Posts by Mark 85

Re: Go ahead, Google...

Or.... the others might start following along with $$$ (or Euro or Pound) signs in their eyes. There does seem to be a lot "follow the leader" going on out there.

Re: The Journey is the reward

But for some, no matter how much they make, it's never enough... <raises eyebrow and looks at Elliot Management, Bill Gates, Steve Job).

Re: "moves those emissions to China"

Therein is a big problem with the internationals. They move their (I'll use steel production) from a place with good emission's standards to a place with low standards. The emissions produced offshore are higher for making a ton of steel than onshore. Yet, the Green types proclaim a victory for the onshore crowd. Sorry, the emitted crap still goes into the atmosphere of this big blue ball.

I'm not a Green, nor a denier or supporter of climate change. But... the logic of what they are doing totally escapes me.

It's one thing to insist on "assistance"... it's quite another to force one to do it for "free". I can't believe that this didn't get waved at the lawyers. Sorry, unless your severance includes a check for assistance for the next 10 years... fuck off.

Re: The US goverment is slitting its country's own throat

Wyden is one of the few who still believe in the Constitution and citizen's rights. This is less about corporates and much more about the people. If you ever listen to him in interviews, etc. He's very consistent about being against the "security/surveillance" state.

In the States, they can request that info on a case by case basis from the local (which really isn't so local in most places) lab.

@Pascal -- Re: Wording

The United States certainly can guarantee the privacy of Israeli citizens' data on NSA servers in the U.S

How would we know that they haven't already been ripped open? It's not like they or any other TLA or FLA in any country would admit it.

Re: Best security for the connected car - the unconnected car

Once the IoT and emission dust has settled in ~ 4 years time I will be looking for a new vehicle. Prior to that, err... no... thanks. Pass the popcorn please.

4 years? That quick? Really? Maybe 10 but given the history of things... it might be longer unless something really goes bad and really big.

Re: No problem

So then, future civilizations won't be able to Google the answer? I'm appalled.

Balkanize and the US will just increase it's spying efforts... Russia and China are getting there and I'm pretty certain the push is on to get inside and stay inside their borders. If anything, this type of thing will increase everyone's paranoia. By everyone, I mean "governments". People.. not so much as they will still give data and info to any website that asks.... Look to FB and Google as a prime example.

Re: Spaceguard UK

- pint of beer £3.50; that warm comforting feeling that your generous donation means you are less likely to get splattered by 100 million tons of fast moving space rock - priceless.

Until there's a plan in place to deflect or destroy the rock, we'll still get splattered. But at least we'll know it's coming have time to kiss our butts goodbye. Or just maybe schedule a very early and long pub crawl.

Nothing is as bad as Flash... at least for now.

How often does one run a vacuum on a "clean" floor? I only vacuum when it's needs it. The logic of the "reasoning" behind this whole thing just seems strange... Unless there's a light that says "floor is clean... stop cleaning".

OTOH, it might be good feature while cleaning the inside of a car or on a shop vac...

Re: "Totally useless" ?

The only question then is: "effective for who or against what"? Since it sounds like the hard drive needs to physically in the hands of the attacker, then maybe it's fit for purpose if the drive never leaves the house or office. If it can be attacked while attached to the machine, that's a different problem.

Being labeled as "portable" does imply these will be left in hotels, rental cars, buses, subways, etc. however. In which case, it's only effective if the person finding it is educated enough in the black arts to break into it.

Re: Ground Control to Major Tom

They live on Planet Profit. Any competition that might force them to drop their prices to consumers will dent profits. Money is a drug.... right?

@John Arthur -- Re: Urban buses replaced first?

They don't even need full autonomy. Many of the farmers I've been around, start down the field, watch TV, etc. At the end of the row, they turn it, line it up and go back to their movie. They usually get the kids to drive the tractor for plowing and planting... little skill required.

Some of the newer ones are almost ready... including the harvesters.

Re: I'm just waiting for them to be called "instruments of terror"

I think that day is coming... It's fairly easy to arm one as Youtubers have shown. We just need one slightly unhinged person or dedicated "jihadist without a deathwish*" and it'll be all over the news and the FAA will take the piss for it.

When I was kid, we'd affix model airplane glow plugs to the wing undersides, run the wires to an unused servo port on the receiver. Put a firecracker or cherry bomb fuse in the glowplug and go bomb the back yard. Today, if we did that, we'd be in Gitmo so fast it would make our heads spin.

*Well, if he doesn't die in the attack, he won't go to wherever the virgins are....

Re: Not just all or nothing

So MS got their PC strategy from Google? Or is it the other way around? No wonder I'm considering going full-throttle Luddite.

Re: So the rumours are true

Thus executives' bonuses are linked to share price, leading to a lot of short-termism in decisions.

Indeed, the so-called "shareholder value" forces the C-Suite types to value their own money more than anything else. Shareholders do that also since they control the board. The worker bees and products mean little in this scheme. If the stock falls too far than the likes of Elliot Management get their paws in and strangle what's left. Yes, the C-Suite types usually come away with a pile of cash. Everyone else.. not so much.

*Using their own cash to do this would also be taxed so a frequent trick is to borrow in the US against cash reserves held overseas, and use the borrowed cash to buy their stock back, which has an added tax benefit that the outstanding loan is a liability that can be offset against tax (ie can be used to lower their tax liability even further)

The foreign reserves can charge "interest" to the US body which also accomplishes several things... the interest becomes a "business expense" and a write-off. More money is moved off-shore and protected.

Re: Basic Computing Ability?

Sadly, given the nature of the Government.. Linux probably has a small chance.... very small. I recall that a lot of their PC's are still on XP. I'm curious what changes, if any, the government will push on Win10. Probably zilch... leave the telemetry and phoning home in place.

Wish I could upvote that a 100 times or more. Exactly what I was thinking. Those in power have been in power for a long time and are corrupted. As an aside, they're much like the US Congress and a lot (most? all?) parliaments.

We hold on to them hoping that the price of copper climbs a bit higher... Old pennies that is as they had a lot of copper. The new ones, not so much.

Re: Fire away Grandpa

I thought that price was bit excessive myself. One could pickup a Taurus Judge (chambered to take .410 shotgun and .45 pistol) for a whole lot less money and have a better close in self-defense weapon. That damn thing looks to be more dangerous to the shooter than the target.

Re: Mark 85 "the individual in question must be notified."

Ah.... got it.. eyewash and mind bleach for the masses. And another tick box on why someone should vote to re-elect them. Sounds like it's from the US "How to get re-elected" manual.

That's usually because the PHB doesn't want to have to go up higher in the chain and admit there's problems. Problems that have been caused by the "don't bring us bad news" style of management. In that environment, everyone lies up and down the food chain. When things go to hell, it's the guy at the bottom who takes the hit and usually the dismissal. The food chain hires a new guy and after he sorts out the previous guys "errors", all is well until the next time.

We only get pelts to wear if the Greenies who want us back that far can deal appropriately with PETA. Otherwise... naked.

Re: Windows 10

Hey.. it's installing Windows 01!!!

(US based... no chance at a drive for me.)

Re: The only surprise here...

It's weasel wording at it's best... the amount is apparently "unlimited". The speed isn't unlimited... so throttling it back still gets you the data but a lot slower. I'm just appalled at the games the ISP's play with words.