small, white nylon socks were a tasteful and much appreciated gift."

I didn't even use them that much, but my last experience was typical - needed a USB micro SD card reader that hour, shop assistant tried to sell me something about £15 saying that was "...as cheap as that sort of thing gets" but on the exact same rack there was a tiny one that cost £8.something. Yeah, they're circling the drain.

Re: Is there a pattern here?

"If you want to use Bitcoin for tiny transactions, or see it as some sort of massively risky investment scheme, then go right ahead."

"Tiny" transactions are exactly the kind for which bitcoin should definitely not be used. I spent some of mine when it hit £1000* and the transactions just would not go through unless I paid fees of a few £ equivalent. Irrelevant when buying a house, annoying when buying a laptop, ludicrous when buying a pint.

* Yes, I realise what that does to the credibility of my advice.

Re: Why the emphasis on software mitigations?

"it's defeat may eventually cause Javascript to become to be seen as dangerous as things like Flash, Java plugins. That would be a disastrous outcome."

Others may disagree, but I wouldn't miss JavaScript - the good/useful things that it can do are far outweighed by the bad/stupid things that it's used for.

So I won't get a "rich user experience" and might have to click refresh more often - I can live with that.

It should. AFAIK, if they don't support GLONASS they are prohibited from using it in phones sold in Russia, which is a large enough market to matter. I imagine the same is effectively true in China with Beidou, even if not formalised.

Re: Oh, Lester, your presence is missed.

"I managed to shove the wheel off a Matchbox car up my nostril at the tender age of 4 or thereabouts."

Same age, same sort of thing, but in my case it was a polystyrene bean bag ball.

A few decades later, and as far as I know, it's still there - the doctor didn't seem too concerned, saying it probably fell out without me noticing (possible, but I doubt it, in my idiocy I managed to get it quite deep up there).

I live in hope that one day, an epic sneeze will produce a lump of polystyrene-cored snot horror and propel me into a new life of genius, like Homer Simpson minus the crayon stuck in his brain.

Re: I would like to be the first to point out...

"Or at the very least a Playmobil re-enactment, been a while since we've had one of those."

So that's why they're advertising for an intern.

Re: Re. storms

There have been studies that suggest large oil slicks prevent hurricanes gaining the energy/moisture they need to sustain themselves.

The very best of luck to anyone trying to get that kind of preventive measure approved.

Re: FFS!

I may be wrong, but I don't think any of them had the capability to fully submerge (required intake and exhaust to remain above the surface), which may be part of the the definition of "submarine".

Re: Reserve fuel load?

" It's not helped by fuel burn being highest at low level, which is traditionally where you take-off and land..."

This makes me ponder exactly how much the USS Akron/Macon design could be scaled up.

Re: When I was a lad ....

"We used to have contests to see who could make the highest splash mark on the wall"

I remember my dad telling me of an acquaintance in primary school who (after holding it for a day) was capable of (and proud of) hitting the ceiling.

I never used the toilets at school - not because of embarrassing noises - but because they were vile hellholes - seldom cleaned, seldom flushed, inadequately supplied with paper, etc. etc.

(Also, if I was in charge of the school in Sweden, I'd just have the sound system permanently playing a loop of farting/splashing/grunting noises.)

"Which phones are currently able to pick up galileo signals? And which phones actually use them?"

http://www.usegalileo.eu/EN/inner.html#data=smartphone

edit: to actually check it's working, try this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chartcross.gpstest&hl=en_GB (it uses different icons for the different constellations - mine has only ever picked up GPS and GLONASS, and once, an SBAS satellite - it allegedly picks up Beidou, but they probably don't get high enough in the sky here)

Re: What happens if the pilots in each cockpit decide to bank in opposite directions?

"SNAP"

In a way, you aren't joking, in certain aircraft the pilot/co-pilot controls, while linked, will connect to different control surfaces (e.g. the left seat controls might be connected to the upper rudder and left elevator while the right seat's has the right elevator and lower rudder). Normally, when everything's fine, moving one set of controls moves the relevant control surfaces, and the other set of controls. If things are not fine (e.g. pilots trying to perform different manoeuvres or a dropped meal tray preventing one control column moving) the linkage is designed to break at a certain level of force, so at least some sort of control is maintained.

Re: Clever

I'd assume this is already being done.

If not, someone in the GRU (or whatever Russian TLA is responsible) should be getting fired.

Re: AMD

Depends what you mean by "AMD based". If the motherboard chipset is Intel but the CPU is AMD then the system would be vulnerable.

Definitely rare though, a quick google suggests it was last possible before this vulnerability existed, so unless you have something like this...

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/225839-there-can-be-only-one-new-msi-modular-motherboard-will-support-both-intel-and-amd-processors

...then you should be safe.

Re: "fast-dock tech that will reduce coupling time to just six hours."

Based on my experience*, it works as follows:

Launch spacecraft, try to launch directly into an intercepting orbit.

After several minutes realise that this is most certainly not an intercepting orbit, even if I leave it for several months.

Circularise.

Swear profusely after looking up orbital mechanics and discovering inclination changes should be performed before circularisation.

Match orbital inclination, wasting lots of fuel.

Check target location and relative orbital average speeds.

If ahead of target and travelling faster, or behind target and travelling slower, wait.

Otherwise, burn prograde to increase orbital speed to let target catch up, or burn retrograde to reduce orbital speed to catch up to target (yes, really), wait.

Grossly overshoot/undershoot, swear profusely, repeat above steps but with less difference in spacecraft/target speeds.

After many orbits and adjustment burns, approach target while travelling at approximately the same orbital velocity (i.e. pretty much same direction/speed).

Start moving slowly towards target, preferably using only RCS (if this was even remembered and set up correctly during spacecraft design/build).

Get impatient, increase speed.

Panic when realising closing speed is too high.

If lucky, overshoot, repeat last three steps. If unlucky, decide to use main engines to slow down, grossly mismatch orbital velocities, repeat last ten steps. If unluckier, expose target to close range 100% power rocket exhaust while trying to slow down, destroy/damage target, mission failed. Or, simply, collide with target, spacecraft/target damaged/destroyed, mission failed.

If exceptionally lucky, achieve holding position within tens of metres of target, negligible relative speed.

Swear profusely when realising target's docking port is on the other side.

Manoeuvre accordingly.

Set up spacecraft controls relative to docking port, target other docking port.

Try to remember all RCS translation/rotation controls, hope spacecraft CofG is where it should be.

Move slowly toward target.

Wait for ports to engage, if they're too far away, or at an angle, back off and try again.

* disclaimer - this is entirely from Kerbal Space Program.

Re: Happened to me.

Same here, but only with one of my accounts.

Re: failed to "install software updates to the vehicle’s operating system - hmm

M7S: "...will not be in a position to review the updates and will probably default to "automatic updates""

I would be very surprised if it is even possible to disable automatic updates short of keeping the vehicle in a Faraday cage or physically removing its SIM(s) and radio(s).

Incidentally, the slashdot version of this story was amusing in that their headline stated the vehicles themselves would be held liable - I imagined punishments such as being forced to charge from a square wave supply for minor infractions, all the way up to having the OS replaced with Windows ME for actually killing someone.

"Do they even have any aircraft available for the bloody thing?"

Absolutely!

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/the-fighting-arms/fleet-air-arm/historic-flight/historic-flight

For some reason I'm reminded of the racist tomatoes from Monkey Dust:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBKq32Fuubo

Re: Face it: Humans are lousy drivers

I don't want to take bad drivers off the hook, but bad design contributes significantly to accidents of that type.

Maybe we're stuck with it because people think it's customary, but just think about for a minute:

To go faster, press this pedal with your foot.

To go slower, press this other pedal with your foot.

See the problem? Two control functions that you really don't want to confuse are made to look almost as similar as it's possible to make them, and both are readily accessible to the same limb.

At least with motorbikes the throttle/brake are separate control styles (twist grip and brake levers, although unfortunately still both hand-operated).

In aircraft, brakes are incorporated into the rudder pedals, while the throttle is hand operated. I don't have the stats, but I expect it's extremely uncommon for pilots to throttle up when they meant to brake.

Safety is only achieved through a combination of good training, good practice, good design, good manufacture, good maintenance, etc. The idea is that a single failure (e.g. pressing the wrong pedal) should, if possible, be prevented from causing an accident by design (e.g. making pedals ONLY for acceleration, or ONLY for braking).

Re: Do we though?

Ralph B:

Agreed. Employment (looking at the timescale of humanity's existence) may just be an aberration that lasted from the invention of agriculture until the invention of general-purpose robots.

As long as there is demand for stuff to be done by humans, there will be employment - I'm increasingly sceptical that this demand will always exist.

Re: Oxygen is not flammable

"Oxygen is not flammable--it supports the burning of other materials or compounds, but does not by itself burn."

Well, it depends on your definition - there are certainly chemicals (fluorine and some of its compounds) out there that will oxidise oxygen. Chemists may frown on calling that "burning" though.

Although these other oxidisers would probably be merrily oxidising any other available chemicals to a greater extent - like nearby fuels, structures, humans, etc. instead of getting a chance to react with the oxygen.

Interestingly, rocketry was one of the fields that had great interest in this area, before deciding it wasn't really worth the bother of working with something that will make a big hole in a concrete floor if you spill it, just for a greater specific impulse.

Re: How often is Samsung going to be allowed to grass its way out of bother?

If I was making that decision, it would be quite simple.

Situation 1: Samsung does not co-operate - (attempt to) fine them all, receive €X.

Situation 2: Samsung co-operates and provides useful evidence - fine everyone else, receive €Y.

If Y>X, then encourage co-operation.

Remember, with a lack of evidence X may well be zero.

Not downvoting - just curious - why do you think the Reg shouldn't be quoting politicians from the SNP? They're the third largest party in the Commons (specifically, 8% of MPs, with more MPs than all the smaller parties + independents put together).

If journalists want to praise the SNP's people and policies, or denounce them as batshit insane, then they should do so, but refusing to acknowledge their existence would just be odd.

Re: Obligatory HAL reference

"This is something which was used by the Nazis in WW2. A deaf lip reader will immediately notice if someone is non-native speaker even if his language and pronunciation is so fluent that nobody notices while listening to him."

Given that the Nazis sterilised deaf adults merely for being deaf and murdered deaf children merely for being deaf (with the cooperation of some deaf schools), this sounds remarkable; do you have a source?

(A brief google turned up this: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=91238 )

Re: So...

These things vary by device, also check:

/system/app/

/system/priv-app/

Look for things like "FWUpgrade" and "FWUpgradeProvider".

It would certainly use a lot of fuel, but afaik the hover time was mainly limited by the amount of water carried. (It may seem bizarre, but injecting water into a jet engine actually increases the thrust.)

Apparently it cools the engine enough to allow it to run at higher power settings, but an engineer I spoke to said the reduction in density (water vapour is much less dense than air) was more important.

Re: Cyanogen OS

What's to stop them just using CyanogenMod instead of Cyanogen OS?

First thing I did when I bought the original Swift was replace the latter with the former after discovering a rooted Cyanogen OS won't accept OTA updates.