* Posts by MrT

1359 publicly visible posts • joined 9 Oct 2007

Apple Watch: When I think about you, I digital touch myself

MrT

Re: Ah, The Divinyls...

Haha! Has the handle "The spectacularly refined chap" been taken? Most decent of you for asking, old sport - upvoted ;-)

On another note, not sure why my first post went down as 'AC' - I don't recall choosing that, (I don't use it), and IIRC it was originally non-AC when first posted - unless that was in memory bank 7 overnight and I've got it Asp about Thrace...

MrT

Re: Ah, The Divinyls...

The headline is a play on one of their song titles. The watch is less interesting... ;-)

Boffins: Large Hadron Collider NOW movin', we're getting down and crush groovin'

MrT

The musical theme continues...

... this time the headline's from the Beastie Boys - unlike the Divinyls one on the Apple Watch piece, I didn't buy any of their stuff. Same writer on Kelly Fiveash/Team Register articles of late? Good stuff, keep it up!

Streaming tears of laughter as Jay-Z (Tidal) waves goodbye to $56m

MrT

Fairer system...

... wasn't that one of the reasons Kobalt was set up? An alternative to major labels and the way Sony/Warner/etc shackle artists by holding onto royalties already earned and using 'advances' as leverage for new contracts. I hadn't heard of it until I read this month's WiReD (*ducks for cover behind the Wikipedia users*). There's no need to reinvent the streaming model, but there is a need to reduce the hold that big labels have on the business side and to make sure royalties reach the artist in something like a reasonable time. This Tidal thing might do that, but it sounds more like a pension club for people wanting another yacht.

WIN a RockBLOCK Mk2 Iridium sat comms unit

MrT

Rock those blocks!

HARRIS: High Altitude Reconnaissance Received by Iridium Satellites

LEADER: Last Effort At Determining Exact Requirements

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chock-A-Block

UK's National Museum of Computing celebrates 10 glorious years

MrT

Re: Colossus

"Two were retained by the peace-time descendant of Bletchley Park, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)... The last Colossus is believed to have stopped running in 1960." B Jack Copeland, page 2 of his introduction to the excellent book Colossus, 2006, which includes chapters by Tutte, Flowers and plenty of others who where involved. There's one reference to post-war reprogramming on p139 (attributed to Geoffrey Timms). Colossus 2 was much more flexible in that respect than Mk1, although they were all basically development machines, with the last one being different from the one built before it, and so on.

Street Culture: Reg man's snazzy snaps of punky London go on display

MrT

Re: What comes around goes around

Agreed - great photos; Phil Strongman has captured a mood - they're much more than just snapshots.

I like this sort of observational commentary style of photography - a friend of mine does it as a hobby (which I'm sure he finds any excuse to be away from the day job). His work is here on Flickr. I know there are plenty of folk who don't like street photography, but when it's done well it captures more than just light...

Blood Relatives, The Tears of the Rajas and The Fifth Gospel

MrT

Good reviews...

The first two sound well worth looking out for.

I grew up in 60s/70s Yorkshire, in old West Riding bits that flipped into North Yorkshire when the boundaries changed. After later spending a few years in Liverpool I moved back to Leeds for about a dozen years. The Ripper was a shadow over the whole region in the 70s, and the effects were still being felt into the 80s, even out into the Dales and beyond. I remember friends in Ripon whose families hailed from the North East having visits from the police to interview anyone with a Geordie-ish accent following one of the more believable hoaxes. It'll be interesting to see if Blood Relatives brings back the sense of the shift in the way people behaved as a result.

Overall, the book review column is a welcome addition to ElReg.

Hey, Microsoft, we can call Windows 10 apps anything we like – you're NOT OUR REAL MOM

MrT

Bill Hicks had something to say to people who work in marketing...

Ancient SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION contains enough dust for 7,000 EARTHS, say boffins

MrT

Re: 7000 Earths?

Is this near the Horsehead Nebula? I thought I spotted the twin suns Soulianis and Rahm in the top-left of the picture...

Musk: 'Tesla's electric Model S cars will be less crap soon. I PROMISE'

MrT

Instead of...

...the optional third row of seats, fitment of a couple of child-sized hamster wheels and dynamos. And there are three seats in the second row that could have pedals fitted - a good backup in the old Sinclair C5.

Not possible OTA though, so it's probably just a change to the range calculations... unless it's a pop-up advisory to return to the dealer for free fitment of child-sized hamster wheels etc.

Yay! Wearables! It's the future! Uh-oh! I'm going to be sick

MrT

Not even a cool cycle...?

My new IoT washing machine has one of those. It can download any number of custom cycles depending on the bar code, material, colour, etc., but whenever my stuff goes in on that option it just says "No" and offers to order pricey replacements for anything labelled 'Tu', 'Matalan', or that are from shops that no longer exist, or have washed to 'old sock grey'...

Nest seeks audio talent to delight … someone

MrT

Sounds a bit extreme...

“You're listening to Taylor Swift. Would you like to try Taylor Swift next?” Her music's not that bad...

Google gives spit n' polish to world's most expensive Chromebook

MrT

"Ludicrous Speed"...?

It had better come with an option to finish it in plaid.

Might look silly when Intel gives the CPUs a mid-life speed bump...

Apple Watch: HOT WRIST ACTION plus slim $1299 MacBooks - and HBO TV

MrT

An 18hr day sounds like...

... all those series of 24, once the adverts were removed.

Filthy – but sadly frothy – five door fun: Ford Focus 1.5 Zetec

MrT

A colleague bought a Focus 1.0 3-cyl to replace her 1.6 4-cyl from only a couple of years earlier. It sounded great, but apart from the unattainable claimed mpg, her main gripe with it was the lack of traction in adverse weather (she lives high up and on a north-facing hillside). The older engine pushed the front down enough to get going, but she found the teeny 3-cyl job was too light.

MrT

List prices...

...are a work of fiction for bulk brands like Ford, Vauxhall, VW, etc. I've only ever bought two brand new cars - one at 28% off list and the other at 39% off. One's a rep-mobile and the other a 7-seat MPV, so in reality the price paid was just the manufacturer recognition of free-fall depreciation, otherwise they'd never shift what they build.

MrT

Re: Group 16?

And before the 20-group scale (plus sub-groups like those ending 'E'), everything was on a 9-group scale, with a lot of the interesting stuff 'on application'. Still, back then 150mph was the dividing line between regular car and something more specialist (Lotus Esprit, Ferrari 308, etc). Then came mildly hot hatches with no security to speak of and the insurance premiums went loopy.

OK, they're not ROBOT BUTLERS, but Internet of Home 'Things' are getting smarter

MrT

Smarter may not necessarily be better...

... if IoT focuses on the wrong outcome.

"One of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation creations is the NutriMatic Drink Dispenser. One of which has just provided Arthur Dent with a plastic cup filled with a liquid which is almost - but not quite - entirely unlike tea.

[NutriMatic dispenser noises]

ARTHUR:

Ah. [Takes a sip] Yeugh!! [Spits out liquid]

NARRATOR:

The way it works is very interesting. When the ‘Drink’ button is pressed it makes an instant, but highly-detailed, examination of the subject’s taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject’s metabolism, and then sends tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centres of the subject’s brain, to see what is likely to be well received. However, no one knows quite why it does this, because it then invariably delivers a cup-full of liquid that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea."

Shove off, ugly folk, says site for people who love themselves

MrT

Re: Tawnie Lynn (pictured)

Is that her, ahem, "professional" name?

Super SSD tech: Fancy a bonkers 8TB all-flash PC?

MrT

Bulky...

... that picture isn't distorted - the 8TB drive is a porker at 15mm thick, so they're aimed at 1U/2U racks etc. The more laptop-friendly 9.5mm drive tops out at 4TB capacity. And they're PCIe drives, which might thwart a few road warriors hoping to upgrade. All the blurb shows these are aimed at enterprise rather than user.

Samsung-Microsoft deal will bundle Office 365 with Android Knox

MrT

Pre-announcement announcement...

"We have a deal with Microsoft which will be announced in a week or so, we’ll have a big announcement, so you have a sneak preview."

an·nounce

\ə-ˈnau̇n(t)s\ verb

1: to make (something) known in a public way

This message is the announcement. What follows is the detail, more words, flash graphics and maybe a bit of a bunfight to the sound of cheers, back slapping, etc.

Cisco offers carriers adware-as-a-service for fun and profit

MrT

Adware-as-a-service...

... Don't let the PrivDog bite you in the AaaS.

Are companies just lining up to see what it feels like to get hit in the face with the backlash from their brand of MiTM-alike stuff??

Ikea to start making electrified furniture. What could possibly go wrong?

MrT

So...

... this is 'A Björn Block Accessory'. In the great way IKEA name this it'll be called something like 'Fältskog'. Or if that's too close, 'Meshuggah'...

Thousands of UK drivers' details leaked through hole in parking ticket website

MrT

Ah, the same "dedicated to safeguarding <Relevant_Group's> privacy" line, or very similar, that is trotted out whenever a company is found wanting, attempting to douse the flames that have been started by doing the least they could get away with or were prepared to fund. There's another examllle a bit further down the ElReg news feed.

This company is legitimising the dubious practise employed by various of their clients of charging 'fines' that some judges have stated are not lawful. Stand back and let them burn.

Assemblers were once people: My aunt did it for NASA

MrT

Great memories...

...thanks for sharing them. My son is mad-keen on all things NASA (with the keenness and 'just get it done' outlook of a typical 10yr-old) and will enjoy reading this too.

Why does the NSA's boss care so much about backdoors when he can just steal all our encryption keys?

MrT

Re: What a scary (looking) man.

Gah! Now have "Every breath you take" playing in my head...

"Every breath you take and every move you make

Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you

Every single day and every word you say

Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you"

etc...

MrT

Re: "We fully comply with the law"

"Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around my eyes, look into my eyes ... you're under. We have not been doing anything illegal. Whenever you hear the phrase 'we fully comply with the law', even if we don't specify what we mean by 'the law', you are to ignore any misgivings or concerns and accept us as completely trustworthy in every way. Trust us. Trust us. Three, two, one ... you're back in the room."

Solidfire offers unlimited SSD wear guarantee, punts software at market

MrT

Re: ...SSD warranties of up to five years...

20yr-old disks still in use? Well, none, because older servers are retired, connection technology moves on and data is a beast with an insatiable appetite. But that's not my point. There are drives available right now with 10-year warranties, but the author states of effectively unlimited warranties "This is pretty outrageous, given current assumptions and SSD warranties of up to five years."

Personally, I do still have old HDDs and stuff stored on 5.25" floppies from late 80's and very early 90's, then 3.25" disks and 100/250MB Zip disks, including the drives, but that's more down to my hoarding eccentricity than any hope of actually using them again ;-)

MrT

...SSD warranties of up to five years...

...apart from the SanDisk Extreme Pro and Samsung 850 Pro ones up to 10 years. Not 20 years, granted, but if Solidfire have come up with some way of managing array load, based on experience, then why not? Makes a change from OEMs downsizing warranties to the lowest common denominator in the components used.

There's more than one way to back up your data

MrT

Looking forward to the next installment...

... the latest DfE guidance for schools on cloud storage and the Data Protection Act has just landed on my desk, so it seems a good point to review what we do. Timely as ever, Trevor - nearly up to Dilbert levels of prescience ;-).

Ads watchdog: Er, what does woman in her undies have to do with ‘slim’ phone?

MrT

Cillit Bang...

...I was just reading that chapter in Dave Gorman's "Too much information" about an hour ago - classic rant!

Amazon tries to patent 3D printers on trucks

MrT

Re: Shapeways ...

"If you've created STL models for 6 impossible things this morning, why not round it off by sending them for productiom at Shapeways, the 3D Printing Agency at the End of the Universe?"

Sorry, Douglas. And all at Shapeways. It made sense in my mind... ;-)

MrT

Re: Good things come to those who wait...

That's true. I've worked in CLCs where the same idea was used to provide 3D printers, laser cutters and other expensive resources to schools across a wider area. This seems more like an attempt to make productive use of sorts of the transit time (assuming that the printing happens en route). The problems that I can see of truck-based printing (cf agency/office-based) are of limited capacity - relative slowness of production, potentially needing someone in attendance to deal with the parts (not ideal). Or Amazon just resigning to having the truck arrive at one customer, complete the item and then drive off to the next customer location. It seems they would be better served keeping the printers back in a base and using more efficient delivery methods to send the items out.

MrT

3D printers for food...

...also exist, but I've not seen one in a burger van. Maybe Amazon are only concerned with printing on the move...

MrT

Good things come to those who wait...

The picture seems to show a clone army instructing a printer to drop a steaming pile of crap into the back of a truck for speedy delivery to the waiting customer. That Amazon have applied for this to be recognised as an addition to their business model seems appropriate...

Rich Hall — 'Good things come to those who wait, but sh*t pretty much shows up right away, doesn't it?'

Mozilla mulls Superfish torpedo

MrT

Re: Deeper problem

There's also the way companies license and rebadge software - how many have the Komodia firewall in use, but labelled as something else? Big players in AV/firewall use switch around behind the scenes (e.g. IIRC ZoneAlarm switched to Kaspersky AV engine and Sonicwall antispam between releases, others buy smaller companies and embed their product). If Komodia is used in various parental control packages, then this issue suddenly flags wider than just Lenovo consumer-level laptops.

El Reg chefs whip up Post-Pub Noshographic

MrT

Re: Define 'drunk'

Ford: "It's rather unpleasantly like being drunk"

Arthur: "What's so unpleasant about being drunk ?"

Ford: "Try asking a glass of water"

Ford and Arthur: "... aaarrrrrgggghhhh ..."

Arthur: "I'll never be cruel to a gin and tonic again"

Big Brother in SPAACE: Mars One picks first 100 morons to suffocate, er, settle on Red Planet

MrT

Re: Sad

Exactly. I know Hannah Earnshaw and she's none of the narrow-minded throwaway insults I read here. There may have been a few of the Big Brother type of entrant in the early stages, but I dare say most people who actually know any of the last 100 wouldn't be using words like 'moron' to describe them.

ATTENTION SETI scientists! It's TOO LATE: ALIENS will ATTACK in 2049

MrT

Small dogs...

... and cheese sandwiches are hereby banned from being outside the same pub coincidentally. Just to be sure.

SpaceX HOVER-SHIP landing scuppered by MASSIVE ocean waves

MrT

Hopefully not many...

...especially now that SpaceX has leased one of the original Atlas launch facilities a bit further along the coast - Launch Complex 13 to become Landing Pad... so, they launch from LC40 or similar and land at LC13.

Lost SPACECRAFT believed FOUND ON COMET

MrT

Re: It's very simple

... rename it 'Marathon'.

Computers know you better than your friends

MrT

Reductio ad absurdum?

Will "recruiters" therefore soon start using Quizony or Bitecharge to dodge tricky questions? Score 8/10 on "Do you remember who said these 80's TV catchphrases"- okay, so you're not likely to be 20-something, etc. Sounds like this paper was funded by whoever is behind those quizgasmtastic companies, trying to gouge cash ("monetise") from the vast amount of trivia they have already been given...

What do UK and Iran have in common? Both want to outlaw encrypted apps

MrT

Knee, meet Jerk...

...ah, I see you are already acquainted.

Eppur si muove, indeed.

ROBOT-ON-DRAGON GRABHAND ACTION: SpaceX supply podule arrives at ISS

MrT

Deus ex machina...

...isn't that his ghost hiding in the shadows behind Sam's head...?

It's LUNACY, you SWINE! Er, what, security? Moonpig DOT GONE

MrT

Water, water, everywhere...

Quoting Judiciary Pag...

"I've heard a lot worse," he said.

He scratched his crotch reflectively.

"Freeeow," he said. He took another sip of water, then held it up to the light and frowned at it. He twisted it round.

"Hey, is there something in this water?" he said.

"Er, no, m'lud," said the Court Usher who had brought it to him, rather nervously.

"Then take it away," snapped Judiciary Pag, "and put something in it. I got an idea."

....

Maybe once the water has been extracted, the solids are sent off to the Hershey 3D printer?

Mock choc shock: 3D candy printer is good news for sweet-toothed swingbellies

MrT

Sounds like it's from The Gadget Man...

...Series 3 Episode 7 - a robotised restaurant...

Some of the gadgets are on this page, especially the Foodini 3D food printer, and clips from the show can be seen on the show's homepage here

HTTPS bent into the next super-cookies by researcher

MrT

Re: So...

There was talk of importing the inbuilt HSTS tables into HHTPS Everywhere from FF and Chrome as rules. The problem is that they both include HSTS as default, so folk are using this already. Clearing the cache/history on exit doesn't clear this tag, but using something like CCleaner might.

Either way, it's a workaround until the problem can be addressed properly...

MrT

So...

...would a solution be to turn off FF or Chrome secure browsing and use something rules-based like the EFF's HTTPS Everywhere ?

This one shall pass! Not even a flesh wound from ‘Monty Python’ SPACE ROCK

MrT

It's okay...

...it's not coming anywhere near a collision with Earth. Emergency plan 'Arthur's Shield' is not needed at this time and we can stand down the Delta IV Heavy carrying the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. It even had to be hurriedly renamed a Delta III Heavy, in accordance with the modern translations of the Book of Armaments...