* Posts by joea

36 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Oct 2015

US nuke agency hacked by suspected Russian SolarWinds spies, Microsoft also installed backdoor

joea

What am I missing?

Seems to me, naive perhaps, that outgoing traffic should only be allowed to "known and approved" IP addresses.

While this might take a while to implement, Agencies could "pull the plug" and revert to "secure messenger" services for the interim.

If the hack is as severe as claimed, severe measures are required.

Motion detectors: say hello, wave goodbye and… flushhhhhh

joea

Re: Strange Toilets

"Check a restaurant toilet BEFORE you order".

On a road trip once, with the now ex, we stopped at a stellar place known as "Denny's", at her insistence. Popular place, there was a waiting line, so I took the opportunity to use the gents.

Upon opening the door, I was confronted with a horrible stench and the appetizing sight of a full to overflowing commode. Yes, with solids.

The rest of the prospective diners seemed oblivious and continued to wait eagerly to be seated, while the wife (now ex, did I mention?) could not understand why I wanted to leave immediately, despite my attempts to convey my concerns, quietly at first, but with abandon soon after.

Did I mention this was in the Deep South, USA?

Roses are red, Kaspersky is blue: 'That ban's unconstitutional!' Boo hoo hoo

joea

Re: 'Kaspersky' is the problem

Or "PCmatic" . . .

oh, probably only US TV watchers have seen the ads for this "Home Grown" software that "invented white lists" . . . made in 'merica, gotta be good.

In America, tech support conmen get a mild slap. In Blighty, scammers get the book thrown at them

joea

"Book thrown at them"?

Yeah, comic book. Hype headlines much?

User stepped on mouse, complained pedal wasn’t making PC go faster

joea

Re: Reminds me of a story

"Honestly, however you want to point it, using a mouse is not hard. The concept takes seconds to learn and the co-ordination little longer. I don't buy this whole pensioners don't have the experience line. Its basic hand-eye co-ordination."

In the words of Bugs Bunny, "what a maroon". Poor analogy, no empathy. Nothing to do with hand eye co-ordination and everything to do with "prior experience".

Even using your analogy, poor as it is, at some point, "driver trainee" had been shown the basics of steering wheel usage, had been a passenger in some vehicle with a steering wheel or, at least, seen a movie or TV show depicting such usage and so gained basic knowledge of steering wheel usage.

Get your head out man.

Hawaiian fake nukes alert caused by fat-fingered fumble of garbage GUI

joea

Re: Confirmation checkbox needed

Maybe even more betterer:

Send this TEST message / Cancel this TEST message

Memo man Damore is back – with lawyers: Now Google sued for 'punishing' white men

joea

Re: I am confused

Is "a myriad" a real thing? (not) Waiting for the myriad responses . . . .

Whizzes' lithium-iron-oxide battery 'octuples' capacity on the cheap

joea

Re: H too, Oh

So, your complaint is that Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles are not "Free Energy" vehicles?

The cited article does not mention the Mirai, but only previous attempts. No idea if the Mirai gets better "mileage". Not much of an "analysis" from what I read, more of stated opinion with a few claimed facts tossed in.

In any event, even the author states he is expects energy costs to be comparable (at some point?) to "fossil fuel" vehicles.

So what? The proper comparison is Granny Smith to Golden Delicious. Electrics to Electrics that is.

Don't forget to factor in the Lithium mining, refining, etc. and other production costs of the batteries. I think a proper full analysis has yet to be done.

joea

Re: H too, Oh

Do you have some real world citation for the insinuation that the Mirai "evaporates" fuel at that rate? I've not seen that claim anywhere else.

joea

H too, Oh

Shame there is such a bias against Hydrogen, as in Fuel Cell, vehicles.

The Toyota Mirai is an example of such a vehicle, apparently quite successful. Too bad the powers that be refuse to allow a support system to be built, California excepted that is.

Personally, I'd rather have a vehicle I could "recharge" in minutes vs hours and one where I could use the heater and/or AC as needed, without cutting driving range so drastically as current all electrics do.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the data centre temp's delightful

joea

Re: Tonnage

In US version of HVAC speak, 12,000 BTU = "1 Ton".

'DJI Mavic' drone seen menacing London City airliner after takeoff

joea

Re: That is dangerous.

" . . .and birds continue to be a way greater risk" . . .

Perhaps only because there are, currently, a lot more birds than drones?

Disk drive fired 'Frisbees of death' across data centre after storage admin crossed his wires

joea

Re: FAIL

To visualize a "linear motor" for those unfamiliar, think "voice coil" as in the driver for an audio speaker. Only with circuity to move and hold precise position.

Tesla launches electric truck it guarantees won't break for a million miles

joea

Hydro-gen

Stuff the batteries and the overhead lines. Generate the power on board via Hydrogen Fuel Cell tech.

Don’t fear the software shopkeeper: T&Cs banning bad reviews aren’t legal in America

joea

Re: Now for the fun part: what happens if someone DOES include those terms?

Great reasoning. Now if only reality would follow along.

How many users actually READ the Terms and Conditions? 1% or less, I's guess.

joea

Re: Now for the fun part: what happens if someone DOES include those terms?

Now, if people would only *Read* the "Terms and Conditions". I'd guess less than 1% of users read any, let alone all, of any T&C.

Senators call for '9/11-style' commission on computer voting security

joea

Re: 15 years too late

15 years ago, or so, a number of people where warning about "electronic voting" machines, especially those from Diebold.

We know the problems, "touch screen pads", no "paper trail", no credible means of recount. At the very least the units that require a "scan card" to fill out allow a recount or even a hand tabulation in a real dust up.

Talk to some real experts, they were warned, not to marketeers.

Yet we still see the vulnerable machines in use.

joea

Re: 15 years too late

To "Destroy all Monsters".

"I still haven't see a shred of credible evidence" . . . Then you are willfully blind.

Tesla hit with official complaint over factory conditions

joea

But, what about . . .

But, but, what about them?

You know, those Corporate Tit-ans whose compensation packages would shame King Midas? Whose "exit packages" may reward incompetence or malfeasance?

Sure Unions can be corrupt, but then, they are lead by Humans, are they not?

Full disclosure, I was a union member at one job. When I was not renewed, due to a dispute with a "manager", after years of glowing performance reviews, the union rolled over and did nothing at all for me.

Can North Korean nukes hit US mainland? Maybe. But EMP blast threat is 'highly credible'

joea

Re: Obvious question. Could you split the whole grid into smaller sections to be more survivable?

For some time I have floated the idea that "point source" generation (or "point of use" or "neighborhood" if you prefer) was a much better concept than the "mega plants" and the distribution system that was conceived so long ago.

Hydro, solar, fuel cell, and small "conventional" plants could all come into play.

Has not gained much traction for the standard reasons.

Drive-thru drive-by at McDs after ice cream no-show, say cops

joea

Re: Flaunting a replica assault weapon in the US?

I read the actual police report, linked to in the article. Both driver and passenger were black males.

Largest ever losses fail to dent Tesla's bulging order book

joea

Clearly you and apparently others, have no clue how Hydrogen Fuel cells work. Google among others might be your friend.

Clearly, your Engineering and other research is far superior to Toyota. This is proven of course, by your refraining from investing even a penny, where Toyota has squandered so many millions on this inferior technology.

joea

Tesla . . . meh . . .

Gimmie a Toyota Mirai (and a place to fuel her). Hydrogen fuel cell powered electric vehicles make much more sense, to me, than storage battery based vehicles.

Longer range, faster "re-fueling" and it could double as an emergency power generator if equipped with an inverter.

That 'Trump lawyers threaten teen over kitten website' yarn is Fakey Fakey McFake Fakeface

joea

Re: Really ..

True enough. But this election did not turn on the voters in Southern States, but on three Northern States that conventional wisdom saw as safely in the Clinton camp.

Naughty sysadmins use dark magic to fix PCs for clueless users

joea

Re: sounds like one that would only work in places where voodoo was a significant part of life

Oh, you've heard about the US elections then?

Disk-nuking malware takes out Saudi Arabian gear. Yeah, wipe that smirk off your face, Iran

joea

Ah, well . . .

While that may be so in this case, that is a dangerous presumption, generally. I'm sure no explanation is required.

'Ancient' Mac backdoor discovered that targets medical research firms

joea

Does not necessarily follow, unless the included code IS the last updated version. The statement is not clear on that point, to my eye.

You know how cop cars pile into each other in old comedy movies? That's how the Moon was built, say boffins

joea

Re: can't make a moon...

Without dropping your pants, you mean . . .

US cops seek Amazon Echo data for murder inquiry

joea

And a search warrant is not "a valid and binding legal demand" . . . why?

Virgin America mid-flight panic after moron sets phone Wi-Fi hotspot to 'Samsung Galaxy Note 7'

joea

And then there's Donald Trump . . .

Meet the Internet of big, lethal Things

joea

IF that is the the motivation for (what the) eff pursing this, then simply press for legislation that requires the manufacturer to open up the diagnostic software and interface specs.

But the real reason, one suspects, is otherwise.

Fine and dandy to open stuff up, but I recall, in the dim time, being told by "experts" that "no one would do that" when warning of malware, back doors, etc, or that "they" were "too dumb" to figure out how in any case.

Perhaps Boeing, Lockheed, Airbus, etal, should be required to open up their aircraft control software as well. Won't that be loads of fun, eh?

White House to bung electric car industry $4.5bn in loans

joea

And the Hydrogen infrastructure?

The Gov, picking winners and losers? Toyota has spearheaded the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, as seen in the Mirai, but seems unable to get buy in on infrastructure build out.

Shame. Why should I have to move to California just to use one?

Mars satellites show remains of massive tsunamis that ravaged Red Planet

joea

Re: Isn't it time to start thinking in terms of Human Mission Support?

Yes. And we should start right here on Terra.

Time to give up the tribal/nomadic thinking that allows us to shit where we eat until we can't stand the smell any longer then move on.

Silly species.

Cryptxxx shipwrecked: Laughing white hats shred latest ransomware

joea

Re: Wow, no conspiracy?

You mean they're *not*?

Think Fortran, assembly language programming is boring and useless? Tell that to the NASA Voyager team

joea

Re: For which chipset?

bit "slice", is the term. See AMD 2900 family. Still "splice" works.

Search engine can find the VPN that NUCLEAR PLANT boss DIDN'T KNOW was there - report

joea

Re: Having Trident will keep us safe from attack

How will a piece of chewing gum do that?